Janine's Journey

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

[janinegalang]

Dropping by to inform you all about my new babies. Meet Peanut & Raisin. they’re the cutest. I love them

[thoughtkick]

They burned the bridge, then ask why I don’t visit.

Ugo Eze (via thoughtkick)

[janinegalang]

Confidence regained

To celebrate my anniversary of signing up in the gym (LOL I know, who does that), here's a post totally dedicated to how I finally gave myself a journey to be proud of.

I was always on the heavy side since I was little, I think the last time I remembered I was "thin" was when I was round 5 or 6 years old. Then boom, I was in love with food, especially sweets. I just kept snacking and eating and the next thing I know I was 50kg by elementary. That didn't bother me much at the time because I still had friends, I wasn't bullied or anything but I just hated the fact some would have the audacity to body shame a 10 year old? I remembered there was a remark that I came from Hungary because I was always "hungry" and I bawled. Looking back at it, it didn't make any sense at all, but it still hurt me, I was just a kid!

Then high school and college came, I think I was around 60kg already but I was actually really active. I played volleyball, soccerbaseball and was dancing. I was coming up with choreography for dances, rehearsals and had training sessions (mind you, these trainings had drills, which were very tiring for a big girl like me). So I was moving, sweating and pushing myself, but I also rewarded myself with all the food I could eat after every session. Basically, I was making myself active to be able to eat more (HAHA). Not to mention, that was high school and college, so I was living off daily allowances, which could only technically afford food, meals and snacks that were not too healthy and plus, junk food wasn't all to expensive either. Why bother spending so much on the healthy stuff right?

After college, I basically put being active at the bottom of my priority list. I always thought walking was enough to keep myself active. Work didn’t help much either. I moved to Manila for work and it was all hotel life and buffets for most of it. If I wasn’t deployed, I’d be at home, eating canned goods, fast food or easily cooked meals.

Basically I gained so much weight. I always said I would go to the gym, but I was making it an excuse that I was tired from doing chores all day long. Probably the only active thing I would do is go up and down the stairs (I always got a room that wasn’t at the ground floor and everything else was found downstairs) and my everyday walk to work and back home.

Then I moved permanently back home. I thought maybe, just maybe, I would give attention to my fitness. THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN. Since I wasn't spending on anything other than my commute, I kept going out with my friends. There was a lot of eating and drinking. I even kept a snack drawer in my desk at work. This got me to my heaviest weight which was 82 kg. For a girl with a height of 4'11, this wasn't good or healthy at all.

The very moment I knew I had to do something about my weight was our family trip to Taiwan. I hated the photos taken of me because I looked so big. My face looked so round, it was bad. I used to love taking photos, but slowly I realized that there were no more photos of me in it because I hated looking so big no matter what the angle was. So after drinking all the milk tea I could try and eating all the food I had to taste, I finally signed up for a gym membership.

Luckily, I had friends already in the gym, so getting used to the place wasn't a problem. They practically pressured me to go there (a blessing in disguise HAHA). After my first day, I was hooked. BUT, I was still making excuses not to go. If my friends weren't there, I wouldn't want to go, but I put it in my head that I had already spent money for this, so might as well get my money's worth. I started going to the gym on my own, attending the classes by myself and slowly but surely felt at ease doing my own thing.

Months passed and I was starting to see some changes. I made it a goal to lose at least 5kg every month. It was actually working. Clothes that didn't fit before could be finally be worn, outfits were fitting differently and I was getting stronger.

By the last quarter of the year, I decided to get a trainer, so that I could finally use the gym to its full potential. For starters, I was really just using the elliptical machine and attending classes. I never dared going up to the exercise machines and weights area. I knew that I had to change that inkling and getting a PT was definitely a good start. Our sessions were always tiring and intense but I always felt so good after. I even had enough energy to join classes after the workout. By the end of the sessions, I could finally do push-ups, deadlift a barbell almost the same weight as me and wasn't awkward anymore going up to the 2nd floor on my own. I already had an idea on what to do.

When it came to my eating habits, it didn't actually change drastically except for the the quantity of how much I ate. I just started eating lesser. I tried to cut my rice intake by eating it only once a day, adding protein to lunches (more meat, eggs and a banana for dessert), a pre- workout snack and a sandwich after. If I get hungry, I would eat crackers/ cookies or drink lots of water. Then on weekends, I just ate a little bit more. I would eat out, get milktea, get ice cream and drink alcohol. When Monday came back, it was back to the grind, eating less and minding what I ate.

