Ween/MGMT

Tegan and Sara

Vampire Weekend

Premier Camping

Sasquatch HERE I come!!!

I will be away all weekend at the greatest musical festival, and will be back on tuesday to share all my firsts!!  Today is the first time I will go with Tara, and her boyfriend, myself and Matt!


Stay tuned....

Chiropractor xray results

Just say YES

Have you seen the movie YES MAN? Well, I suggest you watch it, and every time you are in a position to say YES or NO, always say YES! (obviously some situations are different) Go here to see a clip of the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-Zu9etaqJ8&feature=related

Here's a blog I read from Ark Website today. Just say yes to new things, because you never know what it could lead to. "grab hold of life and squeeze every last drop out of it."


New.

Even the very word revives me.

New.

There’s something about starting things from scratch that just makes me buzz inside. Starting a business was one. Starting new friendships in Dublin was another. Starting to learn to ride a motorbike. Starting to read a new book... even starting a new chapter. What is it about these things that gives me so much excitement and thrill? Surely it must be more than Dopamine?

I sometimes find myself thinking ‘no, don’t get involved there, you’ll never see it through. You’ll start it and it’ll just fade out.’ I’m finding now, that really isn’t a great attitude to have. If you don’t start something, how will you ever know if it’s going to fade or blossom? It’s the same in life. If you don’t try that weird looking vegetable how are you going to know if it tastes uber amazing or like a fork full of mush? Screw that attitude. I want to grab hold of life and squeeze every last drop out of it. I don’t want to miss anything. Carpe Diem. Don’t let any opportunity pass you.

Yes, some things may fade out but what about the ones that don’t?


The word 'but' is one of my least favourite words. It is actually disgusting.


Look at the definition mac gives:

but |bət|: conjunction
used to indicate the impossibility of anything other than what is being stated

Boke!


But I don’t have enough money - find some


But I don’t have enough time - make time


But it’s raining outside - what!?


We (myself being one of the worst) are so bad for making excuses. Yes, sometimes it’s reasonable to question but that rationale has taken over our lives. We live off buts. We live with ‘what if’s’ because the buts drown out any glimpse we may have of what would happen if we actually did just embrace life.

Carpe Diem.

Where am I going with this?


We can sit in our comfortable little bubbles that just float along with the way things work or we can dare to dream. Yea, some of those dreams will die, but a rare few will make it through alive and last a lifetime.

Just over two years ago I dared to dream. My heart said yes. My head said no.


No - You don’t have the time. You won’t be able to commit enough. Is this even the right thing to be committing to? How will you find time for this? There’s no way this will even work. You’ve been dreaming too much. You know nothing about any of this, how do you expect to make it work? You can’t even do the basics right, what will you be like when this grows? You’re heart has taken over so much that you can’t see how impractical this is.

Yes - Love. I don’t care about the impossibles. I’ll find a way. There’s something special about this that I just can’t ignore.

I decided to go yes and my life’s never been the same again.

Today, I’m faced with the same question...

I choose yes.

Vinyasa Yoga

I tried a Vinyasa Yoga class today for the first time with my beautiful sister, Tara. She has done a lot of Yoga, so she was quite comfortable and happy to do it with me. Thanks, Tara! 

Vinyasa Krama Yoga, employs the technique of "connecting postures," but is not limited to the six series of postures like other versions of Yoga. This style allows for a lot of variety, but will almost certainly include Sun Salutations. If your yoga class schedule lists a Vinyasa class, expect movement, not just stretching. Whether the class is fast or slow, includes chanting, or is very alignment-oriented will depend on the individual teacher. (quoted from yoga.about.com)

The class today was quite challenging for me, mainly because it was so long! One and a half hours of holding poses, and lengthening the spine, and moving from one pose to the other quite quickly, being aware of your breath, and stretching for long strenuous periods of time, and being in the moment and thinking only of the pose you're in, and being grounded and centered, etc etc... it was just as mentally exhausting as physically. But, really great!

