Concrete jungle where dreams are made

I'm happy to announce that I have now bought the tickets for my "vacation," and as a result can go ahead and make it public that I will be in Miami from September 2nd to the 8th, will then travel north to New Jersey/New York City (!!!), where I'll be until the 13th. Then, I am to return to Miami, where I'll spend another 4 days, finally concluding my vacation on the 17th, when I fly back to my home country.

To be completely honest, I wouldn't be traveling if I weren't going to New York City. Don't get me wrong, I obviously miss Miami and the people that I left there, but this is my first real vacation in a long time, and I wanted to go somewhere different, somewhere I hadn't been to before. So, I figured, what better place than New York??? Also, I didn't plan it this way, but it seems that I'll be there for New York Fashion Week! Wooo. My visit also coincides with the 10th anniversary of 9/11, so I'm sure there will be lots going on.

I'm proud to say that the New York leg of my trip is financed by me, myself, and I. I am taking this as a reward for having lost 30 pounds so far. (I've got 2 weeks left before my trip and am working really hard to make it 35 pounds lost by then, but we'll see. I've been doing more strength training lately, and this usually hinders weight loss a bit. I'm perfectly fine with that though, because I am not interested in being stick-thin. I'm interested in being at a healthy weight, athletic, and strong. So, yay for muscle definition!)

I'll probably be renting a car for the first leg of my Miami visit, so transportation shouldn't be an issue. Yea, for those of you who don't know, my dear Hildegaard (my car's name) is in Honduras with me. Hehe. What else??? Despite the fact that I lived in Miami for 5-6 years, I never went to Key West, so I'm planning to go this time around.

I no longer have a gym membership in Miami, so I'll have to figure something out in order to get my exercise in. Maybe I'll have to settle with running around the block. LOL. If not, I'll contact local gyms to see if they offer any day passes, or something like that. In terms of nutrition, I'm devising a diet-friendly vacation eating plan with the help of my nutritionist. I doubt I'll lose weight while I'm up there, but as long as I don't gain more than 2-3 pounds, I'll be fine.

I know that this is my VACATION and that I shouldn't start worrying about this, but I have this ongoing irrational fear that I'll suddenly gain all of the 30 pounds that I've lost back the moment that I'm not 100% in control of my eating. Again, I know this is irrational, and I'm working on it, but I know I can't undo 15+ years of negative habits in a few months. I should be fine - I've had great discipline and self-control these last couple of months and I really have just been working on gaining healthy habits, so hopefully they've become or are well on their way of becoming a part of this new me. :)

And that's pretty much about it. Right now I'm about to go run on the treadmill for about 30 minutes. I think I mentioned in previous posts that one of my goals is to be able to call myself a runner. So, I'm currently on the 4th week of the Couch 2 5K plan. I had to take like a month-long break from running because my knee was bothering me too much. But now, I'm back on the program and working on my endurance/stamina! Week 4 is really challenging, though. It's as follows: 5 minute warmup (walking at 3.5 mph), 3 minute run (5.5 mph), 1.5 minutes walking (3.5 mph), 5 minute run (5.5 mph), 2.5 minutes walking, 3 minutes running, 1.5 minutes walking, 5 minutes running, and a 5 minute cool down. My body is kind of tired - I've been working out 2 hours everyday since last Saturday, but as I said before, I'm giving it my all to lose 5 more pounds before my trip. So, with that, let me go hit the treadmill.

I might just have a drink after my run, though. LOL. (Coconut rum and coke zero, FTW! LOL) Anyways, I shall be back to update you soon.

My heart can't take this...

Blue October - Congratulations

Is that seat taken?
Congratulations
Would you like to take a walk with me?

My mind it kind of goes fast
I try to slow it down for you
I think I'd love to take a drive
I want to give you something
I've been wanting to give to you for years
My heart

My heart, my pain won't cover up
You left me.. hu hu hu hu
My heart won't take this cover up
You left me.. hu hu hu hu

I came to see the light in my best friend
You seemed as happy as you'd ever been
My chance of being open was broken
And now you're Mrs. him.

My words they don't come out right
But I'll try to say I'm happy for you
I think I'm going to take that drive
I want to give you something
I've been wanting to give to you for years
My heart

My heart, my pain won't cover up
You left me.. hu hu hu hu
My heart
My heart won't take this cover up
You left me.. hu hu hu hu

And I can't change this
I can never take it back
But now I can't change your mind
(You left me)
And I can't change this
I can never take this back
But now I can't change your mind
can't change your mind
(You left me)
Can't change you mind
(You left me)

Go away
Make it go away
Please.

*It's just another one of those days. Everything in my life is going great, but then I remember... *sigh*

Exciting news!

