Just register at http://www.nikewomen.com.ph/thisislove/ and Nike will sponsor your very first session with a sport of your choice. The choices include ultimate frisbee, bellydancing, Bikram yoga, volleyball, rock climbing, football, wakeboarding, and surfing. If you try out all the sports you'll get a Nike discount card.

   Here's to good health! I highly recommend Bikram yoga... oh and I think the offer is for women only.

   It's my fifth straight day of Bikram Yoga, and I can actually see results! I seem to have lost some flab from my midsection (hubby was the first to notice) and the skin on my face is in great condition. I initially wanted to have a facial but somehow the little bumps beside and around my nose seem to have disappeared mysteriously. I thought the head instructor was joking when she told us to enjoy our free facial while practicing Bikram Yoga, but it does seem to do wonders for the skin...

   I wonder if I'll be visibly slimmer after one month of doing this?

   For several weeks now my good friend Jocelyn had been trying to get me to try Bikram Yoga, also known as "hot yoga". Basically you practice yoga in a heated room and bathe in sweat for 90 minutes. Bikram Yoga supposedly makes you leaner and more physically fit with the added benefit of cleansing your system of toxins thus rejuvenating your body.

   I got the 1-week unlimited trial package for P700 at Bikram Yoga Greenhills (BYG) and participated in my first session yesterday afternoon. I was intimidated by the veteran crowd I chanced upon -- lean, mean, yoga machines clad in two-piece yoga outfits similar to what you'd wear in Boracay. Tessa Prieto-Valdes was there but she was in the advanced class. I tried my very best to keep up with everyone in the basic class, breathing and stretching as best I could. My friend congratulated me for not passing out (she says there had been first-timers who could not finish the whole session) and being able to finish the whole 90-minute session in one piece. I was really bathing in sweat, you could wring my clothes and they would form a puddle on the floor. "See you tomorrow," our instructor Ginger cheerfully said. I thought to myself, sure, if I can get myself out of bed tomorrow because I could already feel the muscle strain in places I didn't know existed.  

   I woke up today feeling all sore and thought I might not be able to make it. But after being up and about for an hour or so I got over it, packed my bags, and headed off for another session. Jocelyn advised me to be there early since today is a holiday and holidays are usually full days at BYG. So I arrived at BYG 30 minutes before the session. Good thing I did because by 9:30am the class was so full they actually had to turn away several people.

   To my surprise, Sam Oh of ETC and Ms. Becky Kho of Yummy Magazine were also in this morning's Bikram Yoga session. This time our instructor was Sherie, whom I heard is one of the best in the business. True enough I perspired 200% more with Sherie in charge. She would go around and really make sure every single one of us was doing it right. I still felt intimidated because I didn't really know anyone there and everyone seemed to know everyone.

   Hopefully I can make the most out of my 1-week unlimited trial. For more information visit http://www.bikramyoga.ph/

   I'm hoping this reaches all the moms and dads connected to my multiply account and then some. Baby powder is cancerous, and that's not an exaggeration. The main ingredient is talc, which is similar to asbestos. Anyways here is the article complete with scientific and medical references:

   http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/cosmetics/talc.htm

   Please read and be aware. I know people here in the Philippines are quite fond of baby powder.

Our family first experienced Ilog Maria products when our neighbor sent us a Christmas basket filled with their natural products and concoctions (soaps, honey, propolis, etc). We've used up every single item in that basket and now we want more!

Ilog Maria's Propolis Ointment is perhaps their most in-demand item in our family. Our two children are prone to mosquito bites and they scratch like crazy when they feel the itch. Over-the-counter medication reduce swelling and help keep the bites from getting inflamed but do nothing about the itchy feeling.

That's the beauty of Ilog Maria's Propolis Ointment. It's made of propolis and beeswax so it's all natural -- no chemicals, drugs, nor preservatives. It smells like honey and mint. When you apply it to the bite, its mentholated properties relieve the itchy feeling and my kids stop scratching pronto. My kids love it so much every time they have a bite they come running, asking for "Ilog Maria". Since it stops them from scratching, the bites disappear after a few days without getting infected or inflamed.

The ointment costs 192.50 for 45 grams. You can order it (along with other Ilog Maria products) from http://ilogmaria.com and they'll ship it to you via Air 21.