It’s Not Right: Taking Too Much Food from Someone’s Lunchbox

these siomai look very appetizing
Source: debbietingzon on Flickr.com

In my first job where I tutor children, I would rarely go out for lunch. The kids kept on flocking in and I got too busy to leave my table. I would bring a few pieces of huge siomai from home. They won’t make me full, but they were easier to eat and I could eat them in my seat.

In the Philippines, we have this custom of saying “kain tayo” (let’s eat) before eating in the presence of other people. It is a polite way of “inviting” other people to eat with you. Most people would just nod or give you back a smile without accepting you “offer”. So when I opened my tiny lunchbox, I told my colleagues “kain tayo”. Knowing that my lunch was not really enough for me, my male colleague declined. However, the female colleague took a piece of my siomai. I think she’d never tasted siomai before because as soon she finished her siomai, she asked me for another one. My male colleague sarcastically told this teacher not to take my food anymore because it wasn’t really enough for me. She replied with a “but I can’t really help it because it was so delicious” and took another piece. I was too shy (and too shock) to pull back my lunchbox from this middle-aged teacher.

I went home having a painfully growling stomach. It was one of the worst feelings I’ve experienced. But being shown no care by my own colleague felt much worse.

When someone offers me food, I would check first if he has more than enough for himself before taking one (or I would simply nod and give him my sweetest smile).

The Little Girl has Gained Weight: Eating and Exercising

fat little girl and a lollipop

Studies have shown that watching TV tends to make you fat. Your mouth would always itch for food whenever you’re in front of TV even if you’re not really hungry. Just think of popcorn and movies. A bowlful of popcorn is a must-have in every movie night. And for someone who isn’t really fond of food, I’d also find myself bingeing while watching.

It’s always been a family habit to eat meals in front of TV. Perhaps because our apartment is cramped that everything is accessible wherever we stand or sit. My dad has been eating ice cream for dessert every night. In each visit to the grocery, he would buy three boxes. I’m not really addicted to sweets and I would always give up after a few bites. But ice cream has always been my weakness. It never fails to give me comfort whether or not I’m in front of TV. When a good movie is being aired on TV, my dad would ask for more food to satisfy his itching mouth.

After probably a month of eating ice cream, I gained a bit of weight. Being a little girl that I am, I should be happy with the additional weight. But I got mixed emotions. My tummy seems to be the only body part that has gained weight. The rest of my body is still pretty much the same. With my small frame, I look like a lollipop, the candy being in the center of the stick. My dad, on the other hand, has the widest waistline he’s ever had. From 28 inches to a whopping 32 inches. He looks like a pregnant man and we would pretend to be excited to have our nonexistent baby brother.

On a serious note, I am really worried about my dad’s health. As a busy man, eating sweets at night is his way of relaxing and recharging. I don’t feel unhealthy (probably because I’m still young), but I can’t just ignore my gradually increasing belly. I took out our old dusty treadmill hidden under the many boxes we have at home. With my sister’s help, we rearranged our apartment a bit and put the treadmill somewhere accessible. I made a goal to walk on it at least thrice a week for 15 minutes. Yes, walk, not run, because the treadmill is inclined. It is good for the hips, the thighs and the buttocks. It is a lot more beneficial if I don’t hold onto the handrail. But it’s quite impossible to do that without shaking the treadmill, so I just use one hand for grabbing the handrail while my other arm sways freely.

In addition to walking uphill on the treadmill, I also do squats and Bicycle Exercise every day to have shapelier buttocks, stronger thighs, and a firmer ab. I think a flat ab, not necessarily a six-pack ab, makes a person look fit and attractive. Of course I try to stay away from ice cream or other sweets as much as possible.

I’m not really an expert on exercising. I’m not sure if what I’ve been doing is enough to be in good shape. But I think taking baby steps is more feasible than jumping to all those complicated exercises.

So far, my dedication to a few minutes of exercise has proven its worth.  I haven’t got my ideal shape yet, but my belly has stopped growing. I feel better and less lazy. I’m looking forward to having a fit body. I just hope that the rest of my family will follow suit.

It’s Not Right: Shaking Legs inside a Movie House

the little girl with her dad in a movie house

My family went to a movie house one weekend. In the middle of the movie, my dad got fidgety and kept on glancing at his back. Someone sitting behind him was shaking his legs. Movie houses are a bit cramped, so it’s easy to touch the chair in front with your feet. This man didn’t want to keep his feet within his personal space and had them touching the back of my dad’s chair while shaking. It felt like being kicked at the back. Despite my dad’s giving him lingering nasty looks, the man still continued to move his legs, ignoring my very annoyed dad. As revenge, my dad tried to sit taller. His butt was literally raised from his chair so he could block as much view as possible. The man stopped shaking to shift his position, but he would go back to his leg shaking when my dad lowered his behind to his chair.

The next time I go to movie houses, I will keep my limbs within my personal space. I will try not to bother other people who are trying to enjoy a movie.

I Love Having a Nerdy Twin

my nerdy twin patiently tutoring me

I will start writing about the things/people that I love. I will use the tag "I love" for these entries. My first entry is, of course, about my twin.:D

I Love Having a Nerdy Twin

I'm not a nerd. OK, maybe just a bit. My friends think so. But I remember being a happy-go-lucky kid who didn't care about books and studies. All I cared about were Barbie dolls and TV. I didn't see the point of studying because I thought that I would automatically be intelligent when I grow up. LOL, I was a silly kid back then.

My sister, on the other hand, has been studious all her life. She loves to read and loves science - a subject that I hated the most. She excelled in school and was admired by everyone because of her intelligence. I remember one time, when we were in grade school, she won a contest, and all our classmates surrounded her to admire her medal. I was happy for her, but I admit I felt a bit of jealousy.

Years passed, and she would always get higher grades than I did. People wouldn't stop comparing us. I felt l wasn't good at anything. It was a huge blow to my self-esteem. Good thing is, we have always been very close. I told her about my insecurities. She decided to tutor me. I got to ask her questions that I would never have dared to ask others for fear of being ridiculed. My twin was patient with me.

I realized the importance of hardwork. There may be people with higher I.Q. But no one is born with knowledge. Knowledge is earned. My sister's and my efforts had paid off. I started to get good grades in school, and sometimes, even higher than my twin.

Now that we no longer go to school, my sister still continues being nerdy. That's her passion. I went back to being my happy-go-lucky self. And I still care about Barbie dolls and TV.:D

The following are her nerdy blogs:

The Personal Blog of Seriousnuts

Serious Skin Care Blog

Lifestyle for a Healthy Body

All About Computers

Everything Chinese

Let’s Talk about People (my favorite!)