Just Me, MocaGyrl

I found another extreme exercise program to get myself in shape with - P90X!  

We bought an elliptical in the fall & I was enjoying that,
but then I saw the P90X infomercial last fall & was drawn to it because of the variety of exercise DVDs, you’re not just doing one thing. I knew it would be the exercise program for me, entering my 40th year & my 10th Caribana. I just have to be fit for my bday (June 21) & Caribana (Aug. 1) - no excuses! So once we got a hold of it, Hubby & I started it 6 weeks ago, & all is well, no injuries or major pain. 

You work out every day (for 90 days) for an hour with one day as a Stretch day. You never work the same muscles on the same day, & abs are done every other day. So one day could be biceps & shoulders, then abs, & the next day is legs & back, then day three could be Yoga or Kenpo followed by abs.
Core Synergistics & Plyometrics workouts are so far the most intense workouts, lots of either jumping &/or extreme moves. Yoga is intermediate to advanced & 90 minutes. When I took Yoga classes 10 yrs. ago, I was able to hold the Crane (for more than 5 seconds!), but now I can’t, so I must build up my strength again.  
I enjoy Kenpo, it’s like my ol Tae Bo tapes I did. Ab Ripper workout is only 16 minutes, but it’s killer! I always feel so great finishing it, but I hate doing it. 
I’m especially proud of Hubby to be doing this along with me, as he hates exercise. This program is quite extreme, you have to pass a fit test to start it, & be in somewhat good shape to get through it.

As far as the diet component goes, it’s not as strict as Atkins, but doable. You can eat brown rice, rice cakes, whole wheat, sweet potatoes, sorbet, fruit bars, no fat yogurt, cottage cheese, soy nuts, etc. I’m not following it to a T though, I just detest dieting. Now exercise, I can handle! I just hate living my life without chocolate, you know? But I realize that I’d see results now if I was following it religiously, *sigh*. 
No pain, no gain.   

     There’s talk of Rihanna taking Chris Brown back. If it’s true, what a damn shame. People are saying she’s setting a terrible example to women and men. Women, because she’s showing you should put up with abuse. Men, because she’s showing that men can get away with abusing.
If she does return to him, it will just show to me that despite her celebrity, she is a regular woman who can fall victim to an abusing man. Whatever it is in women that make them stay with their abusers, Rihanna is not exempt from it. So Brown is taking anger management classes - whatever, it’s so obvious that it’s because it will help his case in court. Not that they won’t possibly do him good, and that he doesn’t need them. But it’s Rihanna, in my opinion, who needs counselling because of this. 
     I’m glad anger management classes are an option for abusive men. I do believe that some half-heartedly take these classes though, especially if they’re forced to through the courts. An ex started to show behaviour that’s best described as acting out. He slammed a door in a foolish fit because he disagreed with me about something. When he apologized for it and addressed his actions, he said he needed to take an anger management class. Turns out he was sabotaging the relationship, which ended after that.  
   
                                                                ~

     “Reality” tv has become unreal to me. I wonder, are the people on these shows really acting like themselves? I doubt it. I believe they are being scripted by producers to behave in overblown dramatic ways. It’s all about what makes for “good tv”. Take Rock of Love for example, which is nothing but voyeurism. This trailer trash form of entertainment is simple degradation of females. That former Poison heartthrob has a comeback to his career all right, & it’s not music. He found how he could be in the spotlight again. Put a bunch of attention seeking whores on some busses filled with booze & make ‘em fight for him. It’s shameless.
     Has tv gone too far trying to shock us? It wasn’t bad enough that the latest Bachelor proposed marriage but then changed his mind - no, he had to change his mind on tv. Mortifying the woman he chose. It’s apparently not good enough tv anymore for these bachelors to realize they don’t want to be with their chosen one. You gotta go one step further and bring on the humiliation, or it won’t be memorable.