By the end of 2019, I was finally at 62kg. I lost almost 45 pounds in 6 months!! It’s such an achievement for me.It was the most consistent i’ve ever been and I was actually loving my routine and felt stronger. I felt confident with my body already. I was taking pictures of myself again. I started buying clothes that were 3 dress sizes smaller. From 2XL, I could finally fit a size L or even a size M. I have only scratched the surface but I’m proud of how far I’ve come.

Although I’m struggling to lose those last extra pounds to reach my goal weight, I still work out consistently. I remain to keep my weight in check, so it's all good. I'm just happy that I still choose to remain active and I haven't lost sight of my goal.

[janinegalang]

July 1, 2020

We are officially entering the 2nd half of 2020. Under different circumstances, I would probably be around 80% done planning on what to do for the next couple of weeks since it is my birthday month. By now I would have already booked my ticket and hotel for my birthday trip with one of my closest friends from college and would have already reserved the venue for my birthday celebration. I was actually planning to set up a party in Mcdo or Jollibee and invite my family and friends and see if they’re competitive enough to join the kiddie games and maybe end the night at a bar by renting out a table and just drink and have fun (Usual plan is to get people super drunk, i’ve been successful since 2015).

This would have been the scenario for my 26th birthday month. But with the world as we know it today, a lot of our plans have just remained that, plans. This would have been the year I was about to enjoy everything I’ve worked hard for the past year.. but that was put on hold. The world has definitely “robbed” us of the life we got used to. Everything we were regularly doing has completely turned 360 (or 180?) and we are now in the midst of a global health crisis that has questioned all the protocols we have practiced in the past. Now, we are more than anxious to go out, our movements are quite restrictive, proper hygiene has become 1000% and it has a proper courtesy to wear a mask in public. Who knew 2020 would give us this? I sure didn’t.

If you asked me at the start of the year if I would ever see myself staying at home for more than 100 days with the only means of interaction with friends and work be done online? That I’d actually see the economy and world crumbling before my eyes and there’s nothing physically I can do about it other than educate myself and try to change how I live my life? I’d say you’re crazy. Well, fast forward to today, 7 months into the year and here I am, experiencing just that. It’s a very weird and alien feeling, but that’s the new normal we have to live with it. The best we can do now is adjust and re-learn for ourselves whatever we thought we knew about how the world currently works and do something about it.

To say the least, I think I’ve been coping just right. I try to keep myself as busy as I can. Thankfully, I’m lucky enough to continue to have a job and still earn during this pandemic. Work is definitely what’s keeping me on my toes for most of the day. If I’m not on my laptop typing away, I’m probably on my phone chatting up my friends, sending GIF reactions and memes about my non-existent lovelife. By the time I sign off of work, I change into my active wear and work out. It’s a little bit bland and constrained compared to how I’d do things pre-pandemic, but it’s the best way I’m living through this covid-19 world.

Although I’m distraught that all my plans have been canceled or postponed, I’m still happy that everyone else that I care about are healthy and safe. The silver lining in all of this is that there’s so much to look forward to when this pandemic is over.

For now, I will continue to miss staying outdoors, seeing my friends, engaging with them, giving them affection and just being able to feel their presence. The beautiful rainbow after this crazy storm is that there’s a lot of anticipation for that first hug, kiss, high five, beach trip, coffee run, dine in and party in our new world.

[janinegalang]

This whole stay at home/ work from home thing made me realize that I love to mingle and socialize, that I thrive being around other people and feed off of their energy. I just miss being able to interact with people with ease and enthusiasm 😞 It's just not the same doing things virtually sometimes. #quaranthoughts https://www.instagram.com/p/CBKhvUrFprg/?igshid=1a4dw1r5sf1wx

[janinegalang]

June 24 

(over the past 4 years)

If you asked me what I was doing today in 2017, 2018 and 2019. All my answers would be different but weirdly enough just the same. I'd either be resting from work and going on a food trip/ going out with a friend or watching a movie...Or i'd be catching up on work in a cafe and scheduling the rest of my week to properly pace myself with my workload.

Nevertheless, although mundane and quite a routine, these things kept me on my feet, busy yet still enjoying myself. I tried to take myself out and move around to keep myself entertained and preoccupied.

Funny how things have changed, I never saw this coming. But that's the new normal I have to live with.

