I've deleted out the specifics of my flights, so there is no potential for internet stalkers. I've booked my flights, and I'm going to LONDON!!!
Showing posts with label NYR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NYR. Show all posts
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Europe!
I'M GOING TO EUROPE!!!!!!
I've deleted out the specifics of my flights, so there is no potential for internet stalkers. I've booked my flights, and I'm going to LONDON!!!
I've deleted out the specifics of my flights, so there is no potential for internet stalkers. I've booked my flights, and I'm going to LONDON!!!
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Exercise: Jan 2010
I know I spent the last 4 months (majorly) slacking off when it came to DayZero #55 (Exercise at least twice a week)... but I've been trying very hard since I came back after Christmas!
For starters, my brother and I bought a treadmill for my parents for Christmas, and we received it just shy of the new year. I got to test it out, using it (at a low intensity level due to my lack of running shoes). While I was at home, I also managed to sneak in around 5 or so elliptical sessions in the morning.
But my regime for the school year thus far:
Tuesday mornings 7:15am-8:15am AQUAFIT
Thursday lunches: 12:00pm-1:00pm STEP
I started January 7, with STEP class and started January 19 with AQUAFIT. It hasn't been long, but I haven't missed a class yet. I tried to attend the Saturday morning sessions, but the schedule changed on me, and I ended up being an hour early. It got in my way of getting things done that day, so I skipped out on it to get work done instead. But once I get into a more regular routine with my lab work, I will start attending kickboxing or zumba or something else with high intensity during my off hours.
I paid $51 for my fitness pass, and I intend to make very good use of it this semester.
For starters, my brother and I bought a treadmill for my parents for Christmas, and we received it just shy of the new year. I got to test it out, using it (at a low intensity level due to my lack of running shoes). While I was at home, I also managed to sneak in around 5 or so elliptical sessions in the morning.
But my regime for the school year thus far:
Tuesday mornings 7:15am-8:15am AQUAFIT
Thursday lunches: 12:00pm-1:00pm STEP
I started January 7, with STEP class and started January 19 with AQUAFIT. It hasn't been long, but I haven't missed a class yet. I tried to attend the Saturday morning sessions, but the schedule changed on me, and I ended up being an hour early. It got in my way of getting things done that day, so I skipped out on it to get work done instead. But once I get into a more regular routine with my lab work, I will start attending kickboxing or zumba or something else with high intensity during my off hours.
I paid $51 for my fitness pass, and I intend to make very good use of it this semester.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Eggless Muffins
So I went into the fridge yesterday to find out we didn't have eggs. Interesting. Last time I looked, we still had 2 cartons.. Nevertheless, it does not stop the procrastinator from procrastinating. I got to try out my eggless muffin recipe.
The recipe is originally for blueberry muffins, but I wanted to get rid of the bag of raspberries in the freezer, so I made a half and half recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
lemon zest, from 2 lemons
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 1/2 cup blueberries
Directions:
Half cranberry, half blueberry.
Adaptations:
As usual, I adapted the recipe how I saw fit. I didn't have lemon extract, so that was left out. I also don't like using all purpose flour, so whole wheat it was (explaining why the muffins look a bit off in colour). And of course I reduced the sugar content by half. The berries are sweet enough that it isn't necessary to add such significant amounts of sugar to baking.
Verdict:
The eggless muffins weren't bad tasting, I definitely give the recipe a passing grade. Because they are eggless, they are lacking a bit in the flavour department, which explains why the lemon extract was necessary. To combat this, I would probably just add more lemon zest and berries next time around. The muffins were fabulous in terms of how they turned out. They didn't rise quite as much as I like, but that is probably due to the fact that I only filled the tins about 1/2 full, but I would probably add a tad more baking soda next. They rose nicely and were light, fluffy and moist - key factors when I eat my muffins. The (adapted) recipe is absolutely going into my regular repertoire of baking.
The recipe is originally for blueberry muffins, but I wanted to get rid of the bag of raspberries in the freezer, so I made a half and half recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
lemon zest, from 2 lemons
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 1/2 cup blueberries
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease the muffin tin.
