I'm back!

Hello everyone. I'm back from my holiday. It was a joyous holiday. Met loads of relatives and ate loads of yummylicious food. It's nearly 2013, OMG. 2012 has been a great yet interesting year for me. A lot happened this year, both the good and bad. But regardless, it taught me a valuable lessons about life. Can't wait for 2013 to start. It will be amazing yet it will be somewhat hard because that is when I start my Masters Degree. However, these are a couple of my 2013 resolutions...

- Maintain fitness and diet
- Less spending on the unwanted things
- Save money
- Study hard and no procrastinating!
- Change the negativity, stubbornness and impatient-ness in me that sometimes drives my parents crazy
- Appreciate my family and friends more!
- Know how to control my emotions better
- Pray more
- Be thankful more

By making new year's resolution, you have things to look out for. These are goals in life that not only for the specific year, but it is lifetime goals. So what are your 2013 resolutions? :)

How's it going party people? I hope you are all fine and staying healthy. I have been having fun switching my work out routines daily. I'm going overseas in .... less than 2 weeks. Omg! It's going to be extremely .. fun? Haha. I'm not looking forward to meeting my relatives though. They are the type of people who have no problem with saying things like "you're fat". Well at least I am working out unlike them. So whatever they say will really back fire on them. Muahahah :)

I have been asked to do video logs. A few of my friends would like to hear how I sound when I speak English. It's kind of flattering ... Haha. But yes, I am still considering to make videos and posting it on my blog. If you have any ideas on what kind of videos I should make, please do let me know. You can email me your ideas. My email can be found on the left section of this blog. 

Ok, I'm going to return to my date with Grimm. Such a good series! Love it!

Yesterday I went to the gym. I didn't really do much. That's to be honest. Reason being was because I met my church friend and were gossiping hahaha. But then I did work out though. It was good to catch up with her because she is my gym buddy. Anyways, yesterday was such an eye-opener day for me and here is the reason why ...

I just got done doing a chest work out. So I was just standing and catching my breath. Then a man walked in, he was limping. Then I realised, one of his leg was metal. Suddenly I was just in tears. I was overly touched by how strong he was, knowing he has lost his leg. He came around to me and he started asking my name. We spoke a bit. He said to me "let me know if you need anything, give me a yell". I froze. I was in disbelief that he was so caring towards me. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Later on I was told he was a paralympic athlete. Paralympics is like Olympics but Paralympics are for athletes that has got disabilities. On top of that, he has done his honours degrees in the top university in Sydney PLUS he also trains other paralympic athletes.

I am deeply amazed at his strong will on working out. What made me embarassed is, I am far more perfect compared to him. I have both legs, both arms, both hands,... yet half the time I complain at how my image is. Face it, we humans always complain and want better things. It is not until you meet someone like this amazing man, who has lost his leg, yet he still smiles widely and thinks he is just the same as you and I. He truly is way beyond amazing. I am so blessed and thankful to have met him. He made me realise how life is wonderful if you see it positively. What made my jaw dropped was that he was training as hard as the other guys at the gym. I'm talking about heavy weight training, lifting heavy weights and all that hardcore things. He truly is my inspiration and he should be yours as well. Be thankful that you have been blessed with not having any disabilities. Doesn't it make you feel embarassed that someone like him could live such a happy life yet you still can complain about the little things in life? 

Reflect on what I just blogged. Count your blessings not your problems.

God bless you all. God bless you Tod (that's his name). 

Boredom hits!

Mood? hungry, sleep deprived & obese
Do you have any habits you'd like to break? be more strict with diet, which means stay away from sweets  
What will you remember most about 2012? meeting someone special <3
How do you feel about colourful jeans? it's cool but I'm not really into it
One of the most important lessons you learned this year? think before you act
Are you craving anything at this very moment? being in my lover's arms
What's going to be different in 2013? hopefully I am accepted to do my Master's degree

Sorry I haven't been blogging. Been busy and tired. I've been a panda that I wake up late in the afternoon and then go to the gym. Once I'm back it's late in the evening. Then I watch my favorite show Opera Van Java at 12am Australian time which is 8pm Indonesian time. And that goes for 2 hours. Such an unhealthy life style. Please do not follow me.

