DIVA AIZ

Photo from healthyequalshappy.tumblr.com

Do not just focus on your problem area. In my case its my thunder thighs, belly and flabby arms. There are clothes and accessories that helps us draw attention away from these problem areas by just accentuating other favorite parts of our bodies. Focus on that other parts of your body. or wear that sexy heels.. or don those bib necklace.. or maybe wear a bold hot pink lipstick.. 


Love your body and your body will love you back. The key to sustainable fitness or weight loss is loving yourself.

Neither am I doing this to conform to society’s ideals of beauty, so spare me your condescending lecture about body acceptance. Just because I’m trying to change my body (for the better, mind you) doesn’t mean I hate it. It’s actually quite the opposite,

Summer would always be my favorite season. Now that rainy days are back, I can't get rid of my tendencies to feel all gloomy, get lazy and sleepy. All this nostalgia just makes me want to curl up in bed with a book in hand and a warm cup of drink..

Music could also entertain us on rainy days. Just hearing the rain drops and watching it on windows and brings me back to good and bad memories spent in the rain, the hard times I've been through and my childhood - playing basketball while bathing in the rain.


Whether or not it will be raining tonight or this weekend, arranging a Rainy Day Playlist on your phone or Ipod might just be one of those items you can add on your To-Do list. It will come in handy. Music will keep you company on your commute to or from work and will beat the blues from traffic jams.


If you wonder "What to play on a Rainy Day?", here are some tracks in my playlist that you can also listen to. I included link to the videos and some lyrics, though some songs doesn't necessarily have rain on their lyrics.


1. The Lazy Song - Bruno Mars

Today I don't feel like doing anything, I just wanna lay in my bed, Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone, 'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything

Weekends and rainy days.. oh they are the perfect blend.. the Music Video of Bruno Mars with the Monkey Heads is also entertaining.

Marina Bay Sands deserves a special visit.. so I dared to wear RED LIPSTICK (Matte by Nyx Cosmetics) for the FIRST TIME. I love how it instantly brightened up my face, giving an illusion of a flawless and fresh face. Okay I cheated, I applied very little makeup as compared to my usual full-on coz I wanted the Red Lipstick to be the highlight. Only the best right? so I tried Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation in 40 too for the first time. I might post reviews for both soon.

What I Wore: Bandage Skirt from Cotton On, Thrifted Black Sheer Pearl-Collared Top

That photo was taken on a recent visit at the Marina Bay Sands. The most recent iconic spot in Singapore :) They were on their soft opening when I last visited on October 2010, only a few shops were open then, some of the floors were not yet tiled and the canal for the Sampan ride is still empty.


(Photos on top from Google)
On the bucket list is a one-night stay in Marina Bay Sands and experience the Sky Sandspark. Oh that magnificent view of the city.

I am soooooo amazed at the beauty and retail (window shopping) therapy it now offers. There is a relaxed and elegant feel as you walk along, it must be the music, small crowd or the architecture that allows natural lighting. And from the bridgeway alone (parallel to the DNA bridge for those who are walking, oh yeah confusing), I felt like entering a different world as compared to the whole Singapore city. The mall is really upscale catering mostly designer brands like Gucci, YSL, Prada, and Louis Vuitton Island! Its the best or only LV gallery in Asia I guess. I am also awaiting Victoria's Secret's store opening.


Photo from designboom.com

Now moving on to food :) If you want to splurge on one meal, I think Pizzeria Mozza by Chef Mario Batali, is the least expensive choice from among other celebrity chef restaus in Marina Bay Sands.




Aside from hosting Iron Chef America, Mario Batali is one of the most recognized and respected chefs working today with his restaus and cookbooks.

Happy Philippine Independence Day! To honor that, I had this Bandila-inspired nails. Bandila is a news and current affairs show in the Philippines. So I tried to create the Philippine flag on my middle finger and newspaper art in my thumb.

Everytime we gather in the Philippines, we will never miss these familiar questions from our relatives and friends: "Musta lovelife? Where/who's your boyfriend?", so make sure you have a witty remark prepared.

