Coco The Successful Rescue

I've always had a habit of rescuing strays. I started with cats in college. I took them home and they became part of the family. Now that I have a dog, I've been trying to rescue stray dogs when I see them on the street looking like they escaped from their home.

I've tried several times but have had these canines run away from me. Finally, last Tuesday, I got lucky. I spotted a bull terrier crossing the street and was so worried that it would be hit or run over by cars exiting the freeway. None did. So I made a U-turn and followed it until I passed it and stopped my car, got out and called to it. Unlike my past attempts, this dog actually walked toward me. She looked like someone's pet as she was rather clean and she also knew how to get into the car. It also looked like she recently had pups as her breasts were still quite engorged. So I immediately brought her home to foster her until I found either its owner or a shelter.

It was a little risky to bring her home as I have a jack russell terrier who is of course very energetic. Bull terriers are fighting dogs so my husband and I were unsure whether she and our own dog would get along at all. In the afternoon, I took our dog out and he took the bull terrier out and lo and behold! They got along! Not  only that, the female made sure to introduce herself properly to my little guy. In a few hours, we saw that the bull terrier, who I named Coco, was really a gentle lady with real maternal nature. While I was feeding her, she would turn away from her food whenever she heard our dog barking. (We did not feed them at the same time as our Jack is a fast and voracious eater.) She also had a playful side which in a way overwhelmed us. It was a circus having two dogs running around our small condo.

We decided that much as we wanted to keep her, the right thing to do was to bring her to the local shelter to give her real family a chance to claim her. And if they didn't, we would have the legal right to call her our own.

In the morning, I took her and our jack out for the morning walk. Coco's maternal side emerged when my hyper doggy kept pulling away from the direction we were going at which point Coco turned back, nudged my jack toward me, and he followed! After the walk, Coco and I drove out to a private shelter who turned me away because the area I found Coco was not within their jurisdiction. I was given a list of county shelters to call to find which one serviced our area. On our ride back home, Coco was very serene, sitting at the back seat, watching the world go by. After a couple of calls, I found the shelter who would take Coco in and drove out to surrender her. She was very sad or tired on that ride. And unlike the morning wherein she calmly sat at the back, this time, she wedged herself closer and closer to me, almost completely sitting on me when we arrived at the shelter. She even rested her head on my arm along the way. It seemed as if she was telling me she didn't want to go. When I got there, one of the ladies who work at the shelter suggested what I ought to do if I wanted to keep Coco, which I did! I was to put myself as her "committment" meaning if no one claimed her, I would be first in line to adoption. Only if I failed to claim her would she be put on public adoption.

As we waited in line, Coco became so upset that she pooped and smeared it on my pants on her way to sitting on my right shoe. I was told that when a dog settles on your foot, it is a sign that he/she is claiming you as his/hers. Instead of being upset at being sullied, I was relieved as she had not pooped since I got her the day before. Finally, it was time to say goodbye. I asked to see where she would be kenneled. We said goodbye at number 313 as I carried her over the threshold. She was quite happy to explore her new abode while I fought back tears unsuccessfully. The lady who helped me said that I should just think that I would see her in a few days and then she would rightfully be mine.

That same afternoon, her photo was on the county's animal control lost and found.

The next afternoon, I called and was relieved to hear that no one had called to claim her.

The day after that, I called again, this time, I was informed that someone had come to claim her but that she was still there because no documents were produced which would show proof of ownership. They required photos and vaccination records.

On Friday morning, I called again and learned that Coco was no longer at the shelter.

It wrenched my heart that I lost that sweet, gentle, motherly girl. Even the thought of her returning to her real family hardly consoled me. I started binge eating to fill the hole that popped open in my chest.

It has been a week since my trip to the shelter. Until now, I look at our photos and I can't decide if I'm happy that my rescue effort was a success. Now I also think I no longer want to rescue dogs off the street.

Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Make-Up Remover is the Champ!

It is Lancome's best selling product. It has been for some years now. Not surprising since their mascara is also on their top 5 best selling products!

I started on Lancome's Dual Finish powder foundation. This was in my early twenties while I was working on cam (television). Initially, the make-up artists would use their MAC products on me but later on, after noticing my skin felt dried out, I sought another product for face coverage. That's when I discovered Lancome and provided my own make-up to work.