This class was FAR more challenging the one I did last week, and some of the poses I was amazed I was able to do, and hold for more than 2 seconds.  (maybe one day I'll be able to do this? )

Side Information: "When vinyasa is used as a noun, it describes a series of three poses that are done as part of a Sun Salutation sequence. When the teacher says, "go through the vinyasa at your own pace," she means do Plank, Chaturanga, and Upward Facing Dog. It felt like we did these three poses about 20 times, and each time I could feel myself getting better and more comfortable in them. " http://yoga.about.com/

Lost: Series Finale

Yoga Ball Fusion

How Stuff Works.com

How Stuff Works, which is now owned by the same company that owns The Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, is a great information site that clearly explains how things work in layman’s terms. Articles are paginated, illustrated, and written in a format that makes reading them quickly very doable. Many articles are accompanied by videos that make understanding abstract or unfamiliar concepts even easier.

I found out about this website for the first time today, and it's great for people on the go or if you just need to figure out something quickly and efficiently with simple language. Also, if you have a bit of time to kill, you can really spend hours on this site learning all kinds of interesting things.  Go to http://www.howstuffworks.com/

For instance, I learned about nightingale poop used for facials. Read on:

There's an old superstition that if a bird happens to poop on you as it's flying by, you'll have good luck. Some versions specify that the bird poop must land on your head to count, or that the good luck is only related to money. But for most of us, bird poop is nothing to be happy about. It's usually just something we have to wash off our car or maybe ourselves if we're one of the lucky (or not-so-lucky) few.

There are people, however, who are not only handling bird poop by choice, but putting it on their faces -- as a beauty treatment. It's the poop of a specific type of nightingale, the Japanese bush warbler, and it's called uguisu no fun (literally "nightingale feces") in Japanese.

Using nightingale poop in a facial is an ancient Japanese technique that has recently started to make its way westward. It's said to make your skin softer and brighter. High-end spas in New York and other American cities now offer facials incorporating the poop (called "geisha facials") that can be quite expensive. The spa Shizuka New York offers the service for $180, for example. Mail-order companies also sell the ingredients for home use at about $20 per ounce.

If you're wondering about the smell of bird poop on your face (and how could you not?), users have described it as anything from "doughy" to "musky" to "medicinal," while some say that there's no smell at all.

So is there any real reason to add it to your beauty regimen? Read on to get the poop on, well, the poop.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/beauty/skin-treatments/geisha-facial.htm Weird, but very fascinating...

Eat more bacon and have more sex

"Eat more bacon and have more sex!": this was a line in Grey's Anatomy tonight, that I just loved. Today, was the first time I've watched Grey's anatomy and felt extreme emotion. Extreme in the way that I had to turn off the television it was so intense! I've been watching this show religiously since it first started, and have only missed a couple of episodes. I've cried, I've balled and I've had lots of emotional roller coasters watching it, but NOTHING like today. It was just insane; pure and utter madness, actually.

Two fairly main characters were killed off, people were being shot left right and centre, surgeons were being punished for the fact that they were surgeons, and a man was walking around the hospital with a gun he bought at a general superstore. (that was shocking, and really scary to think about)  I was screaming, and crying, and yelling throughout the entire show. Matt had to keep reminding me that it wasn't real. God, it felt real! I am very attached to many of the characters now after years of watching it. Seattle Grace (the hospital where it all takes places) found itself under attack by a crazed, grieving gunman, who fans will recognize from an earlier episode where his wife was taken off life support. This man has one goal - kill Dr. McDreamy, (the beautiful man to the right- noooooooo!!!) but ends up leaving a wave of destruction at the hospital that no one could have seen coming. If you watched the first seven minutes of the episode, you know that Alex Karev (surgeon) is shot right from the start. Things don't go too well for him from there, but luckily, his GF little Grey and McSteamy find him and save his life...... You have to watch it , if you haven't already.


The night was a whirlwind of drama, suspense and tears. Just how television should be, don't you think? It was overly dramatic, and not really believable in some parts, but WHO CARES!! I was beginning to think Grey's Anatomy was on it's way out of television, but this episode proved that it can be amazing and heart wrenching and so surprising that you want to vomit! I didn't sleep very well last night, and it was worth every lost minute of sleep. I wish I could watch it over all again.

Cardio kickbox

I'm in BAAADDD need of some serious blog ideas?!? please, anyone, someone.... I'm really struggling here. okay. Today was a fun one!

Today, I did cardio kickbox for the first time at the new Robert Lee YMCA. I've done step classes for cardio, and I've done kickboxing, but never combined the two together for a good workout. And, wow, was it good! It practically killed me, but it was good. Imagine doing this move to the left, about 30 times in a row, and then switching to the other leg, and then switching to the other leg three more times, until your leg feels like it might fall off. Literally. Fall. Off. It was brutal.

