2013 New Year's Resolutions!

I swear 2012 went by in a flash! For me, some years seem much longer than others. 2011 felt like it took FOREVER. I'm totally psyched about going into 2013. I am the queen of fresh starts, and having a brand-new year to enjoy myself is a step closer to achieving my  dreams.

2013 NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

1.) Put aside at least $10-20 every month to buy myself a treat in the summer!

2.) Practice at least two hours of piano every day that the situation allows

3.) Check my calendar more often and stop missing social engagements

I tried to keep my resolutions smaller and more specific, so that they are more doable. It's easy to start the new year off with great intentions but give up the first day because you don't know where to start. 

Hopefully this year I will at least take steps towards achieving my goals!

Happy last day of 2012 y'all!!!

Back on the Pumpkin Wagon: Healthy Hearty Pumpkin Bread

I'm celebrating the holidays some lightened-up pumpkin bread. I subbed most of the oil for low-fat plain yogurt, whole wheat flour for most of the AP, and reduced the sugar (because I don't like it too sweet). With all the holiday junk floating around, I might as well cut corners where I can, right? I made this recipe a while ago and wrote a post, but totally forgot about it!!! Anyways, I took some nice pics for this, so enjoy!

RECIPE: (adapted from food.com) makes two 9-inch loaves
*2 cups canned pumpkin or pumpkin puree
*1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar
*1 cup water
*1/4 cup vegetable oil
*3/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
*4 eggs
*1 1/3 cups AP flour
*2 cups whole wheat flour
*2 teaspoons baking soda
*2 teaspoons cinnamon
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

PREPERATION:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2.) Mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg in a bowl
3.) Mix together the pumpkin, sugar, water, oil, yogurt, and eggs in a seperate bowl
4.) Combine wet and dry ingredients
5.) Grease and flour two 9-inch pans
6.) Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until pick comes clean

Post-Christmas Excitement!!!

There was a book exchange up at the ski resort during Christmas, and I got this:

SUPER DUPER LOVE!!! (Haha there's my Singaporian english coming out le ;p) I've already started browsing through it, and not only does it contain tons of awesome-looking recipes, the commentary is fantastic! Plus THERE'S LOTS OF PICTURES. Hehe. Okay just kidding, I'm an avid reader of just about anything, especially history or satire. One of my fave authors of all time is probably Jonathan Swift. If you think you've already read Gulliver's Travels when you were a kid, go back and read through it again. It's the greatest piece of satire ever.
#tangent

I've been experimenting with hashtags lately, without too much success... maybe I need to improve my sense of timing ;p

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And sorry guys about not posting a WWS!!! I'm still trying to figure out how to make them using a Mac. #technologicallychallenged

Merry Christmas!!!

A very merry Christmas to all of you! It's beyond freezing and beautiful up here in the mountains, or what passes off as mountains in my state, and I'm totally psyched for a day of skiing with a great new friend! We already opened Christmas presents yesterday before we left, so I only have to give presents to the peeps that we met up with here.

Best wishes, and happy holidays!

'Tis the Season

Am typing this up on my new MacBook Air!!! Super duper excited about it, and will defos put it to good use! We've been talking about getting a new Apple laptop for me for a while now, since so much of my schoolwork is online. My old hp laptop is going to my little brother, who could hardly wait to get his hands on it.

Tons of thanks to my awesome parents, who were nice enough to get me this fantastic laptop computer. I am so very fortunate in the parents that I've been blessed with.

I actually went Christmas shopping today as well ;P
I got a pair of gloves plus some Hickory Farm sausages for my little bro, Chloe perfume for my darling mother, and a Nike workout top for my dad. I also bought a shitload of gorgeously discounted designer tops for moi. We hit up Marshalls, which although does carry mostly lower-end labels, occasionally has  some REALLY nice deals on sweet brands. I got a French Connection shirtdress for $7.00 and a Black Gold sequined top for $15! (On top of all the stuff I already bought...)

We also went to the mall, which was packed with last-minute holiday shoppers, and I bought two super-comfy cashmere sweaters. They were thrifted and absolutely fantastic! $8 dollars apiece for a Gene Meyers pullover and a Banana Republic cashmere sweater. Dude.

