What I’m Reading Now, Again

Over the weekend while recuperating from a bad case of gastroenteritis (something I must have eaten at the office buffet), I found time to catch up on books I started but haven’t had the time to finish.

One of them is Frances Mayes’ Under the Tuscan Sun, which has a back story that I will save for next post, when I have found the archived blog entry somewhere.

I love this book! I love how poetic Mayes sounds even when she’s writing prose. This is the nth time that I’m re-reading the book and I get carried away by her words each time.

Under the Tuscan Sun is the kind of book you’d like to read aloud at 1 a.m., when the entire household is fast asleep.

I don’t usually mark my favorite phrases–I write them down in my Moleskine–but I felt I had to, this time, because I want to go back and read and re-read my favorite lines and feel each word roll out of my tongue when I say them.

Chapter 1 starts out very simply, matter-of-factly, but the sentence reaches out to you, an announcement that, you know, will be life-changing: “I am about to buy a house in a foreign country.”

Each time I read this, I put down the book and I am lost in reverie. I am in Tuscany too.

More soon.

Recharge, Web Worker, Recharge

Clockwise, from top: aromatherapy oil, boreh, shower gel, body lotion

What every Web worker needs, when the going gets tough, is a short vacation to recharge–or a day at the spa, if one can’t afford to be away for so long.

I had been thinking of going up to Baguio to recharge and actually got my manager’s approval to go, but I decided I couldn’t be away for more than a day, with two freelance projects on my back and a number of sites set to go live this month.

The quick solution? A day at the spa.

I chose Relaksasi this time because it was nearer (compared to the Spa at Greenbelt, where I’m a regular). The woman at the reception suggested the Balinese Boreh massage salt and oil (PhP850), which is good for the muscles (long hours in front of your computer can be bad for the neck and back).

Boreh, according to the Herb Companion, is a Balinese spice body mask that is a popular treatment for fever, headaches, muscle aches, and arthritis. It is also believed to enhance blood circulation and exfoliate and soften the skin.

Prior to the massage, I spent 15 minutes in the 2×3-foot sauna cubicle, which bothered my claustrophobic self. I am used to steaming up at spa rooms, not cubicles, so this was something new. I stayed about 10 minutes and decided I didn’t want to die in there.

Mayden, my masseuse, brought in a tray containing the boreh, oil, lotion, and shower gel (photo above), and mixed them while I watched. It smelled really heavenly.

While it was a full body massage, I noticed that my masseuse took extra time on my legs and back, which was just as well because those areas really needed a lot of loving.

The massage ended with her applying boreh scrub all over my body. It felt as though I had bathed in oil and rolled in sand, but it smelled good so I didn’t complain. After I showered to wash off the boreh paste, my masseuse applied lotion on my legs and arms. My friends all thought I smelled good after.

The verdict on how good the massage is for my body usually happens the morning after. If I wake up with a fever, that means the massage was overdone or wasn’t good for me. If I woke up feeling better, it was a success.

I was feeling wonderful when I got home and climbed into bed, slept 12 hours, and woke up with a spring in my step, ready to take on a full day’s work and more, more projects. All that for P850. And I didn’t have to brave six hours on the bus to Baguio.

Go try it. You won’t only love the massage, but if you’re a tea fanatic like me, the Indonesian green tea they serve is to die for! I had to have two servings.

Relaksasi
3F SM City North Edsa
+63 2 920 2787

You might want to try mixing your own Balinese boreh mask with this recipe from Herb Companion.