If there’s one thing you can’t stop it’s that the years are coming & going. We’re all getting older people. I can admit, I’ve always struggled with it though, and more so with the start of this new year. Yep, a big birthday’s coming up. 

 Some would say THE big one. So I’m going to chronicle my year, jot down my feelings, stresses, hopes & truths about the before and after “the” birthday.
I’m going to start with this very crucial issue.

I hate getting older, there’s no two ways about it. What’s a young at heart but about to be 40 year old to do? Of utmost importance, where do I shop? At malls, my options suck, too many of the over 30 crowd stores are not my style. It’s either places like Reitmans, safe, plain jane clothing, or what?, Cotton Ginny? Ho hum, more like drab I’ve-given-up-on-having-style choices. I don’t do floral, all black or all beige. Polyester pants, uh, nope. I prefer tops with style, some sort of flair, & my lord, they need a shape. I don’t want a sweater that just hangs on me, you know what I mean? I still like Le Château (notice their stuff is designed with the coolest details?), Costa Blanca, & some non-slutty Sirens stuff with coverage.

And footwear? Sorry but I’m not ready for Easy Spirit or Ecco, I still love my Payless heels   (& matching bags!) and trendy bargain shoe shop sandals & boots. That’s why I was really happy to discover Forever 21 in the US last year. I know TO has one on Queen St., but I’m better off shopping in the US because I go there more often than I go downtown.

If there’s one thing I get a rush from it’s a good deal. So I’m one of those shoppers who makes a beeline to the sale racks in every store. Where do I find utter shopping bliss in one store? Winners hands down, is where I can easily kill 3 hours. It’s one store that never lets me down. Original, fashionable clothing & funky footwear, what more could I ask for? Oh yeah, jewellery too!

When will the time come when I must just drive wistfully by the Suzy Shier outlet on Orfus Rd.? Probably when someone, most likely a family member, tells me I should “dress for my age!”  lol!

Never!

YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LIVE FOR a l’il thing called CARIBANA… Another one of my fave things is FREEbies , so YOU can help me BIG TIME with both: one of my entries has been chosen in a name the (Caribana) Toronto Revellers costume section contest… African Coral… would you kindly vote for African Coral please… it’s for an extremely worthy cause, so “Karabana” & “Trini-in-Toronto” can win Caribana costumes (& go to their band launch) and then blog a l l about it. African Coral
~ One vote per day per person (per computer) until & incl. next Monday the 24th to vote. So pllllllleeeease I ask you, VOTE daily for African Coral. Pass this along to everyone. I neeeeeds to get us free costumes! African Coral
~ Scroll to the right of the page under Polls

http://www.torontorevellers.com/

THANKS A BUNCH!!!!!
African Coral

UPDATE:

Bushra Noah, the Muslim teen who can’t get a hairstylist job has doubled her claim for damages against Sarah Desrosiers, the salon owner. She’s done so claiming Desrosiers behaved in a “high-handed, malicious, insulting or oppressive manner” by discussing the case in public. She said there’s been media intrusion in her life, harassment, hate mail, and she feels “awkward and embarrassed”.

Hmmm. Shouldn’t she have considered how awkward & embarrassed she’d feel bringing this about, suing her in the first place? This move of hers makes it more apparent that she’s just after money, bitter she didn’t get 25 hairstylist jobs, & lashing out at Sarah Desrosiers, the unfortunate target. Desrosiers has been trying to raise money to pay for her legal bills. When it’s clear someone is being discriminated against based on their religion, I’m all for justice. But in this case, I hope Noah isen’t awarded a cent, because animosity shouldn’t be a basis to sue someone.