June 12 is usually celebrated as the Philippine Independence Day. A lot of us may have used this holiday to reconnect with friends and family and may have encountered the above question for sure. In lieu of Independence Day, why not celebrate it this year for a different reason? I'm raising a toast not just for Philippines' Independence, but also my own! Yey!

If you are fresh from a break-up, you may not agree with me, but you'll soon find out being single and independent is a blessing :) We get to know ourselves more, we get to develop our talents, pursue hobbies and interests we held back on, and many other things.

Didn't you have that dream of being a celebrity and have the latest clothes and makeup sponsored? Apart from that, you have enough cash to buy yourself that designer item you've been lusting for?
Didn't you have that dream of winning a  shopping spree? or be given 2 minutes at the mall and grab all dress, makeup, shoes and accessories that you can? 


If only things were that easy.. but for a regular girl like me.. I need to work extra hard and put aside some money to spend for these.. I am fond of window-shopping or online-eye-shopping :) and these are my Lust-Haves this month :)

1. Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray. USD $29

It's promises: Hypoallergenic, suited for all skin types, formulate to resist moisture, keeps your makeup picture-perfect for up to 16 hours —you're guaranteed makeup that always looks just-applied.


Why is it on the Lust-List? Makeup hardly stays on me. I would always joke about "Naghalfday na naman ang beauty ko" Because I would step out of the house really made up fresh looking and after some about 4 hrs or some change in temperature, my makeup either darkens or turns oily or disappears completely. This might be the answer! The best addition to my current primer-foundation-loose powder combo.

2. Pink Jeggings from Uniqlo / Cotton On, Sgd 34.90 - 39.90. 

Why is it on the Lust-List? Wearing pink pants seems really clean and feminine to me. The perfect alternative to the white pants.

3. New Look White Butterfly Print Dipped Hem Maxi Dress, about 60SGD. 

Why is it on the Lust-List? Oh yes another mullet, but I never got past my obsession for butterflies. The print is so adorable! I just feel like this dress is very much ME!

4. Sephora Deluxe Fragrance Sampler For Her. 

What it Contains: 0.05 oz Ralph Lauren Romance, 0.06 oz Gucci Flora by Gucci, 0.05 oz Michael Kors Gold, 0.04 oz Vera Wang Lovestruck, 0.04 oz Oh, Lola Marc Jacobs, 0.03 oz Pucci Miss Pucci Intense, 0.03 oz Kenzo FlowerbyKenzo, 0.03 oz FENDI Fan di Fendi, 0.04 oz Taylor Swift Wonderstruck, 0.04 oz Hanae Mori Butterfly

Why is it on the Lust-List? Sure there's still a need to explain? haha.. It takes a long time for me to finish a bottle of perfume and i'm so guilty to buy a new one. I do not have a signature scent and I prefer switching scents depending on my mood. So I'd get to try different scents for the price of one!

5. The Perfect Denim Jacket. 

Why is it on the Lust-List? It's not just a lust-have. It should be a staple in every woman's closet. It looks good on just about anything. I'm still on the search for the perfect denim jacket with the perfect fit. Not too tight, not too loose.

I randomly checked the traffic sources of my blog hits.. and noticed most referrals are coming from a Brazilian site Maggnificas.. I was surprised to see myself in one of their entries.. the page is in portuguese, but the feature is about plus-size girls all over the world who's into the mullet skirt trend.. :)


The full feature is in this link:
http://maggnificas.blogspot.com.br/2012/05/glossario-de-moda-mullet.html



These are the gorgeous founders of the blogsite. Each one absolutely exudes and screams "S-e-x-y!"

Thanks for the feature girls.. it was totally unexpected :)

I've been too lazy to publish outfit posts recently coz I usually don't don't get to sign-up other people to take my photos. Hindi naman ako full-time blogger with a tripod and nice camera. I just love fashion and photos.

