Happy Festivus!

This post may be a long one. I finally found some time to update this blog. The holidays have just been flying by. I had wanted to go out of town this holidays but that didn't happen. That is okay as I have spent time with family and friends. Who couldn't ask for a better Christmas than that? So here are the updates in no particular order:

Postcrossing:

Postcrossing is humming right along. (I have to throw a plug in again. Visit www.postcrossing.com) 8 have been sent to other countries and registered and I have recieved 3. 5 are in transit right now. I want to give a big shout out to the people that have been visting my blog that are postcrossing members. Thank you. 

I find though sometimes I'm in a rush sending out the postcards. I end up slapping together a postcard as fast as possible just to fire it out. I want to be more creative with my cards. Maybe that can be a New Years Resolution.

Christmas:

I couldn't ask for a better holiday! I have good health and so does my family. That alone means a lot. And the holidays just flew by. I got a GPS for Christmas. The first use of it:  Finding a Burger King in Orillia. Classic all the way. And it happened to be the Whopper Wednesday! Another Festivus miracle! Which leads me into my next entry 

Festivus:

If anyone knows me they will know one thing : I love Seinfeld! So I was updating my Facebook account and I did not want to be the guy with the generic holdiay greetings like everyone else. So I was thinking of what to say and it came to me: Festivus! So happy Festivus everyone! And what are my Festivus miracles? I have a GPS, (Miracle!) a cell phone finally (Miracle again!) and I guess that is all for the Festivus miracles for now. Oh wait - I won $450 on a hand of Missisipi Stud at a casino (Miracle!) Unfortunately Festivus came and went before I could celebrate it (Dec 23) but in spirit I have been celebrating it all this week.

Leisure Time:

I have been off this week  so I have some leisure time in my life. Bascially I'm still on the Left 4 Dead grind (I'm playing LFD 1 and 2) and I had downloaded the X-Men arcade game through X-Box live. My buddy and I beat it in one sitting right away though. It was still good for a trip down memory lane.

I watched the new Tron Legacy and True Grit at the cinema. And I plan on watching the original Tron at home again. It has been a long time since I seen the original . I was happy with the new Tron Legacy. They didn't cater to today's attention deficient society and avoiding cramming it with non-stop action and explosions. As I stepped out of the cinema commenting on that my buddy said that was his complaint about the movie - too much back story and not enough action. Go fiqure.

So much for a huge blog entry. I'm sitting in a coffee house ( the only one because I don't count Tim Hortons) and I'm trying to journal, blog and surf the net. Classic. Somehow the blogging and journalling got lost in the shuffle.

Alright. Happy Festivus! Happy Postcrossing!

Postcrossing!!!!!

 Well this is unusual as I'm updating my blog at 11:55pm. And why? Because.... (drum roll and suspense please) I received my first postcard from www.postcrossing.com.
I registered it on the website so now its official: 3 sent and 1 recieved. The postcard is from Holland and contains a picture of a cricket.
I'm happy. Now all I have do is fiqure out how to store these postcards. I'm already debating how to decorate the outside of the binder that I selected to store them.
An extra bonus: I actually went for a run. It was cold but so worth it. This run made me realize why I fell in love with running in the first place. And it gave me new motivation.

So happy postcrossing everyone!! And for the runnners: enjoy your runs! Happy trails!

We Won!

We finally won a curling game! (Applause here) It was a close call right till the seventh end. Each end one team would score a 2-3 points and keep it tied till the sixth end. In the seventh end we pulled ahead by 3 and the other team called it a day. It was a classic victory.

I had no time to watch any shows last night. Last night because we curled late I didn't get home till 11:30 pm. I had martial arts at 6:30 and then I had curling at 8:30. It makes for a long day. I played a bit of RISK arcade on XBOX 360. I wasn't really feeling it though

                                                        In Postcrossing News


I have 3 postcards that have been sent and registered at their destinations. I have yet to recieve any postcards yet. So 3 are registered and 5 are deemed travelling at this moment. One must be lost because from where I live to Michigan U.S.A does not take 15+ days.
I guess I can officially call this a hobby because I have lots of ideas to make my own postcards. I even cleared a little area at home to be my workstation.

