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.