Double Feature

A double feature movie poster design for a screening of Pride & Prejudice and Othello at a local high school. Size: 14" x 24"

Oakley Eyepatch

Made from Oakley's 'Double O Matter' material, this comfortable lightweight frame is perfect for beach volleyball and outdoor sports. Because both lenses cut from a single curved surface like that of a sport shield, then fitted in the frame, these sunglasses conform nicely to your face, giving you good coverage, protection and style.

The plutonite lens material offers 100% UV protection, which is great under extreme bright light conditions without sacrificing colour perception.

added bonus: keeps the nasty bugs out of your eyes while cycling at high speeds!

more info at: http://oakley.com/pd/3616
shown above: polished black frame/warm grey lens

Copious Amounts of Cardio

Did i mention that the Cardio Challenge is a great motivational tool?

Back in April I made a vow to catch up to and beat Brendan Fox, who was a whopping 180miles ahead of me. I stayed pretty consistent with my cardio throughout but didn't kill myself doing a ton of it in any way. By may 5th, i was 142 miles away.

As the 6th place holder in the challenge, I decided that this week I was going to kick things into high gear. Whether it be a tad obsessive or just sheer determination, I set a mandate to do cardio everyday this week in an attempt to tighten the gap and perhaps pass him. I've been alternating between biking and rollerblading to and from work, with the occasional lunchtime excursion. I managed to do a total of 146km of cardio and am currently 64 miles behind him. Not too shabby. Considering that he's currently only 40 miles from the finish line, chances of passing may be a bit far fetched. I'm going to keep this up for the next week and see what happens. I'm not going down without a fight!

Stats
Monday: 35km rollerblading / 124 miles away
Tuesday: 25km rollerblading / 103 miles away
Wednesday: 35km cycling / 88 miles away
Thursday: 25km cycling / 73 miles away
Today: 10km rollerblading/16km cycling / 64 miles away

Beginning of wk: 124 miles away (approx. 199km)
End of wk (today): 64 miles away (approx. 103km)
Total cardio for the wk: 146km

The payoff
leaner abs, stronger legs, increased endurance, speed, & the adrenaline rush.

The Unspoken Rule of the Road

I ride a mountain bike - the Specialized Stumpjumper, to be exact. I bought it a couple of years back when I thought it'd be nice to have a bike to ride around in. Nothing serious, just for leisure. Over the last year, I've become addicted to speed and have made various adjustments to pimp my ride so it's faster. I've raised my seat post a few inches, moved the seat back, lowered the handlebars, and switched my knobbies to slicks. On average, I ride 20km/h, reaching a top speed of 35km/h.

I don't look like your typical hardcore cyclist. I like biking in sandals, regular street attire, and maybe the occasional jersey but i can stll burn some serious rubber on my bike. Cut ahead of me and I can become your worst nightmare. The fact is, i don't like being stuck behind people, nor do I like being beaten.

If you're one of those people who frequent the bike trails, you'll know exactly what i'm talking about. We all do it. It's that unspoken, underlying, instinctively competitive urge and feeling that you are in a race with everyone you see.

Gone is the 'leisurly ride' on the bike path. That's for newbies.

You're going fast. You see someone ahead of you. Feeling the adrenaline rush of it all, you pick up the pace and race ahead of them. Nobody says anything. Unless they are new to the game, the person you just passed would have no idea. If they're road veterans, they will definitely pick up on the challenge. Throughout your ride you find yourself constantly trying to shake this person off your tail (or catch up to them). They know it. You know it. You're both caught in a race until someone turns the corner to go home or stops out of exhaustion.

With passing comes a gratifying sense of victory. Does that make me sound like an overly cometitive person? Maybe. But i love a good challenge.

Tip: if someone passes you, pace yourself so they think you've given up on them THEN speed up and pass them when they least expect it. The feeling is incredible!

Ugh...Mandarin...never again...

I may have been able to do it a couple of years ago, but not anymore. Not since i became a healthy eater who's hopelessly addicted to working out. I've learned my lesson - never eat at Mandarin EVER again. Today was my 26th birthday and my grandparents wanted to take me out to Mandarin for dinner. I hesitantly agreed to this and thought "Ok, i can do this and eat healthy." Despite my efforts, i felt sick after eating there and threw up in the car.

As a good friend of mine once said: your body's like a Lamborghini and in order to keep it running optimally, you need to give it the best high performance fuels.

Speaking from experience, it holds true. Once you get your body used to healthy eating and home cooked meals, there's just no going back.

Top 3 workout tips

{ Stats }

Starting weight: 175lbs
Current weight: 135lbs
Weight lost: 40lbs
Body fat: 14%

Dropped 6 pant sizes - from size 13 to 7

{ Top 3 Tips }

Use your time wisely.
With a busy schedule, it's not always easy fitting in that 1 hour workout. This can be averted if you strategically fit in your workouts. My personal favorites include biking or rollerblading to work and quick 15 minute full body kettlebell workouts. They're short but just as effective!

Eat to lose weight.
Keep energy levels high and the weight off. Eat every 3 hrs (5 meals/day) and drink lots of water. As a rule of thumb, each meal should consist of a handful of carbs and a handful of protein. Keep your portions small and delicious.

Don't get bored.
Challenge yourself. Try new routines that activate different muscles and keep your body guessing. This not only keeps things interesting, but will also help you stay motivated, prevent workout plateaus and get you faster results.

Seaweed Noodle Salad Recipe

I used to buy this salad all the time from the supermarket but after being sold a not so fresh batch, i decided to make my own. It's way cheaper, guaranteed fresh, sanitary, tasty, and all those good things...

Sweet, tangy, with a hint of hotness and garlic taste that packs a punch, this salad is low fat, low calorie, a good source of protein, iron, calcium, sodium & other minerals and vitamins.

Best served cold.

Ingredients:
• wakame seaweed noodles
• 1 finely sliced hot chili pepper
• 4 finely chopped garlic cloves

Seasoning:
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ground black/white pepper to taste
• mirin
• rice wine vinegar
• olive oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Directions:
1. Rinse the salt off seaweed noodles.
2. Place noodles in boiling water for 4 minutes.
3. Drain water. Mix in garlic & chili pepper.
4. Add seasoning to taste.