I've only worked out twice this week though, due to not feeling the most up to par. My voice sounds better now, but it's been a rough week. I'm probably going to work out HARD tomorrow, and then be ready for some awesome hardcore workouts once we get back from the trip on Wednesday. We're going to some ski resort up north with a couple of other Chinese families from the 24th to the 26th, and I'm pretty psyched to hit the slopes on Christmas day.

Best wishes for happy holidays!

LOL Wednesday

Happy Hump Day! Wednesdays are probably the most "meh" day of the week for me. My week pretty much goes down like the following:

Monday- ...Why am I awake right now...

Tuesday- ...Why is it not Friday... #homeworkhangover

Wednesday- Dammit, it's still not Friday. Oh well, at least it's halfway through the school week.

Thursday- Today is Friday. I believe it is so, and thus so be it. ...(5 minutes later) Dammit, it's Thursday.

Friday- T.G.I.F

Here are a few memes I found to bring a little laughter to your day; enjoy! They are all totally random and unrelated.

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My train of thought on Tuesdays...

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How shit goes down in AP U.S History

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This one reminds me of the punniness of my biology teacher.

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WWS

Sorry guys, I know I haven't posted in a week and I am absolutely traumatized by the guilt! *melodramatic sobs. To make up for it, here's a great schweaty arm-targeted HIIT workout! Enjoy!

But seriously, I know I really should post more often. In my defense, my laptop pretty much decided it disliked me heartily and would automatically shut down every time I tried to go on the web. Huh.

Anyways, I skipped my workout today because I felt like a piece of dog crap from morning to afternoon; my entire body felt like a living bruise. Probably just a quick cold, because I feel much better now. I've been pushing pretty hard with my workouts, which combined with the stress of studying extra hard (think well into the next morning hard) due to looming semester finals, is bound to take a toll on my body. I think I might try to take it easier this week, just stick to some Pilates and a few minutes of tabata. Let's just see how it goes.

Chillax- YOLO post

I like to take at least 5 minutes each day to totally let go. I also realize how terrible that sounds. Anyways, let's just continue under the illusion of me possessing a high maturity level...

If I'm feeling stressed, depressed, self-pitying, or if I'm just already chilling and enjoying myself- I try to take a few minutes each day to just stop. Generally I'll put on some super chill reggae, sit up straight, and let go of all the negative energy. Once all my negative energy has been lifted, it can be replaced with positive vibes.

I then usually proceed to have a private dance party in my bedroom and jam out to Shakira or Britney.

I've found that this ritual helps A LOT in calming me down and allowing me to truly live in the moment. Life is only so long, so why spend it stressing out in a situation when the exact same thing would happen if you weren't stressing? Of course, I don't mean to just slack off, but if you've got a big test the next day, then does studying while stressed out help you more than studying with a relaxed and pliable mind?

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination."
-Jimmy Dean

Whadday'all think?
Do you do anything to calm yourself down and chillax?

Work dat body

I recently got hired as my father's personal trainer, which is officially my first (kinda unofficial, since I'm not old enough to get my personal trainer's license) part-time job! It's $8 per half hour and $15 for one hour. Which really isn't bad, since I'm making more than double minimum wage. Suh-weet.
However, I'm hoping that the relationship between my father and I doesn't suffer too much considering the amount of sheer pain I put him through four times a week. I have the feeling that his opinion of me has gone from this...



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To this...

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Really psyched about the pay though. I'm going shoe shopping with one of my fave guy peeps this saturday; he has great taste. Am currently salivating over these ankle boots... but will have to make do with something cheaper. :(
Maybe next Christmas??

Au natural (+ WWS)

5 weeks of intense dieting are finally over! And I have also found that I am happier with being more balanced. Even though I've lost about 3 pounds, I don't think it's worth it to obsess over "not eating" so much. Yes, IF has made weight loss easier because I'm basically allowed to eat whatever I want, by I dislike dieting in general, and from this point forward shall never apply it to myself again without an absolutely urgent reason.
Of course, I'll still have a few fasting days on road trips and plane rides etc, but overall I'm going back to eating tons of veggies whenever I want! I'm lucky enough to be young and have a fast metabolism, so why waste it obsessing? Of course, being healthy is still paramount, and not gonna lie, I'm pretty stoked to go back to my old hedonistic eating habits again. As I would say, hedonism is the best diet. Bt dubs, to make up for not posting in a while, here are 2 metabolic strength/HIIT workouts I made up over the weekend. They're pretty advanced, so feel free to scale it down to your level. Enjoy!

