Abilities and Choices

Hiya,

"It is our choices....that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"

- Albus Dumbledore

This is one of my all time favourite quotes from the Harry Potter series, said by my favourite character in the series. The choices we make are what truly define us rather than the abilities we possess. We may have the ability to differentiate the right from wrong or have the ability to thoroughly analyse the situation. However, it is the choice of whether we choose to acknowledge that right from wrong or choose to analyse the situation that show who we really are. These choices are what distinguishes the "ideal me" to the "actual me". 

Everyone, in my opinion, has the ability to make a difference - big or small - but not everyone acts upon this ability to make that difference. It is much easier, and sometimes safer too, to take the route that does not exert much effort on your end. When option A brings about the reaction that is almost equal to the reaction option B, that needs much more work, brings then why not choose A?

In this day and age, when everyone is constantly on the go, it is much more easier to take the faster route to get the results or reactions. In trying to encompass that result or reaction, we may compromise the quality of our choices. We all wear the "biased glasses". Some of us wear the thicker ones, while others wear the thinner ones; but we all wear them. The preconceived notions we already have about someone or a situation will most likely undermine our objectivity.

What we want from the world needs to fall in to our laps when we feel or think we are entitled to it. 

I am your customer, so I should get impeccable customer service. This customer service needs to be given in the manner how I perceive it to be. No, you may not falter in this service for any reason because I give you my well earned money. Whatever the customer says is right because the customer is always right. 

As almost everything is becoming service orientated nowadays, we take "the customer is always right" and tend to forget that those providing the service are people like us - not people any above us or any below us. They are humans, and as humans they will mistakes; like any of us make in our daily lives. Yes, they are there to provide those services to you, but even then mistakes will be made. 

We tend to get frustrated when the service is below a standard we deem it fit. In our frustration we do not try to solve the problem, but we do end up becoming part of it or escalating it more than it actually started off as. It is much more easier to yell at the person for ruining your time than stopping to think why this problem arose in the first place. 

I am now both a customer to someone and a part of an organization providing a service to someone else. I have seen both sides, and it really does make me think. I have been guilty of taking my frustrations out, and I am sure many others have been as well. I have gotten frustrated at my TV providers on more than one occasion. However, it is not their fault if my TV is not working because of weather problems, is it? As someone on the other side, being the provider, I have been on the receiving end too. Perhaps being on both sides gives a broader perspective. 

The Y is there to provide everyone the 5 Star Experience, but sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances it may not be what someone expects it to be. However, we do our best. We are able to provide this experience to our members because of our staff and volunteers. Sometimes, circumstances do happen that hinder an experience, but a solution to the best of everyone's ability is sought. 

I missed Bosu this week because the online schedule said it started 30 minutes later than it actually started. I was upset that I missed the class because I had to drive all the way to Massey. However, technological glitches do happen. The website is very up to date, and that is because of an effort that is made to keep it  that way. A glitch that happens rarely should not and cannot take away the effort that creates a bigger picture.

Sometimes I go to a class because I like the instructor. However, these instructors may be volunteers or staff that have situations come up that become higher priority. Of course I go to a class, initially, because of the instructor, but the underlying reason is (or should be) that I go to a class to improve my quality of life. So yes, it is easier to feel frustrated when the service that is promised to you is not delivered up to your standards. But sometimes, taking a deep breath and thinking why it may not be delivered today when it always is other days can turn the situation into a win win situation.

I have the ability to both criticize the service and to think why the service is not up to the standard it should be. Now it becomes my choice as to which ability I will pick to act upon.

Take care,

Simmi

A New Leaf.....Run Clinic and Creating Balance!!!!!!

Yellow, Red, Green!

So how are we doing this afternoon?

At least today it's not snowing, which is a big improvement from last night. I am doing well, thank you for asking...psh! I've been at the office at Highland all day today; going to YAP for an hour. I shall blog about my take on YAP in a week or so; it needs more insight. Right now I cannot seem to grasp the words that will do justice to what YAP is about. The Y is just not a gym is all I'll say for now.

However, I would like to share something with you guys today - 2 things actually. These two things can be found here. When you click on the link you'll find a page that has Run Clinic and Creating Balance as the first two things listed. You can get more details on the website, so please do check it out!

I haven't decided if I will be doing a Run Clinic this year. It is not because I'm terrified of it, well a little, but because I have an exam to take that weekend. I may do it next year. Anyone of any fitness level can join and learn to run. If you guys want to learn to run 5-10km by Healthy Kids on June 2nd, go for it! And do let me know how it goes for you....give me inspiration!!

The second, Creating Balance, is something that I will most definitely be trying. It's one of those things that you know you should do, but the distance between you and this knowledge is a million excuses. Some of the ones I'll probably use are - I'm too tired; I'll start tomorrow; I'll do this after I have this piece of cake etc. Your excuses never end, and a better quality of life just slips away.

Sometimes you need that extra nudge from someone else, someone who isn't family or a friend; someone who is a professional. Also this will provide me information that I need to go towards a better quality of life, and not make excuses that I just don't have time to look up information etc etc. Access to information is sometimes the number one reason for low success rates for any program.

So come out guys. I want you guys to come to Creating Balance on April 2nd at 5pm, and say hey Simmi I'm here! Oh and even if I'm not doing Run Clinic this year, you can always leave me a reply here to tell me. Lets not make excuses and get started on a journey towards a quality of life that will reward us for years to come!!

I may do Step tomorrow!

See you tomorrow!
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: Supernatural is on tonight! My indulgence.....LOL

TRX!

Hey, hi, hello!

So a few days ago my legs could become the next flavour for Jello! and today my arms are ready to give them competition!

I had gone into this class all decked up with dread, so I was pleasantly surprised (and relieved!) that it wasn't as bad as everyone was making it out to be. Well, many of the members are doing higher level TRX, while I was lucky enough to get to try the beginner level. LOL!

It isn't that bad. Yeah, your arms feel rubbery and sometimes numb, but all in all it's not that bad at all. I actually enjoyed it a lot. I've been going to classes and noticed that they say things like keep that core in, align that spine etc. It's getting embedded into my brain so here when Cheryl said such things, I knew what to do! It's really amazing when you actually know what you are doing!

It takes a while to get used to pulling yourself up, and letting go of the fear that you'll fall or something. At least for me! LOL! I'm like the biggest scaredy cat this world has ever seen. (Did this come across as a big accomplishment? Haha!) I would not lean towards the railing and preferred the side of the wall. Like I said before, I'd rather not face my fears! Even when I was leaning towards the wall, I kept thinking to myself, see me let go of the band and fall. I really do need to start trusting myself more. LOL!

When we started doing some exercises by putting our ankles in the band, I skipped it. I messed up my ankle, so I decided that yes, today I will pace myself.

ACCOMPLISHMENT!

Now let's see how long this accomplishment lasts! Haha!

So guys, try it out. Go for beginner and see how it goes. It's fun!

Anyway, tomorrow I will just stay at the office and work. Maybe I won't blog tomorrow. Will you miss me if I don't?

