Melrose Avenue Mini Adventure

 Found this at Wasteland on Melrose. First found it in Urban Outfitters for $30.00 during Black Friday then today saw it here for $18.00. I'm not gonna say this is where to go if you want super discounted clothes and accessories, but if you look hard enough, you may find really good stuff that may be worth the price :)

 We ended up buying it. Gonna do an OOTD for him again soon wearing this hat.

Some paintings I found in a store that I really liked. I really like that one with the girl wearing the HK mask. I forgot the name of the store :( They're for sale if you're interested. I think both those Sanrio character themed ones were from some Japanese store and the one in the middle was in a toy shop.. I think.

I couldn't resist.. There was a long mirror in front of me.

For all those legging lovers: World of Leggings. All your legging desires. I didn't get to take a picture of all the patterns they have, but I did catch a cute one.

I would like to go to sleep in this.

Velvet Cupcakes and Teavana Lunch Date

 I expected more from Velvet Cupcakes cus the place looked like their cupcakes would be super amazing. The brown one is good. It's Hazelnut Chocolate and it tastes like chocolate cake with nutella. The cake is good, but the butter cream icing was a bit much and half way through the cupcake I didn't want anymore.

The Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting tasted exactly what it's supposed to, but nothing more. I don't know why I expected it to have some special filling or something lol. Original works best, I guess. I have yet to try one that's so amazing that I will never forget it.

Teavana is a little store that I found first in Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, but I'm sure there are others in different malls. This is a perfect blend of Samurai Chai Mate and Maharaja Chai Oolong Tea with a little German Rock Sugar, which they also sell in the store. The whole vibe of the place is just great. You can sample all the teas they have out while walking around and looking at all the tea stuff they sell. I am definitely purchasing these 2 teas so I can make it at home all the time lol.

Niko Niko Sushi Date

This, lovers, is called Popcorn Lobster Roll. I'm not a professional and this picture does no justice. Inside is spicy tuna topped with deep fried lobster, seaweed, sesame seeds, and a thousand layers of goodness. DEFINITELY WILL BE ORDERING THIS AGAIN.

 Jay ordered a Snow Cone Roll and as you can see, it was so good that I didn't even get the chance to take a picture of the whole thing when it was still in tact lol. It took a while for it to come to our table cus it was baked. Anyway it was amazing, WILL BE ORDERING THIS AGAIN.

The Dynamite Roll which was so hyped up to us by the waitress but when it came it looked nothing like the picture and tasted nothing like she described. Also, too much onion.. for us it was too much. You might like it. It's baby shrimp, scallops, and mushroom. It was ooookay. Will not be ordering it again, though.

Thug life, baby. Lol can't wait to try another sushi bar and take you guys along on our date again.

Good night!

His OOTD

Beanie: H&M
Top: Urban Outfitters
Jeans: Levi's 511

Merry Christmas To Me!

I finally bough myself a Canon  EOS Rebel T3i! I know this is stupid to say, but I now have a chance to learn how to use it before my little camping trip. Possibly make a few videos here and there. Jay knows how to use cameras since that is his major, so yeah. Awesome! Woo!

4 More weeks dedicated to abs

Hello friends! I'm so retarded it's not 4 weeks it's actually 10 weeks -__- lol

ANYWAY. I'm doing a 4 week challenge starting now until December 10.
I'm just enforcing rules that I normally should've followed lol.
-No sugary treats. Not even on Thanksgiving.
-SUPER low carbohydrates. Meaning no pasta, rice, or bread.
-More protein. (Shakes, spinach, and other veggies)
-Always keep a snack with you in handy just in case.
-Ab workouts EVERY DAY. Fasted cardio 3x a week.

Ciabatta Bread Recipe

No knead and only 3 hours of rising (instead of 18 hours).

I tried both 3 hour and 18 hour rise but I much prefer the 3 hour rise than the 18. It's up to you though, if you're willing to wait that long :)

The one on the right is pita bread, but the one on the right is my 3 hour ciabatta bread. Jay loved it! I loved it. I will now share with you how I made it.

What I used:
2 Bowls
2 towels
Wooden spoon
3 1/4 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp yeast (I used Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast)
1 1/2 cup of warm water
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 baking pan

So in your bowl, add your flour, salt, sugar, yeast, water, and olive oil and then mix it with your wooden spoon. The consistency at first is that it's too dry, and then later it's too sticky. DON'T PANIC. This dough is supposed to be super sticky. Don't change the recipe, don't add anything.

Flour your CLEAN counter top or something you can put the dough on. Then cut in half. This is big enough for 2 loafs. Place both in separate bowls and cover the bowl with a towel. You can use foil if you want. Let it rest for 1 hour.

1 hour later...
Take the dough out and make it into a shape of a square. Fold the left side of the square in the middle, then the right side of the dough in the middle. Continue to fold the top and bottom of the square. Kind of punch it in with the bottom of your palm so that it sticks to itself. Turn it over and repeat. Do this with the other dough also. THEN... cover with your towel and let it rest for another hour.

1 hour later...
repeat everything up there.

1 hour later... (again)
repeat everything again. This is the final rest.

1 hour later... (finally)
Lightly coat the baking pan with olive oil and flour. Place each of the dough on the baking pan and stretch it out lengthwise. It should be able to reach each end of the pan. Sprinkle both doughs with flour so that it's not sticky at the top. Preheat your oven to 450 and then bake for 30 minutes. Every 10 minutes or so sprinkle some water on to the crust.

ENJOY! :)

Cardio: Biking for Smaller Legs

For me personally, there are times where running is not the greatest idea for a cardio. Girls, you'll understand me in this: boobs. Anyway, because of that, I realize biking is the next best thing for me.

