Day 83: Halloween

There are lots of events happening in and around Vancouver. My friends went to the Dunbar haunted house (http://www.dunbarhauntedhouse.com/) and PNE Fright Nightss (http://www.pne.ca/fright-nights/). I refused to go because I get scared easily and I didn't want to pay to get scared. Tonight I went to my friend's potluck dinner / halloween party. A friend of mine is trying to get me to go to Potters House of Horror in Surrey (http://www.pottershouseofhorrors.com/) next year.

I have found that halloween has become another commercialized holiday. There are so many items you can buy. Some people really go all out and decorate their houses. Some don't do anything and are not in the holiday spirit. It's a time for the bars to charge exuberant amounts of money for 'cover charge.'

Halloween is an opportunity for you to be someone else for one day. A man can dress up as a woman and not be called a cross dresser. You can be a superhero for a day. Women can dress up as a sexy nurse or French maid and not be called a slut. It takes alot of time and effort to plan a good costume. It would only be worth it if lots of people will be able to admire my great costume to make the effort worth it.

Day 82: One month till my birthday

Time is ticking. One more month till I am one year older. Is this something I should be worried about? What lies ahead for me? Is this an age I should celebrate? Last year I decided not to have a birthday party. My bf, at that time, threw me a surprise dinner. He didn't know all my friends. He only invited the few friends of mine that he met. I feel bad because my other friends weren't invited. I couldn't invite them because I didn't know about the dinner.

After my next birthday, I would like to accomplish more. I bought two more brain games for my DS. I want to play those games to hopefully work on improving my memory and regenerating my brain cells. I need to re look at my bucket list. I need to see what I have accomplished and what I need to work on.

I don't think I am ready to be one year older yet. I have done a lot this year. But there never seems to be enough time for me.

Day 81: Swimming

I think swimming is a great skill to have. I have been swimming 'illiterate' for many many years. I have finally got the realization that I should learn to swim. It is never too late to learn. I chose to take lessons at Killarney Community Pool because it is affordable, it is close to my house, and it has classes on the nights I am available.

The level 1 class I am in is only 12 classes. The last class is on Thurs, Nov 19. My instructor is a younger asian gal. She does go step by step and watches me to make sure I am doing it right. Everytime she teachs us something new I look at her like she is weird. I have a look like 'you are crazy and I will never be able to do that'. I try to do what she taught us and I manage to learn it. My class is actually a level 1 and level 2 class. She spends some time with the level 1 students then she spends some time with the level 2 students. In my level 1 class, there is only 4 students (including me). In the level two class there are 5 students. There is me, a larger older darker skinned women and 2 middle aged philipino ladies. One lady doesn't show up all the time.

Today she told us to spend some time practicing on our side glides with a float board. The goal for the end of class is to side glide on both sides without a float board. Our lessons are taught in shallow water. We can just stand in the water if we think we are drowning. We had to practise our back float with flipping before our side glides. I went back and forth a few times in the pool and got tired. By the end of the 45 mins of my lessons, I am totally pooped.

When I get home, I can't go to bed right away. I have to wash my bathing suit and my towel. I also finish blow drying my hair. I also take some time to write on my blog before I go to bed.

Day 80: Halloween Cake

I just finished making a halloween cake. It's not the best in the world. But it's the best I can do tonight. I have spent a few hours on it. My hands are tired from kneading the marzipan. I had to knead the color into the marzipan. The cake itself is probably the best I have made. I forgot where I put my cake mix so I made the cake from scratch. It's a chocolate cake with berry filling in the middle. There is a lot of berry filling. I made the cake the other day and froze it. This is only 1/3 of the cake. I may make the other 2/3 of the cake if I have time later this week. I started making the pumpkins first. I dyied the marzipan orange then rolled them into little balls. I have fondant cutters (similar to cookie cutters) in different shapes, sizes and letters. I then cut the little eyes and mouth for pumpkins. After the pumpkins were done, I made the letters. The letters were a challenge. Because they are so small, it is easily ruined. The 'p' cutter was a pain the ass. The marzipan wouldn't come out of the cutter properly. I improvised and used a number instead to make the 'p'. The green background is actually made from two rolled out sheets. Because this is my first time working with marzipan, I should've rolled the sheet into one big sheet instead of cutting it into half. I didn't do a good job of fixing the 'seams'. I just hope my co-work enjoy my hard work and effort.