 

 

Find unfamiliar moves, and tons of fun new ones, here.



 

Thanksgiving Break!!!

Our school district gets an entire WEEK off for Thanksgiving!!! So obviously like any sane person, I woke up early this morning to work out for an hour. Then, for further proof of my mental well-being, I wrote a WWS to take advantage of the extra time off and double up on my workouts to prep for T-Day. And to top it all off, I'm actually looking forward to practicing at least over two hours of piano every day.

If you were wondering, all of the above are hallmarks of the average teenager.

Uber-intensive training schedule this week = I can eat 1800-2000 cals per day and STILL be at a light deficit and have 3000-4000 (loosely) cals for the Thanksgiving feast. Am lovin' it!!!

Senioritis

I've mentioned being stricken with Senioritis quite a number of times here on TTD, and I'd just like to clarify.

Senioritis
noun. A crippling disease that strikes high school seniors. Symptoms include: laziness, an over-excessive wearing of track pants, old athletic shirts, sweatpants, athletic shorts, and sweatshirts. Also features a lack of studying, repeated absences, and a generally dismissive attitude. The only known cure is a phenomenon known as Graduation.
In other cases, senioritis may show signs early on in birth, then progressing in elementary school, middle school, and the beginning of 9th grade. This usually means that the student goes to a bad school where he or she (usually he) has to take stupid, nonsensical courses, and question the validacy of the system.
Senioritis usually can be diagnosed by the student himself or by colleagues of the student such as a teacher.
Treatment for senioritis: Continue to slack off for the rest of the senior year

This is the absolute correct definition, people. I got it off urbandictionary.com, which we all know to be the epitome of truthfulness. I dare you to look up "strawberry shortcake" on there. It's a concept I honestly do not know how to grasp.

BT dubs, my mom purchased a dangerous substance yesterday.

Yes, I know that it contains palm oil and sugar and all that healthy stuff. And no, it's not even exceptionally good, definitely not as good as the original because it tastes kinda greasy thanks to the greater oil/lower sugar content. But we all already know those technicalities will not deter me from melting chocolate into it and consuming vast quantities...
Lately I've been on such a nut butter kick. This "natural" Skippy peanut butter tastes absolutely amazing with chocolate melted in, though is barely tolerable on it's own.

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WWS

I feel such a terrible case of Senioritis coming on...

Gagh, whatevs. Must... Press... On...

Free Full-Length Cardio Workout Videos

I'm trying to incorporate at least two days of "long" cardio into my schedule every week, in addition to all my short HIIT cardio and strength workouts. Been browsing youtube for some full-length cardio workout vids, and these really hit the spot. Working out with a voice telling you to push harder really gives you that extra nudge to finish those torturous reps instead of taking a break.

*Am replacing Friday's workout with this, and adding in another hour of cardio for Saturday!

Fusion Sculpt Workout Video 1

10 Pounds Slimdown Xtreme- Cardio Kickboxing

Zumba Dance Class

Intense Tae Bo (Oldie but goodie! The outfits make me laugh and are a great distraction LOL)

Cardio Dance Sculpt

Cardio Burn Workout

Enjoy, and train hard!

WIHT (When-I-Have-Time) recipes + WWS

I'm totally looking forward to Thanksgiving Break (which is the week after the next for me) so I can chillax and have time to whip up these delicious-lookin' desserts and let my inner baking addict loose. If any of y'all try these recipes before me, it would be great of you to leave a comment and give me a heads-up!

Chinese Flaky Pastries (Which I'm planning to fill with either peanut butter or bean paste)
Brownies
Crepes

Thanksgiving Break is the end of my first  4-week calorie deficit mark, so I get to eat at "maintenance" for a week. That means 1500-1800 cals per day for a light deficit, and 1-2 all-out cheat days! Suuhhhweeet. So far, IF is going really great- broccoli for dinner, oatmeal for breakfast, and a fantabulicious dessert of Halloween candy. Yum!

(Yes, I realize that Sunday is not bolded... and yes, it is currently driving my anal/slightly OCD yet incredibly procrastinative personality bonkers. As you can see, I'd rather take the time to rant about it than fix it, like some politicians I shall choose not to name.)

