Going Green...Starts with a Simple Green Smoothie

Sis, I found such a refreshing smoothie recipe online that is so easy to make and tastes yummy!  

A big thanks goes to the founders of Simple Green Smoothies for this recipe.  See below a cute recipe card they developed that one can use as reference.  You can print a copy of this recipe and post on your refrigerator door so that you are reminded of the various ingredients you can blend together to create your own special smoothie.

For my green smoothie, I used the following ingredients that I can easily get at my neighborhood supermarket :

2 cups romaine lettuce
2 cups water
2 bananas (medium sized)
1 cup cut fresh pineapple
1 red apple (medium sized)

I blended the romaine and water first, then added the rest of the ingredients to the mix,  fresh bananas, apples and the frozen pineapples I had cut and stored in my freezer a few days earlier.  My yummy smoothie was ready in less than a  minute.

With this recipe, I was able to make three medium sized glasses which I consumed  throughout the day.   One smoothie glass served as my morning snack, the second smoothie I took in the afternoon and the last I took an hour before bedtime.

So why have I started making green smoothies at home?

Well, for the past couple of months my body has been asking for it.  Plus, the one week detox (check out my June post)  I joined last month,  made my body all the more want for better types of nourishment.  I am not kidding!  It wants food I can readily digest,  tastes fresh, and food that helps makes me feel lighter overall.

My journey to eat better quality types of food is going to be a long process.  It will take months and years before I reach a point where I am 110% happy with my food choices.  We all have to start somewhere, right?

Tour de France shows us what "Nerves of Steel" are about

Sis, the Germany win at the World Cup was absolutely fantastic!   I watched the replay of the game yesterday morning (3am was just too early for me) and was able to marvel at how the two teams played so hard to get the gold.  But, in any sport there can only be one winner and Germany got all its stars aligned at the right place and right time! It was such a pleasure to see how in synch the German players were throughout the match.   Excellent show of team work Germany!

I read a very interesting article about how the German team was able to acclimatise and recover well throughout the World Cup by spending time in Campo Bahia, a training camp located close to Rio de Janeiro.  Campo Bahia gave the team a venue to continue their training in a beautiful environment and at the same time focus on the build up of the all important team spirit that was evident throughout all their matches. Check out the article on Campo Bahia

I appreciate football but ever since I started joining triathlons, I developed a keen interest in cycling events.  As we all know, cycling is a third of the three disciplines one needs to train for in a triathlon.   The Tour de France, one of the oldest and most prestigious of the world cycling events, is one that I had been following through the years.

Yesterday was a full-day of sports, World Cup finals in the morning and Stage 10 of the Tour de France at night.  Yesterday's stage proved to be very memorable as one of the favorites to win the race, Alberto Contador, suffered a bad crash on a descent and had to bow out of the race because of a fractured tibia.  This comes after an earlier crash by last year's Tour winner, Chris Froome, who fractured both his hands.

I am in awe of all the riders who have gathered enough experience and courage to join the Tour.  All the riders have to contend with the ever-changing weather conditions, sunny one day and rainy the next.  Throughout the race one is faced with brutal mountain climbs that are horrifically steep and then upon reaching the top of the climb a rider has to contend with narrow and windy roads on the way down (as they say what comes up, must come down!) which they need to ride as fast as they can, sometimes reaching speeds of over 100 kph.  Can you imagine being on a bike that weighs less than 7 kgs. and going downhill in winding roads at over 100 kph?  Scary thought!  The Tour has become so popular, that fans all-over the world line the course at various locations.  At times you can see over eager fans who cheer and give a pat to the rider as a sign of support, but this may prove to be detrimental at times as it may startle the rider unnecessarily.   But despite all these circumstances, the riders with "nerves of steel" still continue to amaze us by joining the Tour.  Kudos to all of you!!!

In addition to the live telecast of the Tour, I would suggest that you monitor the Tour website to appreciate the goings on of the race Tour de France 2014 .  They have live commentary, maps, daily news, photos and videos, that make the Tour experience absolutely enjoyable!

