Day 346: Runyon Canyon

During my internship last summer there was one point that I realized I loved this city. It was hiking Runyon Canyon and overlooking this...

That was a picture I took last summer. Today was really smoggy and not good for pictures so I didn't take any, but expect some when it's a clear day. I'd say that beside going to the beach, hiking Runyon Canyon is my second favorite thing to do in LA. Lots of people bring their dogs, which only makes me want my own dog that much more. It's a good hike, kicks your ass and makes you sweat. Last summer I found it to be fairly easy since I was used to walking up hills in Pullman all the time. Can definitely tell that 3 months of not walking up hills and having a desk job has taken a toll on my body.

Depending on the way you take, the hike can be different. We went down the stairs which is tricky because it's steep and the stairs are sandy. Once you're at the bottom, you hike back up a paved path to the very top. The views are amazing the entire way. Celebrities hike there, but we didn't see any. It was just nice getting out of the apartment and doing something. Definitely need to make hiking there a weekly occurrence.

Day 347: Positive Energy

A few years ago, I got into feng shui. Bought myself a book on it and decided to try and feng shui my life. A big part of feng shui is energy and how certain spaces can have positive or negative energy. A lot of what I did in my apartment after reading that book was to bring more positive energy. Since then, I've become a big energy person. I like to surround myself with positive energy and try to get things out of my life I feel bring me negative energy.

Lately, I've been in a funk. I guess you could say a neutral energy, nothing positive or negative... just kind of there, going along each day doing what needed to be done. I finally had enough of it and started to really focus back on myself. First thing I did, I stopped going on facebook. I know it sounds silly, but going on it everyday multiple times a day makes you get involved in other people's lives whether you like it or not. If you read their status updates and what they write on other people's walls, you're getting into their lives. And frankly, I'm done being involved in other people's lives and taking their negative energy and bringing it into mine. It also bothers me that's people's main way of communication now. I'm sick of learning about things over facebook instead of getting a call.

So, I stopped going on that and I instantly started to just feel better. The other night, I impulsively decided to go to the beach at night. My roommate drove so I decided to leave everything at home. Including my cell phone. I just wanted to be completely in the moment of what I was doing. I missed two calls while I was gone and you know what? I was completely happy with that. I called them back, it really wasn't a big deal. It felt so nice to be completely unconnected from people and focusing only on myself and what's going on in my life.

So this week, I do feel a lot more positive and happy than this time last week. However, I have one huge source of negative energy that I don't know what to do with.... that'd be my roommate. I don't like talking bad about people behind their backs but here I go. The thing that bothers me more than anything is how absolutely lazy he is. He stays up all night and sleeps all day. I come home from work at 7PM and he's asleep. ASLEEP. I go to bed around 11PM and he's still asleep. The instant I walk into my apartment, I just get this overwhelming feeling of negative energy and it's coming from him. He makes me not even want to be in the apartment.

I've found the greater source of happiness for me is to be outside. Doesn't matter what I'm doing as long as I'm just outside in the sunshine. My favorite time of day is my lunch break where I eat outside and read. So today, when I walked in the apartment and instantly felt bad, I decided fuck it, I don't have to be here. So I went for a walk. No idea where I was going. I was just walking. The city is set up on a grid and I know the way streets go so I wasn't worried I'd get lost. I ended up walking for an hour. Found that we live near the equestrian center. When I save up enough money, I think I'll get myself horse riding lessons. Riding horses when I was younger was probably the happiest I've been in my life. I kept walking, on a road I haven't driven down since I was here last summer, and found a park. With public tennis courts. I've been wanting to play tennis so bad lately. As I walked I could feel my mood getting better. I was able to clear my mind and be in my own little world.

I'm really trying hard on finding what makes me happy. This past week I figured a lot of things out. I'm a big believer in things happening for a reason. I think the reason I randomly walked tonight and happened upon the horse stables is to make me realize I should be riding horses again. I know that'd bring me happiness. I feel like now our society is so focused on other people and making other people happy. Well you know what, fuck them, I'm going to make myself happy first and then think about their happiness. Life's too short to worry about others.

Day 350: I Like That

Since I'm no longer going to bars on a weekly basis, I am missing out on one of my favorite things to do. No, not drink. I miss dancing. Whether it was dancing like a fool to 80s music (my personal favorite) or dancing with my friends in a more club like setting, I loved dancing. I never even cared that I sweated off my makeup and my hair became a curled nasty mess.

Now, I don't dance really ever. I used to start my morning by dancing around. I should do that again. If you didn't know, you can now make YouTube video playlists. Amazing. So while this playlist is by no means complete, here's my dance playlist with songs that make me want to dance that I've heard this summer. Normally they come on while I'm stuck in traffic and all I want to do is put the car in park, hop out and start dancing. I'd probably literally get shot if I did that, this is LA and people have places to be five minutes ago.