WWS + Intermittent Fasting

 

 

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a certified health care professional and if you have questions or are planning to try this diet, please do it at your own risk and ASK YOUR DOCTOR FIRST about any health concerns. I am not responsible for any issues caused by trying dietary suggestions or restrictions mentioned on this blog that work for me, but may not work for you.

Okay, so this post is probably long overdue, but here I go.

I know that I've ranted about accepting your body. But the truth is this: Like most of the human species, I am a huge hypocrite. I know that I'm not "fat," but I also know that I would feel much better if I lost 10 pounds. I realize how eating disordered that last statement may have sounded, but please don't judge; I'm not doing this because I feel pressure to be thin, or because I don't like myself. I want to lose weight because I love my body and want it to be the best it can be, so that I can wear clothes and don't have to worry about bumps, and, yes, that I can feel more comfortable when I'm in China with all the uber tiny girls. You may think that I'm already "tiny" or "skinny," and I will agree that I am normal weight, but not skinny. In NE Asia, I would be a bit on the chubbier side of things; yes, I fit into a size S in China, but salesgirls still hand me sizes M and L.

I am not asking anybody to agree with my perceptions, and please do not judge my decision. I am aiming to lose weight for my own reasons while keeping a healthy mind and body.

I first heard about Intermittent Fasting, or IF, here. I'm not going to go into specifics, so just click on the link if you don't know what this is.

I've always done better on low calorie diets than nutrient-specific diets i.e Atkins or the "slow carb diet". This is due to the fact that if I can eat anything I want, I won't get any cravings. Of course, my diet still consists of mostly natural and unprocessed foods, but I generally follow an 80-20 approach; pretty much all my regular meals are white wheat/sugar free, but I get to eat dessert.
I have absolutely no problem purely living on broccoli, oatmeal, eggs, fruit, and various other veggies, but I NEED chocolate. Going long-term without being able to eat as much chocolate as I want is just not plausible for me! And why the hell would I want to, if I could eat chocolate and still lose weight?

Pretty much everything is explained in the article, so if you start thinking "metabolism slowing," "stavation mode," or even (god forbid) "anorexic," please actually DO SOME RESEARCH before saying anything.

I find it much easier (just a personal thing, might not work for you) to fast throughout the day, as long as I know there's a nice meal waiting for me at the end of the day, than to have several small meals that actually fuel my appetite instead of dampening it. So my regular day consists of:

• 300 calorie breakfast, usually 3/4 cup of thick-cut oatmeal + 1 tbsp of honey + some cinnamon and vanilla
• fast until 4:30, sometimes I'll have a 200 calorie snack around 2:30 after I get home, but I try to wait until 4:30
• 1000 calorie dinner! Usually 500 cal clean and protein-rich dinner, then 500 cal dessert of a 200 cal cup of "frozen yogurt" (1 cup plain yogurt + 1 tbsp honey + 1 tsp cocoa powder, frozen overnight) and maybe some chocolate.

This makes for a 1300 calorie day- which is a 700 calorie deficit per day for me. I like to do this about 6 days per week, then have a 2000 calorie "cheat day" to boost my leptin levels. I'm exercising 5-6 days per week of either pilates or HIIT. The first week's gone great; no cravings, two reeses cups per day ;p, and lots of green veggies. I hardly feel hungry throughout the day, since my stomach's shrunk in the absence of eating, and I feel full much faster. Some nights I'll just have a 300-400 calorie dinner with a 400 calorie mostly healthy "dessert".

It's a revelation that is pretty amazing- I can literally eat large quantities of sweets and still lose weight while being healthy. Of course, this isn't for everyone, because some people are just hardwired to eat frequently throughout the day. But for me, IF is simple, much easier to stick to than regular diet plans, and allows me to consume my favorite foods without restriction. I am hoping to drop around 10 pounds within 6 months; I'm on a caloric deficit of about 1 lb per week, but due to the fact that I have so much muscle, it's very difficult for me to drop any weight at all. Plus some allowances for the holiday season, 10 pounds in 6 months should be achievable. Remember- I'm only 4'11, so this is about 10% of my entire body mass. Shorter people have a generally harder time losing weight once they're in a healthy BMI because they have more condensed bones and musclature.

This is just my take on the matter; if you have any thoughts or experience with IF, comment and let me know!

