In Full School Mode

I hate how things are piling up now!

Last week, most of our profs have all introduced the final projects. Yep, it's starting again!

Until now, the semester has been steady. My workouts have been doing fairly with me going to the gym almost everyday. Lately, I've been horrible at eating though. It all started with me and joo ordering popeyes on our nothing day... and it continues! I must stop eating!!!

With all of this work, I don't know if I can go to the gym as often as I like. Today, I planned to go to step and pump but gotta ditch that plan to steady for a midterm tmr mrning. These major projects include:

- a full magazine

- a poster for a ticketed event... done all in illustrator... ! plus, a ticket holder & a cd cover

- a "biocube" where I have to paint and construct a cube

- a website for my ticketed event poster

- a composite image of my a celebrity and me

- a friend's tattoo design of a totem pole

- a friend's illustrator drawing for his business

- a discussion and reply assignment about a boring business book

boos to school. I hate you.

Honestly, since I can't go to the gym as often... I gotta cut back on those fatty foods I eat. darn. I hope my beach body is ready for cuba!!! arrrggghhh

oh yes, I'M GOING TO CUBAAAAA the day after all of this shit is done!!! waaahooooooo!!!!!

VDay and other stuff :)

I know I haven't been updating about myself lately... I don't have an excuse... except for my uninteresting life lol

Mariah Carey Concert

Last Tuesday after work, I headed downtown to meet up with my friend (my boyfriend's friend) to have drinks before the concert. We were made excited for this concert because we're both adamant fans of Mariah Carey.
It was perfect timing because as I headed out of Union station, Sam and I instantly found eachother! We quickly went to a bar nearby to catch up and have a few drinks. I haven't chilled with Sam in such a long time... this being alone and talking. I found out a long time ago that we have very fullfilling conversations and that he is genuinely interested in what I'm interested in too. As we munch on quesedillas and drinks, we talked about politics - specifically about Giambrone and his illicit affairs. The conversation turned into a heated - but understandable - debate about unions in our city - him defending the union side (as he is apart of the Toronto union workers) and I representing the other kind, aka the public. It was quite fullfilling, I might add.
I guess the one cocktail, 3 yaggerbombs and 6 tequila shots (each) within 45 mins really added to the conversation as well! lol I might add, that I was very proud of my liver for upholding such a large consumption of alchohol within a short period of time.
As we walk to the ACC, we blazed and was extememly intoxiciated while lining up to get in. LOL Once we got in, we shared two beers and waited. The show was supposed to start at 7:30pm with the opening act of Artists&Ryders. Sam and I both agreed that the group was a mix between B2K and BoyzIIMen. It wasn't until probably 8:30 that the opening act went on.. Mariah came on stage around 9:15pm. Yes, we waited about 2-3 hours for Mariah to get on. I didn't mind the wait because I was having a fullfilling conversation with Sam.
Mariah was incredible! She pointed out that she was sick with a cold, while sipping on water and tea during the show. Even with the cold, she hit all of her high notes, sang with grace and confidence! She was fabulous!
At the end of the night, I was completely trashed! LOL and no, the alchohol did not contribute to Mariah's greatness!
The next morning, I had a major hangover as I sit in class, listening to my peers talk about their brochure designs. Thankfully, I wasn't too hung over to present my design. phew!

Lunar New Year

I call this Lunar New Year and not CHINESE New Year because it's not just Chinese people who celebrate it aka me, the only Viet girl in Scarb lol. I was actually shocked that one of my Chinese friends didn't know that Vietnamese people also celebrate this holiday because the Vietnamese and Chinese culture are very similar.

Nonetheless, I had a good New Years even with my fam and Re. She came over to experience the whole - tried the quail and other things to prepare herself for our trip to Vietnam next year! Wahooooo!

Valentine's Day

My Val day wasn't all so special. To tell you the truth, I'm not the type of person who is very keen on commercialized holidays like Valentine's day. But whatever. I spent the day cooking my family's roast beef dinner with the all the fixings.
In early January, I made reservations for me and Joo at Toronto's Best Restaurant of 2009 - Canoe, specifically on Vday for a prime time 7pm. Unfortunately, we had to give this reservation to one of Joo's friends because we couldn't make it because of family obligations.

