~ Water is Life +

This was a good easy day

2012-03-01T21:05:00.001-05:00

Thank god today's insanity workout was much more tame than the others -- yay for Cardio Recovery. On the plus side I am less sore today.

4 days down. 59 to go.

Complete

2012-02-29T18:39:00.000-05:00

Insanity: Cardio Power & Resistance -- DONE.

Omg I was so sore today -- partly from Insanity, partly from poor posture while studying/writing a test the day before, partly from sleep deprivation for the last 3 days.

But I did it. Yay! :)

I felt like this last time I did this workout too...

2012-02-28T18:39:00.001-05:00

Yup... the last time I did Insanity around January 2010 I felt just like I do this time -- Like I got run over by a truck.

But at the same time... I haven't worked out this hard in a looonnnng time, so in some ways the pain/nausea is gratifying. I can't remember the last time I taught or did a Muay Thai class, but even then it wasn't this bad. I wasn't able to do it to the same extent as the people in the video -- but let's be realistic -- these are workout robots who were probably fit to begin with. I did pretty good for an out-of-shaper -- I did as much as I could with good form and without passing out. I am super sweaty. For the exercises that I couldn't do (like, physically, my strength/stamina is not there yet) I did some crunches and oblique crunches in the mean time.

I can't believe I have to do this again tomorrow... and every day this week. :( But it's for a good cause -- being fit, getting in shape, and looking faboooooo!!! (Animaniacs? Anyone?)

Commence the insanity

2012-02-28T12:51:00.001-05:00

Now that my major pressing concerns are taken care of I can get back to looking after myself

Hoping on the INSANITY bandwagon. Again.

2012-02-25T17:57:00.000-05:00

Hey Ya'll. It's been a long time since my last post! Not too many things are new -- doing my community placement now, working part time at a hospital doing Occupational Health stuff using my previous degree, currently on reading week... and currently not too pleased with my physique.

I have been a big supporter of yoga for the last 7 months -- It's low impact but builds strength and can be a good cardio workout if you choose the right kind of yoga. I still love yoga (http://www.yogadownload.com) but I'm thinking I probably need a more conventional workout to boost my fitness. I need to be in shape for my profession for my own safety, and I think that yoga alone won't get me there when I'm only doing it like 2x/ week. So... enter INSANITY.

I bought the INSANITY workout from BeachBody.com back in 2010 or late 2009 I think. I did it for 11 days with a friend of mine back in our last year of Undergrad at UW, but then I had to stop -- I was exhausted and it was making me literally sick (nauseated). I never did get back on it. In hindsight there are a couple of things I did wrong in the first place:

- I wasn't following the meal plan guides in the book -- hence I probably wasn't getting the right balance of fat, protein, and carbohydrate
- I pushed myself too hard too fast
- I wasn't able to get myself into the right frame of mind

Motivation is an interesting mind game -- in the right frame of mind, you can achieve anything. But once you get into that "negative space", you're afraid to push yourself and push through physical and mental fatigue.

So what am I planning on doing differently this time to be successful?
- I'm going to follow their nutrition plans
- I'm going to go at a pace that allows me to get the form right -- I'm not going to go at max speed
- I am going to do my workouts in the evening so that I can konk out right after
- If I can't do the full Insanity workout for that day, I will substitute with the 20-minute Insanity: fast & furious workout, or a Yoga workout (I just got a new one; Qi Barre, and it's wicked for the lower body!)

I've set up a calendar and everything so I'm all set. I just need to do positive affirmations to myself everyday so I feel like I can do it. I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to setting myself back through self-doubt talk. I'm not going to try to be a crazy fit hottie -- I want to take it at my pace so I don't kill myself, and hopefully get in shape along the way. I would love to look in the best shape possible for my brother's wedding.

Here's to trying!

Just another day at the office...

2012-02-16T22:35:00.000-05:00

Currently on lunch break. Need tea or some warm beverage.

Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T11:19:00.000-05:00

Happy V-day everyone! For those of you who are lucky to have someone special in your life, I hope you share the spirit of Valentine's day everyday. For those of you who are not in relationships for whatever reason, do not forget to love yourselves!

My dad passed away September 27, 2005, and so every year my mom celebrates Valentine's day alone. My brothers and I have made it a new tradition to send her roses or whatever flowers look nice on Valentine's day as a surprise. Despite having them for 7 years now, she still is always surprised when we do it. Don't forget to tell or show your loved ones you care. It doesn't have to be with flowers or gifts -- just give them a call and say "I love you!"

Yoga is all you need for Fitness

2012-02-08T10:45:00.003-05:00

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/739

Proof that Yoga is as viable of an exercise as running or weight training.

Getting older

2012-01-14T15:03:00.001-05:00

My early 25th birthday gift to myself... Lame.

Happy new year!

2012-01-01T12:39:00.001-05:00

I wish everyone a happy 2012 filled with laughs, love, and joy.

Best and Worst of 2011

2011-12-27T02:04:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone, I am going to be doing a best and worst list of 2011 -- it will include products, foods, moments and anything else I can think of.

Best Skincare/Makeup products of 2011

Skin79 Super+ Triple Functions BB creams (hot pink, VIP gold)
Vichy Purete Thermale 3-in-1 Calming Cleansing Solution
Rimmel Lash Acclerator serum
Avene Cleanance Anti-Shine regulating Emulsion
Shiseido Senka Mineral UV Gel SPF50 PA+++

Worst Skincare/Makeup products of 2011

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara
Ardell LashTite
ELF essentials eye primer

Best Food of 2011

Making home-made Ravioli with my boyfriend (even though it took us like 4 hours)
Discovering the many uses of Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP) for vegetarian meals
All Bran
Goji berries
Home-made tomato bread
making crepes for the first time

Worst Food of 2011

My 2nd attempt at a sprouted rice salad- blegh, raisins are a no-go
getting a hair in my dessert at 93 Harbord during winterlicious
getting a hair in my dessert at my cousin's place (what's with all the hair, peeps?)
Carob chips (Or anything with Whey in it... it makes me swell up like nobody's business!)

Best moments of 2011

Realizing that Nursing is my calling in life
Receiving a watercolour painting from a patient
Curling up with Gerald after a bad day... and pretty much all other times I see him
Being done exams and papers for the term
The feeling I get after a good session of yoga

Worst moments of 2011

My bag being stolen from TGH
Being frustrated with various people for various reasons
Dealing with many people re: yearbook stuff over the summer
The odd time here and there when I would feel sad about missing my dad and remembering patients that have passed

Hmm.. I don't really know how else to sum up the year. It had its ups and downs, and I learned much from 2011 about myself and of what I would like to do with my life. I made new friends and I think I've matured even more, if that was possible (It's official: I am now an 80-year old woman trapped in a 24-year old body). I've definitely had to deal with more pressure this year, but I think I still need to learn how to deal with it more effectively without taking it out on others. That will be my goal for this year.

As my 2012 resolution, I will try to control my anger better. That, I think, would do the world some good.

Loving the holidays and craftiness

2011-12-22T03:58:00.002-05:00

I like holidays.

a) I don't have school/work
b) I can sleep in
c) I can eat lots of goodies
d) I can make lots of goodies using my mom's expensive kitchen equipment
e) I usually get a lot of craft-time in

Craft time! I love craft time. I remember spending hours upon hours in my youth doing any craft possible that would require a lot of skill and time to challenge myself. I started out with paper-mache/newspaper stuff, and small sewing projects, then when a cousin had introduced me to Sculpey/Fimo polymer modeling clay it was game over -- I made Pokemon figurines, very convincing Lord of the Rings props, fridge magnets, etc... Let's just say after the Sculpey thing, I identified myself as a "sculptor".

For my brother's wedding, he asked me if I would be able to make a Wall-E and EVE cake topper like one he had seen on Etsy. I said "of course!" because it was just another way I could challenge myself and make something cool that they would be able to keep as a lovely keepsake from their wedding (aside from photos and the bill, of course... haha). So I was working on it tonight, starting with drawing out sketches, pouring over screen captures, re-watching the movie, and drawing out stencils for the shapes needed... and I realize how much I loved doing this "creative work", and how much I've missed it since being so busy with school at University. It makes me plan, think, troubleshoot and solve in a non-stressful kind of way. I'm always expecting more from myself in this respect because I know I can make some pretty good things, I'm not going to lie. I don't mean to sound pompous or like I'm bragging, but when it comes to imitating something, I'm pretty good at making clay replicas.

Anyway, so I'm about 30% done Wall-E's parts (there are a lot of details in his little robot character). Yay! I have a picture but it's on my camera and I can't be bothered to upload it right now... (I've used about 1/2 of a yellow block just for the outer shell of Wall-E's body). I was at Michael's craft store today buying more Sculpey because I was out of the colours I needed, and I was kind of shocked at how expensive this stuff is! I still have the metallic Sculpey my cousin gave me like when I was 12 (eep 12 years ago!) so I don't have to buy this stuff that often, but man, at up to $4 each, that's insane! I decided to cop out and buy some "Craftsmart" brand of polymer clay for $2.29 each, and I have to say, it's not bad. I like that it is softer than Sculpey III, which makes it easier to handle and less hard on the hands (muscles get tired!), and while the colour range is somewhat limited, the colours are vibrant and nice. I also like that the Craftsmart polymer clay is very smooth in texture -- I found that certain Metallic Sculpey III colours were kind of flakey and wouldn't hold together well. I haven't baked it yet, so that's an entirely different story that I'll have to update on later.

I always feel good about myself when I can use my talents to help someone... what better way than to help my brother with his wedding?! There's a little more pressure than usual (self-imposed) just because it IS for my brother's wedding and there will be photos of the cake, most likely, and then any flaws will be photographed and preserved forever... O_o... gotta make it pretty darn well near perfect.

Gadgets and fasting

2011-12-16T10:31:00.000-05:00

I picked up my new laptop yesterday! I quite like it. I'm probably most impressed with the keyboard, as it is one of those chiclet keyboards, so it's got a really nice tactile feel to it, and I don't feel like my fingers are pressing other keys, like with the regular laptop keyboard. The battery life is AMAZING on this thing, and I was able to transfer most of my stuff and re-install most of the important programs... I need to uninstall Office 2010 and install 2007 because I don't have the serial key for 2010. Boo! Oh well. The one teensy drawback on this machine is that it doesn't come with an optical drive -- so in order to install Office 2007, I need to buy a portable optical drive. >.< Then again, this is like the one time I'll be needing it, so I guess I can't complain...

As the title of this post suggests, yes, fasting! I don't normally engage in this, but I was feeling kind of bloated for the last week likely from the combination of eating badly (I was eating a lot of refined/processed stuff and carb-laden stuff) and not exercising because I had papers to write. So yesterday I did a fast for most of the day, drinking only fresh-pressed carrot juice from my Breville Juicer. I had dinner with my mom and she made fish and veggies, so it was perfect. I'm actually finding that I'm really enjoying fish, and prefer it over beef, pork, or chicken. Fish actually is easier to digest than beef, pork, and chicken too, so it's better for you.

DONE DONE DONE!!!

2011-12-15T02:28:00.003-05:00

I finished all the essays that needed to be completed and stood between me and freedom -- my main motivating factor that allowed me to punch out an entire essay in 1 night? My computer is ready for pick up and I want to get it tomorrow. Hahahaha.