So, I'm going to start making these playlists and then when the mood strikes, put one on and have my own personal dance party. Feel free to steal this playlist, I don't know how you wouldn't want to dance hearing these songs.

The playlist is:

"I Like That" by Static Revenger and Richard Vission ft. Luciana

"Gettin' Over You" by David Guetta and Chris Willis ft. Fergie and LMFAO

"Shots" LMFAO

"I Like It" Enrique Iglesias

"Rock That Body" Black Eyed Peas

Day 351: A Funk of Sorts

Well, to report back on those sun dried tomato habanero tortillas, they are indeed delicious! I'm going to keep trying out new kinds after I'm done with each pack.

So, I think it's safe to say that in the last week or so I've fallen into a funk. I'm not sure

what brought it on but it's likely the point in my life that I'm at. It's very weird to go from being at school everyday to realizing the rest of your life will be spent working. I know some people enjoy them, but cubicles drive me fucking nuts. It seems almost like a jail cell with a computer at work. I'm stuck in it for eight hours of the day. How most people eat their lunches at their desks boggles my mind. I need to get out of that building for an hour to clear my head and just be outside enjoying the day.

It kind of hit me that for most people, working everyday for the rest of their life is what will likely happen. I don't want that. I need to find something to do to where I'm able to create my own hours, work wherever I want and not need to work everyday. I mean don't get me wrong, I understand the economy is not well and I'm very grateful to have a job in the field I w

ant to be in. I'm just realizing I won't be happy if this is what I do for the rest of my life.

Last semester I realized that you have to be doing things that bring you pleasure and you look

forward to everyday. Right now, I'm missing that in my life. There's nothing I look forward to when I wake up, except going to sleep that night. Which is why I say I'm in a funk. I'm really evaluating everything and trying to figure out what I want from life and how I can achieve that. I'm really not pessimistic but no one has any idea of how long their life is really going to be.

You could live to 100 or you could die tomorrow, no one knows. So I want to spend as much time of my life absolutely enjoying what I'm doing. Waking up each day excited about what the day brings. Not dreading it wanting to stay in bed.

So while my goal of this blog is to be in a red bikini, I really just want to be at a point in my life where I'm entirely happy with everything--my body, my mind, and what I'm doing in

life. Anytime that I start to get down on things, I like to look at pictures and remember the beauty there is naturally in the world. I think that's something I've realized, I want to be out in nature more than confined to a cubicle.

Here are a few pictures that I can't help but feel good when I look at...

Day 352: Hectic Life Schedule

So, I always say I'm going to write in these blogs everyday. Then life happens and I forget how busy things can become and how this always falls to the back of my to-do list. I'm now going to try and post something at the same time each day and make it a routine. So around 9pm, I'll sit myself down and write out some random thought for the day.

I have yet to join a gym, forgot that you need to have money to do that and well, while I do have money right now, I also have those oh so fun things called bills. So after this next week, I should be a member of a gym. I did buy myself a scale today. I got one that not only calculates weight but body fat and water percentage. Very eye opening. It's honestly what I need to kick my ass in gear. I'm very good at thinking "oh you've been eating well, you've had to of lost a few pounds, go ahead and splurge today!" When in reality, I have lost nothing. So a scale keeps me on track. Now I'm way more interested in seeing that body fat percentage go down than the weight number.

I've been eating healthier lately, well healthier compared to when I was in school. A normal day consists of cottage cheese with slices of red, yellow, and orange bell pepper. Lunch is normally a turkey wrap with spicy hummus, tomatoes and lettuce. Some popcorn and a handful of carrots. Dinner is brown rice, salad, and some chicken. A very simple diet. Honestly, since I moved, I haven't fully stocked up my kitchen with the essential items yet. So I have gone a month and a half without putting salt or pepper on any of my food and I don't miss it. Finding natural ways to bring flavor to food is more exciting and tastes better.

So my new favorite thing ever is Trader Joe's Spicy Hummus.

I recommend anyone who has a Trader Joe's nearby to run out and buy it immediately. I used to be a person who loved mayonnaise and mustard on any sandwich or wrap. Now I only put on this spicy hummus and it tastes better than mayo or mustard ever did. To add a bit of spice to my brown rice, I also put some in there. I'm slightly addicted to the stuff.

