Who You Are?

Around us today, we see everyone will or is working hard after completing their schools and universities. Unless one is born in wealthy family, having had the silver spoon in their mouth as baby, they need not to worry bout money. For the rest of us, we are working for money or giving in our precious time to buy ourselves and our family a comfortable life. We see some people who work really hard (like no day no night) and some who will bullshit, stabs and all sort of dirty tricks to get to the top for better pay. We don't blame them because, we ourselves know that in today's world, if you don't have enough moolah, it's equal to no life. The cost of living is so high that everyone is fighting to get their share of $$$$ (income).

Me being one of them. I don't stab, in fact I was the victim. Despite the effort and hardwork you show at work, sometimes you just have to give it up and continue your path (career path is what i meant here) elsewhere and continue the working for more money life. As the hearsay goes, what doesn't kill you actually makes you stronger.

After all the busy life, do one actually take time to ponder... to reflect themselves, to appreciate the people and things around them? Most of us didn't. We forgot our roots, we forgot to reflect and most of the time we only regretted when things happened. Then we blame ourselves even more, some got to the extend of giving up their life, living in depression, becoming society waste and bla bla bla....

I realize now that I need to slow down, I regretted that I didn't spend enough time with my grandma while she's around. She was the one that took care of me, going thru all the hard time up bringing me when I was a kid. But I didn't pay her back and now she's gone and I miss her terribly. Well, I'm hoping the same incident won't happen once again, hence the spending more time with my parents who are getting older now.

I was in the yoga class yesterday and well, all of sudden there is this new instructor now for the thursday class which I had missed for so long. A young lady and pretty one. At the end of the class, she shared with us a song she came across that reflected her and believe that it reflected many of us, so i went home and took a search of the song. I do agree with her... it's a song so meaningful that I think I gotta share it. I have had the meaningful lines highlighted. Sit back and take a listen..

Who You Are, Jessie J

I stare at my reflection in the mirror:

"Why am I doing this to myself?"

Losing my mind on a tiny error,

I nearly left the real me on the shelf.

No, no, no, no, no...

Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars!

Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,

It's okay not to be okay.

Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart.

Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,

Just be true to who you are!

(who you are [x11])

Brushing my hair, do I look perfect?

I forgot what to do to fit the mold, yeah!

The more I try the less it's working, yeah

'Cause everything inside me screams

No, no, no, no, no...

Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars!

Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,

It's okay not to be okay.

Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart.

But tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,

There's nothing wrong with who you are!

Yes, no's, egos, fake shows, like whoa!

Just go and leave me alone!

Real talk, real life, good love, goodnight,

With a smile that's my own!

That's my own, no...

No, no, no, no, no...

Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars!

Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,

It's okay not to be okay...

Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart.

Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,

Just be true to who you are!

Yeah yeah yeah

Remember, you need to reflect yourself now...before life and work taking its toll on you.

The Time Keeper

I almost forgot that I've made a commitment to read a book a month...Nah, i didn't forget. I just don't have the time to finish a book. I do remember my "To Do List" for 2013. 

Anyway, i just finished a book today. This made it 2 books completed in 4 months.. Duhh... I have to speed up my reading skill... too slow and too much time wasted. There's a Father Time watching me somewhere, watching how I procrastinate and didn't complete things in given time.

Hehe... Well, this somehow related to the book i read, yes... The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom. I like the author and I think he wrote very well and his books are all about life. He makes me think each time reading his stories.

To cut thing short, here's the synopsis of the book, again I would like to emphasize, I'm not reviewing any title. This one is a must read though... MUST READ if you are serious about your life.

The man who became Father Time.

In Mitch Albom's newest work of fiction, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

He returns to our world--now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began--and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.

Told in Albom's signature spare, evocative prose, this remarkably original tale will inspire readers everywhere to reconsider their own notions of time, how they spend it and how precious it truly is.

It's so near, it's tomorrow

I'm feeling all nervous, anxious, nausea... all at once which is so wrong at this time. I shouldn't have let these feelings taken me for a ride. Be strong... mentally, so I can conquer the butterflies in my stomach.

