monday, 3.18.13.

7:20am
steamed egg topped with green tea powder.

12:50pm
grapefruit green tea, salad (3 types of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, 1/2 an avocado), 4 brazilian nuts, 2pcs dark chocolate, 4 pcs ginger mango jerky.

5pm
workout:
upper body 6 sets with increasing weights- 12, 10, 8, 6, 12
chest: dumbbell incline bench press (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), incline flies (10, 13, 16, 18, 10)
shoulders: reverse flies (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), lateral raises (10, 13, 16, 18, 10)
triceps: lying triceps presses (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), triceps kickbacks (10, 13, 16, 18, 10)
back: middle back shrug (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), one-arm dumbbell rows (10, 13, 16, 18, 10)
biceps: hammer curls (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), preacher curls (10)
stretches.

7pm
a fruit/veggie/protein shake (sorry, forgot to photograph! 3 types of lettuce, 3 tbsp hemp protein, a handful of blueberries, 1 lime, coconut water, water), 1 fillet of tilapia, a bowl of sweet potato leaves, a bowl of salmon and tomato soup.

after school, i taught my cheerleaders the intro part of their dance and one special move that they are going to do in the dance. the move is a semi-handstand/air split. sounds complicated, but it really is not. it’s basically a handstand with only one leg in the air. they picked it up pretty quickly. =D in a typical american school, cheerleaders are expected to do gymnastics and be very strong and athletic. our cheerleaders are not quite what most people would expect, but i am really proud of them because they have come a long way from the shy and pale girls i first met. they did their first public performance a few weeks back, and they even did a stunt! a thigh stand. so i was really happy. =] we are working on a new choreography for a pep rally coming up after spring break. i hope it goes well!

so i somehow twisted my neck this morning. it’s been bothering me all day. i’ve been stretching and massaging it, but it still is difficult to look to the right. =( i wasn’t even doing anything. i had just finished up some morning yoga, and then i decided to crack my neck (bad habit). =((( it is getting better, though.

sunday, 3.17.13.

8:40am
4 baked eggs with basil, pepper, and turmeric, few slices of turkey, lots of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, some butter, paleo flatbread, coconut water.

9:30am-11am
date with the LORD.

1:30pm
2 fish cheeks, clams, mussels, kitty whisker veggies, 2 shrimp, 3 cuttlefish balls, kung pao chicken.

5:30pm
almond tofu shaved ice with condensed milk. and t-marie!

whew! ate so much this past weekend. cheated, too. going to have to clean up this dump-truck! so i’ve actually been feeling like i am okay to skip lunch every day, but then i feel like i am not taking in enough veggies. this week, i am bringing a salad for lunch every day. i am also thinking that i may do a green drink at dinnertime, too, right after i do my workout routine. maybe throw in some hemp protein. xD

so i went to siziwan with t-marie today. taiwanese people never cease to amaze me. i went in shorts and a tank top, which i totally regret because i really wanted to go swimming when i got there! my friend actually wore her bikini, and she was the only one! everyone was fully clothed. at the beach. playing in the water. in sweaters and pants. what. so bizarre. anyway. we walked almost an hour to get to this restaurant that i was really excited about because it was supposed to be super fresh seafood at really cheap prices. turns out we went to the trick one. =( but it was still good, and good times! =] i should probably explain about trick restaurants. in taiwan, if some business turns out really successfully, trick imitations will pop up near it. they take advantage of unsuspecting folk who travel from far away just to try the famous business. you have to be careful. =P despite it being the trick restaurant, t-marie and i did some damage to the dishes. xD

soooo stufffedddd.

saturday, 3.16.13.

9am
few slices of turkey, avocado, and 4 strawberries.

11am
brunch at mattoni deli cafe with t-marie and friend! 1 glass of orange juice, 2 pork sausages, 4 strips of bacon, 2 eggs scrambled with smoked salmon, 2 eggs sunny-side up, 1 cup of mushrooms, 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, 1 tiny jar of peanut butter, tea.

4:30pm
peanut butter chocolate treasure (ermaghwererdddshogood!).

5pm
tabata for 10 mins., treadmill for 5 mins.

oh, boy. i ate way too much protein this morning. i had a small breakfast because i had planned brunch with a friend. i was eating, and i forced myself to stop. my body was like…knock, knock, where’s the rest of my food??? so i think my leptins are getting back on track. however, i over-ate at the brunch. i need to figure out cravings versus need.

friday, 3.15.13.

7:15am
steamed egg topped with green tea powder, handful of walnuts, a bite of turkey with avocado.

12:30pm
grapefruit green tea.

4:55pm
workout:
lower body and abs 6 sets with increasing weights- 12, 10, 8, 6, 12, 12
quads: dumbbell squats- shoulder rack (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), overhead press (5, 8, 10, 13, 5)
hamstrings: dumbbell lunges (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), dumbbell deadlifts (10, 13, 16, 18, 10)
calves: standing heel raises (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), one-leg raises (10, 13, 16, 18, 10)
abs: ab ripper x.