Besides the face powder, I also discovered their lipstick. My lips were very sensitive in my younger days. I was allergic to Clinique! But Lancome worked for me and I loved a particular shade which is no longer in production. I found their products effective with coverage while also being moisturizing. However, I have moved on to other products but have not found a more moisturizing and effective eye-make up remover than theirs.

The Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Make-up Remover is the best! I've been using it for over a decade and have not found another brand that matches up to its ability to remove make-up while leaving the eye feeling moistened.

It's a little bit oily, to be honest. But at the end of the day, after removing all the products off your face, nothing feels better than re-moisturizing. Here's the link to the product from Lancome's website:

http://www.lancome-usa.com/skincare/eye-makeup-remover/bi-facil.htm

Some other brands I've tried are those from Almay (the pads), L'oreal (sister company of Lancome), Clinique, Shiseido, Make-up Forever, and Sephora brand. They all don't stand a chance next to Lancome's Bi-Facil.

The Almay pads would be next best in my opinion but it just doesn't leave the skin around the eyes in the luxuriant oiliness that Lancome does.

What's also great about this products is that it usually comes as a free gifts from Lancome! Awesome, right?

Into BEAUTY (Make-up and Skin Care)

I'm thirty-five and it's only now that I'm starting to really enjoy putting on make-up. I have worn make-up since grade school for theatre, for myself through college and work and even been beautified professionally for television. But it's only now that I am having the courage and perhaps the reasons to try new things.

Part 1: Skin Care

First of all, let me say that more important than make-up is skin care. In this I have always placed value. When I was younger, my mother's regime always included Ivory soap. I believe it to have been effective in keeping pimples at bay even when I was an adolescent. Then later on, in my teen years, it became Neutrogena. Then early adulthood ushered in the universally respected brand, Clinique.

Now, however, I've moved onto Shiseido. I've been using this brand for three years now and so far, although I've tried others, I go back to Shiseido in the end. It just works.

My early thirties ushered in changes in my skin. The most noticeable was the dullness. While walking around Nordstrom, I noticed the Shiseido consultants' skin. They were dewy! Mind you they ranged in age from around mid-twenties to late forties. So I walked up to their counter and asked to look like them. I walked away with a softener (which was supposed to be the secret to the dewy look) and moisturizers (tinted and with SPF for day and another one for night). I started with the Skincare line and was very pleased with the result. It cost me about two hundred dollars but it did last for about a year or a little more.

A year later, I moved onto the Benefiance line. It was winter time and my skin was dryer than normal. Again, I spent a few hundred but this line, being richer, lasted even longer.

I now use a combination of both Benefiance and Skincare lines and am very pleased.

Below is a link to the Shiseido secret:

http://www.us.shiseido.com/beautymethod/softener.htm

For make-up, however, I have remained loyal to no one. I have my share of Shiseido make-up: Lifting Foundation, Make-Up Smoothing Veil but for the eyes and cheeks I use other brands. They range from drugstore to department store brands.

Part 2: Make-up

The first make-up I remember buying for myself was a lipstick from the Body Shop. I was a sophomore in college, away on exchange program in England when this happened. It was a nice neutral pink. I used it throughout my college and even early working years.

Now, I'm starting do discover other brands: Urban Decay, Benefit, Maybelline, Revlon, L'oreal, Clinique, Lancome, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Philosophy, etc.

Needless to say, we women can't get enough of make-up, right? More on make and my experiences with them on my next entries.

Interval Walking

It's been three weeks into the challenge and I've lost only a pound and a half. Not too bad. Not great either. At least I've managed to not gain along the way.

While I had started with twice daily work outs, I stopped that after I was burned out in a few days. Now I just walk and have been trying this rather intense walking work out from Prevention.com. Basically, the interval cycles between 30-seconds of intense walking followed by a minute of brisk walking.

It's pretty effective in amping up calorie burn. However, it's not as fun as walking to the beat of some fun familiar music. Plus it is very difficult to maintain the intensity, especially over a period of half an hour!

So I think I'll have to check whether I burn more calories on the Prevention interval or the cardioboost interval. Next entry will be on that.

