Patience Pefection

Posted on September 2, 2014 by thegraceface

“I no longer have patience for certain things, not because I’ve become arrogant, but simply because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who do not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me. I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretense, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise. I do not tolerate selective erudition nor academic arrogance. I do not adjust either to popular gossiping. I hate conflict and comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and that’s why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities. In friendship I dislike the lack of loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give a compliment or a word of encouragement. Exaggerations bore me and I have difficulty accepting those who do not like animals. And on top of everything I have no patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience.” _ Meryl Streep

unnamed

Coffee Shop Stories #1

Posted on August 8, 2014 by thegraceface

As much as I want to give baristas a hard time for taking too long with making my drink, sometimes you just have to ignore all the reasons why and smile. That’s what I did. I smiled as I waited almost 10 minutes for my iced latte. Meanwhile, the lady in front of me ordered a large ice blended drink. She specified “caramel blended into the drink, caramel in the cup, and caramel on top of the whipped cream”. Oy.

The barista apologized for taking so long, and I smiled back and said, “No problem at all!” But in my mind I was sad and disappointed. Not because it took so long, but because it was a 1/2 shot of espresso and a full scoop of vanilla powder. At least they got the soy milk right.

Challenge Accepted!

Posted on June 4, 2014 by thegraceface

Never settle for status quo.

Challenge yourself.

If you can dream it, you can achieve it.

These are quotes that I coincidentally stumbled upon within the past few weeks and I can’t help but soak it in and start to apply this to my life. I found that a lot of people are satisfied with staying within their comfort zones because it is safe and familiar. I was one of them. And while there is nothing wrong with that, I found it to be boring and difficult to keep myself motivated with anything. Life was a straight line. But one day, I decided that I didn’t want to live that life anymore. I wanted excitement. Fulfillment. Joy. Happiness.

One of the challenges that I made for myself was to get a faster time at the Nike Womens Half Marathon in Washington, DC in April. When I first signed up for it, I actually wanted to call it my last run before I retire running altogether. But as I thought about it more, I realized that that was a boring goal. Just run and retire? I contemplated a few more days, then I said, fuck it! I am going to train my ass off and get a faster time. I trained by myself (which is a huge thing for me. Before this, I always depended on someone to help me train), and I never missed a week of running. Anyway, I killed the run. Beat my last fastest time by 7 minutes in the world’s most crowded run. At least, that’s what it felt like to me. I felt so empowered and excited by that achievement that the whole retiring idea went out the window. AND, I got a Tiffany’s necklace as a medal. Win, win! w00t!

While that runner’s high lasted longer than I thought, I came back down to reality and reevaluated my life and my potential, as a friend, a colleague, an employee, and as a wife. I then I took it upon myself to challenge myself for the next level in my life. I have made some steps to push my feet outside of the comfort line and I am next in line to attempt to bring show some crazy spikes on the life’s beat monitor. I don’t know what to expect or what the outcome will be, but…I WILL NEVER KNOW UNTIL I TRY.

I’m not a motivational writer or speaker by any means, but I wanted to remind anyone who is reading that they should strive to achieve something that they always dreamed of doing. We are smart and adaptive creatures. The only person standing in your way is yourself.

We are halfway through the year! Let’s make the most of the next half. Are you up for the challenge? I am.

Concert Culture 2013

Posted on September 26, 2013 by thegraceface

In the past few months, I caught myself sounding like that grumpy old man who doesn’t like change. In my head, I would catch myself saying “Damn hooligans” when I see younger humans acting like fools. Whoa? Did I just act out like an old person? “Git of mah lawn!”

Basically.

Tuesday afternoon, I aged right in front of my eyes. I heard people talking about rushing for sororities and skipping class. Whoa! That was me over 10 years ago? I found myself standing in the middle of a big group of kids who were probably still in college, and then a few who were around my age. While standing for 3 hours, waiting for Justin Timberlake to take the stage, I went down memory lane and thought of my college days. I didn’t even realize that I was in their shoes over a decade ago. A DECADE.

JT finally took the stage. I didn’t see that he did, but I knew he did because everyone had their phones out trying to capture a photo or video of him. I thought, OK cool, get the photos out of the way now so that we can enjoy the rest of the show. I was wrong.

Remember back in the day when everyone waved their hands to the music, jumped up and down, and danced, as bands performed? Remember screaming at the top of your lungs and letting the music take over your body? I remember, and I miss it.

This concert was the complete opposite of that. People stood completely still, stiff as statues, cellphones in hand, views obstructed by other cellphones. Not even the slightest head bob, and it stayed like that the entire time! Unbelievable.

JT was sick, singing and performing for us, and we’re just standing there? Well, I wasn’t. Sure, I sneaked a photo here and there, but 90% of the time, I was dancing, waving my hands, and singing along.

What happened? Times are changing, guys.

Louis CK agrees with me!

I Love Running

Posted on August 20, 2013 by thegraceface

I really don’t, but in theory,…I do? I [want to] run all the time, and I wish I ran faster, but honestly, running SUCKS!