The court date is now apparently taking place sometime this month.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23433511-details/Muslim%20woman%20doubles%20her%20claim%20against%20hair%20salon/article.do?expand=true

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If anyone needs to be “protected” from their religious beliefs, I’d argue it’s Baljinder Badesha. He was fighting a ticket he got in 2005 for wearing his turban, not a helmet, while riding his motorcycle. Backing him up is The Ontario Human Rights Commission. To me, it’s a no-brainer (pardon the pun) - if you ride a motorcyle, you wear a helmet, it’s an appropriate law in Ontario. You can just see how something like this could play out - give a Sikh motorcycle driver the freedom to not wear a helmet, he’s killed in an accident, then his widow sues the province for not enforcing their law.
Some people need to be protected against themselves. I guess wearing a turban & respecting Sikhism is more important to him than wearing a helmet & respecting his life. Which I just don’t get. Valuing my life comes first. I suppose Sikh’s can’t manage to wear a helmet over a turban… or can they? But the turban must always be visible? If that’s not the case, time to design a helmet that can be fitted over a turban.

In court today he was ordered to pay his ticket.

http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/303897

When I added yet another facebook application called “I am Canadian”, one of the points to check off to prove your Canadian pride was “I go to Tim Horton’s every chance I get.” Made me go hmmmm...

Tim’s is a winter destination for me, especially since cutting back on their iced caps in the summer because of the unhealthy ingredients. And especially this winter since my students gave me a Timcard for Christmas. When I’m going through a mall to get to the subway, or walking down the busy streets, I notice I’m one of the rare Canadians that don’t start their workday lining up for Tim’s coffee. For my caffeine fix, I never choose Tim’s. When there’s nothing else, meaning, when I’m desperate, I’ll suffer through their coffee. I’m always disappointed with it - too bland, nothing in it to get me hooked - not like Starbuck’s rich frothy chocolatety concoctions. There’s something decadent about starting your day with a drinkable dessert. It takes away some of the dullness of winter. But I can’t afford to drink at Starbuck’s every day.  I prefer flavoured coffee - hazelnut, chocolate raspberry, & even Irish cream tastes better than plain coffee. So I was impressed when Tim’s added their cappuccino machines. But lately whenever I go to a Tim’s, any location, their machine is on the fritz. Come to think of it, Country Style & Coffee Time cappuccino machines are inconsistent too. Or, the only flavour “working” is French vanilla. Why is it all the affordable coffee shops only have French vanilla? Does English toffee flavour even exist anymore? Is head office not allowing them to remove the stickers? Is it just a prop, to make customers think they are in a sophisticated café with unusual flavour options? I’ll tell you who has decent coffee, it’s 7-11. Imagine a coffee bar stocked with syrups, toppings, flavoured creams & gourmet dessert cappuccinos - it exists people, & it’s utopia! Mix 1/2 almond amaretto coffee with 1/2 snickers caramel brownie cappuccino, grab a couple pumpkin spice creamers for the road, and I’m good to go. It was a sad sad day when the 7-11 at the end of my boulevard closed & was replaced with a “Food Store”.  So now in an attempt to get some flavour, I’ve tried reducing the blahness of Tim’s coffee by ordering 1/2 coffee, 1/2 hot chocolate. Meh. It’ll have to do. 
Hard store bought cookies don’t do it for me, but soft warm homemade tasting ones are such a basic comfort food during our wild wind chill days. I dare you to challenge me on this: the tastiest & most affordable gourmet cookies in the city (with premium ingredients, they claim) are Tim’s chocolate caramel cookies. Peanut butter chocolate chunk are a close second. Back in the day I liked their fountain peach drink. If they made it in diet, I’d relapse. Also back then Tim’s was not the place it is now. Where I grew up, it was a skuzy high school hang out with 60¢ coffee served in ceramic mugs and basic donuts. It felt like a run down diner with waitresses, not counter employees. It was the meeting spot for a group of guys I hung out with/a couple I dated, and I never felt comfortable there. Being the lone quiet modest girl amongst a crew of 18 year old guys can be an obnoxious experience. I like Tim’s a lot more now.

If there’s one thing commonly Canadian, it’s to complain. And if there’s nothing more Canadian than Tim Horton’s, well then I’m one proud Canuck.

