A Precision Club-And-Ball Sport??

Act 10:

“It’s never too late… To Play Golf

It’s a challenge of the mind and body. It’s like life… it’s not fai… and you never completely master it. But that’s the lure… each round is a new adventure, a tantalizing test of your skill and patience. But don’t expect too much too soon. Very few golfers are naturals. Take lessons or you’ll just practice your mistakes. One good shot will bring you back for the next try. Once you’re hooked, you can play for the rest of your life.” – Patrick Lindsay

Quote in book: “Golf is a good walk spoiled” ~ Mark Twain

Argh…. If there’s any one of these “It’s Never Too Late” acts that I’m completely dreading it’s this one. I hate golf. You’d think being an MBA graduate that I’d actually enjoy golf, but no. I actually completed 3 years of business school w/out swinging one club. Now, don’t get me wrong, I get the business aspect of playing around of golf and doing business on the course, etc, etc. But I still hate it. It’s not a sport. Everyone I know that plays spends more time complaining about their game than being happy about it. Why would anyone continue to doing an activity that they complain about more than 50% of the time? Talk about being gluttons for punishment. Not to mention that golf is just completely boring to watch. Ok Golf lovers… come on defend your sport (CZ…. I’m talking to you)

But in the spirit of this act, I’m going to try to be positive. (My cursor literally blinked for about 5 minutes before I could think of something). It breeds camaraderie, since everyone in your foursome is also commiserating at how horrible they did. Everything involved w/ the activity is a sexual innuendo.

• Balls
• Shafts – Firm shafts
• Clubs
• Hole in one
• Put it/Go in the hole
• Twosomes
• Threesomes
• Foursomes
• Sweet Spot
• Putting from the rough
• Bend your knees
• Pull back slow
• Follow through
• Swinging wood
• Ball washing stations
• Grip it
• Getting your balls wet (by hitting it in the water)
• Stroke it smooth
• Rimming the hole
• Back side

I’m sure there’s more, but that’s all I can think of right now. Anyway, some of the people I care about most love it, so I guess it can’t be all that bad. My boss plays almost every Friday morning. I get the blow by blow of how it went that afternoon.

Ok, the act is that it’s never too late to play golf, so I guess I have to play, right? To make it less painful, I’ve decided to treat my boss to a trip to the driving range for his birthday (which happens to be the same day as mine) and I’m just gonna go w/ him. So, I bought him a golf gift card. Here’s proof.

I already broached the subject of us going to the driving range together to fulfill this act, but he doesn’t know that I bought him a gift card, so shhhh…. don’t tell him! =) Our bday is on sun, so you don’t have to wait that long to be quiet. =)

Anyway, I’ve actually played one round of golf before, w/ my brother in Hawaii. I was not impressed. Let’s see if the years have softened my disdain and I actually have a good time at the driving range. Wish me luck!

Not Paint By Numbers

Act 9:

“It’s never too late… To Learn To Paint

Allow yourself the chance. Don’t judge or compare. Open your mind to the possibilities of your creativity. See how children paint with abandon. Look at the world around you with innocence. See the colours. Make a start. Take a course” – Patrick Lindsay

Quote in book: “Every artist was first an amateur” ~ Anonymous

Anyone who knows me knows I’m not very creative. I’m a complete left side of the brain type of person. So, the idea of me painting is hilarious. I thought about getting a paint by numbers, but I thought that would take too long. Besides, tonight was the season finale of GLEE, so I didn’t have a lot of time to do anything.

Originally, when I saw this act, I knew I was going to paint something. I was excited. Painting is fun. I went to get myself some paint and paper from Michael’s and I was off. I thought I should do something I know and something simple. I grew up in a house FULL of PEANUTS memorabilia, so I’m very familiar w/ Snoopy and Woodstock. See my painting below. I think it looks cute. Thoughts?

So, in terms of art… I’m very particular about what I collect. My condo is lined w/ Emile Bellet paintings (among other things). I’m a huge fan of his. He’s known for doing faceless women paintings. I have like 10 of his paintings. I have some faceless women, but I also have started to collect his paintings of objects, because they are not as common. Here are a couple of the Bellet’s I have that are in my place.

As for abstract art, I’m not a huge fan. I don’t quite understand how two “I” beams welded together 4 inches from the ends and placed in a 90 degree angle is art. (Anyone from UCLA remember this in the Sculpture Garden?) I also don’t get how a scarlet red canvas w/ a yellow stripe is art, but if someone did it w/ a green stripe it isn't. Or when different shades of any color are brushed on to the page in controlled purposeful strokes is art, but when a child does it, it’s not? Someone who understands art, please explain this to me! I’m not being facetious, I’m being serious. I’d really like to know. But in the spirit of tonight’s blog. I did make an attempt to paint something original. Here’s my attempt at some abstract art. What do you think?