Day 79: Geoff and Teresa's Wedding

My friend Geoff just got married to a very nice gal name Teresa. Their wedding took place on Sunday, October 25. I haven't been to many Sunday weddings. I get Sundays off and when he asked for some helping hands, I was able to help. I carpooled with my cousin, who is also his friend, to the wedding. He asked us to be there at 3pm to help set up. He did have a list of helpers and their duties. We got there at 3pm and Geoff was running late. His mom had most of the items that needed to be distributed or assembled. By the time Geoff and his mom arrived, there were many helping hands. We all helped with whatever we could. We didn't follow the list that Geoff made, but everything got done. It was a good opportunity to mingle with some of his friends that I didn't know.

The ceremony was held right before the dinner. I think that is a great idea. It is all in one place and no one has to be transported anywhere. They had a decorated wedding arch where they said their vows. They had a maid of honour and a best man. The ceremony started pretty much when all their 90 guests arrived. It is the smallest wedding I have been to. All the other weddings I have attended are from 200 - 500 people. The ceremony was only about 15 minutes long.

After the ceremony, the banquet dinner began. It was the 10 course Chinese banquet dinner, which included lobster, abalone, chicken, fish, rice, noodles, and red bean soup. Between the courses there are various activities. Geoff, his best man and the maid of honour made a speech. There was open mic. Geoff's cousin came up to the mic and reminded everyone that Geoff use to break dance when he was younger and got him on the dance floor to dance his moves again. I really wanted to see him break dance. But he said he isn't in the same shape as he was when he was younger.

It wasn't hard to make them kiss. All we had to do was clan the chopsticks againest something. Once the bride and groom heard that, they got up and kissed. Some weddings I have been to make it really hard for the bride and groom to kiss. Sometimes you have to answer a skill testing question about the bride or the groom or show them how's it done before they kiss.

One thing that made Geoff and Teresa's wedding unique was that they had a photo op with the bride and the groom before dinner was finished. Whoever wanted to take a picture with them, just had to go up and pose with them. It was fun. Ok, my table was considered the 'rowdy' table. I think that was just a rumour. Anyways, my friends and I went up there and took a normal picture then we took a fun picture (the one posted above). Of course I brought my camera. I took about 120 pictures that night.

After all the pictures and posing, there was dancing. It was no suprise Geoff, the dancer, had dancing at his wedding. It was fun to just get our groove on. At about 10pm, my cousin and I were getting tired. Geoff asked us to stay a few more minutes to help them tear down. We were more than happy to help tear down.

Congratulations Geoff and Teresa!

Day 78: The Market at Shangri La

The last dinner for my dining club was at The Market at Shangri La. We went on Friday, October 23. The reservation was for 6 pm, which is earlier than my usual time of 7 pm. I had 10 people confirmed for dinner. The restaurant gave us the private room which holds 10 people. We sat at a round table. The only thing that was missing was the lazy susan. The room was very simple. It didn't have any special decor or paintings. It has a very nice and elaborate chandelier. One side of the room has floor to ceiling windows.