As you know, I have been injured. My lower back injury comes and goes like temper tantrum. Although I was injured, I still went to the gym and worked out. I spoke to one of the member of the gym, he said it could be because I walk too much. Silly but it could be the reason. Last month when I started going to the gym, I struggled to do 30 minutes on the treadmill. 30 mins would be like less than 2km. Then I started training with my trainer who kept telling me 1 hour of treadmill would play a big part to losing weight. So after that, I have been training myself with 1 hour of treadmill and 1-2 hours of weight training. Recently I got bored with my 1 hour treadmill. In 1 hour, I'd be doing 3-4 km and burning maximum 350 calories. I thought I could speed up a little. This week, I broke the record of doing more than 7 km and would burn more than 500 calories. After treadmill, my body is just tired. I mean, come on, 500 calories burnt.. no energy. Hahaha. I tried to do weights after that but my body was just too tired. However, this is good for me. Because to tone my body, I need to lose the fat I have on my body in order to have a healthier and sexier body.

Once you're so used to your work out routine, it is good to challenge yourself to do more things. However, you need to know your body's limit. I'm going overseas in ... about 4 weeks time and I want to have a healthier and toner body. However, I will be working out when I'm overseas too. You can never have a holiday with working out :)

I hope everyone is well and healthy :)

Just a quickie

I just want to say thank you for the love, care & support that everyone have shown me due to the previous post. I am okay and I am not training with him no more. When I met him to pay the sessions I have done, I tried to end on a good note but... due to his unprofessionalism, he was childish and started making up things. He said I was talking bad about him behind his back. Honestly, from that point on, I knew he was childish. He even ignored me. I'm glad that I dealt with the problem with a mature mind unlike him. But yes, thank you everyone.

Now, I am just dealing with a lower back injury. I really thought I pulled a muscle until just then, I kept on rubbing where the pain was and it's actually the bone. Not quite sure what I did but I am in pain. It will take time for it to heal. The down side is I can't really train 5x a week starting next week because I have to rest :(

I hope all of you have a fabolous weekend. Stay healthy and have a positive mind :)


God bless

What a day :(

Today was a horrendous day for me. Something that I didn't expect would happen. I ended my training with my trainer over the matter of money. I won't be training with him anymore. It's sad because I can now tell what he's really into, which is money. Never thought someone who have played such a major role in my fitness life, could turn out to be someone who would hurt me so deep. I'm thankful that I have a very loving and supportive gym family. The managers and other trainers were helping me clear out my mind. I will be training with another trainer. He seems nicer and he seems to be more understanding than my ex-trainer (as I should call him now). He said that he will give me a free session, just to see whether I like his style of training.

You see, a trainer should be someone who would understand and motivate you. Not to push you over your limit and doesn't understand you as a client. Most importantly, they should respect you. Clients go to trainers because they have an aim and they put so much trust in the trainer and to have that trust broken is just... sad. I need a trainer who can understand what I want and what I feel. I need a trainer that understands my condition, not to always say "your condition is nothing. Keep pushing yourself". Like I said previously, my body can only do so much. Today I realised that my body was just telling me "Sandy, I'm tired". However, I just want to think of the positive and that is, he has made me realise, I can lose weight. I can look good.

I am more than happy I handled the situation with a calm mind. Usually, I'd be crazy and be in somewhat a demonic state of mind hahaha. So, what I'm trying to say is, you will always have people that put you down. In the end of the day, it's your choice to make whether to have that negative aura to surround your life. If something doesn't feel right, stop it. Stop the negativity. You deserve a happy yet healthy life :)

God bless xo

Me on Me

Last week have been such a tough week for me. I was challenged both physically and mentally. I trained 5x last week and it resulted in me hurting my wrists. On top of that, my body was just so tired. Then, I had few problems with a few people around me. You see, when you're so tired, you just can't seem to cope so well in life and you can only take things to a certain limit.

1. You can't please everyone. Last week, I realised I can never please everyone in life. No matter how hard I work hard at the gym, there will always be people attacking me. One of the problem I was facing was I was called fat. I can never accept people calling me fat. Some people are just way too shallow and attacking people without really understanding the concept of human body. From being called fat, I was so furious and I started swearing. Swearing is something I do when I'm super mad. This is 1 problem that I always have trouble with changing. I guess I'm so used to it that it becomes 2nd nature to me. So I swore and it offended someone. I didn't mean to offend that person but I was super mad over what he said. He said to me he doesn't understand me, I shouldn't have done that, blablabla.... Basically he pointed his finger at me and made me feel like I have always been wrong. Truthfully speaking, he did some mistakes and I have forgiven him for his mistakes. It's just so unfair that someone could be so selfish and cruel and put people down like that yet doesn't notice it. What I learnt is that, you can never please everyone. Do what makes you happy. Do what you think is right. Screw everyone who is negative cos you don't need to live surrounding yourself with negativity!

