One of my guilty pleasures of the summer is watching the third season of the reality TV show "So You Think You Can Dance". I started watching the second season and had been hooked since. I may not be a good dancer by any stretch of imagination but I can identify with the sense of exhilaration that these dancers must feel when they are performing. 

Of course I have my favorites but some of them are not in the competition anymore. I was rooting for Hok but he sadly didn't even make it to the Top 10. Among the girls, I like Sabra and I'm glad that she's one of the Top 4. Tonight is the finale show and I'm looking forward to finding out who won the title of "America's Favorite Dancer" for this season. At this point, I feel that they all deserve to win and have an equal shot at winning. Here are the last four remaining competitors:

So, do any of you watch the show at all? Who's your best bet to win tonight? We'll find out soon enough  .

 UPDATE: Sabra won!

During my last doctor's visit, I was told that my cholesterol level was still elevated (about 250) and higher than last year's result. My bad really since I didn't do anything to lower it. Instead, my eating habits got even worse as I indulged more on fatty and greasy foods from the Filipino store's take-out section. Even if I wanted to eat more vegetables, the meat-based entrees looked more palatable and filling. As a consequence, I gained so much weight and started feeling more unhealthy than I ever felt in my life.

As a nurse, I know better than to ignore the signs and symptoms. This time around, I decided to embark on a more fit and healthy lifestyle which includes changing my food choices and eating habits. In the past month, I haven't eaten any meat and have increased my vegetable and fruit intake. I also started eating more grains and oats. My favorite breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal, particularly Quaker Oats. According to the label info, "Eating a good-sized bowl of Quaker Oatmeal for 30 days will actually help remove cholesterol from your body. Quaker oatmeal helps lower your total and bad cholesterol, and that can help keep your arteries clean and healthy". Plus, it is low in sodium and a low sodium diet can help manage blood pressure. Agreeably, eating oatmeal is a simple lifestyle change that can make a big difference in the health of your heart.

Aside from the benefits I gain from eating oatmeal, I feel like I'm rekindling a happy childhood memory of eating this as a healthy snack. My mother used to feed us Quaker Oats almost every afternoon after school. It became one of my favorite time of the day, waiting for a warm bowl of oatmeal in the kitchen. I guess my mother truly knows what's best for us, huh?

I plan on getting my cholesterol level checked in a couple of months or so. I'm quite psyched to know if my efforts are paying off. Anyway, I feel better already knowing that I'm doing something to turn things around. I'm way too young to be worrying about my health but if I keep on living a better lifestyle, there should be no cause to worry. 

For more information about cholesterol, here's a link to check out: http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/110288182952015%20LwrHighChol.pdf

It's undeniably summer this part of the country and we've been experiencing some really humid sweltering days. Although I'd rather wear less clothes as much as possible, my skin can't stand the extreme heat of the sun so I still end up wearing shirts or tops with longer sleeves. I guess I'm not much of a sun worshipper.

One other thing that I've been wearing more during the season are my couple pairs of Crocs sandals / footwear. I have them in the Beach model and in Orange (Coral) and Sage colors. They are very comfortable, cool, buoyant, with orthotic foot bed and ventilation system. Just the kind of shoes to keep things easy-breezy when the temperature rises to the mercurial heights. I like them so much that I bought a pair for Kenny in Peacock (Blue) color. He's not used to wearing these type of footwear but he's beginning to like them too for it's accessibility and lightness.

Crocs also have a line of footwear more appropriate for work. In my job, I need a pair of shoes that can meet the demands of a hectic and fast-paced shift. I've checked their website and found some models that I'd like to save up for. I sure could use another comfortable pair. Now, if only the temperature would cool down a bit so I can wear these puppies at the beach. That would be awesome and who knows, I might risk wearing a bikini. NOT!

I barely had a couple hours of sleep but when Kenny asked if we could go see Luke's gig at the Funky Buddha Lounge, I was all for it. I've been looking forward to seeing him perform and I previously missed it a few times due to my work schedule. Tif and Ted will also be there so it will be a lot more fun.