MBT vs. Sketchers Shape-Ups

I couldn't decide which one to get. The MBT was specifically made to address pain on the lower back and joints while the Sketchers Shape-Ups was made to increase the effectiveness of fitness walking.

So I got both and tried them on for a day. The MBT I wore for approximately 8 hours at work and while shopping afterward. I like how it seems to propel me forward as I walk, makes me stand taller just to keep blanced and generally, relieved lower back pressure. At the end of the day, I also felt the existence of muscles in the inner thigh area which never existed before! After 8 hours, I was tired on my feet though. The website does suggest gradually increasing the length of wear until one is used to it.

The Sketchers, because they were made for fitness walking, I took to the street instead of my favorite running/walking shoes, Brooks Adrenaline. My route usually takes me 40 minutes to complete by the way. Well, I must say, just like MBT, it propelled me forward, making me feel like I was walking faster, taking quicker steps. My heart rate monitor backed up how I felt by showing I burned more calories than I usually did walking the same distance. I also felt my butt muscles working more as I walked. The Sketchers' propelling motion was not as definitive as MBT though, after all, Sketchers Shape-Ups is more cushion-y and the shape of the sole is less steep too.

The Sketchers Shape-Ups would have been my only choice because of the comfort. It has a wider toe box and softer footbed. However, its styles are all very sporty/casual (even the Mary Janes which I got looks like rubber shoes!) None would be appropriate for work.

So it seems that the best recourse would be to keep both -- the MBT to wear to work and the Sketchers to wear on my daily walks.

I just hope that they both live up to their claim of lessening lower back pressure. Sketchers Shape-Ups cost $99 and the MBT was on sale for $130 (65% off the original price!).

If they do what they claim, they will both be work every penny.

Too Much and Too Little Too Soon

I was exhausted, hungry and sleepy. This was two days into the challenge. I'd been refraining from eating any carbs, having been advised to follow an Atkins-like diet. I was working out twice a day. In the morning I'd walk 40 minutes then I'd do another 40 minutes of aerobics in the afternoon. I knew I could not go on if I continued on this path of working out so much without properly nourishing myself. So on the 3rd day, I gave in. I had chicken and pork adobo with a quarter cup of white rice for dinner. I also decided to take it easy on the 4th day, just taking a 20-30 minute walk broken into two segments that included a hill climb each segment. The end of that day, I was energetic again.

So today, the fifth day, I did an hour-long yoga for weight loss after a 15 minute-walk that included an uphill climb for a warm-up. I was surprised to see that while I was doing yoga, my heart rate was within the weight-loss zone. According to my heart rate monitor, I burned 400 calories just on the hour-long yoga session. Wow!

I've been considering doing yoga and now pilates instead of resistance training. I wonder how those two will shape by body.

At this point though, I feel my back has gained strength as well as my abs. My legs are starting to feel less jello-ey too. I feel like time is winding back almost a decade! . Yeeha!

Into... Fitness

Lately I've been all INTO -- into the zone, into the groove, into fitness, into healthy eating.

So let me start with fitness.

I'm close to being obese. I checked by BMI today. Not because I was curious or really interested in losing weight but because my colleagues and I have a contest among ourselves. We are on a 10-week weight-loss challenge. So we all had to weigh in and I thought I ought to check my BMI.

I had a feeling I was actually obese already. So it was quite a relief to find out I'm not... yet... but very close!

In the past few months, since the start of 2010 actually, my body has been shouting OBESE! My lower back has been hurting and I've developed GERD. Grrr...

So a week ago, I decided to start walking again in hopes of getting my weight down just to kick the back ache and the GERD off of me. This challenge at work is extra incentive. And I didn't realize what a competitive bunch we were. Anyway, I didn't start this blog to talk about them. I wanted to share a nugget of discovery from my walking workouts.

I've been walking with this interval training cd called Cardioboost. Its BPM range from 118 to 138 and run for approximately 40 minutes. I've burned over 300 calories in about 50 minutes of walking with this. This afternoon, I put on Leslie Sansone's Weight Loss Walk DVD and burned 450 calories in 40 minutes! Yowza! Need I say Leslie's system is awesome?

So let's see how the next 9 weeks go and if I lose my 20 pounds. By the way, losing 20 pounds will NOT move me from the OVERWEIGHT zone. Still, that would be AWESOME!