2. No social life. After working out hardcore, I just don't have any social life. By the time I finish my gym sessions, my body basically tells me I need to rest. For me, going to the gym is an addiction. I train 5x a week, 2-3 hours each gym session. If I don't go to the gym, my body will get super mad. I am addicted!

3. Speak out. One of the problem with me is that, I keep my problems to myself. I don't talk to people about it and that at times ends up with me hurting myself. Last week, I could've shared my tears and fears with people I love the most, but I chose to shut myself up. Sometimes I just don't want to reach out a hand and I just end up hurting myself ...

4. I miss my parents. My parents have been gone for few weeks and they'll be back this Friday. I seriously can't wait! I really miss the love, care and support from my parents!

5. Love myself more. This is something that is very hard for me to do. I can never love myself. I always feel like, I'm not special. I realise all these beatings from going to the gym 5x a week, sometimes I feel sorry for my body who is working so hard and instead of finishing the day with a relaxed and healthy mind, I find myself surrounded with negativity. I really should push them negativity away but instead, I chose to deal with it.


This week really is a reflection week for me. I just have to stop and think of loving myself even more. I'm tired. My feelings are hurt. I'm not the usual happy me ... :'(

Gym Starters

I have been asked to give tips on gym starters. First of all, I consider myself new to working out. Secondly, I can only give you tips that was suitable for me. Thirdly, I am no means of a professional and I did not study Sports Science or ... anything that's related to fitness. However, I will share with you my journey on working out. Gosh, I sound so lame.

I started working out 2 years ago. I started with cardio work out. So these are treadmill, cycling, ellipticals. Out of the 3, I only like treadmill and that's what I have been doing. I recommend you to do cardio minimum 10 minutes and maximum 30 minutes. You want to get your heart rate up. Why? When you work out and your heart rate is higher than usual, you are burning calories and building muscles :) Due to being a newbie, I seeked professional help and had a personal trainer. My first personal trainer was a female. Compared to my current personal trainer, I enjoy having a male trainer more. Not because he's good looking or what ever you may think. My trainer has many experiences on personal training. So he knows the bulk of sports science. Every time I train, he would explain to me which muscles I'm building, the benefits for it and other useful information. This is one point that I truly like from my personal trainer. You don't want to work out without you knowing what the work outs are for, which muscles you are building and all that important infos.

If you want to do weight training. I suggest you seek a professional help. Firstly, you will have to adjust the weight of the equipments to the maximum weight you can handle. Once that is done, technique is very VERY important. You don't want to be doing weights and thinking you're doing the right thing, when really, you are just hurting yourself. There is no harm on asking people how to do it. I ask people how to do certain work outs that my trainer has not showed me. Once your technique is right, you build up the weights by doing sets. So for me, 1 equipment work out is 3 sets, 15 each.

You want to understand your body. My trainer is very good in this. I have trained with him for 4 weeks and I could feel and see results. My body is more toned and I'm so much stronger than before. It also depends on how motivated you are to work out. I work out 4-5x a week. Now that is excessive for some of you, but once you are used to it, it is like second nature :) My trainer explained to me that my type of body is endomorphic. What that is, I gain muscles very easily yet fast but I gain weight very easily. This is useful for me because then I know what kind of work out I have to do in order to reach my aims, which are to tone my body and lose weight. Research on these kind of infos, it is very useful for you :)

Motivation. This is the key to all work out routines. If you are highly motivated, you will end up like me, going to the gym a lot hahaha :) If you are just starting out, 2-3 times is the maximum that I recommend. You don't want to shock your body.

Food. If you want to work out in the morning, you may have your breakfast. However, my trainer have told me that if you are only doing cardio, don't eat. By doing cardio, you are actually burning calories from your fat storage. However, if you are doing combination of cardio and weight like me, it is fine to have breakfast. I usually eat a slice of bread and water. Today, I had slice of bread and an energy drink and that was approximately 144 calories. 1 hour of cardio is about 100 calories, depending on how fast you are on cardio :) However, if you want to work out in the afternoon, have you meal 2 hours before you work out. It takes approximately 2 hours for the food to be digested :)

Water. Stay hydrated at all times. When I work out, I drink about 5-6 bottles of water.

