In Sickness and In Health

While I'm coping with never ending fever and money dilemmas, I'll leave you with these 2 photos from the wedding of my co-worker:

Who knows, maybe I'll even share ridiculous rumors that above mentioned co-worker's aunt spread about me after the wedding due to hearing problems;)

Soy Meatballs?

Photos from the wedding are on their way and will make it to this blog, most likely, on [Wordless] Wednesday. So for now I'm leaving you with my (?) invention: spaghetti with soy "meat" balls:

Pretty cool, if you're a vegetarian. Pretty good, if you are me, stuck with no food at home.

Spaghetti in the photos is from my first try a few weeks ago. Yesterday, it was my third try, with tomatoes instead of carrots, though. 

Mmm... I was happy and satisfied. 

Especially, since by the time I was able to eat this, my horrible post-wedding effects sibsided and I was alive again.

Weddings are fun?!

McFood For Thought

Kiev McDonald's is 3d most visited McDo (as them Frenchies call it;)) in the world. THIRD. Other cities that are "honored" to have McDos in top 5 most visited are Moscow (x2), Munich, Dusseldorf.

We are No.1 re. HIV/AIDS spreading rate in Europe and now this... Hooray!:)

Yesterday they were showing Mexican kids on the news, saying how poor things get obese at a young age. You know, that used to be a news story about the States, and Mexicans would be on the news around Halloween instead, with Día de los Muertos celebrations, which was cool. 

Obese children is not cool, it's a national problem.

That's what you get for being neighbors with the U.S., I guess. We're further away but I can definitely see fast/junk food influence, especially on children. 

Kids with muffin tops is not the way life should be. Parents should pay attention. Parents should set examples. Parents should love their children enough to consider taking up healthy(-ier) lifestyles.

Healthy children = happy children. Healthy people = happy people.

With that said, I'm kind of craving "homemade" fried potatoes with barbecue sauce from McDo... 

Image is borrowed from McDonald's

But I should know better, shouldn't I?

The race is coming up. And I'm not exactly as bikini ready as I'd like :P

Anyway, stay tuned for a wedding photo. Or some other photo :o)

And have a healthy, happy weekend!

Random: in India, they say that "love comes with marriage" (I'm watching a travel show). That makes me wonder.

My Modern Family

A girl I met during my exchange year in the US mentioned on her blog watching ABC's Modern Family with her husband. I got curious... and hooked. From the first episode.

Season 2 poster

I didn't realize how "American" the show was until I watched an episode with a voice over in Russian (totally different impression compared to watching it in the original!). The name of the show is actually translated as "American Family", and God knows it is - a wonderfully stereotyped American family portrayed by three closely related ones.

I've grown to love all the characters (except for maybe Alex) and wish I could get my hands on Season 3.

Here are the two characters that make the show special for me:

• Jay's hot Colombian wife Gloria who has a funny accent and makes me want to work on improving my Spanish instead of learning French:) (played by gorgeous and hilarious Sofia Vergara). 

Sofia Vergara on Chelsea Lately

• And here's baby Lily who melts. my. heart.:

This is the cutest kid ever!! And if it weren't for the fact that my cheri N. is not Asian (and his ex is), I'd say I want a kid just like that:)))

Hmm... I wonder what other shows I've been missing out on because of my geographical location?

* Gloria's and Lily's pictures are from Episode 3 Season 1 of the show.

Anna's Fan Club, or My Tribute To Vanity.

It was definitely time to change my Christmas photo to something new on Facebook. So for the lack of something new, I went with an old one, for now:

Boyfriend loved it. As well as a few random guys who sent friend requests.

However, this was something new: Hi! You are so pretty pls you wil confirm my suggest.

The message came from a Filipino(?) girl who looks 13 at most in her profile photo, if not younger. But after a flattered "aw..." I noticed her info says she finished college in 2000, which means I am much younger than my newfound fan (is that her your daughter in the photo?!).

I never add strangers on FB. Though, again, I'm added mostly by random guys whom I just ignore. Having a girl asking to be friends online is kinda unusual and interesting, especially since she's from another culture.

But trying to become friends only based on looks?

Ouch, that's a bit creepy, no offense.

I hope this week will be over sooner than I once and for all kill a big part of my prettiness with these...

...and a bunch of other stuff.

Stay healthy!

Everyone Is Gay

Carrying on with a weekend a la Anna (no work, just fun), I am happy to present you two hilarious girls from EveryoneIsGay.Com, New York:

The two are addressing issues that gay people come across and reach out to help them, in their own unique way.

Being straight myself as far as I know haha, I still loved watching Kristin and Dannielle's "show". To tell the truth, many questions they are asked are "unisex questions" and could just as easily be asked by straight girls and guys. 

Anyway, these.girls.are.funny. And what impressed me the most was that they do actually give good advice. (Good advice is rare. This is why I ask for none.)

They are not condescending experts who claim to know it all.

They are very genuine, understanding and fun. 

They seem to give advice as if they were in that particular situation (which, sometimes they had been), and the answers they give make me believe Kristin and Danielle are awesome people.

Amazing people. Really.

____________________

In other news, I finally got myself that 30 Days Shred video by Jillian Michaels, which is very old news across the Atlantic, but what can a girl do? Geography is a tough thing to fight without moving, which I'm not. Yet.

I don't think owning the video will undo that chocolate bar for dinner last night, so I'd better get off Blogger and do something. 

Yeah.

Maybe.

Mmmm..... Weekend!

Cheri N. is on the way to Paris, so I have two whole days all for myself. I've got to make it a good weekend and... clean! :)

Instead, I'm taking pictures of random things like...