I don't bike outdoors because I don't feel safe. I bike in the gym where I can keep track of my distance and speed. There's a timer on the stationary bikes and usually they're set at 20 minutes. You can choose to have however much resistance you want. The higher the resistance mimics the hills you would be biking over if you were to bike outdoors.

You can definitely take the easy way. You can just cruise right through the 20 minutes with minimum to no resistance. While that is quite the bike ride you would have through the park, there would only be a little calories lost. For you to get the most out of your cardio, make use of the resistance levels, speed, and time.

Overall, cardio exercise is mandatory in weight-loss. A good cardio workout will strengthen your lungs, burn fat, strengthen your heart, increase endurance and stamina, and tone muscles. You can adjust the settings on the stationary bike according to the results you want to have. Sure, you can't lose fat on specific spots in your body only, but you can guide the way you lose the fat and focus on a certain place like your legs, abs, and arms by the way you position your self on the bike. The better part of cardio is that it burns fat all around your body.

I used to love my legs a lot. Of course this was when I was a varsity volleyball player and a dancer. I am neither of those now so if you can imagine my legs have muscle inside them. Strong muscle. Over the years, I have piled on a thick layer of fat and it makes my legs look big.

My goal: smaller thighs and calves.

Because I have muscle already in my thighs, I don't want to make the layer of fat on top to become even more muscle. I just want the fat to go away, so my legs would be back to how it was.

HOW TO GET BETTER LEGS WITH BIKING: 

If your legs have underlying muscle and you just want to delete the fat that's covered your thigh muscles, then this is your workout on the bike.

Time: 20 minutes.

Resistance: little to none.

Distance: 5-6 miles

I prefer the manual setting so you can control it yourself.

The purpose of the little to no resistance is so that your leg fat wouldn't be hardened into muscle. Since your legs wouldn't be struggling so much to push the pedals, you're able to pedal faster. Instead of using up most of your energy trying to pedal, you'd use it up for the distance and speed. For me to meet 6 mile mark, I usually bike with level 1 resistance and my speed range is within 18-20RPM. 

I notice that with biking I sweat more and at the same time lose more calories in a short amount of time. 6.4 miles in 20 minutes = 259 calories for me.

If your legs are skinny with little muscle, then you should probably put the resistance into your workout. Building leg muscle is important! To build a little muscle in your butt, hamstrings, quads, calves, hike up the resistance level to 3 or 4. Time yourself. for example: In 20 minute time I should reach 5 miles within levels 3-4. With that time frame you'll be pushing yourself to meet your goal. When you do, you'll be sweating so much :)

If you're not into biking and running is your thing, then change your settings to no inclination and your speed to 5.0-6.0 depending on what you're comfortable with. If you can, try not to stop running until you finish your 20 minutes. 

The thing about losing fat and not building too much of it is, you have to do things fast and for a long period of time. With building muscle, you'd have to do it slowly and only a little. 

For example: you have skinny legs with very little muscle. Your goal is to have toned thighs and calves. You can incline your treadmill to a higher level as if your walking up hill. Then in 20 minutes time, walk. THE WHOLE TIME. That will build your leg muscles faster. If you feel like your legs are getting immune to the inclined level, then push it to level 5 or level 8 or even level 10. Whatever it is, don't stop walking until the 20 minutes are done. This will also work out your abs, butt, quads, calves, hamstrings. Don't forget to stretch, though!

Another good one is the Stairmaster. Oh my goodness, the Stairmaster. Lol. Just climb stairs for 20 minutes. Run it, walk it, whatever. This thing will definitely get your cardio done as well as build legs.

Greetings From Earth

Good evening lovers.

I have a few pretty darn cool discoveries this week. First, Fifty Shades of Grey. Umm yeah, you guys! Lol freakin read the crap out of that book. It's not even like a porno, it's just very descriptive... haha. It's a beautiful romance.

Apart from that, I haven't visited the gym in quite some time. I tried, though, to hike up the Culver City Stairs. All 288 steps. Yes, babies. 288 steps lol. I realize now that it's actually not that much. But if you're me and don't utilize the stair master in the gym, then yes. You will die.

Me: death on the 12th step.
Jay: sprints to the top and back down to come get me.
*sigh*

So I thought maybe I don't do well with stairs.. why not try that steep ass hill on Woodley and Plummer? I did exactly that. I know now that I don't do well with inclined anything. I need to use the stair master in the gym. Or the stationary bike thing and put resistance. In fact!! Oh wait, I'll tell you after this next paragraph.

I'm not really all for diet pills. What for, though? Why not just take supplements that aid in better digestion and overall health? Good point, self! I have decided to add Green Coffee Bean Extract to my vitamins. So far I have Green Tea Extract and then Green Coffee Bean Extract. Both which are antioxidants and help with immune systems. And yes, eventually leads to weight-loss with the help of exercise and clean eating, as with other pills.

I did go to the gym today, thanks for reminding me. I was surprised that I could run for such a speed for that long of a time lol. Usually I stop at least 3x during my mile runs, but today, I was all for it :) Then I biked. My goodness my legs feel like jello. I didn't do my arms or anything else in the gym besides stretch and those that I've mentioned. When I got home, though, I did use my 10lb weights and did a few bicep curls. I did a few leg lifts for my pouch then continued on to butt bridges. I don't know what to call these, so I'm just calling it like it is. I also did a few other leg exercises to focus on my butt area. I don't care for huge asses, but I do want a round one lol. I need to do chest exercises also so I can have rounder boobs lol. Gravity does not work with you. I REPEAT: Gravity does not work with you.