On top of that, eating healthy food plays a major role as well. I eat a lot of vegetables but, I can't eat excessively only because it will clot the blood. But, do eat lots of vegetables. Make chicken salad or salmon salad. Substitute your snacks with vegetables. If you want to tone your body, WALK. This actually burns your calories more than you think.

That's basically my tips for people who wants to start at the gym. I hope my infos have been some what useful. Until my next post! Stay healthy!

God bless :)

Just a little rant

I just have to blog about something on my mind about something that just made me super annoyed. I was speaking to someone and he was telling me how girls that goes to the gym are weird and they only go to the gym to check out the guys. Honestly, why the hell would he stereotype me as one of those girls? I honestly hate how some people that talks sh!t about me when they don't even know me at all.

I go to the gym to tone up my body, and losing weight is just one of the result of working out hardcore at the gym. I also go to the gym because it is my 2nd home. I feel very comfortable when I'm at the gym. I don't need to look good, no need to wear makeup. I just train hard with and without my personal trainer. That's it. I don't go to the gym and have the mind set that I will go to the gym, look sexy just for guys to look at me. I work out because I have an aim and it's also vital, in other words important for my current health condition. I will tell you that I have been working my butt off at the gym to the point that I sleep less, I injure myself and I get sick. However, I am highly motivated to be a beast at the gym.

I will say that going to the gym is not highly regarded as important for the Asian culture compared to the Western culture. People need to stop stereotyping and open up more and learn new things. Going to the gym is the same as you work out by running or jogging around your house area. However, gym has equipments that could help you reach your goal faster. By the time I'm typing this sentence, I actually am laughing because I could easily challenge anyone for a good 6km powerwalk/jog/run and 1 hour weight training. I might come off as a show off but I know myself that I am more fit compared to majority of my friends.

Working out is not a harm. Gym is not a place where it is only for the males not females. All I can say is, do what makes you happy. If gym is the place where you find yourself happy, then continue it. I'm not going to let any one tear me down like that.. or I'll smack them with the dumbbells ^^

Until my next post.
God bless xo

Mad for Mad Spuds

After gym, I had lunch with my sister, sister in law's sister and brother at a cafe called Mad Spuds Cafe located in Surry Hills. I love Surry Hills. Love the atmosphere. Love how they have small boutiques and small cafes. Mad Spuds Cafe is 1 of the many cafes that are in Surry Hills. The word Spud means potato :)

 

 

 

 

 

This is called Mad Spud Stack. It consists of crispy potato cake, halloumi (which is a cheese), avocado, caramelised onion, spud skins (potato skins), sweet potato and mint yoghurt. 

 

 

 





















This is called Potato Nachos with beef. It consists of crispy potato skins, spiced mexican beef, avocado, summer salsa and sour cream.

 

 

This is called Whacko Taco Spud. It consists of mexican style beef, avocado, chilli salsa and sour cream.

 

 

If you live in Sydney. Do check them out! Such delicious yet healthy food they offer :)

 

 

 

My "I'm trying to smile" face. I actually look tired. I slept for 4.5 hours and I did 2 hours on the treadmill at the gym. Tired but STRONGER :) Now I have to deal with the consequence of pulled calf.

 

 

Until my next post!

God bless :)

Tea for life

Lately I have been drinking a lot of tea. Before I was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism, I used to drink green tea every day. I love the scent and taste of green tea. I love anything green tea. But sadly, green tea is one of the drink I have to avoid. It clots the blood. So, I've been drinking other teas that I can find in my kitchen. The tea that I drink every day is called Earl Grey Tea. Due to having low glucose level, I usually add 2-3 teaspoons of sugar. It tastes very nice. Another tea I like is Peppermint Tea.

So, are there any health benefits to drinking tea? Of course!

1. Tea contains antioxidants. This will slow down the aging. It will also help to regenerate and repair cells in your body. It also helps to prevent cancer!

2. It lowers your stress levels

3. It fights cavities and reduces plaque

4. It keeps you hydrated! :) especially the low calories or no caffeine kinds. It's basically drinking water with added antioxidants

5. It reduces the risks of getting a stroke and heart attack. This is a major point for me because it helps with dangerous blood clots

6. It lowers blood pressure. Drinking green tea daily can reduce hypertension of 50%!

7. It helps with bad digestion

8. It may help to prevent diabetes. There has been an evidence shown that drinking green tea will help to prevent type 2 diabetes

9. It beats bacteria

10. It helps with immune defenses. People who drink tea vs people who drink coffee have higher immune defenses up to 5x


As I'm typing this blog, I'm also sipping on my hot cup of tea. So, what are you waiting for? Go get grab yourself a cup of tea and enjoy its health benefits :)

 Enjoying my tea ^^

 

Drinking Chamomile tea. Very soothing and relaxing~ ^^


God bless.

