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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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
 |
| 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.htmlAlso, 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=4721Source:
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..
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
Science Panorama ebook giveaway.
Science Panorama is giving out three free e-books.
To download:
- Go to the link.
- Click on the 'File' Button at the top left of your screen.
- Select 'Download' Button to download the ebook on your computer.
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.
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:
Is this the kind of behavior that one would expect from an ideology that preaches love and respect for your fellow man? Certainly not.
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:
...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 scriptureTheists 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 phenomenonWell...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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Mix the garlic powder with the butter, then dot over dough. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Cover and leave to rise for 40 minutes.
- 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.
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.
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