FItness is...

made up of two words: "Fi" and "tness".

Really?

No.

But it's funny. What is fitness? Is it lifting weights? Is it running, bicycling, swimming, roller-skating? Is it eating healthy? Is it eating what you want and then sweating it out later at the gym?

The point is this: Fitness isn't just one specific thing. It's many things and has just as many evolutions in meaning to the people that pursue it. I would venture a guess that a good majority of the people have at least one aspect of their life that they would like to be more "fit" in doing. Find what works for you. Get a trainer. Join a running club. Cycle to fight breast cancer.

"Do what moves you...literally." That's a Chris-ism regarding fitness (tm).

Inspiration

Sometimes we just need to know that everything is "OK".  Not just okay, but that the world isn't as bad as what we may see on the news or hear on the radio.  Sometimes we just need to catch a glimpse of something good going on somewhere by complete strangers and know that they are more representative of the whole human race than a troubled war zone in whatever country you pick.  With that, I give you Free Hugs.



You don't need to go around hugging complete strangers, but maybe today, let a few people know how great they are...

A Taste of Greece

When I interned in Washington D.C. there was this Greek restaurant down the street from where I lived. I had never had Greek food before and fell in love with it! Now several years later, I'm living in San Francisco and for awhile now have been craving some delicious Greek food. About two months ago, as luck would have it, I was in Pottery Barn and the lady helping me had a great Grecian accent. I took this as an opportunity to find out about any good Greek places in the City.

Tina (that's her name) told me of this great place in the Marina on Chestnut St. The place is called Mezes and it's amazing! The atmosphere is wonderful. It's the perfect place for a casual, yet intimate date or a group of friends. The food is perfectly proportioned and worth every bite! Gladys and I had a great time.

One of the best things...when Tina told me about the place, she told me to tell Nico (the owner) that told me about the place. Nico was very appreciative and as a show of it, gave us a free dessert. The evening was fantastic...a perfect date night.

ACE-ed it!

For the past month or so, I've been more-or-less putting my attention and free time towards getting certified as a personal trainer. I'll be honest, I was a bit taken aback by the sheer amount of information there is to learn to be even the most basic of personal trainers. Nevertheless...as of last Friday, I am now certified through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) to be a personal trainer.

So now...let's get to it!

The Best Night

I went to see Colbie Caillat and John Mayer in concert the other night. AMAZING. Everything about that night was perfect. It was the type of summer evenings where the temperature is just right. You don't need a coat, the stars are out, and there's good people all around.

Colbie Caillat was fantastic. Super chill and just cute. Not cute as in looks (which she is), but cute in personality and stage presence. I've loved her music the moment her first single came out and she keeps the great songs coming...

Then John Mayer came out. I like the stuff you hear on the radio from him. It's good. The lyrics get you thinking, the music is catchy but not mainstream common, and there's something in his voice that's just casual and calm -- like you could listen for hours. That's what you hear on the radio...in concert, he rocks! If you don't know, let me tell you now, as a performer, as a musician, as a songwriter he is flippin' amazing! He did blues covers, he did rock covers, he did his old stuff, his new stuff and a bunch in between. He blew it away.

We had a great time. Oh, who's "we"?


...us.

He'll put a boot up your...

The other night my cousin and I went to see Toby Keith in concert...and it was awesome! Montgomery Gentry opened for him and got the crowd up and moving. I'd seen Montgomery Gentry's videos before and thought I had a good understanding of their dynamic. Not so much. These guys (stoic picture aside) are a couple of fun-loving jokers that know how to turn it up.

Then Toby Keith came out and did his thing. I wouldn't say he's a great musician or even puts on a great performance. But his songs just get you right in the sweet spot and gets you on your feet. Also, he's fiercely patriotic and really stirred up some good emotions in the crowd.

It was good time all around.

My Mosaic

This was fun. A friend of mine put this on her blog and I thought it was a fun experiment.



here's how it works:
1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page of results, pick one image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers. (make the mosaic have 3 columns by 4 rows)

the questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food? right now?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. What is your favourite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favourite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. What is one word that describes you?
12. What is your blog name?

I don't understand...

I read in the paper the other day that the Greek island of Crete is suffering from a severe drought.

I don't understand how an island -- a (small) landmass surrounded on ALL sides by water -- can suffer from a drought. I just feel that with today's technology and civic engineering setting up a water facility should be pretty easy/expected. Maybe that's just me and my not-so-commonsense working on this one.


Note all the blue around the white parts...that's water.

What's your song?

I have a question that I like to ask people: If there was a song that best described you as a person, what would it be???

Of course, since I'm asking the question I have to have an answer. And here it is...



If I had a $1,000,000 by Barenaked Ladies

A few things to note... Yes it's about having lots of money. No, it is not that money will bring you happiness. What I think the song is about and how it relates to me is that with all that money, the greatest happiness comes from spending on fun and silly things with your friends and loved ones. Does money buy love? No. Does it allow for you to do things to create memories that last and look back and smile on? Yes. In a nut shell, that's me and my thoughts on my song...