So I'm officially freed from the shackles that U of T had over my life.. for a little while anyway. YAY!

Not My Cup of Tea

2011-12-14T22:02:00.001-05:00

Not My Cup of Tea

LOL...

This Sandwich is dedicated to you, dad

2011-12-14T17:52:00.001-05:00

I do love sandwiches dearly... there's something about them that brings about fond childhood memories. My dad would always make my lunch as a child, and I actually remember having the same kind of sandwich for 4 years until I finally grew tired of it (Mock chicken loaf and margarine, in case you're wondering). Whenever my mom made my sandwiches for a change, you could taste the love in them (or maybe it was mayonnaise...) and how she carefully layered each condiment into the sandwich (Not that my dad didn't make them with love... he was just busy making 4 lunches in the morning). I think that since my father passed away, I have missed the sandwiches that he used to make, and I would like to make this post dedicated to him.

I was looking up some new recipes that I could use to make a raw-style bread because I'd always seen it on Raw food blogs and I was always curious. I came across this post by Gena of ChoosingRaw.com. It's a recipe for a particularly delicious looking raw tomato bread, and after skimming the ingredients, it looked simple to make! So I made the trek out to the local market this morning and gathered my ingredients to make it.

Ingredients:

Raw Tomato Bread (raw, vegan, gluten and soy free)
Makes 8 large pieces
5 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
3/4 cup flax meal
1 tbsp tamari or nama shoyu (substitute sea salt to taste if you’re allergic to soy)
1 tsp oregano (dried)
2 tsps basil (dried
1 clove garlic
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Blend everything together except for the sunflower seeds, then mix them in when the other ingredients are blended and thick. Spread out the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with Parchment paper, and bake on the lowest rack at 325-350 degrees for 30 minutes on each side.

I baked mine because I do not own a dehydrator, and hey, it tasted great. Here's what it looked like after I had cooked both sides and cut into 8 pieces:

It has a firm texture like bread, but it is loaded with so much more flavour! Since it's pretty much made of tomatoes and flax, it holds together well and really smells and tastes delicious. The sunflower seeds add a nice bit of texture and crunch, as well as protein and healthy fats. It holds together wonderfully and is easy to eat.

Flipping the bread over during baking was pretty simple -- I took out the baking sheet and took the parchment paper off the pan and onto my table. I took out a new sheet of parchment and flipped the one with the bread onto it and then peeled back the old parchment paper. Then I simply place the new parchment and bread onto the baking sheet and cut into pieces and put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

And just because I can, here's the picture of the sandwich again in all it's deliciousness:

Thanks for all the Sandwiches, Dad.

New Computer

2011-12-13T18:00:00.000-05:00

I just bought a new computer today! My Dell Inspiron 1525 has been giving me problems lately, and I feel like it's slowly threatening to blow up and stop working sometime soon. I bought this computer in Aug 2008, which wasn't that long ago... but already it's had to be serviced because of some malfunctioning fans, and reformatted a good 3 times (and has given me the blue screen of death a few times since then). So.. it's time.

Of course, whenever I need tech help, I turn to my brothers, who claim "Looking at computers makes [them] happy". One of my brothers recommended the ASUS U31SD-XA1, on sale for $599.99 at NCIX (sale ends today).

Here are the specs:

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Display: 13.3-inch LED-backlit HD display (1366 x 768)
Processor: 2nd generation Intel Core i3-2310M processor (2.1GHz)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 520M 1GB GDDR3 VRAM
WLAN: 802.11 b/g/n (@ 2.4GHz)
LAN: 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
Memory: 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, 2 x SODIMM Sockets (up to 8GB)
Storage: 500GB 5400RPM hard drive
Camera: 0.3 megapixel
Speakers: Stereo speakers with EAX 5.0 sound
Microphone: Digital Array Microphone
Card Reader: 3-in-1 card reader (MMC/SD/MS)
Input / Output:1 x Mic-in, 1 x Headphone-out, 1 x VGA port/Mini D-Sub 15-pin for external monitor, 3 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x USB 3.0 port, 1 x Gigabit LAN, 1 x HDMI
Battery: 8 cell
Dimensions: 12.9 x 9.2 x1–inches (W x D x H)
Weight: 4lbs (with 8 cell battery)
Color: Silver

What I'm really excited about is the battery life -- it's supposed to last about 10 hours! I can't even disconnect my current Dell for more than 2 minutes without it dying, so anything will be better than what I currently have. The processor will be faster than mine (which means games will run nicely...) and it'll have a bigger HD.

I don't think this laptop comes with an optical drive, but that's ok, whatever, I barely even use mine. I only really need it if I had to re-install Windows or something, so I'll probably get an external cd rom for when I REALLY need it.

So.. yes. That will be exciting. I am hoping it will be ready for pick up by Friday or at the latest, Monday... then I can start transferring files and stuff so my computer is school-ready by January.

UGGHHH WHY AM I STILL IN SCHOOL

2011-12-10T15:41:00.001-05:00

Every so often I revisit a question that plagues my existence: why did I go back to school when I'd already earned a BSc? I love Kinesiology and deeply valued my learning experience at the University of Waterloo, so why did I continue to pursue a BScN at the a href="http://utoronto.ca">University of Toronto? The question usually comes up around exam time.

I'm going to use this time to reflect (UGH Nursing papers! what have you done to meeee?) on why I chose nursing in the first place and what it means to me. This will only speak to my reasons for going into nursing and are probably not generalizable to my peers, so keep that in mind. I will first recap on a particular memory that makes me laugh now everytime I think about it.

I was in first year university at Waterloo, and it was after the first wave of midterms in Fall 2005. I was bored and confused with the material in the Honors Life Science Biology program, and I was contemplating switching to Kinesiology the following semester. During this semester my father had passed away from Pancreatic cancer, and it was really eating at me despite my best efforts. I had talked about my difficulties with my mom and brothers, and I remember my oldest brother who probably knows me best, asked me,

"What about Nursing? I could see you as a Nurse." My response?

"Uh.... NO. Never." Forward to today: wow, hindsight bias is 20/20.

So, what did make me want to do nursing? Did I even know what "being a nurse" really meant at the time? No, I probably didn't. My understanding of nursing was very preliminary: I had been to hospitals on numerous occasions while my father was sick, while my grandmother was sick, and also my cousin. So I'd only seen hospital nursing, and until I started nursing at U of T, I kind of thought that's where nurses only worked. Naive of me, I know. Anyway, so my understanding of nurses had to do with what I had seen them do with my family members, people I cared about. When I was in my last semester of my UW undergrad, I was looking for more -- I wanted to feel professionally fulfilled. Again, while I loved my Kinesiology undergrad, it wasn't that I didn't feel fulfilled, but I felt like there was something out there where I could do more. I had thought about my dad, grandmother and cousin a lot, and I had admired the way that nurses seemed to venture into what I like to call "horrible situations" with courage and care. When I was visiting my relatives, they always said hello in a comforting way, treated my relatives with care and respect, and seemed to know so much about complicated medical issues. The intricate way that care was meshed together with medical knowledge and people skills was what left me in awe and something I wanted to do.

I was in the kitchen of my Waterloo house with my friend, and he was probing me to think about what I would do when I graduated. I will always be grateful to this friend, because he always pushed me to think forward beyond the current moment, and was really the one to sell me on Nursing (no, he's not in nursing. Actually, he's pursuing a MD/PhD degree!) because I think he could see that I wanted to do more and could somehow see my "inner nurse" trying to break free. His basic question was "What do you want to do with your life?". It's different from asking "What do you want to do?", because when you involve "your life" into the question, it brings into question your values and the "big picture".

I had always wanted to help people -- this much I knew. I was volunteering at the time in a cancer exercise clinic at my school and I really enjoyed going there to talk to the clients and help make that hour "their" time -- time for them to focus on themselves and a goal. Not an hour to sit in a treatment that makes them feel sicker or in pain. I'd come to realize how I take exercise or any kind of physical movement for granted. Getting up in the morning and walking to school seemed like a chore on 2 hours of sleep, but it paled in comparison to the agony and fatigue that cancer treatments left patients feeling. Volunteering in this setting really changed my perspective. At the same time I was doing research with one of my professors, and trying to get more of those critical thinking skills in hand, so I feel like the life experiences I've had (although some were terribly difficult) really shaped me into this career.

I'm starting to get tired of writing and I'm sure you're getting tired of reading, so I'll get straight to the point:

Sometimes a career choice isn't really a choice, but a calling. Nursing was my calling, and I'm glad I came back to school despite my bitching and moaning about classes and exams.

On a completely random note: I found out that my professor from UW is on Mat Leave! I'm ecstatic for her!

Aaaahhhh....

2011-12-06T21:29:00.001-05:00

[music] Kevin Lien - Daphne loves Durby cover, Starving to be safe [drink] hot chocolate [mood] relaxed

So I wrote my 50% final -- I think it went fine, considering all things (i.e. my lack of motivation to study). I found the multiple choice quite easy, and majority of the short answer fine. I even felt that I did fine with the quantitative and qualitative research critiques -- the only question is how the TAs will feel when they're marking! haha. No seriously. Sometimes they are inconsistent (lack of internal consistency affecting reliability of grading???) , so it can be frustrating at times. But I feel like I was writing the whole time, so that usually means something.

I made the most amazing sandwich when I got home -- well, actually, I saw this comic first (http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/how-sandwich-makes-you-its-bitch-in-11.html), which made me crave a sandwich. I went to fridge, lo and behold, I have no sandwich ingredients. So, I went to the grocery store. Anyway, I was inspired to make this sandwich from the food blogs of Choosing Raw and a recipe I recall from Natalia Rose's book (Raw Food Detox Diet). Instead of meat, it utilizes sliced Portabello mushrooms that have been marinated in some kind of seasoning and then cooked to soften. I topped it with swiss cheese, slices of tomato, lettuce, and mayonnaise on the bread, and it was heaven! Here's my recipe:

Portabello Sandwich
same recipe can be used to make Portabello burgers -- simply use whole mushrooms instead of sliced.

Makes 1

Ingredients:

Marinade:
- 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1-2 tsp soy sauce (reduced salt)
- 1-2 tsp rice wine vinegar (OR juice from 1/2 lemon)
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp garlic powder (POWDER not garlic salt -- You can use fresh garlic if you have it)
- black pepper to taste

- approx 3 thick slices of Portabello mushroom (these can be found pre-sliced in the refrigerated produce section)

- 2 pieces light rye bread OR 1 large flat romaine lettuce leaf cut into 2 pieces
- Light mayonnaise (optional)
- Vegetables to top (lettuce, tomato)
- cheese (optional)

Steps:

Mix marinade ingredients together in a small dish or bowl. Place Portabello slices into a larger bowl, pour marinade all over, tossing to coat. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.
Heat non-stick pan to medium heat, adding about 1-2 tsp of vegetable oil when the pan is hot. Put the marinated mushrooms in the pan, add about 1/4 cup of water to kind of poach the mushrooms. Put on lid and let cook for about 3-4 minutes.Save leftover marinade in the bowl.
Meanwhile, toast bread (if desired), cut up vegetables for topping and/or cheese if using. Spread light mayo onto bread, if using.
Lift pan lid, flip mushrooms over. Using leftover marinade, baste the mushrooms by pouring leftover marinade onto mushrooms. Put lid on again, cook for another 3 minutes (or, can turn off heat at this point).
Assemble sandwich, leaving mushrooms last. Add Mushrooms, top, ENJOY!

