This eating healthy thing is HELLA HARD!

Ugh! It's been 10 days since I began my whole 'seriously gotta get fit regimen' and let me just say....I HAVE FAILED MISERABLY!!! I contracted a nasty bout of the flu...throw in some tanty rose issues up in the mix and we have a recipe for disaster. That gym did not see me for that time and during my hiatus I threw the healthy eating habit to the wind and PIGGED OUT then hated myself then PIGGED OUT again then hated myself and well you see where I'm going with this....damn you vicious cycle!!

So anyways, after realizing i'm wasting my hard earned cash in the gym only to be the same as when I started   I decided to just be healthy...no major freaking out and panicking, I decided to just do two very simple things:

1) Cut out sugary processed stuffz

              and

2) Cut out salty processed stuffz

i.e no snacking. Today was quite successful probably because I was too SWAMPED with work to be hungry. So we shall see how this continues...

Additionally, I'm having a torrid, steamy love affair....with my NINJA BLENDER!  I am on a SMOOTHIE kick lately as is the rest of the web!! (there are sooooo many healthy, nutritional wellness blogs out there that I don't even intend to compete with.) I just adoooreee the idea of blending up spinach/kale/cabbage/cucumbers etc with bananas/strawberres/blueberries and so on without the bitter blah taste of the leafy greens which are so important yet lacking in our diets!
 Through blending and drinking up, I'm able to ingest an incredible amount of vitamins and antioxidants offered by our green and oftentimes ignored friend. I also like t add 2tbsps organic, finely ground flax seed along with 2tbsp lemon juice and 2tbsp pure organic cranberry concentrate with just 1/4 cup of water. It's green and murky looking but I swear it's DELISH and it fills me right up!

Apart from my newfound love for my blender, I'm obsessed with finding 'HEALTHY JUNK FOOD' because junk aka SNACKS is my WEAKNESS.....*weakness for sweetness*
Now I'm not a health guru...I don't have a degree in chemistry or nutrition..hec I studied bio for only 5years back in secondary school...but the internet is sooo chock full of info that it's easy to verify that the info provided is valid...but my main issue is TIME....and well pure laziness!! BUT OMG i found a delisshhh healthy mugcake recipe which is a healthy orgasm! Like the squirting kind of org, not the regular kind....it's sooooooooo bessssssssssssssssss. mmmmmm. Gotta head to ma instagram to see dem pix mayne!

VOILA:  http://instagram.com/chelz000     AU REVOIR!

Back from Hibernation....(for now)!!

After realizing that the last time I wrote here was February 14th 2012 I've occasionally pulled up this blog, stared at the blank page wondering how on earth does one cram months of updates into an initial post....I found no solution and then x'd off the page and went on facebook instead....*facepalm*  I really should be the postergirl for procrastination!

So I finally decided today, on the 15th of September to dredge up this ole thing and try again....so.... UPDATES...(in a very tiny peanut sized nutshell)

* Traveled throughout Europe - dream/bucket list check
*My sleep situation (the main reason I began this blog in the first place) is amazing and I sleep regularly although I do have the occasional sleepless night from time to time.
*Le bf and I are still together despite some roller coaster rides<3
*I'm on a 'wna be healthy for myself and my future' kick.

Ok so the reason I want to keep up with blogging is to help with my new stage of 'metamorphosis.'....I swear it's funny but this blog name has never been more apt in describing my life within the last year....from where I was to where I am now has been a whirlwind of change for which I am eternally grateful.
The first stage was getting through my illness and developing mentally, going to Europe which was a dream come true for me, being independent and healthy and generally feeling like I was getting my life back on track.
That said, my new stage of metamorphosis is about detoxing body, mind and soul.
I've never ever been a physically active person....couple that with my sick almost addict-like need for chocolate and sugary stuff and we have a recipe for disaster. 

So  a couple times during the week I will attempt to blog about my progress in this endeavour! I'm doing the physical detox part first because I believe that when I feel good about myself the rest should follow easily.