Below are some info that may be of interest if you decide to follow this years Tour de France:

1.  First Tour de France was held in 1903; primary purpose of the first tour was to sell more newspapers
2.  First Tour had 5 stages vs. 21 stages in todays modern day Tours
3.  A few riders in each team aim to win overall but there are three other competitions that draw riders: points, mountains and young riders
4. Overall (Individual) or general classification - riders' times are added so that the rider with the lowest aggregate time wins;  the overall leader has the privilege to wear the yellow jersey
5. Mountains classification - points are given to the rider who is first to reach the top of each climb
6. Points classification - points are awarded to riders depending on the type of stage i.e. flat, mountain, etc.
7. Young rider classification - leader is determine the same way as general classification, but restricted to riders under the age of 26; the leader of this classification wears the white jersey
8. Since 1975 the race finish has been held at the Champs Elysees
9. Most stages are in mainland France but since 1960s the Tour has included stages in nearby countries i.e. Belgium, England, Germany
10.  Youngest ever winner of the Tour - 19 yrs; oldest winner ever - 34 yrs.

Yeah, Deutschland!!!

After 114 minutes of football -- unglaublich!!! Unbelievable!!! The long awaited goal 6 minutes before end time by Mario Goetze on a pass by Schürrle.  After tense moments half-expecting Argentina's star player Lionel Messi who is constantly lurking around Germany's goal waiting for the right moment to sneak in a goal...it is over!!! Die Deutsche Mannschaft hat es geschäft! The German team has won the World Cup!!!

Goal-maker Goetze kisses the Golden Cup

Again, what a game!  Was für ein Spiel!!!  I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, holding my breath as spectacular play flashes through the screen. Argentina's super strong defense squeezes out Germany's repeated attempts to drink from the Cup.  Then, finally, the Cup could not be denied to Deutschland!

First, Khedira was not on the starting 11 due to an injury. Christof Kramer takes over, but is later sidelined with a possible concussion as a shoulder smashes into his neck and head during play. Schweinsteiger falls several times to the ground due to fouls on him, with one foul resulting in a small cut on his face with blood dripping out just below his right eye.  But he gets up yet again, even as I wince with him in pain, and I wonder how the bodies of these players can take such punishing blows. The team out on the field continues to work wonderfully together -- calm, focused, patiently waiting for the right  time -- Boateng, Hummels, Kroos, Höwedes, Klose, Muller, Schweinsteiger, Özil, captain Philipp Lahm, Schürrle and Neuer, yes, Neuer, who stonewalls all Argentine attempts on the goal.  He is later chosen to receive the Golden Glove as the best goalkeeper of the tournament, and one former Cup player even goes so far as to say that he is the best goalkeeper in history!

The Argentine team puts on a valiant attempt, and how close they were, they could almost have tasted the sweetness.  Messi, even as his head is hung in defeat, so close to ultimate glory had his team brought home the Cup, looking unhappy as he climbs up to the stage, is awarded the Golden Ball trophy as the best player in the World Cup.  How he must have longed to hoist up the Cup.

Amazing! Finally, Germany's 4th World Cup win after 24 long years.

Herrzlichen Gluckwunsch, Deutschland!!! You totally deserve it!

What a World Cup!

Just watched the Germany-Brazil World Cup semifinal game last night, and wow, I must take back a lot of what I said in my previous blog post (which I wrote after watching the Brazil-Colombia game).  This was a game worthy of the World Cup -- even with the thrashing of the Brazilians 7-1.

Amazing game -- the Germans played so well -- just how football should be.  They showed teamwork, focus, concentration, sportsmanship, and humility, even as the Brazilians fell apart, maybe psychologically affected by the absence of top-gun Neymar and captain Thiago Silva.  You could see how the German Mannschaft was not just one or two players, but a team playing together.  I couldn't believe how they got 5 goals within the first 30 or so minutes of the first half -- volleying in one goal after another as if playing against some college football team instead of the mighty Brazil.  I had joked around previous to watching the game about a possible 4-0 -- but the actual result was totally unimaginable.

I can not believe how much I am enjoying watching football at the World Cup. Terrific games! Different styles, different emotions...  Another semifinal game tonight -- Netherlands vs Argentina, to decide who plays against Germany for the World Cup 2014, then the finals on Saturday. So looking forward to it -- I am a total football fan!

What I learned from the World Cup

Sis, I don't know how it is on your side of the world, but World Cup Fever is at an all-time high here in Germany.  First because Germany has a pretty good chance at making it to the top.

Anyway, luckily, here in Germany, all the games are covered on public TV -- public TV is paid for by the people. Each one has to pay an amount, called a gez here -- something like Euro 18 every month if you have a house or apartment, which means pretty much everyone. Before it used to be paid only by anyone who had access to media -- like a television or a radio, or even a computer.

