The other day a good friend and I were talking about terrorists, because you know, that subject totally comes up in all my conversations. RIGHT UP THERE WITH THE RISING COST OF OIL PRICES.

Brainwashing aside, don’t these guys ever question the situation they’ve found themselves in? Forget about the blowing up and killing part - they’re promised a certain number of virgins in the next life for “martyrdom”… Aren’t you going to ask for photos first?

After all, you may never know who you’re going to get…

Male friend:
Personally, I’d need to see their pictures first

Male friend:
Maybe like a myspace

Chanel:
I wonder what would happen if one of them asked?

Male friend:
Terrorist: “May I view a picture of one of my virgins before I strap these bombs on my back?”

Chanel:
Muhammad: “Yes, you may” … *hands over a picture*

Chanel:
Terrorist: “WTF DUDE, THAT’S MY SISTER!”

As seen on the back of a stall door in the ladies washroom at a rest stop off the I-5 North:

I love reading the things people write on the walls in the stalls of bathrooms.

At first glance, most bathroom graffiti typically looks like trash—you know, the usual suspects of “JESSICA WUZ HERE” and “JT+BS FOR EVA”—and if you take it for face value, it’s nothing more than that. But if you really think about it, everything written on those walls has a story behind them. People do everything for a reason, even if they don’t consciously know the reason for it at the time.

Whenever I read the things people write on walls, I simply can’t help but wonder about the author’s life: Are JT and BS still together? What’s Jessica doing now? … And when you read particularly chilling words like “I can’t take this anymore”… Are you still hanging in there?

It’s such an odd thought, looking over a cluttered wall and knowing that many, many people have been exactly where you are, and of all those people, some of them felt particularly impressed to write something on the walls surrounding them. They’re each strangers to the next, all going through different things in life, some coming in, some going out… But the one thing these strangers all have in common is the wall. They wrote on the wall.

We’re not all that far apart from each other as may we think.

What’s the most memorable thing you’ve ever seen on a bathroom wall?

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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This just came in the mail today:

Check out the issue date.

The month isn’t even over yet, but it’s already quite apparent that March has been the month of doing things I thought I could never do. First it was the 5K run in 36 minutes and 49 seconds. Next it was the dance competition (and bringing home my first ever trophies!) I told everyone I couldn’t “wouldn’t” do. And today? Today I ran twenty minutes. Straight. WITHOUT STOPPING OR WANTING TO DIE.

You probably won’t understand the significance of this, and that’s okay. But I do. I remember the girl who couldn’t make it halfway around the track without dying - but tonight I was the girl who ran a total of 68 minutes, running 10, 15, 20, and 10 minutes straight with 1 minute breaks in between. I did it.

If I keep this up, I could actually achieve world domination before I turn twenty-five.

Now, if only I could take my driver’s test…

I think the title says it all, but in case it doesn’t, the following photo should:

We ranked 5th in Advanced Latin, 3rd in Jive and 3rd in Paso Doble, bringing home two trophies and two gift certificates each to JC Dance Co’s Rising Star Squad (Standard Technique). More photos here.

I won’t lie and tell you that it wasn’t “OH MY GOD I’M GOING TO DIE” terrifying, but I will tell you this: It was totally worth it in the end. Sure, I might have made mistakes in every dance and danced the Samba at twice the speed of the music in front of my friends, family, and TEACHERS, but I survived it.

In fact, forget all the dance experience of training, preforming, and not dying, and forget about the two shiny trophies I kiss every night before I go to bed… The very fact that I voluntarily decided to be judged on my dancing—in public no less—and survived to want to do it again next year has set the bar a notch higher for the next bigger and scarier thing that will no doubt come my way in the near future. Like public speaking. Or fish.

This “coming out of your comfort zone” thing? Hard, but awesome.

1. Trashy celebrity magazines and blogs. I never buy them, but flipping through celebrity news at the checkout is another reason why grocery shopping is, hands down, my favorite type of shopping.
2. Food. I love to shop for it, make it, bake it, and eat it. Basically, this vice sounds like a recipe for obesity. Thankfully, the four factors that stand in the way of me and obesity are: 1) I’m vegetarian, 2) and a fairly healthy eater, 3) very active, and 3) not American. (Kidding about the last one, of course.)
3. My ability to take something small and make it huge. My upcoming dance competition is an excellent example of this. I freaked out, thought up the most lucrative worst case scenarios and made a small competition into a huge OH EM GEE IM GOING TO DIEEEEE event, but after a couple practices, I was actually looking forward to it. Overeact much?
4. Pride. I have a certain pride in my independence. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing, but definitely something that can run a little too far at times. I like to do things by myself. I have a particular inability to ask for help, especially when it’s something I’m adamant about figuring out for myself. I refuse to date, partially because of my pride in being my own person and above all that typical non-committal, toxic nonsense.
5. Being too analytic. I examine things. I have this particular fondness for picking apart my life, both my current situation and my planned future. While I know that it has definitely contributed to me being more aware about my behavior and every last aspect of my life, it also has the tendency to drive people crazy when I do it out loud, my family especially.
6. My ability to do nothing and still feel as if I’ve done so much. I don’t even think this one needs explaining, but I can tell you one thing: I’ve had days where all I do is sit in bed and read or sit in bed and work on something useless for HOURS, and after all that I can still have the sheer audacity to feel as if I’ve ran a marathon.

Things that might be happening in my life over the next two weeks, a list:

• Work.
• School.
• Dance practice.
• Work.
• School.
• Running!
• School.
• Work.
• Dance competition?!

I’ll leave you to guess which one out of that list is most terrifying to me. (Hint: It’s not work.)

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Hi, I'm Chanel, a Vancouver-based entrepreneur, writer, photographer, life-long student, sister, daughter and lover. Welcome to the place where my free time goes to die. Follow me on twitter and tumblr.

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Ate enough cotton candy at the fair to throw up a whole sugar cane. Rode the coaster enough times to make that a reality. Survived both. 1 week ago