June 2012
17 posts
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“First—if you are in love—that’s a good thing—that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.Second—There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you—of kindness and consideration and respect—not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn’t know you had.
And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens—The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.” — John Steinbeck, in a letter to his son” —Quick & Curious:
And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens—The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.” — John Steinbeck, in a letter to his son” —Quick & Curious:
Life, a fews weeks after graduation.
I’m not entirely sure if I can call this a summer vacation, but it’s nice not having anything to study for or write. The last three weeks have been a struggle for me to remain productive. It’s weird..now that I have a lot more time on my hands, the lazier I’ve gotten.
Work has been slow, so my hours have been sparse lately. Again, I love what I do, but I wish there was more for me to do. My primary job is coordinating a childhood obesity program with LAUSD and now that the school year is winding down, so are my hours. The good thing is, my program Fit to Play & Learn started with 3 schools this year and next year, we’re looking at around 10! I don’t want this post to be yet another rant about job hunting, but I will say that the hunt is still underway. I applied to more positions, got rejected by a couple more, but I’m doing what I can and pressing on.
One exciting thing that’s happening this summer is the Lakas Mentorship Program. My friends and I at the Kabalikat Society are putting together a high school mentorship program for Filipino-American teens in our area for this summer. We gathered a bunch of college volunteers from local universities to share their knowledge, talents, and time with high schoolers about our four pillars: Culture, Academics, Personal Development, and Leadership. We’re putting together a curriculum for both classroom-type meetings and a couple field trips. It’s our first time putting together a program like this and we’re all really excited and hoping it’ll continue to grow after the summer!
My boyfriend and I have made the conscious decision to make better decisions about our health & nutrition. This is the year we’re going to get better (both on an individual basis and together) at watching what we eat and exercising on a routine basis. I know I said that last year and was getting really good at it, but I would like to place some blame on the honeymoon phase + happy weight, LOL. Last Thursday, we had our “last” ultimate fatty meal at The Oinkster and immediately went to the Nike Outlet and bought matching Lunar Glide 3’s & went to the gym. I’ve realized that the ultimate enemy in my personal battle is ice cream. I EFFING LOVE ICE CREAM. Also, I coerced convinced him and one of his friends to buy that CrossFit deal with me, so let’s see if we like it & decide to take advantage of the couple’s discount in the future (when I get a steady income). I also bought 30 fitness classes on Groupon (for only $15), which I totally forgot about until now…whoops.
I’m slowly starting to run to prep myself for the NWM (1/2). I started with just a mile on Thursday and Saturday. Yesterday I ran 2.5 for the first time in about 2 years (!!). Well, only about 10.5 to go! Ha. I gotta start somewhere I guess. Right now, I’m slow and lack endurance, but it can only get better from here on out. I don’t care how long it takes me, I will complete my first 1/2 marathon on October 14, 2012.
"You smell like feet!"
After reading suggestions from this tumblr and a recommendation from Jenn (grilledcheese), I decided to feed into my curiosity of the odious natural do-it-all potion: Apple Cider Vinegar. I bought Bragg’s Organic at the grocery store.
I’ve used ACV in a few ways so far:
- Aztec Secret Healing Clay mask (Amazon, Sprouts, Whole Foods): mix with the powder (calcium bentonite) and and equal amount of water until it’s a paste. Slap that on my face for about 20 minutes et voilá! I’m doing this about 2x a week and seeing some good changes with my overall complexion. Except when it’s TOM…hah.
- Hair rinse: Post-shampoo, I diluted ACV with an equal amount of water and rinsed it out. It gets all the gunk/product out and gave my hair a lot of volume and it felt so light. I did put more product in it (haha) because it felt a little too dry to me. Maybe I’ll dilute it more next time. Gonna try to do this every 1-2 weeks.
- Toner: After I wash my face at night and I sleep with it on. The smell goes away when it dries…or I just get used to the smell by the time it dries. I first started using ACV as a toner with a 1:1 water ratio. I beefed it up and use 2:1. Breakouts are less frequent and when it does happen, blemishes go away faster. Haven’t seen a significant fade in acne scars yet, but my skin’s glow has improved. By the way, I only do this when I’m sleeping alone (or with my dog who doesn’t care). Not when anyone else has to smell it, lol. ACV has done wayyyyy better things to my skin in a couple weeks than my prescription topical creams I started using a couple months ago.
- Shots! Shots! Shots! Shots! Shots! EVERYBODY!! Okay, so I only took an ACV shot before a meal 2x and it did reduce my appetite both times. The second time, I learned from the first (nearly traumatizing) time, and diluted it. I don’t know if I would really recommend taking shots of ACV, even if it does work. It’s highly acidic, so I’m not sure that’s good for your insides. But I’m not a healthcare provider, so don’t take my work for it haha.
So, I really am a believer in Apple Cider Vinegar and am probably going to try more home remedies with it, in addition to continuing these things. It’s awesome, but MAN, DOES THAT SHIT STANK THE FIRST FEW TIMES.
Anyone have any other ways they use it?