So back to the World Cup. I couldn't believe how rough and tumble football was. Okay, I am not an expert, but I do know that people can get pretty hurt from the things these players are doing. I am thinking if a normal person was out there running full speed with a ball and someone puts a leg in front of him -- basically, you know, like the thing we used to do in elementary school, when we put out a leg to trip someone, and laughed when they did trip -- the other person could get pretty hurt.  Or when someone stands right behind another who is currently jumping high -- meaning obviously that they land on the other person and completely lose their balance and fall on their backs -- and this, from some really high jumps -- that could mean a real ouchy.  (I remember they used to call it "sahod" in the Philippines-- translating to "scoop" in English).  But that seems to be pretty much what football playing is all about -- and this at the World Cup.

Until I saw how Germany played vs France, then I knew it could in fact be a gentleman's game (They do call rugby as  hooligans playing like gentlemen and football as gentlemen playing like hooligans ). Here in this game, everything was pretty orderly, the players were dribbling the ball nicely, passing nicely, heading in goals nicely, saving nicely and correctly and there was not too much pushing and pulling and clawing and desperate kicking and tripping and diving.  I am not saying that all South American teams play that rough and tumble way -- Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay -- hmmm, wait a minute...  Could it be that some teams are more evolved?  Playing the game a longer time, perfecting the moves, but it ain't fun playing only with each other, so you have to let the other kids in.

The crazy thing is, you can see every little move now on high-definition television, so for every foul or almost foul or red card or yellow card, there is an instant replay in slow high def motion.  And you see the culprit and his devious plans. Like, say, a player biting on another player's shoulder or a player running full tilt and with a little jump, planting a knee into the middle of another player's back, or a player belly-flopping and diving wildly even as the other player just scratches his head.   And the referee who is supposed to penalize evil pats his hand. What lesson does one learn?  Could it be that "one can get away with anything even when everything can be played back and checked in slow motion"?   How can you solve this problem? -- Maybe whenever there is an iffy decision, then they can check out the playbacks -- but then that would be just about everything and the game would go on forever, so scratch that.

Another realization is that I actually enjoyed the rough and tumble football loads more than the orderly football. I liked watching the players cry their hearts out like little lost boys when they lost and wholeheartedly dancing together, kneeling and pointing fingers up to their God, leaping and jumping over each other for joy, dancing and hugging and tightly embracing and kissing, yes, even kissing, when they scored a goal.  Wow, the depths of their emotion!  Those are the moments you remember, but then, when I look back, I think about those times when they were playing and maybe unwittingly (?) seemed to be out to physically hurt the other team's players, and there are, in fact, bruises and broken bones, even blood at times.  Is this something one should enjoy?  Pretty much reminds you of the arena/colosseum times when the gladiators are out in front of city crowds to fight each other to the death for the entertainment of all.  And yes, during those times, the crowds roared and enjoyed the blood and gore and egged on the gladiators to greater glory.

It seems to me also that football reveals the character of a nation. Which one gets things done in a disciplined, orderly, mannered way, and which gets it done in a haphazard, not following all the rules, even desperate, sacrificing it all, way. I hate stereotypes but football style does seem to play out these stereotypes.

I am also pretty much impressed at the dedication and athleticism of these football players -- aside from their wonderful abs, of course!  To reach this level, they must have trained forever -- lived, slept, ate football, given up a lot. You can see this passion and hunger in each of the player's faces.  I am worried every time they fall if they would get up, but they always seem to do so -- although, once in a while, with a little acting, it looks like.

Anyway, I am out of my depth here.  Just some ruminations on football and the World Cup from an observer.  Looking forward to Brazil vs Germany.  Chaos vs Clockwork?  Emotion vs Precision?  Pure joy vs Fulfilled Expectation?

And my final lesson, Football is like life.  Here you can fill in all your cliches...

Bali on a Budget -- sights, sounds and soul food...part 3

Bali has numerous restaurants one can choose from.  However, what you will notice in the Ubud area is that there are so many vegetarian places you can go to.  I tried a few and am most impressed with the cuisine served at KAFE restaurant at Jl. Hanoman, The Garden Kafe at Yoga Barn's compound, Warung Sopa at Jl. Nyu Kuning and Down to Earth at Jl. Guatama Selatan.   These four restos have an excellent selection of vegetarian meals.  The dishes I sampled taste amazing, food presentation appealing  and overall restaurant ambience cozy.  For these restaurants, you would spend an average of IDR50,000-70,000 (SGD 5-7, or PHP 180-250) for a good-sized meal.  Add another IDR 10,000-30,000 if you would like to have a coffee/tea or dessert.  For local organic coffee and desserts, you may want to go to Coffee & Copper, a hip cafe very close to the Monkey Forest Jungle entrance.
Restaurants in Bali
Down to Earth Bali
Coffee & Copper

Before Yoga Energize drink from the Garden Kafe at Yoga Barn

Perfect drink to start your day!  It has fresh lemongrass, ginger, pandan leaf and honey.