Back to things,
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: Too many thoughts going at once. The most recent one I just had....I looked at the calendar on my desk and it has a dog on it. From this I remember that I want a puppy. Now the difficult decision.....what breed?? Any suggestions? 

Sore Part 2

Hello there!

On Saturday I went in for Boot Camp. Anything termed "Boot Camp" seems very scary to me, so I had prepared myself for the worse. LOL! Yes, I know, I can be very dramatic - but that's how I am! Ha!

Luckily it was beginner's Boot Camp; nothing too hardcore was awaiting me. Ramona was teaching the class, and I knew her from Senior Fit. Going into a class and knowing the instructor has such a soothing effect on me; I wonder why? Anyways, she was setting up for the class - taking out bands, dumbbells, and posting the Boot Camp schedule on the wall. I've never taken a Boot Camp class so it was a nice learning experience.

She told us to warm up by doing laps around the gym. So far so good. However, I was sore from Friday's rYpped. During class you really don't know how your body will react to the workout, it is only afterwards your body either curses you to die or thanks you for having a brain. At least that's how my experience has been so far. My thighs and calves were sore, but not to the point where I would call for my mommy. LOL!

Anyways, Boot Camp entails that we do various workouts in the hour. So the list consisted of things such as:  25 lunges; 25 curls; 30 seated rows; 75 skips; 40 supermans; 35 sit-ups/push-ups; 25 jumping jacks; 30 triceps; 45 biceps; 40 crunches; and the list went on. We would do 3 different workouts at a time and then take a break by doing 2 laps around the gym which also had options. You could do simple laps, shuffles, crab crawling, lunging, and this crawl where you would be on all fours and sort of go in a motion as if you are mopping the floor. What is it called?

I tried doing them, but decided to just walk/jog the 2 laps. I do like having my limbs in working order. Haha! As an adult I need to tell myself to pace myself. I tend to usually kill myself in a workout. Having the instructors tell you to pace yourself and go at the limit that is comfortable to you only works if YOU say that to yourself. It can be hard; at least for me it can be. When I get into the zone and start working out, I get carried away and exert myself because my muscles don't feel sore. It's only afterwards I feel it and then walk around as if something is stuck in me. And I've had far too many of these experiences! LOL!

So the moral of this story is - PACE YOURSELF! (However, the question still remains - will I learn?!)

I did the workout - the complete workout. So I'm proud of myself that I didn't just quit in the middle and carried through. However, by the time I got home and sat on the couch - I was beyond sore. Hahahaha! I could not move my body without feeling "it", and my body was ready to murder my brain for thinking I could do this and survive. For the rest of the day, I stayed under a blanket and moved as little as possible.

What have I gained from all of this? Wisdom. rYpped and Boot Camp are good workouts; one helps you work your muscles and one gives you a complete workout. However, pace yourself, especially if you are new at this. Do not do, I repeat, do not do a Simmi. Simmi paid for it, so learn from her mistakes! LOL! If these activities are something you do for the first time, don't do them together. Divide them up, your body will be grateful. But then again, I had a lot of fun. Sigh, my relationship with fitness is complicated. Ha!

I was supposed to do Bosu today but technological glitches came in the way. TRX is on my list for tomorrow. I've met a lof of members who know me by now and are always asking "So Simmi, what have you tried today?" and I find that a lot of fun. Then they ask me about what I'll be doing next and they get excited for me! Everyone who knows I'll be doing TRX have all said that it's really hard. I am scared now. LOL! Oh and one of the members has also told me to do Lunch Crunch. I'll save this for next week. I still have so many classes to try.

So till I come back, have a great one!
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: This is totally random because I just had this thought about 20 seconds ago! I think I should do something while I'm here. Shall I tell you what? Ha! Never! Well, not until I fully commit to this thought, ie. 2 weeks or so. Send some good energy my way so I can tell you what my mind has thought of all of a sudden!

Sore Part 1

Hey.

Notice the "." changing the "!"? Well it is to go with this entry. LOL!

My arms, my legs, my whole body is sore today, but not as badly as I was expecting it to be.

From this you must have guessed that I have either done rYpped or Boot Camp. Today's winner was rYpped. Now don't get me wrong, I loved the experience; everyone was awesome. However, that doesn't erase the fact that I am sore, and even typing at times is torture. Haha!

So lets get started about my day - starting with my morning. I woke up and the sight that welcomed me this morning was that of high winds and snow. I sighed and headed towards the kitchen to see the wonderful view of my driveway and the main road. It looked like torture waiting to engulf me.

I hate driving. I hate driving in the snow even more. So you know, I had this moment to myself where I just thought noway am I going all the way to Massey to just die. Sigh, however, I have been blogging about this "dying experience" for the past few days; I couldn't just not go. I dragged my feet along to get ready and eventually got into my car to drive away.

It took me 5 minutes to get out of my driveway! No, I was not procrastinating, though I would not have minded doing that. Procrastination was doing the deed without my even trying to help it. LOL! First I had some kids walking by towards the school, and then I had never ending traffic.

I say this with the utmost seriousness: all of Prince George's traffic was on my road this morning. If one side would let down, the other side would be roaring away and vice versa. It was a sign! It was a sign telling me that rYpped is just not meant to be. However, yours truly, did not pay attention to the sign. I finally arrived at the Y and signed up for the class.

When I got to the Studio, I had a sight to behold. It looked like my class from Step yesterday but with more additions; weighty additions. The room was already set up by the members, and half  of the side had hardcore weights waiting to be lifted. A few of the members were there and were really sweet to have helped me set up. Kim came in and I introduced myself to her and the few members also got introduced to me.

A couple of them remembered me from yesterday and we laughed at how lost I was. They were all assuring me that it's only natural and sometimes even the ones who have been doing it for years get lost too. I feel much better, no joke. I'm not a lost cause! Yet, anyways. Haha!

When they all found out that I was an intern and never had done anything like rYpped before, everyone had a fun time pulling my leg. I got told things like that the lowest level of weights start at 10 pounds; we warm up with 50 push ups; we do 30 sit ups etc. Wayta scare the intern away!

I had help setting up and someone even brought me an extra towel which was soooooo very sweet. I brought out the 2 pound dumbbells, but one of the members brought out the 3 pound ones and said that the 2 pounds do not let you feel the stretch. How wrong they were - 2 pounds were a pain! LOL!

They helped me get my bar too. Apparently they gave me the lightest bar available, but when I lifted it I didn't think it was that light! Hahaha! I was already scared, and told Sharon right as she entered the door "What did you convince me into?!" She again assured me that I'd survive.

So we started off with the warm ups that I know very well by now. Sadly, that was the only thing I did well all class. When did 2-3 pound dumbbells and the lightest bar become the heaviest things I have ever lifted?! Why must my triceps, biceps and calves hate me so? During the workout I felt the stretches, but it was after 40 minutes or so that they became sore. LOL!

