Brogues from Reed's Bootery

I love shoes.  I'm not an Imelda Marcos - but I own a dozen pairs.  Some of my selections actually attract stares - especially in the office - because they're not what most guys would choose to wear.

Most of the time - the shoes shops that I go to have the right design that will make me go "Oooh!"  However,  I really wish that there are more snazzy options.  I wished so many times in the past - that I can find a shop which can make shoes according to my specifications.   

That wish has been granted by my fairy godmother - and she showed me the way to Reed's Bootery at the Abanao Square in Baguio.  Reed makes shoes according to your specs.  He has a variety of design to choose from - and you can pretty much request for the type of leather that suits your budget and taste.  I've had a pair of periwinkle boots made last year.  This time - I thought - I'd go for a little bit more classic design.  I want black and white brogues.  

The brogues you will find in shops today have a more rounded end.  I want mine to be a little more elongated at the tip.  This is the fun part --- making Reed and his staff understand what I want.  It can be a hit or miss of course --- but who cares?  Designing your own shoes makes them unique.

I told Reed that I will actually want croc/alligator boots in the future. They can be a bit pricey --- still way below the price of what the stores will charge for croc boots - but still over 100,000 pesos a pair.

When I wear these new babies - I feel like I'm Fred Astaire --- and although I won't have these get wet --- I want to just be;t out: "Singing in the Rain".

If y'all are interested in buying your own pair of custom-made shoes --- visit the Reed's Bootery at Abanao Square in Baguio.  They will take your sizes and specs --- and have it delivered anywhere via courier.

The Biggest Loser is a Big Winner

When I reached my 30s,  I found it more difficult to keep my tummy flat - without exerting a tremendous amount of energy in the gym.  I hired personal trainers.  I joined every single cardio class.  I drank diet soft drinks.  I ate brown rice.  But with all of these - I continued to have a round tummy.  My Chinese friends call it ITALY ( which phonetically sounds like the Chinese phrase - big round ball ).

I was getting frustrated with all of these - and wondered if I will always just be thin-fat.  I was generally thin but I had a big tummy.  

And recently - I reached the age of 40 --- and I thought to myself.  Maybe exercise is not the only thing that can make me lose weight.  Maybe I need to start watching what I eat.  A big part of me was protesting against this because I love food.  Controlling what I eat will mean that I may have to forego the joy of eating.

So I took some steps towards eating more healthful.  Almost a year ago - I started eating just salad for lunch and dinner.  I kept to eating rice and everything else for breakfast.  For six months - I continued to lose weight.   I started at 172 lbs and ended at 161 lbs. ( I used to wear XL sized clothes and 36 inches waist pants. ) I was happy with the results.  Then I hit a plateau in my weight loss.   

It took me months - as I continued with this routine - and I noticed that my weight see-sawed from 161 to 164.  So I knew I had to do something different.   I realized - I may have to give up on carbs and sugar altogether.  It's just one meal right?  So the transition may not be that hard.

A month ago.  I received an e-mail from Sebastian Sherpa (one of those internet marketing e-mails). Most of the time - I'm skeptical about these e-mails but I said - I'd charge it to experience.  I'll buy the program and see what's it all about.  Sebastian talked about our hormones - and how it affects our ability to use fat for energy.  His program basically promises - that in 22 days - my body will stop relying on the food that I eat for energy --- but will start burning the fat around my tummy for energy.  When that happens - my big fat tummy (ITALY) will be gone.

So what the heck - I said - I will try this program.

The program is basically a low carb program.  It also had other components - like walking,  breathing exercise,  detox, and sleep.  I am also to stop snacking --- which I did religiously in the past because my body must have food every two hours.  

I followed the program - and the weight started to melt away.   My starting weight was 161 lbs.  After 22 days - I was down to 155 lbs.  Finally - my weight has breached that 160 lbs. mark.   

After the 22 days - I continued with the program - low carb, no snacks.  Carb and sugar only allowed during the carb feast days.   After the 22 days - I even introduced my body to drinking fat tea ( that's tea with high MCT oil like Coconut Oil ).   Drinking fat tea allows me to practice Intermittent Fasting - and my weight continued to drop.  Today - I weigh 150 lbs.   

I still have some inches to loose and I need to build muscle definition back up.  But overall - I'm happy with the results.   I can even wear my aspiration T-shirt.  You see I bought a bunch of T-shirts 7 months ago - which were medium sized --- because I was optimistic - I will be able to fit into them. This sleeveless shirt - is one of them.   It fits perfectly today.   My pants size?  Down to 30 inches.  And the skinny jeans - really look like skinny jeans!

I read somewhere that when you reach middle age - you may have to give up on the dream of being able to wear your clothes when you were young.   Wait - I don't have any intentions of wearing the 90s jeans and T-shirts I had --- but I did wish to wear the sizes that I used to wear.  I guess - my wish has come true.

Batman T-Shirt

My favorite superhero is Batman.  He is not an alien.  He is not a god.  He was not exposed to radiation that made him a freak.  He is human - a very rich human being - but still human.  His abilities are honed by training - a lot of training - and of course technology.  

The only thing I don't like about him is that he can be a bit of a psycho.   Actually - sometimes I like him exactly because of that.  But if I were Batman - I don't want to be psycho. 

With Batman being my favorite - of course I have to get a Batman T-shirt from DC Comics Store in the Pavilion mall in KL.   

I was actually thinking of wearing a tuxedo - with the batman T-shirt underneath -- but it just wasn't working out so - I said - screw that --- I'll just wear jeans.

Oh --- I also thought the black t-shirt is a good combination with these Converse High-Top kicks that I got when I was in Dallas.   Converse was having a buy one pair and take the second pair half off.  The shoes are very 80s - and the sales clerk was I think born in the late 90s --- but she thought it was cool.