My Empire State of Mind [Updated]

I'm coming back, New York!

Me, freezing in Times Square, December 2011

That Lady Liberty, December 2011

The first (and last) time I was there, J and I only had one day to do sightseeing. ONE DAY.  That's definitely not enough to see one of the cities I've always dreamed of visiting one day.  Thank you, J, for letting me tag along on your one-week business trip, so I can continue my adventure!
Here's a list I came up with just now of things I want to do while I am there.  It would be nice if I could do all of them with J, but let's face it, he brings home the bacon, and to be able to do that, he needs to work.  So I will have to get used to going places on my own.  New York is the most exciting place to practice! (And in case I chicken out, I know I have a handful of friends there who are willing to accompany me on some of these goals. :P)
- Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
- Tour the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Visit the Guggenheim Museum
- Visit the Museum of Natural History
- Check out Rockefeller Center
- Visit Chinatown
- Get on top of Empire State Building
- Spend an afternoon at Central Park
- Catch a Broadway show
- Check out the Grand Central Terminal
- Check out the Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum
- Get a cupcake (or 5) at Magnolia Bakery
- Drink a Manhattan cocktail in Manhattan
- Eat a New York Strip Steak in New York
- Ride the Wonder Wheel at Coney Island
- See the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island
- Take a walk through the New York Botanical Garden
[Updated]
- Eat an eclair from Boucon
- Have a Junior's Cheesecake
- Have breakfast at Tom's Restaurant

That's what I have so far. Anything else I may have forgotten to include that you think I should do while I am there?  I am still figuring out how to do all these as cheaply as possible, so any help is definitely welcome. :)

This time, I'll get to the top.

I knew there was a reason I felt compelled to listen to the DMB station on Spotify today.

Nothing else has been playing all day.  I AM SO EXCITED!!!

I am thankful everyday.

To have the love of the greatest guy in the universe. <3

How To Snap Out Of A Writing Hiatus

For someone who claims writing is her passion, I sure have not been doing what makes me happy.  Add making art and doodling to the list of things I would rather do than sit and zone out in front of a laptop.  This stops NOW.  And I hope I don't back out of yet another attempt to jumpstart the juices from flowing.

I will write.  I will make art.  And I have just the stuff to make everything feel like a fun exercise I will not be able to resist.  I have a tool box containing a slew of art supplies, which includes a couple of colored Sharpies and colored pencils.  I have a brand-new sketchbook that's been sitting in my bookshelf for months, dying for me to use it.  I also got this book.

I was in a nearby Barnes & Noble with my husband, browsing at art books, and this caught my attention.  I had a previous doodling project that started out as a daily effort, but gradually, like most of the art projects I've been coming up with these days, it became occasional to non-existent.

It's not that I don't have the discipline.  I just realized why I keep stopping in my tracks with these projects: I have no visible goal to target.  I have no reason to push myself to get off my ass and go write/create something.

Now I do.  My application for a work permit in the U.S. is currently being processed, and I am determined to land a job that's at least related to what I love (writing) or what I went to college for (Multimedia Arts).  I will make it my mission to build up my portfolio and make sure that my work speaks for itself.

The idea of being stuck in a job that I don't enjoy.  That's a thought scary enough to will me out of my writing rut!

The 84h Annual Academy Awards, As Told By A Person Watching A Free Online Stream On A 40-Inch TV And Live Tweeting On Twitter

Yes, you read it right.  Until we get a proper cable service provider to hook up to our brand-new TV, I will have to stick to torrents (for my usual shows and favorite flicks) and online streaming (for sports games and live telecasts of selected shows).  Sadly, the latter option is not so great.  The channels that stream the Oscars on www.ustream.tv and www.justin.tv keep shutting down because of copyright issues, and the ones that don't get shut down are messed up by translators speaking over the presenters, thereby making it impossible to understand (note: I should really get back to learning Spanish).  The last few categories, I had to listen to because the last channel I used just stopped broadcasting images.  It's a good thing my online stream experience only started getting infuriating later on in the show--by then I decided to just torrent the show later on and re-watch the parts I missed.