This is my first take at color blocking. I am scared of wearing brights and too much color, coz of my morena complexion. But my GSS buys were mostly brights and pastels to add more splashes of color in my wardrobe and dare myself to wear more color than the usual dark shades. Singapore's weather has been really humid as well so I opted for a sheer top. I knew we'd be going through each mall in Orchard so once again I stepped on some flats.I don't know but it seemed like the overall look became a bit retro coz of the length and flair of the skirt.





More daring colors and pieces to try in the next few days!

My 1st post was already too lengthy so I had to create two parts for this topic.. here's the continuation.. View my first post here.

Saturday - Day 5: Beef all you can and 6 Tomatoes  

Morning Weigh-in: 173.2


Not bad..  must be the effect of what I consumed which is saging na saba and Fresh Milk.. my bad.. i didn't chose the low-fat and skim purposely.. Another secret unlocked! I weighed my self everyday.. and the everyday weightloss even if its little by little pushes me to keep going with the GM plan.


It's a feast day for the carnivore me! For breakfast I had 2 beef patties fried in very little oil and 1 whole tomato... while they had a bucket of KFC Chicken delivered.. see? the people that surrounds me are convenience eater like me and they love food as much as i do!


Since we came from the Singapore Expo to check the MegaFlea and Sales, we ate out for dinner at Food Republic. There were so many food to choose from but I have to stick to it. I went around and was glad to find a Japanese stall selling hot beef plate and then I ordered extra tomatoes from nearby Tapa King (Oh yes! Tapa King in Singapore!) So the secret as well is being very picky on what you eat and being strict to yourself.


Before I slept, I checked my weight and it's still at 173.8. I kept it even after eating saging na saba and full cream milk yesterday and meat today. It inspired me to read more health and wellness articles too! It makes me more determined to keep the weight.

Sunday - Day 6: Beef and Vegetables all you can  

Morning Weigh-in: 172.8


Not a huge drop. Probably because I wasn't able to consume 6 tomatoes and I only had 2 huge meals and 1 midday meal because I was so much preoccupied by shopping the day before. For breakfast, I sauteed minced beef with onion garlic and tomatoes. It tasted as good as a taco or shawarma filling.


Vishnu cooked sinigang so I joined them for lunch. With sinigang as my soup with the stringbeans and kangkong on it, I had my additional fill of veggies.


After a day of touring around Bugis Street and Chinatown, we ate at a Chinese restau. They had Beef stir-fried with some veggie stalks. Told you i'm not a veggie lover so I don't know how they were called.

Monday - Day 7: Brown Rice, Veggies and Fruits 

Morning Weigh-In: 172.3


Once again, not a huge drop. Probably because I only had 2 huge meals, then waking up late and preoccupation on shopping the day before probably slowed my metabolism. But alas! The last day of the diet plan is finally here! 


Breakfast began with pears :)

I looked around the grocery store and was not able to find brown rice less than 10 kilos. Boo! I asked the food stalls around if they are serving brown rice and they don't! I asked the Thai restau if they serve brown rice and they don't. By lunchtime, I am so famished. Thai food took over my willpower and Chicken Pad Thai defeated me! Booooo! End of GM haha..





I still bought lemons and grapes and grapefruit that I could munch on and curb my snacking.

Review, Learnings and Conclusions

I was surprised at how I was able to withstand 6 days with all possible temptations all around me. Does it work? Based on experience, YES IT DOES WORK! Especially if you strictly follow the diet plan. I skipped the GM Wonder Soup which I learned later on was supposed to be a fat burner.


With my frame. an overall weight loss of 6.5 lbs is kinda hard to notice. I know that I still have to lose some more but I am glad for the jumpstart GM has provided. And that's the fastest weight loss I ever had. I'm also proud of myself for the discipline.

But in the course of 1 week of healthy eating, I noticed an improvement in my facial complexion. 3 days before GM, I had a breakout. But by GM Day 4, I noticed clearer and glowing skin and to my surprise, my monthly visit also arrived! These two probably happened coz of the cleansing benefit and release of toxins. I also feel lighter and more energetic.