Today I realized that I'm in terrible shape. Really. I need to improve on my cardiovascular endurance. I was done about 15 minutes in to the class, and it was an hour class. The best part about doing classes with other people, is the motivation you get from everyone else in the class. (well, I do anyways) I see another person who is jumping rather than just stepping, and it makes me want to beat her and do better than her, and jump HIGHER. Maybe this is my competitive nature? However, this is not a good idea when you are in bad shape, because I worked so hard to jump higher than the girl next to me, that I almost barfed I was working so hard. I had to stop mid-work-out so I wouldn't hurl my dinner. It was a very close call. I managed to finish the class (yay me!) but barely...

I am determined to do this class, and not feel the urge to barf 15 minutes into the class. I am planning to do this class throughout the entire summer, so hopefully by September I will be the person that OTHER people use as motivation to keep them going!

Benefits of Cardio Kickboxing

Cardio – well the cardio component comes in because we’re talking fast paced movements using your arms, legs and your core to stabilize you. All your muscles from your head to toe are activated when you’re punching and kicking…as a result you benefit the most from spending time doing cardio kickboxing.

Fat burning – since all your muscles are being activated with high intensity your body is going to utilize fat for energy almost instantly. Thought getting a 6-pack was impossible? Think again!

Increased coordination – you will notice that your hand-eye coordination will improve dramatically within only a couple weeks of cardio kickboxing. Focusing on hitting your trainer’s punching mitt with your fist and foot will do wonders with your agility. Stop being a cluts for good!

Strength development – with the cardio component and agility your body will become smarter with how to exert the most force with the muscle you have. As a result your strength will sky-rocket to new levels and you’ll notice that any fat you have around your arms or legs will quickly transform into defined muscle. Women will get rid of wobbly fat under their arms and cellulite in their legs while guys will notice a pump in their biceps and their quadriceps grow with serious definition.

Stress reduction – had a bad day? What better way to get out all your frustrations, stresses and angers with punching and kicking a bag. End result…there is no way in hell you can leave a cardio kickboxing class with feelings that you have been overcome by a bad day! You will win!

Self-defense – let’s not forget that kickboxing will dramatically improve your confidence in protecting yourself if there was ever the need. Or what if you’re caught in a burning house and need to kick down a door? Sure not likely, but at least you can get some super-hero strength with training in kickboxing!

Try a new class today for the first time, challenge yourself, and don't barf!

Bitch Wine

I tried Bitch wine for the first time today. It’s a fairly priced, fine Australian wine with an earthy note. And what I like most about it: its ironic name gives the snobby, serious wine industry a refreshing twist.

The back of the label is quite extraordinary too: It says “Bitch” 77 times, followed by “bitch some more”. It’s up to you to decide what that means… Whatever inspired it, I am happy it arrived.
In case you ran out of ideas what to bring to dinner parties – Bitch wine is a cheeky and cool gift...

Try a new wine today for the first time! 

Chiropractor

Today, I went to a Chiropractor for the first time. I have back pain on a constant basis, but I've gotten so used to it, I don't even really think much about it. If I sit for too long, or stay in one position for to long, my upper back/neck hurts.

Here's Dr. Tervor Kilian's website : http://www.kilianchiropractic.com/  He asked me all kinds of questions, and one that came up, was interesting. He asked me if I had been in a car or skiing accident? A few years ago, I was in a pretty terrible skiing accident. I crashed into a beginner skiier (my fault) and I had terrible whiplash and was knocked out for a minute. I wasn't able to move my neck or sleep for a few days. The woman I crashed in to got a broken wrist, and was carried down on a stretcher to a hospital. He said that an injury like this, can easily damage your spine and cause you to have all kinds of problems that will slowly get worse over time . I didn't even think that this kind of accident would affect your spine.

Kilian Chiropractic combines innovative treatment techniques with alternative, natural and holistic healing therapies that are designed specifically to support and maximize your health potential. "Initially, taking responsibility for one’s health may be challenging," says Dr. Kilian. His positive attitude and optimistic views on life are encouraging and supportive during this time.

He was very easy to talk to, and made me think more about my spine, than I ever have in my life. As I was standing in front of the mirror, he pointed out my natural posture as being slightly to the right, with one shoulder lower than the other. He also pointed out that my head sits forward and hangs down. I knew I had terrible posture, but never really examined it before.  He pushed down on areas of my spine that were VERY sore and explained that a healthy spine would not feel pain like I did. 