6:45pm
sushi express with a girlfriend (AGAIN!). xD

turkey and avocado. protein and fat. something so freaking delicious about it, and naturally so! i noticed that i feel really satisfied and full after having an egg custard tart, but with the steamed egg, i was feeling really hungry, even after eating lunch. the one major difference between the custard tart and steamed egg is that the tart has a walnut crust, which has some yummy fats. so today, i threw in walnuts and avocado to see if it changes anything about my appetite. i also feel like i am getting my normal appetite back. i guess i am just naturally a piggy. a picky piggy. ^6@6^

i was doing a quick google search on fats and proteins, and came across the information of how we started eating grains and our brains got smaller while our growth became stunted. i can believe it.

during p.e. today, i did capture the flag with half the class while the other half played basketball on their own. ’twas awesome. no wonder kids are so much more fit. if you look at animals, they do the same thing. sprint, rest, sprint, rest. a lot of arbitrary movement, and it is completely natural and good.

thursday, 3.14.13.

7:20am
steamed egg topped with green tea powder.

12:30pm
grapefruit green tea, spirulina bar, chocolate.

4pm
coconut water, 1 banana chip (just to try it).

5pm
2 fillets of fish, 1/2 an avocado, 3 or 4 cups of green veggies, 1 tbsp coconut butter, 1 almond coconut bar.

7:30pm
one piece of stinky tofu, a grilled chicken skewer.

so hungry today. skipped workout and just had dinner when i got home. man. then i went to meet up with a friend and her friend, who was super nice and treated us to chicken skewers. i know, it was after 7pm, and i don’t really eat that much meat. she didn’t know, though, so i just ate it because she bought it for us. it was good. i was also craving fat and protein (still??? ikr), so it was fine. a bit salty, though. not a fan of taiwanese deli foods. too salty or too sweet. or msg or soy. =(

i’m not too worried about it. it was nice to go out with t-marie and her girlfriend. =] her girlfriend is a local taiwanese girl. she saw some of my old modeling photos and was very taken aback by how “daring” i was. to an american, it’s just normal. we’re a lot more open-minded about things, and my own philosophy about the body, art, and photography is just different from a typical taiwanese. even though she was unsettled by it, she was still a lot more interested in seeing all of my photos than i expected. usually, people just kind of scroll through and comment here and there, but she was legit scrutinizing every photo. i like turning people’s perspectives topsy turvy. means they are changing and evolving their minds. ;]

wednesday, 3.13.13.

7:25am
4 hard-boiled eggs (in steamer), ~4 oz beef, half a spirulina bar, handful of nuts, 4 pcs trader joe’s chocolate.

this is one of my go-to chocolates.
i love this bar! only five ingredients, sprouted, clean, nutritious, and delicious!

12:45pm
i polished off a bag of broccoli chips, the rest of the paleo people caffeine crunch, the rest of the trader joe’s chocolate, and a grapefruit green tea. so bad. really cannot eat grain-fed beef. it completely threw off my body today.

 i know it’s a little weird, but i really love broccoli chips. so good!!! kind of remind me of a taiwanese chips brand called 乖乖（guai guai).

5:30pm
upper body 6 sets with increasing weights- 12, 10, 8, 6, 12, 12; 6, 10, 13, 16, 6
chest: dumbbell bench press (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), flies (10, 13, 16, 18, 10)
shoulders: seated dumbbell presses (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), front raises (10, 13, 16, 18, 10)
triceps: seated triceps presses (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), triceps kickbacks (10, 13, 16, 18, 10)
back: wide-grip lat pull-ups (jump, jump ‘n squeeze, jumpsqueeze’n’hold, hang), one-arm dumbbell rows (10, 13, 16, 18, 10)
biceps: dumbbell curls (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), concentration curls (10, 13, 16, 18, 10)

my work-out station:

6:50pm
tilapia, dill, spinach, kelp, cucumber.

ugh. i made the mistake of eating bil’s beef this morning. i made steamed egg over the weekend for my breakfasts this week, but i had put them in the freezer because i was working through the egg custard tarts first. the steamed egg did not thaw very much even though i had transferred it from the freezer to the fridge ~10pm last night. i had to quickly toss four eggs from sister’s fridge into the steamer and grabbed some of the beef bil made. after i finished eating breakfast, i was so unsatisfied and still felt super hungry, so i ate half a spirulina bar, then a handful of nuts. was STILL feeling like i needed more food, so i ate four pieces of trader joe’s chocolate. ugh, felt so sick afterwards from the beef and maybe from the eggs because my sister does not purchase free range eggs. the beef was u.s. beef, so it’s the worst quality ever. can totally feel the difference. lacking energy, not feeling satiated but too sick to want to eat anything, and completely remorseful. not going to do that again. it makes more sense to not eat my 50g of protein rather than eat all of that protein when it is not of good quality. ughhhhhhhh. as much as i would like to wallow, it is sinfully inconsequential and not conducive to productive behavior or sound mind, so i have to let go and move on with my life.

