How to shop for clothes that perfectly fit you

When I shop for clothes, my cardinal rule is never to buy unless I fit it first(although there are times when I’m too lazy to fit!)  But even if you’ve fitted clothes, sometimes you get buyer’s remorse because after wearing an item once or twice, it seems that the fit isn’t that great – not as great as it seemed when you fitted it in the store.  (There must be something about the mirrors and lighting in fitting rooms!) 

Anyway, if you’re planning to go shopping for clothes,  here are some useful tips from “Frumpy to Fabulous: Flaunting It. Your Ultimate Guide to Effortless Style” by Natalie Jobity.  The tips give you specific details on what you should look out for to determine if a pair of pants, a jacket or a skirt perfectly fits you.

Pants: Pants should fit on your high hip depending on how long the rise is. Nowadays most slacks fit at or just below your belly button, unless you’re trying on low rise pants.

If you have a good fit at the waistband you will not need to keep pulling your pants up. If your pants ride down on you constantly it is a sign that it’s a poor fit—either a waistband that is too loose, a rise too long or a pant that is too big on you overall.

Bend your knees and squat to make sure the crotch isn’t too tight or short. You really want to get a perfect fit in the crotch area. The crotch (or rise) of a pant is too short for you if it pulls and wrinkles at the side of the crotch, especially when you walk. The crotch is too long for you when it sags and leaves a pool of fabric settled unattractively at the crotch when you’re seated. Both of these are deal breakers.

If the pants have side pockets, they should lie against your hipline without gaping or pulling. If the pockets gape open, the pants are too tight or the pockets are too low. If they only gape at the pockets and otherwise fit fine, you can have the tailor stitch the pockets shut.

The correct length should clear the heel of your shoes and rest on the front part of your foot with a small break between the hem and the shoe.

Jackets: Fold your arms across your chest. Is the jacket comfortable across your back? Does it strain or sag at the shoulders? Button all the buttons on the jacket to make sure they are secure, and don’t pull. Buttonholes should be neatly stitched so they don’t fray. Make sure the jacket fits you well buttoned up and there is no gaping or pulling.

Skirts: The hemline of a skirt should finish at the most flattering part of your leg, which for many women is at or slightly above the knee. It’s important to examine your leg’s length and shape to determine the most flattering length.

Unless the skirt has an asymmetrical hemline, the hem should fall evenly all the way around. If the skirt hikes up in the back, it’s because you likely have a generous tush. This is a fit issue.

A slim-line pencil skirt can be tapered to follow the natural line of the leg. With a pencil skirt, be sure you can sit in it without its riding up or pulling at the sides. Also make sure when you walk, the skirt does not start to bunch up on the sides—a sign that your hips are too wide or your rear too pronounced to accommodate the straightness in this skirt style.

A-line skirts gently flare out from the hip. Just ensure that the skirt isn’t too wide or bulky on your frame. The fabric should fall gracefully over your legs.

As a final tip, here’s how Jobity defines Style:

“Style is knowing who you are, embracing your unique body, and dressing in ways that look and feel best on you. Your clothing becomes just another way you express yourself and your individuality to the world. Style is about making your ensembles ring true by mixing them with your attitude, personality and your creative use of accessories. Style is not about following fashion trends or even fashion. As the famous quote from designer Yves St Laurent guides, “Fashion fades, style is eternal.” True style is ageless and timeless and absolutely authentic. It’s about being comfortable in your skin and it’s about Flaunting It.”

Why Ignorance is Bliss according to Calvin and Hobbes

I know some people don’t read newspapers anymore (having shifted to digital) but I’ve never outgrown reading the Sunday paper – including reading the Sunday comics!  Haha… 

Anyway, my favorite comic strip is Calvin and Hobbes.  Check out Calvin’s witty and thought-provoking musings on why ignorance is bliss in today’s comic strip:


Here’s the exchange between Calvin and Hobbes while riding their wagon into the woods (just in case you can’t read the dialogue in the photo) -

Calvin:  It’s true, Hobbes, ignorance is bliss.  Once you know things, you start seeing problems everywhere…
and once you see problems, you feel like you ought to try to fix them…
and fixing problems always seems to require personal change…
and change means doing things that aren’t fun.  I say Phooey to that!
But if you’re willfully stupid, you don’t know any better, so you can keep doing whatever you like!
The secret to happiness is short-term, stupid self-interest!

