G-OGRAPHY: a southeast asian lady travels...

Some of you may recall that I blogged about my
7 Day Bikram Yoga Challenge more than a week ago. I was basically doing bikram yoga everyday for a week which took about 2 hours out of my day. It sounds crazy but it became so addictive. I love how the practice forces me to focus on being still in order to listen to the instructor and to my body. It just makes it easier to hold those 26 poses and encourage the body to do what your brain thinks is impossible. Personally, I feel I am starting to become more aware of my body and the muscles in it. I also noticed a lot of improvement in my endurance, flexibility (no I still can't turn myself into a pretzel) and core strength. I'm not going to lie, it's a kick ass work out but anyone with a right mind set (and who isn't afraid to sweat in places they have never sweat before) can do it. I see people of all shapes and sizes in the class including old women and men!

Also, during those 7 days I made it a point to go to different times and try different instructors. I think they were all consistently good. Also, one has to be aware that everyday your practice is going to be different. You are always going to be in a different place when you start learning bikram yoga. The important thing is to know where you are at that moment and work with it. Of course, it is also vital to have that intention to improve as your strength and flexibility increases.

So after the 7th day, I have decided to continue with Bikram. I will only be doing it 2-3 times a week since I still want to have time for other projects! If you are curious to try it I suggest you read this: http://www.bikramyoga.com/ and this blog post my friend forwarded which I thought was pretty good: How to Have a Better Bikram Yoga Experience

Once you try it let me know what you think about it!!!

Always been a fan of the book now they have the movie. Definitely one I am anticipating aside from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. I wish it was Ewan McGregor playing Watson!

Oh my gosh! I discovered a new favorite site: www.japanprobe.com =) Not for the faint of heart. Since I used to live in Japan, I was able to acquire a liking to their humor. I actually wrote about this a long time ago here. It's Tidbit#5.1

Anyhow, the one below just made me laugh out loud in the office. An afternoon picker-upper for y'all. Enjoy!



"The crazy crew from “Haneru no Tobira” put on bug suits and try to ride a kickboard scooter through a 45-centimeter wide corridor. Those who knock down walls or can’t make it all the way through the corridor are punished by having stinky spider breath blown into their faces."

I learned about Bikram Yoga last year when I was actively surfing. A lot of female surfers were recommending yoga for strength and flexibility training. I was too timid to check it out thinking that only experienced yogis have the right to be there. Boy was I so wrong.

The 7 day challenge came about when I mentioned Bikram to my friend last week. She immediately found a studio that gave her a 2 week intro class. She is on her 9th day now and is hooked. After hearing positive results from her I decided to try it for 7 straight days (because my local studio only offers a 1 week intro class-lame!). I am now on my fifth day and loving it! I feel a lot of energy. I also feel improvement in my back and abdominal muscles.

For those of you who do not know what I am talking about Bikram Yoga is basically what some people refer to as hot yoga. The practice is done inside a room heated to 105°F (40.5°C) with a humidity of 40%. Sounds crazy, I know, but this helps you to stretch deeper and prevent injury. This also makes it easier for you go through 26 postures in 90 minutes which translates to tons of sweating. Now most people think that the sweating results to the detoxification that practitioners experience, this is not true. It is by boosting circulation and metabolism through deep breathing and yoga posture that Bikram Yoga accelerates detoxification. Additionally, you also get to learn the techniques of meditation. You learn to relax your mind, thus addressing stress toxins.

I will be posting a day to day account of my new project soon. Until then enjoy this photostream from Flickr:

A long delayed post, I know, but Manny Pacquiao is my man of the month. Did any of you see the fight last week? Pacquaio TKO'd Hatton during last few seconds of round 2 (not so great video here)! I have to be honest he has become a sort of national hero back in the Philippines. In fact, if he ever decides to run for President he WILL win. I kid you not. Of course, if I were Manny I would just stick to boxing and avoid the headache of Philippine politics. Although it would be awesome to see him TKO a few corrupt officials as part of his new judicial policy =). I'm sure with all his earnings the Pacman won't have a hard time funding his own campaign. According to this article Pacquiao's earnings is just $4-M shy of the Philippines' foreign investments in February.

The picture above was taken with my iphone some time early last year before his rise to true international stardom. Manny and I go to the same church (yes I am a practicing Catholic) in Hollywood where he gets blessed before any of his fights in the US. You gotta love the man. He was is so chill and humble. He patiently takes photos with grandmothers and autographs church misalettes. Do you know that he gives away a lot of money to help people in need in the Philippines? When recently asked by a reporter why he was so overly generous to his countrymen and countrywomen, Pacquiao replied and said, "You know what? Our mission in this world is not only to make money. We also have a big responsibility. If we receive blessings from God, we are to give some back to the people-especially the poor people." There is nothing further from the truth to describe Manny Pacquiao than a man that is simply, 'The People's People'.

A new G-ography feature...SOON!

Some of you may have remembered my previous post here asking for pledges. Although I miserably failed to garner more than 2 "pledges", I am just glad to still have been able to participate in the Revlon Run/Walk for Women last Saturday May 9, 2009.

It was a gloomy morning when we gathered at the LA Coliseum. I probably got there a little after the program started. Yes, just in time to be greeted by the husky voice of Miley Cyrus (oh what a delight!). I wish I had heard Cristina Applegate speak. As a child of a breast cancer survivor, who herself went through a double mastectomy only late last year, I just thought she would have something to say.

Anyways it was a great turnout. A little overwhelming at first since I didn't know what to expect. The event is in it's 16th year which I think speaks volumes. It was amazing to see every one supporting such a worthy cause. The best part was near the finish line where a group of tyco drummers greeted the runners and walkers. Everyone just started to pick up pace when they heard the beat. The path then led to a tunnel where you could hear the crowd cheer and clap at everyone for a good finish. I admit this was when I broke into a silly grin. I couldn't help but feel like Ben-Hur in that infamous chariot race. It was a pretty cool experience overall. I think it's a good way to do accomplish a good deed while exercising.

Next event...the Rockin' Charity Spin-a-Thon. If you are in LA do check it out at: www.listentomyhealth.com!!!