As we started doing lunges, Kim went around the room to help everyone perfect them. She came to me and said I needed to spread my legs farther. I have long legs so I had to go farther and farther. Being tall sucks! Spreading farther means you die faster. Ha! During that time I didn't really feel sore, but just a "longer" stretch. I did get sore, but then I would just come out of the lunge to relax. It was only after the workout that my calves were screaming at me to die. My arms were also telling me to die after the triceps workout. Actually for about an hour my whole body probably wanted my brain to just go die! LOL!

After the workout I felt like rubber, my legs were ready to become the newest flavour for Jello! and sitting down wasn't a very nice option for a while (read: squats done way too low!). Hahaha! However, even after feeling sore it was not as bad as I had thought it was going to be. I survived, which alone is a big accomplishment. Kim and Sharon were really encouraging, as were all the members. They would tell me to switch to a dumbbell from a bar to make it easier for me and I was so thankful.

It was my very first time doing something this extensive with weights; one hour vs. 10 minutes. I think if I were to do this class regularly I'd do much better. Sadly, as there are many other classes to go die still waiting, I won't get the chance for regular sessions. However, I will try for a couple of more classes; at least try to get the 2 pound dumbbells to feel negligent as members said they are! LOL!

So try it out guys! It's fun and a nice workout for your triceps and biceps and calves. Take it slow and easy; we are not trying to become heavyweight champions - yet.

Sigh, how I missed the Stretch and Relaxation class today.....

Boot Camp, here I come!
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: I am sore. Hahahahaha!
 

Bingo!

Helloooooooooo,

Sadly, I couldn't yell out Bingo! this afternoon.

I went to the Simon Fraser Lodge this afternoon to help out with their Bingo time. Can I just say trying to find parking is a pain?! It took me a good 5-10 minutes to park. I was trying to find parking as close to the Lodge as possible, but no such luck. Visitor parking was completely full, and any other parking space I found was for "Physicians Only - Violators Will Be Towed". Come on, a "Simmi Parking" is a necessity. Haha! The 2 hour parking area anywhere close to the Simon Fraser Lodge building was full too. I actually made 3 rounds in the hope of a space becoming free, but no luck. So off I went a block or so down to park.

I hate the slush that is left on the roads by snow, and it was such a long walk up the road to the side walk that led to Simon Fraser Lodge. Hate. It. When I get to the building, guess what I see? Not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR parking spaces free in the 2 hour parking area. Why must life be so cruel?

Anyways, after this cruelty things were pretty fun. First I had an amusing time trying to get into the building. The automatic door would just not open, and someone was stuck on the other side; between the two doors. It took a couple of minutes to successfully get in. I found that to be a nice little adventure. Afterwards I met Cecilia who took me upstairs to where all the action was happening.

The game had already begun, but luckily it was just the first round. I helped some of the players cover their numbers, and just had fun trying to get my table a Bingo. However, we couldn't get one; always having just one number to go. We also sang two songs - You Are My Sunshine and Row Row Row Your Boat. So all in all I had fun here. The Lodge's renovations are really nice and everyone is really sweet.

Tomorrow I only have rYpped planned, and nothing else. I may not do Senior Fit this week, and just finish up some work. I have noticed one thing which makes me chuckle. Since I've started, I've been doing work on the weekend too; formatting or compiling information. It just reminds me of a school life when I'd have homework to do over the weekend. Work life is just an extension of school life.....lesson of the day! LOL!

Take care,
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: Right now I am just hoping my car makes it the gas station after work. I have been cutting it close this time. Evil, evil gas prices!  

Step it Up!!

And kick!

So last night I made an impromptu plan to go to Step in the morning before meeting Colleen. I've done step, but at my own pace and in a more personalized environment. Taking this into consideration, how do you guys think I did? Not great, but at an okay level? Wrong. I totally failed at it! LOL!

How can stepping on a step be so difficult? I think it took me a good 2 minutes to get the basic step up, step down routine. Even then I tended to mess up quite vigorously on my part. Haha! Now, it wasn't a total fail, but I was so lost during this one hour. Usually I get the hang of things and find my pace after the first 20 minutes, but here I was constantly thinking "okay step up; step down; go to the other side; OMG what's a lunge - oh I know this; oh no what's a curl - I know this too; what's a cowboy step; I want to crawl into bed!"

Jodie was really awesome. I think she saw me totally struggling and would go okay 2 basics, and then would go 2 more after seeing me fail. LOL! Don't get me wrong, I loved doing it; it's a really good workout where you don't kill yourself but sweat it out at the same time. I'm most definitely going back next week to get better at this. I'm just glad there was one more person who was taking this class for the first time; I had company at being lost.   

Oh and then the fancy lunges had me tripping all over the place. I think if I could do astral projection, I would totally have a wonderful time seeing myself tripping and going the wrong way. But, it was fun nonetheless! Go try it guys, I'm sure you'll all do so much better than me. LOL!

Side Note: I'm willing to try most of the programs the Y offers, except one; Cycle Fit. Years ago I had gone riding and smashed into my school fence. I came out of it with a broken nose and sprained body parts. After this experience, I just stopped cycling. So Cycle Fit is out of the question! What? I should conquer my fears? No thank you. Tell that to a child, you know, the ones at the impressionable age who will accept adult reasoning. LOL! I'd rather just avoid things that terrorize me - cycling, spiders, horror movies etc. But you guys should totally go try it and tell me how it was!

After Step, I met up with Colleen; this session was much more successful. She was happy with what I had given her, and I did a happy dance - obviously in my head! At least I'm good at this. Haha! Tomorrow I'll be meeting up with Sharon to discuss her questions after I try her rYpped class. Please do send some good wishes my way!

Well that's all for now. In the afternoon I'll be heading over to the Simon Fraser Lodge to play some Bingo. At least here I won't be totally lost. I just realized - no Aerobics tomorrow because of rYpped. I feel sad, I was getting good at it too. Well next week I'll try to squeeze it in. I'm planning to do some Bosu and TRX next week. Before I leave this position, I will get to a level that's between okay and good in all these programs; somewhere where I won't mess up so badly!

Till we virtually meet again,
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: People, and I mean many, read my blog. This week, whoever I have met at the Y has said something regarding my blogging. I knew that this is a public blog and people obviously do read it. However, knowing the existence of something and actually being "confronted" with this existence are two different things. Now the questions that come to mind are - should I be more "professional" in writing this blog; should I give more technical information regarding the programs; what should I do? LOL! Then I think, it's a blog, it's where I share my thought and my thoughts are random. Only fair to be truthful. No? Well till someone tells me otherwise I shall just blog away as I have been doing!

A Wednesday!

Namaste!

I tend to always underestimate myself, which I think is great! Why? Well then it makes me go that extra mile to do something, and most of the time, not always, I like what I have achieved. I had scheduled that all this week I will work on interview questions and postpone everything else for the time being. However, I am up to date with my interview questions and at the point where I just need to meet up with people and discuss; formatting and categorizing on the weekend.

