Promise to be a friend
Posted on July 12, 2017 Leave a Comment
Just close your eyes
And let your mind run free
No need to hide
Your secret’s safe with me
Haunted by your fears
Here they don’t belong
Let go of your worries
Darling, you are strong
Just take my hand
Together, we’ll run wild
Promise to be a friend
And make it worth your while
Get Lost In Your Dreams
Posted on July 12, 2017 Leave a Comment
Dream Big, but…, Always Keep Your Feet Grounded
As you embark on the journey towards chasing your dream, remember to keep a firm hold of where you want to go and what you plan to achieve. Have some firm ideas of how you will reach your goal, but do keep an open mind and remain receptive to the many curve balls that life will throw your way.
Here’s to the dream chasers and reality makers!
Keep on keepin’ on!
Baby fever
Posted on July 12, 2017 Leave a Comment
I have been having baby fever for the past several months. I so desperately wanted to hold a baby or ten. I spent hours liking photos and videos of babies on Instagram. Of course, I didn’t want to push out a baby or anything of the sort, but I was slowly becoming obsessed with the IG babies. I needed a way to release all of the energy I kept bottled inside from my baby fever. Thus, I decided to release the best way I know how, by getting lost in my hobby, craft, and form of therapy and draw a baby.
I must say, for now, I have satisfied my baby fever obsession.
Rising to the challenge…Rooooar!
Posted on July 12, 2017 Leave a Comment
I purchased my first set of Artist’s Loft oil paints on Friday, June 30th at Michael’s. Since I started painting, I have always played it safe with acrylic paint. After being comfortable with acrylic, I felt I needed a change, but more so a challenge. I wanted to see how well I could paint with oil paint without driving myself crazy with frustration.
To my delight, I did not encounter much difficulty with the oil medium. Within minutes of arriving home with my “new toy” as I like to refer to my art supplies every time I make a new purchase, I went to work. I painted a lion and left it to dry for two days. After the painting was dry, I proceeded to add the background details such as the rocks, the river, and the trees.
After staring at the finished product, I decided to name it “Rising to the challenge” as the lion represents strength. The rocks which represents the lion rising to the challenge of conquering the jungle.
This metaphor also represents me as the lion as I took on the challenge to try a new form of art medium and pushed myself to paint a somewhat complicated work of art.
As for you reading this, always keep in mind the only thing that can stop you from doing something or trying something new is yourself, but more specifically your fears, your thoughts, your worries, basically your frame of mind. Simply shift all of your doubts and negative thoughts to positive thinking and you shall succeed!
The process and setup:
Brown Leopard – I’ve Been Spotted
Posted on June 26, 2017 Leave a Comment
Leopard print has always been a favorite of mine. I own at least one leopard print in every piece of clothing imaginable. Yes, the obsession is real.
For this outfit, I paired blue jeans, red jewelry, and black loafers with a leopard print sweater.
Olive oil, good for your skin, Olive skirt, good for fashion
Posted on June 26, 2017 Leave a Comment
They say olive oil is very good for the skin, and olive by itself, it very good for the heart.
I say olive skirt, is very good for fashion.
Simple, yet stylish in this olive skirt with a white top, black loafers and gold accessories.
Leave it, or love it!
Posted on June 22, 2017 Leave a Comment
You guys tell me. Would you rock this NY & Co pants?
Be honest.
I rarely wear those pants because I find it very difficult to pair up with a top. The wrong top can make or break the outfit.
The shape of the prints makes it even more challenging to pair up with tops. Actually, I have only worn them three times since I purchased them due to that concern.
I tried my best here to pair the pants in a subtle yet stylish way. I went with a turquoise cotton blazer, and turquoise jewelry. I was trying not to look like a wild zebra with too much bright colors so I
Let me know if you consider it a hit or miss. Would you rock this?
Balancing the weather, oh Spring
Posted on June 22, 2017 Leave a Comment
Spring ready! Yes I was.
Spring time usually causes unbalance in the weather, where one day it’s hot, the next day it’s not, or the weather fluctuates in a matter of hours within the day. The challenge becomes a struggle between dressing to stay cool, yet not too cool, in case the weather changes by evening time.