Five of us shared a few appies. We shared tuna tartare, beef carpaccio pizza and 2 foie gras brulee. The tuna tartare and carpaccio pizza were very tasty. I don't think I appreciate foie gras yet. The foie gras was too salty for me. Some of the entrees don't include side dishes which included the one I ordered, the soy glazed short ribs. It looked like a steak. It was so soft and juicy. There were no bones. When I usually order short ribs, its flat with small pieces of ribs. It was served with apple, jalepeno puree and rosemary crumbs. The jalepeno taste wasn't that evident. We also shared several side dishes; grilled broccoli rabe, sauteed spinach and basil and roasted mushrooms with garlic and jalepeno. The mushrooms were cut the same size as the garlic. It was very easy to pick a piece of garlic instead of a mushroom. I ended my meal with some dessesrt. I shared the warm chocolate cake with 2 other gals. It was so soft and it was a great way to end a meal.

Day 77: Murder Mystery Night

I have never been to a murder mystery night before. I didn't know what to expect. It was held at my friend's house. Once everyone got there at about 7 pm my friend, the host, told us the agenda for the nite. There were nine people that attended. Everyone had a character to play. It was held in Hawaii. All the characters are people that you would find in Hawaii. I played the hotel manager. There was a scuba diver, a surfer, an agent, a golfer, a tour guide, a hula dancer, and a pineapple farmer. There also was the older brother. The goal was to find out who killed Stuart Murdoch and why.

It was a potluck dinner. I brought KFC. There was sushi, veggies and dip, fruit and whipped cream, fried rice, and dessert. The speciality that night was meat fondue. There were a variety of different sushi rolls. The veggies included tomatoes, mushrooms, and celery. The fruits included bananas, melon, apples and strawberries. The whipped cream was delicious. Dessert was cupcakes decorated with Halloween theme (spiders, ghosts and jack o lanterns) and fruit tarts. The hosts were being adventerous with trying the meat fondue. It was their first time. It was strips of beef and you use one of the forks and dip it in heated oil to cook the beef. You just have to leave it in there for about a minute and voila! It's ready. They had a seeded mustard sauce as a dipping sauce for the beef. I don't usually like mustard but the beef with the mustard sauce was delicious.

After dinner, the goal was to find clues that were hidden around the place. Once you found one clue, it would lead you to the next clue. The clues were strategically hidden. I formed an alliance with one of my friends. We were the first ones to find most of the clues. Once we got to the last clue, it was very difficult for us. Another person found the last clue. They had to guess who killed Stuart and why. If they got it correct, they got a prize. The person who found the clue was Stuart's older brother. Stuart was dating the hula dancer and the tour guide. The hula dancer is the daughter of the pineappler farmer. It was the pineapple farmer who killed Stuart by giving him pineapples. Stuart was allergic to pineapples. Stuart's older brother guessed it correctly and won the prize.

It was an absolutely fantastic fun nite!

Day 76: What do you want to be when you grow up?

This is a question that grade 8 counselors ask you. They ask you this to determine the courses you take thru out high school. They expect you to study all the relevant courses then go work in the occupation.

Thru the last 18 years I have wanted to be many occupations. I wanted to be a nurse at one point because I wanted to help people. I change my mind so often even before I study in that occupation. I don't know what it is that makes me change my mind. Maybe I have a short attention span? Maybe I get bored easily? I finished my marketing diploma. I am very proud of myself that I completed it. I did find a job in that field. I got bored of that. I was a marketing assistant for a computer software company. I had my own office on the 17th floor in a building in downtown Vancouver. Sounds pretty glamourous. I realized that I am a people person and being stuck in an office by myself all day got me bored. I went to school for event planning because I wanted to be an event planner at one point. I deal with many event planners at my work and their job seems really stressful. I don't think event planners get paid as much as I would like.

Maybe I have high expectations. I would like to have a job where I am happy. I don't want to be stressed out all the time. I would like to talk to customers some of the time. I would like my work to be dynamic, changing every day. I would like the opportunity for my company to upgrade my skills with relavants courses at school. I would like to have good dynamics with my co workers. I would like the opportunity for advancement to a higher position. To top off my wish list, I would like to get paid well. Does this position exist? I sure hope so.