Hobbes:  We’re heading for that cliff!
Calvin:  I don’t want to know about it.
<The two of them fall off the cliff>
Hobbes:  I’m not sure I can stand so much bliss.
Calvin:  Careful!  We don’t want to learn anything from this.

Calvin and Hobbes never ceases to amuse me even if I keep on re-reading the strips. :)

The Survival Rule of Three

Here's something important to remember from Tom Parker's book "Rules of Thumb"-

You can live 3 seconds without blood,
3 minutes without air,
3 days without water,
and 3 weeks without food.
- Sandy Figuers, geologist

Photo source: adventure.nationalgeographic.com

Rules of Thumb: Useful Guestimates & Shortcuts

I’m currently reading a book called “Rules of Thumb":  Brilliant Guestimates, Shortcuts and a few Shots in the Dark” by Tom Parker.

The book features a collection of rules of thumb.  As defined by the book, a rule of thumb is “a homespun recipe for making a guess” or an “easy to remember guide that falls somewhere between a mathematical formula and a shot in the dark”.    The most popular rule of thumb and how it originated is the rule of thumb itself – if you don’t have any ruler or tape measure and you need to estimate in inches, use your thumb.  From knuckle to the fingernail equals 1 inch. 

Here are some interesting and useful rules of thumb I picked up from the book.

• Keeping a washable mug at your desk can save as many as 500 disposable paper or plastics cups a year.
• Between two barbers in a shop, choose the one with the worse haircut; barbers cut each other’s hair. – George Cameron
• If you really need something done, ask a busy person. –Ruth Sullivan, editor
• Snapshots encourage memories, videos replace them.  After watching a video of your vacation, your memory of the vacation will be what you saw on the video.
• To tell if a pearl is genuine, rub it against your teeth. A fake pearl will feel smooth; the real thing will grate. – Quinith Janssen, pearl expert
• To avoid lunatics on city buses, sit in the middle.  The friendly lunatics sit as close to the driver as they can, and the unfriendly ones sit as far away as they can. – Keith Allan Hunter
• If you read on the john every morning, it’ll take you six weeks to finish the book. – Gaard Moses
• If you are in a position to do so, delegate a task to someone else if he or she can do it 80% as well as you would.  This will leave you time to do the things that only you can do. – Elliot Miller
• The person doing the most talking after a fender bender is usually the one who caused the accident. –Steve Carver
• It takes 30 hours of conversation to know whether you really like someone.  Be wary of anyone who invites you only to places where you can’t chat such as movies, plays and concerts. - B. Bell
• Time goes by faster from the moment one starts paying one’s own bills.  -Franklin Crawford, writer
• When ants travel in a straight line, expect rain.  When they scatter, expect fair weather. 
• If your fiance does something that bothers you before you’re married, it will bother you ten times more after you’re married. – Bruno Colapietro, matrimonial lawyer

BTW, I discovered the book from a 12-year old kid!  I don’t think it’s locally available nor is it available on kindle so I ordered a hard copy from Amazon.com.

I’ll share with you some more rules of thumb next time. :)

What’s the difference between brown & white rice?

I’ve been eating brown rice for 3 or 4 years now – at least, when I’m home.  We know brown rice is healthier but not a lot of people eat it for several reasons.  For one,  it doesn't look appetizing as white and two, it's more expensive.

But what's the difference between brown and white rice?
After harvesting, the seeds are run through a rice husker for milling to remove the outer grain husks.  At that point, that's   brown rice. 