For the cherry on top.
Before I skipped the gym, I've lost a total of 10lbs. Then I skipped the gym a few weeks, kill me now, and then I cheated. I ate 2 happy meals and 2 large fries in a span of 2 days. Right after each other. Oh man am I suffering now. I gained 6 pounds back :(

Making up for it.
I drank Kombucha. Not the best tasting. It kind of reminds me of vinegar. I'll do a blog talking about it later on. In short: it's raw, organic, vegan, and good for you.
I also made my own hummus a few days ago. I don't know where it went though. I may have left it in Whole Foods.
Tonight my dinner was at 6pm. After I worked out, I had a glass of Merlot for antioxidants and just so I wouldn't feel so empty in my stomach. Surprisingly I don't feel hungry at all.
It is right now 23:17 yeah I use that kind of time if you don't know what that is, it's 11:17pm and I was thinking of going to sleep early. Early in my terms mean between 12am - 1am. I have a terrible sleeping habit, but I do get a full 8 hours. It's because I wake up late.
I wanted to sleep "early" because tomorrow I wanted to go for a run. Gotta teach myself some discipline.

Plans for tomorrow:
If not the gym, then I have to run somewhere. Maybe from home to Devon-Wood Park.
Grocery shopping. Need some egg whites, greens, etc etc.
Then relax. Possibly clean up my room or something.

Plans for the week:
Work Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. I have to finish those bank reconciliations.
Monday, doctor's appointment.
Friday, no clue.
Weekend is a blur.

Goals due til next week Sunday: lose the 6lbs I gained while I was stupid.

Healthy eating/clean eating is a lifestyle I want to have. It's not really optional. I see it as mandatory. If I want to live the life I'm meant to live, to enjoy the things I want, to reach my goals, to be happy, I need to be healthy and focused. I promise, no more cheating.

I'm sorry self, I've let us down.

Time to read my book!! Btw, Matt Bomer is gonna be playing Christian Grey in the movie, right? :)

Laters, baby!
-m

Very Berry Hibiscus Tea from Starbucks

My favorite summer tea from Starbucks. First of all it's really good. Not just in taste, but also the benefits are freakin amazing. Hibiscus is a flower and you can make tea out of it (duh, sorry. lol).

Weight loss: It increases metabolism, so that means the food that you eat will digest faster. It also helps with nutrient absorption. Sometimes because of the lack of enzymes and vitamins, we aren't able to fully consume all of the minerals and vitamins that are coming from our food. The hibiscus tea changes the way the body absorbs fats and carbohydrates, which is obviously essential to weight loss.

Bloating: Bloat no more! With the potassium, vitamin C and calcium this tea contains, your bloating will reduce by a lot. So if you like to eat until your stomach can't handle it, or it's Thanksgiving and you have your fat girl jeans on for dinner, you already know! :P

If that's not enough good stuff for you, the weight loss leads to a lowering of high blood pressure and your cholesterol will get lowered as well. They rid your body of free radicals. Some say free radicals speeds up aging. So.. if you care about that stuff, then this should be a real treat for you :D. It's not even just about looking old either, it's about lengthening your lifespan. Giiirl! I got chu :) They also lower the risk of cancer and heart disease. Then again, if you are well aware of a lot of healthy foods then the risk of cancer and heart disease getting lower should've been a given already.

For reducing your high blood pressure, drink hibiscus tea 3 times daily. Doesn't have to be the one from Starbucks, plus they don't have them anymore. So go to your tea store, or whatever. They sell hibiscus flower thingies at the Vallarta near my house for like $6.99/lb. A pound is A LOT. The flowers are not heavy, they're like featherweight so you'll get a junk load for 1 pound. So anyway, 3x daily for a few weeks will reduce high blood pressure by 10 points.

I love you, that's why I'm telling you <3

-m

My laptop issues

I don't know where to begin.. I took this thing to the Apple Genius Bar so they can figure out what' wrong with it. They said it was getting signal the whole time it was there and blah blah. They said it was ready for me to take it home. I took it home, and I had internet signal for about half hour, then it went away. So now it is currently connected to the ethernet.

Should I buy the new update for it? I'll try the torrent first.

Preoccupied

Disappeared cus I was too busy playing with my new phone. Galaxy SIII is what I got :)

Other than that, I was preoccupied with some unfamiliar territory. Recently I've been presented with some situations that required full attention. Stress has made the ends of my hair split and so I chopped it off :o also I've over compensated (once again) my sadness with "laugh-out-loud" posts on fb.

Example #1:

Oh, it's not funny? Hmm.. I laughed..

Few people liked it, so that boosted up my confidence a bit. Maybe I should be a stand-up comedian? I'd have to come up with more than one "lol" comment though.


Since I now have a front camera on my phone, wanna Tango? :D

My phone issues

My phone revived itself last night. Thank goodness cus I was about to just buy an iPhone 4s lol. Well, I'm still gonna do it, but now I get to buy myself some time :)

Today is my anniversary. We will be celebrating tomorrow instead because he and I will be working all day today.

Other than that, I am currently obsessed with playing the piano. I desire to learn more and more. Also uber thankful that my mom forced me into those piano lessons.

Let's see, today I was feeling very distracted because I had work. This is a great thing, so now I'm not all moping around with an aching body. Although my night was going so well until I some conversation I had about having babies came up. What the.. lol.

For today, and because where I am in my life, a baby is out of the question. I don't care who it is lol, I refuse to get pregnant in this time of my life. There's no better way to kill a conversation than to start talking about me wanting somebody's baby or relationship stuff.