working out was awesome! i’d only done the first two sets when i felt a rumbly in my tumbly, and that awful sick feeling just up and left. and how do you like my makeshift add-on weights?
 this is how i convert my 10s into 13s/16s/18s.

the husby has an awesome set of adjustable weights, but, unfortunately, i cannot use them as they are in southern california, and i am in taiwan. =P i miss that husby of mine.

tuesday, 3.12.13.

7:15am
egg custard tart.

12:30pm
paleo people caffeine crunch, roasted plantain chips from trader joe’s, half a spirulina bar.

4pm
hike up monkey mountain with girlfriend!

6:30pm
sushi express!

so this is the second time i’ve gone up monkey mountain with my lovely girlfriend. we made record time! roughly 25 minutes up, and that included a short conversation with an enthusiastic taiwanese lady. xD

i miss trader joe’s and whole foods. my food issues. =P something nonsensical has been happening with tj’s. i went to l.a. for lunar new year break, and i was looking forward to purchasing food to bring to taiwan. when i first moved over here in march last year (wow, it’s been one year!), i had brought a luggage and a carry-on FILLED with food. literally. i brought like three pairs of underwear. everything else was food. so, anyway. i went to tj’s to buy almond butter. i love it so much! i like their roasted almond butter with flax seed. so freaking delicious. but they were completely out of almond butter! first time that has ever happened to me. =((( i asked a girlfriend to bring some for me when she came to visit taiwan. same thing happened to her! no almond butter! and she went twice! the guy said that they’ve been selling out of the stuff in the morning. so my question is…who is hoarding all of the almond butter??? =((( i’ve tried making it on my own, but taiwan just does not have good almonds. costco is the only place that sells reasonably-priced almonds, but they are jet fuel almonds, so no.

yeah, i know, i go to sushi express a LOT. there aren’t many options when it comes to sushi here. it’s either cheap sushi express or ridiculously expensive sushi. the in between is also expensive but not very good, so…=( but i will be in japan this august, and that means lots of delicious japanese food! oishi! xDDD 

and, speaking of japan, i now have the first five hiragana characters memorized! with these, i can write the hiragana for love, picture, nephew, good, up/above/over/on top, no, house, and blue. ;D

monday, 3.11.13.

7:20am
egg custard tart. sorry, i’m going to be boring and eat pretty much the same thing for breakfast every day for a week. =P

12:50pm
grapefruit green tea.

5pm
macro greens bar. chocolate and cinnamon. yummy!

5:20pm
lower body and abs 6 sets with increasing weights- 12, 10, 8, 6, 12, 12
quads: dumbbell squats- shoulder rack (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), overhead press (5, 8, 10, 13, 5)
hamstrings: dumbbell lunges (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), dumbbell deadlifts (10, 13, 16, 18, 10)
calves: standing heel raises (10, 13, 16, 18, 10), one-leg raises (10, 13, 16, 18, 10)
abs: ab ripper x.

6:25pm
fish, veggies. chunks of butter and sliced onions wrapped in smoked salmon (i ate the whole pack of salmon, 100g). dessert of paleo people caffeine crunch (kind of disappointing) in my almond milk.

oh, man. last night was one of the most difficult nights of sleep (i mean, lack thereof). i got an eye mask because of the whole people-switching-the-lights-on-and-off-thing. that didn’t work out because i was sweating under the mask, so i ended up stripping it off sometime in the night and went back to covering my face with the blanket. it was actually easier to breathe under the blanket than under the mask. there was a lot of noise because bil was watching tv and nephew was lol-ing in the den. i got up and told them that i needed to close the door to the den. i went back to bed. sister came home late, and she seemed kind of upset. she and bil were talking in the kitchen, so it was quite noisy. then she went to yell at my nephew because he was playing games late at night instead of going to bed. andohmygoshmosquitoes. my arms and legs look like red bean shaved ice. itchiness, heat, humidity, light, and noise do not make a happy bedtime. =( in the morning before i needed to wake up, bil was smashing things on the kitchen counter again. sigh.