At the moment, I feel on top of the world. Invincible. First of all, this week I officially hit the 30-pound mark!!! As you can imagine, I am ecstatic and incredibly proud of myself. I've been trying to lose weight for YEARS. I've done Atkins, the South Beach diet, Jenny Craig, the Master Cleanse, you name it. I really have tried every diet that you can imagine, and I've never been as successful as I have been now. The thing is, it's not just about a number on the scale. I can finally see major changes not only in my body, but in my overall well being too. And it really is the greatest feeling in the world. However, this doesn't mean that I'll stop here. My goal is to lose another 20 pounds by the end of the year, and (for the first time, ever) I actually feel capable of doing it. To have lost 50 pounds in one year will be HUGE (bring out goooooood stuff! lol) But, that said, I won't get ahead of myself. There's still 4 months left in 2011, and a lot can happen in that time.

Like... my second piece of news. There might be an opportunity for me to travel... Soon. REALLY SOON. As in, within the next month. Nothing is written in stone, so I don't want to give all the details away yet. But, I'm super excited because I might get to see some of you and also visit one of my favorite cities in the world.

Like I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm in a really good place right now. I have time to pursue most of my interests, especially the intellectual ones, and I feel that overall, I'm just growing as a person and gaining a better understanding of myself and the world. It seems to me that I've made good progress in trying to let go of my past, and that life is finally coming together quite nicely.

I have so many ideas on things that I want to write about: social commentary, linguistics, music, art, literature, spirituality, travel, etc. So right now I'm just gathering my thoughts and giving them structure. But yea, life is good. I'm inspired. Hehe. I hope you enjoy the song by Imogen Heap (love her!) Peace out!

You shoot me down, but I won't fall...

There's not much to say today. It's not like my mind has been completely devoid of original or creative thought, but I just haven't gotten the inspiration to write anything of essence. I'll start reading Fitzgerald's "This Side of Paradise" soon, though. Usually Fitzgerald always gets my creative gear to work. In other news, after months and months of waiting, "The Hangover 2" is finally premiering in theaters here today! I loved the first Hangover, and am kind of in need of comedic relief, so we've already got tickets for tonight! I wonder how long it's going to take for "Crazy, Stupid, Love" or "The Change-up" to get here... LOL. I'm also really looking forward to "One Day" with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. I read the novel it's based on, written by David Nicholls, and I really liked it. Anyways, that's premiering in the US next week, so who knows how long I'll have to wait for it to start playing here. Seriously, sometimes movies are released in DVD before they reach theaters here. Oh well, at least we've got online ticketing now. LMAO.

Second order of business... I wanted to share two of my favorite workouts: one for the elliptical, the other for the treadmill. The elliptical one is intensive if you are a beginner, but if you've been working out regularly, it should only give you the extra "burn" you need. Now, the treadmill one is brutal. When I first tried it, I couldn't even finish it. But hey, everyone knows I love a challenge, so I stuck with it. I have a picture of the workout "directions" on my iPhone, so I just open it up when I'm at the gym.

Here's the elliptical one. It's pretty self-explanatory, but I know that I did cut off the column headings. So, in case you're a bit lost, the first column is the time, the second one is resistance, the third gives you any special instructions, and the fourth is what your heart rate should be. I usually don't pay much attention to the heart rate one, though.



And now, the treadmill one.

Feeling good..

Some days are just a drag and seem to be never-ending. Instead of getting all lethargic and hating yourself and your life, I suggest you actively try to do things to make your day a bit better.

We’ve all heard of “The Secret,” and how the key to unlocking your true potential and happiness is to have a positive outlook in life. (Positive attracts positive.) This is a little bit too hippy-dippy-trippy to me, and in all honestly, I think that it gives people false expectations and can lead to failure. For instance, I don’t think that just because you are positive, things will magically fall onto your lap – you have to actively pursue the things you want. You won’t find yourself in a perfect relationship, or land the perfect job if you just remain optimistic. You have to put in the work, and that is what “The Secret” doesn’t tell people. That said, I find something of value in philosophies that try to improve one’s well-being. So, I decided to give you some of my own tips on how to feel better.

1. Do some EXERCISE.
Ever since I was in 12th grade, I’ve always been a frequent visitor at the gym. However, I will admit that if I was feeling lazy, I wouldn’t go. I wouldn’t push myself. Now, it’s been about 8 months that I’ve been working out everyday (or at least 5 times per week.) And I truly think that this has done wonders to improve my overall well-being and mood. Even if it’s just 20-30 minutes, I urge you all to incorporate some form of physical activity: Zumba, walking your dog, dancing to Lady Gaga, going to the gym, whatever. Trust me – exercise alone will make you feel better almost immediately.

2. Get some SUN.
Receiving sunlight gives us Vitamin D, which is not only necessary for our bodies to function properly, but it also gives us an energy boost. I prefer to stay indoors, simply because the only time I like to sweat is when I’m working out and because I find the sun to be a bit offensive on my eyes (yea, I’m a diva like that.) However, whenever I do force myself to venture out into the world, I find that my mood improves significantly. Can’t really find an explanation for it (other than the Vitamin D, I mean) but yea, it works.