I can only feel this new year is promising. What is it they say, it can only get better… right? (I am not focusing on “It’ll get worse before it gets better.”

I knew in October 2006 that 2007 was going to be an especially difficult year. It sure lived up to it, and more so. Besides being unemployed, taking classes & everything that went with that, then the dreaded looking for work, it was a year of grief. My Aunt Denise died in April. I had such memorable summer visits with her when I was a teenager, and I’m lucky we remained close as I became an adult. I prefer to think of her in her glory, her hippy years rather than the last several years of decling health. She will forever be the ultra cool chick who shocked me with green eyeshadow & yellow nail polish, and got me hooked on my favourite band, Fleetwood Mac. My Grandma died in June. The ultimate fierce Leo, she held onto the dynamic characteristics we all knew her to have right up until the end at 89. Her strength, independance, and capableness are the qualities I truly admire and respect in a person. I have always hoped to be just like her. My Misty died in September. It was such an awful late summer & early fall seeing her decline. Watching my 18 year old cat waste away was the most devastating helpless feeling I’ve ever experienced. I had a sinking feeling at the beginning of ‘07 that she would go, but when her health was deterorating, another part of me really hoped she could bounce back, become well again.

On the positive side, the Hubby & I discovered the incredible experience that is Worldwide Marriage Encounter. There’s no turning back now, it was such an amazing epiphany for us, and continues to be a bright light in our marriage. After over an hour looking at every cat in a jam packed shelter in November, we found them - our boys. I can’t believe how truly pleased I am with them. I know I’m blessed at the simple easy joy I’m able to give and recieve. I really loved the rewarding volunteer teaching I was fortunate enough to have found at 2 schools with 2 school boards. I have to hold onto positive thoughts that it will lead to a full time position.
So 2008 holds promise for me. I’ll try optimism this year instead of pessimism, see how that goes.

A Muslim wannabe hairstylist is suing a London hair salon owner for discrimination because she wears a headscarf and wouldn’t hire her. The 32 year old salon owner defended herself claiming she’s not racist, but that she operates an urban funky salon. Customers want to see what kind of hair cut they’re going to get, so they should be able to see their stylist’s hair, she said. Any employee wearing a hat would be asked to remove it while at work, she said. The 19 year old applicant defended her abilities by saying she was born in Britian and knows the trendy looks. This is like the last straw for her, because she didn’t get 25 different hairdressing jobs. She’s suing for $30,000+ an unspecified sum - which is more than the salon owner makes in a year. The salon owner can’t afford a lawyer now and she will be fundraising to cover legal costs.

Do you need to see your stylist’s hair? Do you have to like their hair? I’ve never had a cut from anyone wearing a headscarf, but I’ve had cuts from stylists with bad hair. So I wouldn’t reject a stylist in a headscarf. Why? From years & years of female & male stylists of many different backgrounds doing my hair, I’ve long since lost hope. They either don’t know what to do with my hair, or they straighten it because that’s what they know how to work with.

I certainly feel for the 19 year old who is trying to find a job in her field. It would be taking the easy way out for her to just find a job in a Muslim salon (are there many in London?) - but it wouldn’t address the issue at hand, that in this day & age, shouldn’t we be more accepting?

I also can see the point of the young struggling business owner. Business is business, and displaying hair is the #1 priority for a hair salon.

The case will be heard in January.

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/1380597861.html?dids=1380597861:1380597861&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Nov+10%2C+2007&author=Tim+Stewart&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=AA.3&desc=Headscarf+comes+between+woman%2C+job+in+hair+salon%3B+Muslim+applicant+sues+Canadian+shop+owner+in+London%2C+alleging+religious+discrimination

Hey, first things first - HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Ok! It’s been a long while, I know… I admit, I didn’t feel like blogging for awhile, because facebook has me in it’s evil addictive clutches. I notice most of you, my blogger friends, haven’t been blogging lately either, but facebooking, so I’m not alone. We’re all there chatting & sharing pictures… but I’m going to try to get back to this, I promise.

