Completed #13 - Bake cupcakes!

Completed: Bake Cupcakes

It’s a friend of mine’s going away and birthday party tomorrow, and I am in charge of bringing in some desserts, so I thought I’d cross one item off of my 101 things in 1001 days list - bake cupcakes.

I wanted my first batch of cupcakes to be tasty cupcakes made from scratch, and it has totally been accomplished! These babies are SO tasty! They are vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream topping and a sprinkling of chocolate! A darling coworker of mine forwarded me a recipe for Magnolia Vanilla cupcakes so I knew those would probably be killer cupcakes. I think the use of pure vanilla over artificial vanilla extract made a fairly large difference.

This experience has turned on some sort of switch in me - I told the BF that I’ll be baking a WHOLE lot more nowadays! :) Thank goodness for the gym membership!

The recipe can be found on this website. Happy baking!!

Completed: #12

Completed: Hit the Driving Range

I have completed item #12 in my 101 things in 1001 days list. I look like such a dork in the pic! And I am positive I looked even dorkier trying to swing that club… or whatever it is. I realized within 20 minutes of trying this particular adventure that I am in no way any sort of golfer. I hated mini-putting, and I hated this. I am not really sure how some folks find this kind of thing relaxing - but to each their own, yeah? At least this made me realize that it’s just not my thing.

And about that 101 things list - I accidentally deleted it. I am such a geek!! I had a pretty lengthy list and I clicked on “delete”… my head was elsewhere. It’s been happening a lot lately. I need to stop and think just a little more before I act.

I’ve been trying to work on the list but it’s a lot harder than I thought! I can barely make a list of 101 things… there are a ton of things that I wanted to do, but I live in a city that makes it pretty easy to go to a musical or something equally funtastic any day of the week. Regardless, I will complete that list - sooner or later :)

Til next time, my gummie!

I just got back from another wonderful training session with my big, russian trainer. My arms feel like jello. My legs are really struggling with stairs. I just want to curl up in the covers and sleep off the pain.

Rewind to yesterday: Boyfriend bought a bag of tasty gummie bears. He knows that one of my weaknesses is gummy candies - anything with that type of texture typically finds its way into my belly.

HOWEVER, I have found a new way of thinking.

The more crap I eat, the more time I waste at the gym. It’s a vicious cycle and really, it’s quite simple. I hate wasting time, it’s a huge pet peeve of mine, and wasting time at the gym trying to burn the last 15 is just plain dumb if I could have avoided it by eating healthy in the first place.

It may be over the top, but it’s getting me past the gummie bear temptation - and that’s all I needed ;)

Completed: #4 & #6

Each time I knock an item off of my 101 in 1001 Days list, I plan to blog about it a little.  This week, I’ve accomplished #4 and #6.

#4: Go to a Tennis Match

Last week, BF & I both played hookie (read: we booked a day off) and spent the (fairly rainy) day at Rogers Cup @ York University. Unfortunately for us, the majority of the day that was supposed to have been spent cruising around the grounds and watching various tennis matches ended up just being 1 match - the Nadal and Levine match. It was the first tennis event I had ever been to and it was really quite exciting - especially for someone that doesn’t really watch tennis at all to begin with. However, I am automatically a sports fan when we’re outdoors and I can witness the action right in front of me. A+! I will definitely do this again - I’m trying to convince BF that it’d be a good idea to catch the US Open :)

#6: Take a spinning class

One evening last week, I decided that it’d be a good idea to just go ahead and join a spinning class. It was an hour long ordeal, and it was almost bearable, if not for the incredibly painful seat. I’m sure I could have probably completed the entire hour decently if  my bum didn’t feel the way it did, but it was definitely a decent first time. After about 50 minutes, I think if I continued to push myself as hard as I did initially, I probably would have thrown up. Needless to say that next time (and yes, there will be a next time!), I will take it a little easier… baby steps, you know.

I still have to complete the 101 list - for some reason, it’s proving to be a fairly difficult task. I try to do as much as I can (example: i’ve been to every sporting event except hockey, i have been to musicals and etc) so it’s hard trying to put something new and exciting on the list.

Oh well! Hope you’re all doing better than I am :)

Nice gestures for (seemingly) nice people.

I’ve been on this weird kick lately to try to do nice things for random people. I’m usually a pretty reserved person and it is not in my personality to stop and talk to a stranger (or to interact with anyone that i don’t know). It’s not a snobby thing (please don’t think that!), I just assume that everyone wants to be left alone (mostly because I usually just want to be left alone).

The other day, however, I became a regular good Samaritan. Evidence:

1. Sitting on the subway going home after work, a pregnant lady came on and I quickly jumped out of my seat and let her sit. There were a ton of people around (it was rush hour) and she seemed very thankful (and very relieved). However, as I was standing amidst the mess of other hot, grumpy people, I found another standing pregnant lady and I was really disappointed in the lack of chivalry around those parts. Seriously! Let the lady sit!!