I should have taken a picture of this awesome sandwich -- but my hunger won. I'll make it again tomorrow, so I'll take a pic then.

My plan tonight is to just relax by drinking hot chocolate and reading my kindle. and eating salad. Yes I'm one of those weirdos that ENJOYS salads. Take a look at my ingredients and maybe you'll understand why:

- romaine lettuce
- julienned carrots
- blackberries (they were on sale!)
- marble cheese
- tomato
- sun dried tomato
- sliced cremini (baby Portabello) mushrooms
- light ranch dressing
- nutritional yeast (B-12 source)

It tastes absolutely divine! :) Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Ahaha

2011-12-06T02:39:00.001-05:00

I don't even care anymore that's how relaxed I am. I think I'll be regretting this tmrw morning

Studying procrastination

2011-12-05T10:57:00.001-05:00

So I have a final tomorrow for NUR430, also known as nursing research, and I've been studying here and there but mostly spent my day focusing on anything but studying! What I've done today:

• bought a makeup eyeshadow palette and primer from coastal scents (88 warm palette, shadow worx)

• bought eyelash glue from onedollareyelashes.com

• spent much time reading and watching food blogs

• taken a nap ...

As you can see I'm quite distracted! But... time to crack down I guess...

Now on my phone!

2011-12-05T02:12:00.001-05:00

I just downloaded the blogger app to my Android smartphone :) I have the Samsung Google nexus s with wind mobile.

Now I can blog more!! Yaaayyyy

Yoga at Midnight

2011-11-30T01:33:00.001-05:00

[drink] jasmine tea + stevia [feeling] relaxed

I am constantly amazed at how Yoga (when done properly) makes me feel. A friend introduced me to Hot Yoga at Moksha Yoga in 2006, and I loved it, but it was far too expensive for me to afford to go on a regular basis, so I thought I'd just download some yoga videos and do it myself at home. Well you can guess how well that turned out: the yoga videos still are sitting in the DVD cases at home. Now that I am more aware of the different styles of yoga that suit me and the kind of teachers I like, and also the different ways to access yoga, I am much more of a believer in it.

The teacher makes a big difference in how I experience a Yoga class. I had tried a few classes led by an instructor that just didn't make the class intuitive or flow well, or had an annoying voice -- the voice thing is a matter of preference, but you know what I mean -- and it just affects the overall environment of the experience. and of course that experience is what determines whether or not you will return. I download videos for purchase at YogaDownload.com and my favourite instructor is Dawnelle. Her voice is so soothing yet strong and uplifting, and her flows are well thought out and challenging.

The type of yoga makes a difference too -- there are far too many kinds of Yoga that I am unaware of, but of the few that I have looked into, I know that Kundalini yoga isn't really for me. There is a lot of emphasis on a breathing technique and a lot of back flexion and extension, which really irritate my back, so it just furthers the fact that you really need to try out different kinds and find out what you like. If you find something enjoyable, you're more likely to make it a regular activity in your life. My current favourite kind of yoga at the moment is Power Yoga in Vinyasa style, or "with the breath". Power Yoga is a style that builds strength and flexibility through continuous movement. I purchase and download various forms of Power Yoga through YogaDownload.com that focus on a variety of areas, such as core, hip opening, and with weights. I sweat when I do Power Yoga -- it really does challenge my strength and balance.

Accessibility: I am one of those people that will get motivation to do something, but then I must do it within 5 minutes of the idea otherwise I will lose interest. Now, when it comes to doing exercise or physical activity as a chore, this means that I basically have to plan my day around it to ensure I do it. My days are almost never the same as I have a crazy schedule, so that doesn't work. Being able to have these Yoga classes on my computer to do whenever I want to is a blessing. Take tonight for example: I came home from my boyfriend's place at around 12:30 am and I had the inspiration to do Yoga. There are no Yoga classes happening anywhere in Toronto at this time of night, and even if there were, I would not go because that would mean I have to pack a bag and get changed and then take the TTC... a hassle. BUT... since I have the classes on my computer, I just roll out my mat and do it.

Privacy: I like my privacy. A lot. Doing yoga in a room full of people can be a good thing, especially if you are a novice like me because you can learn from other people's postures. I'm familiar enough with the postures in my downloaded classes that I don't need to watch others, but I like being the only one in the room to focus and just not get distracted. I dunno, it's a weird thing I have... maybe doing yoga makes me feel vulnerable in a sense, and to feel less vulnerable I need to be alone. Wow I'm a loner. lol.

Anyway, that's the long story of it -- but I do love my yoga very dearly now. I've been using the same yoga mat that my brother bought me for Christmas in 2005 -- it holds sentimental value. I wipe down my yoga mat before and after I practice by wetting a washcloth with water and wringing it out, and then adding like 4 drops of tea tree oil and wiping my mat down. The tea tree oil has antibacterial properties and with the water conditions the mat to prevent it from drying out and becoming hard.

What kind of yoga do you like to do?

O.M.G.

2011-11-29T03:22:00.001-05:00

Editing layouts in Blogger is a major pain! I had to really comb through the HTML coding in the layout (which is INSANE, btw) and try to find the specific bits I was looking for and trying to replace. But as you noticed, the layout matches my mainpage layout, so I'm pleased. Of course, this also means I've spent like 6 hours doing this and have not accomplished any work tonight. >.< Well that's not entirely true. While at the NUS Holiday party, my fellow Yearbook Co-editor and I decided on the theme and even came up with possible ideas for the cover layout. Talk about power hour! And we exchanged great dining places for Vegetarian/Vegan palettes.

Speaking of Vegetarian -- I have a great recipe to share, perhaps it falls under "Nutrition"? I dunno. I don't even really know what I'm planning on doing with that heading... I'll figure it out later. But anyway, I made a Veggie burger with:

Finely chopped up Cremini mushrooms and onion (and cooked)
Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
1 egg (to bind it)
salt, seasonings/spices, a little soy sauce

I have to say -- AMAZINGLY delicious. I used Bob's Red Mill brand of TVP and it was really reasonably priced at ~$3 for a big bag that will last a long time. It really does have the texture of meat and it takes on whatever flavours you throw into it. I used soy sauce, dried basil, oregano, pepper, and salt to flavour mine and it was perfect. I formed the patties using a small plastic container (small Philly cream cheese container) and pan fried them with a little virgin coconut oil. SO AMAZING. It really does have the "mouth feel" of ground beef, it's ridiculous. (I also tweeted about it!)

The best part is that so little ingredients actually went into making them that I have lots left over and will likely make it again tomorrow. I used about 1/2 cup of TVP to make 3 perfectly sized patties (when mixed in with cooked minced mushrooms and onion) and it comes out to probably less than 200 Calories for all 3 patties (80 Calories per 1/4 cup of TVP), and get this: 24 g of protein for 1/2 cup of TVP! AMAZING! I will try throwing some of this into the next lasagna I make for my boyfriend and we'll see if he can spot the difference... haha.

love. music.

2011-11-20T00:37:00.001-05:00

[music] Kim Hyun Joong - Yes, I will [mood] happy, funk [drink] green tea

I have been downloading Korean pop-star's Kim Hyun Joong's new music -- I absolutely looooooovvveeee him. He's delicious eye-candy ^_~ He is gorgeous and from what I've seen on him in various tv appearances (on YouTube) he's so candid and funny. If only he had a twin in Canada T-T. Funny enough, there is a Surgical resident at my placement hospital that looks so much like him... and he, too, is eye candy :( Boooo... oh well. Looks aren't everything, I suppose. But tell me: would you be able to resist this face and smile?

I have been doing YogaDownload.com yoga videos for the last 2 weeks, and I'm loving it. I think I've found my "thing", at least for the time being. It relaxes me, stretches me out, and it's still challenging, so I feel like I'm getting a good workout in. It may not be cardiovascularly challenging in the way that the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) or the Canadian Council of Sports Medicine (CCSM) recommend (they say at least 30 mins of moderate intensity 3-5x/week), BUT... it's better than doing nothing. And, I walk a lot (and I walk fast) so I'm going to say that counts. Occasionally I will bust a groove when I'm listening to music :)

My healthy eating is still going. I eat salads pretty much every day about 1-2 times per day. I include things like freshly minced mint, julienned carrots, diced tomatoes and peppers, and either: a hard-boiled egg, cut up cheese or ham. It's pretty good, in my opinion. Snacks usually include baby carrots and celery sticks with my homemade hummus or cottage cheese, yogurt, or cut up apple.

Otherwise, life is stable. No complaints here.

Things...

2011-11-03T00:41:00.002-04:00

I took a ride on the new TTC today! It's so bright and shiny. I was only on it for like 5 minutes, but it was glorious.

I've come to realizations about certain people in my life... and it's made me really think and be critical about who I surround myself with. I want to be happy and not constantly griping about others. So, I made the conscious decision to stop associating myself with people who do not agree with this paradigm. All in all, I think it is working out well. I believe there is a mutual understanding too, so it's not just me.

I am back on the healthy eating bandwagon. This past week I've been kind of bad -- I ran out of groceries and then just started eating bread with peanut butter :S oops. The good news is that my mom brought me some stuff, AND I went grocery shopping today for salad and stuff to make hummus with, so it's all good. I made White Kidney Bean and Lentil Hummus today and I'm going to have it with baby carrots and broccoli florets tomorrow, along with a mixed greens salad with red pepper, tomato, avocado, and deli turkey. :) I am excited. A note on Hummus-making: add liquids slowly. I made the mistake of adding in a lot more water than I needed for blending the beans and ended up making a very watery bean soup, so I had to add in the lentils to thicken it up. The recipe I used (my own):

White Kidney Bean & Lentil Hummus
- 1 can white kidney beans (drained & rinsed)
- 1 can lentils (drained & rinsed)
- juice of 1 lemon
- a couple of TBSP of plain, non-fat yogurt (about 4 Tbsp... 1/4 of a cup)
- water (I added maybe about 1/4 of a cup or something.. too much)
- salt/pepper to taste
- garlic powder to taste

I blended up the first 6 ingredients in the blender first (I used the Magic Bullet Blender), and then added the garlic powder after. I used the Club House Garlic Powder which has a shaker top, so I didn't really measure how much I put in... I just put in a few sprinkles, blended, tasted, and added more until I was happy with it. *shrug* I'm very much a "go with the flow" kind of cook.

Anyway, I love this hummus. I like to add yogurt because it adds a creamy tartness.

For the most part I've been watching what I eat -- I've been a little careless in the last week, but starting from now on, I'm watching it like a hawk again. Today I made a good choice for dinner -- I had a Greek Salad from Jack Astor's. It had feta, romaine, red onion, olives, cucumber, and grilled chicken, and it was really good. One of the better restaurant salads I've had (comparable to what I make at home... BTW did I mention I'm a salad snob? I hold Salads in very high regard and make them beautifully at home).

Anyway. It's been a long day. May update tomorrow.

