Table salt vs. sea salt.

Is sea salt better for your health than table salt?

No. Sea salt and table salt have the same basic nutritional value, despite the fact that sea salt is often marketed as a more natural and healthy alternative. The real differences between sea salt and table salt are in their taste, texture and processing, not their chemical makeup.

Sea salt is produced through evaporation of seawater, usually with little processing, which leaves behind certain trace minerals and elements depending on its water source. The minerals add flavor and color to sea salt, which also comes in a variety of coarseness levels.

Table salt is mined from underground salt deposits. Table salt is more heavily processed to eliminate minerals and usually contains an additive to prevent clumping. Most table salt also has added iodine, an essential nutrient that's lacking in naturally occurring sea salt.

By weight, sea salt and table salt contain the same amount of sodium chloride. Your body needs only a very tiny amount of salt to stay healthy. Most people get far too much — mostly from processed foods. So regardless of which type of salt you prefer, use a light hand with the saltshaker. And limit total sodium to less than 2,300 milligrams a day — or 1,500 milligrams if you're age 51 or older, or if you are black, or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

Source

Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sea-salt/AN01142

30 Day Shred; Phase 1, Day 4

Today hurt >.<! I needed to take a lot of breaks, my shoulder muscles were screaming halfway through the workout. Cardio doesn't seem to be a problem any more, it burns a bit but I think that too will pass when I get my breathing down properly.

Legs are also burning, all in all not too bad. I should be able to make another 6 days if I continue at this pace. I'm still doing beginner variations for a few of the exercises though, like the squat and press and pushups and I don't really want to move on until I've mastered all the exercises at this level.

I suppose I need some more patience, there are 6 days to go in Phase 1 and I've already made progress so who knows what might happen in the remaining days?

The amazing transformation of a man who refused to give up!

The following video is a summary of one man's fight to regain his ability to walk after being gravely injured in the process of serving his country. His story is a bit similar to mine as I too have had to fight my way back from partial paralysis. This man is a shining example of what determination can do for you.

30 Day Shred; Phase 1, Day 3

Today was pretty bad actually, I had a fall and injured my back and the soreness is beginning to build up to almost unbearable levels. I also need to find a thicker mat to exercise on as this one is really painful to kneel on.

My endurance has improved a lot, I'm no longer nauseous after the workout has been completed my legs on the other hand hurt a lot today but I believe it has more to do with the mat than the exercises.

30 Day Shred; Phase 1, Day 2

I'm not as sore as I thought I would be today and the cardio wasn't as bad as yesterday which is something. My shoulders are the sorest part of me which is a bit surprising since my legs are supposed to be in worse condition since my knees aren't so good.

I forgot to mention yesterday that the 3lb weight that I'd been using before is much, much heavier than I remember it being...well I was down for a while with gastro, I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised that I'm much weaker than I used to be.

The biggest setback with being sick all the time is constantly having to start over, sometimes this can get rather discouraging but I try to think about my goals and this always helps me push through.

The loneliest whale in the world.

I saw this article on the Evolution page on Facebook and I just had to share it. Due to the nature of Facebook so many gems go without notice and this story is certainly one that I think everyone should know about.

Image: 'Gray Whale in Grice Bay'
Photograph by Flip Nicklin

A lone whale with a voice unlike any other has been wandering the world's largest ocean for past 2 decades.

In 1989, a team of WHOI (Woods Hole Oceanic Institution) biologists first detected an unusual sound in the North Pacific Ocean. It had all the repetitive, low-frequency earmarks of a whale call, but at a unique frequency of 52 hertz, which was far higher than the normal 15-to-25-hertz range of blue or fin whales. The sound was detected again 1990 and 1991. (Source 4)

Later, with the end of the Cold War, the U.S. Navy partially declassified its Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS), a hydrophone network built to monitor Soviet submarines. Using SOSUS, the team picked up the lone call of the same 52-hertz whale and have tracked it every year since, as it roamed widely through the North Pacific, from offshore California to the Aleutian Islands off Alaska.

The whale has been dubbed "52 hertz" and although scientists are uncertain of the species, it is surely a baleen whale, which is a group that includes blue, fin, and humpback whales. And it is precisely because of its unusual frequency that all of its calls and songs go unheard and unanswered, as most baleen whales will sing in the 15-25 hertz range.

Scientists speculate that the unusual frequency could be because that the whale is malformed, or it could possibly be a hybrid, or maybe even the last or only known individual of a previously unknown species.

Although it may be disheartening to know this tale of the loneliest whale in the world singing alone for 2 decades in the Pacific, there is some reason for hope, too. 52 Hertz seems to be healthy, in spite of his loneliness. In fact, the whale even seems to be maturing normally.

"The fact that this individual has been capable of existing in that harsh environment for so many years indicates there is nothing wrong with it," said Dr. Kate Stafford,a researcher at the National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle (source NY times)

You can also hear its recordings over here:

http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/acoustics/whales/sounds/sounds_52blue.html

Also, the 52-Hertz whale doesn't follow a migration pattern of any other known baleen whale. Part of the gray whale's migration path covers the same turf as the 52-Hertz whale, but gray whales travel much further north.
 

Its migratory pattern:

http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewImage.do?id=10079&aid=4721

Source:

1) Journal reference: Deep-Sea Research (vol 51, p 1889)
2) http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/21/science/21whal.html?_r=4&
3) http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/worlds-loneliest-whale-pays-visit-alaska
4) http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewArticle.do?id=4721&archives=true&sortBy=printed
5) http://blogs.discovery.com/animal_news/2012/05/52-hertz-the-loneliest-whale-in-the-world.html

30 Day Shred; Phase 1, Day 1.

I hate to admit it, but I've been procrastinating about starting back to exercise, I knew it was going to hurt and I didn't feel like dealing with it at the time.

Last week I sucked it up and had a go at Jillian Michaels' Shred with Weights level 1 and the DOMS was awful >.< so I lazed around until the pain left and decided to try one of Jillian's simpler programmes today; The 30 Day Shred. This time I had a winner, day 1 left me just a little sore which bodes well...I think. My endurance on the other hand is pretty bad, I find cardio to be rather scary and by the end of this workout, I wanted to puke >.< but all in all I think I did well.