2 weeks feels like forever!

I just sent my parents to the airport. They are going to Beijing and Malaysia for 2 weeks. 2 weeks seems like forever to me. I already miss my parents. I was texting both of them 5 mins ago and I have tears in my eyes because I already miss them. I can't live without my parents. I do have an older brother, older sister, brother in law and sister in law, but I still miss my parents. I hope to see them quickly. I miss them so much :(

For this 2 weeks, I'm going to be more tough on myself and hit the gym. I'm going to show my parents that I can shape up with my physical attributes. I went for my 8AM training today. I'm a whole lot stronger with weight training. I'm getting pretty good with lunges as well. For those who don't know, it's a strength training exercise for the lower body. They help to tone, strengthen and also burn calories. However, if not done properly, you can injure yourself very badly. Gym beast mode: ON



 
 My "about-to-cry" face :'(

 

Until my next post.

God bless :)

Citizen of Indonesia or Australia?
 
This question is always asked by friends. "So, are you Indonesian now or Australian now?". Every time some one asks me this question, I tend to laugh. The majority of people that asks me this are Indonesian.

My answer to this is I am Indonesian. I was born there and I was raised there. I moved to Sydney permanently in the year of 1998 over the huge brawl. I'm not even going to remind myself what happened because it really was damn sadistic and depressing. I will be honest and say .. a lot of Chinese people who lived in Indonesia hated Indonesian after that huge brawl. I don't blame them. But their mistake is STEREOTYPING. Just because a small percentage acted without thinking fully, does not mean you can blame the whole nation. It's the same to Chinese people, not all of them are right with their actions. Who are we to blame people when we ourselves are not perfect in God's eyes? Face it, people make mistakes. Yes, what happened in 1998 was too hard for people to forgive those who have hurt your loved ones, but what are you going to do? Dwell on the past and keep thinking about it? Don't you think your loved ones want to rest in peace up in heaven?

I find it very childish, foolish yet moronic for people to move to another country and say "yes I'm no more Indonesian. I'm American" (example-wise). Do you honestly think by saying that, you will forget the past? No, you won't. You can say whatever you want, but if you were born in Indonesia, YOU ARE INDONESIAN. Be proud of who you are. I'm pretty damn sure that your life spent in Indonesia before the huge brawl had its happy memories.

I miss Indonesia. I really miss it so bad. A lot of people are amazed that I could speak Indonesian even though I have lived here for years. I'm proud to be Indonesian. I honestly am. I'm proud of the Indonesian music, Indonesian comedy shows, Indonesian food. I am living in Australia but deep down I'll always be an Indonesian girl.

Until my next blog post.

God bless :)

What a week!

 

This week, I have accomplished of going to the gym 5x. Such a killer. What I realised is that, going to the gym needs a full discipline. People get lazy so quickly so that's why I've been forcing myself to go to the gym that many times. I was so lazy to go today. Reason being is because my body was so sore from yesterday's 8AM training with my personal trainer. Omg, he killed me hahahaha. Today, I contemplated whether to go or not to go to the gym, but I ended up going. I did so much better as well. 6.13km under 1.5 hours. YEAH, I'm so proud of myself. I just want to show you some of the work out I do at the gym ....

 

 

This is for the shoulders. I do about 4 reps (15 each)

 

I do the 10kg one. 4 reps of 15 each

 

This is so good for the lower back. The first time I did it, my legs were shaking because I was scared that I'd fall. But my personal trainer assured me that I wouldn't fall. I do about 3 reps of this (10 each)

 

 

That's basically what I do. I like to change my work out all the time.

I'm so addicted to go to the gym! You should too!

Have a blessed weekend.

 

 

God bless :)

Get to know me

1. Is there anything in life you would like to accomplish that you haven't yet? Open a Music School :)

2. One secret you don't mind sharing with us? Ever since my grandma passed away, I could sense spirits at times @_@

3. How do you like to relax? Going to the gym. Weird but it's true haha

4. What was your last major purchase? Hmm ... major meaning big, it has to be Burberry makeup.


5. What can you cook very well? There are loads of food that I can cook... hehe

6. What is your favorite holiday and why? Christmas. It has that special feeling to it.

7. If given a million dollars, what is the first thing you would do with it? I would donate half of it to charity. The other half I'll start a business.