To make white rice, further processing is required. The germ and the inner husk (bran) is removed and then the grain is polished. However, this step removes some nutrients from the rice.  This is plain white rice.

There's a way to synthetically bring back the lost nutrients like Vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Iron and other nutrients.  That's fortified white rice.

But in terms of number of calories and carbohydrates, both brown and white rice have similar content.  The main advantage of brown rice is on the nutritional content.  Even if nutrients are synthetically injected to white rice, one mineral not fully added back is magnesium.  If 1 cup of cooked long grain brown rice contains 84 mg,  a cup of white rice only contains 19 mg.  That alone translates to 440%+  more nutritional content in brown rice! :)

Photo source:  landsofwisdom.com

10 Key Learnings from Unlimited by Jillian Michaels

I’ve read “Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life” by American personal trainer Jillian Michaels.  I don’t really know Michaels until I read a review about her book and ended up purchasing its kindle version.  

“Unlimited” is packed with tips on how to live positively interspersed with insightful anecdotes and sometimes, even scientific studies.   Here are 10 key takeaways:

1.  Be positive because any energy we emit gets absorbed by the people around us.  One study cited in the book is entitled The Hidden Messages in Water conducted by Japanese Dr. Masaru Emoto.  Emoto wanted to see if anything happened to water at a fundamental physical level, when various mental and verbal forces “acted” on it. He exposed water to blessings, anger, love, hate, and a whole range of human emotions and expressions. After exposing each container of water to the different forces, he froze the water and photographed the crystals. The crystals from the water that had been exposed to love and blessings were consistently and noticeably more beautiful than those from the water exposed to negativity. He has also shown that the same effect can work across vast distances. (Amazing!)

2.  Hang out with positive people.   Research shows that we adopt many behaviors, habits and mannerisms from our peers.   Thus, spend time with people whose behaviors you want to adopt and vice-versa.

3.  I f you want something, think of it as a positive end instead of a counterattack to a fear.  For example, if you want to be healthy, don’t think “I don’t want to get sick” because that message focuses on sickness. Instead, think of feeling strong and vibrant. Appreciation emits positive energy. (My brain needs some rewiring!)

4.  Just do it.  Intentions, prayers, meditation and aspirations require action.  As Michaels points out -  You can’t just think promotion, you have to kick ass at your job. You can’t just think love, you have to put yourself out there and meet people. You can’t just think healthy, you have to take care of yourself, eat healthfully, have fun, and exercise.  (Ok, I’ve to go out, meet people and exercise! haha…)

5.  Learn to forgive.  Holding grudges keeps us from moving forward. I also like Michaels’ definition of forgiveness - “Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting. Nor does it have to mean letting the person back into your life to hurt you again. It simply means healing the hurt that’s been done to you and continuing to pursue a prosperous, meaning-filled life.”

6. Stop worrying about the future at the expense of enjoying the present.  Sometimes we spend a lot of time imagining fears or problems that don’t yet exist.  As Michaels’ colleague puts it “Don’t bleed until you’re shot.” 

7.  Write your goals.  Internet statistics says 95 percent of people don’t have written goals and they fail because of it, while 5 percent write down goals, and they succeed. (Write, write, write.)

8. Stay away from temptation if you want to stay trouble-free.    Michaels points us that when we are constantly exposed to temptation, ultimately willpower wears thin, even for the most determined.

9.  If you’re provoked, think hard before you do something irrational.  Whether it’s hurtful words,  demeaning tone or irrational behavior, you can never take them back once said and done.  As Michaels puts it - Never forget, one moment of unchecked impulsivity can destroy months or even years of hard work…

10. Do good deeds.  Remember that every seed of good intention you plant will yield fruit. Maybe not at the time or in the form you expect, but it will manifest.

What people never forget

Here’s a beautiful quotation from American author and poet, Maya Angelou:

People will forget what you said,
People will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.