I’m due to post about my summer, so here it is, picture essay style.
Caribana was amazing, as usual. (all Caribana posts & pics are on http://karabana.blogspot.com/) It’s always extra fun to bring new masqueraders with us, & I know our new friends are hooked !!
Good times at our last fete of the season with our fete crew.

Lilies in my garden.

I was surprised to see a young deer drinking water from the creek along the trail where I run on July 3. This was taken with my old camera phone, & unfortunately, it won’t enlarge.

My favourite summer sound, cicadas. Just love hearing their loud buzz on a hot day, and it’s the kind of white noise I like while sleeping. This one got trapped in a tomato plant water bottle. (yes, I freed it. )
One of the fantastic things about the trail are the wild flowers that grow there. Every month or so, there’s a whole new crop of something, so very different from the last… like this solid, sturdy soft plant/flower that feels like chenille.

I shot this field of yellow with my new phone cam- not too bad, huh?

One afternoon I looked up to see what all the noise was.
A squirrel with an apple. Was he ever a messy eater. He’d bite a chunk out of the crab apple, chew, then spit it out.

My Easter lilies that bloom in July, lol!

 

Are you doing what you always dreamed of doing? Why not?

According to a poll, 82 per cent of Canadian adults aren’t. I know I’m in that 82%.

When I was a child, I wanted to be a writer, and as I grew up and learned about realistic careers, that changed to a journalist. I was fortunate enough to work as a journalist for several years after university. Then I moved out of the small town and dull province to a big city in a province filled with promises. Armed with experience and a degree, I was gung ho. But I had to set aside my dream career and work at a job. I wasn’t prepared to do or die: live poorly if I didn’t get hired at a newspaper… so the sacrifice was working at jobs, jobs and more jobs. There was telemarketing, portrait studio photography, retail… then college. So after graduation with my experience & diploma in tow, I was still gung ho. It didn’t happen immediately, but I did eventually land a contract gig with a fun interesting television show. After another brief contract, it happened again… do I hold out for tv work & suffer, or get to work to make a living?

I took a job that led me to work in another industry, non-profit. And that’s where I stayed for 8 years.

Now I’m changing again, getting into teaching. So here I find myself with my experience and certificate, gung ho again.

 

 

Workopolis: News Releases

What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?

Workopolis talks to kids, teens and parents to find out their dream jobs -
Poll reveals 80 per cent of adults have abandoned their childhood dreams

Toronto, August 28, 2007 – It’s the age-old question and one that many Canadian adults might want to ask themselves as the back-to-school season is upon us: what do you want to be when you grow up? For most, childhood dreams and ambitions haven’t come true. According to the Workopolis “When I Grow Up” poll, 82 per cent of Canadian adults aren’t doing what they dreamt of when they were younger.

While it’s not hard to understand why fantasies about becoming a fairy princess or superhero went unfulfilled, many longed to be doctors and lawyers, yet are not living out these childhood dreams now that they have grown up. When asked what factors led to their current profession, four in ten (41 per cent) adult Canadians indicated that education/ training was the reason they chose their current career path, while the availability of the job was a factor for another 30 per cent. Perks and salary played less of a role in Canadians’ decisions (15.5 per cent and 12 per cent respectively).

“As children, we’re taught to think from the heart and live out our dreams. But at some point, reality takes over and we think only with our heads,” said Patrick Sullivan, President of Workopolis. “Many of us need to stop and ask ourselves what we really want to be now that we are grown up. The ideal job should marry the raw enthusiasm we felt as children with the tangible rewards we want on the job as adults today .”

The Workopolis “When I Grow Up” poll surveyed: parents with kids between the ages of five and nine; teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19; and children aged five to nine. Adults were asked to share their dreams as children and teens, and while a majority of them are not doing what they once dreamed of, a healthy minority are. Thirteen per cent of adult Canadians are living out their teenage dreams and seven per cent said they pursued their current job because it was a childhood dream.