Day 75: Muscle memory?

Does your muscle remember? There is a documentary about Muhammad Ali. They interviewed the boxers that fought with him. They tried to interview them while they were standing up instead of sitting because then the boxers will remember how they fought Ali. Their muscle memory came back to them.

I did take swimming lessons when I was in elementary school because it was part of the curriculum. After they finished teaching a level, they would give you a badge. There are several levels. I have the badges but it doesn't mean I know how to swim. They never tested me on my swimming skills.

I decided that swimming is a good skill to have. I started my swimming lessons last week. The instructor is teaching us step by step how to swim. Each step she taught us, I picked it up fairly quickly. There are other students in the class who are not that comfortable being in the water. The instructor taught us how to float. The other students get scared quickly and want to stand up as soon as possible. I am thinking maybe my muscles remembered how to do it from when I was younger. I just needed someone to coach me along. I have tried learning from a few friends but they don't know how to teach me. They just know how to swim and they just tell me to swim. I just stare at them blankly and think they are crazy. That's why I have decided to register for classes. The instructor can then teach me and guide me.

Day 74: Being a woman

I know this is a weird topic. This is my view on being a woman and what I have experienced. I don't think I have the full experience of being a woman yet. There are other 'woman life experiences' which I haven't experienced yet because I am not that age.

I realized that it is really tough being a woman. I really hope men appreciate what we do to impress them. I went to my friend's wedding last Monday, Oct 12. The ceremony in the morning was too early for me to take so much time getting ready. The banquet dinner was not till 5 hours later. I took about 2 hours to get ready for the banquet dinner. I had to curl my hair, paint my finger and toe nails, pluck my eyebrows and put on makeup. I wore heels with my dress. Guys don't have to wear heels. It is supposed to make your leg more attractive. Do guys really notice all the effort?

Woman have their monthly cycle. Their hormones go all wacky. One week they will be really cranky, another week really emotional and, if you are lucky, another week 'normal'. I feel really bad for men. If they approach the woman on the wrong week, the woman will bite their head off. It's not because the woman hate them, it's because their hormones take over and they can't control it. With the monthly cycle comes the wonderful blood discharge (I hope you understand what I am referring to). I think it's the most disgusting thing ever. For up to one week every month, the woman has the discharge. It makes me feel so dirty. Sometimes before the discharge, there are cramps. The degree of pain of the cramps varies depending on the woman. Some are so bad that they have to take medication to feel better. Luckily for me my cramping is not that bad.

Women have to give birth. There is a little life form growing inside the woman's tummy. It is months of enduring uncomfortable pain. There is the morning sickness, swelling of various body parts and extreme moodiness. After gaining all this weight, they have to squish the baby out of a really small opening of their body. Just the thought of it, makes me not want to have babies.

I am not looking forward to getting old. I don't want to forget my kids and grandkids' names. I don't want to have sagging breasts. (Thats when being Asian has it's advantages.) I am not looking forward to losing my hearing. I still want to be able to walk and talk when I'm 78. I heard about some 80 year olds running a marathon. There was a 75 year old man that did the 24 Hour Relay a few years back as a one man team. I would like to be in good shape like him. I don't think I need to run the relay to prove it.

Day 73: My Health

My mom has always told me that my health is the most important thing I possess. I am very lucky to not have any major health issues (knock on wood). High blood pressure is hereditary in my family. I had low blood pressure years ago and now I have normal blood pressure. What I am worried about is my cough. For the last three years I have had a cough that lasted for a whole month. I take a month to go get it checked out because I keep on thinking that it will go away without medication. It is a very harsh cough. It sounds like I have bronchitis and that I am going to cough up my lungs. The first year I had it in July. The second year I had it in August. The first two years the nurse said I had asthma and gave me a puffer. The third year I had it in September. Doctor gave me a puffer and it went away. This is the forth year and it's October and I don't know when it will come. I have had occasional coughs that sound like my bronchitis cough. I don't know what causes the cough. I don't smoke. I don't hang out in places that is smokey. It may be the air or pollutants in the air?