BTW I'll have the cardio kickboxing workout posted next week, plus maybe a "day of eats" post.

WWS

Sorry guys- really didn't mean to abandon y'all for such a long time. About 75% of the fault lies in the standards that I must achieve to get accepted into an ivy league school. Which makes my personal laziness to blame for the remaining 25%. Not sure how I feel about that conflicting statement right there.
I'm currently experimenting with IF (Intermittent Fasting) right now, and I've found it remarkably easy and effective. I'm trying to drop 10 pounds, if not more. Now before people start railing at me about how I'm "not fat," or how I'm "growing," I have a long explanation that I don't feel like typing right now. It'll be up sometime in the near future, I promise. Possibly on Friday or Saturday...??

Without much further ado, here's my WWS:

Chillaxin'

I feel like I'm going to deviate from the title a helluva lot... Lots of school-related bitching is in the works, but I'm not going to let all that negative energy get to me right now. WTF does that even make any sense??? Sorry, sorta out of it right now.

Anyways, I'm just giving y'all a heads up. I'm not going to be sticking to any workouts except for tennis, or maybe some pilates, for the rest of the week because my shins have been feeling wonky. They feel really tight when I'm doing any type of lunge/jump. This means pretty much most cardio activities involving repetitive jumping are out. Pushups and full burpees are okay, but I think I'm just going to give myself a week or two to recoop and let my body rest.

I am totally out of it right now... I should probably go practice piano since I haven't been doing nearly enough of that lately, but it's so difficult because it's a "study binge" weekend. Yup, an orgy with the textbooks...
Sounds like fun, doesn't it? So does sticking forks between your toes.

Things I'm grateful for: YOLO post

This is my first ever You Only Live Once post!!! In these posts I'll be discussing the deeper aspects of happiness that can be reached by a 15 year-old. If anything, it should be insightful for both my dear readers and myself to what exactly I do with all that time I seem to think I have.

You know those days that just go so blegh, and you feel like absolute horseshit being stomped on by the world? No real disasters happen, but a bunch of stupid little things just make you feel terrible and frusturated. I have one about once a month, though usually in the winter right after the holiday season. I could list out every single little catastrophe that happened today using my impassioned supply of oxymorons. I could rant about how fat I feel and then make up with myself again (through the blessed mediums of chocolate and online shopping).

"Life is lived in moments."

I'm not sure where exactly I heard this phrase, or maybe I just made it up and convinced myself someone famous said it to add legitamency. Either way, it's one of my favorite quotes. I challenge myself to maxmize the moments- which we're not aware of unless we're in it. "Living in the moment," to me, is to appreciate that exact second for what it is. The good and the bad.
But to focus on negative questions I either already know or never will know the answer to, is not fun. So whenever questions like "Why am I not naturally super skinny like friend X," or "why can't I get an A without trying so hard," pop up, I just focus on more positive things. I focus on things that make me happy.

So here are a list of things I take for granted: (Material and otherwise)
Note- I try to appreciate them, but it's impossible to do that every single second of the day. I'd be lying to myself if I say I don't take things for granted most of the time.

*My Steinway & Sons grand piano
*My loving, generous parents who have taken in stride the fact of my mulish, awkward, temperamental existence.
*The stability of my life and family
*My family's and my own health
*The fact I was born here in the U.S and thus actually with a chance of a social life (not that I'm making the most of it right now)
*Chocolate
*The acceptance and general trust of my family. No curfew, no stereotypical weight judging or strictness.
*My mom's cooking
*The actual shape of my legs; I like that I have defined ankles rather than the straight weird shape some people have
*My abs
*Having acne-free, clear skin
*Double eyelids
*Great hands
*Music
*Chopin
*My father being able to provide for us so well

The list goes on and on. But those are probably the things I can list off of the top of my head right now, in no particular order.

What are some of your feelings on YOLO??

WWS + 2 metabolic conditioning workouts

Okay, okay. I will officially get out of my slump and post at least three times a week from now on. Anything specific y'all want to hear about?

This week's workouts (and probably next week's, too) is based off of a Shapeshifter workout program I did a while back. Workouts posted below. Enjoy, and go hard!

WWS

I am totally exhausted right now... and I've got another shitload of A.P Bio to get started on. Sorry guys, I am trying my best to keep the school-related bitching to an absolute minimum here. But just... ugh... It's going to be a late night. I'm all prepped; plenty of coffee (in my dunder mifflin mug to show my seriousness) at hand.