[janinegalang]

Binondo

One of the favorite reasons why I loved living in Manila was the abundance of restaurants that had different cuisines to satisfy any cravings I had. There are a variety of choices all over the metro, from the traditional style dishes to those with modern twists. So I promised myself that by moving to Manila, I would try to be adventurous...for food. HAHA

Growing up, I have always loved Chinese food, especially dimsum. There’s something about piping hot dumplings served to you fresh from the steamer. It’s always a state of euphoria. So, I made it a must to find the time to visit the oldest Chinatown in the Philippines, Binondo. This gives visitors a taste of China from the streets of Escolta all the way to Ongpin. A place built and enhanced by the Chinese- Filipinos in the area, you can see merchants setting up businesses to locals and tourists burning incense to offer to the gods, it is a culture affair on its own.

Aside from the hustle and (sometimes) chaos of Chinatown, I always make time to visit because of their food. Binondo’s wide array of choices of food has become a must-try for locals and tourists alike, and from the many visits I have done, I can definitely taste why it has become an attraction. 

1. Chuan Kee

Chuan Kee was the the restaurant we ate in during our first visit in Chinatown. We were planning somewhere else but the lines were long, and this was closer to us, so we decided to eat here. It did not disappoint! We were about 5 people, all tired from walking the streets of Intramuros to Binondo. This was a feast fitting for an afternoon well spent. 

I needed some Xiao Long Bao in my system, so I just had to get it. I didn’t expect my order to have 10 pieces! For PHP150, this was cheap. We also ordered the fried chicken, pancit and siopao. 

Don’t forget to stop by its mini Eng Bee Tin grocery on your way out. You can buy your hopias, drinks and frozen dimsums to take home.

(I mean just look at me admiring my XLB)

2. Wai Ying

Of all the blogs and reviews i’ve read about Binondo/ Chinatown, this restaurant would always come up as a must-try. For the first couple of visits I did, I could never get in because the waiting time took so long. So that definitely was a sign that they had really good food. After several tries, finally, I got to go inside those glass doors, and it did not disappoint me. it was dumpling heaven!!!

Danica and I did a review on our food trip in Binondo (you can check our instagram stories for that HAHA) and this definitely had the strongest scores. 

We ordered the best seller & most recommended Beef Curry Siomai (who knew that combo was so good?), Hakaw (because I craved for it) and the Hong Kong Milk Tea (which was the perfect blend of tea and milk and I think a bit of condensed milk?). I give this 10/10!! 

2. Dong Bei Dumplings

This was also one of the most recommended places for Binondo. A quaint store at the end of the street, you can miss it if you’re not looking hard enough. It has a small space for dine-in customers, and you can actually watch their employees make its famous dumplings.

We ordered the Kuchay dumplings (pork + vegetables), which you can have steamed, boiled or fried. There were about 15 pieces in one order, so it was actually a good serving for its price. Don’t eat too much though, there’s still so much to eat along the way!!

3. Sincerity Cafe

Sadly, didn’t take much photos of my visit to Sincerity, but this is a must too! We ordered the Oyster Cake and their signature fried chicken, which were both its best sellers. My friends weren’t fans of the oyster cake, but I loved the saltiness of the dish! The chicken was spot- on too, a little buttery with a hint of salt. 

4. Ling Nam

A popular noodle house open since the 1950s, Ling Nam has definitely perfected noodle- making because their noodles were amazing. The beef was also tender that it didn’t overpower the rest of the dish. A little bit on the pricey, but 1 order is sometimes too big for 1 person, so maybe you and your friends can share it.

5. Shanghai Fried Siopao

This one is easy to miss along Ongpin, so look closely! The sign is a bit small to see from afar, but look for those big steamers and you’re there! I personally wanted my buns more...fried? I thought the mantou bread would be fried all over, but judging from the one i got, it was steamed first and the bottom was the fried part. THEN AGAIN, the filling was good! I got the bola-bola filling and it was yummy. 

Be sure to eat while it’s still fresh from the steamer because that where it is at its most delicious!!

6. New Po- Heng Lumpia House

This one was the hardest to find!!! We had to search this on google maps and it took a while for us to realize that it was waaaaay inside a building. 

I’m a bit choosy when it comes to my fresh lumpia because I usually am after how the sauce compliments its fillings, but this one didn’t need much. The filling was super good on its own. I’m not sure if it’s just me but I tasted a bit of peanuts and sugar but it complemented the meat, vegetables and sauce so well! Who knew that could work right? 

7. Estero Fast Food

A fast food place literally taking the name to heart, this one is found near the estero (river) in Binondo. You will find the stall immediately as you descend the stairs. Don’t worry, they have an airconditioned area (if you can’t stomach the fact you’re eating by an estero).

Now this one is not for the faint heart or the easily disgruntled stomach, because this dish is exotic. Their specialty dishes are made of frog legs. They have different flavors for this, but we decided to get the butter- fried frog legs just to not surprise our stomachs after eating all day. 