Down to Earth meal - looks and tastes good!

Coffee & Copper local organic coffee and local rice dessert - yum!

A few days before I was scheduled to go home,  I decided to spend a day looking at the sights and sounds of Ubud.  I asked Nyoman, owner of Gusti Kaler, if he was free to drive for me on that day and fortunately he was (IDR400,000 for a half-day trip in an airconditioned car).

First stop was at the Ceking Rice Terraces where you can marvel at the gently landscaped rice paddies similar to the Philippines' Banaue Rice Terraces.   After which we went to the Goa Gajah Elephant Cave.  The cave had a large entrance that had been chiseled to resemble a demon with its mouth wide open.  Inside the cave, it was damp and eerie but here you can find statues of Hindu gods.

From Goa Gajah we made our way to the town of Mas to look at finely crafted furnitures, accessories, statues, lamps and more.  I looked at the prices of some furniture pieces and noted that one could purchase Balinese furniture at half the price of what you would pay for if you had bought the piece in Singapore or the Philippines.  Of course, you would have to take into consideration the costs involved in shipping and handling if you do decide to purchase in Bali.  

Ceking Rice Terraces

Goa Gajah Elephant Cave entrance

 Goa Gajah Gardens

After Mas,  I then asked Nyoman to drop me off at the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA).  I spent a couple of hours admiring the work of Balinese artists and spent some time walking around the magnificent gardens surrounding the museum.  As I was about to leave Agung Rai,  I heard music around the corner and saw several Balinese children practicing their local dances at the foyer.

I watched the children as they moved gracefully with the music!  Such talent!  The children were so adorable!

ARMA collection 

ARMA collection

Balinese children practicing their dance at the ARMA foyer.

Oh, did I mention that I found Ketut Liyer's, popular medicine man, residence.  Ketut was made even more popular by Elizabeth Gilbert in her bestselling novel Eat, Pray and Love.

I did not get a chance to have my palm read, so I do have a reason to go back to Bali!

I only got to see a preview of what Bali has to offer.   There is definitely more!

Below are some sites that may help you on your trip to Bali
http://www.ubudcommunity.com
http://theislandslife.com
http://www.lembongancommunity.com
http://www.supermap.info
http://www.balispirit.com

Bali on a Budget -- rituals, unlimited yoga, and more...part 2

During my stay at Gusti Kaler, my homestay host, Nyoman, his wife, children and parents, made sure I was comfortable and that all my needs were met.  They were gracious hosts who not only shared their home but also gave me an opportunity to experience how they practice their religion by inviting me to join a Hindu cleansing ritual they were scheduled to celebrate at their private Balinese temple.  As preparation for the ceremony, I was asked to to drape over a scarf and sarong over my regular clothes.

Top view of my scarf and sarong

The ritual involved a spiritual leader who sang and chanted various blessings, while family and friends prayed and laid out offerings of leaf wrapped rice and suckling pig in the temple grounds.  After the offerings were laid out, the family cleansed themselves with the holy water and flowers that had been blessed by the spiritual leader.  Once the ceremony was complete, family and friends were asked to partake of the food that was laid out in one of the gazebos.  I was indeed privileged to have been invited by Nyoman and his lovely family.
Gusti Kaler House, Sriwedari Street No. 24, Br. Taman Kelod, Ubud, Bali
Nyoman Mobile: 087 862 625 626; Email: sriti922@yahoo.co.id

Entrance to the temple located in the Gusti Kaler compound

Inside the temple grounds

Nyoman's son watching over the offerings

Spiritual adviser conducting the ceremony

Nyoman and his lovely wife

Prior to my Bali trip,  I did some online research and realized that aside from the fact that Ubud was known for being the centre of cultural tourism, it has through the years become a place where yoga enthusiasts from all over the world can improve their practice and expand their knowledge of various types of yoga,  from Ashtanga, Hatha, Iyengar, Yin, Restorative, Vinyasa Flow, Aero Yoga, Anusara, Laya, Yoga Nidra plus learn about other practices such as Pilates, Capoeira, Tibetan Bowl Meditation, Kirtan, and many more...  This was the perfect place for me to slowly move back into strengthening my own yoga practice which I started several years ago.  