I Keep On Fallin'

Act 8:

“It’s never too late… To Fall In Love

Open your heart. (It’s not easy but it’s essential.) How will love enter if your heart is closed. Look ahead for love, not behind. Love is waiting. Don’t chase it. Be yourself. Be open to possibilities. Love will find you.” – Patrick Lindsay

Quote in book: “In the end all we have is love and memories” ~ Anonymous

Love is a burning thing.
And makes a fiery ring.
Bound by wild desire.
I fell into a.....

Love. What an interesting topic… to write this blog I went to my music collection for some inspiration. I have 356 songs that have “Love” in the title. I have about over 5000 songs. It’s so appropriate that this came up on my random shuffle as I am writing this…

You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs.
But I look around me and I see it isn't so.
Some people wanna fill the world with silly love songs.
And what's wrong with that?

Nothing’s wrong w/ that… it’s awesome. I think it’s interesting that there are sooo many songs about love or falling in love. BTW-I get to see Blaine & The Warblers sing this song at the GLEE concert again this weekend. Whoo! Ok – enough w/ the songs (for now). Trivia coming…. =)

So, who doesn’t love the “feeling” of falling in love? It consumes you’re entire body, mind, and soul. If you could bottle that feeling and sell it you’d be a millionaire. How many Songs, Movies, TV shows are about falling in love? It feels so good. The world seems brighter and you feel like you can accomplish anything.

However, the feeling is so great that a lot of people fall in love with the “idea” of falling I love. So, I’ve had many friends who were enthralled with the “feeling” of being in love or the “idea” of it that the object of their affection wasn’t really right for them and/or treated them horribly. But they were so blind to it because they were so infatuated w/ that feeling instead of actually loving the other person. I’d have to say I’m probably guilty of this. I get really really passionate about everything I do. So I love that “feeling” of being in love w/ something, whether it’s a person, a tv show, a song, a book, a movie. And when I “fall” in love w/ something/someone, I fall hard. So, much that I give my entire being and everything I have. As a result, I tend to really really get hurt when things don’t work out and I experience heart break just as intensely as I love. But even in the prospect of getting your heart broken, it’s worth it every time! Everyone should experience “falling in love”.

So, ya it’s never too late to fall in love. Age is nothing but a number! =) My aunt and uncle got married later in life and they are very very happy. I completely agree w/ Mr. Lindsay’s words. In order to fall in love, you have to be open to it. Don’t close yourself off and be open to the possibilities. The one thing I’d like to add is this: In order to love someone else, you have to love yourself. If you don’t, how can you truly accept love from someone else?

How do you know when you’re falling in love? I found this article about it. I think it’s pretty accurate. What do you think? 10 Signs You’re Falling in Love

1. You forget to eat
2. You catch yourself smiling
3. You can’t look at the person
4. You think about them when you’re getting dressed in the morning
5. You realize you miss them when they’re not around
6. You get jealous about odd things
7. You’ve pictured what your children would look like
8. People say you’re glowing
9. You’ve suddenly become Donna Reed
10. You can’t concentrate on work

Who’s ready for some trivia?

10 Points: Name the artist and song I’m referencing in the title of this blog

10 Points: Name the artist and song of the lyrics at the very beginning of the blog

10 Points: Name the artist and song of the lyrics below

I need love, love to ease my mind
I need to find, find someone to call mine
But Mama said...

10 Points: Name the artist and song of the lyrics below

Each morning I get up I die a little
Can barely stand on my feet
Take a look in the mirror and cry
Lord what you're doing to me
I have spent all my years in believing you
But I just can't get no relief, Lord!
Somebody, somebody
Can anybody find me….

10 Points: Name the artist and song of the lyrics below

For you I’d write a symphony
I’d tell the violin
It’s time to sink or swim
Watch him play for ya

For you I'd be (Whoah)
Runnin a thousand miles
Just get you where you are
Step to the beat of my heart
I don’t need a whole lot
But for you I admit I
Rather give you the world
Or we can share mine

I know that I won’t be the first one
Given you all this attention
But baby listen
I just need….

10 Points: Name the artist and song of the lyrics below

Lay a whisper on my pillow
Leave the winter on the ground
I wake up lonely, is there a silence
In the bedroom and all around

Touch me now, I close my eyes
And dream away...

10 Points: Name the Musical these’s Lyrics are from. (Hint: The song is called “Where Is Love?” and it was in the pilot episode of GLEE)

Where is love?
Does it fall from skies above?
Is it underneath the willow tree
That I've been dream of?