Luckily I have an awesome trainer who is training me for freeeee :)  So December is my target FOR NOW....The first month I started gym I was weak no lie...not physically but mentally...I would still at a whole bag of cheetos and box of cookies (all which I blame my MOM for bringing em int the house and not my weak, lack of will power)...however 2 months later after I saw and felt no difference I realized something needed to give!! 

NOW I am about to TRY and eat a healthy breakfast : an apple and then egg whites with ezekiel gluten free whole grain bread (yup, fancy-schmancy name right? lol) No sugar (unless they're from fruits) and no processed foods (by bye jamaican patties) GODSPEED TO ME! lol. Going to look at this whole process as a positive overhaul and not as though I'm going to the torture chamber! :)  

(UN)Happy Valentine's Day!

IT'S Spend-Your-Money-On-Frivolous-Things-To-Show-Your-Love-Once-A-Year VALENTINE'S DAY!!! and I'm currently in the toilet writing this post...(toilet productivity at its best.) I can't believe it's February already! Time definitely overdosed on the red bull and developed wings cuz it's been FLYING by like a hummingbird on crack!! I have just 4 months left here in France...(I return home May 30th.) But anyways, that's all another post for a later date.

BTW UPDATE: OMG I FRICKIN SAW SNOW AND WENT ICE SKATING (i suck) FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!!!!!

LOOK @ the girl's facial expression in the background!LOL

It only snowed for a few hours but I had a HUGE grin on my face and was talking in a high pitched OMG voice the WHOLE time I swear! *sigh* I love snow! it's so magical :)


Back to V-Day...so I don't know about you but I'm not actually big on the whole v-day commercialism (as reflected in the title of this post). I admit I used to be, once upon a time but after a while it gets kind of lame and just overly commercial. Your significant other should treat you like a king/queen at least 4 times a week! (notice i'm being realistic here...didn't say every day like some idealists would have said) lol. However as I'm a Libra and thus balanced (measuring scales much?) I'm also going to admit that it is nice to be treated a little EXTRA special on this pointless occasion. :D  However as I tell my special someone, I always prefer something simple and romantic and meaningful and mush-filled as opposed to something lavish and out there.
A lovely home cooked dinner complete with soft candle light and romantic music even with a single rose awaiting me would elicit a huge blushing grin as well as an 'awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww babe' from me. (yes even after 4 years I still blush.) 
However I am in France so today means nothing to me as all I can possibly get from my bf is a special mention in his bbm status and a couple bbm messages and vnotes saying happy vday etc...STEUPS/HMMPH(the equivalent of a steups for you non-trinis reading this post).


SO ANYWAYS, (I know, I change topic a lot and NO I do NOT have ADD!!!) recently I've been feeling quite content despite being sick for 2 weeks(darn -11 degree weather), lack of sleep(grrrr), my once flat stomach now missing the 'l' no thanks to my lack of excercise and nutella cravings and just general winter-itis i.e : i'm a grouchy-bear-in-hibernation mood swings. I am alive and feel content and grateful with life thus far despite the lame moments (such as my lovely grey scarf being stolen in a french club) -_-


Disclaimer: This contentment may also be attributed to the most amazing author of all time, Paulo Coelho.


Yup, I've become one of the many followers. The man seriously writes some good stuff! His books are always full of life enhancing, thought provoking, profound philosophical messages. I've been reading a lot of his works and even going all nerdy by highlighting some of my favourite quotes...*pushes glasses up nose bridge* Thus far I've only read the Alchemist(duh), 11 minutes, The winner stands alone and Warrior of Light which is very motivational and not a novel. So below are a few of my favourite quotations from P.C...let's start off with a lovey-dovey one in light of today! To all my loved ones both in a foreign land and back home I'm sending you lots of snow filled love from Franceland!! bisous xoxox

 

* “But love is always new. Regardless of whether we love once, twice, or a dozen times in our life, we always face a brand-new situation. Love can consign us to hell or to paradise, but it always takes us somewhere. We simply have to accept it, because it is what nourishes our existence. If we reject it, we die of hunger, because we lack the courage to stretch out a hand and pluck the fruit from the branches of the tree of life. We have to take love where we find it, even if that means hours, days, weeks of disappointment and sadness. The moment we begin to seek love, love begins to seek us. And to save us.” 