...2 new mugs I got a couple of days ago when I was hanging out at the mall escaping a maniac following me home (a different guy but the same weird way to charm(?) a girl);

...or flowers I got from a friend from hometown who visited

...and Amaryllis that won't stop blooming, although this time the flowers are smaller and not as bright.

Life is good:)

So is the weather.

Maybe a run outside? Hmmm....

Hope everyone is having a great weekend:)

Palm Trees Treat:)

 Banana island on the Nile

El Gouna

Other "Wordless Wednesday" participants can be found here.

Lazy 5K Weekend, or How I Ran Faster

It was a pretty lazy weekend around here. Quite a few muffins on Saturday, I must say. I had the whole day to myself, since cheri N. had to work. But I did get to do a 5K, being the only one at the gym.

I also tested cheri N.'s Polar. The thing is trickier than I thought, but mostly because it requires being set up for the particular person using it, not to mention having to calibrate the foot thingy that tracks distance, which means running 1K.

I was in no mood to do a 1K warm up, so I went with the HR monitor only. 

By the way, as I was getting frustrated not being able to get my HR to show up on the Polar screen, I realized that the treadmill picked up the signal from the chest sensor and automatically showed it on the screen. Pretty nice, huh:)

Those Johnsons are Polar friendly, apparently... 

Also, apparently, they have the worst Emergency buttons that are too easy to hit, if you're not careful. As a result, the treadmill abruptly stops and you lose all the data.

This is exactly why I don't know my exact time this Sat. I just know that I was finishing the last 100 meters and it was 32-something. I'm pretty sure I finished under 32:45, but I'll be generous and say this time I finished in 33 min, which is a 200% safe guess that still puts me 1:52 min ahead of my test run and a 6.6 min/km pace, on average.

By the way, I totally forgot that when training but last week I was looking for "quick fixes" to improving my time, as April 9 is soon and I don't have anywhere to train. One article said that the answer is intervals.

Had I remembered that, I would've consciously done them.

Instead, I started off way faster than last time and was wearing out by 2.5 km. So I let myself walk (oh no!)and then run. Sometimes I'd walk fast, sometimes more slowly. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Sometimes I'd go back to my average pace, sometimes accelerated.

I'm very curious to see how I'll do during the race.

The trick is to remember that my goal is to simply finish.

Can we please have clean and dry sidewalks again, so I can train?.. Please...

P.S. The part where Anna had a whole bottle of Asti during the Sat. night party has officially sunk into oblivion;)

Wordless Wednesday: Ella and Kisa

Others are silently linked here.

Meet The Family Report

Despite being late for the train to hometown and being stuck at the train station for 2 hours, despite losing tickets to the concert of classical music and having to buy new ones after the 2d bell, despite horror exeprience at the cafe called Paris, failing to meet my brother and almost missing the train back, the "Meet Anna's Family" trip turned out pretty well:)

The whole event was pretty casual and laid back. Except for the part where my Mom cooked and cooked non stop. And except for my weird laughter and making way too many jokes. I had no idea I do that when nervous or uncomfortable.

No "us" photo, btw. Not even one. What a surprise.

P.S. Have you heard that now you can toss BMI results aside and just use BAI instead?

Gone With The Spring Wind

Some organizing, dish washing, then shopping for presents, meeting cheri N. to have dinner at a restaurant and take overnight train to my hometown afterward. Together.

Someone will meet my family this weekend.

While being ready to meet his family and friends (which is not gonna happen this May), him meeting mine is freaking me out. My dad's side of the family doesn't even know yet that I have a boyfriend (which they won't unless I'm engaged, anyway), and here I've got Mom's Mom rushing out to get a haircut "not because someone is visiting, but just because it's time to get one". Really? She hadn't been outside of the apartment since September or October 2010 and now it's time to get a haircut?!

Anyway, I'm sending myself good wishes to enjoy the next 2 days with people I love and not to want to kill myself interpreting all the conversations back and forth, back and forth, back and... 

from here

Have a great weekend, you guys! (And do send me at least one good wish, if you find time:))

Follow

The past hour was spent editing Google and Blogger profiles and removing all possible links which could lead one from "real life" to this "journal of small pleasures".

Not being completely sure it will work, as God knows it's too easy to leave traces all over the Internet, I am now ready to publicly stalk you, guys, through Google Connect. So get ready!..

Here's a consolation photo:

Seriously, go get yourself an Amaryllis!

P.S. Just in case you are one of those few real life friends who did land on this blog... Welcome! And beware! Now we can keep in touch even more often! xox

Suprise! Surprise!

Given that this happy little place isn't exactly anonymous, I can't just yet share the news, but I've got to tell you I possess one strong 6th sense. Of course, I have not much control over it and can fail "sensing" stuff on a whim, but my gut has saved me a lot.

Just like it saved me once again, now.

Had I not come up with my PLAN about a month ago, I'd be freaking out right now. (starting this past Tuesday).  Whereas I am budgeting and twicking the PLAN instead;)

All I can add is that my trip to Paris this May is not going to happen. This May. But at least I'll be leaving this dead point.

Fine, I could also admit I do get nervous and anxious, and wake up from weird dreams about work, babies and friends becoming alcoholics, but it's normal when life changes, isn't it?:)

Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.
Arnold Bennett

Surprises

As I told you last week, we were expecting. Well, this Tuesday, I came back from home town to find my apartment clean, dishes done, red tulips in a vase with a love note from cheri N. and my Amaryllis blooming...

The best beginning of a working week!

The flowers are absolutely gorgeous! And they are HUGE!

So far 4 have opened, and about 2 more are on their way. I don't know how hard it will be to get it to bloom again, but right now I cannot wish for a prettier plant in my living room.

Totally recommended!