Usually I'd log my reps after every workout but I find that the transitions between exercises are so fast I just don't have the time to do so. What I've decided to do however is add the exercise list here and just comment on how I felt during and after the workout..

Exercise list;

• Kneeling Push-Up:
• 17 reps
• 12 reps
• Squat to Stand with Overhead Reach:
• 25 reps
• 20 reps
• Jumping Jacks:
• 30 jumping jacks
• 15 jumping jacks
• Jump Rope:
• 0:01:00
• 0:00:30
• Crunch:
• 15 reps
• Reverse Crunch:
• 12 reps
• Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row:
• 3 lb x 15 reps
• 3 lb x 15 reps
• Dumbbell Stationary Lunge:
• 3 lb x 25 reps
• 3 lb x 26 reps
• Butt Kickers:
• 30 reps
• 15 reps
• Boxing:
• 0:01:00 || drills
• 0:00:30 || drills
• Oblique Crunch:
• 15 reps
• 15 reps
• Side Lunges:
• 25 reps
• 22 reps
• Bicycle (abs):
• 33 reps

 So there we go, I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep this up without getting sick before the 30 days are up. Wish me luck! :3

Science Panorama ebook giveaway.

Science Panorama is giving out three free e-books.

• Cosmos by Carl Sagan
• The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene: 
• Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku

To download:

1. Go to the link.
2. Click on the 'File' Button at the top left of your screen.
3. Select 'Download' Button to download the ebook on your computer.

Click here for more information.

Moment of Cute #1

Aren't they just the sweetest things?

Atheist fundamentalism?

I was looking at videos on the Amazing Atheist's YouTube channel when I came across  the following video:

In it he's talking about this article written by Reza Aslan in the Washington Post. In it Aslan is basically comparing Atheists like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris to Fundamental Christians because of this picture:

He's equating this advertisement on a bus with the aggressive and frankly distasteful advertisements that Fundamentalist Christians are fond of putting up. He uses the following to associate the "new atheism movement" with fundamentalism.

...the conviction that they are in sole possession of truth (scientific or otherwise)

This one is perplexing. Science is what defines what we perceive as reality, it is what has us living longer, it cures us of the majority of diseases that afflict us and it changes whenever new data is found and proven true via through testing. In comparison religion is stagnant.

the troubling lack of tolerance for the views of their critics (Dawkins has compared creationists to Holocaust deniers)

I think that creationism is a poor choice for claiming atheist intolerance. These people adamantly refuse to believe the truth set before their eyes. They claim that there is no evidence of evolution but in talking with them you'll see that they don't even understand what evolution is. Take the eye for example, our eye is certainly not as advanced as the one belonging to that of a hawk, but it's better than the pair that other lower lifeforms are furnished with. We can see by studying these animal natural selection at work.

the insistence on a literalist reading of scripture

Theists claim that the bible is historic fact, I read my history text literally so why not the bible? I am aware that there are a lot of theists that don't fall in with the fundamentalist view but at the same time it's their silence on the atrocities carried out by said fundamentalists that's truly sad. I have had people tell me that certain things aren't in the bible and its clear that they never bothered to read the thing properly. If this book is what you derive your morals from yet you don't see (or refuse to see) how it's validation of literally any horrid thing that could possibly enter one's mind is a bad thing then that's pretty strange. Theists also don't want to be associated with the Westboro Baptist Church or the Mormons, but the fact remains that they too are following the bible.

the simplistic reductionism of the religious phenomenon

Well...this one makes no sense really.

their overwhelming sense of siege: the belief that they have been oppressed and marginalized by Western societies and are just not going to take it anymore.

This is probably the most idiotic thing he has said in this article. Choosing to become an atheist isn't hard, it's an extremely tiny part of me really, so tiny that it should be insignificant. I do not believe in a god. I also think that religion is extremely harmful for various reasons but the most important one is the way the ones in charge of these religious organizations take advantage of their followers.

So I guess I'm probably anti-theist in that regard. There are various ways that I am discriminated against for my belief, insignificant though it be:

• I am shunned because I reject the notion of a god.
• I would not be able to get a job if I identified as atheist when applying. 
• People tell me I'm going to hell, they take great delight in the fact that I am ill, they call it god's punishment for my defiance of his will.
• I'm also going to hell for being bi-sexual.
• I have been told that I deserve to die since I do not believe in god.
• I have been on the receiving end of emotional blackmail by people I was close too because I was not convinced by their notion of a god.
• I have friends who are gay and suffering because they have to hide their preference, they are told that they are abnormal, abominations and if they every were to love someone they would go to hell where they will suffer for eternity. For simply being what they are. 

Is this the kind of behavior that one would expect from an ideology that preaches love and respect for your fellow man? Certainly not.

Cheesy garlic bread.

So yesterday I had a hankering for cheesy bread and this is the recipe I came up with. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups white flour
• 2-1/2 cups of water
• 1.5 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp of garlic powder
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 ounces cheese (I used cheddar)
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley

Method:

1. Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Mix lukewarm water with oil and sugar in a jug, then pour into the dry mixture, stirring constantly to make a soft dough.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, then  knead for 5 minutes sprinkling flour as needed until the dough is no longer sticky. 
3. Prepare your baking dish by spraying with a bit of non-stick cooking spray and stretch the dough to fit the pan. Something the size of a swiss roll tin will work fine.
4. Mix the garlic powder with the butter, then dot over dough. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Cover and leave to rise for 40 minutes.
5. Heat oven to 180C, then bake bread for 30 minutes until risen and golden. Let cool for about ten minutes then cut into 12 pieces and serve.

And so it begins.

By it I'm referring to a marathon session of studying that should culminate in me re-obtaining proof of having a high school education. It was truly a comedy of errors which brought me to this point but I honestly think I'm coming out better doing the GCE O Levels as opposed to the CSEC qualification even if it is a little scary to be doing this stuff over at my age.

I'm mostly worried about memory problems but after some cursory research it seems like there are easy fixes for most if not all that ails me so bring on the experimentation!

I'm in the process of doing my study guide and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed doing it on my own but in a way its really cool.

Live and let live.

