My talented friend, Rachel, wrote a poem the night before we went wall climbing (refer to my last post). I thought I'd share this with you, guys (if there is anyone out there reading this) because this poem expresses exactly what I want everyone to realize when they visit my site- that we should take care of our bodies because it's the only one we have. Enjoy! 

Two weeks ago, my friend, Rachel, and I decided to hang out since we barely see each other with our busy schedules (yes, I'm busy :D). We decided to meet at Market Market in Fort Bonifacio for some wall climbing fun. We did this before Christmas break last year but we decided to come back, this time I vowed to reach the top. The first time I climbed level 1 wall, I was so confident because it wasn't my first time to climb. Little did I know that this 40ft wall was more tricky than I thought. It had fewer rocks than I expected and smaller one's too. (plus the pre-Christmas weight I gained and no preparatory exercise at all) I failed to reach the top after 2 desperate tries. Rachel, on the other hand, smoothly climbed the levels 2-3 walls. 


Anyway, after exercising twice that week in efforts to build my strength so I could finally climb the top of the level 1 wall, the day finally came. We had lunch at Rachel's favorite place, The Soup Kitchen (they serve the best soup btw). After satisfying out tummies with good, healthy grub, we walked for half an hour to avoid cramps or appendicitis, then off to wall climbing we went. 

An hour and a half later, Rachel climbed level 2 twice, level 3 once, and level 4 once. While I was able to climb the level 1 wall- TWICE!. Hah! That was already a great achievement for me. What can I say, we all have to do it in our own pace, right?

My point for this post is that we should engage in healthy activity while bonding with friends rather that just eating out, watching a movie, or shopping because not only is it healthy, it's fun and it challenges you. Cheers for good friends and good times! :)

I'd love to hear about your healthy bonding moments with your friends or your suggestions so please do leave a comment below. :)

Information about Wall Climbing at Market Market:
Wall climbing at Market Market is at the top floor. It's in line with the cinemas. 
-One climb with assistance costs 50PhP
-Unlimited climb without assistance (you have to have a partner to belay you) costs 140PhP
-Unlimited climb with assistance costs 200PhP

Lately, I have become obsessed with tea. I have always been a milk drinker but  but the shift was due to the shortage of milk and abundance of tea where I'm staying. Due to the lack of options, I started drinking tea and I love it! At first, I drank the regular Lipton tea and then tried their green tea with Jasmine. I prefer the green tea with jasmine more because of it's lighter taste and aroma. I'm loving tea lattes and bubble milk teas as well since the craze started in the country, bubble teas are popping out everywhere and its hard to resist them.  

Nowadays, I drink hot tea at least twice a day because drinking it makes me feel refreshed every time. It's the first thing I drink in the morning and when I get home from a long day in school and it doesn't fail to pick my mood up with every sip. Tea is known for it's many benefits such as cholesterol reduction, oral health, enhanced cognitive, immunity, and weight management. Although studies have yet to prove it, there are claims that tea reduces risk of certain cancer and cardiovascular disease. Tea also contains negligible amount of calories without  additives such a sugar, milk, cream, and the likes.  Green tea is the healthiest among the others because it undergoes just minimal amount of oxidation which preserves most of the catechins (a flavonoid that attributes the health benefits of tea).  

Drinking tea should be a habit everyone should develop because it has so much health benefits. The more you drink them, the healthier you are unlike those highly sweetened, carbonized drinks. " Two studies found that drinking three or more cups of tea daily is associated with an 11% reduced incidence of myocardial infarction and a 21% reduced risk of ischemic stroke."  
(https://nurse-practitioners-and-physician-assistants.advanceweb.com/Columns/Nutrition-Now/Health-Benefits-of-Tea.aspx )

Anyway, I'd love to hear your comments. Tell me about the best tea you're ever had, your favorite flavor, your favorite tea shop or if you'll ever replace your fave drink for tea. All this talk about tea makes me wanna have some so that's it for now. Anyone up for tea? :)