I've never been to this club before but I think the whole ambiance is pretty cool and laid back. The owners have turned this hole in a wall near the intersection of Halsted/Grand/Milwaukee into an ultra hip lounge. Scarlet crushed velvet sofas and drapes add to the mystique of The Funky Buddha Lounge and give it a retro feel. The bar definitely has a laid-back feel to it, with long black leather and faux leopard skin benches and combination ottoman-table furnishings occupying the wall opposite the bar. On regular weekend nights, those who live to vibe on acid jazz, funk and house, this is the place to be. This is also  where the beautiful peeps creep and their gear comes straight out of the magazines.

Tonight was a different night though. The crowd was a younger set with a hippie-like attitude. It was very casual, with a coffee house atmosphere. It was open mic night and if you've ever watched Def Jam Poetry on HBO, it's about the same concept. In fact, a couple of Luke's friends had already performed in the show a few months ago. They were there tonight as well.

Luke seemed glad to see us. I bet he didn't quite expect for us to show up since it's a week night. Ten minutes later, Tif and Ted walked in. Then, almost half an hour later, Laurette (my mother-in-law), came through the door. Wow! It became a family affair all together. I could tell that Luke was really appreciative of his family's support. He was practically beaming and we were just equally enthusiastic to see him perform.

It was almost close to 10 pm when Luke and his friend Jay finally did their set. They played their original compositions with an interesting combination of musical instruments and technology (using a computer program for the background sound). We particularly enjoyed the first song they did. I'll have to remember to ask Luke for a CD recording. We share a similar taste in music and would recommend newly discovered and upcoming artists to each other. He had always given me CDs as presents on special occasions.

Anyway, it was a great night spent with the family. It definitely left us with feel-good vibes. Family and friendships matter to us a whole lot and whatever time we have available, we'd spend it nourishing these relationships.

I stayed up late last Friday but Kenny went to bed early as he had a hard day's work planned out for Saturday. Apparently, he also decided to make an early start at planting the trees. By noon, he has initially dug two holes at the backyard with the hole digger he rented the night before. Then, what a pleasant surprise! Luke arrived with Ted and Tif in tow. Kenny didn't ask for their help but they came on their own. They were supposed to go camping for the weekend in Wisconsin but the plan fell through. Anyway, we were just glad and grateful for the additional help. Unfortunately, I'm on a long term "injured list" so I became the only member in the refreshment and hydration committee. The four worked furiously for the next five hours or so and took short breaks in between.

It would have been a very slow and painful process without the extra pair of hands. By the time the last tree was planted, they looked like they're spent and had no ounce of energy left. We got burgers from Culver's and ordered ribs from Rosati's for dinner. It was awesome just to hang out at the patio and marveled at how much of a difference the trees made. We extend our deepest gratitude to Tif, Ted and Luke for making this happen.

We later made plans to hook up at Tif and Ted's place. We also invited Tom and Mariah over. We saw (through our hands) "The Grudge" and then The Kung Fu Hustle. By the end of the movie, we were all lethargic and practically crawled out of there. It has been a long and well-spent day. I will be posting some photos later as my eyes are just about to shut by now.

This is the second time I filled my gas tank ever since the high increase in gas prices.   The first time cost me about $32.00 for less than 12 gallons and this time around I paid almost $25.00 for about 9 gallons.  This is definitely outrageous especially since I drive quite a distance to work. My Toyota RAV 4's full tank usually allows me three round trips to work and a few short trips for grocery shopping and running errands. I thought it was already costing me a lot of money and I was considering looking for a job closer to home. I've cut back on unnecessary driving and we usually use Kenny's car whenever we have to go anywhere together since it doesn't consume gas as much as my mine. I will have to think up a lot more ways to cope with this and hope that it will not get any worse by winter.

I read that as much as the gasoline prices in the U.S. have recently hit record highs, they are actually much lower than in many countries. Drivers in some European countries are paying nearly 3 times more than those in the  U.S.   The main factor in price disparities between countries is government policy. Many European nations tax gasoline heavily, with taxes making up as much as 75 percent of the cost of a gallon of gasoline. In a few Latin America and Middle-East nations, such as Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, oil is produced by a government-owned company and local gasoline prices are kept low as a benefit to the nation's citizens. I wonder if there are any nursing job openings in Venezuela? I'm absolutely not moving to Saudi Arabia.