A few days ago I got into an argument with my brother. It stared innocently enough, we were catching up on things and then he told me he met a girl want who shared his spiritual views. Which I found rather curious because the last discussion I had he was badgering me to read the bible (I've read it multiple times from cover to cover) since I obviously don't understand the glory of god. So I asked him to explain to me what being spiritual meant to him. He basically spewed the same stuff he did last time and then accused me of "hating on him" when I said that he was saying the same things those who cherry pick their holy books for "good" stuff did. Needless to say this didn't go over well with him and after being insulted for 2 hours straight I came to he conclusion that he simply could not keep an open mind to things that dispute nay outright disprove the things he purports to believe in.

Now I wonder why I bothered talking to him after he belittled me last time in the name of his beliefs. I realise that some people seem to consider their belief in god to be a major part of their identity and refuse to understand why someone else i.e. me won't believe in god. There are a few reason for this lack of evidence being a major part but on the other hand I do not need him, I find no comfort in the imaginary nor are the any answers to be found in religion

Our relationship became strained when he discovered that I was a non believer. Oh he pretended that nothing changed but gradually after that he kept trying to find subtle (subtlety is not his strong point) ways of bringing god into our daily conversations which ended in our first argument where he claimed that my very survival and current happiness was due to him praying for me. My own effort had absolutely nothing to do with this of course because it was god who was feeling my pain for me and god who made the decisions that shaped who I am today.

How utterly arrogant...why can't he see and appreciate the parts of me that have nothing to do with my lack of belief in a deity? Have I no value to anyone without that?

The start of the happiness generator.

I realize that I have not updated this blog in quite sometime and there are a few reasons for this. Mostly I've been dealing with some crushing depression and I didn't really feel like I had all that much to share with the world. This situation was not helped at all by all the bad news I've been reading from around the world.

Today I came across this thread on Cracked.com and I thought it was a brilliant idea. The media loves to bombard us with the worst humanity has to throw at us so its no wonder that many of us begin to view other people as beings filled with barely contained violence, hatred & bigotry. From today I shall try to post at least one heart warming story a day. Just a little fix to restore your faith in humanity.

And to start it off here's a puppy =3

Isn't he/she just the cutest thing ever <3

Review: The Fifty Shades Trilogy

So I've read all the books in the Fifty Shades Trilogy and they were absolutely terrible. Let's go beyond her horrible grammar and the occasional spelling errors. The character development was sub par and the sex scenes weren't arousing in the least.

The way the author handles the BDSM parts of the story sucks because of the implication that you had to be broken to choose this type of lifestyle which is rubbish really.

Its impossible not to think of twilight while reading this books since the only real differences between the two is the lack of supernatural creatures and Mormon values.

Ana is Bella with a slightly better personality, but still a door mat prone to doing anything her man wants or at least that's what the author would like you to think. In reality she's no better than a petulant child wilfully ignoring rules that will keep her safe and constantly breaking her word because she feels *suffocated*

On the other hand you have Chris who's broken because of a terrible childhood and was saved by someone introducing him to the BDSM lifestyle. He's actually the true door mat in the relationship and I felt rather sorry for him.

Did I mention he was filthy rich? He was adopted by an extremely wealthy, loving family and I have a hard time believing such people couldn't get him the help he needed because quite frankly the only difference between the approaches taken by his family and his wife was that the latter was fucking him.

Their relationship together is nothing short of a joke. The do eventually get married within a month or two after meeting but they obviously don't trust each other. They can't communicate for beans. I simply don't understand how these books managed to make the best seller list and stay there for so long.

I've seen much better stories on literotica.com and even fanfiction.net which was apparently where this story originated.

Ibitsu, Vol. 1

So a friend of mine introduced me to this manga earlier today, and it was pretty damn interesting. So the basic premise is that this boy named Kazuki finds a strange looking lolita sitting at the trash disposal site in what appears to be a puddle of blood, she also smells pretty bad. He decides to ignore her and attempts to hurry past but not before she asks him a question. "Do you have a little sister?" He runs like hell after replying "Yes."

I usually don't read these types of stories, not because they scare me (some do I'm not Captain Fearless after all) but because I think it's unfair. Oh sure, I realize that there are a lot of unfair things in this world but these random urban legend types kinda annoy me. Its probably because I tend to over-sympathize with the characters.

Prejudice aside though, this story was riveting, the art was fitting and the characters are realistic with the exception of the lolita of course. The lolita is an amazingly obsessive character, she's covered with bruises and she has a long badly sewn slash on either arm. She's absolutely convinced that he's her brother and is determined to get rid of his real sister. As the story progresses though a few characters mention that there's a "Strange lolita" urban legend which is basically this;

When she asks if you have a sister; If you answer no, she'll attempt to become your sister. If you answer yes she'll replace your sister.

So really no way to win ne? Besides I don't think she's human at all (or ever was), the things she does, the way she's able to move after inflicting terrible injuries on herself, no human could do stuff like that. She does remind me of the grudge a bit though but rather than scaring me she annoys me. Ah well, maybe the siblings will survive.

Sankarea - First Impressions

Furuya's not interested in the living, he's got zombies on the brain! When Furuya's cat dies, he decides he's going to try and bring it back to life. In the process, he stumbles across a girl whose failed attempted suicide has turned her into a real zombie! What's Furuya going to do now that the thing he loves the most is right in front of his eyes?

Source: FUNimation

I picked this one out because it seemed interesting, what with all the ooey gooey school type romances I've been subjected to in the past few months I figured why the hell not right? A boy obsessed with zombie girls? I can't imagine it...the only thing that comes to mind when I think of zombies is "KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!"

Besides I am tired of zombies in general, always the same damn plot with few variances if any at all. So let's have a look at the trailer ne?



Hmm...well it doesn't look all that promising but trailers usually tend to be misleading so I'll try it anyway and what zombie girl! She's totally normal in the trailer >_< sheesh...

An angry workout.

I'm still experiencing some unpleasant pains in my shins despite taking a day off yesterday so I decided to reduce the number of rounds by half. I think its kinda sad but hey, at least it's some activity as opposed to nothing at all right?

So today's workout was;

• Lunges 15 L+R - 60
• Hop scotch drills - 4 minutes
• Push-ups - 50

Sono Te no Netsu wo Kasanete, Volume 1 - Manga Review

Story & Art; Fujiyama Hyouta

Genre; Slice of Life, Yaoi

Premise; Nagisa Takakage just opened a restaurant, and finds himself with a strange regular customer. All the workers agree that Kouga Nagisa is a real looker, and nobody minds that he shows up to ask them questions at work. After Kouga gets himself drunk at the restaurant though, Nagisa is forced to take him home, and finds things heating up a bit.