* “Love is an untamed force. When we try to control it, it destroys us. When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. When we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused.” 

* "I can choose to either be a victim of the world or an adventurer in search of treasure"

* "You do not drown simply by plunging into the water, you only drown if you stay beneath the surface." 

* “The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”

* “We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.

* “When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.” 

 ― Paulo Coelho ♥

They don't call it the FRENCH kiss for nothing!

Ok so I admit that the title may be just a wee, tad bit misleading...let me forewarn you before you proceed...NO I am not going to dissect and discuss what makes a french kiss french (hello I have a bf!!) This title actually refers to the fact that I am officially convinced that the French take PDA to a whole new level hence being bestowed the prestigious  title of the 'French' kiss. What am I rambling on about? Let me show you an example....the below photo was taken yesterday from my (very crappy and lame) Blackberry Curve 8520 on full zoom while I was descending the escalator leaving a mall. Mind you, this is TAME compared to what I have witnessed here in Lille, France:

Now I do not go around snapping random photos of liplocked, embracing strangers like a  pyscho freak....weirdo ... stalker ...professional voyeur but this was truly getting ridiculous!! On the tram, (at least i can pretend to be interested in the sights through the windows), in the park, (at least I can veer in another direction) in the metro DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF MY FOUR EYES  (where i am an in an enclosed space with NOWHERE to really look but in front of me at at the middle aged, {YES complete with wrinkles, grey hair, signs of maturity and CLEARLY a perfectly functioning libido} couple heavily making out with their hands ripping out each other's hair.) *PHEW* In hindsight I should have probably taken a pic as they wouldn't have noticed but the others sitting 1cm next to me surely would have. 
This all brings me back to yesterday on the very long escalator which takes about 3minutes to go down....So from before boarding the escalator I spotted this couple below (how could I not?!) sitting on the bench out in the open, cold public as people, families and children were leaving the mall. After fb posts expressing my shock at these SUPER BLATANT 'voulez vous coucher avec moi?' public scenarios I simply had to take a photo. I just had to! 
 I MUST STRESS that after the 3minute escalator ride plus about 1 minute of walking towards and past them and they did NOT  break their kissing embrace! I wondered if they were alive for a brief moment....or if perhaps they had somehow frozen together in that position....but all rational hypotheses were laid to rest when they finally broke apart (perhaps to inhale some oxygen into their lungs) and watched each other with googly eyes.
I probably sound like a hater and yes, yes I indeed am...I soooo am not!!  I do miss my bf and such affection but where I'm from, back in the Caribbean, we do NOT show such pda!! Holding hands, a couple pecks and lippy smacks, long hugs and embraces are all well and good (we ARE human not robots) BUT the heavy making out and petting and UBERLY loving and longing looks and EXCESS giggling and moaning noises (ESPECIALLY those within a 5cm radius) ETC ETC are those we like to keep PRIVATE (whether in a public restroom, a dark corner or the confinements of our own places!) NOT for the rest of the world to see! I am convinced that maybe Europeans in general are just freaks who get a thrill out of displaying their lack of amorous restraint for the world to see. I MUST admit however that it is quite refreshing to see the males in particular not holding back. They hold their partners' hands and commence the loving and longing looks, they whisper sweet nothings while in the busy metro {mon chou(my cabbage), ma puce (my flea), ma poulette(my little chicken)...I SWEAR to you these are all REAL, DAILY USED french endearments!!!!!} This lack of male bravado deserves kudos as Caribbean men tend to be a bit more macho in general. (Luckily I have a bf who happens to be a not too bad mix of virile macho man and sensitive suzy) So continue to be crazily in love and display it for the world to see!! For without you I would not have interesting fodder to share here! Better to be making love than killing each other in public I suppose....once the literal baby-making activites remain PRIVATE it's all well and good!
So thus ends my tale on the 'french' kiss. I'll be going to Italy in February....perhaps I should invest in an android? #professional voyeur. bisous!