8. What kind of people do you like being around? People who are very positive :)

9. What is your one embarrassing moment? Laughing so hard whilst watching Indo comedy show, OVJ, whilst on the treadmill. I forgot I was at the gym hahaha

10. What one makeup mistake that you used to make? I would always hope to lose weight but I'd never do anything about it, such a stupid girl I really was... hahaha

11. What's your addiction? Beauty!

12. What are you most passionate about? I'm very passionate about anything beauty related. This all was inspired from mum who was a model ^_^


If you have any questions you want me to answer, let me know on the comments below :)

God bless.

Centennial Park

This park is located near my house. It's about 5-10 mins drive from my house. This park is huge that 1 round of walking is about 4km. However, when you work out at centennial park, you really enjoy the nature that surrounds you. Other than jogging, walking, running, you can also have picnic at the park. Even horse riding!

These are some pics that I took with my iPhone :)

Silly pic of me for you to laugh at :D

 

 

 

Until my next post... stay healthy :)

God bless. 

Updates

Sorry I haven't been blogging. I've been busy with family functions & gym. It's my day off from gym today. Only because I'm suppose to be only training 4 days a week and I'm pushing it to 5 days a week. So I only rest on Wednesdays & Sundays.

I had my first session with my personal trainer yesterday. He made me realise that I can't really push myself so hard because of my condition. He also showed me ways to work out specifically for my condition and that is 1 hour on the treadmill. Yesterday I did 1.15 hour of treadmill and let me tell you it was a tiring work out. Why? Because I also put incline of 3. It's as if I'm walking up the hill. But yes, loving my life at the moment. I love gym-ing.


Few pictures to share with you all ...

pizza from dad's birthday dinner

spaghetti marinara that I shared with dad

bruschetta pizza as a starter to the dinner

my serious yet tired face ^_^

 

 

Until then. Stay safe and keep smiling.

God bless :)



"Inner peace..." - from Kungfu Panda

Kungfu Panda is one of my favorite movie of all times. Jack Black as Po the panda is just awesome and adorable. If you have seen the movie, I'm pretty sure you have heard of Master Shi Fu mentioning "inner peace...". Through out the movie, he always remind Po to find inner peace. Then it got to me thinking.. how do I find inner peace? More so, what is inner peace?

Wikipedia states:

 

Inner peace (or peace of mind) refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. Being "at peace" is considered by many to be healthy (homeostasis) and the opposite of being stressed or anxious. Peace of mind is generally associated with bliss, happiness and contentment.

 

So in other words, being positive not negative, be happy, all smiles. Let me just say, what? The world is filled with so much negativity these days, it's so hard to find inner peace. It's not impossible, but just HARD. One of the positive point from the movie Kungfu Panda is, it is promoting inner peace, it is persuading us and telling us that we are able to find inner peace if we really want to find inner peace.

 

First of all, the ways on finding inner peace for every single one of us is different. How I find my inner peace could be the most stupidest/craziest/lamest thing for you. But each one of us is different, that's what makes us beautiful .. kidding, gosh One Direction getting to my head. Each one of us is different and that is what makes us unique and special.

 

Finding inner peace for me ..

 

1. Going to the park: I like going to the park. When I have a bad day, I go to the park and just relax, enjoy the nature that surrounds me. Looking at the clouds and the trees really soothe my mind. It really detoxifies the negativity in my mind. I like to also listen to music whilst sitting at the park. It's just pure bliss.

 

2. Watch movies: I love watching movies at the comfort of my own home. Love the feeling of laying on my pillows and watch movies. Ahh... so relaxing. However, watch movies that will make you smile. I like horror movies. I'm weird I know ... Watching movies invites your mind to somehow be a part of the movie. Like when I watch the infamous Japanese horror movie, The Ring, I felt like the ghost would come out from the TV screen any time soon. Oh, so scary yet so cool!

 

3. Gym: This place has now become my 2nd home. You want to go to a gym that makes you feel comfortable. Trust me, unfriendly gym staffs really affects how you work out. You want to work out to the best of your ability, and you want to finish with the feeling of satisfaction. Also, working out at the gym is really loving yourself, taking care of self for wanting to live a healthier life style.

