As seen on BlogTO.
I have found something that centers me...I've done it two nights in row. Its been hot, sweaty and oh so relaxing.
MOKSHA SSHMOSHKA
Moksha hot yoga is a series of postures practised in a heated room, usually 39C. The room is super tranquil, the lights are dimmed and your teacher focuses on helping you become aware of your breathing and your body movements. Through the series of movements you work on your flexibility, balance and breathing. You can really feel your mind and your body connect and work together. Its very zen. Its true, you sweat buckets! This is really not a bad thing, especially if you take into account that you have released ALL those toxins and your body feels a whole lot better because of this.
Among the many benefits of hot yoga there’s the weight loss, improvement of the immune system, increase of flexibility, etc. But it goes beyond that. You will feel a sense of peace, and this ball of energy, laughter. You will realized how amazing your body is, that it doesn’t matter if you’re a size –0 or a perfect 10, all your muscles working together are beautiful. And you will be completely energized, refreshed, ready for the good times.
Since I am all about living without killing the budget I investigated some affordable hot yoga options:
- All Moksha Yoga Centers offer you unlimited yoga classes for $20 on your first week. That means you can go every single day and become completely hooked.
- They have classes that are Pay-What-You-Can (minumum donation $5) called Karma classes. On Yonge and St.Clair its on Fridays at 8:30pm. I suggest you come one hour early as this class fills up quickly!
- Miksha Yoga studio also offer community classes, taught by a student teacher, they are just as good as the certified teachers and are only $5!. On Yonge and St. Clair this class is on Saturday at 5:00pm. Again, I would arrive really early, as I know I'm not the only person that loves a good deal.
All these efforts and no results... but then I found an old e-mail, from my dance director, when she let me know I had made her dance team. I remembered the joy I felt, and I remembered all the great things I accomplished (personal accomplishments) while I was part of the team. But I also remembered the sacrifices I had to make. Before the audition (months before) I started training, working out in the morning, taking dance lessons everyday, I took ballet (ok, one class, but I can say I took ballet) and afro cuban classes, and I went out and danced, just to practice. I gave up sugar, and I drank tons of water. It was months before I had another slice of pizza. Sure, these don't sound like great sacrifies, but at the time they were. I really wanted to dance. So I went all the way. In the end, I got what I wanted and it felt so good.
So maybe this is one of those days, you know, one of those days that I am really craving pizza and one of those days that I don't want to work out. What can do I do? what do I want? What's the big picture? Its so big that sometimes I lose sight. The most frustrating thing is that its just the beginning. Maybe one day today's sacrifices will seems like nothing, although at this time they do. So what will I do? Go all the way I guess, keep on running, keep on training, because if you are persistant, there will come a day when you will get what you want and it will feel so good.
x0x0
Toronto Girl
My bf always plays this song when we are in the car and I dance to it, he thinks its cute. The video just came out. It's such a catchy song, it smells like friday night.
"Do you like it well done, cause I do it well?"
"Can you take my order cause your body is like carry out?"
"Take my order, no errors, I'ma (sic?) touch you in all the right areas"
Makes me smile. Ahh...I love this song.
It seems like since I went back to school all I worry about is tests. Well, this morning, I took a particular type of test that I acquiered from INVESTOPEDIA. I did the test to find out what my money personality is. Interestingly enough, I've fit one of the personalities at one point or another. For example, when I started working I was a spender, loving fancy clothes and fancy dinners, a shopper, worried about my addiction but always captivated by a great deal and now I am a saver (a bit of a shopper once in a while). Its funny how my experiences have taken me from one extreme to the other.
I am very careful with money now. I went through a horrible phase 2 years ago (typical spender/shopper behaviour), where I was spending everything I made and saving very little. Then the expected unexpected happened: I lost my job.The thing was, I had just finished paying my credit card bills, I had a bit more to pay, but I didn't have any savings. NO SAVINGS. Needless to say, this left me a little restless. Fortunately I found a job a couple of days after (the power of networking) but ever since then, I started saving as much as 50% of my paycheck for a rainy day. I also got a second job so that I could pay travel expenses and support my addiction to all things dance.