Rice scrub and toner

2011-06-10T21:54:00.004-04:00

I felt like doing a DIY beauty thing today, so I decided to try making a scrub made of ground up white rice and using the leftover water as a toner. Why rice? Well a few of my fellow beauty bloggers and youtube gurus made videos stating the beauty benefits of rice, and how rice farmers apparently had very soft and fair hands, so I'm giving it a shot! It didn't cost me anything since I already have a tonne of rice in my home (I'm Chinese after all!)

I made a small batch of this, since it doesn't have any preservatives, it is likely to go bad within a few days to a week.

What you'll need:

- about 1/4-1/3 cup of rice
- about 1/2 cup of water
- a blender

1. I put the rice into a bowl and added the water. I stirred it around for a bit and let it sit for a few minutes while I went to put on a face mask (Queen Helene Mint Julep).

2. I transferred everything to the blender and pulsed it to get a coarse gritty mixture.

3. I separated the grit and cloudy water

4. I stored most of the grit and most of the cloudy water (together) in the fridge -- it needs to be stored with the grit to prevent the rice from drying out in the fridge, and needs to be refrigerated to prevent bacteria growth. (It will last a few days to a week in the frige)

5. After I rinsed off my mask, I took a spoonful of the grit in my hands and gently scrubbed my face with it. Be careful not to apply too much pressure as they can be kind of rough. If you want less abrasion, put it in the blender longer. WARNING: this step is kind of messy, so do it over the sink!

6. Rinse!

7. Pat your face dry, and then dip a cotton ball or pad into the cloudy rice water to use as a toner.

8. I added 2 big blobs of Fruit of the Earth 100% natural Aloe Vera Gel as a moisturizer right after.

My thoughts:

I felt like this scrub was gentle, but it was very effective in helping to smooth out some rough spots I had without being too much. The rice toner helped to remove every last bit of residue and also add a bit of moisture back to my skin so it doesn't feel super dry. My skin feels smoother, softer, and looks a bit brighter. I will continue to use this toner for a week and the scrub 1-2x/week and update later.

Who would've thought...

2011-06-09T22:02:00.003-04:00

I feel like since my blogging hiatus, my life has gone crazy and to hell. Ugh. Sometimes I wonder where the "real me" has gone. I was (relatively) carefree, satisfied with myself, and confident in my abilities. Now I constantly find myself worrying, feeling inadequate, and wondering if I am incompetent.

Is this the feeling of true humility? Feeling good at nothing? I used to be totally ok with being non-social, and I still am, but for some reason it bothers me more, like I should be more social.

I don't know. and I'm still sad over the grading that U of T gives :( I'm just glad that I'll have a break from Bloomberg for 2 months as of next Tuesday afternoon.

DIY...

2011-06-07T19:55:00.004-04:00

I read a lot of beauty blogs, and many of the bloggers swear by "Do It Yourself (DIY)" types of things. I'm all for mother nature, but I think this just further emphasizes the point that everybody's skin/body is different, and that what may work for one person, may not work for another.

I have tried many of the famous DIYs:
- aspirin mask
- yogurt mask
- green tea - sugar scrub
- turmeric mask

Personally, I have only found the turmeric mask useful. Whenever I use the yogurt mask, my face breaks out even more, in place that I don't usually breakout. I am also lactose intolerant, so I'm wondering if maybe my skin also is "allergic" to milk... The aspirin mask did NOTHING for me, if anything made my pores worse. Green tea and sugar? Also did nothing.

I use the turmeric mask when I'm facing a breakout -- and I'm talking underground, cystic, painful breakouts. In a ceramic dish or bowl I mix up some plain turmeric powder with a little bit of water -- just enough to make a paste that will spread easily without being too watery. I just spot treat whatever areas I need to, leave it on for about 30 mins, then rinse.

VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT do this in your bathroom sink! It will stain anything white yellow permanently. I do this at my kitchen sink since it's metal. I also do not recommend rinsing this mask off with bare hands. I wear latex-free gloves to rinse this off, and it stains them pretty thoroughly. When you rinse, you'll find your skin is tinted yellow, but it should lessen when you use a toner, and then when you wash your face the next morning (HINT: do this mask/spot treatment at night before you go to bed).

I find this mask especially helpful in reducing pain/severity of a pimple, or at least helping it to turn faster. It's worked for me, but hey, it might not work for you. I just decided to try it because I had turmeric lying around and I figured I had nothing to lose! Give it a shot :)

Almost there...

2011-04-12T22:13:00.004-04:00

Out of the 10 months of the first year Nursing program at U of T, we're at month 8. We're almost there!

It's been an incredible challenge, but I know I made the right choice. There's been laughter, tears, anger, joy... it's an emotional roller coaster of a profession. But I love it.

I have an exam tomorrow, getting a mani-pedi with one of my friends, then my last 2 days of clinical, and then we get a week off! Glorious freedom! I can almost taste it. I'm heading off to Montreal for a few days, then I'm going to be home for like 4 days. During one of those days I will make a point of coming downtown to my place to pack up some of the non-essential stuff, like my juicer, one of my desks and chairs, and some clothes. I'm moving to another place in 2 weeks, so I kind of need to get a move on this stuff.

I found out two of my friends got accepted to this nursing program for 2011, and I'm excited for them to come! I had a mostly enjoyable experience, so I'm hoping they will too. And, I know that as a member of NUS, we have a lot of great ideas for helping make the incoming students feel more prepared and more supported than we have.

My plans for the summer aren't finalized yet... I have hopes of volunteering a few days a week, reading, working out, slacking... it'll be a lot like last year's summer! But, I feel like I need it. I haven't been feeling up to par this year, I'm not sure what it is. I'm so tired and exhausted all the time, and it's not like me at all. I want the summer to be my recuperation time, so that I can come back in September all charged up and ready to go. Sure, I'd love to have the work experience that some of my friends are getting at Sick Kids and doing research opportunities in the summer, but I feel like I can build on my existing knowledge in the summer. I just need a schedule.

What else... Oh! My 1 year anniversary with my boyfriend is coming up soon (hence the trip to Montreal). We'll be official on April 23. :)

I find it hard to believe sometimes how much time has passed; I feel like just yesterday I graduated high school, and entered UW, thinking "5 years will be such a long time in undergrad". UW passed by in a blur, and I miss it terribly. Now, I'm 24, no longer 18, and I'm almost done my 2nd degree. By the time I graduate, I'll be 25, and on my way to being a RN. I can't believe it. Before you know it I'll be 40 and with kids. lol. Ohh children... not looking forward to it.. but as I've learned today, child bearing may decrease risk of ovarian cancer, so I'll take it.

uggghhhh

2011-02-12T22:13:00.002-05:00

I've totally been indulging and not working out enough. >.< I'm waiting til reading week when I can juice 2x/day and then I'll bring my juicer back downtown with me cuz I really want to do it daily. Cuz I'll have it for breakfast and maybe part of lunch (dunno how the friends are going to react to it...) but yeah. I want to. I know I'll be going through lots of veggies when I do that, but hey, if I do that 2x/day, and then eat a good solid meal at dinner, it should be fine. Each juice might total to about $4.

working out

2011-02-09T16:22:00.002-05:00

I own the Turbo Jam workouts on DVD, but I wanted to put them on my iPod Shuffle so I could do them anywhere. I downloaded the 20-minute Turbo and Cardio Party workouts and then converted them from avi format to mp3, and voila, insta workout! I'm familiar enough with these workouts that I can do them with cues and music and I don't necessarily need the video. I tried it out today, and it worked out great. I have a separate list on my iPod for "Turbo Jam" -- Chalene Johnson, if you ever read any of these, you are awesome! Consider doing iPod friendly tracks!

Exercise and stuff...

2011-02-07T18:10:00.002-05:00

Ha. This has been nonexistent for the last week or so. My life has been totally chaotic lately and a structured exercise regimen just isn't in the cards for me just yet! However, I have decided to try Chalene Johnson's Turbo Fire, which is an amped up version of Turbo Jam. I love the original Turbo Jam, but I don't really have space to do it here :( I do miss having a 10'x12' room for $425/mo. lol! Oh good ol' Waterloo... I miss it so. If UW had a Nursing Program, I would've done it there. Chances are, it would've been less stupid and artsy-fartsy. Or at least I hope it would. Perhaps it's best that there isn't one, so that my memories of UW remain pristine. lol.

I am feeling much better these days, energy-wise. I started taking Multivitamins on Thursday night (Rexall brand One Daily for Women), along with D-Drops (Liquid VitaminD3; 1000 IU), silica supplement (for hair, skin, nails), and Calcium supplements. My energy is so much better, my mental focus is better; honestly, I could not have made it through this weekend of studying without them. This just goes to show: You could be eating healthy, and thinking that you're eating everything you should. But, if you don't feel right, you're missing something. I was eating a balanced diet; I had fruits, veg, meat, dairy/dairy alternatives, grains... I was clearly missing *something* whatever that was. I have an inkling that it might be Vitamin D or B (1,2,6, or 12). So... yeah. I just felt wrong before. Thank goodness for self-medicating.

p.s. I am not a doctor and I do not endorse taking all OTC meds for anything without a doctor's ok. Personally I feel that taking Multivitamins is not something a doctor needs to clear, but if you are on other prescription medications, please do check with your doc. You'd be surprised about how carefully some medications need to be dosed around simple things like multi-vitamins, or calcium supplements, or even your meals.

moving?

2011-02-05T12:31:00.003-05:00

I'm in a bit of a pickle. I love where I live right now in the heart of Downtown Toronto, but my roommate is moving out likely by the end of April, and probably going to sublet. I've been looking for other places to live that are cheaper than my current monthly rent ($720 + internet/cable), possibly from May-August and thereafter. I was actually really interested in looking for a bachelor apartment, but I doubt they exist for less than $900/mo.

Anyway, I'm on the lookout and I found one place that is really close to school, $600/mo (for May-August anyway, not sure if it's that price normally). It's a bedroom in a 2-bdr basement apartment, but meh, whatever, right? I don't really use my gym facilities as much as I should anyway, so maybe it's a good idea. In any case I'd be saving $120/mo, or $1,440 per year... I could buy a new laptop with that! From the pictures it looks nice enough (much like a place I used to live in Waterloo), so it'll probably work out well. Guess I better dust off the plastic furniture and inflatable mattress again...

Honestly....

2011-01-04T20:41:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas. And Happy New Year. Oops. Whatever.

I have some really... special people in my class for nursing. Some are good special, like my friends... and then some are special special.

During my Pharmacology class today:
"... what does Transdermal mean?"

Well now. That's like asking "what does transexual mean?" If you know what trans-sexual translates to, then Trans-Dermal should be pretty self-explanatory too. Though, perhaps I am being a slight bit judgmental in that not everyone would know that "derm" would refer to skin... but on the other hand, we did learn about the epidermis, and dermis layers... Grrr...

*prof presents list of red-flag drugs*
"Can you read them out to us?"
prof: why?
"so... we know what they sound like"

So.... what you're saying is that you can't read?

I had a bunch of other really good ones from last term... but I'm trying to leave the past in the past. My friend's new year's resolution is to forgive and let things go. Perhaps I should do the same.