Rab

Rambling Rab

Okay so I'm at a computer with a good keyboard. So now I can let the postings rip. So here goes.....


I had a lazy weekend and did not do much of anything. I played the No Mercy (downloadable content) level on Left 4 Dead 2. There are a few differences for this stage compared to the original Left 4 Dead. The main difference is the difficult. It is a few times harder than the original. It took me a few times to beat it. There is way more undead thrown at you. And the layout of the last level (helicopter pickup) is a bit different. There is no wall to hide out at the top of the call room.

The computer provides two grenade launchers for use on the last level. I thought that it would make it easier to beat the stage but apparently not. It makes it a little easier. A basic strategy would be to grab the launcher and sit on top of a roof and fire away at groups of zombies. And if any get a chance to climb the building just switch to melee and slash or push them off.

Rab

True Grit

I had put watching the original True Grit movie (1969) on the backburner for a while. I finally watched it last night and I was impressed. I thought it was it was a good movie. I have not seen any other John Wayne movies (yet!) so I can not compare this movie to his other works.

Apparently critics thought it was over the top and hammy (his acting) and that his Oscar for this movie was awarded more for his lengthy career. It does not bother me as I think this movie was pretty good for a western.
Watch it if you get a chance and then go see the remake coming this Christmas ( Dec 22). The remake has top actors starring in it. (Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon)

Anyone under 20 years of age would not be able to watch this. I can guarantee that. They would say it is boring and complain of lack of action. I do not want to go into a rant about the decline in quality of movies so I will save that for later.

I am using the broken keyboard again so this post is short.


Rab

Emergency Update!!!

Yes!!! Howard Stern has signed on for another 5 years. This will probably be his last 5 years on radio so my new goal will to maximize the amount of time I listen to Howard Stern. I love the guy. (Well most of the time)



Rab

100 Percent Random

This is just going to be a whirlwind of randomness starting now:

-I noticed some of the time stamps are wrong on the blog entries because I can tell you right now I did not wake up at 7 am to put an entry on my blog (I'm not that dedicated).

-2 of my postcards that I have sent have been reached their destination and have been registered (see postcrossing.com for information) in Germany and the Netherlands. I have 5 in transit (3 have been in transit for 13 days now) and since 2 have been registered I'm eligible to recieve 2 postcards from random people. I'm excited but basically I have to build patience as I might be lucky to receive one postcard before Christmas.

-I ventured into the art store (Micheals) to buy supplies for my christmas gifts (I can't annouce what I'm making right now because I don't want to spoil it) and I felt like a fish out of water. I even told the clerk that I'm not a "art guy" because she asked me what I was making. So I have most of the supplies and I'm grabbing the rest tonight . Hopefully on the weekend I can attempt a test run to see if I know what I'm doing.

-One thing caught my eye on the way out of the art store: a book called Journal Junkies. I'm thinking of going back there to buy it today.

I'm done rambling for now I guess.

Rab

Grind City

So I went to martial arts last night and as usual I am glad I did. I felt better afterward. Tonight it is martial arts again.


I am still on the fence about buying the kinect for the xbox. It is always the same dilemma: will I use it or will it collect dust (question mark) I am using a messed up computer and I can not change the settings from french to allow me to put in a question mark. Do not get me started on the rest of the problems of this computer.

Plugs of the Day:

1) Left for Dead 1 and 2 for Xbox 360
2) Eastbound and Down (tv show)
3) Any novel by Robert J. Sawyer (science fiction)

-Rab

No Luck!

We lost our curling match again. We have no luck. And it doesn't help that I was basically 6 for 12 on my shots. At one point I released two shots with no handle. Classic!