He did some xrays of my spine, and I will get the results on Wednesday. (obviously that is not me in the photo to the right, but that is what the machine looked like) He was concerned about my spine, but told me that most damage to the spine can be reversed. Does this mean for the rest of my life I have to see a chiropractor, or will it take a few years? I guess I will find out. Since I have an amazing Health Extended Plan through Matt's work, I'm going to take full advantage of the $500 per year ! 

Spinal Health Evaluation

I was walking out of Costco and came up to a booth that was asking "Do you have bad posture?" I instantly said, "yes!" to myself, because I catch myself all the time slouching. Even just as I typed this last sentence, I noticed I was slouching.

They were doing spinal examinations, and if you booked an appointment with them, part of the proceeds would go to the Children's Hospital. How can I possibly say no to this? Normally a visit to the Chiropractor would easily cost $50, and I paid $20 which I can get back from Extended Medical anyways.

Today, for the first time I got a "computerized spinal examination through Surface sEMG , which is used to measure relative levels of electrical activity generated when muscles contract. This measurement provides you  with valuable information regarding muscle tension as a feedback mechanism within the body. This measured data is an objective tool which can help you determine areas of excess or low muscle activity, providing both a qualitative and quantitative view of how your muscular system is functioning. " --- this also made me think I need to do more weight training on my upper back/shoulders!

Apparently, posture ranks right up at the top of the list when you are talking about good health. It is as important as eating right, exercising, getting a good night's sleep and avoiding substances like alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Good posture is a way of doing things with more energy, less stress and fatigue. Without good posture, you can't really be physically fit. The importance of good posture in an overall fitness program is often overlooked by fitness advisers and fitness seekers alike. 

Read here http://www.kansaschirofoundation.org/goodposture-article.html for some good info on posture. "In fact, the benefits of good posture may be among the best kept secrets of the current fitness movement. The good news is that most everyone can avoid the problems caused by bad posture and you can make improvements at any age."

I am going to see one of these Chiropractors I met outside of Costco tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.  If you look at my results from the test above (my spine is on the right- the green lines are normal on the left)  it clearly shows that my upper back and upper spine have major issues. Yikes! (maybe he was concerned so I would book an appt?-- either way, it worked) 

BBQ at Spectrum

Today, was the first official BBQ of the year, the first  time we've had a BBQ on the 29th floor of our new place, and the  first time in the entire 14 days we've lived here, that we've had more than a few people visit at a time.  There were 10 people here, in our little space. It was an impromptu housewarming and a very fun night!Thanks everyone for coming!

The greatest part about our new place, is the fact we live in a concrete building. We had our music cranked, we were singing, and dancing, and laughing loudly. Not once did we get a banging on our wall or a knock on the front door of a neighbour complaining of the noise. (this didn't happen very often, because we rarely had people over)

I love our new place, and can't wait to have lots of bbq's this summer, and lots of parties! We had music on until at least 1am, so we plan to have many more shin digs to come!

Mike and Matt did their version of Hand Grenades, with whatever left over alcohol we had left, and Tara and Matt did a beautiful performance for everyone!

Stars on Ice

This is Kurt Browning, performing "luck be a Lady" by Frank Sinatra. But, look closely at his skates; he's skating in hockey skates!  It was very impressive.  My favourite performance of the night, by FAR! "This skate dance was choreographed for the 'Battle of the Blades' show. As in his 1998 "Moby Dick" number, Kurt proved his ability to do astonishing footwork and even salchow and axel jumps in hockey blades, and proved that it was possible to look smooth and elegant in hockey skates."  (kurtfiles.com)

This is the first time I've ever sat in a box at GM Place. (it was the lower box, so we had a great view) Thanks to Liz, we got to see this amazing show for free. I think as a kid, I remember watching Stars on Ice, so this isn't a first, but it felt like one, as it's been years since I've seen any professional skaters in person.  If you haven't seen it yet, it's definitely worth seeing once in your life if you enjoy figure skating. I was far more impressed by the doubles performance because of the lifts, and jumps, and fancy moves. The solos were a bit slow. (except for Kurt of course!)

2010 marks the 20th year of the Stars on Ice tour in Canada, and the 20th year that Kurt Browning will have been a part of Stars on Ice. I am so happy we got to see him perform.

