Rexona Run to your Beat

After the July 2014 Fit & Fun Buddy Run, hubby and I joined the Rexona Run to your Beat event in October 2014. Its my second fun run event and his first. This is also the event that introduced me to runrio. Which eventually became the running event organizer of choice because of ample supply of hydration and bananas in every event, not to mention the sponsor's loot bag.

Rexona Run To Your Beat 2014 will be held on October 26, 2014 with 5km, 10km, and 21km race categories. All categories will have a start and finish at the Seaside Boulevard, Mall of Asia. I finished the race in 01:43:22, two ( 2) minutes longer than my first run in July but considering that I took lots of pictures while I was on race and danced to some Retro and Hiphop music played by DJs along the race route complete with laser lights and disco balls. I'd say it was a fun and a more relaxed run which should suppose to be since its not a competitive event at all. 

As for my husband, I cannot confirm his time as I couldn't find his name at the list of over-all finisher list. But he did finish the race, that I can guarantee. We capped the run with some great music from  Yael Yuzon and the rest of the SPONGECOLA.

Sharing here some of the photos from the event.

That's me enjoying the disco lights. Brought back some good old  memories of the 80's. Great Music!

Everybody seem to slow down in every music tunnel. No headphones can beat the live music while running

It like a huge galactic space ship with so many lights.

Couldn't hold my phone camera well, its hard not to dance to the hip hop music

Saw hubby at the information booth after I crossed the finish line,

First 10Km of my hubby was easy peasy... Never gonna let them see me sweat! (I think that's a nice tagline for Rexona haha!)

Enjoying the rock concert courtesy of Spongecola at 7am in the morning.

Someone proposed a marriage on stage during the concert.. Good thing the girl said yes!

Center stage: Yael and the rest of the Spongecola Band

Runaway with us.

xoxo,

S

The day I started running

was in July 6, 2014. It was at the Fit & Fun Wellness Buddy Run organized by (our then) sister company, Robinsons Supermarket. I was not supposed to run but was encouraged by officemates Keevee and Arlyn who are both into sports at that time (yoga and rowing). I partnered with my officemate Raymund who is also not a runner and not even sporty. We are just in it for fun (and the grocery pack when you finish the run). We were only suppose to join the 5K run as we planned to run alongside our officemates. But the line for registration was so long by the time I arrived at the venue and the 5K race kit were not enough.  I was 3 persons away from the last person who was able to register for the 5KM. What a bummer! The hard choice had to be made. I was constantly texting Raymund to make sure that he is still a go for a 10Km distance instead. Since i was already there and spent more than an hour in the line, we went for it!

I did not have proper training before the run, I think I only practiced twice at 3Km each 2 weeks prior to race day so I am not confident that i can even do it. 

Fast forward to race day. This is me and Raymund at the starting lane. My hubby was very supportive and accompanied me to the buddy run to meet my buddy and other officemates who also joined the fun run. They all however got to run the 5Km route.

The struggle is real. It was the first flyover that we had to pass and it was so hard to keep running uphill. Here, we started to walk until the incline was over.

halfway point... for the 5km runners haha! our U-turn slot is nowhere in sight.

Almost half way.... when I saw the 4km marker I knew I can finish this race.

 We are all smiles when we reached the 6km mark... we are more than halfway through. Running is really a sport of agility and mind control.

almost at the finish line...one last push!

Finishing at 1:41.. not bad for first time 10K runners haha!! Thank you to Robinsons and Nestlé for the experience and our pack of grocery goodies...we had fun! ... my partner Raymund did a great job for keeping up with my pace! I thought we'll crawl to the finish line but we did not!

certified 10km finishers

And so it began. My love for running. My husband waited at the finish line for me (he took that shot of me and Raymund almost at the finish line. I guess when he saw that I made it alive and in one piece after running (and walking) a 10KM route, he probably said to himself that " if she can do it, so can I"... and so he told me he wants to join me in the next fun run...

Sure! but for now, where do we eat? I'm starving! is all i can reply to him.

xoxo,

Mumshens

How to Stay happy at work

Interesting read i found online...i know ive shared a thing or two to friends and colleagues how to stay happy at work since i have been working for the same company for 13 years. There's really no secret according to this article...just stay positive, try new things, don't compare yourself to others and leave your personal baggages at the door. Oh yes and have a clutter free workspace. hehe!

Read along....

If Mondays are bad, Sunday evenings are even worse. The thought of returning to work the next day can easily dampen your mood, making it difficult for you to enjoy the last bits of the weekend. With such a mind-set though, you can’t expect to have a satisfying week ahead.   Work shouldn’t end up being something we dread, especially since we spend plenty of our waking hours at work. Here are 5 simple tips that could help you stay motivated and happy at work.  