On a completely unrelated note, I am going back to Waterloo this Saturday for a going away party for one of my Kin friends. I miss Waterloo, actually. I was talking to one of my nursing friends yesterday who is native to Kitchener, and we were remarking about how wonderfully versatile that city has become. For me, Kitchener/Waterloo will always have a soft spot in my heart because of the great 5 years I had there. I'm really excited to go back, even if only for a short while :)

... Big surprise... she's back!

2010-12-11T19:12:00.002-05:00

Haa... I know I said I was leaving, but I rarely mean that.

I'm back! Unofficially, of course.

Nursing is busy. Good, but busy. I've seen some things that I never thought I would see, I've made connections with lots of people during my clinical placements. I've learned a lot of different aspects related to nursing care... it's what I think I want to do, so that's a relief! I can't imagine having to do more soul-searching to find out my path in life.

I've been teaching at TKMT for the last 6 months, and while I loved it, I really don't think I'll have time for it in January... so these are my last few weeks. I need to find some other way to get exercise in!

We're in exam season right now, so I should probably go study -__-;

officially B.Sc!

2010-06-20T13:54:00.002-04:00

I had my convocation ceremony in Waterloo on Wednesday June 16, 2010, so now I can officially say "Charlene Fan, B.Sc. Hon Kin, Co-op". Sweet.

Here's one picture of me brandishing my expensive piece of paper:

It feels so good to be done, but it's still bittersweet. On to bigger and better things, I guess! Thanks for the memories, UWaterloo!

Leaving Edmonton

2010-06-06T12:20:00.002-04:00

I've been in Edmonton for the last 3 days for the Canadian Nutrition Society conference, and it's been awesome! I listened to a lot of great lectures and talks, got to meet some great people, and present some of my own work! It's been a whirlwind of busy activities, so I'm a little tired out by it all (and the time difference doesn't help either), but I am really glad I came and am so grateful to have had the opportunity to participate. There were a lot of clinicians at this conference, so I don't think it is unrealistic to think that I might be present at a CNS conference in the near future, perhaps doing research in Nursing!

I didn't take as many photos as I would've liked, but I did take a few. I'll post them later when I come back home. I'm heading back to Toronto tonight, and then I'll be in town for 2 days before taking off for Montreal!

Retail therapy

2010-05-31T23:11:00.002-04:00

The damage done today:
- Ricki's: 2 pairs of Bermuda shorts ($100.50)
- Toneve: adorable plaid 2.5" heels ($53)

I love shopping, not so much when I'm spending my non-existent income though.

Sleepless in Waterloo

2010-05-31T06:47:00.001-04:00

ugh. This is a rant.

I am so freaking tired. I walked for like 5 hours yesterday downtown (Doors Open Toronto) and I did Muay Thai. You'd think that I'd sleep like a baby after that-- apparently not. I went to bed at like 1 am, and I woke up at the ungodly hour of 4:45 am. >.<

I WANT TO CLAW OUT MY EYES. That is all.

In it

2010-05-17T18:24:00.002-04:00

I ended up going to Muay Thai on Friday AND on Sunday! Wooo! I also made burgers from scratch on Friday, which was kind of cool. It's really easy to do, and it's cool that you can put whatever you want in it, and then you know exactly what goes into it (so, it has the possibility of being healthier than traditional store-bought burgers). Note: Garlic Havarti cheese is SO good inside the burger!

I saw Iron Man 2 on Wednesday; it was a good movie. Better than Robin Hood, I hear. If you've seen the first Iron Man movie and liked it, you'll probably like the 2nd one too. It's kind of predictable, but I'm a comic kind of girl, so I don't mind!

I realize there are a lot of things I want to say on this journal/blog... but I can't. I have to actually censor this thing pretty heavily because it's public access, and everyone can read this. I used to think blogging was a great way to keep people informed of my life, because let's face it: we're all busy, and we don't always have the time to keep our family/friends up to date, and blogging allows people to catch up whenever they have a spare minute. But more and more I realize that maybe I'm not willing to have people know every detail of my life anymore. Sometimes, I feel the need to write out my thoughts which tend to go into lengthy discussions. But I'm not sure I want people knowing my dark and twisty mind. I used to wonder why some of the bloggers I used to follow have stopped publicly posting their journals; now I think I know why. It's just too much information for everybody to see. There are people who sometimes comment on this journal that I don't know, and the internet is this vast entity full of thousands, or millions of people that can anonymously connect with others; the fact that I don't know these people, and they're able to tap into my life is a little unnerving.

So, I guess as of now, I don't know if I'll continue to update this blog... at least not with any significant thoughts. I may post about movies or bitching about assignments or whatever.... but this isn't my journal anymore.

Sorry.

Recovery took a bit longer

2010-05-13T17:03:00.001-04:00

I was so sore after Muay Thai on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I'm a lot better today. I think I should be ok to try again tomorrow!

Muay Thai

2010-05-11T14:32:00.002-04:00

I tried out Muay Thai yesterday with my boyfriend; he's a member of TKMT and I thought I'd try it out because it sounded like fun. I have to pay a lot of attention to my feet (they do strange things, apparently), but it was a blast, and I think I'm going to join. The warm up was pretty crazy; kind of "Insanity-esque", but not too bad. It definitely gets you all warmed up for the rest of the class. I'm not in the best of shape right now, hence why I'm pretty sore today, but hopefully I'll be fine by tomorrow so I can do it all over again!

UFC 113!

2010-05-09T13:28:00.003-04:00

Did anyone else watch last night? I was watching it at Hoops Sports Bar & Grill downtown with my boyfriend and it was pretty awesome! (mainly because I was watching it with him, but the fights were good too ^^) Out of the 5 fights, I won 3 of the bets, so it was better than the last time I watched with my brother (2/4 losses). My bets are usually alcohol-based, so by all logic I should've been pretty sober last night; nuh uh... we decided to split 3 pitchers of Rickards Red, which probably wasn't a good idea! We actually left about 1/3 of the last pitcher behind because we were just SO done, and we were so drunk as we were stumbling home trying to find Union station. :) Next time, I think I'll stop at 2 pitchers. On the subway ride home I passed out until the conductor woke me up at Islington, and told me to switch to the other train. I came home at around 2 am, and then drank some water before spending some quality time leaning over the toilet :p Oh man.

I woke up pretty early this morning because of my brother's cat, and I felt like was hit by a tonne of bricks-- dehydration, combined with limb soreness (I worked out yesterday for the first time in a long time) and lack of sleep isn't a pretty sight. Uggghhh....

Other than that: Life is pretty awesome at this point.

BWAHAAHAHA

2010-05-05T11:00:00.001-04:00

I'm on youtube, this time not my own doing!

Some marks are up

2010-04-27T21:33:00.003-04:00

And I'm feeling relief. 3/4 so far, and if all goes well, I may end up with an 84 this term. That mark may be "ok" or even "bad" for some of you over-achievers out there; Back in the day when I used to get 90s in high school, yeah, I'd call 84 a mediocre grade. But, given that I've had to dig myself out of a pretty dark place, I'm pleased with myself. If it weren't for Philosophy this term, I could probably have gotten an 87 overall.

I've been in the lab during the day since yesterday and I feel like my brain is going to explode. It makes me somewhat glad that I decided not to do Grad studies. I've been working on the poster I'll be presenting at the Canadian Nutritional Society conference in Edmonton this June. I'm still interpreting/analyzing data, and it doesn't help that Microsoft Power Point has been crashing on me all day, so it's taking me longer than I hoped it would. But with any luck I should be done the first draft on Thursday. I need to go home on Friday early because I have to renew my passport and those government offices are never open when it's convenient for normal people, so I've got to plan around that.

I've started watching a show called Californication. I had heard about it ages ago but like most things, I hadn't bothered to delve into it until recently when I was introduced to it. Aside from nudity (but who can really say they don't like nudity?) it's pretty entertaining. The main character is played by the same guy who plays Agent Mulder from X-Files, and he's much more entertaining in this show.

I've always considered myself a hermit of sorts, but I've just gotten so used to hanging around people, that I'm starting to not like being by myself. People have gone home since exams are done... but my cousin will be back next week, so I guess it's not that bad. I guess now would be as good a time as any to visit Chapters and enjoy some leisure reading.

And just like that...

2010-04-26T12:50:00.003-04:00

Poof.

Things get better. Not that things were going badly to begin with. But things are still better than they'd been. And it makes me smile.

"If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you're old."

-- Edgar Watson Howe

I'm talking 'bout blah blah blah

2010-04-20T11:52:00.001-04:00

BAH... just one more day until exams are finito! I don't really know what she'll ask on it, seeing as there's SO much information from 11 labs... But really, even with an 80 on the final, I can pull off an 86, which I think is comforting. It's about 119 multiple choice (so she says), so technically I have real potential to do well. She is a tricky one though...

I made one of my last visits to Morty's Pub last night; Mmmm Dry Cajun wings! Delish. I've only really been there twice (or thrice, can't remember) in 5 years, which is kind of pathetic, but it's good times. I had some interesting conversations with a friend last night that kind of makes me rethink what I think I know about myself. Not in a bad way, but like the silly things that make us human; what I think about behaviours and how I tend to live my life. Nevermind this off-tangent thought.

Sigh. I'm still sad that graduation is coming fast, mainly because I will miss the people. I just started to get to know people really well this term; I kind of wish I talked to more people back in Undergrad.

Hmm. Anyway.

I'm surprised I was able to wake up this morning on time! I usually set my alarm for 9 am but shut it off because I just can't bring myself to get out of bed after a good 8 hours of sleep. But... after getting only about 5 hours I feel as fresh as a daisy (more or less). Hmm. Cool.

Procrastinating

2010-04-15T23:37:00.002-04:00

Hey ya'll... me again.

I'm clearly procrastinating; my last exam is in 6 days and I'm just not interesting in reading my notes for this class. Give it time; I've laid out a nice schedule for tomorrow, so hopefully that'll go according to plan. I've been trying all week, but I just can't while I'm here in Waterloo in my little room; I just end up sleeping. BAhhh... it's supposed to rain tomorrow in Toronto, and I was kind of hoping to go running in between studying, so who knows, maybe I'll be one of those crazies you see running in the rain! :)

Hmm... what else is new... I went to have my nails painted yesterday at my last Salon complementary package visit; my toes are now a metallic orange, and my fingers are a metallic pink. Meh, it's all for fun! My cousin and I went to Conestoga mall after and I finally got myself a trench coat. I've wanted one for a long time, so I finally got one at Suzy Shier for only $35! It's a taupe colour, has good structure, and ends about mid-thigh, so it's long enough but not too long. I also got a new body wash by Zest-- it's Mandarin Mango Twist, or as I like to call it: Sunshine in a bottle. Love it.

I'll be done my last exam of my Waterloo Undergrad career as of the 21st at around 10 pm-- whooo! After that, I have to get to work on the conference Poster for June. I will have more or less 1 month to get it all ready to go and have myself prepped for answering any questions. And thennn.... I suppose after that conference, I'll pop back in the lab a few days a week to do some SliceOmatic imaging, and then have graduation convocation, and then pack up my junk and head home at the end of June.

What I plan to do for July and August... not quite sure. I do plan on cleaning up my room at home; I have to make it live-able and clear out stuff I no longer need so that I'll have room for the next 2 years. Hmm... running will most likely be in there too... hanging out with friends when I can... and I dunno, I guess that's about it. The chances of me finding a job in July are slim, but who knows, I might try if I get bored. I might just end up going to the mall regularly to walk around... OOH! I could live at Chapters for a while. Yeah.