I've also been trying to find the best wrap tortilla/flat bread to use. I used the Whole Wheat Lavish flatbread to begin with, which is delicious. However, each piece is two servings so it ends up being a bit more calorie wise, around 240 calories for the flatbread alone. Next thing I tried was the Trader Joe's brown rice tortillas. I would advise people against these. They don't taste the best and are really dry and flaky. By the time I got to my lunch, the wrap was more of a broken tortilla mess that was hard to eat. I even tried warming one up to make it more pliable and it did work a little. But the bland taste was hard to cover up. So today I bought a third type of tortilla to try. It's a Trader Joe's sun dried tomato and habanero handmade tortilla. I made my lunch so I'll find out tomorrow how it tastes and report back. They look really good.

So I guess that's it for now. I plan each week to say how much weight and body fat I've lost. I'm too vain to post how much both those numbers actually are.

I'm in shock that it's August at the end of this week. I know these 365 days are going to fly by, so I need to get my ass in gear now!

Day 364: Stress

So, my job has aspects of it that are a bit stressful. That's one thing about having a creative job, your work is always being criticized and you're supposed to be so creative that you can come up with a million ideas on the spot. If only it was that easy. So after talking with my mom, she gave me the motivation I needed to go find myself a gym this weekend.

Working out is a great stress reliever. Which I know is true from personal experience. If I'm pissed off at something or someone, nothing makes me feel better than working out super hard. Also, if you're a creative person, working out has an effect of getting your blood flowing which can clear your mind and actually help you come up with ideas once you're done. Which is lovely.

So, my goal this weekend is to go find a gym and get myself a membership. There's no real chain gym close to where I am. I believe there's a YMCA and Burbank Athletic Center, then I've seen some gym that looks like a club from the outside. I just need me a good elliptical. Maybe if they have the machine called the Cybex, which is like a super intense elliptical. My friend Lauren and I decided to do it at the rec center last year. It kicks your ass in like half the time, it's crazy. But an awesome workout.

Anyway, I need to get myself in shape somewhat quickly because I signed myself for a company softball league that starts in Mid-August. I can hit a ball, throw a ball, but if you need me to run the bases I am definitely not going to be that fast. So I need to get my speed up. I've heard the teams are actually pretty competitive. Also that they're a great way to meet people outside of the department I work in. So it should be fun.

So after this weekend, I will have no excuse for not really working out anymore and hopefully relieve a lot of this stress my job is creating.

Day 365: New Life, New Blog

Thanks to a great idea from Irene, instead of continuing on an old blog, I've started a brand new one. Which I believe is good because it's full of positive energy from the beginning. So the title, again, thanks to Irene, is Project Red Bikini. Why? Because I'm giving myself one year to get into a red bikini. Why red? Because, it's a sexy color and looks good against tan skin. Plus, fuck the always slimming choice of black. My goal is to not care about what color I wear, I will feel good in anything. So a year is quite a long time. However, in 22 years, I've managed to fail at goals like this. So what will make this year different?

To start, I've started a brand new chapter of my life. I have a real adult job and work a steady schedule for the most part. No more crazy college schedule where I spend countless hours on campus for class or studying. I can now get into a normal schedule of when I eat breakfast,

lunch, and dinner every day. One plus of I still have from college, I still live like I'm a cheap college student. So instead of going out to get lunch each day, like many people do where I work, I make my own lunch everyday. Way healthier. Second, I'm living in LA. It's full of beautiful people and actually a lot of not that attractive people. But your number of attractive people is still abnormally high. It's kind of like the fraternities and sororities from college never go away, except the people are in their 30s and 40s... but still look 20. Oh science. So, a fun trip to the beach is more like being bombarded with perfect girls all around you in little bikinis and huge boobs. That part is not fair... probably not real either. So, of course there is motivation to be a little more like that in the future. Minus the fake boobs. And third, I'm 22 years old. Enough is enough. I'm sick of saying I'll do this, tomorrow, next week, next month. Bullshit. They were all excuses. I'm doing this now, for me more than anything. I want to be completely happy with myself and be the healthiest I can possibly be. I owe it to myself.

So, today is day 365. The countdown now begins to get in a red bikini in exactly one year, on July 12th, 2011.

I don't know yet how I'll track progress. I'll probably go buy a scale regardless of how bad it is to be tied to a number. It's good to know what that number is for me. I can lie to myself all I want that I haven't gained any weight when in fact I've gained like ten pounds. So the scale isn't a sick obsession for me. It keeps me on track and doesn't let me lie to myself when I slip up.

So, in this you can expect recipes I come across that I enjoy and exercises that I find are helpful. Currently, I'm being cheap and refusing to join a gym so I must come up with exercises I can do at home.

Well, that's the first post for now. The countdown has begun!

And I know this bikini isn't red, but it's bikini inspiration nonetheless!

Now, lets just pretend that bikini is red and bam. Goal to be at in one year. Time to make it happen!