This is crazy!

We've reached Location 17! So much has happened so fast that I haven't kept up with reading about the different places and countries since location 4! I also haven't been that good about keeping the 10,000 steps target everyday. Personal best. 14, 000. Personal worst. I think it was about 3,500 although I am convinced something was wrong with my pedometer that week as I was out and about when my parents came over for 5 days with two other couples (close family friends) so I could try my gown.

They made it way too big! What was the point in measuring me so carefully on two occassions if they were going to make it two sizes too big as if my boobs were the size of massive papayas?! Ok, nevermind that...hopefully the alteration will go well...the gown for the night reception in Singapore was alright except I can't breathe deeply in it due to the in-built corset like feature. Ah well, at least it'll help hold Bert (my belly) in. Sigh, it seems to be a known-tradition that the bride never gets to eat at her own wedding. So anyway, the hotel we're having the dinner at in Singapore has very kindly arranged for supper to be provided in our room once guests have retired for the night. Yay!

OK, back to the pedometer...it acts up every now and then, or rather fails to act every now and then as I've been recording an inconsistent number of steps though I take the same route every morning to work. It's been behaving today so we should be right.

On the subject of so much having happened, I've now forgotten all those wonderful posts I had in mind to blog about. All these great ideas that generated in my mind since my last entry...poems, stories, personal insight. Oh well...moving on then...

GCC 2008 Here we go!

I've joined the Global Corporate Challenge...we're walking around the world, well not quite literally but it's a walking challenge where you get into teams with people in your workplace and walk, and the team that walks the most steps by the end of the 4 months wins. The website tracks our journey around the world. Ideally we need to walk 10, 000 steps a day to make it round the world by the end of the 4 months. Our starting point is somewhere in Chile, the place name starts with the letter "V" (as you can see, I've clearly forgotten the name). I think there are 7 of us on the team. We received our kits this week - a backpack with a water bottle, cap, wrist band, pair of socks, two pedometers, a mouse mat and two tiny booklets about health. I don't think there's a face towel in all of that...hmm...anyway, we begin tomorrow. I've taken this challenge as a means to be accountable to others and get myself motivated to do a little more exercise than I otherwise would do. You're welcome to cheer (not jeer) me on Ü and maybe remind me to wear my little pedometer everywhere I go...it's a little finicky and doesn't always register steps accurately but oh well. And each night I have to log into the website and be honest about the number of steps I record for the day. As the challenge closes in 4 months, I will have this little gadget with me on my honeymoon as I chill out on the beach and stuff myself for a month, woohoo! So hopefully this will mean I won't gain any weight during that time. Stay tuned for updates!

counting pounds

Was walking behind a girl who works at UQ and lives somewhere in St Lucia on my way home. I've seen her around a number of times and have always envied her wardrobe. Told God that it would be perfect if I had her figure as we're about the same height...oh and her skin tone too, Lord, I remarked...then I could wear all the pretty things I would love to own. Of course I know God was just shaking His head again and telling me to be content and not covet and that perhaps I ought to be more disciplined in looking after my health since I keep falling under the weather. (I live on instant noodles and other such foods, plus I eat out way too much and am too lazy to cook myself a decent meal)

Was thinking: In terms of weight loss for the wedding, my plans amount to next to nothing despite the repeated comments of having this as a resolution...one never takes into consideration that time waits for no (wo)man who sits on her bum all day and eats like a pig. Although, I did make an effort to look up things like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig and I suppose I should be pleased that the consultant told me that I am 5Kg below their starting mark. I can boast that I have never been overweight but my tummy does carry more fat rolls than a baker shop. This, though, was a pleasant discovery in a way, that for my height, the programme would only work if I were 5Kg heavier...to think that there was a time I was 5 Kg heavier, for about a year maybe? Scary! I'm below the starting mark for the CSIRO diet too so sadly, proper exercise and portion control really are the way to go! Back to making time for yoga then! And maybe I really will start that detox thing Vanessa was on and eat more salads and less carbs (Jos does drama queen action of tossing head back and placing hand on forehead...oh the pains of beauty! This is all too much for me...I love my carbs!)

still feeling the effects

Yup, still aching but it's getting better and I honestly think my tummy felt tighter yesterday morning although for some reason I was constipated yesterday and had diarrhoea today (not that you really needed to know that...just a little too much information)...well, shall keep going.