I do love babies though. I'll baby sit for you, play with your baby and stuff, but my own.. that's just wrong timing.

Whatever. My tummy hurts. Bed time for me.

-m

My Day + Christina and Sam

Good evening!

I'm having withdrawal symptoms. My phone is broken and I have no way to get to Instagram and texting peoples. All I have left is my MetroPieCeofShit phone haha... Ahh, ironically enough it is the one that stood by me after all the headache my Verizon has caused me. No biggie. I'm getting my iPhone 5 soon, suckas!! Wooooo :)

Which reminds me, should I pre-order it now? Actually you know what, I'm gonna get the iPhone 4s instead lol. I don't care too much for the iPhone 5 and it's taking forever. I can see my HTC Incredible trying so hard to revive itself. Starting up half way and then turning off :( It's like watching my baby die over and over again..

Today I finally went to the bank to deposit my checks lol. It's been in my purse for like a thousand years I figured it was time I finally let it go. Maybe you're wondering if I finally made it to the gym.. hahaha. I didn't. I had to go to Downtown LA today to meet with some cool folks. Run some errands there and then to Glendale. Afterwards went to Pepboys to buy oil change stuff cus I'm boutta get my oil changed by myself. I'm a big girl now. Nothing too interesting happened to me today.

Oh actually, I'm getting people sick. Woops, sorry guys.

I am pooped!! Good night. I love you. Let's all dance in a circle and be happy.

Listen to this, too. Homegirl is on point!!

-m

Umm...

My room is a huge mess. Clothes everywhere. My laundry is in the hamper and I'm glad it's there. They tend to accumulate all on their own. Shoes everywhere. I see my heels, flats, running shoes, more flats, and a left shoe. I wonder where the right shoe wandered off to..

I really need to put curtains in my room. It's so damn bright every morning. Don't get me wrong, I am all for sunlight and seeing "stars" at night from my bed, but at 8am (when normal people wake up) I am just in the deepest part of my sleep and I hate when the sun wakes me from it. I said "stars" because here in LA you can't really see the stars in the night sky because all the street lights are too bright and not to mention the thick ass layer of fog above us lol. Though I did see a shooting star some time last week. Thousands of them happen every night, but there are only some that we can see.

I finally went to Target today. I bought pink lemonade and a minty blue nail polish. I'm getting sick of these white ones I'm wearing. I'm also feeling very irritable this evening. Oh and I didn't get to go to the gym. I wonder when I'm gonna stop having shitty mood swings. Could it be? Aunt Gemima is visiting? Hmm.. perhaps.

Plans for tomorrow:
-massive cleaning
-gym
-umm go out and do stuff I guess

-m

The thing that reminds me to keep looking forward instead of chasing the past is that if someone wants to be there, they would be. Simple as that.

Wanna know something? Ahh I'm such an idiot. *surprise*

Isn't it weird that you could fool yourself. It's one thing to think lies to yourself, but you can never really believe them since you will always know the truth. I guess it's possible to think it through so much to the point where you've just ended up believing it. I'm just gonna shrug that off.

F you life. Why you gotta be so misleading? Eh I blame myself. Had I been a little more stronger then it wouldn't be this way. By the way, I hate this whole backwards and forwards thing in my head where I have a full-blown argument with just myself. And now I'm typing it on here for the world to witness my insanity.

Does anyone even care at all anymore? I mean for peoples' feelings apart from their own. Or have we all just stopped giving a fuck about each other? I notice that the only reason people would care to involve themselves is if they benefit something from it. Whether it be a striking topic for the next gossip girl, or just for entertainment. I find that there are none, if not close to none, that would really care to help or just lend an ear. That makes my heart sad.

I'm just on my bed. My bed that's full of stuff from yesterday. Clothes, laptop case, notebook, purse, keys. They've all intertwined themselves within my comforter. Yeah, so what if I sleep with a comforter in mid-summer? I can see my hair dryer on the floor and my dog's bed from the corner of my eye. I miss my old dog. Peebo would always know what to do. She would comfort me and let me be myself. Brownie just kinda sits there and if not that, she's always hyper and wanting to play. I guess cus she's still a puppy, right?

I am feeling quite nostalgic. I'm not sure if I'm enjoying it. I refuse to listen to songs from 2006-7 lol. Ahhh! I'm so... gross. My selfishness is so disgusting. Gotta let that one go already, Mon. This is not healthy. Or maybe it is? Is it healthy to be this way? Even for a little while? Maybe it would be a bad thing when it gets to a whole week and still being all emotional. Gotta drown myself in the gym once again. Tomorrow, I'm going to the gym. Maybe I'll go around 8. No, I WILL GO AT 8.

I played the piano again today. Usually I ignore that dust collector, but today was different. I had a lot of things I wanted to play on the piano. I started with a version of "Titanium" by David Guetta and Sia. Then to Adele's "Someone Like You" lol. I continued with Bach. I ended with Sonatina in G Major courtesy of Mr. Ludwig van Beethoven. Attempted Mozart's Sonata 16, but it was obvious then that I needed to practice. I recall playing that when I was in music school, but I was 13 at the time.

When Peebo left, I played the piano every night all night for 2 months. I stopped playing when Brownie was given to me. Hmm, was it that or was it cus my neighbor and I started hanging out at the pool in the middle of the night?



I know that I'm allergic to flowers, but I wish someone would give me some. It's the little stuff that I like, not so much as huge grand gestures, but simple ones that make such a big statement. I love those. I love when I get serenaded, or taken out on a date where the guy feeds you. I like getting kissed at the back of my neck. With that said, Family Guy here I come!