So with this pleasant surprise, I decided to do Aerobics and Stretch and Relax this morning with Angela and Cheryl respectively. I highly recommend doing this together. Having a nice workout with Aerobics and then a  cooling down period with Stretch and Relax makes Simmi feel very nice! Haha! I do enjoy this job; 2 hours of a great workout session! My back, actually my complete body, feels "kink" free. It's a really nice feeling, so do try it out!

When I was about to head out, I met up with Sharon. She has persuaded me to come to a class she teaches - rYpped. I have been putting this one off, along with Boot Camp after having witnessed them at their glory! LOL! However, Sharon has assured me that it is not as intimidating as it may look. Then on Saturday I am planning to go try the Beginner's Boot Camp instead of Zumba. Is it my time to say nice knowing you all?? Well if you don't hear (well read more like it) from me, then you will know. Don't forget me!

Tomorrow I am meeting with Colleen in the morning to see if I failed or passed. LOL! Then in the afternoon, finally and I mean FINALLY, will go to the Simon Fraser Lodge and play some Bingo!

Side Note: One of the games on my iPhone is Bingo - highly addicting.

And as you know, Friday morning is rYpped and afterwards will be meeting Sharon to see if I passed or failed her too! Good times, good times.

Ohhhh before I go I must tell you all about what happened this morning. Today was my 3rd Aerobics class and every time I would always wonder, and then by the end of the class I'd forget. However, today I did not forget! What would I wonder? Read on to find out!

So there are two women who come to the Aerobics classes and they always seemed very familiar. Today I had made up my mind to go up to them and ask them if they were the people I thought they were. At the end of the class, as we were putting our mats away, I got my chance. I had just said excuse me, and she recognized me! She was my first grade teacher!! She remembered my name and everyone in my family. The other one was my brother's second grade teacher, but I always knew her too. She said that they both were also wondering if I was me too. LOL! It was so nice meeting them after so many years. Sigh, this does tell me that I'm growing old and even if I want to believe that I am still a kid - I really am not! Sadness...

We talked about each other, how they have retired now and about me being here at the Y. They love the Y - the atmosphere, the welcoming environment, everything - they enjoy it very much.

So I shall leave you all with this.....have a great afternoon!

Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: Why even bother getting your hair done when Mother Nature will mess it up to seem as if you have just gotten out bed? My hair makes me look like a zombie!

 

It's Tuesday!

A Tuesday Morning Hello!

It's the second day of the week already! Perhaps it feels the weekday is going by fast because I have my week's schedule planned out, and the amount of work more is than enough to keep me busy!

Last night I was thinking that I might go to the Simon Fraser Lodge today, after my meeting with Chris. However, I woke up to a very "snug" blanket of snow that hampered my willingness to go the Lodge. Then after meeting with Chris my plans were further hampered. LOL! So the schedule I made for this week, that I will be postponing going out to the Y or the Simon Fraser Lodge stays intact for today. I hate driving in the snow, and I prefer to stay safe inside on days like these and not on the road!

However, I do plan to, if the "snug" blanket of snow becomes a "hammock" of snow, to go to the Simon Fraser Lodge sometime during this week; hopefully Thursday or Friday. Sigh, winter is depressing, and to think I'm a winter baby; January no less! I would have preferred to be a summer baby, preferably in August. If only I had a say....

Well back to reading my child care binder.

Signing off....
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: I don't have one today. That's shocking because I always have random thoughts! Even when I would be taking exams I'd have a lot of randomness going on in my head. Or perhaps I don't want to share this random thought.....No. I have none today. The mind is on track; thinking about child care related questions. Sigh...Adulthood.....

Why Are Weekends So Short?

Hello hey!

Why are weekends so short? It feels like Friday was just a couple of hours ago. Sigh, the mind wonders to the long weekend schedules....when's the next one?!

So this weekend I mostly worked on the various questions. Sometimes it feels that at home I can get more work accomplished than working in the office for eight hours a day. And sometimes it's the other way around. I'm one of those people who cannot have set "grooves"; my "grooves" change as my mood changes - which is constant. LOL!

Today I have made myself a schedule of finishing up a lot of interviews; lets see how that goes. It's only 9am, so I think I'll manage. I have all the stuff organized and made my list last night. It kind of amazes me how organized I have become over the last six years.

In the first couple of years of university life I was anything but organized and this is an understatement. In my third year I realized that a lot of my anxiety is due to the fact that I don't have anything set up to tell me what I need to do by when. So I started highlighting the important dates on the syllabus and then writing all the dates down to see which ones were close by or overlapping. This reduced my anxiety levels substantially. Mind you, anxiety in university never leaves you, but if you are somewhat organized you can at least plan your anxiety attacks! LOL!

Moral of the story: Try to stay organized; even if it's with small things.

Well, I'm off to do some more work,
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: I've been here 3 weeks already. Time does fly by way too fast!

Another Friday, Another Senior Fit

Yellow!

So just got back from my second Senior Fit class. It was different from last week, but I still enjoyed it. In the morning I also had Aerobics which was instructed by Heidi, and she was there for Senior Fit too. She shall not forget me! So far whoever I have met has remembered me and I have been good at remembering names too! Aahh, a proud moment indeed.

Senior Fit entailed the lighter version of my Aerobics session. I find Senior Fit a nice relaxing environment to be in, and everyone is so jovial - something the younger adults tend to forget at times! As well some of the exercises are a "good take home" for family members who complain of knee and shoulder pain. See, I'm being such a good person; I totally deserve some ice cream. Well, I'm treating myself to some tomorrow. Sigh, just too good. LOL!

It's Friday! Tomorrow I'll go for Zumba and then work on my questions. It'll be a pretty "chillaxed" weekend on my end.

Oh and today I completed 2 weeks here. I survived 2 weeks! No one has driven me away, and nor have I driven anyone up the wall...LOL!

I have totally been owned by the "never judge a book by its' cover" saying. I had thought this job would be way out there for me and too digitally involved. I saw it as something to do with designing hardcore web designs before I actually read the description thoroughly. Then after I got the job, I was apprehensive about being able to do it. Now 2 weeks into this, and I see myself doing it! The wonders of life...haha!

Hope you guys enjoy your weekend!
Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: I feel like cooking a 5 course meal....

YMCA Strong Kids!

1, 2 cha cha cha!

Today begins the YMCA Strong Kids Month in Prince George: February 15 - March 15, 2013! It's a really nice campaign that supports the productivity and well being of the future - the children.  If you want more information on this, please click here Strong Kids.

See I can market too!

The unveiling and kick start to the month was done with the kids from Childcare, and they were so adorable and small. Just for the adorable factor I want to go into Childcare. I love kids, I love being around them and observing how a life develops. However, that doesn't mean I want to have kids of my own though; not yet at least if not never. The thing is infants are amazing to be around - only when at the end of the day you can send them back to their parents!

The toddlers were really adorable with their trying to sit in the Childcare workers' laps three at a time and they were such a chatty bunch. Therefore, for the most part, I couldn't really hear what Mark said - sorry!

The Massey location also has several bird feeders for a silent auction. They are so beautiful; if only I had a tree in the backyard. So go out there  to check them out and involve yourself in this campaign!