Dream jobs through the generations
The more things change, the more things stay the same and according to the poll, the workforce of the future share similar aspirations as our current employed Canadians. Teachers, veterinarians and doctors rank in the top-five across all three generations polled.

These are the top five jobs mentioned by children, as well as those listed for teens and adults when asked to recall what they wanted to be at that age.

Ranking	Generation
	Children (aged 5-9)	Teens (aged 13-19)	Adults
1	Teacher	Doctor	Teacher
2	Police officer	Teacher	Veterinarian
3	Doctor	Veterinarian	Nurse
4	Veterinarian, firefighter, sports player (3-way tie)	Police officer	Doctor
5	Musician/ singer	Professional athlete	Musician/ singer

“There is an amazing similarity between the dreams of kids and teens now and what adults recall of their dreams at that time,” said Sullivan. “As such, there is good reason to expect that today’s younger generations will allow similar factors to push their dream jobs onto the back-burner when they grow up. Parents have a significant role in helping their children see a wider scope of job opportunity.”

As children, we are largely influenced by the role models around us, and as such, the professions we aspire to be at that age are typical of those we have direct contact with. Teachers are the first adult profession we have the opportunity to interact with up-close and personally on almost a daily basis; police officers and firefighters often visit kids at school; and children are reassured by a doctor who makes them feel better and has the answers to all of their parent’s questions.

While these professions are common among all three generations polled, one occupation that finished in the top-ten for today’s children exclusively was ‘soldier’; the result of the prominent role they play in our world today.

In addition to recalling their dreams from childhood, the teenaged group was also asked to identify jobs of interest to them now. And from this list, we can see that it is the teenage years that prove to be the transition from open-minded dreaming, to practical professions often related to higher pay and status such as lawyers and engineers.

The impact of television seems to play a role in broadening the list of dream jobs for teenagers. While cartoons no doubt influenced them to choose superheroes as youngsters, the introduction of makeover and reality shows have certainly left a mark too. Top professions mentioned by this age-group included entrepreneurs, personal trainers and interior designers – careers that weren’t on the radar of today’s adults at that age. F orensic scientists and environmental-focused positions were also popular choices with teens .

In their own words
Kids say it best and expressed very specific ideas for what they want to be when they grow up:

• A fairy, a real one that can fly;
• A pizza maker;
• An Indy car driver or if I cannot be that I want to be a wrestler and if that doesn’t work I want to be a NASCAR driver;
• Barbie;
• I want to work with sharks because I love them and think they are interesting;
• A rock star;
• A dirt bike racer;
• Spiderman;
• I don’t know yet. Do I have to decide today?

Tips for determining your dream job

1. Reassess. If you’re not doing what you love, take some time to find out why. “If it’s a lack of training, take a class during the evening. If the financial rewards of your current job lured you there in the first place, it may be that you’re at a point in your life now where it’s not all about the money,” said Sullivan.
2. Get creative. Look back at your dream job, explore what elements about it were so appealing and incorporate that into your present day. “If the thought of leaving your desk job to pursue an acting career terrifies you, try to weave in artistic elements into your current career or channelling that artistic energy into a new hobby,” suggests Sullivan.
3. Embrace your inner child . “Consider asking the children in your life what they want to be when they grow up – they might just give you some ideas!” said Sullivan.

“You never know when inspiration might hit so job seekers should continually keep their eyes open for new opportunities even if they are not considering an immediate change,” said Sullivan. “For example, signing up for CareerAlert emails on workopolis.com will notify you the moment one of our 60,000 relevant job opportunities become available.”

http://www.workopolis.com/yahoo.aspx?action=Transfer&View=Content/Common/AboutUs/NewsReleasesView〈=EN&theme=yahoo&file=News20070828&OldUrl=