1. Make your workspace special.   It doesn’t matter how many meetings you attend. At the end of the day, you’re still going to come back to your very own cubicle. A workspace scattered with unorganised documents and a heap of trash can be uninspiring. To make your workspace cozy and comfortable, try adding simple decorations and personal mementos, such as family pictures, motivational posters or even your favourite Star Wars figurine.

2. Surround yourself with positivity.  Do you have an incredibly optimistic colleague at the office? You might wonder what their secret recipe is to staying positive. Truth be told, this ball of energy is probably optimistic by choice. They have set their priorities right and that’s what you should do too!   A good way to avoid negativity is to dismiss baseless conversations, gossip and unhappy colleagues. Instead, surround yourself with supportive colleagues and pals.  

3. Avoid comparing yourself with others. Everyone begins from a different rung and has unique strengths. If you start comparing yourself with that highflyer from the office, you could lose sight of your strengths and abilities. Plus, it just fuels other unnecessary emotions such as jealousy and bitterness. Don’t put yourself down for a reason that doesn’t exist.   Remember that you are your own competition. Therefore if there is anything that you should be comparing, it is your past and present self.  

4. Leave personal problems at the door. A person who leaves his or her emotional baggage at home will always be more content at work than the one who is shackled by personal problems at the office. Unpacking your emotional baggage at work is not ideal as it raises tension amongst colleagues and hampers productivity. Remember that life is seldom smooth-sailing, so make it a habit to compartmentalise your emotions.  

5. Try something new.  Routine can result in boredom, which contributes to work dissatisfaction and unhappiness. This is especially prevalent in employees who have been at the same job for years. Get the enthusiasm back by trying something new at work. For example, you could volunteer to train or mentor new staffs. You could even ask colleagues from other departments if they need help. Such efforts will help you to gain new experiences and make your job scope more interesting.  

With that said, happiness is not something readymade – it comes from your own actions and how you choose to react to your surroundings. Sometimes the only thing stopping you from being happy at work is actually yourself.

From Yahoo! SG

http://ct.moreover.com/ct?haid=ab041d31c910d6511392357568967d8fc5c34fb54a98&co=f000000014336s-3420426311

There's always room for Desserts

Its always nice to do catch up with friends that you don't get to talk to nor see everyday. Mary, Raffy, Joyce, Kitchie and I  as busy as we are... make time to get together for lunch on Thursdays to keep in touch and enjoy food. However, our schedule just couldn't find a free time for everyone... (my friend Raffy even sent us a google calendar appointment to confirm our availability haha) we have postponed this lunch several times because of meetings and prior engangements, doctor's appointment and even traffic were some reasons of cancellation. But the only way to see each other before the end of the year is to break our usual Thursday lunch schedule to Sunday.. however, we are still not complete 'cause Kitchie couldn't make it... I always look forward to Thursday lunch with these guys...and since the first time Momma Mary is 6 months pregnant, conversations has been about baby tips and baby products...

Lunch was served at Casa Verde (beef ribs are very tasty just too much fat ) I was too hungry to take pictures and for us there's always room for dessert at Cafe Shibuya in UP Town Center in Katipunan Quezon City

Next Thursday Group Lunch will be about baby making tips.. as Joyce and  Hubby will be flying to the US for a much needed R&R and operation: project baby this January. Until next time guys

Our Christmas Holiday

Christmas Day and New Year's day falls in the same day. And that's Wednesday. And since its in the middle of the week, there is this work day that is being sandwiched called Monday. But hubby and I decided to use our leave credits to spend a bit of quality time with the family...

And so Christmas eve and Christmas Day was spent at hubby's grandparent's home in Batangas so our son can spend time with his cousins and while waiting for Noche Buena, the husband and his cousins where having some drinks and some catching up. Also while listening to the stories of their cousin who had a first hand experience surviving the Typhoon Yoland and what led them to leave their home and lives in Tacloban... i still have goosebumps everytime i recall his stories... the kids were up by11:45 pm and were waiting for what seems to be the longest 15 minutes of their lives to open their gifts... after all the gifts have been opened and stomach have been fill with food... we hea to bed and the next day we spent the whole day lining up at the cinema to catch the MMFF  screening of Girl Boy Bakla Tomboy.

For the New Year's Eve, we decided to spend it at a studio hotel in Makati to be free from the firecracker noise and  pollution (both my boys have allergic rhinitis and my little guy has asthma) and some accessible shopping with Greenbelt 5 just across the street. Though its unfortunate that no fireworks were visible from our window which i know my son would enjoy... but he did get his wish to play some bowling on our way back home.

So I hope you had a restful and peaceful holiday with the family. And God bless us in 2014.

And next holiday, we will be doing this again but in a diffrent place with visible fireworks from our hotel window ... (note to self, book months before)

For now, Just want to share some of our family photos during the holidays :)