(I really wish Nike made this shirt for women.)

I hate running because everything hurts. Sometimes I get side cramps, I’m always gasping for breath, my knees ache, headaches develop, and to put it bluntly, it’s sometimes boring! When I broke down the reasons why I run, I realized that it is because I want the end result of accomplishment and endorphins, not the painful action of moving my legs on hard pavement. Sadly, there is no other way to get that reward without doing all the hard work first. What a good analogy for real life.

I made a video clip of me running at my “gracepace” and it looked as if running was so easy and effortless. I wish it was as easy as it looked!

So here’s my official confession: I always try to find an excuse to skip my runs, but I push myself to run because I know it’s good for me. I run because if I don’t, I will regret it. Runners never regret a run, but always regret not running.

* Ballona Breek Bike Path *

Summatime Obsessions

Posted on July 27, 2013 by thegraceface

It’s summertime (even though the weather is a little weird and crazy), and I can’t believe we are halfway through! Next week is August already? Where is all the time going? I’m going to be so sad when daylight savings time ends. 🙁

Anyway, I have been currently obsessed with a handful of things over the summer and it’s been hard for me to shake them off. I tend to go overboard on my new favorite things, like over play a new song, overeat a new favorite food, overbuy new clothes so I have it in every color! Haha! So here are my current obsessions:

– Trader Joes “Brocoli Saw & Kale Salad with Chicken”

This salad is my new go-to meal for lunch when I’m at work. It’s less than $5 and less than 400 calories. The dressing is “spicy vinaigrette” but it really tastes like a spicy aioli sauce (but it’s not that spicy).

– Davines OI Oil

Thanks to Birchbox, I found my new favorite hair product. Surprisingly it doesn’t leave my hair greasy, but gives it a good gloss and is especially good for dry hair. I absolutely love the smell! It was a little pricey but I couldn’t pass it up. It is $40 on Birchbox’s website, but I found it for $35 on amazon (and prime), so I thought, I HAVE to buy it now!

– Yoga pants // Leggings

Beyond Yoga had a sample sale the other week and I came out with a bag full of leggings!! They were only $20 each so I got 5 pairs (one for every week)! That’s equivalent to ONE pair at Lululemon! Haa! 🙂

– Holy Grail by Jay-Z & Justin Timberlake

OMG, the first time I heard this song, I was instantly hooked. I can’t wait until they perform this together at their concert. The lyrics to the song are meh, but it’s OK, I never get the lyrics right anyway. But when I actually tried to listen to the song, I realized it just reminded me of exhausting past relationships. But who cares. Honestly, Justin Timberlake can sing any hook to a song, and I will still love it. Yeeeeee!

– Nike Dunk Sky Hi

I was doing really well with my shoe craze until sneaker wedges started to trend and Nike made a version of their sneaker wedge. These dunk ski hi’s were the first pair of Nikes that I bought in a very long time, and they are my new favorite pair by Nike. I bought this pink/purple pair in Portland so I saved $15 from their no tax thing! I just recently bought this same shoe, but in black, because really, you can never have too many shoes. 😉 I will probably have to put shoe shopping on hold for a few months so my bank account can recover.

– The Studio (MDR)

OK, The Studio MDR isn’t just a summertime obsession. It is probably the biggest obsession of my life, so far. It’s the only thing that gets me up at 7am just to take classes, or drives me to go in the evening, even after a very long day at work. They are a Pilates inspired studio with the best teachers and the best community. I started coming here since December of 2012, and I haven’t had the slightest desire to stop. I am very happy with the results of my body’s transformation, that it slowly turned me to live a healthier lifestyle, and I enjoy it! The Studio MDR is right! One you look it, you’ll feel it and live it. I love it! <3

Dreams of Paradise

Posted on May 10, 2013 by thegraceface

( Four Seasons Hotel & Resort, overlooking Mount Otemanu )

If I could rename a place and call it ‘paradise’, it would have to be Bora Bora. I didn’t know that Bora Bora was a part of the Tahitian Islands until I got engaged and started researching about honeymoon destinations. 😉 I also didn’t know that Bora Bora was only an 8 hour flight from Los Angeles. Everyone that I spoke to about Bora Bora thought it was somewhere far, like 15+ hour flight far. So did I.

( Bora Bora, view from the plane )

We spent 6 days in Bora Bora for our honeymoon at the end of November 2012. I wish it was longer. We also stayed at the swanky hotel & resort, Four Seasons. Wowowee! We were so fortunate to take advantage of a great package deal that included an over water bungalow (it was bigger than our current apartment!), 3 meals a day, airfare, and a couples massage.

By the 3rd, we tried to extend our trip a few more days, but there were so many fees on top of fees that it wasn’t worth paying just to extend for 2-3 more days. 🙁 We were a little bummed.