10 Points: Name the artist and song of the lyrics below – (Hint: It’s a country song that I’m not quite sure many of you have ever heard, but it’s one of my favorite songs)

Look at me now
Won't you listen to my heart
Cryin' out loud
I've been standing in the dark

I want someone to show me the way
I'm lost on a lonely road
There must be a light at the end of the tunnel
Before I go out of control

20 Points: Name this 1984 movie Starring Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep

Ok who got all 100 points??

To Be Toned Or Not To Be Toned

Went to the GLEE concert last night at the Mandalay Bay Events center. I thought it was pretty great. I think I’ll save more of the details for another blog entry, because I don’t want to ruin it for those that are going to see it in Anaheim and LA this upcoming weekend. I’ll just say this: They have more solos and duets than group numbers this year. The staging is kinda funky, because there’s really two stages, the main front stage and a stage in the back of the floor area. I guess they did this to kinda let more people get closer to the action, than just the people in the front. The only problem w/ this is that unless you’re sitting on the sides, you have to turn around in your seat or you get to see their backs. Lastly, the encore is definitely worth staying for. I think I liked it better than the actual main part of the show. So excited to see it again this upcoming weekend!!

While in Vegas I visited JEM & got to meet Mason. Had a good time seeing you both.

Act 7:

“It’s never too late… To Get Fit

Think of yourself as a ‘street’ athlete. Start slowly…but start. Set your own, personal goals. Be realistic. Think how long it’s taken to get unfit. Walk one block, jog one block. Swim half a lap, paddle half a lap. Keep increases gradual, and manageable. Be proud as you progress. Never be afraid to ask for help.” – Patrick Lindsay

Quote in book: “Success isn’t the opposite of failure. A runner may come in last but, if he beats his record, he succeeds” ~ Anonymous

I think losing weight and getting fit go hand in hand. I think that most people would like to have the hot bodies we see on TV or at least want that toned, svelt look about them. I know I do. However, I don’t think I’ve been toned or svelt, since I quit gymnastics at the tender age of 13. Even in high school, I had a decent enough body, but wasn’t as toned as I wanted to be.

Yesterday’s blog was about “losing weight”. I talked about the program I’m on: The 6 Week Body Makeover. There are two parts to that program: 1) Speeding up your metabolism (using food) 2) Body shaping (using exercise). Today I’ll talk about the second part today – See yesterday for part 1

After you’ve figured out your body type on 6 Week Body Makeover (6WBM) and your dietary restrictions and food plan, you do another customization of the program for your body. There’s a body blue printing portion. You take these cards that have the 6 different body types for each of the three portions of your body: The upper body (face/chin, arms, back and shoulders), the middle section (your abdominal muscles and obliques, the lower body (legs, thighs, and butt). All in all there are 216 different body combinations. You pick the one that is most like your body type. Once you’ve blue printed your body, you turn the cards over and there are goals on the back to tone that part of your body. For example, if you have love handles, the back of the card says “tighten obliques”. Each card has a number and then there are specific exercises geared to help you meet your goals, using a resistance, whether it’s a resistance band and/or your body weight. You’re supposed to only do the exercises that will help you meet your goals on the back of the cards. So, if you have strong thighs and small calves, squats won’t help, but don’t calf rises will. The exercises take about 20 min to do and you only do one portion of your body a day, so you only work out that part of your body 2 times a week. You get one day of rest.

The other part of the body shaping portion of the program is to do Fat Burning Cardio. I didn’t know what this was until I started the program. I really only knew about Aerobic Cardio, where you get your heart rate up, by bouncing around and working up a sweat. According to the program, this does not help you lose weight (I’m supposing, because you are just building muscle underneath the fat you have). Fat burning cardio burns the fat. And the exercises above help you build muscle after you’ve burned the fat. Anyway, the difference between fat burning cardio and aerobic cardio is that your heart rate needs to stay at only 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. Aerobic cardio is anything between 70 – 85%. I learned that you shouldn’t be breathing hard when you are trying to burn fat. I did not know this, so walking around the block is ideal, not running (especially if you’re not in shape). Once you’re body adjusts, you may have to start jogging to keep your heart rate at the right level. This is good news for me, because I have bad knees.

So as for my progress on this portion of the program, not so good. =( I really haven’t been doing it. Partially, because the resistance band portion of the program is hard for me to do. I have high ceilings and doors and the band is not the right length for me to get a good resistance and do the exercise properly. However, I have been doing the fat burning cardio thing (somewhat). I have an elliptical machine that’s low impact and if I just use it lightly (while watching TV) I can keep my heart rate where it needs to be.