Thoughts:
The artwork is distracting at times, with the exception of the romantic scenes both Nagisas just look dazed. The story was a bit cute Kouga's denseness is rather endearing after all.

Initially upon meeting Kouga, Takakage thought he might have been a reporter due the the amount of questions he asked.

After their first meeting at the opening party for taka's restaurant, Kouga becomes a regular at his shop and is generally well liked despite his somewhat strange mannerisms i.e. his odd habbit of staring intently at Taka while he performs his duties. Due to this and other misleading mannerisms Taka falls in love with Kouga only to realise the extent of Kouga's cluelessness.

This volume ends on a cliffhanger; Will Kouga accept and go on a date with Taka? I'd say it's a strong possibility.

Making Bodhi Linux faster.

We've been here before with Linux Mint 12 (codename Lisa), it turns out that by editing code inputted a bit, we can use the same procedure to reduce the swappiness of Bohdi.

First we'll need to check the current swappiness value;

Applications> Accessories >LXTerminal

Paste the following into the terminal window;

cat /proc/sys/vm/swappiness

Press enter.

Most likely the swappiness will be set to 60, and while this may be great for servers its just unnecessary for the average home user.

To reduce the swappiness value;
Copy/paste the following into the terminal window;

gksudo leafpad /etc/sysctl.conf

Press enter.

Scroll to the bottom of the text file and add these lines to overwrite the default swappiness parameters;

#
# Decrease swap usage to a workable level
vm.swappiness=10

Close the text file and reboot your computer.

After rebooting, check to see if the swappiness has changed by entering the following into terminal;

cat /proc/sys/vm/swappiness

Press enter.

Your swappiness should now be set to 10.

Note: Some computers may benefit from an even bigger reduction in swappiness. A useful rule is;

1 GB RAM or more: swappiness at 20
Less than 1 GB RAM: swappiness at 1

Harder, better, faster, stronger!

*Sigh*

I hurt everywhere >.< so it was a bit difficult to make the 4 rounds this time.

Today's workout was;

• Squats - 100
• Hop scotch drills - 4 minutes
• Push-ups - 100

Took me all of 1 hour to complete. But I managed, so yay me!

Spring 2012 Anime Chart

Well the new anime season has begun and I'm looking forward to a few titles; Ozuma, Saint Seiya Omega, Shiba Inuko-san, Zetman, Gakkatsu, Kore wa Zombie desu-ka? OF THE DEAD, Lupin III: Mine Fujiko tu lu Onna, Acchi Kocchi & Jormungand. Of course I'll be checking out other titles as well.

So what are you guys interested in?

Friends with Benefits by Cat Johnson - Book Review

Meg & Jeff have been friends since grade school, one night when they were watching a movie together Meg suggests that they start having non exclusive "no strings attached" sex. Jeff agrees and all is well for about six months when, after calling Jeff up at midnight for a booty call she discovers that's he's had a one night stand and becomes enraged. She turns into a total bitch (not that she wasn't already selfish to begin with) making snide comments and constantly harping on the fact that he slept with someone else EVEN though she said that she didn't want them to be exclusive. This turn about is baffling to me because according to Meg;

When it came down to the serious stuff, the reason she’d called him, he knew exactly how to get her off and always did before he took care of himself. A nice predictable lover, that was Jeff. More importantly, there was no messy, emotional, romantic entanglement, just a friendship as comfortable as her favorite old pair of sneakers. Broken in. No surprises. He was a known constant in a sea of unknowns. With Jeff, she got none of the pain you risked with either a hot new pair of high heels or a hot new guy.

 Now tell me does that sound like something you would say about someone you love? Granted that there are men who are predictable lovers, but this is easily remedied by telling them about what gets you off as opposed to hoping they discover it on their own. It seems to me like the only reason she had a change of heart was because she feared losing her comfortable convenient fuck buddy. Jeff on the other hand is a calm,  refreshing character the perfect compliment to her volatile disposition. then again you would need a really thick skin to be Meg's friend for a prolonged period of time.

The story easy to follow and as much as I don't want to admit it the characters are realistic, on the other hand the girl is such an uber bitch that you don't have much hope for their relationship going anywhere, that may be why I don't like it.

In the end I've decided to rate this book 2 out of 5.

P.S. If you'd like a copy of this book its available for download on the author's website. She has a few of them there and Friends with Benefits is part of the Cat Snips anthology.

The fastest, grimiest dubstep you've ever heard!

Oook...that was intense! Had trouble catching my breath after the 12th round or so >.< I made it though! Hurrah!

Today's workout was tabata (a tabata is 20 seconds of one exercise (quick pace) followed by 10 seconds of rest) intervals of the following.

• Hop scotch drills; I did these rather mindlessly I'm afraid, I did make the entire 4 minutes though :3
• Squats; 5, 6, 8, 7, 6, 7, 6, 7.
• Baby burpees; 2, 3, 5, 3, -, 3, 2, 3.
• Push-ups (knees); 5, 6, 8, 7, 6, 6, 5. 

The - means I was struggling to catch my breath >.< shhhh :P

Dirty Vegas - Days Go By (Mimosa Remix)

I don't usually like remixes, but this is one of those "omfg this is awesome" moments!

Come on, you can do it! One more rep!

Phew. That was tiring. Today's workout was 10 minutes of squat jumps. My score was 88. Yay me!

Move your body!

Sigh. I only made it to 3 rounds today *sad face* and I was actually exhausted by round 2, I had to push hard to make it to 3 but alas my poor sore leg muscles could take no more after 3 rounds. So, regretfully, I had to throw in the towel; at least until the next time this workout comes up. I'm surely going to make 5 rounds at that time.

So the results were;

Lunges; 10 per leg; 60
Baby burpees; 30
Time; 1 hour

The very best workout mix!

I loved the first 3 tracks on this playlist so much, it got me off my aching butt and into the squat jumps. For today's workout I was attempting to do 4 rounds of squat jumps (30 seconds on, 30 seconds off). And I succeeded...sorta. The results were a bit dismal 6, 8, 7, 10; giving me a total of 31 squat jumps. I suppose that I need to  be more patient.