-m

Updates from last night

I'm feeling much better now. Sorry for all that unnecessary display of emotion down there, but I am a girl and I do feel a lot. Often times I feel strongly about something, I will feel the need to blog about it lol.

Got down to the root of things, I do care deeply for him but not in that way anymore. We had our chance at love once before and at the time I was too young to really fully understand much of anything. Now that I'm older I've discovered brand new things in life that I truly enjoy. Like his friendship, for instance. I am glad I have a friend in him because that would be a darn shame if I had that much love for someone once upon a time and suddenly we can't even be friends.

I wonder what the future holds. So many things to wonder about. It's exciting and frightening at the same time. I wonder if he reads my blogs. God I hope not.. lol. How embarrassing. Although he did mention before he saw the decoupage thing. Well anyway, I'm just glad for whatever happened. I'm not sorry that it happened or hoped it was any different. I think it was fine the way it was.

Now down to other things. I am going all out this week on my workouts. I recently discovered I can do pull-ups! So if you can imagine my excitement has just went above the limit. I'm currently hyped up. I have a workout tomorrow morning at 9 and I can't wait to go.

There's nothing more important than knowing why you do the things you do. (He said that to me a few times before, too.) I could not agree more! I have yet to pin point exact reasons for doing things I do. I try really hard to explain myself with the words I know and I hope that I get my point across to those I speak with.

I have to sleep now lovers!
Good night, I love you!
-m

Oh nothing, just awake STILL

What the hell! What is wrong with people!!! :( More importantly, what the hell is wrong with me? Why am I not over this yet.. I tried so hard to forget you and for a while you didn't exist. Then you existed again.. Then now you feel so present.

When we split, I felt like my world fell straight on my face. In fact, my recovery period took longer than the actual relationship. I cried myself to sleep at night, every night. My eyes were constantly puffy. My teachers thought I was doing drugs before coming to first period cus my eyes were always red. I lost weight, a lot of weight. Became desperate for friends and used them as distractions. All I wanted was you. Then after you, all I ever looked for in people were you. What the fuck.

I wish we could re-do things and see how that ends up. I miss you kissing the back of my neck, only you found that spot. Only you could suck me back into this black hole that I somehow escaped. Maybe if I was everything you'd ever want, you'd feel this way about me, too. It's only this time in my life when I feel like a masochist with raging hormones lol. So what, I find humor in this. Someone's gotta.

The Last 2 Days

Your first love, I think will always be that.

Anyway, I was pretty confident in myself only because I knew how hard it was for me to get over the relationship being a bust. Told myself a few times that it was impossible for me to feel anything about anyone. Then I went out there being completely vulnerable (only I didn't know that at the time) and susceptible to all things about him. Isn't it so weird that 5 years later could feel like yesterday? Possibly I am overreacting, and maybe not. I will always feel that connection with him no matter what. I'll also always have that familiar feeling around him. We were each others' first love, at least that's how I understand it. So to me that means that it is impossible for me to forget him. Wow I'm such an emotional wreck lol. I'd feel sorry for myself, but I know I can choose not to feel this way except it seems like I almost enjoy this "cruel and..." crap I forgot what he said word for word.

I guess I just missed him so much. Then I got used to him not being there so I ended up learning to live without him. Cus obviously you can't just "unlove" someone. Duh people, it's not a button..

I thought that it was so cool for us to text and for me not to feel absolutely anything for him. I thought, "I'm so proud of myself! Woo!" *sigh. I'm still proud of myself, regardless but I mean, I gave in so quick -__- stupid connection. Stupid me -_-


and you thought the previous post was serious.. lol

Some Serious Stuff Went Down

My Mac doesn't have internet. I am currently using my dad's hp laptop because this one can pick up wifi. For whatever reason my Mac laptop doesn't pick up wifi signals right now. I will make an appointment with the genius bar for Friday.

Things that happened lately:
Internet ran away from my laptop.
Gained a few pounds. Kill me now. I haven't been going to gym as often as I should because I got really busy with work. I started getting back into it last weekend.
Got a recording set thingy. Also got the recording mic. Just gotta start recording stuff!
Painted my nails white today. It makes me happy to see that I'm trying new things because normally I stay on the safe side of colors. Like nude.

Here are some pictures :

My white nails. They make my hands look tanner than they are lol. They're nice though :)

This is a chick that just wandered into my backyard. There are 2 of them, but the other is hiding inside the grassy area. My neighbor owns a thing of chicken and they come into my yard often. Cute little things. They certainly can run for their lives.

He lost over 20 pounds in 2 1/2 months. He has a very disciplined work out and diet. I'm gonna be following his footsteps this week.

 

 Okay, I'm pooped. Good night folks!

 

-m

DIY Decoupage Drawer Thing

This was given to us by our friend Roger who is currently moving. Thank you Roger! Granted it is not in the best condition, however! Why waste it? Plus it was given. Who am I to reject anything :) Anyway, I decided while I was in zumba today that I was going to use it. How, you ask?

I took out the drawer thingies and cleaned it. Took out excess dust stuff, blah blah.

 Also I found an old book upstairs that everyone forgot existed. I tore out the pages with the most words. I placed them all on top so that it covers the whole top part.

 I bought Mod Podge from Michael's today. This is matte, not glossy. Although half way through I ended up changing my mind and wanted glossy. Luckily I had some glaze stuff for when I make my paper beads. It's is also a sealer.