Ok... apparently I need to get off this blog now. Later.

Running again

2010-04-12T15:16:00.005-04:00

The weather has been beautiful again the last few days, so I've been making use of it by dusting off the 'ol Saucony Motion Control runners! That's right kids, I've started running again!

I'm terribly deconditioned, so I started with 3K. I ran 3K on Saturday and Sunday, in about 20 minutes, which is horrible, but not THAT bad considering I haven't run/exercised in ages, and I kind of Fartlek'd it (that means alternating spurts of running and walking-- but I ran like 75% of the thing). I just have to get my lungs and feet used to it again, but I feel great. I think I'm starting off slow enough that I'm not in pain the next day, yet I'm pushing enough that it's not too easy. My goals are on track though: for this month (April) I will be running 3K 2-3 times a week, more if I can stand it. May-Aug will gradually step up the mileage until I can get 7-8K done 2x/week, and that'll put me in good shape for the Underwear Affair on August 28.

A couple of other things I'm doing a little differently this year from last year: I'm including more resistance training in the mix. While it's critical to work on endurance and cardio for this race, toning and strengthening muscles will also help. I'm not being too fancy or creative here though; I'm following either Turbo Sculpt or 30-day Shred by Jillian Michaels for this. Yeah I know, I could make up my own routine and all, being a Kinesiologist. But it's so much easier having it right there in front of you nicely choreographed with music and motivational speeches:p I didn't really do much of this last year, and I don't think it hurt me, but it would probably be better to have it this year. I have to at least maintain my time of 1:02! I will probably be able to shave off 5 minutes if I don't run 9K the day before :p (that was DUMB)

I put in my acceptance on OUAC for Bloomberg; I'm so happy. I had some free time yesterday to kind of think about my life and where my experiences have brought me, and what I've learned about myself.

Rewind 5 years ago:

It's 2005, and I'm 18. I was confident, if a little cocky, and had planned on being a pharmacist. I didn't really know anything about what a pharmacist did, but I figured it sounded prestigious, and made a lot of money. After I did 1 term of Biology Life Sciences at Waterloo, I decided this really was not what I wanted; I wasn't motivated or interested in what I was studying, and I knew without that drive, I wouldn't be able to do anything. I had some friends in Kinesiology and I found out what kinds of things they studied, and it sounded like something I wanted to do. In second term, I switched to Kin, and I think it's one of the smartest things I ever did, and one of the best decisions I've made.

When I think about it, 5 years passed by in a flash; all the moving around, co-op interviews, and on-off terms-- it really takes a lot out of you. But I know now that it's made me a more responsible person, who is more aware of what goes on in the real world related to Kin. I know I sound like a poster child for Kin and co-op at UW, but seriously; unless you get that experience, you don't know what you're missing. Who I am now is so radically different from the child I was 5 years ago. It's kind of crazy to think of how much change someone can go through in a relatively short span of time, but it really depends on the person. I had a lot of life-changing experiences early on in my undergrad and maybe that helped to hasten the change, but eventually we all get there.

When I look out the window and see the city that I spent more time in than I have at home in the last 5 years, I get sad. Part of me has come to think of Waterloo as "home", and to think that I likely will not come back after June is foreign. The all-nighters, pub nights, and laughs had in this campus won't happen again, not in the same way. But things go on, life goes on, and I'll be starting a new chapter very soon.

On a happier note: my acceptance package for U of T arrived at home with more instructions for accepting the offer. AND... I found out that I am the recipient of the Seymour Schulich award, worth $8,000.00! Wow. Me? I've never won an academic award, so it's a new feeling. Maybe this is really how things were supposed to be, you know? I keep thinking that all the things I've gone through in life have been preparing me for this, and that Nursing is really where my calling is.

Maybe life will work out for me after all.

Accepted to University of Toronto's Bloomberg school of Nursing!

2010-03-31T22:47:00.003-04:00

When I checked my email this evening I literally jumped up and down and was speechless. I had applied to U of T's Nursing school, and while I thought I would probably get in, I was wracked by the fear of rejection. I know that U of T's program is extremely competitive, and I knew my marks weren't that great; I mean yeah, they were B+/A-, but surely there would be people with higher marks. So I applied, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And when I heard from York, I thought that was great too! But my heart was still set on U of T. And I thought maybe I wouldn't hear from them at all.

But wow. I got in! Granted, it is conditional acceptance; I still have to maintain a B+ average for this term, but I think it's totally doable.

Do you have any idea what this means for me? I can:

- stop paying $$$ for rent
- stop living in questionable apartments
- still see my family often
- see my local friends often-ish (this is debatable; time would have to permit. Goodness knows that didn't happen too frequently in UW...)
- Have access to cable!
- Have access to good public transportation (or at least better than Grand River transit...)
- Have lots of fridge space for my produce <3
- stop obsessing over people ruining my cleanliness
- ... and so much more!

I've seriously picked up on my mom's cleaning habits. I am always wiping counters, vacuuming the floor, and sometimes it's a little eerie how much it bothers me when people leave dishes in the sink for extended periods of time.

I'm so excited to go home this weekend; since it is a long weekend, my cousin and I are leaving Waterloo tomorrow afternoon to go to the outlet mall in Mississauga and then head home. Calvin is going to come home and bring Hobbes! :) I love that silly cat like it's my baby.

You know what else I'm excited for? getting rid of all my crappy excuses for not exercising. THe weather is getting nicer, so I'm going to cut the crap and move it! I've made a whole schedule from Friday April 2 - August 28 for training for the Underwear Affair 2010. I'm so pumped for it!

Ex-nay on the "partying two nights ina row"

2010-03-28T10:15:00.006-04:00

Wow. I don't know how chronic party-goers do it; after attending two parties in the last two nights, I'm utterly exhausted and cannot stomach the idea of having to drink more, dance more, and having to avoid strange men. I went to the End of Term AHS Aftab Patla Memorial Scholarship game on Friday, and then the EOT party at bomber. The party itself was great; it was AHS only in the bomber, and everybody was drinking beer and eating free food. Some of my friends were pretty drunk though (myself included), so it made for a few awkward moments, but no harm done.

Last night, I went to 140West with my friend and her sister who was visiting for the weekend, and I swear, it must be the full moon or something: guys were everywhere. I felt like we were being targeted and cornered! One guy's opening line to my friend was: "hey! My friend thinks your friend is really hot!". Odd. And then his friend just came up behind me and started dancing without a "hey, wanna dance" line, or any other kind of actual verbal communication. After a fake "I have to go to the bathroom" escape line, the guy dancing with my friend found us later and was like (to me)

Random guy (RG): Hey, have I seen you before?
C: uh yeah. I was dancing with her when you came by.
RG: well yeah, but I mean I feel like I know you from somewhere
C: ... well you were staring at me the whole time you were dancing with her. But I'm pretty sure I don't know you.

So weird. But trust me, it gets weirder.

Two other random guys just come up to my friend and I and just wouldn't let go! I mean it's not like he was bad looking, bad smelling, or rude; but slowly my friend and I kept getting closer and closer til I was practically smelling her hair! It was funnier when I saw my friend making out with RG#2, and then the person dancing with me tried to, and I was like "OOOoops sorry, I don't do that! *insert haha here*" Nice guy, but too young, hahaha. He is 3rd yr Mechatronics, which is cute and all, but really, I am not interested in that sort of thing. (I've learned from my 3rd year drunken birthday experience!)

And then RG + friend kept coming around to "check" on my friend and I, who were otherwise possessed by some random youngins.

Yeah. That never happens to me, ever. Flattering though!

In any case, my ears and voice are busted, so I'm drinking a lot of water and homemade juice today to try to aid recovery: I have a presentation on Tuesday. Yikes.

On an unrelated side note: I bought a lovely bunch of daffodils on Friday. It really make my place look a little happier and more like spring is on the way.

Another unrelated note: I'm still angry at my new roommate. What part of "If you spill something on the floor or counter, clean it up" do you not understand?! IAWEguyshladyuahbljdfhgyslhbd;khfsjbadkldhjn (explosion and implosion of rage ensues)

Back to normal

2010-03-15T13:32:00.002-04:00

I'm feeling a lot better now! I was still feeling crappy on Thursday, but I went out with a few of my girl friends to help them get their grad ball dresses and stuff, and then we were hanging out til about 11:30 when my advil started wearing off and I felt the need to get home. I felt pretty bad on Friday, but after Friday evening I felt better. My cousin and I had our girls' night; we went grocery shopping, made dinner, waxed our legs (hahaha, too much info?), and then watched Avatar online. Yeah, that's right, I stream movies online. Do you know why? Because James Cameron has already raked in his millions and having one more person watch it won't really do anything to his sizable income, so there. And I'm a poor student. Yeah.

Anyway, so I've spent the majority of the week sleeping and taking Advil and prescription medication, and not doing work. Saturday I was still kind of slacking, but yesterday (Sunday) I had to sit down and really get my stuff done. I finished a lab, and read some stuff for my sport psychology course and finished the assignment for that... and started thinking about my essay for my philosophy course. It's hard to believe, but there are only really 3 or 4 more weeks of classes before exams! CRAZY. And, Grad ball is this Friday.

Hmm. Grad ball. It's like the university Prom, I suppose. And, almost like last time, I'm again involved in a threesome. No, that kind of threesome you disgusting pig! I am not bringing anyone as a date since I prefer to just "be", so I'm unofficially Lisa's other date. She's such a pimp! :P

I've been catching up on my WoW too this weekend. I have been putting off playing my Shadow Priest because I'm convinced she's really weak, but I decided to put in the effort. I re-spec'd her, so I had to pay a couple of gold to reallocate the talents, and then I handed in whatever quests I had completed for Kalimdor and that other place, and then took her out to The Outlands, where my Death Knight is as well. There are higher level quests there, better gear, and at level 60 you get a flying mount! I hit level 60 as of yesterday (I think... or Saturday), so I've got my flying mount. Yay. Seriously, it makes things so much easier. I tend to attract a lot of aggro from the nearby boars and now I can just fly over them. But yeah, I've made progress with my shadow priest. Now, I'd say my two mains are pretty equal. I think I'm only ahead in my DK by a few quests and 1 level. My ultimate goal is to get my SP to level 80 and start raiding with the guild... apparently they need more ranged DPS people. As much as I want to do it, I'm also kind of nervous that I won't live up to the guild's expectations and whatnot; everybody is really good. Ah, oh well.

Anyway, gotta head out to campus soon. I have a couple of things to do before my night class. I'm helping out with the March break open house at UW tomorrow (UW day!), and I'm really excited. I love showing people the ropes.

Oh yes, and I signed up for the Underwear Affair 2010 (Aug 28). I planned to start running again April 11. I feel like I'll be starting from ground zero again, so my goal for that month is 1-3K 2-3x/week. Yep, starting out slow.

May -3-5K, 2-3x/week
June -5-7K, 2-3x/week
July - 7-8K, 2x/week
August - 8-9K, 2x/week

Also, I intend to really clean out my cupboards in April so I can start with my raw stuff again.

BAZINGAA!