squatting with an overhead press is freaking hard. i started with 10s, but then i had to switch to 5s. oh, i have a silly way of adding weights to my dumbbells because i don’t have anything other than 10s, one 12, two 2s (my sister’s), and four 3lb. ankle/wrist weights. will take a photo of them tomorrow. =P

i am really interested in getting bulletproof. check out bulletproofexec online. dave asprey has some insightful posts about foods. his powerfoods are chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and butter. awesome, right? the only un-awesome thing is that it is really difficult to get the real stuff in taiwan. i always thought coffee made me sick, exhausted, and headachey. i just crash completely. i don’t even get to experience that high people talk about when they ingest coffee. then i had a real cup of coffee from coffee klatch in upland. AMAZING stuff. i had their lavender latte. another thing is…i always get stomach-sick and diarrhea from lattes. this thing, however, was not only freaking delicious, but it was so clean! i didn’t feel stomach-sick, headachey, or tired! nothing at all! andohmygosh it was soooo goooddddd. anyway. i am always learning something new. i thought goji berries were a great powerfood, but they are actually part of the nightshade family. won’t be having those as often as i was anymore. =P i wonder if i couldbecome bulletproof in japan? hm.

the kids are doing their IB testing. i proctor for a few of the tests. this is what i did today during one of their tests:
 i boxed the only one that i liked. =_= need to practiceeee.

i’ve been dreaming about poling a lot lately. i really miss it. i’ve always wanted to get good enough at it to teach. it’s one of my favorite forms of dance (to watch and to do).

some pole inspiration:

sunday, 3.10.13.

8:20am
egg custard tart (same recipe as the last one, but instead of cashews, i used coconut milk. and i made a HUGE batch so that i don’t have to worry about breakfast the next couple of days. 4 eggs+20 egg whites). btw, these do NOT taste good fresh out of the oven. you must refrigerate in order to achieve the right silken texture and subtle sweet taste.

1pm
sushi express! ate lots of fish, including the usual salmon sashimi and smoked salmon onion rolls. also had a few mussels because jack kruse recommends mollusks. for veggies, 4pcs okra and two asparagus hand rolls.

5:45pm
pan-fried salmon (no oil, seasonings, anything, just plain salmon), a few pcs chicken sautéed with garlic chives, beet greens. leftover salad. trout fish soup. dessert of mint coconut bar.

sundays are fundays because i like going to church. praising, singing, and learning about different things in the Bible is awesome. the pastor at the church i attend has a good way of breaking it down for people like i. i am a new Christian, so i don’t know a whole lot about the Bible. sometimes, though, the pastor references things that aren’t the most solid events. i always look up the events he talks about, and many of them are not grounded on solid truth. however, i do really appreciate when he explains what the Bible says in a logical and easy-to-understand manner. the workshops and training series are pretty good, too. everyone is really supportive. =]

sushi express is right next to coldstone in the hanshin department store. i never really cared for coldstone, so it has never been a temptation to me. today, they were having a buy one, get one free special. it would have been tempting if i were wanting ice cream. but i didn’t. =DDD

i really want to find some seaweed. all i have found so far is the dried kind, which i like, but, for meals, i would just prefer the kind that you cook. i’ll keep searching.

i ate too much today. i’m all bloated.

saturday, 3.9.13.

9:30am
paleo pancakes made with 2 eggs and 10 egg whites, flax seed, coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger powder, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract. topped with a dollop of coconut oil, which i mixed with the almond milk i made and just a little bit of blue agave. it was no raw butter, but it was pretty good!

5:30pm
raw revolution spirulina dream.

5:45pm
got on the treadmill and did the bodyforlife cardio format.

6:30pm
baked salmon in onions, garlic, lemon juice, and desiccated coconut. beet greens sautéed with onions and garlic. salad with sweet peppers and tomatoes.

sore all over my body! feels freaking good.

a few relatives came over to spend the night yesterday. this morning, they were so confused about what i was doing as i was making my BAB. first, taiwanese people have no concept of health, fitness, or clean diets. secondly, i spent about three minutes explaining to my aunt, that, yes, i am eating all that in one breakfast.

“oh, you made all of that so that you could eat one pancake a day?”
“no, this is my breakfast.”
“i understand, but you are eating one per day for the next few days?”
“no, i am eating all of this for breakfast. today.”
“okay, but what you mean is one pancake for breakfast right now, then another one tomorrow?”
“…”

finally, her daughter jumped into the conversation to tell her that, yes, i am eating ALL of the pancakes pictured for ONE breakfast. silly aunt. also, they are under the impression that eating with convenience in mind (i.e., preservative-laden “foods” from convenience stores and fast food restaurants. addictive additives. how do those chemicals and carcinogens taste =P? ) is okay, but fats are not okay. so misled. sigh. =(

i could not find raw butter (surprise. =P). i did find anchor new zealand unsalted, which is grass-fed, so i bought that. i tried eating a little chunk of it. it was pretty good. i was really bloated at the end of the day, though, and i am not sure if it’s because of the butter or all of the peppers i ate. perhaps both? dairy and nightshades. i’m going to try again with the butter and stay away from peppers for a week. we’ll see what happens.

keep on carrying on in the pursuit of awareness, and, of course, happiness! E>