Anyway, GM can not be adopted as a lifestyle. One can only do GM if they're work doesn't require too much physical activity. It's best done on a long weekend, vacation or if you are working from home :) The food allowed per day may not be enough to sustain your energy requirements. If the temptation or the cravings will not get you, then hunger, dizziness, and headache definitely will. It take a lot of self-control, will power and patience, too! I know a lot of people who didn't manage to finish.
I'm not sure i would do it again since its very much restrictive. Or I would but Day 2 Veggie day would be more fun if Tofu or Mushrooms could be tossed along with the vegetables. 



Funny how I ended up eating alone on my first 4 days coz no one wants to eat with me. They all are nega about what I do. The key is: DON'T LET THEM TELL YOU IT CAN'T BE DONE! In the beginning, you must know how to block of comments from people, whether they are your family or close friends.. take the good ones and block of the negative ones.. no comment from people is the best support i guess.. either you convert them in eating less or they convert you with their unhealthy eating. Dieting does not mean quitting eating; it simply means eating the right thing.

The good thing about GM is..
.. it would help you develop healthy eating..
.. it would help you practice self-restraint.. and not just grabbing whatever is convenient..
.. it would make you mindful of the amount of water you intake..
.. it would make you appreciate whatever is available on the table.. and not asking for more..
.. it would help you survive when you are stuck in an island and have not much food choices to eat..
.. its more of making healthy choices.. taking time to prepare your own meal.. minding what you put in your meal.. mindful of the condiments, seasoning or dips..



I fully understand that it's one thing to lose weight and its another battle to maintain it! I have been more conscious of what i eat and and the amount of food i consume, here's how i plan to permanently, and little by little lose the excess pounds. 

1. I am planning to adopt the Veggie Day and Fruit day. 
2. Or a very strict and healthy Monday-Saturday without carbs, soda and chips (I heard Koreans K-pop stars do their diet this way, strict Monday-Saturdays, then they can eat anything they want only on Sundays)
3. Increase physical activity. I would continue running in more distances and longer minutes. I would keep on doing Zumba. Our friend Krishna's boxing trainer told her that weight loss key is 70% food intake and 30% physical activity
4. I'll do more crunches. Since my tummy had always been a problem area since I was a kid. Some plus-size girls still have proportioned waists and flat tummies. K-pop stars also swear by a minimum of 500 sit-ups per day (Boo this will kill me so ill stay with crunches for now)
5. Drink lots and lots of water with spritz of lemon. . The benefits of drinking lots of water with lemon will not only be beneficial to your skin, but will also aid in weight loss, according to Femalenetwork.com. My previous Herbalife weight coach also suggested that for every 25kg you have, you should drink 1 litre of water.
6. Eat more fruits and vegetables. 
7. Go to bed early to avoid late night cravings and snacking. I must adapt the meal 4 hrs before bedtime. 
8. Snack on fruits instead of chips, pastries and sweets.  
   Eat everything in moderation especially my carb consumption to not more than 1 serving per day. Carb is present in most vege and fruits. I used to be able to finish 3 slices of pizza or 2 donuts or 2 pairs of sandwich or 1 and a half slice of lasagna in 1 sitting, But I'll strictly follow portion control.

Here's a Height-Weight Chart, based on it, I still need to lose 35-40 lbs to stay on a medium-large frame by my 25th birthday. 4 months to make this lifestyle a habit.


To all those trying to lose weight, or still planning to lose weight - MAY THE FORCE BE WITH US! 

I am so excited to share my thoughts and experience on GM (General Motors) Diet.. Just a brief background, it is said that GM Diet was developed by the General Motors management with the intention of facilitating wellness and fitness for employees. 


I've always been curious about it since a colleague from my previous job introduced it to us and lost about 10 lbs in 7 days following the diet plan.. We even photocopied her 2-page document but I think I lost it. Some colleagues were so much thrilled to have the same amount of weight loss and just jumped right in.. However, we kinda have a stressful and long-hour 9-730 job so most were not able to keep it and gave up after Day 1 :P


The thing is... its not as easy as it seems! This diet plan would make you develop either love or hate for fruits and vegetables.. or completely hate dieting at all..