4. Travel: I travel a lot, Sydney - Singapore - Jakarta - Singapore - Sydney. I miss Jakarta so much. I'm going there next year. So excited! I love travelling because it really freshens up my mind. However, if you have life issues, travelling does not mean you can forget the issue. That really is you running away from problems. Travelling really is for you to take time out, to analyse the problems so you can come back with a healthier inner mind to deal with the problems. And yes, shopping helps :)

5. Music: Some of you might not know but my first degree was in Music. Music plays an integral role in my life ever since I was a young spoiled girl (still am to an extent). I like to sing a lot. It doesn't matter if it's in the shower, at church, out with friends.. I just sing out random songs. I also am surrounded with family members that loves music. When I'm having bad days, I listen to songs that will put my smiles back on to my face. My current favorite song is an Indonesian song called Separuh Aku or Half of me by the member Noah. I am obsessed with this song.. truly am.


These are some of the ways I find inner peace. I would love to know how you find your inner peace. Remember, finding inner peace is vital for your daily life. The less worries and stress you have in your life, the less wrinkles and gloomy your face will be. By finding inner peace, we are able to act accordingly and not having to do stupid, regrettable things.

God bless :)

DEFINITION OF BEAUTY

Beauty. What is your definition of beauty? Ask this question to a number of people and I can assure you that you will get so many different answers. This question at times tend to pop up in my mind. Let's see what the definition of beauty is ...

This pic was taken from Google.com


So it says, it is a COMBINATION of qualities. Great, ok. I asked this question to several of my friends - both male and female. Let me tell you, their answers differ so greatly within each one of them. Media have always potrayed beauty according to the "standard fashion industry category" - meaning super model size. Then suddenly you are flooded with all these imagery of super models in your mind and then you get depressed and God knows what you do next. I went through that phase as well. Like in my previous blog entry, I mentioned I am not like the usual stereotype Asian girls that are skinny. I have always struggled with negative comments about my weight. On top of that, I read a lot of fashion magazines. That to me is depressing.
Growing up, I have always had the beliefs that pretty and/or skinny girls is what beauty is all about. I don't blame the media for this but I will say that they played a part in this.  Due to my beliefs, I was majorly depressed. Result of it, lack of self confidence.

I am at an age where this whole "getting the guys' attention" has deteriorated in my mind. I, however, will not lie that if a guy looks at me and smiles, I smile back.  So.. beauty, what is beauty? Heard of the quote 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'. What does it mean? It means something/someone is beautiful, depending on the person who is looking. Every time I am lacking in confidence about my looks, I always remember this quote. It makes me smile again.

Beauty can be defined in so many ways. But the true beauty really comes down to how you live your life through the way you speak, the way you act and the way you treat others around you. You see, beauty is not from the outside. Like another quote states "Don't judge a book from its cover", meaning do not look from the outside of something/someone. Live your life as someone whom people will love and cherish. Show love not hatred. Every one is not perfect, but we can always change to become a better person. Heard of the quote 'Never change for anyone who can't see the true you' ? I used to always agree with that quote but thinking it again, I change my answer to I disagree. If that person wants you to change because ... let's just say you are someone who likes to swear 24/7, if that person truly loves you, he/she will want you to change that habit of yours. Now that is the right thing to do, is it not? The better you are as a person, the better your life will be and the more people you will put a smile on their face :)

However, if you are like me, still struggling with the physical features of self, work out. But, you need to remember that you don't work out to look perfect or to impress someone. There is no such thing as being perfect. If everything in the world in perfect, the world will be so boring! :) Work out with the aim of living a healthier life style. The healthier you are, the healthier your mentality will be.

I hope this post have somehow made you realise that you are unique and beautiful, no matter what shape or form. God made you who you are. You have been given the chance to live a life, so live it with smiles on your face :)

God bless.





Learning to deal with criticisms

I woke up today, feeling so restless and sore from yesterday's work out. Also, I was feeling down as well. One of the major issue why I started going to the gym was the criticisms I kept on receiving from people around me. I must say that my figure is not perfect like the super models or skinny like the usual Asian girls. There are some people that says I'm fat and some people that says I'm voluptous. I will be honest and say I cannot take them "Oh.. you're fat" criticisms very well. I will be upset about it and feel bad about it. Then I'd let it linger in my head for a long while. Rather than doing something about it, I just do nothing. Then it got to me, these criticisms, they shouldn't be taken negatively. It should really be a constructive criticism. It should be taken as a comment to make me become a better person. If you have experienced the same way as I have, whether people say you're fat, skinny... just look at them and say "thank you". The next thing you do is, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Take it as a challenge and prove to them that you are better than that. I am not saying you should go the distance and kill yourself at the gym. No, I'm saying.. if you want to be happy, make yourself happy.