If you know your ice skaters, than here's a list of all the people who performs tonight! :) 

Cast:

• Kurt Browning
• Jeff Buttle
• Shawn Sawyer
• Joannie Rochette
• Cynthia Phaneuf
• Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir
• Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon
• Jamie Sale & David Pelletier 

24 laps

Today, was the first time I went down to our pool, and actually swam laps. We've lived here for 13 days now, and I've only been down to casually use the pool and float around. I used to be in a Swim Club as a kid, so swimming laps was never a huge challenge for me. It's been YEARS since I did this, though, so it was harder than I remember.

I swam 24 laps continuously tonight, for the first time in our 25 meter pool in our building. I've never had a pool in our building before, so getting used to having it and remembering we have it will be a challenge!

I feel AMAZING! I can't believe I was able to do that many laps. I am very proud of myself. But, thinking back to when I was a kid, 25 laps was our warm-up!!!

Swimming is primarily an aerobic exercise due to the long exercise time, requiring a constant oxygen supply to the muscles, except for short sprints where the muscles work anaerobically. As with most aerobic exercise swimming is believed to reduce the harmful effects of stress. Swimming can improve posture and develop a strong lean physique, often called a "swimmer's build.

My goal is to go swimming twice a week , along with my other daily gym classes and workouts at the new Robert Lee gym... I'm gonna be a fit lady before you know it! Watch out :)

Hard Core Bod

Who doesn’t want a hard core bod? Sculpt, chisel and tone in this total body conditioning class that uses a variety of equipment and techniques designed to engage your core muscles while improving muscular strength and endurance in your entire body!-- this is the write-up for the class I tried out for the first time today, with my friend Hayley.

It wasn't so much cardio, as weight training while moving at the same time. It was intense, and VERY challenging for us. Hayley and I continued to look over at each other with death in our eyes. It was great to have her there, as I probably would not have even come to the class if it weren't for her amazing motivation and drive to work-out every day! She's determined, and it has really rubbed off on me. THANKS HAYLEY!!!!!

Ok, this photo gives me the heebie jeebies. Maybe because my head looks too big, or maybe because it doesnt even look like me anymore?!?

This is the first time I've attempted to put my head, on a different body. I have to say, it's really freaky. I probably could have chosen a different face photo. But, I thought it would be hilarious to use the photo I have as my profile photo...

HAHAHAHAH. This really makes me laugh and cry.

can you see me being THIS HARD CORE???

Gym Cardio Class

This is not the first time I've gone to a gym group fitness class, and not the first time I've done many of the exercises before. I've been to the gym many times in my life, and I go through periods of working out a lot, to not working out at all. I have a hard time finding the motivation to stick to it, and create a "lifestyle" out of it. It's been a constant struggle with me.


Today is the first time I've taken a cardio fitness class at the NEW  Robert Lee YMCA, with my free membership, with a co-worker. It was called " Athletic Workout" -- Buff up your bod with our total body conditioning class! Utilizing various conditioning techniques, this class is designed to increase your metabolism and lean muscle mass while burning fat and having fun. This non-choreographed circuit-style class will motivate, challenge and empower you regardless of your fitness level. 


I almost died. Literally. It was very challenging, but pushed me to limits I didn't think I could go, and pushed me harder than I've been pushed in a long time! I've been mainly doing the elliptical trainer/stair climber for the last month, which was really quite dull and boring, so I'm going to continue trying new classes at this new gym! It'll be a good week of firsts at the gym!! I've been looking forward to this gym opening for a long time and I am excited to start my "wedding fitness program" and weight loss goals. (I've already lost about 5 lbs in the last few weeks) 

...."The new Robert Lee YMCA offers more than 92,000 square feet of services and programs to strengthen the lives of families, children, youth, adults and seniors. This fully accessible building also breaks down all types of barriers to community—physical, financial or otherwise. Besides our brand new look and feel, we have a new name. The Robert Lee YMCA is named after Mr. Robert H. Lee, a Vancouver-born entrepreneur and philanthropist, in recognition of his leadership donation towards the new facility. A member for 45 years, Mr. Lee made the YMCA a part of his daily life.
You may not know that the original Downtown YMCA served Vancouver for more than 70 years. In fact, our building’s heritage exterior is a constant reminder of the YMCA’s historical place in the community. Founded in 1886, the YMCA of Greater Vancouver started out providing services for young men. But for more than 100 years now, we’ve been a part of the lives of children, teens, women and seniors in the Lower Mainland. In fact, we’ve served more than 97,000 people in 2008 alone."..... 