I was disapointed that we couldn't make it. Nonetheless, we met up with his friend who showed how much the bill was - approx. $250.00 not including tax! Phew! We saved a good $300.00 that night! lol

Our 4 Year Anni

was spectacular!!! LOL Because we couldn't attend our dinner date at Canoe, we couldn't really plan anything else. I was very adamant of going to Canoe or no where else! We didn't make reservations for any other places... we were stumped. We usually go skating but since our anni was on Family day, we knew that the rinks would be packed with kids of such sort so we ended up not going.

At this time, I really wished that our anniversary was in the summer so we could take a romantic stroll through Centre Island. Boooooo

Anyway, since we're the couple who's on the go all the time, always meeting up with friends, family, working out, work and for me, school... We decided to slow things down.

For our 4 year anni, we decided to have a "nothing day." Yep, no fancy restaurants, no going out for romantic strolls. We spent the whole day - from the time we woke to the time we went to bed - together at home watching movies, ordering in and taking naps. It was fun because we excluded everyone and didn't leave the house. LOL it was actually quite funny! Even though it was "nothing day," we had to prepare ourselves for this "nothing day" by going out to get cigs etc etc lol!

At one point, the nothing day was really boring me! hahaha and i could see that Joo was getting restless too! We decided to go to foodmart before it closed to get some tofu so I can make tofu fa. LOL I didn't really want tofu fa... I just needed to get out of the house for at least a minute!!! LOL

Every year, Joo and I would exchange cards for our anni/vday. I remember the very first one I gave him.. It was a thong. LOL he then returned the favour and gave me a card that had tighty whities!!! LOL I think we have a such a diverse sense of humour!!! LOL

This year, we haven't exchanged our cards yet. It's actually kind of good because I couldn't find one hence I didn't get him one! lol I was really opting on going to Fairview today during my lunch break to beg Hallmark to let me see their unsold vday cards but then I thought to myself, since I know how to make pop up cards, i might as well do that! LOL working on that today and tmr!

The TTC Crackdown

For a couple of weeks, there have been angry debates going back and forth about the customer service from the front line reps of the TTC.
This is my opinion - essentially, TTC operators - those who sit in the collecting booths, drive those buses and subways etc etc - are customer care representatives. Their primary job is to drive, collect or both. They also have to realize that with this position, they are also customer care representatives because they face the riders everyday. Whether they like it or not, this is in their job description. Only those who are qualified to handle the public should only work for the TTC. It's simple as that.
Now, I'm not argueing about their breaks etc. I think that those who sit there for eight hours a day, driving a bus should be entitled to a break because their bladder needs it. Sometimes, it gets boring driving that bus along that same route everyday. Yes, I understand. Riders need to take this into consideration. I don't think that sleeping on the job is appropriate <-- now that's just going too far.
But at the same time, with this bus driving deal, ttc operators also need to understand that customer service is an essential part of their job! I work in customer care. My job, essentially, is to wait for customers to call in and complain. Do I flip out on them when they yell at me? No, not at all because they call in for a reason. They call in to complain about the service they are receiving. I take this as "get your fucken act together because I'm paying you for a service." This is what I want the TTC operators to realize. To realize that riders also need respect and that not everyone is out to get them.
I think the most unbelievable experience I've had with a ttc operator was when I was going home from work in Scarborough. If you know Scarborough, you know that most of the people on the bus have little or no knowledge of English (except for the younger generation). It was rush hour and obviously the bus was packed. As we stop, the TTC driver gets up and literally yells at this elderly lady right in her ear. "LADY, GET OUT OF MY WAY!! LADY GET OF MY WAY!" WTF??!! Couldn't this operator say excuse me? It's not even the language barrier that was the problem. It wasn't even like the lady that was standing in her way because she wanted to block her. It was because she didn't even know that this operator wanted to the leave the bus.
I find that there are only a handful of operators out there who are rude. Most of those who I have encountered were fairly nice. I remember when I took the TTC often every morning to work, most of the operators would wish me a good morning. There was one driver who would wait for a frequent rider until they boarded the bus. It's all courtesy. Not because it's their job, but because they genuinely like doing this. Yes, there are people out there who like to help people, no matter how little it is! And i think this should be the job description of any TTC operator.