Maybe in the New Year we will do better. Hopefully we can squeeze in one win before then.

Unrelated to fitness yesterday I downloaded the add on Sacrifice for Left for Dead 2. It imports the original Left 4 Dead characters into the game. The No Mercy campaign is way more difficult. Now all I have to do is download the Passing and I should be good to go.

Back to exercise:  this weather is driving me nuts! I have martial arts tonight so hopefully that brings my motivation level back to normal. And I'm also reading a book on the psychology of leisure and motivation. Hopefully it rubs off.

That's all for now

Rab

Plug

I just want to advertise an old school idea that is being lost on society. What you may ask? The sending of postcards!. Check it out.

http://www.postcrossing.com/

Reset

I can't explain what happened to me lately. I think the winter and cold was dragging on me. I lacked motivation and was eating horribly. I was worried that I was throwing all my hard work out the window and that I would end up packing on the pounds again over the winter months.
Fortunately a switch in my head flipped on Sunday and I feel like I'm back in the game. I curled yesterday and and did cardio at the gym. I was riding a natural high all day. I thought that my postive high could help our curling but we still lost. (I don't think we won a game this season yet). Classic.
So I'm just happy to motivated again and recharged. I don't know where it came from but I do not want to jinx it.

Winter

I find the weather makes it hard to stay motivated. It is cold and it gets dark super early. It makes a person just want to stay inside and play video games and hibernate.

So we lost our curling game last night. As ususal we keep the game close for the first few ends then the opponents blow us out of the water. Classic.

Tonight I'm back to martial arts. So basically its the same routine for me each week: martial arts and curling. I added a walk on Saturdays. Really though I should be focusing running but first I would need to find a race to run.

-Rab

Still on the Grind!

I went to martial arts on Monday and curled later in the evening (We lost). Tuesday I went to martial arts and tonight is martial arts and repeat process on Thursday. So my weeks usually just fly by.

And this upcoming Sat I plan on a super hike. If you know where I'm from I plan on hiking the whole outside loop of Hershey Lake.

So my days are full of physical activity. Now the only piece of the puzzle is watching what I eat.

Unrelated note: I watched Megamind the movie last night and it was surprisingly good.


Rab

Don't Hit The Panic!!

So the past week was a write-off. I was so sick last Tuesday and missed a bit of work. My body was so week that I had to conserve energy. I had to avoid martial arts to allow my body to heal, I didn't want to take a chance and get hurt or become more sick.

So I missed a whole week which is not good. But because I was sick my appetite was poor so I did not over eat. I hope it balances out.

I eased myself back into the physical activity by going for a hike with my buddy Sat morning on a nice fall day. For some reason I'm suddenly into hiking and backpacking.

So this week I will be back to my regular routine.

-Rab

Still At It

So I took Friday off from exercising to let my body rest. I didn't miss any martial arts this week. I'm feeling pretty good about things and realize that it will take time to lose weight.

I didn't want to slack off on the weekend so I did a hour of cardio at the gym today. And tomorrrow I will do cardio also.

I added some walking (to the Santa Claus parade) and some furniture moving. That must count for something.

I'm still on the fence about the kinect for x-box. I have been hearing good things. I will wait to after Christmas when the rush for it dies down for it and I have money saved for it.

I'm trying to fiqure out the next race to run to keep me motivated.  I live at least 4 hours away from any major race and race season is almost done for the year. The next race I will probably run is in Feb.

-Rab

Lost the Match

We lost the curling match on Monday. (It was something like 8-4). Curling is not a hardcore workout but it is a fun activity and not everyone in the world can say they curl on a regular basis. It is a unique sport.

So Tuesday I continued with my martial arts. The first class was weapons training (we did knife fighting again) and the second class was kickboxing. I'm glad i didn't skip out. Each time its the same drill: I don't feel like going and have to mentally push myself to get there and then once I'm done the workout I'm so glad I went.

So its back to martial arts tonight and then for coffee with a friend.