I'm counting down to my biggest, longest, toughest hike ever... नेपाल (aka NEPAL, see my level of preparation? lol), here I come!! I personally think that I didn't train enough...1 more day to the Himalayan land and all I need to do now is to get myself mentally ready. *Breathing in and out slowly* ... Strong mind will keep me survive the 12 days trek. When I look at my checklist, I feel like killing myself... the list got longer and longer and it never ended...Hope the trekking journey don't give me the never ending feeling.

This is my trekking itinerary from the guide. Will try to google the map and see how challenging its gonna be. 

This is the closest map I can find...hmmmm....really interesting



Then I realized it wasn't just the hike that got me nervous. Damn, it's the phobia of flying long hour on Airasia. Yes, AA flies Kathmandu on AirasiaX. I know 4.5 hrs ain't long haul flight but with AA, anything more than 1 hr is long ... for me. I keep reminding myself to  take a glass of hot milk before boarding, (just in case you asked, milk actually has calming effect) to keep myself calm. To be honest, I will pop on some pills too.... yes to that extend, my fear of flying. The fear developed 2 years ago while flying to HCMC. I was sort of a frequent flyer and things were ok prior to the HCMC trip. Now, I'm minimizing my holiday due to this reason.

Back to Nepal, clothing and necessities packed but my Gregory Sage 45L is just not big enough. Not sure is the size or my packing skill that matters. Will try to reorganize the stuff and hopefully (fingers crossed) everything will go into the backpack as planned. It's this big ok....(see pic below)

I have packed light, bringing minimal shirts and pants...and no beauty products ok. Only a tube of aloe vera for all purposes. Shit, I'm gonna look like zombie for next 2 weeks. If any friends bumped into me at Kathmandu or Langtang, I doubt they can recognize me. Lol... Joking la... It's not like I always dress to nines and suddenly surviving on a tube of aloe vera gel.

Looking at the time now, I have less than 24hrs to pack and bringing my mental to the next level... lol tell me what is next level please...In fact, at this hour tomorrow, I will be touching my feet on Nepal ground.

Let's pray everything will be alright. I don't want to catch any flu or altitude sickness. Feeling dizzy and nausea is the last thing I want while hiking in thin air... and of cos no diarrhea please...Most importantly I hope my feet and knees will be on my side throughout the journey. Dear God, I thank you in advance for not letting these little little things holding me back from completing my journey.

Now, few last things to do... check on the weather forecast, reading thru the wikipedia, checking on wikitravel and also what to shop at Nepal. Shopping brings smile or rather makes a girl giggles and forgetting their fear...hehehee...

Wish me luck...more bout the hike when I come back :D Adios...

5 Things to Learn from Jillian Michaels

My close friends will know who my new role model (or favorite person) is...That will be none other than Ms Jillian Michaels. She's one of the trainers of The Biggest Loser and and and I hope I can look liker her (body wise) one day...soon.

Was google-ing for Jillian and found this piece of article released on Shine, Yahoo some times back in 2008. I thought perhaps I would copy and paste this article and share it once again to new fans... well, I'm one of them. I only heard bout Jillian in 2012. If I don't dig it out and share it, hardly people will find this piece of treasure...lol

So here's what she had to say...the interview by Shine:

1.) DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR SELF-PRESERVATION.

I told Jillian that some of my habits—flushing rice down the toilet so I won't eat it, bringing my own high-fiber bread to brunch—stirred some controversy on the blog. "Why?" she asked. "Why should we apologize for the practices that help us manage the symptoms while we deal with the real reasons we eat? I pour candle wax on my food at restaurants," Jillian admitted. "Not wanting to 'waste food' is a poor excuse for ending up far worse off later on, dealing with all the health problems that come with obesity."

2.) RUN.