I've been fat all my life and this was my 3rd diet attempt. First was 5 months in preparation of my 18th birthday.. From 160, I dropped to 138 with no rice, soda and chips diet and dancing 30mins every other day to Jlo and Carmen Electra. But I gained it all back when I started eating rice again after my 18th birthday party. It ballooned some more when I started working in Singapore. My 2nd attempt was during a Weight Loss Challenge here in Singapore. The organizers were from Herbalife and those who signed up for the challenge met every week trying to outdo each other in losing weight. I didn't do Herbalife yet but I only had grilled chicken and salad and running every other day. After 6 weeks, I only lost 3lbs from that and tried Herbalife for 3 weeks. But I only lost a total of 4lbs from both and was not able to maintain it because I got frustrated with how slow it was. Haha I know that's how narrow minded I was back then when it comes to Health and Wellness..


Don't get me wrong. I am an advocate of fashion in all sizes and shape and I still wear fashionable items and my confidence is still in me.


But what triggered my need to lose weight? I gained so much weight back in the Philippines. This has got to be my largest frame and highest weight in my entire life. I lacked exercise, I ate when Im stressed, I forget to drink water while at work, I lacked sleep on weekdays and it didn't help at all that Banchetto is just behind my previous office every Wednesday and Thursday nights. I'm having irregularities in my menstruation. and I know that the gyne would tell me to lose weight, exercise and sleep better to improve my hormonal imbalance. I noticed that my necklines also darkened even worse! I saw the difference in my chin, jawline and cheeks from photos from one year back and most of the clothes no longer fit! 


With all those in mind, I told myself that my 25th year birthday will be my deadline. Since the Lenten season and my resignation from my previous job, I started shifting slowly to a healthier lifestyle. I skipped rice for most of my meals, sometimes I substituted pasta or bread (I actually prefer these two over rice). But then I am a self-confessed carnivore, I have a sweet tooth and I am a snacker and vegetables are not my thing.. Since I came back in Singapore, I've decided to step up a notch my quest for healthier lifestyle by getting 8-9 hours of sleep (huh sometimes I reach 13hrs haha I know that's bad). I also started jogging 3x a week.. but for 1 month, all it seem to do was to maintain my weight since I didn't cut down much on the calories..


My friend Vishnu is preparing for his sister's arrival and another friend's wedding. He is determined to start the GM thing and our other friend Pat joined him.. I read through the mechanics and rationale behind the diet and I realized why not? It will help me lose weight, kickstart my slow metabolism and force me to eat something healthy. After some thought, my mind told me there's nothing to lose if you try, in fact I have a lot to lose haha, so I also signed up for it. Goals are better reached if you have buddies right?  I didn't have much expectations, but I also wanted to prove self-control and discipline..


So here's a day by day account just so others who will do GM diet can also manage their expectations. Everyday, I also learned about my unhealthy eating patterns and how to overcome it.

Tuesday - Day 1: All fruits except bananas.. 

Morning weigh-in 178.8.. (Normally, I'm not comfortable to discuss my weight but what the heck its just a number)



Its an all fruits day! Hooray! Still not so bad.. I enjoy fruits when they are served cut and ready-to-eat..  (And I ate a variety.. guava, melon, honeydew, watermelon, mangoes and grapes for snacking. I've never had so much fruits in my entire life.


My brother ate roasted pork and rice that day along with the 3 of us haha.. so tempting.. good thing I'm not much into roasted pork..


I usually sleep at 3 am.. but around 1130.. i'm already experiencing some headaches and hunger pangs.. I realized maybe I was really consuming a lot of calories and my body had a hard time to adjust to the sudden drop of calorie intake..

Wednesday - Day 2: Mashed potato for brekkie and all vegetables for the rest of the day.. Imma pretend to be a rabbit day.. I forgot to weigh myself in the morning.. oops.. 

or i may have purposely forget it.. cause if i gained i wouldn't push through with this day.. my most dreaded day.. Mashed potato for breakfast.. I.AM.NOT.A.FAN even with KFC gravy on it.. and as i said, vegetables are not my thing.. For me, it's meant to be consumed as a side dish with a fish or its meant to be cooked with minced pork or tofu at least.. but no it should be the only food to consume..