Also, I was wrong about yesterday; after these squat jumps my legs hurt so much that in comparison nothing else does >.< on the other hand I welcome the pain because it means I'm getting better!

Squat til you puke!

This really should have been lunge til you puke >.< Anyway its official; I hate lunges more than burpees!

So my scores for today's workout were:

Workout C
Lunges L+R; 60
Hop scotch drills; 4 minutes
Pushups; 100 (inclined & on knees)

Yay me! I honestly didn't think I was gonna make it to 4 rounds this time, it was a pleasant surprise :)

Fire it up!

Day 2 of the new workout and I must say 4 minutes of Baby Burpess was way more intense than he made it look.

I choose to attempt 4 rounds at first and increase by one until I either made it to 12 rounds or whatever turned out to be my max effort. It turned out that my max effort was 4 rounds >.< ah well I plan to repeat this workout until I've mastered it :D (one month at a time).

Well now I'm bushed so I'm off to drink my chocolate whey protein post workout mix then hit the showers.

Toodles  <3

Oh yes I have...somewhat frequently even...

So today and for the rest of the week, I'm giving this beginner Tabata routine a try. Today's results weren't bad...I managed 4 rounds of exercise A.

Yay me. Anyway I'm off to have dinner. Goodnight.

A 65 year old hockey player & some updates.

Now wasn't that amazing? People like her inspire me to push myself harder to achieve my goals when I'm feeling down.

Lately I haven't been updating much, I've been a little depressed truth be told. the rainy season has finally begun, it used to be my favourite time of the year. I loved playing in the rain. Now, its a source of pain for me as for some inexplicable reason my MS tends to get much worse the colder it grows. For the last 2 - 3 weeks I've managed to get continuously injured due to muscle spasms :( BUT today however, I shall be re-starting my fitness regimen with a new exercise routine. Yay!

Right after I get back from my passport appointment.

Rebel yell - AMV

Ian Alleyne arrested? What took you guys so long?

Popular TV6 “Crime Watch” host Ian Alleyne was tonight arrested by police on the compound of Caribbean Communications Network Ltd (CCN), Independence Square, Port of Spain.
He had just completed the airing of his programme when he was informed that police were on the premises with instructions to arrest him.
Alleyne’s attorney Om Lalla said they received notification that the police had an interest in Ian, but later found out it was their intention to arrest his client.
“In spite of our request that we would meet them at the police station they have refused and the instructions are that he’s to be arrested. We will cooperate but again, it does seem to be an abuse of process”, Lalla said.
He added that if the arrest had anything to do with the airing of a tape showing the rape of a 13-year-old girl on Alleyne’s programme several months ago, they expected the matter to be handled differently as both CCN lawyers and Alleyne have indicated their willingness to cooperate and are still prepared to do so.
Alleyne was handcuffed by members of the Port of Spain Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the CCN car park and eventually taken away.
A large number of Alleyne’s supporters gathered outside the Charlotte Street entrance to the compound voicing their disapproval.

Source: The Daily Express

You can probably tell from the title, but I don't approve of Ian Alleyne. I firmly believe that anyone who shows the rape of a 13 year old girl on national television deserves to be arrested. I honestly don't understand the allure this man has over the population but its about damn time he answers for his irresponsible behaviour.

Why is there a halo around the sun?

Yesterday around midday in Trinidad one could see what appeared to be a rainbow around the sun. I attempted to take a picture but alas all I managed to capture was a picture that almost blinded anyone who saw it. There is something to be said about having a good camera ne? So instead here are some of the images that my friends managed to capture.

As the day progressed however, I was alerted to the growing panic that the appearance of the halo was causing by a few of my friends who had become convinced that it was a sign of some sort. Of what they didn't know but it was most definitely a sign! By 6 p.m. the general consensus was that it was a sign of the apocalypse; at this point I was most dissapointed in them truth be told. So I fired up the old Encyclopædia Britannica and looked it up.

Halo; any of a wide range of atmospheric optical phenomena that result when the Sun or Moon shines through thin clouds composed of ice crystals. These phenomena may be due to the refraction of light that passes through the crystals, or the reflection of light from crystal faces, or a combination of both effects. Refraction effects give rise to colour separation because of the slightly different bending of the different colours composing the incident light as it passes through the crystals. On the other hand, reflection phenomena are whitish in colour, because the incident light is not broken up into its component colours, each wavelength being reflected at the same angle.
The most common halo is the 22° halo, a series of coloured arcs, or in some cases complete circles, of 22° angular radius with the Sun or Moon at its centre. The order of coloration is red on the inside and blue on the outside, opposite to that of the atmospheric corona.
Less frequently observed phenomena, such as parhelia, sun pillars, tangent arcs, sun crosses, and others, also are attributable to the reflection or refraction of sunlight or moonlight by ice crystals.

So as you can see from the above its a perfectly harmless, beautiful phenomena. I really wish that people would try to educate themselves as opposed to panicking about anything that is the slightest bit odd.

References 

* halo. (2012). Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica.

Katawa Shoujo; First Look

In case you haven’t realised it yet, I’m a huge (HUGE) eroge fan and when I first came across Katawa Shoujo I wasn't sure it was gonna be my thing I mean its about kids with disabilities coping with life and love a topic that I find extremely sad. It hits close to home for me as I myself am somewhat disabled but that's a story for another time ne?

You play as Hisao Nakai a boy who recently found out that he had a serious heart condition after it gave out on him one day. His life drastically changed in the months following the attack and when he is deemed stable enough to leave the hospital he is sent to a school that caters to children living with disabilities. Initially he is understandably upset by this turn of events but as he as he gets more accustomed to the school and its inhabitants he becomes less apathetic and finally learns to enjoy life.

There has been some controversy due to the unfortunate (I personally think the name is fine as is) naming of this eroge as "katawa shoujo" which apparently translates to “cripple girl”. You can read more about that here and here if you like.

I’m going to post the routes separately as I finish them as I imagine that I’ll have a lot to say about the events that make up each route. The best thing about this game is that it doesn't cost a cent. You can download a copy here you’ll also find links to some other goodies like wallpapers music and artbooks.

And finally here’s the opening;

A rockin' workout.

I'm finally over my injury from last Thursday, muscles are a little sore but it wasn't so bad. Now if the temperature would only go up...