If anyone is interested in the 6WBM program, let me know and I’d be more than happy to share all the info w/ you or at least talk w/ you about it. I had my mom customize it to herself and I think she’s abiding by the dietary rules for the most part (not that she needs to lose weight, she actually needs to gain it). I also had my brother, who’s a gymnastics coach and knows a lot about what exercises work and what doesn’t, look at the exercises. He looked at my (and my mom’s) exercise plan and he thinks it’s legit. It was nice having a “professional” and someone I trust tell me that it’s not BS. It’s like having my own personal trainer (for free)… it’s awesome.

In an attempt “To Get Fit”, I will start to do the fat burning cardio portion of the diet and not blowing it off. I’ll look into fixing my resistance band problem, so I can actually do the body toning part of the program. I think once I start to implement these two portions of the program, I’ll lose those 10 lbs in no time.

6 Week Body Makeover

Act 6:

““It’s never too late… To Lose Weight

Decide to act. Set personal small, medium and large targets. Give yourself time, don’t rush. The key is patience. Look at the positive results, however gradual. Praise yourself when you succeed. Forgive yourself when you slip, look at the big picture. Persevere.” – Patrick Lindsay

Quote in book: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” ~ Proverb

Aaahh Losing weight. This item almost always makes it to most people’s New Year’s Resolution list. I know it was on the top of my this year. I had a Dr’s Appointment just before the end of the year. They weighed me and I was appalled at the number they put down. I knew I had gained a bunch of weight, because all I did the last two years was drink drink drink (and eat bar food), but it was a lot more that I thought. I was over 35 lbs from my goal weight and about 30 lb from where I would like to be and was before I started school in 2006. As much as I loved school and hanging out w/ my school friends, my waistline suffered a great deal. I had gone up 4 sizes from where I was in 2006 and I did not want to buy anymore new clothes to supplement my bad eating habits, so I set out to lose some weight.

I’ve struggled w/ my weight ever since High school. I gained the typical freshman 15 and by the end of college I was about 25 lbs overweight. I stayed at that same weight until a girl told me that we were “the same size” and it shocked me into losing weight. I looked at her and then myself and I couldn’t believe she thought that. I was later told by friends that it wasn’t true, but still… I never wanted anyone to say that again.

In 2004/2005, I went on Nutrisystem w/ my home girl. She and I shared the meals they gave you, because we both love to eat and wanted the freedom to be able to eat some non-Nutrisystem meals. For those that don’t know, Nutrisystem has pre-packaged meals that you supplement with small amounts of dairy, protein, and vegetables. It’s a portion control diet. By the end, I lost 25 lbs on Nutrisystem. It’s a great system for single people who don’t have a lot of time or don’t know how to cook. The only problem is that I love trying new foods and restaurants and being on Nutrisystem doesn’t really allow you to do that. I also love to cook and you can’t really do that on Nutrisystem either. Also, you get 1 month’s worth of meals at a time, which is fine if you have a lot of storage space. However, it worked for the time I did it and they have decent tasting food. Note: In an effort to lose weight in 2010, I went on Nutrisystem again, but didn’t really stick w/ it, so I didn’t lose any weight and I still have all this food left.

So, as of today, I’ve lost 15 lbs since Jan. I’m on a new program called the 6 Week Body Makeover. It’s really really working for me, even though technically I’m not doing the whole program. The 6 Week Body Makeover (6WBM)’s mantra is “using food to lose weight” You basically jump start your metabolism by eating small meals, multiple times day, and you eat foods that help your body type lose weight. So, this is not a one size fits all type of diet. It’s customized for you and your body type (which is why I like it). It’s a lifestyle change, so you can basically use the tips you learn during the 6 weeks to keep the weight off. This section is called “Living Lean”, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

You may ask, How does it customize the diet to your body type? - Well, the first thing you do is answer 40 questions to determine which of the 5 body types you are. I’m type C, which means my body knows how to build lean muscle, but my metabolism has slowed too much to keep up. Basically, I’m only allowed to eat lean proteins (fish, seafood, chicken/turkey breasts) and I need to stay away from red meat, pork, lamb, dark chicken meat (basically any fatty meats), until I’m in the “Living lean” portion of the diet. I eat 5-6 times a day (every 2-3 hours) and depending on the time of day, I eat ½ cup of carbs and 2 oz. of protein plus 1 cup of vegetables or 1/2 cup of fruit. I only get hungry during the day, when I miss a “feeding”. If I skip a meal, I’m starving! The program is also, low sodium, low oil, and low sugar and you’re supposed to drink 100oz of water (but I never do this). There are lots of tips on how to cook the foods the right way and that adhere to the program. For example, to sauté onions/mushrooms I don’t use oil and salt anymore, but use water, garlic powder, and a little bit of white wine. SOOO good.