I was fortunate to have found the Yoga Barn as they offered a one-week unlimited yoga pass for IDR700,000 (SGD73, or PHP2,500).   This was perfect as I now had the opportunity to slowly strengthen my own practice and at the same time have the chance to try out different types of yoga since they offered 10 or more different classes every day.  My normal day would start with a 7am yoga class,  light breakfast at Kafe K located in the Yoga Barn's compound, relax for a few hours then go for lunch at a nearby cafe.  After lunch, I would walk around town for an hour or so - Ubud had interesting nooks and crannies that one can appreciate more by simply walking.  Then in the late afternoons, I would join another yoga class or at times I would join meditation sessions.   Dinner would be around 6pm, then rest a bit before I go for a massage.  Such a wonderful blessing to be able to enjoy all of this during my visit!  http://www.theyogabarn.com/

Entrance to the Yoga Barn studios

Spacious and airy 2/F studio

The Yoga Barn's surroundings were so lush, green and beautiful that I decided to stay in their dorm room for a couple of days.   The room was large, beds comfortable, the bathroom was big and made it a lot easier for me to join class as it only took me 3 minutes to walk from my room to the yoga studio.  The ladies I shared the room with were all so gracious and kind.

  Yoga Barn Guest House entrance

Gardens at the guest house

Foyer

Dorm room bunk beds

Spacious dorm room t&b

To be continued...

Bali on a Budget -- massage, comfortable homestays, and more...part 1

Nice one on Ayurvedic massage Sister!   I will definitely try it one of these days.

I love to get massages and had such a wonderful massage filled visit in Bali, plus more.

I visited Ubud, Bali for over a week last year and was able to get a massage nearly every other day.  In Ubud, where I spent most of my time, there were numerous massage places to choose from.  I tried several massage places and found that Jaens Spa Ubud offered the most consistent and relaxing end to end spa experience at a very reasonable price.  Their 1-hour traditional Balinese massage only costs IDR130,000 per hour (SGD13, or PHP475).

So that you don't waste any time,  it is best that you call Jaens Spa and make a reservation.  If a therapist is available, they will immediately send their driver to pick you up within a few minutes, at no additional charge.  Their receptionist greets you warmly upon your arrival and provides a refreshing drink and cool face cloth that helps you unwind.  Once you are settled in nicely, a well-trained therapist arrives and leads you into an area where you are given a foot wash.  You are then brought to a comfortable treatment room for your massage of choice.  The therapist makes you choose the type of oil you prefer and makes sure she checks at the beginning of the massage if the pressure is to your liking.  The next hour or so is absolute bliss!  After the massage, a bowl of fresh fruits and a warm cup of lemongrass tea awaits you...   www.jaensspaubud.com

I did mention in my title that this write-up will be about Bali on a budget.  I had already done a fair bit of traveling the past couple of months and made a pact to myself that I should only travel to destinations that will allow me to keep my daily spend in the SGD80-90 (PHP2,800-3,200) range per day.

First major spend was the airfare.   November, an off-season month, was a good time to travel since the airfares were low.  I decided to go and booked my ticket only a week in advance, but was fortunate and able to get a round-trip Singapore-Bali flight via Jetstar for only SGD165 (PHP5,800).   I travel light and did not have to purchase checked in baggage which adds an additional SGD50 to the airfare. The actual flight was only 2hrs 40mins so I did not have to order any food for the short trip.

For my accommodation, I did some research online and found Gusti Kaler House, a centrally located homestay given high ratings by its guests in both Tripadvisor and booking.com.   They offer clean, spacious and comfortable fan-cooled rooms for IDR220,000 per night (SGD23, or PHP800).  The rate  includes breakfast composed of coffee or tea, fruit and pancakes or mini sandwiches delivered at your room's adjacent veranda every morning.  They also offer airport pick-up at IDR300,000 per way (SGD31, PHP1,100).  This amount is quite reasonable as the airport is approximately 45-60 minutes away from Ubud.

Gusti Kaler Standard Twin Room with Fan

 Adjacent veranda/breakfast area

 Lush/open garden in front of the room

Facade of another room

To be continued...