I have other minor health issues. I have poor eyesight. But that is corrected by glasses and contact lens. I have a poor memory and hopefully that will slow down or improve soon. I have bad left shoulder muscles because of a car accident a few years ago. I have to do exercises to improve my muscles. If I don't do the exercises for a long time, the muscles will tense up and I will be very uncomfortable. Every once in awhile I may have the sniffles and / or a sore throat.

This week I had a sore throat, the sniffles, headaches and feeling tired. I have been taking Dayquil, Dimetapp and Tylenol to get myself thru. I hope I am not contagious. I have gone to work. I have gone swimming. I have gone to eat at restaurants. I have gone to the aquarium. I am very sorry to everyone if I am contagious and passed it on to them. I really hope I am 100% better tomorrow. I would like to go swimming and yoga and not be paranoid of infecting people with bad germs.

Day 72: First swimming lesson

Being sick won't stop me from doing the stuff I want to do! One day of rest is plenty. Time to get up and get my ass in gear.

I started my vitamin regiment today. I took a multivitamin gel cap and calcium gel cap after lunch. I put 10 drops of trace minerals in my water. I felt a bit weird right after I took the gel caps. But after a hour or so I felt a boost of energy. By 3 pm, I didn't even feel like eating chocolate. My friend offered me some chocolate and I couldn't refuse. I had so much energy till about 7pm then I wanted to rest for a bit. I had no time to rest. I had to get ready for my swimming lesson.

I was excited for my first swim class. At about 7 pm'ish I was still feeling a bit of a headache and started sniffling. I took a Dayquil and some Robutissan and I was ready for my swimming lesson. I got there early and I hung out at the hot tub. I have never been to Killarney pool before and I didn't know how everything worked. I wanted to get there early to figure things out. I managed to find my class. I was kinda out of the loop because I was sick to attend the first class. The instructor taught us how to do a front float, a back float and how to flip from front float to back float. I finally got home at about 10:30 pm. I am feeling tired and have a headache.

Time to retire to bed !

Day 71: Sickness won't get to me

I slept early last night because I know that sleep will make me better. I slept for almost 10 hours last night. This morning I was still feeling a bit sick. I had a huge headache, my hearing was a bit off, sniffling a bit, sore throat and still a bit tired. I finished my chicken soup this morning from last night. My head was pounding before lunch. I decided to pop a Tylenol to see if I can continue my day without being sick. I felt like eating real food for lunch. That is a huge sign that I am getting better. The Tylenol made the rest of my day easier.

I did a few things today which will get me closer to a more healthier lifestyle. I went on the Canada's Food Guide website to see which types of food and how much I should be eating. I am eating way too little fruits and vegetables. I have the page printed out to remind me to eat the right amount of food every day. I went to the vitamin store to get the multivitamins, calcium and trace minerals supplements my friend suggested to incorporate into my diet. I am hoping to start taking the supplements tomorrow.

Last night was supposed to be my first swimming lesson. I was too tired and worn out to go. I am feeling better today so tomorrow I am hoping to attend the swimming lesson.

My health and wellness blog: http://lisahealthwellness.blogspot.com/

Day 70: I am feeling a bit sick

It was such a fun and eventful weekend. Monday morning I woke up with a sore throat and a headache. It was my friend's wedding and I didn't have time to be sick. I popped something similar to a Dayquil before the ceremony. After the ceremony, I went home and got ready for the reception. I popped another 'Dayquil' before the reception. At the end of the nite when I was walking to my door I started sniffling.