Anyway, now that my rants are out of the way, here are the things I particularly liked about the show:

Billy Crystal.  I don't care what anyone says...there is a good reason why he has hosted this particular show so many times already.  He always does a good job!  It would have been interesting to see Eddie Murphy do his thing onstage this year, but then I remember the Nutty Professor.  Yeah, Crystal was definitely a good decision.

The in-between actor interviews and movie montages.  Leave it to the Oscars to render movie lovers emotional and nostalgic through heartwarming montages composed of the best movies of all time.  Whoever decided to use talking heads as in-between-presenters fillers definitely knew what they were doing (it also didn't hurt to put the likes of Edward Norton, Robert Downey Jr., and Brad Pitt in it).  And that performance of Cirque du Soleil was absolutely breathtaking!  It is one of my life goals to catch a show, this year or the next.

The comedy. Sandra Bullock speaking Mandarin with a German accent.  That winner who decided to thank everyone who's ever been born instead of offending somebody important he would've forgotten to acknowledge.  RDJ filming a documentary of The Presenter.  Emma Stone milking her first time as a presenter for all its worth.  The list is endless.

Winners that made me go, "Finally!"  I cannot believe this is the first time Christopher Plummer won an Oscar.  His speech was humorous, heartwarming, and very elegant.



And Meryl Streep!  I know she's got a bunch of nominations under her belt, but it's been a while since her last win. She's awesome.

 

My favorites winning.  Hugo was definitely one of my favorite movies last year, and I am so happy that it got a lot of recognition (even if Marty didn't win for best director).  Even my second and third favorites, Midnight in Paris and The Descendants, got a win each for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay, respectively.  Yay!  On the other hand, I should really watch The Artist, now that  it won Best Picture.  [Full roster of winners, 84th Annual Academy Awards]

All in all, it was a good night.  This is my favorite of all the award shows and I am glad it delivered. :)

Oh, right. I have a blog!

I'll be honest—blogging daily is a tall order, and it only seemed like a doable goal because I was energized at the beginning of the year, blah blah blah.  I really do want to blog everyday, but unfortunately, there won't be much to blog about, if you consider my day-to-day activities (you'll see what I mean in a sec).  The blog name change (from A Daily Dose of Jam) is supposed to both help manage expectations and guilt me into getting back into my passion—writing about stuff that inspire me, sharing interesting ideas, making up stories.  One of these days, when I've got no distractions, I swear I will.


So what have I been up to lately?  Well, with my husband in Australia on business for two weeks, I've been focusing on not focusing on the fact that I am alone for two weeks...did that make sense?  I actually have a bunch of stuff I can do.  I recently bought a guitar in the hopes that I can get myself to self-study again, and I just got my friend to tune it properly (ignore the fact that I couldn't do it on my own for now).  I have a bunch of materials at hand I can transform into art, for our bare apartment walls.  I have a bunch of shows to catch up on, waiting to be marathoned (Downton Abbey, Happy Endings, 30 Rock, Doctor Who, Chuck) and a couple of movies I've been dying to see on my own (yeah, like I can get my guy to watch Love and Other Drugs, The Help [he might actually like this], and Blue Valentine).  So really, I have no reason to be bored and sad.  However, because the 40-inch TV we ordered online just recently arrived, I've been focusing more on the shows and the movies I've got lined up...which all look so badass magnified!  I've been enjoying it non-stop for almost 5 days now...my eyes are actually starting to hurt.  I should really take a break from the watching and do some of the other stuff I vowed I would do.


To try and give me something a great reason to get out of the house and learn how to commute by myself without being terrified, I signed up for pole fitness lessons.  I actually have not heard back from them regarding my intention to reserve a slot for a class that starts next week, but if I ever get my slot, this would definitely be something to look forward to every week!


