This was taken a few months ago when I saw John Leguizamo's show Klass Klown. I'm a huge fan. He was very nice and conversational. It was a pleasant surprise:) I must thank my dear friend Miss Diana for taking this pic and for putting up with my giddiness.
Today's Small Victories I made it to yoga!
However, I must confess that I failed to make it to the gym yesterday. I stupidly forgot that I had a short, afternoon gig at Sephora in Stanford mall. There was no way I would make it back in time for class. I thought I would push it, but then I remembered that I forgot my gym bag at home. Gah! Oh Well. There's no use in fretting. Just cut your losses and move on.
Today's Workout One hour of yoga.
Notes (to myself) about this workout: It's was a much-needed stretch session. Yea.
First off, I'd like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my big sis, Tina. This was taken back in the day when we grew up on Guam. Obviously, it was Christmas... and my mom had a thing for giving me those rice bowl haircuts. Anyway, here's to you sis. I hope you have a great day. More importantly, I hope that husband of yours can go an entire day without insulting you. Should he fail to do so, you know who to call to bust his knee caps with a baseball bat. Don't worry sis. I can make it look like an accident... or a completely random act of violence. Ha ha! (Of course I'm kidding!) The other birthday celebrant is none other than my dear friend John W. fathlete confession: Just like my post about Brad, I know John W.'s bday for two reasons (1) facebook and (2) his bday is the same as my sister's. It's kinda hard to forget! Regardless, much luv to you, John W.! I hope you're celebrating with all the special people in your life. Tennessee may love you, but California misses you!
Today's Small Victories I managed to score an amazing deal on a pair of pants that make my a$$ look amazing! Also, I am bold enough to admit that the "Wysong" WOD Chong programmed totally sucks! I'm not in the mood for such torture on my day off. Therefore, my date with the "Wysong" WOD will have to wait til next year.
Workout 1 hour yoga
Notes (to myself) about this workout: Since I'm still getting back into the swing of things, I decided to stick to yoga today. Admittedly, yoga and CrossFit are day and night different. In many ways, the contradict each other. The hard thing about CrossFit is being reasonable enough to scale as needed, and being careful enough to not injure yourself. Yoga is more about indulging in pleasure while finding your edge. It's about focusing on your breathing and letting your breath guide you through the workout. It's perfectly okay to scale back or not complete a sequence in yoga, versus in CrossFit, such things are a sin! In yoga, I can feel ALL my sore spots that CrossFit leaves me. They balance each other out and are both difficult in their respective ways.
Today's yoga class was kinda hard for me. Again, it was because I could really feel the soreness. It was draining. I had to stop more than usual. This is because when a pose baffles me, I lose focus, become frustrated, and fall flat on my ass. To avoid frustration, I usually stop, get into a resting position and re-establish my breathing. From there, I catch up with the class. This is stuff I could NEVER do in CrossFit!
Anyway.... I'm a bit sore so today's lite day is nice. Oddly, I'm looking forward to seeing what we have to do in CrossFit tomorrow;P
If there is one person who puts an automatic smile on my face, it's Bradass! Today is his birthday. fathlete confession: The only reason why I have the capacity to remember his birthday is (1) facebook tells me it's his bday and (2) his bday is the day before my sister's bday. Either way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRAD! Hope you and the family celebrate in the most fabulous way!
On another note, my niece sent me this AMAZING video of Incubus doing a cover of Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf. In case you don't know, I am a HUGE Duran Duran fan and have just about every song they have ever recorded on my ipod. When in college, Incubus was one of my favorite bands. In fact, one of my dear college friends went to high school with Brandon, their lead singer. I've always loved how socially conscious Incubus has been as a band. In particular, they totally won me over a few years ago when they started a donation link on their website for the typhoon victims in the Pacific. Needless to say, the video below is a total treat!
Today's Small Victories I think something went wrong with the diabetes meds today. I may have doubled the dosage without realizing it. In the late afternoon I completely conked out and barely made it to the gym. However, I pushed and got my ass to the box. Wa-hoo!
Warm-up Row 500 meters - two rounds. The second round should be at least 10 seconds faster than the first round. My first round was 2:28; second round was 2:09.
Conditioning: Complete as many rounds in 12 minutes of: 5 deadlifts 165# Run 100m 10 pistols (band assisted one-legged squats) Run 100m You can do the pistols all on one leg or alternate legs. The choice is yours. Use a band or some sort of side support to sub for the pistols.
Joanne's Final Count - 3 rounds +1st 100 meter run
Notes (to myself) about this workout: I'm still trying to ease into the WODs. This was a great workout because it was challenging, but I still got a good workout in without getting injured. I also ended the WOD with 5 minutes of jump rope work. Yea!
Finally, some food for thought for you.... Many of you may be familiar with the United Farmworkers Union (UFW) led by Cesar Chavez. However, did you know that it was actually started by Filipino farmworkers? Sadly, it's a forgotten history (of which I have very strong feelings about). Luckily, someone created this documentary. I hope you enjoy the trailer.