This wasn’t the first time I ate frog legs, so it wasn’t much of a scare for me. The meat was tender and the butter complemented it too. I would suggest to take it out of the bone first before eating it, so that it won’t be stuck in your head that you’re eating an entire frog for lunch (or snacks).

Binondo/ Chinatown has always been one of my favorite places to go to in Manila, not only because of its cheap buys, hustling crowds and bustling culture, but most of all, I love its food. Authentic to its location and will never disappoint your tastebuds!

[janinegalang]

Baguio

Since I was little, there was always a time during summer that my family and I would find time to visit the City of Pines. I loved going up to Baguio because it meant colder weather and that was always something I enjoyed. 

I remember visiting my cousins’ houses for NYE and we would just play “In Between” all night over some drinks or just catching up. I enjoyed the long walks around the city because it was chilly enough to not get sweaty (HAHA). Also, Baguio was the place I actually started to go Ukay- ukay! Session Road is full of those and of course, the Harrison Night Market is not one to miss! I’ve created a lot of memories over the years in the city, that’s why I always look forward to coming back any chance I can.

Recently, i’ve been going up to Baguio more often and every trip is always something different. May it be doing tourist-y things or just going on a food trip, Baguio will never disappoint!

So here are some highlights of the recent trips we had:

-Wright Park

-The Mansion

-The Diplomat Hotel

(this is the view of the top floor with the cross)

-Camp John Hay

(just walking around the Camp)

-Burnham Park

-Harrison Park

(my bad, don’t have a better photo of the night market in Harrison. didn’t want to take my phone out)

-MinesView Park

(you can rent these Ifugao costumes for Php20, and you can use it for as long as you want before returning it. So take as much pictures as you can while playing dress up!)

For the foodies out there, go try some:

-Strawberry Ice Cream 

(you can buy it in cone or in bun; Pinoys actually like having their ice cream in hot buns because of the hot & cold combination)

-Strawberry Shortcake from Vizco’s

(can’t help but think of the movie “Glorious” with this one. hahaha)

-Strawberry Taho

-Ube Taho

-Sweet Corn 

(in cup or on the cob)

*Special mention to this Honey Angus Beef Tapa with Beef Pares. It was such a good combo with the cold weather.

For Pasalubongs, you can go to these places:

-Good Shepherd

(this is where you can buy the famous Ube Jam, which is relatively cheaper than buying it in the market)

-Maharlika Center

(more choices of things to give away from peanut brittles, crinkles, strawberries and even bags! You can even buy some strawberry wine!)

A couple of tips for first timers travelling to Baguio:

1. To save yourself from the hassle of lining up to ride a bus, book a ticket. This will save you time. The first time my friends and I went up, we booked our tickets in Victory Liner. The second time, we decided to line up to ride the Genesis Bus. (For Genesis, if you’re lucky, you don’t have to be in line for too long if there were buses available right away. What ate up our time was the actual waiting of passengers to fill up the bus)

2. Be ready to walk around. My friends and I did a lot of walking since we didn’t have a car to ride in. Some tourist attractions are quite near each other or just a couple of kilometers apart (ex. The Mansion- Wright Park- Horse Backriding/ Burnham Park-Maharlika-Session Road-SM). The only time we took a cab was going to the Diplomat Hotel and Mines View Park. We did walk our way back to the city center since we couldn’t hail a cab. So better wear comfy shoes!

3. Bring a bottle of water. Since there is a lot of walking, you will get thirsty quickly. If you will be eating a lot, water is best choice to gulp up to wash down and move on to the next dish!

4. Find a place to stay and reserve it right away. Since Baguio is a chilly city compared to Manila, tourists tend to go there to cool off, so most probably there is an influx of people finding a place to stay. Find a place to stay in advance since it tends to get fully booked quickly. I think that was our mistake the one time we went there since we didn’t find a place to stay before going up. We ended up wandering for some time trying to check-in for a room.

[janinegalang]

#journal #journalpage #artjournal #weeklyspread

[janinegalang]

"Never let anyone cast a shadow over your sunshine." #charot https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnm5VUnFK9R/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=t58u6xt0jnea

[janinegalang]

Give me something to write about? #charot https://www.instagram.com/p/BoDoaybFAFT/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=80wpoy56r2ao

[janinegalang]

Journal time 💕 Been keeping diaries/ journal since I was in highschool but haven't had the time to make an entry on a daily basis for the past couple of years. Now, trying to go back at it and so far so good. 👌 Keeps me busy, makes me practice writing and stirs up my creativity. Here's to more entries!! 😊 https://www.instagram.com/p/BnLDB_ol-yn/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1hbx44xo1tppu

[janinegalang]

2016: Me Before Anything Else

When I started out 2016, I was fully ecstatic and excited for what’s to come as I move into the next year. I was hopeful and looking forward to the journey that I will continue to take as the days go by, but then again, life happens when you least expect it, and that definitely happened to me. 