I have been diagnosed with Pulmonary Embolism. Let me tell you, working out for me is just hard. There are some times when I just want to faint. When I jog/run, if my heart rate is beyond 180, I would feel the sudden rush of blood swimming upstream to my head. Every day, I am challenged by so many people. I understand, it hurts when people put you down but prove to them that they cannot break you. You only live once, so live healthily and make every seconds count. Like I said, working out will save you from visiting the doctors.

Anyways, back to what I was suppose to blog about .... Today's work out was not as hardcore as yesterday. I didn't want to push myself so hard because I had to take blood test. I take blood test 2-3x every week. This is basically my weekly routine as it is part of my pulmonary embolism therapy. The blood result will determine how much dose I have to take for my blood thinning medication. So, today I did 3km on treadmill and then..

Lat Pull Down: 4 reps of 20 (14 kg)

 

Shoulder Press: 4 reps of 20 (9 kg)

 

Chest Press: 2 reps of 10 (7.5 kg)

I'm going gym again tomorrow and that will be enough for this week. Don't push yourself to do strenuous exercises because it will only do you bad instead of good. Remember, you know your own body and what you're capable of, so make your own work out plan. Trust me it will be fun and it will benefit you so much in the future :)

God bless.

Defeated @ the gym!

I tried to wake up in the morning to go gym. It didn't happen. However, I did arrive at the gym at 9.30AM. Today's work out I did were ....

4km on the treadmill
5km on the bike
200 stairs on the killer machine (I have given it that name because the 2 days I've gone on it, I died)

This is the killer machine. I will assure you that you will have difficulty when working out on this machine. It's so damn hard!! 

The feeling of after working out is just .... Fresh yet body being sore. I will go gym again tomorrow. I am excited to push myself even further. Please note that if you are unable to do certain work out, do not attempt. I have trained with a personal trainer before hence why I am some what going the distance with these work out. Do what you can, not what you can't! :) 

If you are interested in the gym that I go to, it is called Snap Fitness. It is located in Kensington. Do check it out if you live in the area. The managers are very friendly. And they really do make me feel like I'm at my second home. If you are interested, ring David the manager on 0431 492 180. Disclaimer: I am not by any means getting paid to promote the gym. I am just recommending you this gym due to the satisfaction of joining the gym. All thanks to the friendly and helpful staff. 

Thanks for reading.

God bless :) 

Challenge accepted!

Earlier today, I went to check out a gym near my house. It's called Snap Fitness. The trend of a 24/7 gym is booming in Australia. I went to check out 2 gyms. But I decided to join the one closer to my home. Due to it being a new gym, there was no fee to join. Usually it would cost $99. I basically paid for my card $49 and a monthly fee of $71.80 ($17.95 weekly). This gym does not need you to sign up for contracts like the previous gym I attended. It was a horrible gym. They charged me fees that I am sure they made up. The staffs were unfriendly and bitchy. It was just beyond horrible. So I stopped going for a year. Anyways.... long story short, I did 2.2km under 22 mins and I did some weights which I don't even know the proper name for the equipment. Then I did these stairs work out. Holy crap, it was hard. I died half way... >.< I will take photos of it tomorrow as I am going for a morning work out. 

If you are wondering with the title of this post, I have challenged myself to shed some weights for my holiday in December. One of the reason why I want to lose weight is because of my horrible and rude cousin. He likes to call me fat, yup, not my name but call me "hey fat". Seriously, he needs to check the mirror to see who is REALLY fat.

On a serious note, I am challenging all of you to do fitness every day. 30 mins is enough. No need of hard work outs. Even walking around the park is enough. Rather than sitting on your butt, WALK.I am also working out because of my health condition, pulmonary embolism. It's a pain in the butt to work out because this condition is quite dangerous. But am not giving up. So... WORK OUT. Live a healthier lifestyle. It'll save your money from visiting the doctors ;)

God bless.

Food pics.
Enjoy :)

Welcome to my blog!

I decided to make a blog due to some people telling me to go back to blogging again. In all honesty, it's a pain in the butt having to blog time to time. I would be so into it and then I'd find myself so lazy to update. However, I will try to fit some time to blog :) This blog will pretty much be about... whatever is in my head. It might bore some of you to death and it might be some what entertaining to some of you. I can say for sure that I will have posts on beauty, food, fashion and music. A girl gotta touch base with plenty of things in life ;) I would like to say to those who do end up following my blog, I hope you enjoy my journey of life by reading my posts.

God bless.