CHANELWOOD.COM - The internet domain of Chanel. Quirky commentary on life, book reviews, movie reviews, articles on fashion, photography portfolio and more.

I am back from my weekend in Toronto. All in all, I must say that it was one of the best weekends I’ve had in a very long time; we met some great people at the International Conference on Integrative, Complementary & Alternative Medicine (ICAM) & Mental Health (the reason we were in Toronto in the first place) and ate some superb food at number of great restaurants on Queen street.

By the way—If you ever happen to be in Toronto, I highly recommend you go to Fressen and try their vegan and wheat free chocolate dessert made with pure chocolate and AVACADOES for richness. I know that sounds incredibly nasty, kind of like those obscure bubble tea flavors like pork and strawberries, but trust me: IT IS GOOD. VERY GOOD. (I can’t say the same for pork and strawberries, however.)

Originally I planned on writing a bit about my weekend, but I’ll spare you the tedious pain of surviving the dreaded “post-travel report” and show you a bit of Toronto in photos instead. Behold:

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Tomorrow morning at some ungodly hour (read: anytime between the hours of 2AM and 12PM) I will be making my way across the country to visit Toronto for the very first time. This trip will also be the farthest east I’ve ever been past HELL ON EARTH, Canada.

I wish I could tell you I’m thrilled, but really, I’m just sad because my favorite blogger will be in MY city when I will be out of it. TIMING, I HATE YOU.

Have you ever bought anything as a result of an infomercial you saw on TV?

I’m usually not one to fall for subtle marketing tactics aimed at the subconscious level, but when I saw the infomercial for Core Rhythms, I was instantly hooked. Celebrity endorsements from the judges of my favorite dance shows? Check. Developed by two champion ballroom dancers? Check. Based on ballroom movements, designed to strengthen the core? Check. Never having to do a crunch on the floor again? GOOD LORD, SIGN ME UP!

Don’t get me wrong—running and dancing are excellent workouts. But because they target more of my leg, thigh, back and shoulders, I haven’t really gotten to the point where my core has been severely challenged on a regular basis; and unfortunately, it’s my stomach/abs that need the most work. For swimsuit season, obviously. Because, you know, I love the water SO MUCH.

Along with doing target exercises, I’m adding the following things to my daily routine:

• PRACTICING SELF DENIAL – No more eating fast until I’m way too full. No more tubs of Rolo ice cream while I watch Dancing with the Stars. No more eating things just because they’re there. No more putting things in my mouth because I’m “bored”. It’s crunch time. Literally.
• The XANGO WEIGHT LOSS COCKTAIL - Made up of 2 oz XanGo, 2 oz Kiefer, 1 tbsp Coconut oil and 1 tbsp Olive oil, this surprisingly good tasting cocktail is supposed to rev up the metabolism, aiding in weight loss. I was skeptical at first, but after hearing all sorts of success stories from people I actually know, I’ve decided to add it to my “LETS GET IN SHAPE” mission.

Because I’m all about results, I’ve decided to take before and after photos and measurements so I can effectively track my progress. I’m giving myself until the end of June—if see noticeable results, I will actually post these before and after photos and measurements as a real-life, no bullshit testimonial to eating right and doing exercises that target my “problem” areas.

How do you keep in shape? Do you watch what you eat, hit the gym, or do a combination of things? Are there any particular exercises you’ve done (Pilates, yoga, etc.) that have delivered results for you?

The answer is simple: Just make time for yourself.

If you’ve ever observed work-obsessed people, you will notice that one of the common factors among almost all of them is the fact that they rarely—if ever—make time for themselves. And the scariest part? They don’t even realize it.

I mean, it’s not as if they set out to make work their life. Sometimes they use it to fill a void, sometimes they just get too carried away with the illusive “future” and what they need to do today to be where they want to be tomorrow—but regardless of reason, if they just set aside time for themselves each week, many would be in far better shape (if only mentally) than they currently are. (And if you want to get technical, being in better shape mentally = more productivity, so really it’s a win/win!)

I visit both sides of the fence on a regular basis. Being a business owner, I know what it’s like to sacrifice, and I all-too-well understand the concept of delayed gratification—but the thing that most of these people somehow overlook is the fact that no matter what you do, there must always be balance. You can be successful without giving up everything, even when it doesn’t always look like it’s possible.

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Have you ever wanted to do something, attempted to do that thing and then found that no matter how hard you tried, you simply couldn’t?

That’s how I feel right now about anything that requires creative energy. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat down with a witty idea or two, only to find that those ideas dancing around in my head simply couldn’t find their way out my fingers. Everything feels forced, and definitely not inspired.

For me, the worst thing about creative frustration is (surprise, surprise!) the “frustration” part. Unlike other negative emotions, I have yet to find a way to channel frustration into something positive. When creative frustration hits me, it crashes the whole operating system of my right brain, sort of like what happens when you try working in Photoshop and Illustrator at the same time while you browse Firefox with 50+ tabs open—I can’t write, I can’t draw, I can’t take photos, and I sure in hell can’t design.

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You know you’ve reached a certain point in your career as a pseudo-blogger when your friends start asking you not to blog about certain things:

The tail-end of a lengthy discussion on those who live life superficially vs. those who don’t (also known as CHANEL, YOU THINK TOO MUCH):

The Friend says: (10:37:11 PM)
You drive me crazy

The Friend says: (10:37:20 PM)
And this is just MSN

The Friend says: (10:37:30 PM)
… Please don’t write a blog on this :P

With more and more of my offline friends, family and acquaintances finding this website (which, admittedly, isn’t hard; all you need to do is google me), the subject of my online writings have never come up more often. Specifically, the question of “You’re not going to blog about this, are you?”

To those offline friends, family and acquaintances, and maybe our mailman: I am on the hunt for my next project and new material. Lock your doors. Maybe even close your windows. But be especially careful what you say or do around me, because you never know—it might just end up on here.