Photo source: ariseindia.forum

Apag Marangle–where to eat in Pampanga

If you’re planning to go on a foodtrip to Pampanga, Apag Marangle is one restaurant which you may want to include in your list.  “Apag” in Pampanggo means “handa” (feast) and “marangle” means “bukid” (ricefield).  The restaurant serves popular Pampanggo dishes and delicacies.

The restaurant is  composed of rows of bamboo huts in the middle of a fishpond.

Here’s how a hut looks like.

And here’s the view from the hut.

Look down below the hut and see fishes.  You can ask the waiters for fish food so you can feed them.


Here are some of the Pampanggo dishes we tried at Apag Marangle:

Chili Garlic Frog Legs


Batute or Stuffed Frogs


Sizzling Balut or Duck Egg


Buttered Shrimps


Crispy Pata


Ginataang Gulay


Crispy Ukoy


Grilled Squid

We also tried the Tocinong Damulag (Carabao) but I forgot to take a photo.  Their Tocinong Damulag is in barbecue sticks! Unique way to serve it.   They offer a lot of other Pampanggo delicacies like “kamaru” (crickets) and kalderetang itik (goose) among many others.

Sharing also with you some photos which my 10-year old nephew took from my camera while exploring the grounds.




Love the photos!  He has better creative eye than me considering he’s just 10! Haha…

Apag Marangle is located along Olongapo-Gapan Road, Bacolor, Pampanga.  For directions, here’s the map from the restaurant’s multiply site - http://apagmarangle.multiply.com/photos/album/27/directional_map_going_to_Apag_Marangle#photo=1.
For queries, you can also email apagmarangle@yahoo.com.

Shambala: Ifugao Huts and Arts in Silang, Cavite

Shambala, also spelled as Shambhala  or Shamballa is a Sanskrit word which  refers to a "place of peace/tranquility/happiness".  In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambala is considered a mythical kingdom hidden somewhere beyond the snow peaks of the Himalayas.

In the Philippines, there’s a place called Shambala in Silang, Cavite.  True to the Sanskrit meaning, it’s a place of serenity.  And more than that, it’s also a place for  inspiration, creativity and cultural appreciation.

The property houses several Ifugao huts in a hilly terrain with a stream of running water.  The huts were imported from Northern Philippines and were re-assembled and restored at Shambala.

Each of the Ifugao houses look unique.  Here are some of them:



Check out the details of the stairs in one of the Ifugao huts.  Some work of art which you would think twice about stepping on!
 
Here’s how the inside of an Ifugao hut looks like.


In the middle of the property, there’s a stone house. 
 
Here are some photos inside the stone house.  Beautiful arrangement and interior details.


I love the details of the window pane and door.

Here's the balcony of the stone house. 

Chairs in the balcony evoke nostalgia. 


There's a collection of glass fishing floats at the balcony.  These glass floaters were once used by fishermen worldwide to keep fishing nets afloat.  They are no longer widely used and are now considered collector’s items.


Shambala has a main house where guests can congregate. 


Look at the long wooden furniture in the foreground of the photo above.  Below is the side view.  Can you guess what it is?

Apparently, it’s a birthing furniture.  This is where Ifugao women traditionally gave birth! 

We had yummy traditional Pinoy lunch at the main house.  I wasn’t able to take photos of the main courses but here are the colorful salad and desserts.  Haha…


And sharing with you what we saw while exploring the grounds.




Shambala is a private property but my friend (whose brother and sister-in-law own the place) said that occasionally, they do accept guests. If you want to inquire, please visit Shambala’s FB page at http://www.facebook.com/people/Shambala-Silang/100000343300576. 

And how do you get to Shambala?  If you're coming from the Sta. Rosa route, just turn right in the street after Ming's Garden (the street has a waiting shed at the corner so you won't miss it).  From there, drive straight around 7 kilometers.   When you spot Angels of Hope Orphanage on the right side, slow down and you should see the Shambala signage on your left.   The road to Shambala is narrow (1-way only) with bushes on both sides.   The bushy narrow path adds to the mystery of this haven of serenity. :)