I wanted to send out a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to my dear friend Ana and her now husband Marco on their recent nuptials. Ana and I have known each other since high school. We went to UCSB together where we lived together for many years. Currently, we're at Berkeley (in different departments). Long story short, I've known this woman and her family for a LONG time. We've seen each other through many growing pains. Naturally, when she told me she was getting married and asked me to do her wedding makeup, I totally jumped at the chance. It was a beautiful wedding and it was so great to see her family again. I also realized that it had been a LONG time since I've seen her family!
One of my most memorable moments of the wedding was when this young woman approached me and said, "Joanne, do you remember me?" Confused and embarrassed, I responded, "No." The young woman then said, "It's me, Jasmine!" OMG. The last time I saw Jasmine, Ana's youngest sister, was when she was about five years old. Um, she's seventeen now. Another memorable moment was seeing Ana's father, who drove the u-haul when we moved into our apartment during our sophomore year in college. He looked at me and said, "You haven't aged in the last fifteen years or so. You look exactly the same as you did the day I drove the u-haul to Santa Barbara!" Vitamin C, everyone. I swear by vitamin C...
Today's Small Victories Today is the day I have officially stopped skipping rope like a little girl! For the record, I still cannot do a double under. However, I feel like I'm one step closer to getting it because I figured out how to jump rope like an adult. Usually, I skip rope doing this double hop thing. It makes jumping rope really slow and double unders nearly impossible. Tonight I FINALLY learned how to eliminate the double hop. This has taken me AGES to figure out! I was also able to jump rope more consecutively than I had before. (I'm notorious for the rope jamming up on me.) WOOT!
Warm-up Quick weight warm-up.
CrossFit One World WOD Strength: Front Squat 5x3 (as if 5 rounds, 3 reps) 95#
Press 5/3/1/1/1 45/65/75/80(f)/80(f)/77(f)
"Annie Amateur": 50-40-30-20-10 reps for time of unanchored Abmat sit-ups and double unders. (Note: at the 30 count round, I decided to anchor my feet.)
Joanne's Final Time - 15:41
Notes (to myself) about this workout: I'm still out of shape. However, I liked that I sort of "eased" into this WOD. I didn't hit a PR on the press, but I'm okay with that. Besides, I'm still reeling from the jump rope. Yippee!
I love all things Wonder Woman. As a kid I used to spin round and round because I swore to the high heavens that if I did, I'd turn into her. My mom has fond memories of me spinning until I fell to the floor dizzy with determination that I would transform into the super she-ro. I have a small collection of Wonder Woman items (mostly generous gifts from people I love) and even own the DVD set of the TV series.
If you're a Wonder Woman lover like me, you'll be ecstatic to know that in Spring 2011, MAC is launching a limited edition Wonder Woman makeup line! Though I'm a make-up artist, my kit is filled with all my essentials. New collections hardly impress me. However, this is definitely one that I'm taking note of!
Today's Small Victories I've been eating pretty well and have been avoiding eating out. My strategy is as follows: I've been cooking and imagining all the money I've been saving from eating in. It's actually helped! Also, this is definitely the season for produce. Nothing spells salad better than the gorgeous lettuce I bought this weekend!
Today's workout consisted of 1 hour of yoga and 1 hour of belly dance. It's a great way for me to get back into CrossFit again. I can't wait to go on Monday! It should be noted that I'm going to start off slowly but surely. This whole missing class and then going balls out when I return just isn't working out for me. My goal is to get some kind of workout once a day. Again, baby steps!
You can imagine my dismay when I read this story about Charice Pempengco, a Filipina singer who was recently cast in the second season of Glee. It seems that in order for her to get ready for Glee, the eighteen year-old Pempengco has decided to undergo some skin tightening and botox treatments. Apparently, her face is too big from chewing so much gum. Therefore, her plastic surgeon, suggested the botox in order to relax her jaw. This, in turn, would prevent her jaw muscles from getting gi-normous (yes, an actual word in my book) and would narrow out her face.
I wish I were joking. However, the news clip can be found here. I should warn you that it's in Tagalog and English. If you listen well, you'll get it.
Admittedly, I'm irked more than most because I have a round face. It's genetic and has nothing to do with my mouth-chewing muscles. Also, I hate Pempengco's plastic surgeon, the notorious Vicki Belo. Belo's gum-chewing theory is ridiculous. I can't believe people actually trust this woman!
Today's Small Victories After taking a break from extreme soreness, I decided to take it light and do an hour of yoga. It was wonderful!