On this note I shall sign off. I have so much work to do this weekend! Well it feels as if there isn't that much to do and at the same time it feels like an eternity's worth of work to do. The mixed signals I give myself is amazing; wonder how my family and friends deal with me?!

Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: So since I've started here I've been listening to one song over and over again while I come to or from work. I don't know why but it has become my travel song. I'll play it in the car or iPod as I go to Highland or Massey. It's one of those songs for me that helps you unwind and helps the brain relax. It's a Hindi song, so I doubt any of you have heard it before. But if you ever do feel like listening to it, it's called "Ranjha Ranjha from Raavan". I'm addicted to it...LOL!

Aftermath and Deadlines and Purple Polka Dotted Elephants

Yo!

Since a few hours my legs have been hurting and I've been trying to figure out why this is so? Now I realize why: Fusion. You never do realize how stretching today will kill you tomorrow. Yesterday I felt, yeah I can step further away, there is no pain to worry about. Then today it's like, oh why did I take the "extra mile" when I had the chance of taking just the "half mile"?! Sometimes you just don't learn.

You know that if you learn something new, like a stretching position, you should take it easy. It's information that you know, and realize it's the right thing to do. However, do you actually listen to this advice? Well, in my case this is a rarity - an extreme rarity. Tomorrow is Aerobics, and lets see if I remember this or on Saturday I die  yet again. Well Saturday is Zumba too; Simmi's body loves her a lot!

What else is there to talk about? Aahh deadlines. So why do they call  them deadlines? Why does the word "dead" come in; why is it so morbid sounding? See when you leave me with assignments, this is where I wonder off to at intervals! Random thoughts seep into my mind as fog to distort the train of thought from proceeding forward. I think the dread people feel in regards to deadlines is because of the "death" it involves if you don't meet them.....fog delays are a pain!

The last thought I had as I started on my last competency was purple polka dotted elephants. Pretty random? If I was you, I'd think I'd had gone crazy too from reading pages on pages for competencies. However, I totally have a very legit reason for thinking of purple polka dotted elephants. So my last competency for the day is "Relationship Building", and one of my profs had used this rare species as an example for building relationships. An awesome HR person can build a formidable relationship with a purple polka dotted elephant and maintain it. I do hope my purple polka dotted elephant is in the shade of lavender! LOL!

My train of thought is about to take off again.

So see you guys tomorrow....because tomorrow will be the today we talked about yesterday!

Simmi

P.S. Random Thought: I want a smarties mcflurry, but guess what? It has been discontinued! Aarrgghh! Why discontinue something that came straight from heaven?! The blasphemy!!!!!!!

Priorities

Bonjour,

According to my schedule, I had Minds in Motion planned for the morning and Simon Fraser for the afternoon. However, one of the aspects that distinguishes a child/teen from an adult is the adult's ability to set priorities for themselves. Aahh the drawbacks of being a responsible adult! Haha!

But you know, they say everything happens for the best and today I can attest to this! Why? Because I don't have to carry out a war with Mr. Ice today. Or it could be a Miss too, no? Okay technically, it's the child of water and freezing point so it still could be either. Yes, this is how my brain functions; thinking way too much on even irrelevant facts. Whatever it is, thank God for the small miracles!

I'm doing this project right now that relates to job descriptions, human rights, and all that good stuff that has required me to postpone everything on my schedule for the time being. Therefore, all next week will have me doing nothing but this project. However, my Fridays with Aerobics and Senior Fit will stay. You know, all work and no play make.....LOL! Well, not that extreme, but you know you do need a break at times to be able to give your best productivity level to your organization.

So what else can I blog about for now? Well, last night I kept thinking about what questions I could come up with, and my brain would not shut up. You may be thinking that's a good thing that you are getting various ideas on how to go about this, right? It's not that great when you are trying to sleep and it's close to 1am. Eventually, I just gave up and told my brain to do whatever it wants and I'll just wait. If you are like me, at times you just cannot get your mind to shut off and relax; it's like relaxation is a word that's been omitted from your brain!

That's all for now...I may do a cameo appearance this afternoon....

Simmi

P.S. Random thought: So who has had their life ruined by reading the Rugrats theory? Come on now, raise your hands. Sadly, I stumbled into this category last night. As a kid, it was my most favourite show and now this memory comes straddled with a disturbing theory. Aahhh why must life hate me?! The world is way too cynical for the innocent. You don't need to over analyse everything, you know. Leave some things alone; they are better left alone!

Fusion and more....ICE!

Hey hey! (That reminded me of Krusty the Clown. How about you?)

This afternoon I had Fusion, and my legs still feel rubbery. It has a lot of stretching involved, so if you didn't know "that" could stretch that way, health yoga will be the safer option! LOL! I arrived at the room to meet a former board member of the Y, Andrea. She has been taking Fusion for years now, so you know, she's a total pro at it. She was a sweetheart who helped me get my area set up.

Nancy, the instructor, came to the room and said they would be doing the "T". As you may have guessed, I was at a lost. Thankfully, I had Andrea who told me that we were going to be using two mats positioned as a "t"; not your body positioned as one as I thought! Haha! It was a full class, and in the All Purpose Room; we were a bit squeezed for space. Well that just means we had to be extra careful and not punch or kick someone in the face!

So as we started I felt like okay, I can do this and it's not that difficult. We did the breathing exercise that I had done in Health Yoga, and this time I got the hang of it. Isn't it fun making small connections? It just makes the world seem not so big! And it makes yours truly feel smart! LOL! During my health sciences courses, the professors would always emphasize the connections, and I'd have such a trying time to connect this to that. However, as years went by (I'm not THAT old), connections got easier and I started making connections with the smallest things in life too. It became a little game I play with myself now. Sigh, I digress.....

Where was I? Yes, Fusion. Again, my happy moment was short lived. From the balancing to the hovering, it just began to feel like nothing can be this difficult. And seriously, how do you not put weight on your shoulders or wrist? It just feels so impossible! LOL! The concentration to just do the simplest of moves is hard! For example, we breathe to live right? Well, when you are concentrating on trying to relax your shoulders or not put strain on your wrist or whatever, you may tend to just forget that exhaling moment.

Balancing is such a simple activity when you are not told to do it; get instructed to and just trip over yourself. Oh and then hoovering, my knees never felt so grateful to touch the ground than after this! However, at the end of the day, it was a nice stretch; especially the leg area-).

So did you think I forgot to mention the second part of my title, ice? Ahh think again! Remember how I was complaining this morning that I never get a parking space close enough to the entrance? Well, I got one this afternoon. A good thing? NO!

I was happy I got the space, but when I got out I wished I had parked further. Why? Because I was in one of those spaces that was all ice and ice that formed bumps/hills which just make you slip away to one side or the other; never letting you find your grip. Closer is not that awesome.....lesson learned!

Ice needs to be sued for making my life miserable, like pronto!