- In one bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, lemon zest.
- In another bowl, combine sugar, milk, oil, vinegar. Mix well.
- Add the dry to wet. Do not overmix.
- Gently fold in berries, careful not to cause bleeding.
- Fill muffin tins 2/3 full.
- Bake 22 minutes.
Half cranberry, half blueberry.Adaptations:
As usual, I adapted the recipe how I saw fit. I didn't have lemon extract, so that was left out. I also don't like using all purpose flour, so whole wheat it was (explaining why the muffins look a bit off in colour). And of course I reduced the sugar content by half. The berries are sweet enough that it isn't necessary to add such significant amounts of sugar to baking.
Verdict:
The eggless muffins weren't bad tasting, I definitely give the recipe a passing grade. Because they are eggless, they are lacking a bit in the flavour department, which explains why the lemon extract was necessary. To combat this, I would probably just add more lemon zest and berries next time around. The muffins were fabulous in terms of how they turned out. They didn't rise quite as much as I like, but that is probably due to the fact that I only filled the tins about 1/2 full, but I would probably add a tad more baking soda next. They rose nicely and were light, fluffy and moist - key factors when I eat my muffins. The (adapted) recipe is absolutely going into my regular repertoire of baking.
Friday, January 01, 2010
New Year's Resolution v.201x
It's the start of a new year, but not only that, it's the start of a new decade as well.
2009 went out with a thud, rather than a bang, and I think it's the perfect time to revamp my life. With a new year and decade ahead, it's time for big changes.
1. Fitness.
I already bought my fit pass for the Winter semester a few weeks ago while still in Guelph. I, long ago, looked at the fitness schedule of Mitchell Centre and have highlighted all the classes that look interesting to me. The goal, with the help of Kris and Ildiko, is to attend the aquafit classes on T/R mornings at 7:15am (I KNOW!), and at least 1 other land classes each week, bringing my total to 3 classes a week.
It's going to be tough, with 3 classes and a lot of lab work this semester, but I'm going to try my best to be studious about this, because it's not a resolution I want to fall off the bandwagon for.
This isn't just about getting fit because of the holiday season, this is really a revitalization of my life, because I'm finding myself lacking in energy more and more often nowadays, and I don't want to become a physically inept middle aged person.
It's about healthy lifestyle. Short term pain, long term gain.
2. More work, less play.
I took a pretty relaxed last semester, with only 1 class and not a whole lot of lab work. I admit that my habits have definitely taken a turn for the worse, but I don't want to fall into the habit of a lazy ass procrastinator.
On top of being lazy when it comes to school, I have definitely upped my partying ways a long shot this semester. It's time to tone down on the weekday night outings, and spend more time really becoming an expert on my field of study.
3. Forgiveness.
Since the beginning of 2009, I've come quite a ways in terms of becoming more malleable. I've definitely toned down my stubborn ways during the summer and have learned to be quite (I would think) accomodating to others. However, I've lapsed in the final few months and have fallen into old habits again. Suffice to say, I am not too impressed with myself and how easily I could have let myself fall behind on all the progress I made in myself.
The new decade is one where I really want to focus on myself and how I portray myself to others. I no longer want to be the stubborn one who acts in childish ways to get anything done. I've moved 2000 miles away and am solely responsible for myself. It's about time that reflected in the way I behave.
4. Religion.
Recently, I have discovered religion in a whole new way. Thanks to Jerlene, I have been regularly attending Sunday service at a Baptist church in town. Although I don't think the Baptist denomination is quite where I fit in, I definitely am finding myself more and more suited to certain aspects of the Christian faith. I wouldn't call myself a devout Christian, or even a mere Christian to begin with, but rather I am currently just a spiritual follower.
5. Travel.
I was hit with the travel bug a couple years ago, and have really fallen in love with visiting other places. Although I haven't gone particularly far in my recent travels (Hawaii being the farthest), my goal is to visit as many places as I can and learn as much about foreign cultures as possible.