Because we don't all run to dubstep!

Train hard, fight easy.

Beast mode!

Your workout is my warm-up.

Harry & Malfoy in later years.

Holy hell! They are sooo cute! Especially Daniel he looks so deliciously rugged, I love the costume design as well those band style costumes

are never boring. Tom looks like an ordinary doctor though >.> mehhh!

Do or don’t; a poem about unrequited love.

I’ve added one of my old poems to my deviantART account. You can have a read here. I’d be most grateful for any criticism and/or praise ;).

Mc Donald’s Japan’s mascot is cute!

Woot! Now this is way better than the clown :).

I write like...

I write like
James Joyce

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

Well this is awesome! Yeah I know it's fake but it does appeal to my ego ^_^.

Lets hit the gym!

I loved ALL the tracks in this mix! I was literally torn between singing and exercise XD.

I’ll make you move.

Oh my god! I’m in a ton of pain. DOMS is still present and in effect. I love listening to music while I work out, it gives me something to focus on besides the pain and helps me finish.

Un-effing-stoppable.

Omfg! My legs freaking hurt and its also getting pretty cold, I guess the rainy season is beginning to set in. On the other hand! I’ve lost some weight! Hurray! Now that I’ve made a habit of Monday-Friday exercise its time to focus on food and boy is there is rather conflicting information on nutrition to be found on the internet and it seems so tedious to sift through the crap to find the real gems. I’ll post my findings as I go.

An angry workout mix. Rawr!

Oh dear, today was such a lazy day, its extremely cold and to make matters worse, I'm out of whey protein so I've been procrastinating since morning over the wisdom of doing the exercise without it. I sucked it up though, what’s a little more pain ne? This mix was just what I needed to push thru my cardio workout today.

Current workout routine.

Monday

• Pushups x20
• Knee raises X20
• Tip toe squats x20
• Swing kicks L + R x20
• Skipping – 2 minutes
• Running in place – 2 minutes
• Reverse lunges x20
• Forward lunges x20

tuesday

• Pushups x20
• Knee raises X20
• Swing kicks L + R x20
• High knees – 1 minute*
• Skipping – 2 minutes*
• Sprawls – 1 minute *
• Kicks (any type) – 2 minutes*
• Uppercuts – 1.5 minutes*
• Straight punches – 1.5 minutes*
• Jumping jacks – 1 minute*
• Running in place – 2 minutes*
• Reverse Lunges x20

 Note:Repeat exercises marked with an asterisk (*) once in reverse if possible.

Wednesday

• Pushups x20
• Knee raises x20
• Tip toe squats x20
• Swing kicks L + R x20
• Skipping – 2 minutes
• Running in place – 2 minutes
• Reverse lunges x20
• Forward lunges x20

Thursday

• Pushups x20
• Knee raises x20
• Swing kicks L + R x20
• High knees – 1 minute*
• Skipping – 2 minutes*
• Sprawls – 1 minute *
• Kicks (any type) – 2 minutes*
• Uppercuts – 1.5 minutes*
• Straight punches – 1.5 minutes*
• Jumping jacks – 1 minute*
• Running in place – 2 minutes*
• Reverse Lunges x20

Note:Repeat exercises marked with an asterisk (*) once in reverse if possible.

Friday

• Pushups x20
• Knee raises X20
• Tip toe squats x20
• Swing kicks L + R x20
• Skipping – 2 minutes
• Running in place – 2 minutes
• Reverse lunges x20
• Forward lunges x20

Bonus Ab Exercise

Set your interval timer for 3 rounds with 50 seconds on, and 10 seconds off. If you don’t have an interval timer use this one. I find that using the online version can be a little buggy so left click and choose save link as to download a copy.

• Oblique's L & R
• Bicycle crunch.

Try to do as many reps as possible in the time allowed but remember to keep proper form!

Note; There are variations to be found for every exercise listed and a quick Youtube search should yield a variety of options. Later on I’m thinking I’ll add links to videos of said exercises but right now I’m extremely sleepy so good night!

P.S. Please check with your doctor before starting this or any other exercise regimen. I will not be held responsible for any injuries incurred. That being said have fun and listen to your body, take breaks as needed and if it hurts try a simpler form.

The gym is my dance floor!

Some people jog because they are bored; you are not one of them.

Some people go to the gym to socialize; you are not one of them.

You run with a purpose, you know the weights you want to lift, the machines you want to use, and the classes you want to take. Exercise it not a fad for you, exercise is who you are, and you are AMAZING at it.

Now move people out of you way, because you’ve got muscle to build, and fat to lose, because the Gym Is Your Dance Floor!

R & B throwback.

I can't say that I like R & B much lately but this playlist contains songs that I liked even before I knew what a genre was, back when I liked music simply because it made me feel.

Blood, sweat, tears and beats.

Sick and tired of the same old songs in work out mixes? Well, plug this one into your headphones, get pumped, and enjoy.

Some thoughts on the trailer of the documentary "Bully".

So there's a new documentary coming out on March 30th called "Bully" and it follows the lives of five families whose kids are victims of bullying for a year as they try to make a difference by spreading awareness and hopefully improve their children’s level of comfort in school.

I'm really excited about it because its an issue that I find doesn't get enough press and as a person who was mercilessly bullied as a child it makes me feel as if maybe, just maybe adults will finally wise up and see their children for what they are as opposed to their ideal.

I do not know if this will make a difference in the long run but I sincerely hope so, for the sake of those kids who are killing themselves to escape the pressure to know that yes it will indeed get better someday and all those who are either bullying or aiding the bullies in covering up what they’re doing to finally see that there are consequences for their actions.

Source: The Huffington Post.

Simon Sinek explains how great leaders inspire action.

A very interesting video on the type of thinking that makes one successful as opposed to what we think will make us successful. It makes a strong argument for finding your passion before starting a business or choosing a career.

Train hard and maybe the odds will be in your favour.

A mix for just in case you end up in some post-apocalyptic world where something like the Hunger Games happens, and you need to be hella fit.

Run fast to some current pop hits and get your bow arm strong with some house faves. Become the girl on fire.

Run! Run! Run!

Strong is the new beautiful.

I liked almost all the tracks on this mixtape with the exception of the songs by Drake & Chris Brown.
Enjoy.