Till another icy day...bye bye....
Simmi

P.S. Random thought moment: a disadvantage of technology, as in being able to do blogs, scheduling, and what not on laptops. It's that your writing skills, ie hand writing, becomes "messy". My prof would tell us this in class, and just writing notes beside some questions just reinforces his words! Seriously, I had such perfect hand writing skills - my writing was tiny and looked as if it was typed. Now, it's like my doctor wrote it. Knowing functional literacy may be a bonus point for me, but I mourn  for my hand writing!

ICE!!!!!

Hello Hi!

So what should I talk about this morning? Well, I had gone to the Y for Story time, and guess what? No one showed! There is a trend going on, right? Lets recount.

Group Care - Nap time: at least met half of the kids and saw what they did when the other half naps.
Toddler Care - Nap time: unscrewed and screwed chairs and loaded the dishwasher.
REC Room - No one showed: cleaned windows.
Story Time - No show: preschoolers came when I was about to leave.

At least the experiences have been amusing!

I arrived at the REC Room to find the couches being loaded on to Roger's truck. The REC Room is getting new couches; I'm excited. Other than this development nothing happened. LOL! About 30 minutes later, a group of preschoolers came to play. I watched them for a few minutes and decided to head back 10 minutes earlier than the end time for story time. As I was heading out, an army of children that looked less than 4 and I crossed paths. I thought to myself "I wonder if they are going for story time"? I shall ask Nicole if this was the case, and if it was, well I'll have a pretty good laugh!

What else can I talk about right now? Oh lets talk about how much I hate ice in parking lots. So I went to the Y and as usual couldn't find parking close enough to the entrance. I headed a bit further, and what awaited me was a layer of thick ice. I hate ice, especially when I cannot see it under the snow! Everyone that was walking up to the entrance were having a great time negating themselves on the ice (this is sarcasm; just saying lol). So at least I wasn't alone! It was a miracle that I made it, but then I realized that in an hour or so I need to head back again. Why is happiness so short lived?!

Well, coming back to the car was a bit better; I took a different route that had seemingly less ice on its' path. I survived the parking lot at the Y! However, again, my happiness was short lived. I arrived here, at Highland, and what do I see? A parking lot covered in ice. Sigh, here we go again. Icing on the cake here was that along with ice I had puddles of slush also waiting for me. Aargghhh, WHY?

I'll be dealing with ice and slush again when I go for my Fusion class. Fun fun. Spring, do come fast....

Back to my emailing!
Simmi

REC ROOM and Beyond

Hello hello!

How is everyone's Tuesday after the long weekend coming along? Mine has been pretty busy.

In the morning I finished off some work and sent it off to Lynette, and after that I headed to the REC Room which was empty!

Now with my experience, is it a surprise that it was empty? Yeah, I thought so. I met Nicole who was apologetic about me having nothing to do, but as my track record shows, I was very much okay with the situation. I offered to help clean windows with her, and eventually someone had come in to play so I could see how the room was utilized.

Okay, I need to take a moment and COMPLAIN! When I was a kid the Y didn't have such a nice REC Room; the closest thing to this was the McDonald's playroom, which wasn't this amazing. As I was watching the little boy go up to the slide, I was envious. We always argue that being a kid 20 years back was much better than today from the activity perspective; iPods, iPads etc. were not yet invented. Playing outside was the first choice of recreation and not video games. However, we didn't have this REC room!

Alright I'm done, for now. As we cleaned up the place, Nicole told me that "rush hour" for the REC room was after 2pm, so now I know when to go there! We also discussed schooling, and it brought back memories of how overwhelming it felt when I thought nothing would come out with this degree. So talking to her, and giving her rationales about what the degree entailed and what you could do with it made me laugh. Grass is always greener on the other side!

As our discussion progressed, children from daycare came to play. Oh my God, they were so adorable!! I know what I'm doing this weekend. I'm bringing my friend's kid to the REC Room. This way I'll actually have a legit excuse to go on it! Ssshh!

Anyways, I spent a good 10 minutes just looking at the children, and how they played. The steps you need to climb to get to the top are a bit widely spaced, so it takes a great deal of effort for the children. Especially this little girl who spent a couple of minutes trying to climb up. She was such a smart cookie though; mapping her way across the step. First she tried climbing from the middle which didn't work. Then she went to the sides and figured out that she could grip the edge, and heaved herself up. So adorable!

After the REC Room, I came back to proof and reference and then print copies for Lynette. The printer really did not like me. I think it knows I'm the intern, and that's why it jammed twice! You know how they show on TV, how interns have it rough - I think the printer tried to ape that. It took around 15 minutes to get my copies printed! These copies were needed for a meeting in the afternoon or else I would have told that printer off. LOL!

Last thing for this Tuesday was that I was invited to the meeting to see how things were being done and the urgency that's needed right now. Basically, the research I've been doing is on hold now, and my time will be spent in helping Lynette and her team. I think it'll be fun as it's something I'm interested in. So lets wait and see!

On that note, till we meet again!

Simmi

Zumba!!!! Edited!

Hey!

First of all, for some reason the blog would not let me click on "New Post"; it was painfully slow to load. Therefore, I had written this on Sunday but am posting it now. Well changing "yesterday" to "Saturday"-).

Oh. My. God. I actually didn't feel lost in a class! I knew what I was doing; finally.

On Saturday, I had my first Zumba class and it was fun dancing to the various songs. I was a bit apprehensive going into it because I thought I didn't really have those kind of dance moves. Youtube videos can fail you at times; shocking. So I was ready for a very clumsy class on my part. However, I knew how to do the steps!!

I've been into dancing since I was a kid, and the dance steps we were doing in class weren't very foreign to me. Well it did take me time to get a hold of the steps, but after I had gotten them it wasn't that hard to just dance away. Most of the hip movements we did were the ones I've grown up seeing in Bollywood movies! LOL! Then there was also a song that entailed some bhangra moves and that just made me chuckle.
However, as I like to be harder on myself than others, I would be like oh no just wait till this gets more difficult, but it never really did.

Dancing is one of my longest passions, but priorities changed. Why? Life happened. LOL! So going to Zumba was just going back to a lost passion and having a nice workout! I'm going back next Saturday, and lets see if I can remember all the dance movements this time!

EDIT START

LOL! I just realized that I didn't copy past the entire entry! So here is the rest.....

The class was full house; 32 people were registered. We were in one of the studios so being able to get the steps right was a crucial step in not punching/kicking someone out. Luckily, we only had one person kicked (it wasn't me, I swear!). Also, the class had women from various ages. It was great seeing some of the older women so into it and getting all the steps right.

Note to self: staying active has amazing benefits!

EDIT END

Till we virtually meet again - take care!
Simmi

Senior Fit

I think Senior Fit was my favourite activity of the week. I had an amazing time with everyone there, and they were so awesome to have included me in their games.

So I arrived there a couple of minutes late due to traffic, and when I reached the studio room the doors were shut. I peeped into the room to check if I was about to knock on the right door. Well I saw chairs and people sitting on it, and remembered Tara and Karen telling me there would be chairs. I knocked and walked on a surprised Ramona who was probably thinking I walked into the wrong room. I introduced myself, and she told me that she had read my email. I had totally forgotten I had sent one - everyone knows me! How do I feel about this? Not sure. Lol!