Recently, I've made the decision to go back to school, so I had to look at my budget and re-adjust it. Dance had to go, travelling plans suspended (for now), eating out had to be cut down, cell phone plan changed to a more cost efficient one, clothing & book expenses shut down (I'm not allowed to go to the mall) and cabs perpetually banned. I've officially entered the saver zone. Yes, I get upset when my roommates leave the lights on and walk out of the room and I rarely use my credit card. If I can't pay for it now, I don't buy it.
The article also highlights what you can do to balance yourself out. Now that I am conservative saver, I should try and relax a little (although the thought of relaxing stresses me out) and live a little. Most importantly I should learn how to invest properly and learn how to minimize risk while maximuzing results in my investments. I guess the more I learn about investments the more I will change into an investor/saver, which is ideally where I would like to be.
What ever your personality is, its so important to learn about your money. Talk to your parents, talk to your bank, take courses, learn as much as you can, save as much as you can (ideally no less than 20% - for women).
RESOURCES:
To find you Money Personality click here
For great Budgeting Tools click here
Tips on Saving Money click here
And if you've found the love of your life, read this
I am very careful with money now. I went through a horrible phase 2 years ago (typical spender/shopper behaviour), where I was spending everything I made and saving very little. Then the expected unexpected happened: I lost my job.The thing was, I had just finished paying my credit card bills, I had a bit more to pay, but I didn't have any savings. NO SAVINGS. Needless to say, this left me a little restless. Fortunately I found a job a couple of days after (the power of networking) but ever since then, I started saving as much as 50% of my paycheck for a rainy day. I also got a second job so that I could pay travel expenses and support my addiction to all things dance.
Recently, I've made the decision to go back to school, so I had to look at my budget and re-adjust it. Dance had to go, travelling plans suspended (for now), eating out had to be cut down, cell phone plan changed to a more cost efficient one, clothing & book expenses shut down (I'm not allowed to go to the mall) and cabs perpetually banned. I've officially entered the saver zone. Yes, I get upset when my roommates leave the lights on and walk out of the room and I rarely use my credit card. If I can't pay for it now, I don't buy it.
The article also highlights what you can do to balance yourself out. Now that I am conservative saver, I should try and relax a little (although the thought of relaxing stresses me out) and live a little. Most importantly I should learn how to invest properly and learn how to minimize risk while maximuzing results in my investments. I guess the more I learn about investments the more I will change into an investor/saver, which is ideally where I would like to be.
What ever your personality is, its so important to learn about your money. Talk to your parents, talk to your bank, take courses, learn as much as you can, save as much as you can (ideally no less than 20% - for women).
RESOURCES:
To find you Money Personality click here
For great Budgeting Tools click here
Tips on Saving Money click here
And if you've found the love of your life, read this
I have a terrible problem. I say YES to everything. Then I get overwhelmed. Somethings I say yes to I really mean. Do I want to go out for dinner? yes! Do I want to go out of my way to pick up your baby shower invitations? no, not really; I'll say yes anyways. I am sure that I am not the only person who suffers from the "yeses"... Its not that I don't want to do some of these things, but its just that I say yes to everyone and in the end I always end up sacrificing my time.
Then I don't have time to do groceries, clean my house or have me-time. I want people to like me, but then some people end up mistaking kindness for weakness. What happens next? I will say yes but I will end up resenting that person and therefore ruining our friendship.I was whining to one of my guy friends and his answer was very cut and dry. Simply say NO. Guys don't have this type of problems. They know how to set boundaries. I decided give this NO theory a try. I started by saying no to the things that were out of my way, things that I knew would not be feasible and frankly I didn't want to do. Then there were things that people really needed help with but I wasn't sure I'd be able to fit in my schedule, so I asked them to give me some time to think about it. Then I say yes to things that were absolutely necessary and that I really wanted to do.