3. Tickle your sense of SMELL.
Light a candle, put on your favorite perfume, bake some pastries – do something to activate your olfactory system. My favorite holiday is Christmas, and I absolutely adore everything about the holiday season in general. So recently, my go-to scent has been an Apple Cinnamon candle. Something about it just puts me in a good mood. I light it on as soon as I wake up and let it burn for about an hour or two as I study, and I just love the way the smell lingers in my room. Try it out.

4. Put on some MUSIC!
This one is pretty simple and self-explanatory. Create a playlist with your favorite songs and just play it when you’re not feeling so great. There have been numerous studies on how music affects our daily performance, so you’re more than welcome to check them out in case you’re wondering why music is so great for you. But yea: listen to music.

5. BREATHE
Our daily lives tend to be so busy and hectic that we seldom take time to just sit and relax. So, the next time you’re feeling blue I suggest you hit pause, find a quite place in your house where you can sit uninterrupted for 5 minutes, and simply breathe. The trick is to really focus on your breathing and try to block everything else out. What I do: inhale deeply for 3 counts, and then exhale for another 3 counts, and just focus on repeating that pattern. If this happens to work for you, I suggest you Google meditation breathing techniques and explore it all some more.

6. DAILY CHALLENGES
I follow Deepak Chopra on Twitter and one day he posted a well-being test, which I obviously had to take. My score was about average, so the website suggested that I subscribe to an email newsletter called The Daily Challenge. Essentially, you get a small challenge delivered to your inbox everyday, including something that you can do to improve your well-being. For example, today’s challenge was to “Smile at 3 people today.” I’m being open-minded and giving it a try, although I have found some of the challenges to be a bit too hippy-dippy-trippy (hehe.) But, I know that whoever wrote them did it with the best intentions at heart.

Namaste.

Feed the fire, break your vision

Coffee brewing in the kitchen, the smell alone makes my blood start pumping. I hear the birds chirping outside my window, and for a moment I think about the things they’ve surely seen in all of their travels, the secrets they must hold. Focus, now! FOCUS!

Ah, it’s a new day. Not only a new day, but it’s the start of a new week, too. And you know what that means, time to plan out my workouts. I’ve found that planning what I’ll do in advance helps me stay committed to it. (Hint, hint: Workout tip #7)

I’m actually sore from yesterday’s workout, which was brutal. I’ll call it the Sarah Fit Workout (since it was taken from Sarah Fit’s website), and it was as follows:
- 10 minutes of running/walking → I did 5 minutes of power walking, 3 minutes of jogging, 1 minute of walking, and a 1 minute full-speed sprint.
- 15 pushups
- 20 lunges
- 1 minute plank (a killer!)
- Chair dips – 15 reps
- Plank with a knee to elbow crunch – 10 reps
- Sumo squat jump – 10 reps
- And then repeated the entire thing (including the running/walking portion) twice…

In case you’re interested, check it out here: Sarah Fit workout

So, this week’s plan:
Monday: 40 minutes on the elliptical (400 calories) + 15 minutes on the bike (100 calories) + 40 minutes on the treadmill (350 calories) = 850 calories

Tuesday: 40 minutes on the elliptical (400 calories) + Jillian Michaels workout (250 calories) + 35 minutes on the treadmill (300 calories) = 950 calories

Wednesday: 40 minutes on the treadmill (350 calories) + 40 minutes on the elliptical (400 calories) = 750 calories

Thursday: 40 minutes on the elliptical (400 calories) + Jillian Michaels workout (250 calories) + 35 minutes on the treadmill (300 calories) = 950 calories

Friday: 40 minutes on the elliptical (400 calories) + 15 minutes on the bike (100 calories) + 40 minutes on the treadmill (350 calories) = 850 calories

Saturday: OFF

Sunday: Sarah Fit workout

For these past months, I've been focusing mostly on cardio. However, now I feel that it's time to add more strength training to my routine, and this is why I've added 2 days of the Jillian Michaels workout (30 day shred.) My knee isn't bothering me nearly as much as it used to, so everything seems to be working out splendidly.

In other news, I highly recommend the show "Covert Affairs" on USA.

Here's my non-pop workout playlist (mostly used for strength training):
- Infected Mushroom - Smashing the opponent
- System of a down - Aerials
- Kanye West - Power
- Kanye West - Stronger
- Disturbed - Down with the sickness
- Coheed & Cambria - Welcome home
- Fort Minor - Remember the name
- Eminem - Lose Yourself
- Pendulum - Watercolor
- Trick Daddy feat. Lil John & Twista - Let's go

And with that, I'm off to study Nihongo. Ci vediamo dopo.

Got a secret, can you keep it?

Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who is the biggest spy of them all?

- - -

And you pry and you pry,
Hoping to always get by...
Unnoticed, unscathed,
Without unleashing my wrath.
But I have noticed, you see..
People like you will NEVER outsmart the likes of me.
And it's exhilarating to win at this game,
So worry not, to no other shall I reveal your true name.
I propose a toast for times to come and times long gone,
Haven't you realized that I've just begun having my fun?

-XOXO