Notes (to myself) about this workout: After doing a lot of thinking and conversing with my chiropractor, I've realized that I tend to be extreme when it comes to working out. I'm all or nothing. So my next set of goals is to simply aim for consistency - eating as best as I can every day and getting some form of exercise. Small steps will equate to big rewards in the end. Let's see how I end this year;)
I don't know about you, but Ed Hardy t-shirts on a guy makes me cringe. This is how I know that manhunting at Santana Row is useless. When I saw this posted on yahoo! news I had to laugh. Unfortunately, I agree with EVERYTHING on this list. The one thing I'm willing to forgive is the baseball cap faux pas. I think baseball caps on guys is totally cute... unless it's a regular part of his repertoire, thus signifying that he doesn't bathe regularly or own a comb. If I were in Europe, I'd forgive the Speedo rule. Other than that, this list is spot on. I hope you agree:)
Today's Small Victories I'm sore as all hell from getting back into the gym. Seriously. The only muscle that doesn't hurt are my eyelids! Regardless, I showed up to One World to show my commitment to my challenge and to help recover.
Warm-up In the morning, I did one hour of yoga. I took it easy, focusing on stretching.
I just finished reading this book: The Beauty Bias: The Injustice of Appearance in Life and Law by Deborah L. Rhode. It's an academic book (just warning you in case you were planning on taking this to the beach thinking it was summer reading). If you want to see a review, click here. Though it's an academic book, I thought it was easy to read. However, the information is overwhelming. When laid out the way the author does it, you really see how beauty and appearance matters - in relationships, in the workplace, etc. Rhode covers everything from racial to body discrimination. Her focus is law, but she speaks in cultural and lifestyle terms as well (or um, as best as she can). The book also shows how beauty is so standardized - GLOBALLY. Hence, why, for example, Asian women all over the world are running to their nearest plastic surgeon for eyelid surgery. It's almost depressing. There's a lot to say, but I'll end here and leave more riveting conversation about this between you, me, and a cup of coffee.
Today's Small Victories Still going strong in the good eating department. Oh fresh veggies, how could I have possibly neglected you all this time?!
Warm-up 10 rounds of 100 meter row with 10 second rest in between. The goal is to beat your time from the previous round. I was consistently between 25 to 26 seconds. Yea me!
CrossFit One World WOD Strength: 3 reps of deadlift (155#) on the minute for 10 minutes. You are going for explosive speed on all three lifts, but keep the form TIGHT!!!
Conditioning: Complete as many rounds as you can in 15 minutes of: 5 jumping pull-ups 10 box step-ups (12") 15 AbMat sit-ups
Joanne's Final Count - 9 rounds + 10 box step-ups
Notes (to myself) about this workout: I think I did something between 8-9 rounds. I lost count somewhere. Maybe I did 10? I'm sure I did at least 8 or 9. I'll stick with 9...
I'm still sore from last night, which is why I had to modify a lot tonight. For example, I was supposed to lift 165# for the deadlift. However, my back just wasn't having it. Instead of actual box jumps, I did box step-ups. I started with the jumps, but I could feel how heavy my legs were weighing me down. It hurts to go upstairs. Bleh. I'm feeling out of shape. However, the only way to survive this is to keep working out. I just need to re-train my body again. Soon enough the WODs won't be so devilish.
Last week, Freddy did a post called "Who Made You?" where he featured his parents' wedding photo. Inspired, I called my sister and asked her to send me files of our parents wedding album that she scanned a few years back. Admittedly, I LOVE my parents' wedding album. If I were to ever have a wedding album, I'd model its design after theirs. Anyway... Here are my parents. I've been told that I look a lot like my mom. When I was younger, I didn't see it. However, as she and I get older, I see it more and more. My siblings and I all have my mother's round face and cheeks. In terms of personality, I think I'm definitely more like my dad. But that's a whole other story....
Today's Small Victories I am on Day #3 of my three month "road to better health" challenge to myself. My first 30-day challenge is no fried food. This weekend was a wash because I simply can't resist potato chips. To make myself feel better, I tell myself that I ate fewer chips than I normally would have. Today was a good day in the eating department because I did a lot of cooking and meal prep last night. On this week's menu is shrimp ceviche, jerk chicken, cauliflower mash, and fresh artichokes (they're in season and are totally delicious!) with carrots, white nectarines, and strawberries as snacks. Well, that's what I have so far. Breakfast is consisting of a protein shake or dinner left overs. I'm still trying to think of a third dish. Perhaps a salmon something...
Warm-up Walking 400 + meters (Lori and I already put on our weightlifting shoes. Therefore, we couldn't run. We also couldn't be bothered by putting on our regular running shoes!)
Conditioning: Complete 7 rounds for time of: 7 dumbbell thrusters 20# 60' bear crawl
Joanne's Final Time - 10:28
Notes (to myself) about this workout: It's been a while since I've worked out. I'm currently sore and am anticipating not being able to walk tomorrow. I'm ready for it. I plan on doing some at-home pilates stretching to loosen up. The strength training segment is changing. Damn! Just when I was getting used to it too! Oh well... I was pretty on point with my weight estimates. Granted, i know with consistent training I can lift way more. But I need patience... baby steps...
This was taken a few months ago when I saw John Leguizamo's show Klass Klown. I'm a huge fan. He was very nice and conversational. It was a pleasant surprise:) I must thank my dear friend Miss Diana for taking this pic and for putting up with my giddiness.