2010-02-19T21:48:00.003-05:00

"Your shoes are delightful, where did you get them? BAZINGA! I don't care" - Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory

Woot woot, one more gold to Canada's count: Chrstine Nesbitt for 1000 m speed skating!

In other news, my computer is being retardedly slow. I've been trying to work on graphs for my abstract (which is due like Sunday, and I'm still trying to figure it out), and my computer is so FREAKING slow. It makes me want to jump on it and smash it to little bits.

Life updates

2010-02-06T20:44:00.002-05:00

Apparently there's some big UFC thing on tonight, so my brother is bringing me to hang out at his friend's place to drink and watch. Wooo! I think it's kind of funny that I'm hanging out with my brother's friends who are all 9 years older than I am, and have known me since I was 8 year old. I discovered a new beer today called Fruli, and it's a strawberry flavored beer! I'm not a beer fan, so when my brother told me about it, I had to get some. I haven't tried it yet, but I will. I'm also going to be trying Rickard's White tonight. No, I'm not trying to drink my (non-existent) sorrows away; just simply trying to live a little.

Birthday officially celebrated - Liver needs to recoop.

2010-01-23T16:48:00.002-05:00

I celebrated my 23rd birthday with friends last night at 140West. I had a lot of fun, partly because of the alcohol, but mostly because of the company. I had 11 drinks in all last night, which is 2 down from my 21st birthday, but hey, at least I didn't throw up at the club this time (I threw up at home... mildly better?). Anyway, now that it's over and done with, my liver can rest in peace for the next 12 months. Hopefully I won't drink as much next time!

It is getting better, isn't it?

2010-01-11T22:43:00.002-05:00

I received a comment on my last entry stating that my articles were getting better, and that they were better than my old ones. I do appreciate the comment, and it makes me happy that someone is deriving entertainment from my posts. On the other hand, since majority of my posts are life-based it makes me also think that my life wasn't very interesting up until recently :p All the same, it is comforting to think that things are starting to look up!

I had my night class, and starting tomorrow I'll be working on a 20-minute presentation for Monday. I'll also be in the lab for most of tomorrow, learning how to identify Spleen/Liver in thoracic CT scans. Woot.

Ugh. I thought I could have dairy products again. Nope. Apparently not. Even taking those lactose pills doesn't help! :(

I want to play WoW.... but I opted to do some studying tonight instead. *sigh*

Productivity

2010-01-08T13:10:00.003-05:00

I feel so productive! I went to a meeting with my prof this morning, and it looks like I'll be presenting at a conference in Edmonton in June! This is pretty big news for me! :) I am so stoked. This also means the likelihood of me working at Linamar may not happen. (I'm looking at requesting 4 days off in June for the conference and my graduation, and I need to do stuff in the lab likely, so the chances of me working a "real" job... not high). I may stick around in the summer and find a summer job working odd things, like at the bookstore, or a shoppers drugmart, or something. This is pretty cool!

Anyway, I bought my Kin453 textbook at the Used Bookstore on my way home, threw out the mountain of recycling (I lost a bet), cleaned up the kitchen and everyone's dishes... and I even completed like 60% of my lab report! :) I feel so good. To makes things better, my Bath & Body Works order arrived today too (I bought anti-bacterial hand soaps and Classic Body Lotions from the Semi-Annual Sale).

I am going to see Sherlock Holmes tonight with my beloved Jenn. The people upstairs must really like me today.

EDIT: 5:33 pm

Aaaaannnndddd... go figure, my mom isn't even happy for me. It seems like nothing I do is ever good enough to make her proud of me.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T11:31:00.003-05:00

Wow, 2009 is finally gone. We're finally in the double digits of 2000, people!

My new year's eve was quiet, but good; my friend slept over and we stayed up until 5 am watching movies and the first season of Big Bang Theory. We ate popcorn covered in seasoning salt, drank icy Smirnoff at midnight, and pretended to be about 12 years old again. There are only 2 people that I love this dearly (other than my parents and family, that is), and she is definitely one of them. My 2009 ending was sweet and as a result, my 2010 is off to a great start. I'm sitting in my living room staring out onto the street as the snow gently falls to coat everything in a soft, powdery layer, like in a Christmas card. I just ate an egg and cheese omelet, a tiny piece of cherry-almond pound cake, and enjoying my French Vanilla instant coffee.

Life is good. Short, but precious.

Let's make 2010 rock.

Come on, 2010!

2009-12-27T01:52:00.002-05:00

Christmas has come and gone... again. I've received a lot of gifts this year; not only material, but also personal gifts. I have done things for people that I think are worth more than things money can buy; I've connected with many Cancer patients and helped make their hour of exercise a safe-haven -- a place where they can take their minds off their disease and take care of their health, and encouraged them along the way. I've spent invaluable time with my grandparents, and helped clean their apartments since I know they are no longer able to keep their places as meticulously clean as they would like to. I've put myself through rigorous training to run a 10K for Cancer research. I was there for my best friend when she had Cancer, and we're closer than ever. I've put much effort into what I thought was a dwindling relationship, and somehow it's still standing so that must be a good sign... and I think I've found my career path. 2009 was a trying year; in between the stress of my final undergraduate year, going through emotional and physical changes, and trying to maintain my sanity, I think it went as smoothly as it possibly could.

What does 2010 mean for me?

I am going to graduate in 2010 - it will mean the ending of one journey, and the beginning of another. I will hopefully move onto Nursing - and I will hopefully continue doing good things for people. Graduating is a big step for me; Waterloo has become my home for the last 5 years, and I've changed so much since I first arrived in September 2005. I've become so used to being a UW undergrad, and moving back and forth-- it will be strange not living on my own. By the same token, I will be glad to stop paying rent! Speaking of paying, that brings me to the next point...

I hope to do less shopping in 2010 - Goodness knows my bank account was not happy in 2009!

2010 means officially growing up. Even though I know I'm 22 (almost 23), it just doesn't sound right. But... so far, I've been pretty good with responsibility. A little more can't hurt.

Almost all the marks are in...

2009-12-24T11:55:00.004-05:00

I have been checking my marks on Quest fanatically ever since yesterday to see if my chances at Nursing acceptance will be squashed or not. Luckily, it seems like everything will be ok! I know 2 of my marks, and the other 2 I have pretty good estimates, so I think I'll be alright! :) If they're looking at only the last 2 years, I'll be alright- I realized in 3rd year that my marks would really matter, so I'm lucky I was able to pull up my marks the way I did. I was never a "bad" student to begin with, but you know how it is; high 70's are not good enough for graduate studies. My 3rd and 4th year marks have been consistently in the low to high 80's, so I feel relieved. I was especially worried about this term: Even though I was only doing 4 courses that would be graded, I was doing a lot of volunteer work, I was having issues with concentration, I was taking several Arts-based courses with more reading than I was used to and methods of studying that were different, and then I discovered WoW 2 months before exams. Hahahaa.... anyway, everything worked out. I must say though, living with my cousin did help; during exam period we sometimes studied together (in silence) in the dining room, so she kind of "made me" focus for a couple days at a time.

I hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas holiday (or whatever seasonal break you celebrate). I got a Blue Tooth headset for my phone and computer (my mic isn't working since I installed Windows 7) from my family, so that was pretty cool. I have been giving myself gifts all year long, so I don't want anything else :p

*gasp* I know, for once I look decent! I'm wearing:

- Everyday Minerals loose base in Light Olive (semi matte)
- CG True Plum blush
- Jane Eye Zings in Brownie Points as eyeliner (tightlined with a brush)
- Everyday Minerals Good China e/s on inner corners, under brow bone
- Everyday Minerals Silver Spoon e/s on outer corners
- a weird mix of brown, gold, and bronze e/s on lid (I mixed a bunch together, no idea what brands)
- vaseline on lips

Good gosh, forgot about this again

2009-11-14T16:28:00.003-05:00

Whew been busy! I've been busy working on stuff for Nursing Applications (went to an open house/info session at U of T last Saturday), readings for classes, and data analysis in the lab. All in a good day's work, right?

Aside from that I've been really irresponsible, involving myself in stupid behaviours. I've had some self-issues with body image since coming to University, and it's been getting the better of me in the last 2 weeks. I thought I had a better handle on it, but when I'm stressed out, I don't have it under control. I threw my hands up in the air in frustration yesterday and decided I'm not that person anymore, and I know better than to engage in that persona. I'm doing better today.

I decided to see what all the fuss is about WoW. It's kind of like Final Fantasy or Pokemon; you have a character, you do quests, and you level up. Is it really so addicting that people forget to feed their children over it? I played for maybe 45 minutes and decided I was done with it for the time being.

Fall is really here

2009-11-02T21:34:00.002-05:00

I came out of my psych class today at about 6, and I was so shocked to see how dark it was outside. The realization dawned on me: Fall is really here, and the days are getting shorter and cooler. It's a shame, really.

I ran this morning. I noticed that when I run slower (i.e. 5.8-6 mph) I don't end up in as much pain as when I run faster (6.5+ mph). That's something that shall be duly noted. I was beginning to get frustrated because I was getting pain in my left leg and hip after every time I ran, and when I calculate my speed it's always when I'm going 6.5+ mph. Does this mean I can never run faster than 6 mph? No. But at the moment, yes. It is going to rain (yet again) tomorrow, so I'm high-tailing it to the gym after class tomorrow morning.

My goal this month: Run 5K 6 days a week.

This was my dinner tonight: Spiralized Zucchini with marinara, parmesan cheese, and an avocado.
If you click on the picture, you can see how the zucchini really does resemble angel-hair pasta!

End of October

2009-11-02T00:38:00.004-05:00

1. Devour remaining Halloween candy: Check
2. Midterms/stress/commitments to ensue: Check
3. Tea: check
4. Procrastination, and starting/finishing a paper due tomorrow: Check

Yep. My October pre-requisites are all taken care of.

I hope you all had a lovely Halloween. I didn't really do a whole lot; I went home, and my brothers and I gave my mom her birthday present: a 32" flatscreen TV and a new DivX/DVD player. I spent the weekend watching said TV and movies :) Bwahahaha. And I ate lots of candy. And played Chauffeur-duty for my older brother as he went out to a Halloween party. I'm pretty happy with my weekend though, despite getting no work done.

I tested out my Spiralizer today; I made spaghettini out of Zucchini! It's so easy and awesome, I love it. It's much easier than cooking and then scooping out the flesh of a Spaghetti Squash. Since Zucchini is water-rich, it can be a little soggy, but a little paper towel can fix that. My dinner tonight was Zucchini Spaghettini, tomato sauce, and Parmesan cheese... MMMmmm! 1 large zucchini makes about 2 cups or so of angel-hair pasta.

Theme of the day: Stress relief

2009-10-27T13:47:00.004-04:00

My favourite ways to relieve stress are to work out, read about working out/healthy living, drinking tea, and take a hot bath (with LUSH bathbombs, or a few drops of essential oil).

I'm feeling really stressed out today so I decided to treat myself with some health magazines (they'll keep me entertained for a few months), and make a mug of chamomile tea.

I went running yesterday after like a 2 week hiatus, and my left hip/knee is not happy with me. I've been finding lately that after running, I get pains in my left leg that are not muscle pains from lack of stretching, but rather something like a ligament weakness. Hmm. It could be that my running form has gotten sloppy, and is less than perfectly aligned. When that is the case, I take a few days off running and something else instead, like Yoga. BAH, you all know how much I love running now... I may try to go anyway.