I asked Jillian if running really is the best form of cardio for weight loss. "Absolutely," she said. "There are lots of great ways to get your heart rate up, but if you want to see the pounds melt off, running is the fastest way. But I get that not everyone is built for it—knee problems, tight IT bands, heel spurs; I get it.” Whatever you do, she said, “Don't forget the weights! The more muscle you build, the faster your metabolism will run."

3.) THE BIGGEST LOSER IS NOT REALITY.

"You don't watch the Olympics and think, Hmm, I should swim for 6 hours a day like Michael Phelps, do you? But you might think about joining a pool and swimming a few times a week," she said. That's what Jillian wants people watching TBL to think, too: "If these people can lose ten pounds in two weeks, maybe I can lose ten pounds in a couple of months." She adds: "I want people to realize their own potential; I meet people all the time who never thought of themselves as athletic, but now? They truly are athletes."

4.) FORGET WILLPOWER.

"Losing weight is not about willpower—it's about moments of bravado, like the moment when you ask your waiter to take the bread away from the table right away."

5.) JUST SAY THANK YOU.

When I told Jillian how much weight I've lost, she congratulated me. And then (as I always do), I added, "But I still have a long way to go." "Stop," she said. "What does that do," she said, "apart from negate everything you've already accomplished? You're being self-deprecating and disempowering, and that doesn't serve anyone-and especially not you. Be proud of what you've done for yourself."

What do you guys think—is weight loss about willpower? I happen to agree with Jillian and think it's NOT. It's not about gritting your teeth and finding the strength "deep within you"—I think that's B.S. and will leave many people feeling really bad that they can't find it. They key, I think, is to set up your environment and make decisions so that you can succeed even when willpower is nowhere to be found.

So what says you? It's so true right? We shall bear these in mind and our journey to weight loss will be much easier. 

1. Share your food if you don't want to waste them.

2. Find some times to run at least once a week. If you think you can't run, take it slow. Start walking at least, increase the speed gradually and then you are on the track. 

3. Everyone wants to shed 10kilos or run full marothon but set short term goal... it's about one step at a time. The next thing you'll see, you achieved faster than you thought you can.

If your resolution this year is bout losing weight, print this out and paste it on your wall. You'll be there in no time.

Stronger

Born optimist, I love to witness happy moments... i always look at the brighter side of things... everything is possible for me, even the most impossible things...my sister once asked why she has never seen the sad side of me. How i manage to stay happy and cheerful everyday?

The secret is.....

.

.

.

.
.
.
.
.

.

NO SECRET!! Lol...I'm glad being born this way. When you're sad, think something happy... when you're angry, look for your friends... have a cuppa coffee, tell them and release the anger, things will turn out better, seriously.

Regardless how bad an incident has turned out, there's always way to turn it back the other way around. Everything happened for a reason and we have choices of how we wanted it to impact us. We chose the reflection of our emotions... How we want to portray ourselves or how we want others to see, that will lead to how we react to situation, good or bad.

I have came across this song some time ago, when i needed support the most. I was working at this most disastrous company ever... lets not talk bout the bitchy incident and people there. It's part of the lyric of this song that keep me going .. I have proven to the bitches that what doesn't kills me actually makes me stronger. Clinging to these words, i  pulled myself through the tough times. Thanks Kelly Clarkson... Here's the lyric for the song "STRONGER" to share :)

You know the bed feels warmer
Sleeping here alone
You know I dream in colour
And do the things I want

You think you got the best of me
Think you've had the last laugh
Bet you think that everything good is gone
Think you left me broken down
Think that I'd come running back
Baby you don't know me, cause you're dead wrong

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

You heard that I was starting over with someone new
They told you I was moving on over you

You didn't think that I'd come back
I'd come back swinging
You try to break me, but you see

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

Thanks to you I got a new thing started
Thanks to you I'm not the broken-hearted
Thanks to you I'm finally thinking about me
You know in the end the day you left was just my beginning
In the end...

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

[2x]
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

(When I'm alone)

You may sing along here Enjoy the song and hope it keep your chin up when you are down.