"Unless it is mad, passionate, extraordinary love, it's a waste of time. There are too many mediocre things in life- Love should not be one of them." - Unknown

A scene from one of my favourite romance movies of all time (after the Titanic and before Letters to Juliet.)

C'est la vie!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! MERRY BELATED CHRISTMAS!
Wow! The last time I wrote here was before leaving to come to France 4 months ago!! *hangs head in shame for 5 seconds* ok shame time's up! So I really have no idea where to begin! I have been so busy with my new french lifestyle, busy meeting great new people and discovering new places and things that I haven't been able (or have been too lazy) to sit down and write everything that's been happening around me! But anyways I have so much to say that I'm gonna try to say it all in a nutshell (walnut sized). So voilà (hec yea that's a french accent!!) my thoughts on life thus far in Lille, France as an english teaching assistant, presented in the most concise form ever!


Chelsea à la Lille:


1) European art and architecture fascinate me immensely <3


2) Dogs are everywhere! In hotels, restaurants, streets, trains, metros and trams!! And yes I do bend down to 
    pet them and talk to them in baby talk!! love doggies! (I am yet to see a single cat though.....hmmm)


3) I now see whey they call fries 'french fries'.....you can't  go to any restaurant and NOT be offered fries


4) people do indeed bathe here!!!! frenchies being stinky is such a myth (or perhaps I live in the somewhat civilized part)


5) I get sick almost every 2 weeks with the drop in temperature....one day 16°....next day 0°!! (all a huge cry from my 34° weather which I'm used to back home in Trinidad!!)


6) The house I live in was broken into the 1st week of  November and my  laptop, ipod touch and camera (all less than a year old were stolen) as well as other items from my other housemates' rooms...wasn't a very nice welcome but hey crap happens at least I'm alive and well! (had to buy the cheapest computer which is FRENCH with a FRENCH keyboard ugh and the cheapest digi cam which doesn't work at night....sigh c la vie!)


7) French keyboards take some getting used to but are awesome: éèçࣵ§ù XD


8) Nutella is EVIL and the DEVIL - finished a MASSIVE tub in a week, pants were too tight, felt ill...EVIL!


9) I've travelled to: London (England) Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux,(France) Brussels and Brugges(Belgium), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Cologne(Germany)...too many incredible stories to right here..AMAZING TIMES WITH AMAZING PEOPLE!!! I plan on going to Grenoble (south France by my trini friend), Geneva(Switzerland) and Milan,Verona,Venice,Florence and Rome in Italy for February Vacation, Spain and Portugal in April and wherever else in May before I return to the Caribbean!!


10) MY SLEEP(the basis upon which this blog was created in the first place) has VASTLY improved!!!!! still not perfect but i have made leaps of progress for which I am eternally grateful to God above!!


11) I am becoming DOMESTIC! I cook, do housechores, laundry etc...good housewife in the making! lol


12) teaching english to my students is an awesome and meaningful  experience and I love it!! I love the challenge of teaching teens and engaging them in fun learning activites that motivate them...I love seeing the difference from when they were disinterested and bored  towards learning english to being cheery and very friendly when they enter my class! YAY!


13) I immensely miss carnival, my beautiful, warm and vibrant islands, my family, my doggies and my bf...Europe is absolutely amazing and I would stay here ONLY if a) I was single or b) my loved ones were living here with me. actually naaaa I can't live here too long....love the food, energy and carnival too much!!!!!


So there is the very condensed recap of my life. For those of you who read my blog before and know about the issues I dealt with for the roughly 3 years before this experience, you would notice the INSANELY HUGE change in me....I am truly blessed and truly grateful for this opportunity...a big jump from where I was a few years a back to where I am now! I have learnt and grown so much despite the mistakes that I have made and despite straying a bit from the path I'm meant to take but life is like that. You falter and wander off but once you find your way back sooner than later, it's all good.....
'Barcollo ma non mollo': I may stagger but I won't fall (Italian Proverb) BISOUS!