Born to Run!

You’re running on guts. On fumes. Your muscles twitch. You throw up. You’re delirious. But you keep running because there’s no way out of this hell you’re in, because there’s no way you’re not crossing the finish line. It’s a misery that non-runners don’t understand.
— Martine Costello

I'm exhausted. I downloaded the Beach Body Tabata Interval Timer to help time my workout and discovered that I had indeed gotten the timing wrong without it because I'm totally bushed after my cardio workout today. If you follow the link to the Beach Body Tabata Interval Timer you'll find a brief introduction to Tabata as well as a link to the complete scientific paper written by Izumi Tabata and his research team.

My current workout timetable closely resembles the Tabata workout style so I'll post it sometime in the future.

Crank it up!

This probably wasn't my best choice and it was a little repetitive but its gets the blood pumping and that's what's important ;)

Today's Motivation

Kashiwazaki Sena (Haganai) Cosplay

I came across a super cute cosplay today and I just had to share it. I've never seen this particular anime but I admit I'm rather tempted to do so after seeing these.

Artist: Miyuko/미유코 (Yun Jin Kang)
Character: Kashiwazaki Sena (柏崎星奈)
Origin: Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (僕は友達が少ない)

And I shall face my fears.

Photo Credit: Sewlolita

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing......Only I will remain.

I'm not sure where this verse originated, but lately its been my mantra. As I attempt to spend more time out of my house and in the company of others I realize that my anxiety grows the more I interact with them. They say humans are social creatures but I find social situations extremely stressful, so much so that I'm near panic ever time I try to interact with my friends and others.

I turn into a bit of an idiot around them, and I constantly forget what I'm talking about, my friends are supportive but I'm terrified of where MS will take me next; right now it's affecting my memory and motor functions which effectively stole the majority of my dreams from me. I'm afraid of the disappointment I feel every time I lose the ability to do something and I'm a little jealous when I see my friends progressing with their goals. Its a strange feeling being both fiercely proud & slightly jealous of their accomplishments.

I find that I hate myself a bit for this but I'm resolved to work on this aspect of my character together with my body, I guess we'll see how it turns out ne?

New Warm Up & Cool Down Routines

I got to thinking that maybe my current warm up & cool down routines weren't sufficient so I browsed Youtube looking for routines that would be simple an short and found these;

A Mashedup Workout!

So today's workout was a lot easier than I thought it would be since I was in so much pain after yesterdays workout that by bed time I didn't want to move a muscle (more like couldn't). The whey protein made a huge difference, by the time I awoke this morning most of the pain had receded and I just had a sore right leg to contend with. Its a bit scary how good this works for me but you can't argue with the results ne?

Girl Look at that Body.

I don't know about you guys but for me working out is the next best thing to sex, it hurts so good and since I'm now recovered from the 4th or 5th bout of the flu for the month its time to get my routine back to normal (as normal as it gets at any rate).

Also on a side note; I finally got my mitts on some new issues of the DC's New 52 (review's will be up later on), and OMFG! DC you guys rock sooo hard with this new universe its mind boggling as I never had much interest in them before. Bravo you guys :)

Review: Lover`s Position

Lover`s Position by Masara Minase

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First story: Lover's Position (Chapters 1, 2 & 3) - Hayato & Jun

The story is told from Jun's perspective. Jun is finally going out with is much admired crush from high school, his senpai Hayato. This story tells of how they encounter each other again and start over afresh as lovers. But Jun still feels insecure because of Hayato's beautiful best friend Motoki who was Hayato's lover in high school. Whenever the best friends meet up Jun is excluded and his feelings of in adequacy are made worse when Hayato prioritises Motoki over him.

I honestly found Jun to be a little annoying, I mean sure Hayato isn't exactly wearing his heart on his sleeve or anything but he liked Jun enough to get him a ring for his birthday. I feel as if he should have at least spoken to Hayato about it before he was driven out so Hayato could look after Motoki or at least confronted him when he overheard them talking. Not that Hayato didn't have his flaws, the most glaring being his tendecy to put his friends before his lovers. I was super satisfied with how it ended though.

Second story: Love Damage (Chapters 3 & 4) - Naoto, Aida & Sawada
Naoto always gets dumped by his boyfriends because they prefer to get married and have kids.

One day he awakens to find someone strange in bed with him and to make matters worse his boyfriend walks in and sees them together and promptly dumps him. He goes drinking with his friend (because that's what you do after you have drunken sex with a stranger) drink more! He sees the man who he slept with chatting with a woman and accosts him. It turns out this guy works for a break-up company and Aida paid Sawada to break them up. Oh dear. Not that I don't understand where Aida was coming from but I think he should have confided the situation with his family troubles in Naoto. I think it would've hurt less that way.

View all my reviews

A Song to the Sun, Volume 1

By: Kenji Bandou
Genre: Drama / Josei / Romance / Tragedy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of the short life and final days of a girl called Kaoru, who suffered from the rare disease Xeroderma pigmentosum, which basically makes it impossible for her to be outside during the day. Unlike most tragedies I’ve read Kaoru has a wonderfully supportive family who try their best to make her as comfortable as possible. She spends her days gazing though her window at the world of light and falls in love with a boy whom she eventually meets and becomes involved with. Kaoru is a plucky girl as evidenced by the way she approached Kouji that night after recognising him, her rapid confession/ introduction made me chuckle and left quite the impression on him.

But then she botches explaining her illness to him and tries to break it off by avoiding him, something which managed to hurt him and almost kill her. This incident is the turning point for both Kaoru & Kouji; as she declines both mentally and physically, he becomes a more mature version of his original self, that of a somewhat idiotic, earnest and straightforward boy. He encourages her musical talent and manages to get her to record a song, making her dream come true and when she was no longer there brought comfort to those she left behind and hope to those who heard it.

The story deals briefly with the rapid decline and her eventual demise, which had initially led me to believe that perhaps the author rushed it too much but in retrospect (this situation is very similar to the way my father died) sometime diseases act swiftly, leaving no room for anything but numbness,a feeling that Bandou has captured quite effectively.

There were a few elements of this volume that really bothered me. You can’t get a sense of how much time passed at all and the disease itself isn’t dealt with very well in my opinion, the scenes where Kaoru’s at the hospital are so rushed and the explanations so brief, that it makes it difficult to empathize with what Kaoru’s going through.

