Tina Lee

5th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

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Y’all! Can you believe it’s been five years since #JT111216? I can’t either and the husband felt the same.

I’ll be honest with you, I had very little enthusiasm for a grand celebration because we’re in the middle of the pandemic and I still feel bummed out over Rocky canceled first birthday celebration. I was okay with the usual exchange gift, hehehe!

My husband, on the other hand, was scandalized at the thought of not celebrating such a milestone year. He said he refuses to not celebrate our anniversary with a getaway + some gifts (to me). He totes asked me what I want for our anniversary and I blurted out “diamonds!”

So he got me a pair of stud earrings and a 5-diamond ring (one gem for every year, yiheee). Guys, I totally picked my own gifts and I LOVE DEM DIAMONDS TO BITS! To bits!

And you know I just needed an excuse to get us couple rings, right? So, I know of this Ukrainian jeweler with a gorgeous his and hers ring design. I had the ring customized by picking a pink and blue sapphire for the main gem. I read that 5th anniversaries are best commemorated with sapphire and sapphire happens to be my FAVE gem.

I had these done in old-time-y rose gold with yummy thick band so they’re seen from a mile away when worn. Absolutely heavenly, yeah?

I was beside myself with excitement! I couldn’t hide the surprise for long, however. Because we made it a point to show each other our gifts just to make sure we like what we’re getting. Believe me, there’s a hilarious story about this little tradition but that’s a story for another time.

I also got him a new NB2K game, which was given sometime in September because it launched and my husband needs to get it. So the game came first and then the ring.

We’ll cap off our celebration by heading to the Hilton Hotel for a weekend break next week. I did a review here, in case you’re curious. It’s one of our fave hotels now.

We’ll actually stay there twice, November and December. The second will be for Damien’s birthday. The original plan was to celebrate Damy’s 3rd birthday at home but Rocky’s 1st birthday celebration at the hotel got canceled so we decided to just celebrate both birthdays in the hotel.

Anyhoo, so excited for our anniversary celebration! It will be the first real break that we’ll have after our eldest was born, which is more than three years ago. Times flies so fast!

 

Getting Serious About Staying Fit

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I don’t talk about fitness often but going to the gym is a huge part of my everyday. I go to the gym at least 3 times a week, usually 4 times if my schedule allows. I’ve been going on and off to the gym since I was 16-17 years old, can you believe that? Back then, I did it mostly to socialize with friends and also to lose weight. Now I do it to strengthen the muscles because, with two kids, I need all the physical strength that this aging shell could muster, lol

The only time I stopped going to the gym was after being pregnant with my second son, Rocky. I remember shopping for gym clothes in November of last year, being excited and all because I was so close to losing the baby weight and getting a flatter tummy, only to find out a few weeks later that I was pregnant again, hahaha!

When I had my first baby, I was super batty about getting back to shape. This time, I took my time because it was kinda frustrating to get back to shape after reaching my physical peak and lose it again, ya know? I told myself I’d be in no hurry this time around.

I still haven’t shed all of the baby weight, I still have, like, 15 to 20 pounds to go, I think. And the pandemic pretty much delayed our return to the gym. I started working out in January, about 4 months after giving birth. I wasn’t doing anything extra strenuous, just light exercises to wake dem muscles up. Here’s me fresh out of maternity leave lol:

Shortly after this day (taken February), we stopped going back to the gym because of the delta COVID, hehehe.

Fast-forward to August, we decided to come back. We were still not vaccinated at this point but we still went back because we were getting too lumpy from all that inactivity, lol

I bought a slew of yoga shirts and baggy jogging pants from UNIQLO to refresh my daily workout “uniform” and also to motivate me to go to the gym often. These were all from the Airism line and I love how thin yet durable the material is. The top is designed for yoga workouts and I love it to bits because I can move around without the material hiking up from the back like my old gym top.

The pants are so cool because I love harem-style pants. The ones I got are very comfortable and loose. I hate a snug fit, honestly, and my old joggers are somewhat form-fitting. I keep worrying about ripping a seam while squatting and lunging.

Apart from refreshing my gym uniform, I got a new pair of shoes. Well, actually, my husband got the shoes for me.

Backstory: I saw the nicest pair of gym shoes in rose gold, called the Super Rep 2, at a Nike boutique back in January or February but decided against getting it because of the tight fit. I just gave birth at that time and was kinda alarmed that I needed a size 9.5 or so when my shoe size was supposed to be 7.5 to 8.5 at that time.

The Super Rep 2 is best for people with narrow feet and for those with normal feet, there is quite a bit of snugness in the arches. I thought I might regret if I get the shoes in a big size but eventually, I spent the rest of quarantine part 2 regretting not getting the damn rose gold shoes. It’s freakin rose gold!

So when we got back to the gym with all this new gear, I wanted to change my shoes. My old Zooms have a poor fit from the get-go and I don’t really enjoy working out wearing them. They always come undone or my foot would pop out while working out.

I scoured the physical and online stores for the black and violet version of the Super Rep 2 knowing the rose gold pair will be hard to maintain. Unfortunately, popular sizes are sold out all the time. I asked the husband to ask his sneaker supplier to source the shoes for me and when they found one in my size, my husband decided to give them as a gift.

I’m not one to get all excited for freaking trainers but guys, I was giddy waiting for the shoes to arrive. These were ordered overseas and then shipped to us on a preorder. And when they came, ugh. I was so inspired to stay fit guys.

Anyhoo. That’s not the end of my shopping spree, no sir. I decided to get a Fitbit shortly after the shoes came. I wanted a tracker to check how many calories I lose with every workout. Also, I wanted something to motivate me to move.