Speaking of things to look forward to, I have to end this post for now.  It's 2:08AM, I'm a bit groggy and I have George R.R. Martin's A Storm of Swords waiting for me on my bedside table.  Today was spent migrating 7-8 years worth of emails from one account to another...the OC-ness provoked by this exercise is exhausting!

Of weird dreams and other things not worth mentioning.

When nightly images in the deepest recesses of your brain begin to take a turn for the worst and start showing yourself being forced to marry an evil version of a direct relative (it's too awful to say which one exactly...let's just say it's deeply disturbing to marry someone this close to you in the family tree) to save the life of your real-life significant other, you know it's time to WAKE THE FUCK UP AND REBOOT.  Shake off the bad juju.  Maybe even tear up and whimper a little.  That's what I've been doing almost every night.

I don't get it.  I've been having weird dreams/nightmares on a daily basis for almost a week now.  They usually involve people I communicate with on a daily basis, my family, my close friends as bad people, and sometimes, my subconscious digs up people from my forgotten past and puts them in a supporting actor spot, and usually, in an antagonist role, i.e. the person is out to ruin my life, kill people dear to me, rape me or my female friends and family members, the works.  Sometimes the person transforms into a monster before coming after me.  Being raped by a monster!  Can you imagine?!  Where is all this coming from?

No, it can't be because I've been watching too many crime-centered shows or horror movies because for weeks now I've only been exclusively marathoning Sex and the City (okay, for some, this might be classified as horror, but not me!).  It can't be because I think of destructive thoughts before bed time, i.e. some hooligan bursting into our apartment to rob us, rape me, and kill J (or if the hooligan were into guys, maybe the other way around), because I usually think of happy thoughts before I drift off to sleep.  Could it be because I'm currently reading A Clash of Kings by R.R. Martin?

A quick Google search reveals that the most common cause for nightmares in adults include sickness or fever, stress, relationship issues, trauma from violence, and use of drugs and alcohol. Hmm, we've been drinking beer every night with a goal of accumulating 54 empty bottles for our home beer brewing project.  Could that be it?  I'll try to not drink beer today and see if it's connected.

Usually, going back to sleep and "modifying" the dream works for me, but lately, it's been failing.  The silly part of me even flipped my pillow to the other side one time, in the hopes of changing the bed vibes.  Didn't help either.

How do you snap out of a cycle of bad dreams?

January 2012: A Review

I know this blog promises a daily dose of my dutiful writing, and I know I haven't been awesome at keeping up with my daily goals that have anything to do with typing out my thoughts on this cyberdiary, but here I am, trying (always trying) to make it up to myself (and whoever reads this stuff) by writing about the awesomeness that was/is this month.

Here goes.

Week 1: Greeted 2012 with a bang....actually, with a couple o' hits o' MJ, some homemade beer, and a shot of pure absinthe (not a good idea, I tell you).  In the first few moments of New Year's Day, J became a huge casualty because he chugged half the mini-bottle before realizing that it was burning a trail down his esophagus. We immediately helped him into bed and he put his best puppy dog eyes and asked me to get in.

Also, amidst his high and drunken daze, he managed to tell me he's been sure for a while that I was The One and asked me to marry him.  Tearfully, I said yes.

To be quite honest, the days following that are pretty much a blur now.  Yes, I saw my first snow fall and it was magical.  Yes, I was able to spend time with his parents and see the town where he grew up.  But the first week of the year that will forever be known as The Best Year Ever will always be memorable because of this exchange:

Jam: You owe me. What were you talking about last Christmas?
Jason: What do you mean?
Jam: What you told your mom about me extending (my stay)?
(silence)




Jason: Do you want to get married?
(silence)




Jam: Huh?
Jason: Do you want to get married?
Jam: Do you?
Jason: I do.
Jam: Are you sure???
Jason: I am. I've been sure for a long time.
(silence)


(tears)






Jam: Wow.
Jason: so...will you marry me?
Jam: Hell yeah!  Yes!  I've been sure for a long time, too!

On January 5, we made it "Facebook official" and told the rest of the peoples our good news.