Mixed peas, carrots and corn for afternoon snack.. which I also hate.. isn't it supposed to be a side dish to a steak or pork chop?





This was such a grumpy day for me. I hated all kinds of smell from food. Haha! I hated it when I hear about food. Pat and Vishnu makes it really hard to stick to this GM thing. They keep imagining food! haha NOT HELPFUL! Yet I realized I can survive even with the temptation of TJ Hotdogs on the table, even with my Nutella and Banana Walnut Bread combo keeps saying "Hi"


Pat cooked chopsuey for dinner.. I smelled and looked at it distastefully but I'm thankful coz it was really good.


I weighed about 11pm and boom! 179.2 lbs! What just happened? After all the sacrifice? I would only gain more lbs?


I knew it, diets don't work! It was so easy to just give up right there but I went on and shrugged it off, maybe I drank too much water, maybe my body hasn't adjusted yet. I realized that there's no such thing as an overnight result and that it is just a test of patience and discipline.


I realized veggies are more filling than fruits, the hunger pangs diminished and the headaches lessened.

Thursday - Day 3: Mix of fruits and vegetables except banana and potato.. Morning Weigh-in: 175.5. Weeeeee! It's working! 

I am the only person at home for the rest of the day.. No one cooked a veggie meal and no one prepared cut fruit.. It was so tempting to just have sandwich and cheese slice so I won't have to prepare my own veggie meal. I kept passing by the opened bag of chips on top of the microwave oven.. But i realized I already made it through Day 2 which is supposed to be the toughest day and I already lost 3 lbs! It is working and I won't put to waste what I lost in the past 2 days.


So I sliced some eggplants and cooked a veggie meal for myself. tossed some eggplants, cabbage and Baguio beans and added a spoon of oyster sauce and teriyaki sauce.


Secret unlocked! I realized I am a convenience eater. I don't take time to check what I eat. I love buying take outs. I am lazy to cook and prepare my own food. Hah! Day 1 and 2 was easy coz my buddies prepared our food. 


The rest of the day was easier. No more grumpiness and hunger pangs.. just temptations. So I decided to walk around the block and buy some cut fruits from the nearby stall. And buy bananas and milk for Day 4. Buying and planning and advance makes its easier to stick to healthy eating! Boom another secret unlocked!


Night came and Pat arrived telling us he's dropping out as he already ate pasta, ice cream and all to his heart's and belly's content with his friends. Hah another test! It was so easy to also drop out.. but.. I remember my admired stylist Liz Uy's quoting this the day before in Twitter "Self-control and delayed gratification are useful arts to learn" Hah! another secret unlocked!


I'm not sure.. but I don't think I can do GM over and over after this.. but I think I should be more restrictive especially on weekdays. I am designing my own health plan..

Friday - Day 4: 8 bananas and 3 glasses of milk

Morning Weigh-in: 173.5. Weeeeee! It's working! 


 versus 


For my first meal, while my supposedly diet buddies consumed a whole full meal of ham, bacon, egg and rice in front of me, I was consuming 3 pcs of my saging na saba very slowly haha..


I fried 1 saging saba for midday snack. We usually eat out on Friday nights so I thought it would be a test. Good thing they chose KFC and while they ate, I contented myself by shopping for accessories! Yey thank God for GSS (The Great Singapore Sale).


I packed two cavendish bananas in my bag just in case. Yet we were almost home when I felt hungry and ate them at home.


Vishnu's sister Krishna arrived from Manila by midnight. She tried GM too and all other diets.. however, she shared that her mentor told them saging na saba is not good for GM! boom!


Oh well at least I still managed to follow the banana and milk combo. I'm still on a roll! It was actually an easy day. Good thing I don't have lactose intolerance and I love bananas.




The post is getting quite lengthy already.. I have to save some more space for Part 2, End Results and Conclusion! Follow this link