RESURRECTION!

Well I feel like an archaeologist digging deep in dirt (awesome alliteration ftw!) and finding a long lost treasured artefact. It has literally been YEARS since I've posted here! The only excuses I have are "life got in the way" and a few of my non redeeming qualities: laziness and procrastination.
Buuuttt why dwell on the why's when I've clearly decided to resurrect this blog and start writing again? It took me to reach Panamá to get back into it...not my year abroad in Europe oh no...but my 2 weeks in Latin America...*sigh* times like these I know I'm a special one.
Anyways so here I am on vacation and let's just say it's been an experience thus far...

1) I picked up some random super bug back home 1 week before my trip....I didn't start feeling better until the day before. Might I add that I had to wake up at 2:30 am for that 6:15 am flight?! *end princess rant*

2) I'm not a fan of flying...far less alone...so I had my arsenal of weaponry to keep the jitters at bay: gum, my inhaler, Kindle and a journal and pen to jot my thoughts down. At one point dung a bout of turbulence...a few minutes worth of rattling and shaking, I was scribbling furiously in said journal when the man joked in amusememt "wow you're working hard on writing that book!" I smiled and proceeded to explain that it's a way to cope with my flying anxiety. He then nodder in understanding and said he had a scripture to show me. He pulled out his phone (airplane mode duh), went to his bible app and showed me this:

Philippians 4:6-7

I swear I wanted to cry after reading it...it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear at that time...I truly believe that was God's way of sending me a message to remind me that He's there with me and that everything will be OK....I felt so immediately humbled and the man and I chatted to pass time. He was older than my father and a cycling coach on his way to Cuba with his athletes to participate in a tournament. Later he told me he and his wife had lost 2 of their 4 offspring 5 and 3 years ago...a devastating and tragic loss. It was pleasant conversing with him and I felt so much better as he had maintained a positive outlook and had a jovial spirit. 3 hours later I'd arrived at my destination sleepy x 1000 but happy.🙏

3) my Amiga picked me up and we went exploring immediately!

Wandering through some artisanal shops in Casco Viejo

The ancient ruins of Panamá Viejo from a church window

Me posing next to some street graffiti in Casco Viejo

Seated amidst the juxtaposition of old and new

I had a wonderful time exploring the old city and wandering through the streets but Dios! The weather was a slap in the face...I mean yea I'm from the Caribbean so I should be accustomed but na! This weather different! Humid and sticky...NO BREEZE. So of course that night Chelsea had to sleep with air con and then proceed to freeze all night sleeping in a scarf jacket socks and long sleeved pyjamas. And claro que sí I had to wake up the next morning with a head cold feeling all groggy and disoriented. Hmmph.

4)Monday morning as I said, I woke up sick and went to make breakfast and saw my friend's baby sister's nanny preparing lunch. The nanny is an aged Kuna! A direct descendant of Panama's indigenous people who continue to flourish and live their lives peacefully on the San Blas islands near to Panamá. She was dressed in traditional garb and she even speaks the language but luckily she also speaks some spanish so we were able to communicate. She is quite pleasant although a bit reserved and she smiled at silly jokes I made in spanish   (let's be honest I am quite funny). She made a delicious lemon and ginger tea from me and I had some of the lunch she had prepared which was sooo good....although when I asked her about the meat she said she didn't know what it was.....😐 *yay for mystery meat* 😐

5) I took a bus all by myself and went to the mall while my friend was working. Later I met a Colombian amigo who I'd met in Trinidad some years ago and who now works in a Panama. He took me for lunch at the Amador Causeway and then to Miraflores....half hour later while in traffic....my stomach began acting up....I ended up having a world war 3 in my stomach in a McDonald's toilet stall.....LIKE SERIOUSLY?!?!?! I was too weak and tired to continue sightseeing afterwards so my amiga who I'm staying with met me after work and took me home to rest.

So yes....it has been an experience thus far hahaha. Luckily my friend, Elisa is a lovely person and her family is just as lovely so I feel comfortable and welcomed.  Heading out to San Blas islands today! 👋

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!