In the end, when I started saying no some people where really surprised, some people where mad, some kept trying until I said yes (which I didn't, stuck to my guns), but the people that truly valued me respected my choice, thanked me anyways and still liked me. This is not to say I am an expert NO person, I still get a tug in my stomach when I say no, but the thing is: people who truly like you will like you whether you say yes or no, because they truly respect you.
So say yes to saying no...once in a while.
Then I don't have time to do groceries, clean my house or have me-time. I want people to like me, but then some people end up mistaking kindness for weakness. What happens next? I will say yes but I will end up resenting that person and therefore ruining our friendship.I was whining to one of my guy friends and his answer was very cut and dry. Simply say NO. Guys don't have this type of problems. They know how to set boundaries. I decided give this NO theory a try. I started by saying no to the things that were out of my way, things that I knew would not be feasible and frankly I didn't want to do. Then there were things that people really needed help with but I wasn't sure I'd be able to fit in my schedule, so I asked them to give me some time to think about it. Then I say yes to things that were absolutely necessary and that I really wanted to do.
In the end, when I started saying no some people where really surprised, some people where mad, some kept trying until I said yes (which I didn't, stuck to my guns), but the people that truly valued me respected my choice, thanked me anyways and still liked me. This is not to say I am an expert NO person, I still get a tug in my stomach when I say no, but the thing is: people who truly like you will like you whether you say yes or no, because they truly respect you.
So say yes to saying no...once in a while.
Marjan Khaleeli is the coolest girl you will ever meet. She gets along with everyone and is not afraid to try new things. She's travelled to India, London, Spain, Greece and many other countries. She also happens to translate all of this brilliantly on to the must-have jewelery she designs. Her pieces are kooky and worldly but distinctly elegant . I have a set of earrings that she made for me and I carry them in my purse in case I have to go to a meeting or I have to meet up with someone fancy. I can be wearing leggings and a tunic and I put on my MK earrings and boom! instant chic.
If you absolutely fall inlove with her jewelery , which you will, shoot her an e-mail at:
or find her on facebook:
All her jewelery is individually designed and hand-crafted. And she's always creating something new and beautiful, so check in with her regularly.
So as you know, I have decided to follow my passion of gabbing and making big deals and pursue a degree in Marketing. I started off by taking a prerequisite Math Course. Let me tell you, math does not come easy to me. The amount of effort that I've had to put into this shit is unbelievable. In fact right now, I should be doing homework but I really wanted to write.
Sometimes I feel like calling my mom and crying, or just plain giving up... but again, life is about choices. In this case: 1) I can succeed, or 2) I can fail. Well, I am not going to fail. So what if I have to go to bed at 2am every night doing homework? or pay a ridiculously expensive tutor to water things down and spoon feed me? G*d, this shit is though!...but I am really terrified of failing. And although I am really tired, I'm going to keep going.
So if you're ever going through some though shit, consider your choices. What will it take to get result #1 (or #2)? What do you need to do to get to where you want to be? Arm yourself with courage and just do it. No, its not going to be easy, but...what other choice do we have?
xoxo
Toronto Girl
Sometimes I feel like calling my mom and crying, or just plain giving up... but again, life is about choices. In this case: 1) I can succeed, or 2) I can fail. Well, I am not going to fail. So what if I have to go to bed at 2am every night doing homework? or pay a ridiculously expensive tutor to water things down and spoon feed me? G*d, this shit is though!...but I am really terrified of failing. And although I am really tired, I'm going to keep going.
So if you're ever going through some though shit, consider your choices. What will it take to get result #1 (or #2)? What do you need to do to get to where you want to be? Arm yourself with courage and just do it. No, its not going to be easy, but...what other choice do we have?
xoxo
Toronto Girl
Two of my favorite things. SATC & Chocolate. You can get these at Laura Secord for $9. Add a cosmo and you're set.
If life is an blank page, what will you write on it? A great love story I am sure. Maybe one that includes a significant other, a family member, a dear friend or someone unexpected. However the most important love story that you should write is the one between you and yourself. A story where, in spite of yourself you learn to overlook your short comings and love you for who you are. A story where, in spite of the circumstances you rise to the occasion because you had faith. A story where, in spite what people said or thought, you stuck to your guns and stayed true to what mattered to you.