Join a gym today, and try out some new classes for the first time; you'll be surprised how good it feels! 

Hatha Yoga

Today, I tried Traditional Hatha Yoga for the first time. It is a holistic yogic path, including moral disciplines, physical postures (asana), purification procedures (shatkriya), poses (mudra), yogic breathing (pranayama), and meditation. The Hatha yoga predominantly practiced in the West consists of mostly asanas understood as physical exercises. It is also recognized as a stress-reducing practice.

My friend Hayley and I have begun taking all the new classes at the new YMCA near our work. This was the first time either of us had done Yoga, so we weren't too sure what to expect. We knew we'd be holding different positions, and we knew it'd be challenging and we knew we'd get a Yoga mat, and be in a calm space. 

Try this pose right now, it's very difficult. If you're in a room full of people doing the pose together, it gives you motivation (and my competitive side comes out) so I tried as hard as I possibly could not to fall. I managed to do it, by "centering my heart to the earth "--or something like that, and balancing with all my might. 

To our surprise, there were some body parts we weren't even aware that could experience pain. (The tip of our toes, and our lower spine) Also, we were asked to do some strange things with our body. "Lengthen your neck", "Squeeze your kidneys", "be aware of your upper and lower ribs hitting the floor"," suck in your abs, push out your chest, pull back your shoulders, and raise your heart" .... these requests were things I really needed to wrap my head around, and sometimes I felt like my body was twisting and bending into very unnatural positions. A few times my spine cracked and hurt, and I didn't realize that you should be able to actually feel your spine. Hopefully the cracks were good things? 

At one point, the instructor noticed that I wasn't lengthening my neck properly, (mainly because I had no clue what she was talking about) so she came behind me and lifted my head off my shoulders- it felt like my head would pop off, but once she was done, I felt an interesting relief and lightness. 

I actually worked up a decent sweat, surprisingly, because we weren't working out very hard. It was more relaxing than strenuous. We were holding posing for a significant amount of time, and we were in a small stuffy room, so I imagine you would sweat doing this type of activity. 

Afterwards, I felt a sense of relief and refreshment! I will definitely go back again next week :) Try Yoga, for stress relief and stretching your body. It feels good...

Emotional Internet Radio

Stereomood is a free internet radio that provides me with the music that best suits my mood or the activities I'm about to do! It's really quite amazing and simple to use. I heard about this through my friend Anna for the first time today, and I'm hooked! All you need is the internet and a good pair of speakers.

Do you need some upbeat cleaning music, or background romantic music? It's all there for you! I sound like I'm advertising for them, but seriously check it out: http://www.stereomood.com and follow them on facebook http://www.facebook.com/stereomood along with the 10,000 other people!

If I'm having trouble finding the best music suitable for a romantic night or a party, Stereomood can easily help me just from the first page: the tagcloud on the homepage suggests a variety of options. I can also save my favourite tracks in playlists to use for a special occasion or to share with whom I want.

Here's a little blurb from their website:

a bit of history

the idea of stereomood was born in february 2007 in milan. giovanni, drained by the "apocalyptica" maurizio played in an exhaustingly loud volume, decided at any cost to provide him with an online tool to listen to, arrange and share the newest tracks from the best international music blogs.

thanks to the amazing effect of eleonora’s sweet and sour peppers – able to awaken even daniele’s brain, already 'retired' for the lethal doses of html and css bugs – a great new insight has droven us towards this first release. why don’t we arrange our mp3 files according to the people moods and activities?

how many times do we get up on a sleepy sunday morning with the desire to play great and lively songs on the spot, without wasting a lot of time looking for the right cd or mp3 file among all the others and losing our temper...? how many times would we love to tidy up our room and dust at the place of music without smoking so many cigarettes while waiting for the right song to be on?

some features are still missing (eh! it's a draft!), but we hope stereomood is going to help you experience music in new, exciting and emotional way.

I'm listening to "DREAMY" right now--- what mood are you in?

Sea Wall

Today, I biked around the entire sea wall for the first time, by myself. I usually prefer to go on bike rides with people, so I don't take my bike out much as I'd like. (Matt doesn't have a bike ) I started at Georgia Viaduct, (right outside my new place) and ended at the Georgia Viaduct. It took me about 3 hours, and I stopped for lunch along the way. It was a beautiful afternoon, sunny, perfect temperature, and a great day for me to reflect, and think about life and my future. Yet again, I've been going through a lot at work, so it was a great way to de-stress and not worry about it.