I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it to work today. I wanted to see how far I can go and to see how sick I was. I thought I was doing ok till I started to sniffle by 10 am. I took a 'Dayquil'. It didn't work. I had a massive headache all day and wasn't concentrating properly. When customers called, I was talking to them and sniffling. I could not wait till I got home to get some rest. I had Chunky soup for lunch. I had chicken soup for dinner. I know I'm sick when I'm not in the mood to eat my favourite food. On my drive from work I drive past by many pho restaurants. On a regular night, I am drooling for the pho. When I am sick, I don't even want to think about it. I just eat to survive. When I am healthy, I love to eat and enjoy my food.

I ended my nite with some Neo Citron.

Day 69: New blog - health and wellness

I have started a new blog. I will still keep on writing on my 365 Day Challenge. I will still think of new topics everyday to write about.

For those interested in my progress on my health and wellness, you can follow me on my new blog at http://lisahealthwellness.blogspot.com/

Day 68: My weekend so far.. (Fri and Sat)

I haven't posted in a few days because I have been a busy body.

Friday
My family and I went to Anton's. We got there at 5:45 p.m. We didn't get seated till 7pm. My parents have never been there before. We also brought our out of town guests. There was 7 of us in total. We watched as people leaving all had doggy bags. While we were waiting, we were peaking thru the window at the dishes that other people ordered. Everything looks so good when you are hungry. We only ordered 5 dishes for the 7 of us and we didn't even finish it all. There was so much food!

Saturday
This morning was relaxing. I chilled out for the first few hours (aka procrastinated). Then I got my ass up to do some baking. It was my friends birthday party tonight. I baked him some cupcakes and a cake. It was an afternoon party. So, that means I started my drinking early..haha. I got to the party at 3:30 pm. I had my first drink. When I got there, there was so much food. I ate and ate and ate. As more people came, there was more food. It was fun to see friends I haven't seen in a long time. There were also some friends which I have seen before but never got a chance to talk to. I like house parties because you get to move seats or stand if you want and talk to various friends and you don't feel rushed to get out of there (unless the hosts kicks you out).

Day 67: Finally went to Aquafit

I have wanted to try aquafit for a long time. It's number 2 on my bucket list. I finally went to Eileen Daily to do aquafit tonight.

There always seems to be an excuse to not go to aquafit. One nite, in July, my friend and I went to the pool with the intention of taking the class. But the circumstances weren't right and we didn't take the class. Last week the excuse was because I had an open sore. It was from my fall from rollerblading. My mom said it wasn't a good idea to go into the pool with an open sore. I did buy a pass to the fitness center which includes access to the gym and the pool. Because my mom used to do aquafit, I always ask her if she wants to go. If she doesn't want to go, I tend to get lazy and not want to go either. The last excuse was that mom couldn't make it.

My mom took aquafit in 1997 to lose weight for my sister's wedding. She took it for about 6 months to a year? I can't remember. What I do remember is that she did end up losing a lot of weight for the wedding. Aquafit was her only form of exercise. Nowadays she doesn't go that often. But if I go more, she may also go more.

I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow. It may be because it is my first time. The first time always hurts..hahah...It was pretty tough. It is doing aerobics in water. I am not the best at following teachers and I may be doing some exercises wrong. If I do it wrong, it may hurt my muscles more.

I didn't go swimming / aquafit for the last few years because I was too lazy (suprise! suprise!). After the swim, I have to take a shower. The shower takes a few minutes. It's the drying my hair that is a pain in the ass. I have finally accepted the time it takes to blow dry my hair after swimming. Because I have accepted it, I am more willing to go swimming / aquafit.

Day 66: Only 300 more posts to go

I don't know if I should be excited or be dreading the next 300 days. I am excited for the next 300 posts because this blog is a journey of emotions and is very therapeutic. I kinda am dreading the next 300 posts because it will show how much discipline I have. Sometimes I skip a night and I don't write on my blog. So it may be more than 300 days for me to finish the rest of my 300 posts.

Between Day 30 (the first update) till today, here is an update on what I have accomplished / working on in the near future:

Rollerblading
I went two more times in Sept to take advantage of the sunshine before the weather becomes gloomy and raining.