Week 2: This was even more awesome than the first week because it was the week that we got our marriage license and the week that we actually got married.

J&J got hitched on the very lucky day of Friday the 13th.  Yes, we're awesome like that.

For our "honeymoon" over the long weekend, we decided to hit the road and go to Disneyland.  It is, after all, the happiest place on Earth.  It only seemed appropriate that we made it our destination on such a momentous occasion.  Plus, I've never been there before and it has always been a big childhood dream of mine.  That, and marrying the man of my dreams.  Two birds, one stone!  Hell yeah.

Week 3: We pretty much just carried on with our usual routine, being happy and all that jazz.  Getting married didn't really change our lives drastically, which only meant that we were already in a great place to begin with.  Of course, being the gushy girl that I am, I squealed and teared up every time J called me wifey or told his work mates "he had to go home to the missus".  I am definitely loving being Mrs. K.

As a team, we also continued to follow our running program.  For at least 4 weeks, I'm supposed to run three times a week (every other day) following this outline:

Day 1: 5 minute walk, 1 minute easy run + 1 minute walk (repeat 10 times), 5 minute walk = 30 minutes
Day 2: 5 minute walk, 2 minute easy run + 1 minute walk (repeat 7 times), 5 minute walk = 31 minutes
Day 3: 5 minute walk, 1 minute easy run + 30 seconds walk (repeat 6 times), 30 seconds easy run + 1 minute walk (repeat 8 times), 5 minute walk = 31 minutes

J's following a more advanced schedule, but for someone starting from square one, mine's pretty attainable.  I'm slowly becoming more used to running again and I must admit, I am loving it!  The dork in me especially loves the fact that we recently both got new matching running shoes (see photo).

Week 4: J's company Milo went on a company skiing trip in Tahoe and he brought me along so I can experience skiing for the first time.  He enrolled me in a novice class where I learned how to balance on skis,  get up on a slope by side stepping, gliding, turning, and all the necessary skills one needs to be able to go down a green course (green = beginner, blue = intermediate, black = expert).  By the end of the day, I was so exhausted that I kept wiping out down the Big Easy trail at Northstar Ski Resort (yeah yeah, the trail name was mocking me).  The competitive overachiever in me teared up and hated the fact that I couldn't connect my turns and successfully carve, but the supportive husband in J told me I did a good job considering it was my first time and that I should try again soon...which I will!

All in all, January shaped up to be an incredible start of 2012.  If the following months continue on in this fashion, then my prediction will be correct: that this year is indeed the best year ever.

The Fairy Tale Is Coming To Life! (Part 1 Of Many)

Today J and I got our marriage license.

(.....in my head, I am screaming and jumping for joy!)

The moment the clerk asked us both to raise our right hands and swear that all our information was true, it suddenly hit me...shit, this is really happening.  To me.  To us.  

And I've never been happier or more excited.

At this time, 2 years ago, I didn't even know what I wanted from a man, and I was definitely settling for something that wasn't worth it.  Now, I'm more sure than ever.

Becoming Mrs. JK is definitely a dream come true. ♥

Operation Get Back Into Running Shape Is Under Way!

We went back home to San Jose from Pennsylvania with a suitcase full of Jason’s books about running he accumulated over the years with the intent of using them.



So over the weekend, we prepared our training plan together, based on the book Daniels’ Running Formula by Jack Daniels, PhD, pegged as the World’s Best Running Coach by Runner’s World Magazine.  We even bought this whiteboard calendar to document what we need to do on what day.  Since I’m basically starting from scratch and I wanted to take it slow and easy until my right knee becomes accustomed to hard work, J tweaked my plan a bit.

For Week 1, I’m supposed to run every other day (3 days total), starting with this scheme (other days I can do whatever workout I wanted to do):
5 minute brisk walk
10 rounds of 1 minute easy run followed by 1 minute brisk walk
5 minute brisk walk
Total: 30 minutes

The idea is to get used to running again at a gradual pace and to rebuild my leg strength.  The whole program for the next 12-16 weeks is just to get myself built up to the point where I can move to the next phase and take on a harder program.