It boggles my mind how so many us will be picky about a new car, or an apartment and when it comes to a partner and how they treat us, we sometimes settle. We settle for someone that doesn’t call, that forgets our birthday or someone that disrespects our friends or family. Do we suffer from temporary insanity and settle for men that forget to treat us well?
It could be possible that we haven’t even recognized that we really are queens. We just don’t want to live alone, just like we don’t want to drive a car that breaks down or live in a place that stinks. I get that. But what do you do when you can’t find the perfect place? Toronto is a renter’s city; you know that eventually, the right place will appear. It is the same with a significant other. You need to have faith. Faith that you are a diamond and eventually, a person that knows your value will come along and you’ll both write a really beautiful love story, I’m sure. Until then, keep on writing your own.
To be completely honest I feel sorry for Adam Giambrone. He is the Chairman of the TTC and ex-Toronto Mayor Candidate (he is not running anymore) who had his campaign sabotaged by his personal life errors (read: he cheated on his partner). I mean, look at what he is going through right now. A series of lapses in judgement has cost him his dream. But then again we always get what we give. Karma's a bitch.
I once read that when you're on the way to the top you have to be nice to everyone, because you never know who will be there on your way back. That means being ethical and acting with integrity in every aspect of your life. That means going to bed at night knowing that you did the right thing as a daugther, as a sister, as a mother, as an employee, etc, as a total person.
I think its too late for Giambrone to apologize, but hopefully we can all see this as an example of what not to do.
Click here to read the whole story.
What do you think? Leave a comment...
I once read that when you're on the way to the top you have to be nice to everyone, because you never know who will be there on your way back. That means being ethical and acting with integrity in every aspect of your life. That means going to bed at night knowing that you did the right thing as a daugther, as a sister, as a mother, as an employee, etc, as a total person.
I think its too late for Giambrone to apologize, but hopefully we can all see this as an example of what not to do.
Click here to read the whole story.
What do you think? Leave a comment...
Okay, it is finally here. The moment that I have been anticipating for...ever! I am going back to school. Step one: get my Grade 12 Math Credit. I knew not taking math in high school was going to come back and bite me in the ass eventually. So that's it. The new chapter of my life is officially beginning. I haven't done math in ages, but I have a feeling that I'm going to be an artist turn mathematical genius. Just wait and see...
Now for the honest part. I am scared. Math scares me, but not as much as failure. Not as much as staying in a place I don't want to stay. So when things are getting tough, just think about the big picture. Everything you do has a purpose, whether that's your intention or not. Hopefully you will do things with a purpose and not allow life to "just" happen. You make things happen. I will use my fear of failure to push forward. I will use my intelligence to push forward. Use everything you've got to get your game on. The good, the bad and the ugly, just make it work for you.
x0x0,
Toronto Girl
P.S - I found this article fascinating:
Friday night could not come sooner! here are some songs that get me pumped for the weekend. Happy Friday!!!!
I start of slow with some U2. Because everyone loves U2.
And then once I am fully relaxed I move onto some upbeat music.
I also have a thing for Justin Timberlake.
And as cliche as it is I do really love Beyonce.
I was/am a salsa/latin dancer and this song just makes me feel sexy, so I always play it.
So there it is! Have an amazing weekend :)
I start of slow with some U2. Because everyone loves U2.
And then once I am fully relaxed I move onto some upbeat music.
I also have a thing for Justin Timberlake.
And as cliche as it is I do really love Beyonce.
I was/am a salsa/latin dancer and this song just makes me feel sexy, so I always play it.
So there it is! Have an amazing weekend :)
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One boring afternoon, I allowed my friend Bianca* to persuade me into committing the most deliciously sinful form of espionage. Due to the new rules of facebook or new settings (I don't really know) Bianca had discovered that she had access to her ex's facebook page. We were having one of our typical dates, B and I, a laptop date, and as soon as she told me I knew what she was getting at. Oh, I don't really know why I indulged her, I did try to stop her but the truth of the matter is that boredom and curiosity got the best of us. I did warn her, sometimes its best not to know. Don't you have something better to do? uhh, no. Apparently not.