This program also works on shaping your body by giving you tips on how to work out and which exercises you should be doing. – see my blog tomorrow for more on this.

All in all, even though it’s been more than 6 weeks, I’m still on the program. But I don’t follow it religiously, so I suppose you can say I’m in the “Living Lean” portion of the program. I do give myself cheat days, but since my metabolism is a lot faster it doesn’t really affect my weight in the sense that I just matintain, but I don’t really gain weight like I used to. As for now, it’s working for me and my goal is to lose 10 more lbs by the end of the year. Wish me luck.

If you’re looking to lose weight and don’t know which program to chose. According to this Consumer’s Report they named Jenny Craig above all the other weight loss programs out there. Note: Nutrisystem and 6WBM were not rated, so that’s a bummer. When trying to find this article (I heard about it on E! News), I read somewhere that Nutrisystem was not rated, because they hadn’t evaluated it’s long term effects as part of the study. Oh well.

Tonight’s the GLEE concert in Vegas. So exicted. Shout out to PYeh and KNeier who are here w/ me!

A Fresh Start

Act 5:

““It’s never too late… To Start Again

Look at nature. Nothing stays the same. Why should you? Use change wisely. Like a sporting champion, change a losing game. Keep the things that matter. Lose the things that don’t. Set some goals. Start afresh.” – Patrick Lindsay

Quote in book: “Imagination is more important that knowledge.” ~ Albert Einstein

Starting again. Blogging again. This is my new start.

I originally started blogging because a friend of my moved away because she had pancreatic cancer. It was a way to let her know what was going on in my life and try to put a smile on her face, since she was in so much pain. It’s been almost five years since she died. RIP AMR. After that, I stopped writing, because it always made me think of her and it made me sad.

Then, I started blogging again, because I started doing reviews of all the Musicals I saw. I had been getting a lot of questions about what my opinion were on this musical vs. that one. At that point, I had seen about 75 musicals/plays. Now it’s closer to 100. I’d like to start doing the reviews again, so I’ll probably interchange them w/ these “It’s Never Too Late” blogs, whenever I see one. I stopped blogging again, cause I was in year 2 of 3 of graduate school (MBA) and just didn’t have time.

As for why I’ve started blogging again this time… check out the blog from a few days ago (May 16, 2011) and it tells you everything you need to know. In the spirit of something new, I changed the template on the blog yesterday. It was really bothering me that the main body of the blog was so narrow. I think it looks a lot better now. Thoughts? I’m still not completely happy w/ the look of the blog, so I’m gonna probably have to brush up on my html and learn a little bit more about this blogging thing as time passes.

Also, my friend Sharon (hey girl) asked me how to follow my blog.

My reaction: Uhh wow! Who knew that anyone would want to follow me? I think it’s awesome that someone actually wants to read it. Shoot. How does someone follow me? So, I consulted The ORACLE and then I put some widgets in to allow people to follow my blog. (I love the internet)

So, I promised everyone an update on my life over the last 2.5 years. Here’s what I’ve been up to, since Jan 2009. For the last two years it's basically been about finishing school and my school friends. In June 2009, I graduated and got my MBA from UCI. Shout out to the UCI FEMBA 09A’s love you guys. Well, all my MBA friends really, Full Time, FEMBAs, EMBAs, HCEMBAs c/o '07,'08,'10,'11,'12,'13. I’ve learned as much from you as I did in class.

I got a new job position (but w/ the same company) and I’m working w/ my old boss (who has the same bday as me). He's amazing.

Took a cruise through Alaska in Aug 2009. It was so beautiful. I took pictures of all the Salmon spawning at every cruise stop. My family made fun of me each time I pulled out my camera.

2010 was all about work and my dad. Work was a complete mess and I worked so many hours. There weren’t any major milestones that happened in 2010, so I guess there really wasn’t much to catch everyone up on. 2011 started off rough, but I feel the tide changing and starting to blog again, feels like only the beginning. =)

Shout out to all of you out there who are reading this, especially those who let me know you were reading/interested and made comments: Wanga, HGraz, DArase, KParrinello, CMunasinghe, MStrat, WDavis, Jose, Joanne, KBrooks, EKelly, JTuck, EMontgomery, ERussell, NPeterson, Ate Trixie, Ninanag B, Neil, & Mom. Have a great day/night.

Not sure, when I'll post next,since I'll be in Vegas for the GLEE concert. I may try to get it out before I leave or post when I return (if I can't post while I'm there)