2. I went to Rogers Cup a few days ago and Rexall (a pharmacy shop) is a big sponsor. They were giving out free mini packs of tissues and they shoved a couple into my hands. Being the type to always be prepared, I gladly accepted and went on my merry way. Fast forward to a few hours later when BF & I were at mall and a poor young boy and his kid sister panicked after his sister spilled her melting ice cream all over her hands and legs. I quickly gave the little boy a package of napkins and he gratefully accepted. He was really relieved that he had something to clean up the mess. He was also equally surprised that a stranger would just give him a pack of napkins.

I did some other miscellaneous “nice” stuff - like busting in on random people’s conversations @ Rogers Cup to tell them that really great (read: Nadal) matches were over to save them from walking all the way to centre court. HEY, it’s baby steps.

All in all, it felt great while I was doing them, and a ton great after I did them. I only wish I knew if the people I helped in turn helped other people. Or you know. Stuff.

The ‘101 Things in 1001 days’ Project

I am all about changing myself for the better, so I found this interesting project that I might have to start on my own: The 101 Things in 1001 Days project.

From their website:

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Stay tuned for my list! It will definitely take me a few days to gather my thoughts and come up with a list of great things I want to accomplish in just under 3 years.

Gyms and personal trainers.

I signed up for a personal trainer today. I sort of didn’t want to, but I really think I need some help and some guidance, regardless of how stubborn (and cheap!) I am.

Now it’s not all vanity, this whole going to the gym thing. Diabetes runs rampant in my family, as well as heart disease and thyroid disease. So this whole movement is a lifestyle thing.

Losing 10-15 lbs wouldn’t be bad, either :)

I had my fitness exam today and a trainer really worked me out. Unbelievable! I’ve been going to the gym and I thought I pushed myself fairly hard with my strength training, but after only 15 minutes in the weight room with the trainer, and my whole body just aches. This is the exact reason why I felt I needed to put in the extra money.

Sure, there’s some slight buyers remorse - but to be completely honest, if I could do it without any help or knowledge, I would have done it by now. And it was nice having someone around telling me how I should be executing the exercises (and what was good/bad about my form).

Only the next few months will tell! 2008 will be my year.

Oh goodness, I am going to be SO sore tomorrow. YESSS!!

prioritizing life.

if there was only one thing that i learned this year, it’s that in order to work toward something, you need a goal.

one example is that i’ve wanted to tone up for a while and losing the last 10 lbs is the first step - i’ve been wanting this for the past few years but i’ve just been ‘willy nilly’ going to the gym and not really setting myself a goal. i got fed up with this attempt and sat down and came up with a realistic goal - and now i’m already on my way to completing it! i am incredibly excited.

with that, i decided to have a sit-down and “real” talk with the BF this weekend to establish our goals and priorities. over mojitos and appetizers, we discovered that we both have ‘travelling’ high up on our priority list (over buying a home, getting married, etc etc). this was thrilling, so we decided to start planning on getting something in the works.

our rough plan is putting money away each pay cheque in order to cover travel expenses. this will cover plane/train tickets, accommodations and some food. it would just be up to ourselves personally to cover any additional goodies (like expensive, wonderful souvenirs - louboutin’s in france anyone?).

i am really excited - knowing that we’re both on the same page and knowing that we’re both taking an extra step towards getting what we want out of life.

i will definitely be putting this action into the rest of my life - hopefully it’ll all become less chaotic and more streamlined.

Photo courtesy of czechbyclick.com.

I heart lululemon.

I told myself that I would never fall into the lululemon hype. The workout clothing was so expensive! A pair of pants is about $100 and yet all you really do is sweat in them!

However, after the past few years, I probably spent upwards of $400 buying jogging pants and other cheap pants, only to find that they pill after just a few days or they were quick to lose shape. Finally, I dropped by a Lululemon and tried on a pair of pants - and fell in love. I won’t ever go back to cheapo pants - they’re just so uncomfortable compared to my fantastic pants!

I just wanted you all to know that I am fairly cheap with workout gear (i am at a gym about 6 days a week, so gym wear is fairly important to me) - i buy tops at Sportchek with the 3 for $20 deal - but now i realize the real awesomeness that is lululemon’s pants!

Orchids to make my face smile.

Today’s been a fairly craptastic day - and when that happens, there are a few things that cheer me up, and one of them happens to be flowers.

No, no, I didn’t receive flowers today (though that would’ve been nice - hint hint BF!), but I pulled up photos of the sweet Orchids (my fav!) that BF got me for my birthday.

Now, I’ve got to find other ways to cheer myself up! Shopping, perhaps :)

Have a good weekend everyone!