Apr
1st

Spot the photo bomber.

Home-made macaroons from our favorite bitch.

There ain’t no party without L.A. Chicken! The girl who bought it was the most popular person there.

Diplomat Cake for the birthday, Dark Chocolate-Lemon Cheesecake for the housewarming and Red Velvet just because. From the famous and delicious Diplomat Bakery.

Happy birthday to my BFF!

We had the decency to cut the cakes this time but we usually just dive in with forks.
Yep, that’s how us girls roll.

xoxo

Great words of wisdom from my lovely friends.

Mar
30th

When you’re about to give up, remember why you started.

John Stephen Akhwari competed in a marathon in the 1968 Olympics but he took a horrible fall and badly injured himself. The winner of the marathon crossed the finish line at 2:20. An hour later, the stadium was near-empty but those who remained roared when John hobbled in pain across the finish line.

Later, a reported asked him why he continued running, He replied:

My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.

Without perseverance, you will never succeed in anything.
It doesn’t matter if you come in first or last, just finish.

Mar
29th

These are my staples that I keep my fridge stocked with at all times.

Tuna. This is my go-to protein for a quick and easy snack or lunch. Tuna salad, tuna sandwiches, tuna patties, tuna everything!

Frozen fruits and veggies. Fresh is always the best but frozen is just as good because they contain the same nutrients and you don’t have to worry about shelf-life. I always keep frozen strawberries and mixed veggies in stock.

Apples and bananas. Bananas are a miracle fruit for me. If I need an extra boost of energy or something quick to satisfy my hunger, they always do the trick. Apples on the otherhand bloat me up at random times like no tomorrow but they keep me full for hours. I also love apple-anything desserts and will sometimes bake them with some cinnamon and Splenda for a quick treat.

Baby spinach. I always have a huge bag of these in hand. Great for salads, a side or just dumping them in a pot of noodle soup I’m making.

Egg Whites. I LOVE egg whites. I do eat whole eggs too with the yolk but egg whites in liquid form are great to have around. Egg white omelettes with some spinach and cheese, egg whites fried in a tiny but of EVOO with a savoury seasoning like Maggi. So simple but keeps you filled and satisfied.

Napa Cabbage. I’ve been obsessed with napa cabbage for the last couple of years. I love cooking it in noodle soups or with bean thread with chicken stock.

Tofu. Yummy and easy protein.

Whole wheat pasta. I LOVE the taste of whole wheat pasta and I always keep them on hand because who DOESN’T like pasta? I especially use them a lot to whip up a week’s worth of tuna pasta salad for lunch.

Chick Peas. Can I say: HUMMUS?!

Mar
28th

To excel in anything, you have to master doing the things that you hate to do.

Do you ever wonder why you suck at stuff? Whether it’s your core strength, public speaking or everyday things like focusing on a task… you suck at it because you never do it. Do it and do it everyday, as much as you can and force yourself to excel in these areas.

You need to take risks and have the guts to get hurt, to be laughed at, to fail… in order to succeed and become a better and stronger you.

Mar
27th

Last night, I finally took the plunge and faced one of my biggest fitness “fears” … BIKRAM’S YOGA!

1. I cannot stand heat. I can barely sit in a sauna for long.
2. I have no patience for yoga. It’ssss soooo sssllllooooowww.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad! Physically it wasn’t hard although I can definitely work on my flexibilty a lot more and the heat wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was definitely more fierce than my apparently “Fierce” yoga class I took before so I’m satisfied. There were a couple times were I was lying there hoping it would be over soon when it started to feel suffocating but it was pretty easy to push away that thought… and think about something else like what I was going to make for lunch tomorrow (tuna salad + baked yams, by the way).

The hardest part of my Bikram experience was being there in the present and not letting my mind wander off. One reason I would want to continue yoga is to practice patience— and of course, to get a good stretch and increase flexibility. Stretching makes muscles long and lean.

The second [painful] thing were the foot cramps during most of the balancing poses in the beginning. At least I didn’t get them in the middle of the night when I’m sleeping. That’s the most painful thing ever.

The third [annoying] thing was that I was making garlic hummus while waiting for my girlfriend to come to my apartment which I ate a little of. Then I was self-conscious that my breath smelled like garlic the entire time even though I brushed my teeth twice and popped mints. Lesson learned: don’t eat garlic before yoga.

My other friend was ranting about how bad her first experience was to me so I was pretty anxious going there but overall, I think I had a good first experience!

Have you done Bikram’s Yoga before? What was your experience like?