What I'm trying to get at is this:
operators should respect the public and vice versa.
operators should be entitled to breaks because they're human too

that is all.

BEAST MODE - At home Work Outs: Cardio

I could name a dozen of excuses not to workout but I'll stop here. There is
no excuse to stay home and work out. I mean, there are numerous benefits to
working out at home:
- comfort of your own home
- no one's there (just in case your're shy at the gym)
- you can shower in a clean shower! lol
and you know what I mean...
So hopefully this blog entry will help you start doing some more exercises at home... and please, don't be lazy! lol
If you haven't yet, I have posted another blog entry about this whole beast mode thing. There, you will find tips about staying fit :)

It is recommend that you exercise 3 to 4 times of cardio a week in order to lose body fat. Keep in mind that cardio, yes it does lose fat, but it does not help tone your body. When you do work out, I recommend doing about 20 mins of cardio to warm up your body, weight train, then do another cardio set. I find that after cardio, I'm dead tired and won't want to do anything else. Now, this is just my preference so whatever suits you best.

Also, since it is cardio, please always keep a bottle of water nearby. I don't want you passing out at home by youself.

Note: most of moves I recommend are from experiences and classes I picked up from going to the gym, taking classes and hot yoga.

And most of all, have fun :)

Jogging: This is the best cardio you can do yourself. It's different than hopping on a treadmill at home because the outside terrain is much more dynamic and tough. Outside, there are various terrains that benefits not only your heart, but also your lower body as well. When jogging outside, don't just wander around your neighborhood - set a goal for yourself. For ex. one of my goals is to run from my house to my boyfriends house... which is about a 5 km run.
If you can't go outside, jog in place in front of your TV. Beats doing nothing!

Steps: I know this sounds crazy... but jogging up and down your set of stairs is also a great way!!! It's more challenging (especially going up) but it really does shoot up your heart rate (aka burn those calories!)

Biking: Biking is a great low impact cardio... and it's really fun too! When I was a kid, I was chubby. After riding my bike for a summer everyday, I actually shed those pounds without even realizing it! Biking is so much fun, especially when you have beautiful scenery.

Swimming: The best workout ever! Not only are you having fun doing curls and flips in the water, you're working out your cardio and toning at the same time!

Jumping Jacks: Also a great full-body work out. Not only do you "cardio" but also you work our shoulders. Keep in mind, don't just wail your arms... think about each move move you do. Try to make this harder by adding weights like a water bottle or a bottle filled with sand.

Sets: There are sets that you can do without the high impact that you might endure when you're running. I find that running is a bit boring sometimes, so this would be a perfect time switch it up. You can make you your own sets just as long as you keep moving and keep your heart rate up. For instance, one set is to start in a push up position then quickly change this position by taking your knees to your chest and jumping up while stretching your heads in the air. Another good one I learned from attending hot yoga classes is to start downward dog position, changing to a high plank (which is a push up position with your arms out), into a position position and do 1 push up (the one push up is what I added).

Skipping rope: You can buy a real cheap one at the dollar store. If you want to go hard core and want to train by resistence, I recommend getting a resistence band. You can use this resistence band by toning as well as skipping. Two for one deal!

Cardio can be easily achieved just as long you keep your heart rate up to the rate that best suits your age. This is very important because if you do these exercises with a low heart rate, you're wasting your time. Here is a chart to view where your heart reate should be when you're working out:

Most cardio machines like the treadmill and the bike have the ability to calculate your heart rate. Sometimes it's a given that your heart is already up there.

Doing cardio for only 20 mins doesn't quite cut it. To effectly lose weight, you have to keep your cardio work out for at least half an hour. After 10 mins, (depending on the impact of your cardio work out), your body is just adjusting to the heat aka warming up.
Another tip is to keep changing your cardio routine. Changing any work out - either from a treadmill to a bike or even changing your weights a bit - can go a long way! Trust me! Your body needs variety to challenge itself and burn more calories! If you're doing the same work out for a month now, CHANGE NOW! - You're just wasting your time!

I hope these tips help you.

Keep in mind to all readers who don't quite know me, I'm not a trainer. I just like to blog about being fit.

I'm not sure what my next blog will be. All I know is that I will be getting in weight training at home.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to comment :)

BEAST MODE IS ON!