Step 1: I removed all the paper from on top of the thing.
Step 2: I sprayed one coat of Mod Podge all over.
Step 3: I placed the paper on top of the thingy just so it covers all the white.
*tip* If the paper is going to over lap another paper, make sure to spray an extra coat of Mod Podge.
*tip* Also, try to fit all the ones with the most words in the center. The white margins I used to stick on the sides of the drawer thingy.
Step 4: Continue all the way down to the legs of the thing. I ran out of Mod Podge towards the end, so I ended up using the glaze that I was talking about earlier, Multi-Purpose Sealer by Americana. I applied it with a paint brush.

Since it is still not shiny at the top and I wanted it to be, I glazed the top with the same Multi-Purpose Sealer and it became shiny. I like it :) It got really late though, so I wasn't able to do something fun for the inside. For now it looks nice that way since the drawers would be covering the inside. I haven't done anything to the drawers yet. Maybe I'll use fabric paint to make it teal-ish.

Well there's the finished one, so far. This was really simple and if you decide to do this, make sure you have enough Mod Podge lol.

Supplies:
1 can of Mod Podge Matte (should've got 2 and I should've got the glossy one)
1 old book no one reads
1 old thing
Since I didn't have enough sealer,
1 Multi-purpose Sealer by Americana
1 little brush that I got from the 99c store a thousand years ago

OH YEAH! Wear gloves and a mask. I could've probably died of the fumes lol. I don't know what I was thinking not wearing a mask. Also, I didn't wear gloves cus I thought the glue would come off easily. Maybe it was my multi-purpose sealer thing, but my nails have sealer all over them. It took me about 15 minutes of scrubbing to get them out of my hands, but I still have some sealer on my nails. I was gonna re-do my nails today too.

Have fun!
-m

Tattoos and Eggs

Last night I was trying to come up with designs for a new tattoo. Something small, not so noticeable, and if someone were to glance at it they would take a second look kinda thing. Which one do you guys like? I think I like the one on the left better cus it's less legible. Looks a little less English than the one on the right. I asked Instagram people and they picked the one on the right. Maybe cus the one on the right is darker? I have yet to find a great placement for this. Wooo!

I made eggs yesterday morning for breakfast :) I feel weird saying "yesterday morning" since I feel like it is supposed to be "this morning." I haven't slept yet, so yeah. Anyway... I kept the yellow in my eggs. I also cooked it differently today. I substituted salt with garlic powder. I don't think those contain salt, but they are pretty salty with a garlicky flavor. Next time I'm gonna try using actual garlic to mix in my eggs. I'm trying to find ways to cut down my sodium because other foods I eat contain sodium already without salt getting added to them.

Also I know the yolk part of the egg on the right looks like it would be really runny, it's actually not. When I cooked my eggs, I put the heat on low and covered the pan so that the top would get steamed instead of me having to flip it. I usually flip my eggs, but they always break and end up looking super fried lol. I like this way better. The yolk part of my egg was cooked perfectly. Nothing was too runny. LOVE IT!

Beddy bed time. I have work manana and today. I will take more pictures of some stuff for tomorrow.

Good night love birds <3
-m

Epilator - Remington

I finally bought myself a freakin epilator lol. I didn't know if I would really like it or not, so I just bought myself a cheap one from Walgreens. It was $29.99 and it came out to $32.26 with tax.
Remington Epilator
Here is my full-on review.

Good
- lightweight
- 2 settings. One for fine hair and the other for thick hair
- I don't have to replace batteries because it comes with a cord. I know others find corded stuff is pretty inconvenient, but I find batteries inconvenient too :( Although if it was rechargeable that would probably be much better. (Also much pricier)
- 42 tweezer thingies to pull your hair out.
- Curved. Great for legs and arms if you don't like hair on your arms.

Bad
- Corded. Now that I realize I would rather get a rechargeable one, I feel the cord is a burden. How am I supposed to epilate during bus rides? Lol jk.
- This one that I have is a bit too wide to use on my underarms and since it's curved, I feel like it's not really getting ALL the hairs. Unless I press really hard which in this case hurts because the tweezers end up pinching my skin instead.
- Clean up is a hastle. Hair falls everywhere. Be prepared for a rainfall of hair. If you have carpet, then put some paper towel on the floor or something. Or you can cut up plastic bags and lay them on the floor while you epilate yourself lol.

Pain
My tolerance for pain is, I guess, moderate. I don't really wax my legs/arms on a regular basis. Actually I only waxed my arms 2x and my legs 1x. I've never waxed my underarms before so if you can imagine my surprise when that epilator pulled the first strand.. haha.
- Legs: It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't pleasant either. It felt like exactly what it is: you plucking out your leg hairs. One by one. The inner part of my calves are more sensitive than the outer part, so it felt more like little pinches. Or ant bites!
- Thighs: Ehh.. it wasn't as bad as my inner calves lol.
- Arms: Ehh.. it wasn't as bad as my thighs lol.
- Underarms: HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS! Hahaha! I have never in my life imagined pain like that!!! This one felt like torture. The hair on my underarms grow faster than those on my arms or legs, so I shave this area more often. Which means the hair is not as thin in this area as other parts. Lol my epilator would attempt to pull a strand out and it would only come out half way! So I would have to do over again those parts that pulled only half out. It hurts so much :( I also couldn't get all the hairs out cus it kept pinching my skin. When I did stop, I went to the bathroom and put warm water on a paper towel. I thought this would calm down the pain. After that, it felt uncomfortably dry. SO I put lotion. BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER! It burned so much. I couldn't put my arms down lol. I thought maybe if I used the Vaseline lotion instead it would help, so fortunately I owned one that has pure oat extract which is used to calm down irritated skin. Didn't work either. I ended up putting bio oil there lol. That calmed it down finally. Ayiyiyi.. lol. Lesson learned. No lotion after you epilate.