Today, at 8AM, I went out for my first run on the new training plan.  It was really cold, and I thought my new long sleeved running shirt would be enough to keep me warm…but I was freezing!  After 10 seconds of debating with myself on whether or not I should go back for a jacket, I just decided to press on and suck it up. 1. If I go back inside, I will most certainly make room for more excuses not to go back outside, and 2. The cold will make me do my rounds faster.

Tip for the first-time runner: Once you’re outside, don’t go back in.  It’s better to go for a run in the morning when your mind is still free from worries that will stop you from exercising.  Execution is better than excuses.

This was also the first time I am going for a run without music in my ears.  J thinks listening to music while running takes away from the experience, which he sees as a meditative practice.  I thought about why I listened to music when I ran in the first place: I wanted to distract myself from the exercise, from the expected aches and pains.  Distraction—that’s my problem.  I should change the way I see running as just a tedious workout to something that will help clear my head from garbage and allow me to attain better health. 

J also made me realize that in a race, it’s actually dangerous to listen to music through earphones because you won’t hear when people are passing you, you won’t hear when sudden traffic approaches.  He also told me that the races he planned for us to join will probably not allow earphones anyway (the upcoming major one he wanted me to do was a 10K trail run, which can be a bit harder than a regular run).

So for today, I left my shuffle at home and strapped on my stopwatch instead.  It was actually surprising how different the experience was without my usual walk playlist playing in my ears.  I was able to listen to my breathing and my steps, I was able to get into a rhythm that didn’t exhaust me too quickly. The stopwatch also helped a lot.  It broke up the run into short minutes and made the run quite easy—the 1 minute runs felt achievable and the 1 minute walks made me excited to get to the next run minute again.

Tip for the first-time runner: Don’t be intimidated by the amount of road you need to cover and the time it will take to do it—taking it one minute at a time will make your run easier and will make your progress to the next level quicker.

When I got back to the apartment, I felt good.  Hell, I felt great.  I felt like I could go on for a bit longer, but I knew my goal for the day was done.  I have lots of time in the future for longer runs—I should enjoy this pace while it’s still easy.

And yeah, it felt great to log in my workout on MyFitnessPal right before I logged my breakfast in.  For my weight goals (dropping to 100 pounds and maintaining it), I am allowed 1310 calories a day, and the run I just did put me in the negative!  I used to think calorie counting was such a chore, but after doing it for a couple of weeks, I saw its use and benefits.

Tip for the first-time calorie counter: It’s only difficult at first, but it gets easier the more you do it.  And it’s worth it—you will be able to moderate your out-of-control snacking habits and you will get more used to eating healthier, low-cal meals.

Quick (But Long) Life Update

Since the holidays are over, I have absolutely no reason to not get off my ass and fulfill my daily goals.  More importantly, I need to get back into writing shape in the hopes of turning it into a lucrative career someday.

So, updates….updates…

Well, I haven’t been exercising.  In my head, I’m running like the wind, light as a feather.  In reality, I’m hesitant to go out of the house and go for a brisk walk.  Why?  One time, J asked me what my reason was for wanting to run.  I thought about it and said, “I just want to be the runner I once was.”  He thought that wasn’t reason enough, that it wasn’t powerful enough to will me out of the house and hit the trail and actually do it.

Truth is, I just want to be healthy.  I want to be able to jog for long periods of time and not get winded after only a couple of minutes.  I want my damn right knee to stop aching every time I try to exert any effort to exercise.  I want all the gunk in my system to be flushed out, leaving only the essential stuff my body needs to get through the day.  And yes, I want to be able to do a 5K fun run, and eventually a half marathon, and savor the great feeling of being able to just do it and finish.