This was my route:

It claims to be about 23 km on the street roads, but I took the longer way along the ocean, so I bet I went about 30 -35km today.

It wasn't really a huge workout, as I took my time, and really enjoyed the scenery.  I imagine if there weren't a lot of people on the trail, you could get a pretty decent workout if you really made an effort to go quickly. Why would you do that though? You'd miss the whole point of the Sea Wall.

I've never ridden around the False Creek/Yaletown part of the sea wall, and I was impressed how nice it was. I really do live in an amazing city! Sometimes I forget, and really take for granted how lucky I am to live here.

Have you walked/ran/biked on the sea wall before? If not, than I think you should do it!!! If you don't want to do the entire thing, just do a portion of it. *warning* on sunny days, it's very busy, and you should be prepared to come accross many people on the paths! Just relax, and take your time....

I love it! :)

Sick Day

* I'm taking a sick day today *

I am in bed, and not feeling well. I make the rules, so I say this is ok. If you have a problem, than too bad! pfffffffffftttt

International No Diet Day

Today , I celebrated "International No Diet Day", mainly because I was feeling extremely depressed about my job and the fact I was suspended again. I felt the urge to just eat bad things. This day was established in 1992 by Mary Evans Young (pictured below), the director of the British anti-diet campaign Diet Breakers.

Today, I ate two cookies from Costco for breakfast. I ate McDonalds for lunch, (a chicken burger, fries and a Sprite)  and I had a donut from Tim Hortons, and a coke for a snack.  For dinner, I ate a hamburger that we made at home. And for dessert, I ate vanilla ice cream with cinnamon. 

WOW.  Imagine how many people eat like this every day? ..... I couldn't do it. I feel disgusting. I normally eat quite good. I don't diet, but I do watch my calories and consumption a much as I can. 

I think I went a little over board, don't you?

Mary, a recovered anorexic, is the author of a best-selling book in Britain titled Diet Breaking: Having It All Without Having To Diet (Hodder & Stoughton, 1995). Here is the story of how INDD was born, in Mary's own words:

"I started INDD in the spring of '92 following two things. The first was seeing a television programme where women were having their stomachs stapled. One woman had split the staples and was in for her third op[eration]. And then a young girl of 15 committed suicide because 'she couldn't cope being fat.' She was size 14 (12 in US). I decided somebody had to stand up and try to stop this bloody madness and in the absence of anybody else, I decided it would be me. So I sent out a press release titled 'Fat Woman Bites Back'...and got some media attention. I was desperate to keep the anti-diet/size acceptance concept in the public eye. So, without really thinking about it, at the end of a live TV interview I said, 'Don't forget to celebrate No Diet Day.' ...Having declared it on prime time national TV I then set about organising a picnic in Hyde Park. Alas it rained, so we adjourned to my living room instead."

From a picnic in Mary's living room, International No Diet Day has spread around the globe. Since 1993, INDD has been celebrated in Australia, Canada, England, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Africa, across the United States and in many other locations around the world.

oops.. it was Cinco De Mayo...

Today is the first time I haven't celebrated Cinco De Mayo.  Instead, I unpacked my apartment, while Matt was at a playoff hockey game. I didn't feel like going out and doing anything else.  It's usually just a good day to drink tequila and go out with friends, but today, all I wanted to do was stay home and ORGANIZE.  Incase you don't know what Cinco De Mayo is, read this article below I found here

as it explains it very well! 

In gratitude, thousands of Mexicans crossed the border after Pearl Harbor to join the U.S. Armed Forces. As recently as the Persian Gulf War, Mexicans flooded American consulates with phone calls, trying to join up and fight another war for America.

Mexicans, you see, never forget who their friends are, and neither do Americans. That's why Cinco de Mayo is such a party -- A party that celebrates freedom and liberty. There are two ideals which Mexicans and Americans have fought shoulder to shoulder to protect, ever since the 5th of May, 1862. VIVA! el CINCO DE MAYO!!

I missed out...   Today, was not a good first day...

...it's like living in a hotel....