I'm not gonna stop epilating on my underarms though, because maybe it's only like this the first time. Hopefully. I'll wait til they all start to grow back again to epilate. It's gonna take a while since they all got pulled out from the root. Best part about this though, no more razor burns, buying razor heads, shaving cream, etc etc. And of course, the hair grows back thinner every time. Booyah!

Maybe I'll invest in a cordless epilator next time around.

Have fun epilating <3
-m

Self Acceptance

Take a breath.

Lately I've been combating my own personal issues within myself and others. I don't understand my Filipino culture where everyone kind of feels the need to impress the people around them. Changing habits to accommodate someone else's insecurities, or even holding yourself back from things that make you happy as a person because other people feel inferior to your happiness.

Since when did everyone's approval mean you are suddenly more happy or successful. You will never be truly happy with yourself or have deep success if you rely on everyone else's opinions.

What's the point of buying that red dress that everyone likes when you love the blue one? You are going to wear that dress the whole party. You'll be smiling at pictures in that dress, dancing around in that dress, and mingling with others in that dress. They will all compliment it and say that you had such great taste and that they think you look so beautiful. You also would be loving all that attention. It's up to you on how you accept others' opinion. You could've also shown up in that blue dress you like so much. Smiling at pictures, dancing, and talking with others. Maybe you'll receive a whole bunch of compliments on how you look that night, or maybe you won't. When you see those pictures of you in that blue dress, you'll know you chose that for yourself. Not because others decided it was the better choice for you. When you remember dancing the night away in your blue dress, you'll know that you were so comfortable moving around in the dress that you chose. While you spoke with others that night, whether they commented negatively or positively about that dress you chose, you will know that they know that they can't change your mind on how you feel about what you choose. There will also be a new found respect for you, from them. You will also find stability and certainty in your decisions knowing that if you were the one that decided, no matter what they say, you will enjoy yourself. People will stop trying to trample you over because they just can't. You and your blue dress wins!

I am encouraging you all to be your own. Pick and chose what you like because you like it! Ditch the pounds because you want to, not because people make you feel uncomfortable or because those people on TV are thin. People who also have their hearts and mind in the right place will become attracted to you. That's why they say, "birds of the same feathers flock together." Next thing you know, you'll be surrounded with friends who are accepting of who you choose to be. You'll be more comfortable with yourself and most of all have self-respect.

At night time when you close your eyes, right before you fall asleep, realize that you are by yourself. You are the only one who is gonna make this work. You get to decide how you feel. Your heart pump its own blood. Finally, be glad! Once you realize what a great gift it is to know that only you can change things about yourself, you will be unbreakable.

I love you!
-m

My Regular Day and Venting

It wasn't until recently that I started waking up at 6:55AM. No matter how late I sleep or how tired I was the night before, I've been waking up around 6:55AM exactly and if not that exact time, I would wake up at 8:45AM. Weird. I guess it's a good habit since I'm in the process of speeding up my metabolism.

This morning was a 6:55AM kind of morning. Then I fell back asleep lol. Blah blah, went to work today, ate a nectarine, etc etc. It was an alright day over all. Except I was so sleepy the whole time and I wanted to throw everything off of my desk and just lay there. I will lay there and not care about who sees me.

You know how you shouldn't care about what people think? I still stand by that. Who gives a poop if what's-her-face doesn't like you? No body cares except YOU. Plus 5 years from now, what's-her-face is probably not gonna be around because she can't hang. Feel me?

Also here's a little something. This goes for guys and chicks. If someone is bringing you down they say it's because you are way ahead of them and misery loves company. Here's the short version: JEALOUSY. Home-skillet is jelly!! If I truly loved my best friend, and he/she was very successful in life blah blah blah, I would be genuinely happy for him/her. I would never try to sabotage her or drag her down to my level and stuff. If anything, I would use him/her as an encouragement for myself. Flipping it into a positive is better than... not flipping it into a positive lol.

So anyway, the other person's jealousy has nothing to do with you. It has to do with them. Whatever negativity they are directing at you, don't take it personally because you are not the one with a mental issue. It is them. Here's a thought: not everything is about you ;) Keep that in mind, lovers!

Time to KO!
-m

Zumba and Vitamins

I took a zumba class today at my local gym. It was only my second time and I was surprised at how well I was keeping up with the class. After the warm-up dance, I exaggerated all the dance moves only because you lose more calories that way. Sure enough I was sweating like I was in the sauna! I ended up losing between 600-800 calories for that hour. Woo! I also did my ab workout when I got home. 131 jumping jacks, 50 laying leg lifts, 50 laying side leg lifts, 40 Russian twists, 1 minute of the knee-high jumping ( I have no idea what the correct term for it is), and 40 butt bridges.

I also ended up buying green tea extract soft-gels. I'm still in the process of finding more vitamins to add to my collection. So far I have green tea extract, vitamin B complex, and vitamin C.

By the way, for whatever reason my armpits started to have a weird dark pigment. The deodorant I used was Secret then switched to Suave and now Dove. I don't see a difference. I exfoliate them before I shave (so I don't get ingrown hairs). Also, I moisturize them after every shower. I wash them after every workout so that the sweat doesn't settle there also it helps a lot with body odor. Today I bought a new deodorant. It's organic and chemical free. I hope this is gonna solve my little problem.

As for the scars on my arms, I have been putting Mederma Advanced Scar Gel on them. I use it once a day for about 2 weeks now. Can't say I've seen a huge difference, but I'll wait a little longer to decide if I really like this product. The scars on my arm were caused by my allergy to grass and leaves. Sometimes I get careless I accidentally brush my arm on plants nearby and blah blah. Anyways, the scars are relatively new and I am certain they will go away after a few more months of treatment.