Actually, I am more interested in buying a packet of those mixed nuts, from which my yoga-place-owning-friend gave me a handful, than putting myself through more ache-inducing exercise. It had those little red things in them...I call them 'gay-ji' (no, not gay as in anything to do with gender or being delightfully happy) but what's the English term...the word eludes me...something berry...it's on the tip of my tongue! Argh! The little red things you make Chinese herbal, tonic soups with. Good for the eyes. It also had walnuts, good for the brain and some other yummy bits to it. A Woolworths Select option if I'm not wrong. And the tea she had was really yummy too! It tasted like it had red dates in it.

Notice how my excitement always revolves around food! Food - if you look at different types of food, they give us an indication of what they are good for (God's way of educating us humans). Walnuts are shaped like brains, carrots (cross section view) like eyes, avocados and eggplants like pregnant women (good for the womb so not only if you are with baby), celery for bones, tomatoes for the heart, things like that. There are entire books on stuff like this. Interesting isn't it? More fascinating when made delectible too. Mmm, food.

Had dinner at John and Don's Hanabi Fusion with Fab. Yum food. I recommend the salmon on a bed of rice in this yummy otak-otak like sauce. The green tea ice cream is really good too! They're on Grimes Street in Auchenflower. The soft shell crab is another good one to try with those warm potato croquets filled with octopus and prawn (I've forgotten the Japanese name for them. Ono something or others mi yaki something maybe?) And then there is the tender, juicy Wagyu beef that almost melts in your mouth while giving you enough to chew on, sliced thinly and gently layered into a mini tower served with rice and incredibly flavoursome shitake mushrooms. Everything is so fresh and in generous portions and presented creatively. Yes, Don's food is a definite must-try. Thank you John for taking care of the two of us this evening!

fatty fatty boombah

I tried something new yesterday with a friend of mine (ought to be "proud" of myself for taking this first step towards a healthier me, haha). A mutual friend runs a yoga/pilates/massage/detox place not too far from where I live and has been asking us to go along to one of her classes, get pampered or just pay her a visit so we thought we'd enrol in the set-of-three introductory yoga class. No meditation or incense burning - in fact the place is really clean and comfortable and I really like the way she has set it up. So anyway, it's a special room as it's fitted with far-infrared heaters that enable toxins to be gently pushed to the surface of the skin as you perspire. The gentle warmth also encourages further stretching as one follows the various exercises involved. I truly felt stretched by the end of it!

A bit of pain and strain while trying to hold myself in the positions (the push ups were a bit of a killer for me due to lack of arm strength - we had to lower ourselves slowly to create resistance and hover an inch above the ground, hold, and then raise ourselves again...I did a couple of belly flops as I couldn't maintain a clean hover, the elbows kind of gave way) but by the end of it, we had all built up a good sweat and felt pretty relaxed and energised at the same time. Jumped straight into the shower (great smelling shampoo provided!) and out I came feeling great (famished from rushing in the morning and skipping breakfast). A little tiredness did set in later in the day with the heat at the Coast but I was still fine...night came and I began to notice a couple of pulls down my legs, very normal from 1-hour of work at the yoga class.

This morning however, my entire body is aching like crazy! I feel it in my thighs, my abs (or rather flabby belly), arms and most of all in my shoulders and upper back. Owwwwwwwwchie...I am so unfit! Hopefully I didn't do anything bad to myself...the instructor came over to readjust me a couple of times as I was putting my knee out too much or something wasn't quite in place. 2 more classes to go...should get better as we progress on...I think...eeks...