Bianca & Tim* dated briefly. Tim was pushy pushy, convinced that she was the love of his life. He wrote her poetry, serenaded her, sent her facebook gifts among other gag inducing tactics. Bianca, on the other had, liked him, sure, but she also liked puppies and sunny days. I guess loneliness and sadness get the best of us and Bianca & Tim entered a romantic relationship without barely knowing each other. I knew things were doomed because she would never admit he was "her man" and he had the slight suspicious she was embarrassed to be with him...long story short, Bianca came to her senses and broke up with him.
So now we are back at his facebook page. She decides its a good idea to go through all the old post to see if he said anything nasty about her after their break-up. I am besides myself in disbelief, but darn, I'm curious too. We didn't find any nasty messages but we did find...are you ready? you wont believe what we found...we found proclamations of undying love to another girl 3 days after breaking up with Bianca (I did the math, I'm good at it)!!! no wonder he blocked her. Oh meaningless declarations of eternal love! The result: A bruised ego. Her bruised ego. We found a way to laugh about it and navigated away from the page to creep on her newest crush. Do we ever learn?
* Names have been changed
I remember when I was a teenager and my mother and grandmother would take me bra shopping. I hated it. My grandmother, who doesn’t speak a word of English, would start asking the sales lady all these questions and she would come in the change room and start adjusting straps and turning me around making sure everything fit. It was mortifying. Bra shopping was a dreaded experience. Really, why would you care about something no one but you can see? Well, in adulthood, my dance teacher sat me down one day to talk about the importance of having a proper fitting brassiere. I got the hint. She directed me to Tryst, where I got my first adult fitting and invested in a proper bra.
It really does make a huge difference, which got me thinking, if I didn’t know about this, there must be other girls that don’t know about it too. Well I’m not far off: 80% of women wear the wrong size. I had a little Q&A with Shana @ Tryst and this is what I learned:
What are the basic bras that every girl should have?
A dark bra, black if you want but it isn't necessary, to wear under dark clothing, a nude bra (close to your own skin colour or darker) to wear under white or light clothing, a strapless or convertible bra to wear with special clothing and a sports bra is great to give support while working out.
Why is it important to have a bra fitting?
A professional bra fitting will not only ensure that you find the perfect size for you but also that the shape is perfect shape for you as well. Every time you buy bras you should get fitted again, even if you haven't changed, the bras on the market may have and they will all fit you differently. A professional bra fitter will know how all the new stock fits so it will also cut down on wasted time of you trying on things that are not appropriate for you.
How do you know a bra doesn't fit properly?
The number one sign is you are uncomfortable and or your breasts don't look good. However there are many other signs such as the back of your bra riding up. The bottom of the back of the bra should be level with the bottom of the front of the bra. If the back is higher then the front you are wearing a back too big and your breast are not as lifted as they could be. You breasts spilling out the top bottom or side of the bra is an obvious sign that the cup is too small. The wire pulling away from the body at the bottom of the bra also means that it is too small. If there is wrinkling in the cup this is also a sign that there is something wrong with the fit but it doesn't necessarily mean that the cup is too big.
Can you give me some care-taking tips for your bras?
Hand washing is best, but if that is not a possibility, washing in the machine on a gentle cycle in cool water will suffice. A garment bag for your bras or other delicates will help keep the wires from getting mangled and the hooks from catching on other garments. Bras need frequent washing, usually after every use, as body oils, lotions and deodorants all contribute to the breaking down of the Lycra/elastic in the band of the bra. Since the support from a bra comes mostly from its back, keeping the back from stretching prematurely will extend the life of your purchase.
And why would you care about something that no one but you can see? Because you should love yourself, you should pamper yourself, you should make yourself feel sexy for no one but yourself. It’s the fun part of being a girl, Why would you deny yourself that treat?
P.S – Shana has generously offered 10% discount to anyone that mentions this
blog. But only for the month of February…just in time for a Sexy Valentines
Day!
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