Solution to Daily Goal Related to Fitness: Get enough sleep.  Plan a training schedule and stick to it.  Continue counting calories.  I find that my biggest obstacle are my thoughts upon waking up. It’s too cold.  I’m sore from sitting all day long.  I’ll run after lunch.  I’ll run after I work.  I’ll just work out indoors.  It’s too late to work out.  Once I fix a running regimen and meal plan with J’s help, I’ll work on changing my morning thoughts, quickly dress up, and just go out.  I’m in the U.S.  Compared to what I’m used to in the Philippines, it will always be cold here.  Suck it up and go for it!

Lately, all my online time has been monopolized by Facebook and Twitter (and I have a reason, which I will get into later).  I have not been reading random Wikipedia pages for knowledge as planned.  I have not been cruising the nets for inspiration.  I haven’t been blogging (obviously).  I was able to catch up on my Google Reader feed (which is chock full of photos, comics, recipes, and interior design) yesterday, so that’s progress.  I was also able to catch up on some of my shows, but I haven’t written anything about what I thought of them.  Lately I’ve been raving about Mraz’s new single and how it’s my new anthem for the year and all that…that, I have written about in passing, but I really should exercise my writing chops and go deeper.  Will get into that later today.

Solution to Other Daily Goals: I really should start scheduling my days, for real this time.  Being at home 24/7 can be really challenging in terms of productivity.  It’s so easy to get sucked into a 45-minute show, and then another, and yet another.  It’s so easy to do things at the last minute because you think, I have all the time in the world, and before you know it, you’re cramming so your weekend won’t suck.

I have a love for visual lists, so I’m going to start doing them on a daily basis.  Even if I have 1500+ friends on Facebook, it doesn’t mean I need to be updated on each and every one of them.  I’ve recently grouped my contacts into lists, and that allows me to focus on the updates from people that actually mean something to me.  I need to update my Google Reader and add more stuff to it that doesn’t only involve pictures.  I need to set aside an hour a day at least to write whatever comes to mine, even if it’s not-so-important.  While we’re on the subject of exercising my writing talents, I also need to get back to my art.  Doodle even if you think it’s not good enough to post online.  Doodle for you.


In other news…this is what’s been keeping my brain and heart preoccupied:

That’s it for now.  This is Jam, full of life and full of love, signing off.

2012, You are my year.

Yes, you are.

The last few days have been incredibly amazing…I seriously have no idea how to begin blogging about it.

Spending a low-key Christmas with the Kotenkos is a very different and nice experience for me.  I’m so used to my holidays being jampacked with relatives from various corners of the region (and sometimes, back from other countries), endless tables of food, endless chatter, just…eventful to the nth level.  And Christmas is usually a 2-day event.  It was actually a nice change to just have a small dinner with J’s immediate family and not make too much of a big deal of the festivities.

Seeing where J grew up for the first time is also a holiday highlight for me.  I got to see the school he went to, the creeks he used to play in with his childhood friends, the horses his dad trained; I even got to hang out with his pals from high school and see a whole new side of him, through the eyes of the people who knew him in his teens.  Everyone has been so nice.  I didn’t feel like an outsider.

He made my dream of visiting New York for the first time come true, too.  We didn’t get to see a Broadway play (it would have eaten up all of our sightseeing time) or get to go on top of the Empire State Building (lines were too long), but we were able to walk around and see city and it was so much fun.  I was able to meet up with a couple of my friends from MrazWomen for the first time, too.  It was the perfect first New York visit.  I am definitely going to go back and stay longer soon.

The New Year weekend, we decided to spend in J’s college town.  We stayed in a quaint and cozy little cottage J called home during the years he spent kicking scholastic ass at the university, which his parents turned into an occasional vacation home.  I saw my first snow fall!  It was great.  I didn’t care if my hands were cold.  I got my white holiday at the perfect moment.

When I say perfect moment, I mean it. PERFECT MOMENT.  I can’t blog about it yet, but I’ve been swimming in happiness and the awesomeness of the present the last couple of days.  I am truly, truly looking forward for the year to unfold and unleash more OMG-worthy moments. :)

2012, I am ready.  Bring it.