Grocery Haul!

2009-10-26T00:44:00.002-04:00

I already wrote this in my "Nutrition" Blog, but I thought I'd re-iterate here: Eating raw doesn't have to be expensive. When I was initially starting out I was spending more than I'd like on groceries per week, because I was trying to get a feel for things I did like, things I didn't like... and that naturally costs money! However, now that I've tried out various things, I've settled on a comfortable medium of staples that I enjoy, and are not expensive.

Fruit

I was initially spending a lot money on fruit because I would eat fruit for breakfast instead of eggs, toast, cereal, etc, and fruit doesn't keep you full for too long. However, I don't really spend a lot of money on fruit nowadays because I start the day with a mug of tea and don't typically eat breakfast anymore until around 10 or 11 am, and it's usually ONE fruit, rather than 4 or 5. This week my breakfast will consist of banana-spinach smoothies made with organic rice milk. Get this: 10 bananas cost me $2.87.

Vegetables

I was spending a lot of money on produce as well because I bought more than I needed. I only go through about 2 bell peppers a week, maybe 2-3 hot house tomatoes, and 1/2 an onion. I used to also through in things like dried cranberries, nuts, or other fruit. My new staples include avocado, tomato, pepper, onion, and sliced mushrooms. Avocados, when on sale, can be as low as $0.48 each, and a tray of sliced mushrooms is only $1.99. I either buy bagged or boxed spinach, depending on how I feel. I seem to go through spinach/lettuce very quickly, so I thought I'd rather get a box of baby spinach this week: $3.99/312g. Sometimes I buy things like Kale or Collards, and beets, but that's not too often. Earlier this month I was buying a lot of squash for soup, but that's only about $2 or so each.

Meat

I bought a box of frozen chicken breasts in September. I've used maybe 2. I bought a salmon fillet 2 weeks ago. I don't spend a lot of money on meat or cheese. I did buy goat cheese this week though, for a bit of variety.

Bread

I try to avoid buying bread and crackers because I usually eat them quite quickly! I bought a 4-pack box of Premium Plus crackers about a month ago, and finished the box in 4 days. Yikes. This week, I have Tomato-Basil tortillas.

Other

I don't really buy soy milk anymore, but sometimes I buy almond milk or in this week's case, rice milk. I get the 946 mL tetrapak boxes because I only use milk in the morning with my smoothies. I used to buy a lot of nuts (almonds, walnuts) and dried fruit (dates, cranberries), but I realize I eat these too quickly, so I'm trying to steer clear of them for a while. I do, however, enjoy goji berries, and raw pumpkin seeds in soups and salads, so I buy those every so often.

This week my grocery bill came to $27.43; that's a vast improvement over my past few grocery bills ($40-60). There is some initial cost in going raw (i.e. buying spices, sea salt, seeds for salads, lemon juice, honey/maple syrup, etc), but some things last a long time, and you also learn what you feel is necessary or excess for daily living. I have everything I need for this week, and I spent less than $30. That's awesome.

Giving myself a break

2009-10-23T12:54:00.003-04:00

I awoke this morning at 5 am with an intense pain in my upper left jaw, the kind of pain that is focused above the tooth and then explodes into a splitting headache. I was clever enough to think of doing a warm salt-water rinse, which eased the pain away after 15 minutes, but needless to say I had less than restful sleep last night. Because it's cold, windy, and gloomy, and I just want junk food, this was my brunch:

1. Melted baker's chocolate spread on toast+ frozen strawberries
2. Ice cream
3. Grilled cheese sandwich with lots of ketchup
4. Hot cocoa (made with water, not milk)

Yup. I'm now in a comfortable position to take a nap. But first, some updates about my week...

I've been working on some presentation stuff for the study I've been helping my prof with. She's going to a conference on Monday, and I helped prepare a poster for it. The research is pretty cool; we're looking at the amount of time that sarcopenic patients spend in ICU and Hospital vs. Non-sarcopenic patients, and it's pretty astounding that not only do they stay longer, the stay is almost twice as much! I am pretty happy just being able to help out and learn, but she said that if I continue volunteering with her in Winter term, I *might* even get the chance to actually present something in Edmonton! OMG that would be so cool. But a little frightening at the same time.

I'm hanging out with Jenn tonight! YAY! I have to say that one of the things I am most thankful for in life, other than my wonderful family, is the friendship that she and I have. It sounds sappy and maybe even borderline Lesbo-- but it's true (and don't get me started on the lesbo thing; we have a funny story and history twisted around that since high school, and we're practically "The Couple that Never Was"). By definition, she is my best friend; we just "get" each other. We're rarely in the same city for more than 4 months at a time, yet even so, we're able to just meet up and pick up where we left off. It's a good feeling to know that there is someone out there who is a true friend, and I really cherish all the good times we've had.

Hmm let's see... it's 1:30 now. If I sleep for an hour or so, I still have lots of time to do Yoga and some studying. wheee!

Good night!

Just Breathe

2009-10-21T19:33:00.002-04:00

I canceled my Grad Photo session for Friday -- I decided that I'm just not feeling it right now. I need to be in a photogenic mood; I know it sounds like a dumb reason for canceling, but really, I think it'd be better in Winter term.

The Fall exam schedule went up, and I'm quite fortunate this time around; I usually have an exam on the first day, somewhere in the middle, and then one very close to the end. This time:

Engl 140R: no exam
Kin 354: Dec 14, 9 am
HRM 200: Dec 14, 7:30 pm
Psych 211: Dec 19, 9 am

So even though I have 2 on the same day, they aren't that bad. And the only exam that is cumulative this term is Kin 354, so that's awesome.

I don't know if I already mentioned it on here, but I found an amazing Yoga resource a few months ago where you can download classes (20-minute ones are free, and other lengths are extremely reasonably priced; at most, $5 for a class). These are very much like being in an actual yoga session, rather than watching someone else do their yoga and you try to follow; there is useful instruction and insight, and a useful pose guide as well. The website is http://yogadownload.com and even though I found this website last term, I forgot about it for a while until recently. It's so good for stretching out the lower body (hamstrings!) and strengthening the whole body. It's definitely challenging, but a great workout for people who are short on time, and don't fancy jumping, punching, and kicking in their living room.

Every couple of weeks I try to bring in new things into my diet. Last week I introduced Goji Berries to my palate, and it was great! I don't know how to explain Goji Berries; they're little tiny red things, almost like raisins, but drier, and are loaded with vitamin A, C, iron, and protein. They taste a little tart and sweet at the same time, and are great sprinkled on salads. This week, I'm trying out raw pumpkin seeds sprinkled on salads. They remind me very much of sunflower seeds, but flatter, and drier. Pumpkin seeds are also a great source of protein and iron. Mushrooms aren't something new to me, but I never really used them raw in salads, so I also started doing that as well.

Other than that, same old, same old...

Holy Cow

2009-10-16T16:48:00.004-04:00

Wow. For a while I forgot about blogging, as in it hadn't even crossed my mind. Meh, I've been busy, what can I say? Since my last post was October 2, I'll fill you in on what's happened since then:

1. Midterms happened, that's what
2. Thanksgiving (Went home, had dinner with the family, made butternut squash soup, yay!)
3. Been swamped with reading, and working on a conference poster for my Prof -- it was fun, but also a little stressful
4. Got sick

So, when I got sick, I stopped running. Boo hoo. And now it's freaking cold outside. As a result, I've put on like 1-2 pounds or something relatively insignificant. Not exactly my idea of a plan, but I'm eating healthy. Since I got to school, I realized that my raw eating habits had actually been deviating quite a bit off track, so I've put myself on a 30-day Detox, like from Natalia's book, "Detox 4 Women". It's just a fancy way of saying I'm on a strict diet for the next 30 days to consume nothing but whole, healthy foods. I'm on day 5, and it's not going too badly. Today I had some cereal, which is processed, but I only had like 1 cup, so whatever. I tried making the Pumpkin Pie soup again and it turned out much better this time, largely due to using the right ingredients this time! I found 100% Carrot juice in the refrigerated section by Bolthouse Farms, and instead of just putting in raw sweet potato, I microwaved it to make it softer. All in all, delicious.

I'm feeling quite drained today, probably because of the decreased amount of sleep I've been having lately. I was at my boyfriend's place on Wednesday night and some idiot set off the fire alarm at 1 am. When the fire department came, they actually couldn't turn off the alarm, so it was buzzing ALL NIGHT. I was at school yesterday from 10 am to 7 pm for class, volunteering, and doing stuff in the lab. phew! I'm trying to get more sleep in the coming days, because.... grad photos are coming!

Yes, Graduation Photos... scary. I scheduled mine for Oct23 at 9 am. I have to make sure I don't look like a bum.

Ugh. Sore. I did a lower body workout on WEDNESDAY, and I'm still sore! I was hoping I'd be able to do cardio by now. *sigh* Maybe tomorrow. It's going to be sunny (but cold) for the next few days, so hopefully I can do it soon.

damnit, why am I so tired? My eyes are soooo dryyyyyyy... *whine*

Back to Blogger again!

2009-10-02T18:40:00.003-04:00

I've decided to come back to Blogger-- my daily routine in life makes it far too difficult to update my blog through manual code manipulation. *le sigh* Oh well. On the bright side (as if using a "click and go" program was a bad thing), I've decided to take a slightly different approach to blogging. As of late, my blog posts have been longer and more "diary-like", and sometimes take on an academic role. I'd like to make my posts more structured, grammatically correct, and more like an essay in the idea that my posts have a specific point to make, rather than just have me rambling on about life.

That's starting with the next post though-- I don't have the energy to do that right now, because as per my new Fall tradition, I am sick. Everybody has been getting sick at school and someone felt so kind as to share it with me as well. I'm handling it well, I think; I try to get as much work done as I can, and when I can't work, I stop and sleep or do something else. I've gone through 2 chapters of Psychology today, which is a lot. I have a midterm on Monday, so that's the main reason for my speedy reading. Speaking of midterms, I have a bunch this coming week; Psych on Monday, a paper due Wednesday, and another midterm on Thursday.

I am still eating raw or mostly raw-- I go through a heck of a lot of produce each week. I'm almost all out, and I'll be shopping tomorrow with my roomie (aka my cousin!) so I'll pick up more groceries on the way back.

I picked up running long distances in June for the Underwear Affair. I remember a time when doing 3K seemed like a huge accomplishment. Now, anything less than 5K is failure to me! I was doing about 7-8K twice a week for a while, so I think I've come a long way. I ran 6.75K on Monday at the gym, and I would've gone today if I wasn't sick.

I still do yoga from time to time-- I must've tried doing yoga like 10x this year, and I've come to the conclusion that I can do yoga, but not on a daily basis. For me, that would be too hard on the spine (I do Kundalini yoga), so I think 1-2x/week is enough, maybe 3. The only thing is that Yoga does require time to complete (usually 45-90 minutes) so I usually favor running instead. But given my current circumstances, I'd rather do something less intense. (But mark my words, as soon as I am able, I'm hopping back on that treadmill!)

Anywhoodles... I am going to go now.