This was a good book, the story is cute yet sad, the characters likeable and even though this is just a one-shot you get a lot of character development overall something that rarely happens with one-shots in general. While I am no fan of tragedies I’m glad I made an exception as this was not much of a tear jerker.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick read with a decent storyline.

Installing WAKFU on LMDE

Before we get started here's a little introduction to WAKFU courtesy RPGFan or you can visit the official site.

Installation Notes
To install WAKFU you will need to manually download and execute the contents of the file. If you don't know how to do this follow the steps outlined below, don't worry it looks harder than it is.

• Download WAKFU by clicking this link.
• Right click on the Wakfu_unix.sh file and choose "Properties".
• Select the "Permissions" tab and check "Allow executing file as program".
• Close the window and double-click the file Wakfu_unix.sh.
• A temporary file Wakfu_unix.sh.5070.dir should appear, and a few seconds after the installer will run.
• From there all you need to do is follow the on screen instructions.

Troubleshooting
After installation I ran into problems on my first run, namely blocky, unintelligible text. I was able to solve it by inputting the following commands into terminal.

sudo apt-get install driconf
driconf

After the driconf window appears select the "Image Quality" tab and enable S3TC texture compression. The next time you run WAKFU the problem should be resolved. If you're using a netbook the text may be a little small but it doesn't really bother me however resizing the window may help.

How to make Mint faster.

After I installed Mint 12 (aka Lisa) I found that it took me about 10 minutes to boot and most programs took about a minute to start. Briefly I wondered if the copious amount of crap that went wrong with the netbook (its an AO D150) when it was running Windows 7 could have been to blame. A quick DuckDuckGo search later brought this article to my attention and the instructions worked like a charm. Hopefully it will help if you guys are having the same problem.

Of course at this point in time I have no idea what "swappiness" is or why that worked but I shall be doing a bit of reading on the topic.

EDIT
I found this link that explains why the steps outlined in the above article may have worked.

30 Day Challange: Week One, Day Two

I actually finished yesterday but I was bushed so I forgot to post my scores =_=
If you'd like to attempt the workout here's the demo and you can find the breakdown and recommended equipment here.

It took me a bit longer than 12 minutes but I managed to finish it. Banzai!

1. 10 x High Knees & 10 x Mountain Climbers - 32
2. Squat Jumps & 2 x Push-ups & 1 x Tuck Jumps - 3
3. Centre to Elbow Jump (L&R) & 2 x leg jumps - 5
4. Clean & Press & Squat & Press & Push Up - 3
5. Tuck Jumps x 5 & ½ Burpee & squat hold x 5 - 2
6. Spider Knee Push up & Straight Leg Push Up (L&R) - This one was difficult for me so I did Push ups on Knees instead - 24
7. Switch Lunge & Press (without bag) - 16
8. Side Lunge x 2 & L & R Side Punch & 2 Tuck Jumps - 7
9. 10 x Squat & 10 x Squat Jumps - 1
10. Elbow to Knee jumps 10 x each side - 2
11. Wide leg jumps & Push up - I have weak knees and elbows (at the moment) so I did Prison Squat Jumps instead - 30
12. Speed run - I managed to do the whole 50 seconds =^_^=

Today Lisa-Marie introduced the concept of power words. The idea is that every day we should choose a word that describes our frame of mind at the time, a word that will inspire us to push hard and complete the workout.

My word of the day was Courage because after I saw Lisa-Marie's demo I became scared because it looked so much harder than it was and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to do it but I kept my word in mind and got through it. So yay me!

Links of Interest (02.01.2012) and a Happy New Year to you all!

So before I start off the LOI this time I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! See cute picture above. Today I was introduced to the concept of Fukubukuro which is basically a New Years day custom where merchants create bags filled with random items which are then sold at substantially reduced prices. I really like things like these it makes me wish I lived in Japan.

• An a capella version of the Jackson 5's The Love You Save. As I listen to him singing this song its brings a tear to my eye to think that I will never see him perform again.
• A partial clip of Deepak Chopra discussing religion, cyberspace and spiritual health at a meeting in Noordwijk in 1997. Regardless of what you may thing of him as a person I'm sure we all can agree that there is a ring of truth to the things that he has said in this clip.
• Do you think that religion has made the world less safe? Here's a thought provoking article along that vein.
• I find it strange the lengths that celebrities like Angelina Jolie go to in the name of humanitarianism yet there is very little publicity on their efforts. Why is this you think? Here's an article that showcases the contrast between the attitudes of our leaders as opposed to the ones that we deride as being narcissistic and self indulgent.
• I'm the kind of person who has an unreliable memory. A few days ago this article showed up in my news feed. Its surprising to see such unexpected things are able to affect our memories.

30 Day Challange: Week One, Day One

I've been watching videos at BodyRock.tv for around a year but I had been unable to start previously because I didn't have enough room in my previous place to store and use the equipment not to mention the fact that I suffer from MS which can make regular exercise difficult. As a result I found myself gaining weight rapidly in between periods of frequent exercise which as you can imagine was extremely discouraging for me. This year I decided that I wanted to do more with my life as I have been cooped up in my house for a few years and I'm tired of just existing. I let my illness suck the life out of me so to speak. I noticed that the  community at BRT is very supportive so I finally decided to give it a try.
Wish me luck.

So here are my results;

1. Squat Jumps - 21
2. Push Ups - 5 normal, 15 on knees
3. Burpees - 10
4. High Knees - 90
5. Switch Lunges - 9
6. Tuck Jumps - 7
7. Straight Abs - 6

And here's the demo. More information can be found here.

After the exercise (I did manage to get it done just before 12am but boy am I exhausted took a while to catch my breath >.<) I realise that I've got weak knees and my back is a little iffy too.

Today's exercise came in pretty late so I'm not sure when I should exercise next hm...I think I'll just stick to doing them around midnight for the rest of the month.

Well at any rate, I'm quite proud of my self for finishing it, for the most part I substituted the beginner moves in lieu of the more advanced ones that Lisa was demonstrating and it made a big difference in how I felt at the end of the work out. Tired yet happy, I am super excited about what she'll have planned for tomorrow and on that note I shall now retire to my bed.

Good day to you all!
<3