This is all for now.

Toodles,
-m

Few Good Cardio Exercises At Home

1. Jumping Jacks
Beginner: Do as many as you can and then record it so that next time you can try to top it. If you can't top it, at least try to get there again.
A little more advanced: Do exaggerated jumping jacks. When you step out with both feet, bend your knees to 90 degree angle so you can also work out your inner and outer thighs. Also jump as high as you can each time you jump out and back in place. You should also try holding on to weights. Even if it's only 5lbs. You can time yourself to how every long you think you can do. Let the timer push you and really try not to stop until you meet your time.

2. Knee-high Jogging
Beginner: Doesn't matter how many you do, but as long as you are doing it right, you're working out those butts and abs! Do time yourself, though. At least a minute. If you can, do more! Arms bent 90 degree angle towards the front (as if you have your forearm resting on a table). Hop high enough so that your knee touches your hands and do the same to the other knee.
A little more advanced: Form still matters, but try to go faster! Also if you are able, do it a little longer. Every week increase your duration. If last week you did 3 minutes, this week try to do 3:30 or 4 minutes. You can also add weights to your ankles.

3. Front and Side Kicks
Beginner: Try to have a beat going. Maybe music will help. If you pick a fast song, then try to go with the beat of it. If you can't do fast, try to find a song that you feel you can follow. With arms holding your waist, kick one leg forward, then back to your starting position. Then kick your other leg forward and back to place.
A little more advanced: When you're doing your kicks, punch with the opposite arm. Example: Left leg kick and right arm punch, then back to starting position. Then right leg kick and left arm punch, then back to starting position.
As for the side kick, it's a little more complicated. Your starting position is the same as the front kicks. Feet should be apart. First move, (you can start with either leg) left leg hop to a 90 degree angle and then back to place. Second move, use the same leg again and kick as high as you can and then back to place. That would be considered as 1. You can continue to do this on the same leg over and over again as many times as you want, or you can switch. Left leg 1 and then right leg 1. Then left leg 2 and then right leg 2. You get the point :) You can also time yourself or just count how many you've done!

4. Jump
Beginner: Exaggerate your moves. You don't have to do 50 if you don't want to. You can even do just 10, but if you're gonna do it, do it right. Starting position is feet should be shoulder length apart. Jump forward as high as you can with your arms high and when you land bend your knees so your hands can touch the floor. Jump backwards into place also with your arms high and land with knees bent so you can touch the floor.
A little more advanced: Use weights if you want. Do the same move a little faster and do more of it. If you're doing it with proper form, you can time yourself 3 minutes, 5 minutes or maybe even 10 and jump back and forth as much as you can. If you start off with 3 minutes, maybe next week 4 minutes, or 5 minutes. You can also count how many you can do in 3 minute times and for the rest of the week either try to continue to do as many as that or you can try to top it for a little more intensity.

These are some I do at home or even at the gym. They are simple moves, but with the right kind of push, they do wonders for your butt, thighs, and they get the heart pumping! They will definitely get you sweating. As long as you're pushing yourself, you will get results.

Here is an ankle weight for only $20 :)
"10 lb Adjustable Ankle Weights"

Bon chance!
-m

Suncafe Organic Cuisine - Sweet Kale Shake

Sweet Kale Shake from Suncafe.
Kale, bananas, cashews, and agave. Pure goodness. This shake is so filling and very healthy. Not only is this one of the healthiest shake I've ever had in my life, this is also one of the best I've ever tasted. This definitely tops Jamba Juice and random Starbucks drinks.

For those who don't know, kale is a superfood. Great cholesterol-lowering benefits, lowering the risk of cancers (ovarian, prostate, breast, colon, bladder), diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lung disease, and hypertension. Some of which are the leading cause of deaths in the Western countries. (Guess what, we live in a western country. WEST-SIDE!! lol) If that's not enough, it's also loaded with a lot of antioxidants. Perfect for cleanses and detox :)

How to shop for kale: Look for kale with firm, deep colored leaves, and moist, firm stems.
How to prepare kale: To get the most of this superfood, steam for 5 minutes. Cut up the leaves in 1/2" slices and the stems into 1/4" slices. Let them sit for at least 5 minutes before steaming to enhance their health-promoting qualities.

So back to Suncafe. Suncafe is in Studio City, CA right off the 101 fwy. They are all about organic, great quality foods. I also tried their "biscuits" and gravy which is so good. It's bread with cauliflower and jicama (mashed to make like a "mashed potato" kinda thing minus the potato), massaged spinach (I have yet to figure out what that really means other than the spinach getting a massage before cooking), and mushroom gravy. Everything is vegan and fresh. So worth it.

They also offer a cooking class on how to cook raw foods for only $20 at the door! If you're interested in detox or cleansing, they also offer programs for that where they will provide you shakes/drinks for 3 days, 5 days, 28 days and some other stuff that you need to go with your healthy cleansing.

For more information, visit suncafe's website and let your mind be blown :)

Thank you so much Suncafe for the great food and service you've provided. Don't forget to mention that you saw this on Project21 cus I will for sure be visiting more often.

-m

Project 21

Let me explain. I turned 21 yesterday, July 29, 2012. I am doing a turn-around of my lifestyle. Project 21 is me blogging about things I learn on the days I learned them. Tips and tricks, health and fitness, food stuffs, and other stuff I like. Hopefully along the way you, too, will learn something. I will try to blog as often as I can and be as informative as possible.

Meanwhile, this is a camera I am planning to buy for myself :)

Canon T3i 18.0MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm IS Lens - Digital


june bugs,
m