Here are the Blogilates vids.

Happy Monday, and feel blessed that you are over the period of life I am currently in.

15-Minute Bodyweight Workout: HIIT it Hard!

 

 

 

 

 

Made this one up on the spot when I was all hyped up from sugar (chocolate frosting orgy etc.). Go as fast as possible without rest between rounds.

Super Simple Fool-proof Dark Chocolate Cake

I spent Saturday afternoon baking, frosting, and decorating this delectable chocolate cake for my parents to take to some random asian poker party.
Not gonna lie- Sharing this recipe with y'all is a way of soothing my conscience about not being able to post as often.
Yes, it is slightly malformed, but it has not only provided me with the experience of making a layer cake; I've also discovered one of the best and easiest chocolate cake recipes ever! I mean, it's TSAC-proof. That itself should speak worlds for this recipe. The Espresso Chocolate frosting is a recipe I've been using forever, and it's just a basic chocolate buttercream with espresso powder thrown in. you can omit the espresso, but I find that coffee really brings out the chocolate flavor well. Almost tastes a bit like tiramisu! Which, I guess, is up next on my baking list for fall, after everything pumpkin-related of course.

I kind of screwed up flipping the layers (it's my first ever layer cake!) but only because I accidentally ripped a corner with my spatula. Better luck next time. Let's just say that my first try at making a layer cake ended in an ecstatic yet exhausted orgy of chocolate frosting and cake crumbs.

CAKE RECIPE: food.com (Serves 20-24 making 2 layers of cake, or maybe just two if I'm there ;p )
*2 cups sugar (I used 1 1/4 cup because I loaded it with frosting)
*1 3/4 cups flour*3/4 cup cocoa powder
*1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
*1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
*1 teaspoon salt
*2 eggs
*1 cup milk
*1/2 cup vegetable oil
*2 teaspoons vanilla extract
*3/4 cup boiling water 

FROSTING RECIPE:food.com, makes about one to two cups
*1/2 cup butter, softened
*2 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
*1/3 cup half-and-half, or sub. un-whipped cream
*1 to 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

For a:light frosting- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
medium frosting- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
very rich frosting- 3/4 cup cocoa powder

*Mix all together and store in refridgerator 

PREPERATION:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2.) Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13 x 9 inch pan
3.) In large mixer bowl, stir together dry ingredients
4.) Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla
5.) Stir in boiling water
6.) Pour into prepared pan(s)
7.) Bake 30-35 minutes in two round 9-inch pans, 35-40 minutes for retangular pan, or until pick comes out clean
8.) Let completely cool, then run pick along the side of the cake to loosen it.
9.) Put plate on top of a pan and flip upside down so the plate is on the bottom. Tap the pan if the cake does not come out, or carefully insert a thin spatula under cake to help it come out.
10.) IF MAKING A LAYER CAKE: Frost top of first layer
11.) Flip the other layer out, and place on top (with help of a spatula) of frosted layer
12.) Decorate as you like! I covered the entire thing with frosting to hide the damage, and then topped it with some chocolate shavings. Suggestions-

• Cover with chocolate ganache (one cup of cream + 8 ounces of finely chopped and melted chocolate)
• Pipe with frosting
• Add strawberries or raspberries on top

WWS

Beyond tired and busy...
As you can probably tell from my lack of posting.

Dumbell Metabolic Workout: one pair of 10 lb dumbells

8 rotating lunges holding dumbells
12 squats with side arm raises with dumbells
20 kettlebell swings with dumbell
x3

10 chest presses in v-sit
10 deadlift to upright row
x3

10 baby burpees (burpee minus the pushup)
20 squat jumps
30 half cobras
40 lying burpees
50 mountain climbers

Obsessed: Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss wedges!!!

This is coming from someone who is not a big fan of cheese. In fact, although I will eat it if it is in/on something, i.e pizza or cream cheese frosting, I will pretty much never eat it plain- unless it's this!!!

I know it's technically a "spread," but I just love poppin' a piece straight up. (Ya dig?) I really dislike chewing cheese, because I don't like having that sour taste all over my mouth, and the texture is just... ugh...
But this cheese (probably because it's a spread lol) just melts on my tongue!!! Heavenly. And only 35 cals!!! Great for calcium too. Though only fourth next to my fave calcium boosters- Ice cream, frozen yogurt, and buttercream frosting.