With Peter in London and Tory now in Copenhagen, I think it's about time I make my way over to the continental Europe. Added to that is some extended family that live in Courbevoie, and I think I may have just drafted myself a 3 week trip to Western Europe.
Australia is also one of the top places to go, as I have relatives there as well. Having been saying for years that I will make it over to Sydney, I am setting it in stone to make Australia my graduation gift to myself, in (anticipated) September of 2011.
With 5 lofty goals for the year (and decade) to come, I certainly have a lot set out on my plate. But like my DayZero, I really plan to get these done, and I certainly have action plans to get them done. Little by little, I will gradually make my way up to where I want myself to be - mentally, physically, and psychologically.
2009 went out with a thud, rather than a bang, and I think it's the perfect time to revamp my life. With a new year and decade ahead, it's time for big changes.
1. Fitness.
I already bought my fit pass for the Winter semester a few weeks ago while still in Guelph. I, long ago, looked at the fitness schedule of Mitchell Centre and have highlighted all the classes that look interesting to me. The goal, with the help of Kris and Ildiko, is to attend the aquafit classes on T/R mornings at 7:15am (I KNOW!), and at least 1 other land classes each week, bringing my total to 3 classes a week.
It's going to be tough, with 3 classes and a lot of lab work this semester, but I'm going to try my best to be studious about this, because it's not a resolution I want to fall off the bandwagon for.
This isn't just about getting fit because of the holiday season, this is really a revitalization of my life, because I'm finding myself lacking in energy more and more often nowadays, and I don't want to become a physically inept middle aged person.
It's about healthy lifestyle. Short term pain, long term gain.
2. More work, less play.
I took a pretty relaxed last semester, with only 1 class and not a whole lot of lab work. I admit that my habits have definitely taken a turn for the worse, but I don't want to fall into the habit of a lazy ass procrastinator.
On top of being lazy when it comes to school, I have definitely upped my partying ways a long shot this semester. It's time to tone down on the weekday night outings, and spend more time really becoming an expert on my field of study.
3. Forgiveness.
Since the beginning of 2009, I've come quite a ways in terms of becoming more malleable. I've definitely toned down my stubborn ways during the summer and have learned to be quite (I would think) accomodating to others. However, I've lapsed in the final few months and have fallen into old habits again. Suffice to say, I am not too impressed with myself and how easily I could have let myself fall behind on all the progress I made in myself.
The new decade is one where I really want to focus on myself and how I portray myself to others. I no longer want to be the stubborn one who acts in childish ways to get anything done. I've moved 2000 miles away and am solely responsible for myself. It's about time that reflected in the way I behave.
4. Religion.
Recently, I have discovered religion in a whole new way. Thanks to Jerlene, I have been regularly attending Sunday service at a Baptist church in town. Although I don't think the Baptist denomination is quite where I fit in, I definitely am finding myself more and more suited to certain aspects of the Christian faith. I wouldn't call myself a devout Christian, or even a mere Christian to begin with, but rather I am currently just a spiritual follower.
5. Travel.
I was hit with the travel bug a couple years ago, and have really fallen in love with visiting other places. Although I haven't gone particularly far in my recent travels (Hawaii being the farthest), my goal is to visit as many places as I can and learn as much about foreign cultures as possible.
With Peter in London and Tory now in Copenhagen, I think it's about time I make my way over to the continental Europe. Added to that is some extended family that live in Courbevoie, and I think I may have just drafted myself a 3 week trip to Western Europe.
Australia is also one of the top places to go, as I have relatives there as well. Having been saying for years that I will make it over to Sydney, I am setting it in stone to make Australia my graduation gift to myself, in (anticipated) September of 2011.
With 5 lofty goals for the year (and decade) to come, I certainly have a lot set out on my plate. But like my DayZero, I really plan to get these done, and I certainly have action plans to get them done. Little by little, I will gradually make my way up to where I want myself to be - mentally, physically, and psychologically.
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