Learn to swim
I am taking swimming lessons starting next week. It is a six week course at a local pool.

Pilates
I took a pilates course at Bonsor a few weeks ago. It was very relaxing. I also went to the yoga conference last weekend. I bought a pass to go to various yoga studios.

Sins of the City Walking Tour
We went on the last day of the tour on Sept 30, 2009.

Cultus Lake
My friends and I went to Cultus Lake on Aug 29, 2009.

Learn to do aqua fit
If everything goes well, I will be going tomorrow night.

Learn to write
I have signed up for a creative writing in November. We will see how that goes!

Day 65: I am what I eat

According to the Free Dieting Weight Loss Guide (http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm), my daily maintenance calorie intake should be 1546 calories a day.

When I was in elementary school, teachers taught us about the four food groups. Of course that meant we were supposed to memorize it and follow it for the rest of our lives. I got the memorize it part down. The following part I'm still working on. I took a test on Sunday at the yoga conference on how well my internal organs were working. It was from an acupuncture booth. The report said I need to focus on my large intestine and my gall bladder. The acupuncturist said I need to drink more water and eat more veggies and fruit. That seems simple enough!

Every year my new years' resolution is to eat more healthier. I need to eat more foods from the milk group and the fruit and vegetable group. The reason always seems to be a lack of time. I am too lazy to eat fruit that I have to cut up or peel. The fruit already cut up and peeled from salad bars looks very delicious, but I'm not willing to pay so much for them.

I have gained a little bit of weight in the past 8 years. I think there are a few reasons for the weight gain:
1) naturally - with age
2) not enough exercise
3) eating too much unhealthy foods

Natural weight gain
On average, I gained a pound a year since the age of 24. I'm not looking forward to more weight gain.

Not enough exercise
I have always wanted to play more sports. Of course, my excuse is that 'I'm too lazy' or 'I don't have time'. It has just been this summer that I have gotten off my ass to start doing outdoor activities and sports. It has only taken me 15 years. Last year when I lived in downtown, I took the Aquabus and walked to work. That brisk walking help me shed 6 pounds over last summer.

Eating too much unhealthy food
I don't think eating at different restaurant every month is healthy. There is too much MSG and sodium in restaurant food. My 3 pm chocolate time can't be healthy for me. By 3pm at work, I get really tired. A small piece of chocolate is a good 'pick me up'. My bubble tea every other day can't be healthy for me. A bubble tea drink with bubbles is 500 calories. That's a third of my daily intake in one drink.

Recommendations:

1) Exercise more. I bought the yoga pass. Maybe find more indoor activities.

2) Eat more healthy foods. Drink more water. Eat more fruits and veggies.

Seems so easy..we will see how much I accomplish in the next few months. If this doesn't work, I need new recommendations.

Day 64: Yoga Conference

I realized that yoga is great. It is very relaxing and rejuvenating. It stretches your body and mind. I tried yoga for the very first time at the Yoga Conference this past weekend. My friend gave me freee tickets. I checked the information on their website. It was about getting all the yoga lovers together in one place for one weekend. There were workshops, a trade show and free 30 minute yoga classes. The workshops were an extra fee and were held upstairs. Because my friend gave me two tickets I was able to go for both the days the conference was on. The trade show was interesting with booths on the various yoga studios and yoga clothing. The first day I was there I met up with some friends and we walked around the trade show. Only one other friend and I participated in a free yoga lesson. The set up for the yoga class was a bit weird to me. It was in the middle of the trade show floor and didn't have any partitions. Every one walking around the trade show was able to watch the class. I felt a little bit self conscious when I was doing the yoga poses.

