I've been working out more than this, but don't log it all. Maybe I should. I read in a few reports that just exercising once per day isn't good enough if you work a desk job. So I take a couple of 15 minute breaks per day to practice belly dancing transitions and yoga. Hopefully this helps. 

I actually enjoy working out. I just don't like to do it alone. I need to be out and about. That's actually funny to me and my offline friends because I hate sweating and REALLY hate for others to see me sweat.  If at home, I need to be in my dance space for exercise. It's all comfy there. This is helpful since my goal is to workout just about every day. I take Sundays off whenever possible, but last Sunday we went to the zoo and walked for 2+ hours. Yesterday was dance class and we ran overtime, which ended up as 1.5hrs of intense belly dancing. The balls of my feet are still sore!

So all this working out better pay off. I don't just wanna feel  the difference. I wanna see it. I would like to see that angle in my jawline and be pointier like I used to be. I just don't want to have a bony face. Luckily I don't think that will happen. Sidenote: I love Flight of the Conchords. Anyway, I'm glad I have more exercise buddies. It helps. Yay motivation. I'll be ordering from YesStyle and AsiaJam in no time!

L'oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara, Carbon Black

Woo Hoo. I'm a big fan of this stuff. It doesn't make my lashes look like falsies (as you can see), but it feels good. I don't get flakes in my eyeballs at the end of the night. It doesn't come off easily, but it isn't a beast to take off. L'Oreal did something right with their formula. And the little spiky ball applicator is nice. Not awesome, but nice. My main rave about Telescopic Explosion is the formula. I rub my eyes a lot, but there are no flakes or smudges. Also, my lashes feel soft. They're not stiff and gross. I've had other mascaras that were great (especially by Clinique and Maybelline), but this is a nice addition to the arsenal. This is my new favorite for when my eyes are being super sensative and I can't wear much eye make-up.



Here's a peek at what it did for my medium-long, but sparse lashes:

One coat.

My NEW Straight Hair Routine

This post is long overdue. I upgraded my styling tools from Farouk's Biosilk line to the BabylissPro brand. I'm not sure what other people's qualifications for the term "upgrade" are, but it used to take me 2+ hours to get my hair straight. Now it takes 30 minutes to blow dry and style.

Here's what I typically use to get my hair straight.
- BabylissPro Nano Titanium Profino Hair Dryer
- BabylissPro Diamond Titanium Flat Iron (not pictured)
-Conair Brush (nothing fancy about it)
- John Frieda Root Awakening Strength Restoring Smoothing Lotion

Now truth be told, I use other products as well. But the reason is more about scent than anything else. I love to make sure my hair smells great, but I need the smell of my hair to complement my body's scent as well.

Back to straightening. It takes me 6-8 minutes to dry my hair. Need I repeat that? It's a glorious thing. When drying is done, my hair is soft and shiny, with tremendous body. The only reason I use the flat iron is to super smooth my ends. The plus to using the iron is that my hair gets even softer and shinier. I used to dread washing my hair. It meant I might not feel like straightening it. That meant not doing my "gal curls" Now I'm on a regular straightening routine again. The beauty of it is that there is no increased damage from the heat. I expected there would be, but there isn't. Yay!

Oh yeah, I have bangs again.

Quick Step to Mamaland

While my husband was off being Mr. Music Man, my son and I had an awesome time playing with puzzles, singing songs about dinosaurs, and being generally nifty. I call this photo 愛かわいい (Ai Kawaii) because, well... duh.  My baby bear is super nifty. I think as much as I miss having extra cash to buy random big ticket items, I don't mind spending it on him. He gets on my effin nerves sometimes. Seriously. He can act like a little arse when he doesn't want to do something. But I love him. I just have to train him to not be that way. I have to get my "mom voice" and scare him into behaving. Luckily he's usually a very good boy. He's smart, charming, and playful. And he make my shitty days 10x10 times better.

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