Haven't Given Up

Don't worry everyone. All is not lost. I haven't stopped exercising. Last week I attended each martial arts session. Friday and Saturday I didn't exercise but I felt all the running around I did made up for it. (Halloween and a wedding)

Sunday I exercised on a cardio machine and spent the day getting ready for Halloween (carving pumpkins, handing out candy etc).

So all is not lost. I have a curling game tonight.

Weekend

I was unmotivated on the weekend and didn't do much of anything. If it is any consolation it is back to the grind this week. Today I'm starting Monday night Men's League Curling.
So every second week I will miss a session in martial arts due to curling. Thats all I have to report now. I also want to give a shout out to the person who is viewing this blog in Croatia. Thanks.

Rab

Martial Arts/Motivation

So this week I found it easy to go to martial arts. (I go four times a week) Lately it felt like a chore and I was debating whether to quit going. I was losing focus and I was wondering what the point was.

This week though I had no problem going each night and was glad that I didn't slack off and not go. I always feel good right after the workouts so I use that as motivation.

I also remind myself that physically I am not disabled and that there are people in this world that have disabilities that do not allow them to participate in certain physical activities and that I should be lucky and grateful that I am able to. That also adds motivation to me but more in a negative guilt way.

My concerns now should be focusing on my fitness goals. Ex: Do I want my next level belt in Fong Wei Do or do I concentrate on training for another half-marthon? Or a full marathon?(insert GASP here)

-Rab

Picture

I finally posted a picture on this site. Voila. More pictures to follow when I fiqure out the proper layout and format.

Motivational Rant

I was going to to do a blog entry on motivation. I will save it for later.

I promise I will upload some race pictures on the weekend. I need at least one picture of me on here somewhere.

I will say this for motivation: It is hard to stay motivated. When I don't feel like exercising I always have to remind myself that after exercising I feel better physically and emotionally.

I'm debating on whether to buy the kinect for XBOX 360. I know using a video game wouldn't be a substitute for regular exercise but I'm thinking it might help vary up my routine. ( And if you know me I have to work on flexibility)

I only used the Wii Fit once and I worked up a sweat on that. I fiqure the kinect for the XBOX would work along the same lines. I just don't want to invest money and then not use it.

Thats all for now

Rab

5K Gold Rush 2010

So Sunday October 10 I ran the local 5k Gold Rush Race in my hometown. I don't run 5k races that often. I don't enjoy a 5k race as much as a half-marathon.
A 5k race I find is a good test of fitness but I find I run the race in a mad panic worried about my race pace and I don't get to enjoy the simple act of running. And the race is over in less than 30m.
On the positive note I ran it in a average time (25m) and placed 59 of 209. Its not my personal best (around 23m) but it is better than my 2008 time (30m).
And the weather cooperated somewhat. It wasnt snowing or raining. It was a bit chilly (8 degrees Celsius) but I'm used to that weather and ran in my shorts and t-shirt.
I wore a yellow race shirt from the scotia bank half-marathon for two reasons: to show that I ran the Toronto half-marathon and to stick out in the crowd with a bright yellow shirt.
I will post some pictures later. I promise.

Back In Action

Well its been a month since I posted anything. This blog will be about my continuing adventures to get back into shape.
Boot camp has fallen by the wayside. But do not worry as I still do the push-ups and the sit ups. I am up to 37 push-ups (my personal record) and from there I drop and finish the rest modified (45). I also complete 70 sit-ups.

So i will post some pictures and details of the Scotia Bank Half-Marthon that I completed on Sept 26 2010. My chip time was 2:14 and my real time was 2:06 which puts this race in the category of one of my better runs.

I will save some stories for another post

-Rab

Week 3 of Boot Camp

I'm onto the 3rd week of my new fitness regimen. Basically I'm borrowing the fitness plan from the book "Boot Camp: the Sergeant's Fitness and Nutrition Program".

Wish me luck