I wanted to get the older Fitbit Charge 4 because it has more features but the husband said I’m better off with the Luxe model because it looks nicer and the features aren’t too comprehensive. As much as I want all the nice features, I know I won’t be able to maximize them – I don’t have plans to run a marathon lol. So yes, I got a Fitbit online via their flagship store at Lazada.

And get this, the Fitbit came a day later. I was so surprised! So far, we’ve been going to the gym several times per week. We are always shooting for 4 times a week although I’m totally not guilt-ridden with a 3 times per week schedule too.

So far it’s been great. I feel stronger, I guess and my mushy belly has shrunk considerably. I just wish I’d have more time to continue working out until I’m back to my old weight.

A Look Back: Life can Get Better

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It can get better. This post is simply to remind myself that I have come so far. I’m writing this because I just blogged about launching a new business and one of my old posts showed up below it, I Just Missed the Noise. Curious about what I was missing, I clicked and it took me back, guys.

If I remember it right, this was written during the first week of my work-from-home setup, just as I was having a really bad day.

To give some context: I spent two months “floating” after the US’ economic meltdown in 2009 and was eventually forced to resign because the company couldn’t find a client and is losing customers left and right. I wasn’t getting paid in the two months I spent floating. It was at this point that a friend of mine introduced the work-from-home setup.

Admittedly, I scoffed at the idea of working from home because I love dressing up. But I relented after getting trouble finding work. When I accepted the work from home setup, I went back home to the province. I didn’t give up our apartment, we still kept that place until I left the city for good in 2016. I just came back home to minimize my daily expenses.

This particular post made me remember the hopelessness that came from going back writing smut thangs, getting acquainted from working at home, dealing with my overbearing father on a daily basis, losing a client, and taking care of mounting quotas. I guess this verse just hit me, man:

“Fact of the matter is, I’m fully aware of the consequences. I don’t really want anyone to remind me that this was a very stupid decision because that’s basically what I tell myself every waking hour. That there’s absolutely no chance in hell for me to improve my writing if I keep this up. That I’m back on square one. That I shouldn’t do something I hate it. That I should keep trying. That I shouldn’t settle for anything less. That I can do better.

I know.”

Intense.

If there is one thing that I learned in life so far, it’s that doing what you hate is never worth the time, money, and effort. It’s just not. If you are miserable day in and day out, something has got to change because that’s no way to live life.

Also, a piece of advice: this too shall pass. Sounds cliche but it’s true, guys. At least it is, for me. I survived and though I’m still learning every day, life got better. Everything has a way of sorting itself out, that’s God’s truth. I wish I could travel back in time, give my younger self a pat on the head, and say, durr durr.

… Off to a New Adventure!

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Yes, I seem to keep using the word “adventure” as a code for “business,” which, let’s be honest, is totally done on purpose, hahaha!

Two years ago, I started a new business, which I fondly call, my “little candy store”. If you know what I sell then you’ll see how candy fits to describe the business. Anyhoo, I’ve always wanted to step up my game by offering pieces to sell but I couldn’t find a professional smith to team up with… until recently.

Thanks to a couple of friends, I found a platero that’s worthy of investing time and money in. He has over 20 years of experience in goldsmithing so I decided to have several pieces made by him and his team.

These images were taken by my master smith, they’re not the best resolution but the craftsmanship is fantastic. I am set to launch several pieces this month.

The pieces will include stud earrings in a classic 4-prong setting, and several rings. All will feature our gemstones. Part of the collection will be our MOP series, which are minimalist pieces with a fabulous bezel setting. I’m quite excited about this one because it will be a part of our permanent collection.

This is a bold move for me because while the shop is doing good, it takes a lot of money to invest in gold.

Honestly, I haven’t had great success with ready-made pieces in the past. I tried selling antique jewelry pieces but I guess I haven’t been marketing the shop enough or they’re only appealing to some people so they’re not being appreciated as much as I hoped. Here’s to hoping that this new journey will lead to more business opportunities.

 

Rocky Turns 1!

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My number 2 just turned number 1! We celebrated Rocky’s first birthday at home. We had a fabulous family-only party planned at the Hilton but the venue canceled on us a week or so before his birthday because of health restrictions. You can imagine how absolutely crestfallen we were.

We wanted to celebrate his birthday in the most bongga way possible because we felt that we were not celebrating his milestones like we did with Damien. So we decided to book a full weekend getaway at the Hilton in Clark Pampanga so the kids could finally go out and have a good time.

Then the Delta virus came and ruined our plans. This was planned months in advance so you can imagine how disappointed we all were! And I planned his looks and everything!!

Still, we had a fun, intimate gathering at home. We didn’t cook anything because it was the middle of a workweek so we bought food from this really good Chinese resto. The cake was specially made for the occasion and it featured Rocky’s favorite cartoon characters.

Happy first birthday, my precious Rocco! We love you!

4 Hours Later… New Hair, Who Dis?

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It took a good 3-4 hours but I finally had my hair straightened. It was an ordeal, let me tell you. And my hair was so fragile, it almost burned too.

Here’s a picture of me all smiles while my hair is being treated:

… and after:

I get my hair straightened every damn year but I always dread the entire process because I just don’t have the time these days. But I’m very happy with the results! And I miss having short hair too. What do you think?

The next plan is to have my pits lasered off to get rid of the post-partum hyperpigmentation – yes, bothered enough with the discoloration to laser my pits off. I found a really nice skincare clinic here in my little town and I will be dropping by soon for a consultation.