The second free yoga class I did showed me that it wasn't all about the stretching. It showed me that it was about the connection between the body and the mind. They both have to work together for you to live a life of harmony. There are various types of yoga. For example, some that focuses more on the stretching and strenthening of your muscles and some that focuses more on relaxation and meditation. I bought a Passport to Prana. It is a pass that cost $30 and I can go try out 38 yoga studios around the Lower Mainland. I can only use the pass once at each yoga studio. It is an opportunity to try the studios out to see which one I like best. It expires in July 2010. I have 10 months to try 38 yoga studios. I just set myself up for another challenge!

Day 63: Gratitude

I am thankful for what I have. I don't have much, but I am thankful for it. I live in a comfortable home. I have parents that love me. I am surrounded by many friends and family. I am relatively healthy with all my extremities intact and all my five senses working.

I am watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It is about a family where the father is blind, two of the 3 kids are blind and the son is deaf. The designers are making them a house where it is `friendly`for them. They talked about making the rooms brighter for the blind girls and making the walls more 3 dimensions so they will be able to touch and experience the walls. The episode tonight is the first half of the show. I can not even imagine if I was blind or deaf. I totally take for grated all my senses. I shouldn`t be complaining about the little things in my life.

Last night I was watching 20 20. They talked about albinos living in Africa. There are witchdoctors in Africa where they `need`albino legs and arms in their concoctions. There are groups of soldiers who go searching for albinos and cut off their limbs for the witchdoctors. The albinos live a life of fear that the soldiers will come back to kill them. I am very grateful that I am not an albino living in Africa.

I have thought about writing in a gratitude journal. But it goes back to me being lazy and not enough discipline. The gratitude journal will reinforce my gratefulness for everything.

Day 62: What's my story?

My story is............

It's dot dot dot because I dont have a good story to tell YET. I spent tonight with my parents and my cousins. My cousins are from China. They are here visiting for a month and staying at our place downstairs. They came upstairs for dinner. After dinner we were chatting and they started to share their stories.

My parents are overseas Chinese people who grew up in Vietnam. In the late 70's they were forced to leave Vietnam. We left by boat, as many other Chinese Vietnamese people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boat_people). We finally arrived in Hong Kong. We were placed in a refugee camp for awhile before Canada accepted us. This is the summary version. Every time when my parents get together with someone they haven't seen in a long time for some reason or another they share stories of when they were on the boats leaving Vietnam. There are so many stories because they are from another boat. Different things happen to each boat. Because my cousins lived in China, my parents were telling them some stories of what happened to us on our journey as boat people.

I think it is pretty amazing what my parents have gone through. When my mom was my age she was married and had two kids. They had to leave their country to go to a foreign country. In the foreign country they had to learn the culture, the language and raise two kids. I'm 32 years old now and I don't think I would be able to do what my parents did.

My parents have a great story to tell. I do hope they will have the opportunty to tell my kids their story. What's my story ? I got nothing...for now. Hopefully I do something dramatic or life changing to have a worthy story to tell.

Day 61: Strength

Do I have any strength?

Physical
I think I lack physical strength. I don't think I can join a sports team because I am not strong enough. I am sure with some practice and conditioning I can increase my strength. Every work night I get about 6 hours of sleep. My ideal amount of sleep per night is 9 hours. Sometimes I don't have the strength to carry on with my day. Once my work day is over I go home to take a nap. After the nap, I have the strength to go out or do another activity. This past Sunday my friends and I went rollerblading. I bailed on the sidewalk and got some nice bruises. My left arm didn't even have the strength to do basic activities. I really wanted to do aqua fit this past Tuesday. I didn't think I had the strength to move my left arm in the water. When do I push myself harder? Maybe I have the strength but don't know it yet?

Emotional
When something negative happens to me, do I have the strength to move on? I think I do. I need the time to sulk and analyze what happened. After a week or so, I gather up my strength to move on. It is not easy at all. There is a lot of frustration and anger from what happened. What gives me the strength? I am not sure. But there is something in me that gets me to continue with my life. It leaves me emotional scars but you live and learn.