This is the first time in my life I feel like I live in a hotel (but in a good way) . The lobby is beautiful, with modern furniture and art work. The ceilings are VERY high, and you have a view of the pool and amenities as you walk past the 24 hour concierge.

Yes, we have a concierge. What a fancy word! A concierge is an employee who lives on the premises of an apartment building or a hotel and serves as a general property caretaker with duties similar to janitor. Ha! Concierge sounds far better than a janitor, that's for sure! I feel very safe in our building and don't need to worry about burglars or crazies digging through our garbage in the back yard. 

We have an amazing fitness area, with elliptical trainers, bicycles, treadmills, weights, yoga supplies, a t.v. to pass the time and pretty everything you could possible need to get in shape. Sadly, I haven't used the facilities yet; but, this in the plans for near future! The gym over looks the 25 meter pool, hottub, sauna and steam room which you can kind of see in the photo?

If this doesn't seem like a hotel yet, I don't know what will? I think it's luxury, and I feel like a bit of a princess living here.

Here's the pool! It's warm, and 25 meter in length, which means I can start swimming laps more often. its been so long since I've done that! I will surely get into shape, and really have no excuse to have a belly, and flabby arms and a saggy butt. lol.

Doesn't the pool look refreshing ? It's quite shallow all the way around, so there is no diving. But, who cares. I have a 25 meter pool in my basement!

HOW CAN I REALLY COMPLAIN about life right now? Life is sweet.

I hate my blog

Today is the first day I truly hate my blog. I don't want to do it anymore. I hate it, and hate thinking of new things everyday to do or try. Wow. I never thought it would come to this, but I don't want to do it. Maybe it's because I have my monthly "friend" , and I just need some chocolate? :)  or ice cream .... or the combination of both.

Please someone give me some ideas?! I'm running out of ideas, and I'm only a third of the way through the year.. how am i going to do 365 days of this? aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Psychoanalytic views

In psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud defined hate as an ego state that wishes to destroy the source of its unhappiness. More recently, the Penguin Dictionary of Psychology defines hate as a "deep, enduring, intense emotion expressing animosity, anger, and hostility towards a person, group, or object."Because hatred is believed to be long-lasting, many psychologists consider it to be more of an attitude or disposition than a temporary emotional state.

[edit]Neurological research

The neural correlates of hate have been investigated with an fMRI procedure. In this experiment, people had their brains scanned while viewing pictures of people they hated. The results showed increased activity in the medial frontal gyrus, right putamen, bilaterally in the premotor cortex, in the frontal pole, and bilaterally in the medial insula of the human brain. The researchers concluded that there is a distinct pattern of brain activity that occurs when people are experiencing hatred.


HATE. It's probably too strong a word for what i'm experiencing today. But, I'm worried that I won't be able to finish what I started  :(  This is a big pattern in my life. 

Tim Hortons (ARK)

Today, I was wearing my ARK tshirt, and I was having a pretty terrible day. Nothing happened that was bad necessarily, I was just overall in a very crummy mood. And, I wasn't choosing to make myself happy, but dwelling in the unhappiness of my day. I do this sometimes. It's kind of sad.

Anyways, a guy was about to pay for a $2.00 coffee at Tim Hortons in front of me, with a $20.00 bill. This particular Tim Hortons was a very small one inside a gas station, so the teller asked the man if he had any smaller change? He said no, and the teller asked him if he wouldn't mind getting change from other teller at the gas station. He seemed annoyed, and instantly without thinking, I took out a toonie and said, "don't worry about it, I'll buy your coffee today!" the guy said "no, no!" and I insisted. He thanked me and I told him to "pay it forward". He looked at me weirdly after this, and took off quite quickly.

Maybe he didn't know what I meant, by "pay it forward"? If you haven't seen the movie "Pay It Forward" I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it. It's about a 12-year-old boy who is in grade school. His social studies teacher Eugene Simonet (Spacey) gives the class an assignment to devise and put into action a plan that will change the world for the better. Trevor calls his plan "pay it forward", which can be described as a charitable pyramid scheme, based on good deeds rather than profit. "Paying it forward" means the recipient of a favor does a favor for a third party rather than paying the favor back. It's an amazing concept, and I think more people should live their lives with this in mind.

anyways, buy someone a coffee or offer to pay for someone's food if they don't have the money. It makes you feel good, and  my day brightened almost instantly after that. It doesn't take much to make your day, and someone else's a little bit brighter. Try it today!

First Day in new place! :)