She told me she was filling in for Cheryl, and I smiled to myself. Do you know why I smiled? Now lets think about it; you don't have to think so hard. I mentioned this in my previous blog entry too. Lets refresh your memory - every class I have been to at the Y has been run by an instructor who is there as a substitute. Finding a smile in little things is the key for a happier life!

Anyways, I had arrived when they had just started; throwing the ball to each other as a way of remembering everyone's name. The person with the ball would name a person and throw it to him/her. We had a fun time trying to get my name right. The names went from Timmi, Jimmi, Rimmi to finally Simmi. One of them came up to me to read the name tag to see the complicated name I was bestowed with. Lol! After that we started playing the "Hit the Balloon with a Fly Swatter" game; finishing the session with some stretching.

As I was helping clean up, Ramona shared a really sweet story which I shall share with all of you now. One of the seniors, John, is a fine example of the need and importance of a program for seniors. When John had started the program he was in a wheelchair, and as time progressed on he left his wheelchair for a walker. Today that walker has also gone and is walking around with a cane in his hand. What an inspirational story!

All in all, it was a pretty nice way to spend Friday afternoon. Now tomorrow for some Zumba and a haircut! I'm very excited for both!

P.S. It's the weekend, a long weekend! Not a bad way to ending the first week here! Talking about first week - I survived!!

Simmi

Aerobics!!

Hi!

So this morning I went for an aerobic workout, and was it ever hard for the first 10-15 minutes! I was like woah, please slow down for poor old me. Everyone else seemed to have no problem, it was just me. Fail for Simmi! Well, my excuse for this is that this was my very first class, while the rest were regulars. I actually interacted with the people there to find out, so you know I'm not just saying it to make myself feel better! Lol!

It was an intense and rewarding workout. I've done aerobics before, but that was a few years ago, and with an easier routine. This felt more for the pros. It took me a few minutes to get the step movements to match the beat. That is so embarrassing because I'm a dancer; I enjoy moving to the beats. It was so hard here because I was trying to follow what Neda, the instructor, was saying.

Confession: I had to read the schedule to find out her name. In my defence, she didn't really introduce herself because everyone seemed to know her. Or she may have said her name and I couldn't hear in the gym. She is subbing for Shannon. Lol, each class I've been to so far have been run by instructors who are subbing for someone. I digress.

Eventually, I caught up on this Aerobic lingo and got into the flow, and let the beats carry me off. How poetic, no? My right shoulder hates me right about now though. There were so many boxing movements and in your daily life, how many times do you make boxing movements? Yeah, I thought so.

Also, for the first 20 minutes I was really into it and doing everything Neda was doing, and HOW she was doing it. After the 20 minute mark I think, I was about to die. That is when I started to pace myself and find the pace my body felt more comfortable with. After half an hour it wasn't so bad; being able to relax my muscles without strain felt nice.

The cool down was God send. The little kinks that I felt just melted away. I felt so relaxed and refreshed. I had went in thinking it'll be like Health Yoga where I'll stretch the wrong parts of my body lol. However, here all the stretching just rejuvenated me for the day!

But  the down side is showering twice. LOL! Go to the Y, do the workout, go home, shower, and then come to work.

Now up next, in the afternoon, is Senior Fit. Hopefully, my body won't hate me too much. Well, I do have Zumba tomorrow. There goes hope out the window! My body will loathe me.

Cheers for now,
Simmi

Toddlers.....Not Today!

Hey!

Oh. My. God. Do I ever think to connect the dots in simple circumstances? Apparently not. So today I had scheduled myself to go volunteering at the Toddler Care room at 1pm; exact same time as the Group Care volunteering. That day I had gone when it was nap time, so I don't understand why I didn't realize that nap time could be the same for the toddlers too?

Okay, I think I can excuse myself for not using my head here with the very plausible excuse that I was so engrossed with my research I didn't really find connecting the dots a priority lol.

Oh, lets just deviate here a bit and discuss my research progress. Yesterday, I had began to research on the various communities; having overload of information to deal with. After some feedback from Karen, I began making demographic tables for the various communities.

Around noon today I had this "oh wait a second" moment. This is when I realized that I'm at community No. 10, and haven't talked to Karen if this is what she had meant. I had organized all my data and felt that I was on top of everything, but that's too good to be true lol. This is where you'd think I'd panic, but I didn't!

Over the years in university, one thing I've learnt is that too much information is not a bad thing at all. It's much more easier to condense than to look for more information. So when I was brushing up the data on one community, Dawson Creek, to show Karen I didn't feel rushed; I felt that I had a good start on things. Luckily, I was on the right track, and I feel I may even beat the schedule I've made for myself!

Oh wait I totally deviated, right? We were going to learn about my Toddler Care experience and I just got wrapped into research again. Yes, I'm a nerd, and proud of it! It's awesome when the work you do actually makes sense! Lol!

So coming back to Toddler Care. As I'm sure everyone has guessed, I went there when it was nap time. I felt disheartened; I had wanted to see all the toddlers. However, I didn't cancel and come back to my desk. No, I asked Jean what I could do to help and stayed the time I scheduled for Toddler Care! I loaded the dishwasher, I unscrewed the Velcro straps off the chairs, put the straps in the laundry room, and screwed newly washed Velcro straps back on the chairs. I was productive!

Oh they also have a Guinea Pig, Sammy, that gave me a mini heart attack. After I had cleaned the ball area and was talking to Jean, I caught something moving towards me out of nowhere! Though I still don't understand how I missed seeing that huge cage. Fail. And anyways, don't Guinea Pigs get heart attacks if you shock them? Or wait, is that tiny fact for hamsters? I think it is hamsters. I'll look it up, and tell you guys tomorrow!

So anyways, this was my volunteering experience for today. Next time, I'm scheduling Child Care in the morning! The "Fool Me Once" rhyme comes to mind; I hope I don't go to the "third fool"!!!!!

Well I'm off to do more research, so bye bye for now!

Simmi

Research Day!

Hey!

So yesterday I had said that I'll go for a Fusion class, but unforeseen circumstances didn't let me. Those unforeseen circumstances were me tripping on the stairs and bruising my leg at home! I tell you, I can't climb stairs; they need skill which I obviously lack! Due to the lack of this skill, I am now sporting a bruise. In the morning I couldn't bend my leg so as a responsible adult (yes, though it's rare, I do display such rationale at times!) I decided to postpone the class.

Anyhow, this made way for me to spend time on some research. I've complied demographic data on 6 communities so far which I find impressive. You know, before I start doing research I always feel dread - vast amount of information and my poor tiny brain. However, when I do start I get so involved and excited about what I will write about that I tend to overwhelm myself.

As I was going through the data, I began to structure the paper I would submit. As numbers popped up, I began to connect the numbers with psychological behaviour! I was like oh wait, I've read this in one of textbooks and how this kind of economy effects the psych of people etc. Rationale behind this was forming, and I felt smart lol.