I was currently a student in law school, and I looked at it like it was similar to Elle Woods’ life.

But no one told us we would have to go through so much sleepless nights, mental and emotional breakdowns before we could feel like Elle when she won that case for Brooke Windham. It was not like that, it was a life buried in books, codals, cases and the ever terrifying oral recitations in class. Everyone said law school was hard, but I can definitely attest that the word “hard” is an understatement. 

Then again, I thought I was doing a lot better in school. It was my second semester in, I was managing my time better, finishing what needed to be done by the time classes started. I really thought I was adjusting better and dealing with the stress quite better than I first started. So when I got my final grades from the semester I was devastated when I failed the subjects I was working hard on. It broke my heart.... and my ego that I was not doing as well as I felt I was.

From that point on, I felt like a failure and was so conflicted. Do I enroll again? Do I stop? I felt so discouraged yet I did not want people to think I gave up easily. This one little hiccup definitely made me re-evaluate my choices in life and for the first time, in a long time, I had no idea what to do. It took me so long to tell my parents and my family that I decided to stop pursuing my graduate studies because I was embarrassed. Embarrassed that I was not excelling in the field a lot of people thought I would. Embarrassed that people would think I was a disappointment for just taking the easy way out. That was not my case, no. My heart was just not invested in it anymore.

I thank God for giving me the most understanding parents and that they did not judge my choices and even helped me find other ways to pursue a career that I wanted. My family was ever supportive of whatever choices I would make and I am so grateful for that. 

The second half of 2016 was trying to build the relationships whose bridges were burned down because I did choose my studies over seeing them. It was all about the friendships and picking up where we left off. I made sure I would see my friends and just let them know that I still care and will always be there for them. 

It was also the time for me to find something I wanted to do, but I am pretty sure everyone can understand me when I say that finding a job is hard, especially when you don’t have a wide array of skills like me or a mediocre life academics- wise. There will always be someone better than you and more credible than you, and plainly, that just sucks. No matter how you say you really want this job, it all depends on the employer and how much they are impressed of you. Needless to say, I had the hardest time and it sure made me feel so bad that I was not better than who I was. 

2016 was definitely one of the lowest times for me but I am very thankful for the people who still stayed by my side and never stopped until I saw what I was worth again. Thank you, thank you. 

It only gets better from here,

[janinegalang]

APPRECIATION POST GOES OUT TO YAKSKI!!! 😘😘😘 Yakski has always been my go-to-place for some barbecue, may it be pork, chicken, chicken skin or hotdog. There's just something about their sauce that makes me come back for it everytime! Don't miss it if ever you do make your way to Cebu soon!!!

[janinegalang]

Where to next?

[janinegalang]

I THINK I LOST MY MOJO, I FEEL LOST

I don’t know what happened, but I just wanted to quit. I was just too scared to add more salt to an already burning wound. You know what I mean?

I thought I was doing well. Well, at least better than when I started, but I guess it did not show in the result. I was working harder, spending more time drowning in learning my desired craft that I barely saw any of my friends. I thought I was engaging in the discourse a lot better because I understood what I was focusing on, or at least I thought I did.

It doesn’t feel good to fail, especially when you worked hard enough and long enough to think you were safe, or at least surviving. I guess that’s why I felt discouraged. I’m not accustomed to failing, much more telling your parents about it. I hate the feeling, and I just did not want to go through it again.

I just need another plan to reach my goals... or re-align my goals. I can do this. I just need to be happy, no matter what people say

[janinegalang]

Xie Ping from Harbour City/ Dimsum Break Shaved ice/ snow ice has definitely invaded Cebu's dessert scene this year, because, what's not to like about it? It definitely beats the heat that's all year round in the country. This dish is definitely a favorite of mine. For the price of Php85, what's not to love? Xie Ping puts a twist to the classic halo-halo, which uses normal shaved ice then ube/ purple yam ice cream. Xie Ping is different, instead of the shaved ice+ ice cream, this concoction is made of ube shaved ice, only! So it's flavored, and you definitely taste the ube, and you no longer have to mix the dessert since the entire shaved ice is flavored! This is a go-to for my family and I when it comes to family-sized desserts. Soooo good! x, Janine