WWS

My first A.P Biology test tomorrow!!! Definitely a bit nervous... It's a very hard class, and last year the highest score on this test was a B-. Not exactly encouraging stats, but let's try and be positive here. Maybe I won't fall straight on my face. Maybe the world will be kind and it'll just a cushioned blow to my ass. Hopefully.

WWS for the coming week is the free Turbulence Training 4-week Program.

Short and sweet is key- I barely have time to sleep, much less indulge in prolonged sweat sessions.

super duper light cake recipe

My friend O shared with me a fantastically easy and light cake recipe. Originally we made it in the rice cooker, which didn't work very well since my rice cooker has various issues, but I recreated it today in the oven and it came out awesomely.
It's an extremely light cake- the kind that serves more like a vehicle for frosting than anything else...
This is sure to be a hit with asian grown-ups, since sweets are generally not super sugary in Asia.
The only catch is that you have to whip the egg whites until your hands fall off. There's probably a way to incorporate cream of tartar for an easier way to make it rise, but I'll have to play with that in the future. Oh well, at least you're getting a good bicep workout in; all the more reason to treat yourself!

RECIPE:
*4 eggs, yolks and whites seperated
*1/2 cup sugar
*1 cup flour
*about 1-2 tablespoons milk
*1 teaspoon vanilla
*pinch of salt
*You can serve/garnish it any way you'd like; with strawberries and whipped cream, frosting, dusted with powdered sugar, etc. I spread it with some chocolate ganache (melted semi-sweet chocolate chips) and sprinkled some chopped almonds, which is great too.

PREPERATION:
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees (unless you're using a rice cooker.)
1.) Seperate egg yolks and whites into different bowls
2.) Add 1/4 cup of sugar into each bowl
3.) Whip egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form

4.) Whip egg yolks and sugar until they are a very pale yellow color.

5.) Mix both together and add in flour until incorporated
6.) Add milk until mixture ribbons, however little/much needed.

7.) Add vanilla and salt
8.) If you have a rice cooker, heat it up and then cook the cake at "heat" for 10 minutes and "cook" for 10 minutes. Resist the urge to open the lid and check it because it will deflate if lid is opened too early! If you're using an oven, bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees and 5-7 minutes at 300 degrees. It's ready when it has risen and a toothpick comes out clean.

Decorate as you see fit. I melted some chocolate chips with the microwave and smeared it on, along with sprinkling sliced almonds on top. I would recommend a really light and fluffy frosting to go along with this cake.

WWS

Sorry to keep you guys hanging for so long... school started on Wednesday and I've been super loaded with homework.
I've actually seemed to have (almost) killed my procrastination habit this year- at least when it comes to schoolwork. I can actually focus and get all my work done. Hope that's a developement that's here to stay. Weirdly enough, my appetite always seems to disappear whenever I'm busy- also not a bad thing, as it gives me more time to do other things rather than eat. Generally I'm a perpetual snacker, but these days I just don't feel like eating. I feel fine otherwise, and have plenty of energy; my appetite just always goes away when I'm busy.

Since I'm so busy with school and extracurriculars, there isn't much time to work out. So I try to go for five short but intense strength training workouts a week, including my tennis lesson. Each workout is around 20 minutes, and thus I can crank one out, shower, and be back to doing AP bio within 40 minutes (counting changing time).

TT Crazy 8 circuit: (pretty damn tough!)
60 jumping jacks
10 spiderman pushups
20 walking lunges
45 second wall squat
30 second plank
5 burpees with pushup
50 high knees
x3

Fair Day

Gonna make this short and sweet.
Hit the State Fair with my pal M yesterday. It was in the 90's the whole day so we had lots and lots of cold treats.

Had alligator meat,

 

which tasted like really chewy chicken.

 

 

Split a scoop of pistachio gelato, (M got the pistachio and received bigger scoop than me... dunno why... maybe her nails are cooler?)

split a scoop of guiness chocolate gelato (in which they said was beer but I couldn't taste any),

and we finished off with some frozen custard! Super yummy and rich.

Came home beyond tired and with open blisters on my feet from my knockoff abercrombie flip-flops.
his is why I don't ever buy knockoffs in China anymore.