However, my energy for the day is being drained now. I need to find the numbers for employment and unemployment, and I feel so overwhelmed. Should I just use 3 variables or all 50 (okay not that much, but over 10)? Well, time for another walk to clear my head!

Bye for today!

Group Care

I’m back! I think I may be the intern that blogs a bit too much; is that a good thing or a bad? I wonder.

So I just back from Group Care, and I enjoyed the experience thoroughly. Two hours of energy that saw no slowing down. I found myself just looking at their innocence and looking at the environment from a psychological point of view as well. Having taken so many psych classes, it’s always fun to see theory becoming a part of life. However, if I get into the latter aspect, it would become a term paper – and we can’t have one without proper references! Lol!

I arrived to find myself amongst children getting ready for nap time, and I thought I wouldn’t be able to stay today. However, it was my lucky day – there were two groups – the “nappers” and the “non-nappers”.  I got to go with Tasha and her group to the gym.

They went to the room above the gym where the kids had a 20 minute rest period. That’s eternity! Well for kids 3-5 it is, and I do remember times when I was told to stay quiet for a certain amount of time – it would take an eternity and more! Finally quiet time was over, and the kids could read a book and after that play with the various toys available.

One thing I noticed and smiled to myself about was how some things don’t change much over the years. As the kids began to play, you found yourself witnessing the girls becoming a group and the boys becoming another. It brought me back to my school days where this was the norm. So when they started including each other in their games, it was nice too see that things are changing, even if slowly.

I was included too! I helped one of the girls rebuild the castle after it was knocked down, held their stuffed animals for them, and listened to their stories. After that, we went to the gym and they rode around on their tricycles. I was a bit envious of them; I wanted to ride around too. Actually I wanted their energy. Three in the afternoon, and they showed no signs of slowing down!

Anyways, I got my chance to play too, and I played hit the ball on the wall with the boys. It brought back memories of many recesses where we would play it; though I do forget what we called it.  So when it was time to go back to their room, it was a bit saddening. But I’ll go back again!

 I love children, so I loved this experience. I can’t wait to see how it goes with Toddler Care which is so very far away – Thursday.

 After another nice day I’m sure I’ll survive here. What do you guys think?

P.S. Tomorrow I have Fusion. I should probably find out what it’s about before going to it…..

Bye bye!

Simmi

Health Yoga

So I’m back again with another blog entry. First of all, let me ask you this – did you eat the apple I asked you to yesterday? Hope you did!

So today I had my very first Health Yoga class at the Y. I have done simple Yoga before (relaxation etc), but Health Yoga was a first. However, before we get into this, let’s talk about my pre-yoga experience at the Y this morning.

The class started at 10am, and I was there half an hour early to get my membership card. After I got it, I had a little adventure because Simmi can’t read! The change room signs pointed down, but I went up! It took me a good 5 minutes to realize what had happened. After my little adventure I found the studio, and met the yoga instructor – Petra. She was filling in for Regan for the day, and was such a sweetheart.

Now, just yesterday I had given an example of not judging the book by its’ cover, but did I learn? No! I went for Health yoga with the notion that it will be pretty simple; nothing too hard-core. Boy was I ever wrong. Serves me right for not stretching beforehand!

We started easy enough; concentrating on the breathing. Did you know that you could exhale and inhale from 3 areas of your body – lower abdominal, lower chest area, and upper chest area – in one go? It took us a couple of practice runs to get the breathing down. Who would have thought breathing could be this difficult?!

Furthermore, who would have thought some body parts could stretch like that? Well, now I do know. Poses, when seen on TV or seeing others do it, seem really easy – the “Oh, I can do that easily” behaviour – crops in. Like I said, don’t judge the cover; never judge the cover! The simple Child Pose made me have many “Oh, that could stretch like that?!” moments. The Warrior Pose as well had that effect; it’s not that easy lol.

Have you ever noticed that when you are told to do something, even the simplest of instructions, that they seem impossible at that moment? When we were told balance on one foot it felt that she was asking for the impossible! However, even with such impossibilities, I thoroughly enjoyed myself! Even after stretching body parts that felt shouldn’t be stretched, I felt very refreshed after the class.

So go for Health Yoga guys! It’ll help with various ailments, such as, digestion and blood pressure. Hey, I’ll take this over pills any day! And if this isn’t a great incentive, then another one is that it’ll help you relax physically. In such a stressed out world, a relaxed body is divine!

Well now I’m off to Group Care. Let’s see how this turns out.

Bye for now!

Simmi

I am the New YMCA Community Outreach Intern!

I'm Simmi - the new Community Outreach Intern here at the YMCA of Northern BC! One of the aspects in my job description was to blog. Okay, so how cool is that? Very.  However, it was not very cool right from the beginning, it took its’ time to achieve coolness.  

Let’s now have a moment of confession.

I am a recent graduate of the University of Northern British Columbia, an exceptional university if I may say so, with a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree; a major in Biomedical Studies and minor in General Business.  Now like every graduate out there, well most anyways, I asked the question “What can I do with this degree?” Luckily, it was not that hard of a question to answer. Then what was the hard question? It was when will I get a job? Okay wait, this insight is good and all, but did I not say something about a confession? Ha! Did you think I forgot? 

So eventually, very eventually, I stumbled upon the opportunity of becoming an intern at the YMCA.  . Though I did not apply for this position straightaway; passing it by a few times with the thoughts of being under qualified carving themselves in my mind. I think it was the 5^th time before I actually spent more than 5 minutes on the application. As I went through it I was like oh my God, I actually know how to do this! Before, I always passed on it because of the “Digital Intern” title, thinking to myself that I am not that great with graphics etc. Does this not reinforce the concept of do not judge a book by its’ cover?! It so does!

After that I applied for the position, and in a few days I even got a call for an interview! Furthering my pleasant surprise was the next surprise of getting the internship! 

Finally the D day came.  The morning started out easy enough; fill out some forms and read up on the rules and regulations. Recording my voicemail was fun too, though I still maintain that the script was too long! Then Karen got me to work; I was to make my time table for the month. In it I was to schedule in activities I, as an intern, needed to do. Some of the activities include Zumba and Fusion! I can actually improve my quality of life while working! Not bad, not bad at all. I could do this, and moreover, this was FUN.

I let myself, rather dared myself, to think that I could do this. But they say all good things come to an end. Or do they? So after lunch Karen briefed me on the major project that was part of this internship – a project that will have a big impact on the YMCA’s regional outreach. It is some really heavy duty work. I thought, no wait, I know how to do this. Three years in university I did mostly this! The only difference is that there I had to pay to be able to do it, and here I actually get paid to do it. The good has not ended yet.

So in a nutshell what I think I am saying is that even with all these jumbled emotions I think I will survive. Even if these emotions are just part of my FIRST day only, I think it will be one awesome experience!

And if you think this is last you will hear from me then you are sorely mistaken my friends! 

Till we virtually meet again, take care and eat an apple or two in celebration of Apple Month!