For this outfit, I really wanted to wear a skirt. So, I paired this long sleeve red sweater, with a black and white horizontal striped skirt. The sweater is light enough to carry in a bag, but also wear outside in warm weather I added red jewelry and black loafers with red buckles to finish off the look.
So you see, the solution for me is to strike a balance by wearing clothes that helps to cool me down at the bottom, but keeps me warm on top or vice versa. This balance works perfectly for me as a strap hanger who commutes to work via public transportation. During warm weather, the buses and trains run their AC very high which causes discomfort sometimes when traveling to far distances. In that case, it’s always wise carry a sweater to cover up while traveling despite the scorching hot weather from outside.
This trick still applies during summer time.
Oh oh, I’ve hit a plateau!
Posted on June 22, 2017 Leave a Comment
Last month, I experienced a weight loss plateau which both confused and frustrated me for a while. I can’t even consider what I experienced a plateau since I did not stall at a specific weight. Keep in mind, I haven’t stepped on a scale since December. I have been paying attention to how I look, feel, and the way that my clothes fit to measure my progress. So imagine my frustration, when I actually noticed weight gain in the mirror and felt my clothes fitting tighter.
Despite the setback I continued to push through and gave it my all at the gym especially during training. I also started to sense that my trainer felt discouraged by the results or lack of results he saw. Yet, neither of us brought up the concern. Of course, he asked me about my diet but we left it at that. Weeks after weeks, he pushed me harder and I kept getting bigger. I started to think to myself, maybe the exercises are actually causing my muscles to bulk instead of creating toned and lean definition. Still, we carried on each session with more vigorous workouts which I performed with enthusiasm and to my full potential. Yet, I kept seeing unfavorable results.
Eventually, my trainer had enough and decided to bring it up. He said to me, “I don’t understand, how come I’m not seeing a big difference since we’ve been training together. I’m trying everything I can and you’re working extremely hard. This is not making sense to me”. I looked at him with the same face of disappointment to match and voiced that I didn’t understand what was happening either.
I wasn’t eating any later than I have been, and I wasn’t eating any more junk food than usual. So, I really could not understand what was happening. Then, it came to me that I had been eating cheese a lot for the past couple of weeks.
Now, I should have known better than to consume so much cheese but I had a good reason for doing so. Listen here! I’m actually lactose intolerant, yes you read right, which means, I must stay far away from dairy products. But, I have been eating small portion of cheese at a time and noticed that I didn’t have the usual symptoms of stomach-ache and diarrhea. So, silly me thought, yay I’m cured, I’m no longer lactose intolerant. To celebrate, I started eating cheese every chance I got, I guess to make up for lost time not eating cheese. As you should know, I started to experience shortness of breath during the same time I started consuming the cheese but ignored the sign. I actually attributed the shortness of breath to the hot weather. That was STRIKE 1! Alongside that symptom, I kept feeling bloated and full quicker. Again, I blamed the weather. STRIKE 2! The final straw I would say came when I kept experiencing both shortness of breath, bloating, and also extreme fatigue. STRIKE 3 and I was out! I knew it had to be the cheese, so I cut it out COMPLETELY!
Last week, as soon as I arrived for my session, my trainer almost lost it. He exclaimed in excitement, “wait a minute, what happened? Just last week, you looked bulky but now it’s like you’re a whole new different person. I’m so confused but damn excited to see this change. Wow”. I explained to him the harm I was doing to my body by eating cheese and ignoring the symptoms of my body communicating to me.
His exact words, “This is more like it, right on time for summer. Now I can take your body to the next level”. I’m READY!
In the end…
I’m still lactose intolerant.
That cheese, I mean, my greediness could have killed me.
Best of all, I’m back on track and my trainer couldn’t be more happier.
As a piece of advice, always watch what you feed your body and pay attention to the various ways your body responds to certain food and activities. Being fully aware of your body’s reaction becomes very crucial when attempting to change or improve your diet. If you’re on a weight loss or weight gain journey, good luck and keep on pushing. YOU GOT THIS!
The journey continues…
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