( Did you know that the original name of the island is “Pora Pora”? )

As our departure date was coming close, I made the biggest bonehead mistake and got the days mixed up. I thought we were leaving on Friday morning, so we made had a game plan of how to spend the next 2 days. After lunch on Wednesday, we got a voicemail on our phone from the front desk reminding us that our check out is at noon on THURSDAY!

WTF?!?!?!?

( A view of our bungalow from our “backyard” )

Anyway, our days consisted of getting up around 9am and going straight to breakfast. Breakfast was always a buffet. They had an enormous variety of things! Omelet station, fruit station, pastry station, juice station, cereals, bagels and creams, egg dish, sausages, bacon, waffles, pancakes, french toast, and MORE! My favorite was their juice of the day. It was always something different, mango guava, pineapple banana, etc.

( Michael jumping off our deck )

( Jumping from the stairs, eventually gaining courage to jump from the ledge )

After breakfast we went back to our bungalow and hung out on our deck, jumping off of the ledge, swimming, snorkeling, sun bathing. Most of the time I just sat there and stared at the water. I couldn’t believe how BLUE the water was. Every single day, I would always comment, “I can’t believe how blue this water is!!! It’s AMAZING! It’s SO beautiful!” It never got old. It was truly paradise. Anyway, we hung out there until it was lunch time.

( Jet skiing around the island! )

Oh BTW, the walk from our bungalow to the pool and beach area was at least a mile away, and most days it was HOT! After lunch we usually hung out at the pool and beach side with cocktails. Around 3 or so is when we planned for excursions. One day we went paddleboarding. The other day we jet skiied around the entire island. And another day we went kayaking. My favorite was paddleboarding. I could’ve done that all day long.

( My favorite thing to do and one of my favorite photos of the entire trip )

It rained a few times, but it was usually during the night time, and if it rained during the day, it was only for a few minutes. On our last night, a storm was heading towards the island and made the water very murky. We could feel the bungalow sway back and forth.

( I’m singing in the rain! )

We went to the main town once. There wasn’t much to do there except buy alcohol. It was cool to see Mount Otemanu up close, but that’s about it. We really wanted to rent scooters to ride around the town, but no one was renting them out.

( “Sunrise, sunrise, looks like morning in your eyes” )

I took a photo of EVERY sunset, and probably woke up early twice to check out the sunrise, then I went back to sleep. 😛 WAY COOL!

( Our first sunset in Bora Bora was the most beautiful one we’ve seen )

The one thing that I was really happy about was that I didn’t get ONE mosquito bite. Not one. 🙂 YAY!

I really miss Bora Bora. It was definitely the most relaxing vacation I’ve had. We didn’t feel like we always had to be doing something. We were just fine with laying out, and it didn’t feel boring either. I definitely want to go back. I am always looking online for more travel packages, but haven’t found any good ones yet. Once I do, I am going to book that bad boy and stay for 10 days or MORE! 😉 We are so blessed to have had such a perfect honeymoon, and are extremely grateful to the Four Seasons’ staff for their superb attention and care for us.

~ Bora Bora November 29 – December 6, 2012 ~

Face it, Fatty!

Posted on January 20, 2013 by thegraceface

The other night, my husband and I decided we were going to go out for dinner instead of staying in and cooking. We didn’t plan to go to a fancy restaurant or anything, but it was probably a good idea to change out of our sweatpants and put on nice jeans. As I was getting ready, I asked him, “Do I need to dress nicely and put some make up on?” Honestly, I was a little lazy to get ready and I didn’t feel like putting any make up on if we were just going to get something to eat and come back home. He responded, “Yeah, you probably should put some make up on.” I laughed only because I loved that he was honest and nice about it.

You see it in movies, and hear it from people, “Never call tell your girlfriend/wife that she is getting fat” or “never tell her to put a little make up on.” I suppose, to spare one’s feelings from getting hurt, you’d want to abide by those rules, but you know what? People need to hear the truth and should use that to motivate them to work harder on themselves. I do the same for my husband. If I think he needs to dress up a little nicer, or probably shouldn’t eat all that rice and go for a run, I tell him. We, as a couple, need to keep each other accountable for our decisions and actions. If I am gaining some weight, he BETTER be the first one to tell me!

So ladies and men, let’s not get all sensitive and start crying in the corner because your feelings were hurt. Get over it. Face it and do something about it, FATTY!

Jealous Boyfriend

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Grace

Yvette always thinks it was me.

****************************************************

Me: I don’t remember having mini empanadas.

Her: Oh, I sworn I’ve given you some, they come in individual plastic wrapping.

Me: You’re confusing me with someone else.

Her: Mom. I always give you whatever new food I have that I like.

Me: If I was a jealous boyfriend, this wouldn’t be good. LOL.

Her: LOL!!!

BFF Chit Chats

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Grace

BFF: and I told him that you call him my soulmate and hate him because he thinks you’re indian

ME: lol! You told HIM?

BFF: her*

ME: oh ok lol

BFF: lol when you typed HIM, I thought of Jesus.

ME: HAHAHA

BFF: lol