Also, with $1,000,000 I think I could do something pretty amazing...

A few things...

A few things that are worth the time doing the right way to bring about some good times...
1) Passing notes... Is there ever a bad time to pass a quick note to someone. It can be anything personalized to the recipient and delivered under the right conditions and tact can bring about a great smile.
2) Coupons... Okay, I'll admit this one can be a bit hit-or-miss. But a coupon for something really good is hard to come by sometimes. When you do come across said great coupon the question comes up: Do I use it now...or later???
3) Eating fortune cookies the "right way"... Apparently there's a right way AND a wrong way. I personally think that my way is correct, but am open to other suggestions. Regardless, I had chinese the other night and received a great fortune: "You make good descision. Today's are the best." Given the company, conversation, and general management of the evening I would agree...except the Mongolian Beef -- maybe not the best decision I could've made.

Letter to Myself

Dear Chris,

It's me. Well, it's you, but it's me, too...only older and in the future. Don't ask me how this works, just go with it. I'm (you're) 27 at the time this letter was written. I want to take a moment to look back and dispense some advice, give you a heads up, and generally prepare you for this, that or the other.

Pay attention in high school. History and English will be fine (you have Ms. Gude and Mr. Honick to thank for that), but you need to get your head out of your butt for Science, Math, and Language. Use Mr. McGeehe, he'll help you with Biology. The languages offered at Branson are Spanish, French, German, Latin, and Japanese. I took Spanish and did ok. I think you should take Japanese...it'll make you kind of a nerd for now, but in the long run, totally pays off! If you decide to stick with Spanish, definitely do the study abroad in Oaxaca and Spain your Sophomore and Junior years. As far as high school goes, don't worry so much about people liking you; you'll be fine. Oh, don't date Lindsay*, she'll only break your heart and you'll end up doing something stupid. Oh, and don't break up with Lindsay via e-mail...that was just immature and weak. I don't care how "new' the internet was at that point. Don't do it!

College. You'll have fun. Three Important Things: 1) Major in a language (Chinese, Japanese, or Italian) 2) Dual-Major in Political Science. 3) Study abroad!!! Other than that, everything played out pretty well. Lindsay will be your best friend that you never date. The other Lindsay will be your best friend that you do date...and you'll fall head over heels for her. You'll break up, but it's okay, this one turns out really great. There's another Lindsay that is neither your best friend or worth dating, but you date her anyways and it sucks the life out of your for many years. You'll know her when you see her. Run - don't walk - away from her!

If you've followed the basics of what's in my letter, post-college will be awesome. Listen to our parents. They know what's up and will help you in more ways than you can ever imagine. Dad is going to put you through this program called Eagle U. Don't fight it, just go and open your ears, mind, and heart. Through this program you'll meet some amazing people, including Lindsay. This Lindsay is pretty awesome and will give you one of the best gifts in the world -- Truth. I won't say more than that, but it's a great surprise.

Um, what else?? I think that's it for now. Oh right, one more thing. Look, Chris, I know you're a bit of a romantic and take things to heart pretty easily. Don't change that. I think it's pretty great. But just be ready for the fact that there will be people that will break your heart, and there will be those that put it back together again. Just keep in mind, for as many times your heart gets broken, you might be breaking someone else's, okay? Not that you can do anything about it, I'm just saying. Sometimes, you can get a little only-child-center-of-the-universe-type-of-thing going. That, you can do without. Don't worry though, your friend Lindsay will call you out on it more often than not.

Otherwise, have a great life! See you soon.
Love,
Chris

*Chris has never dated a Lindsay, this is a catch-all name to protect the identities of those girls he has dated whether it worked out or not.

Blinding Whiteness and Lipstick Lesbians

It's amazing how some of the simplest things can make for a great evening. Sure, toss in dessert, good conversation, and a drive-to-a-place-where-they-won't-find-your-body all help too.

After thought: The aforementioned body was found in the aforementioned place and still very much a live...I think we're okay! ;)

For those that work the late shift...

or any shift for that matter...



Shiftwork by Kenny Chesney

Another Summer Concert

I'm not gonna lie, up until the last couple years my concert-going experiences have been few.  Not that I don't like going to concerts, I had just never really been in the loop as to who was playing where and when.  But that's a-changing, my friends!  Last Friday I found myself sitting "on the green" at Shoreline Ampitheater enjoying yet another concert headlined by one of Country Music's greats...

The show kicked off with Julliane Hough.  She's a cute new-comer with a great voice and good presence.  It's hard being the opener. People are rolling in, getting food, buying the shirt of the guy they're going to see later, what have you...not much attention to be had.   Still, I can see she's got potential to go someplace.

Following her was a surprise hit for me, Chuck Wicks.  Just on looks alone, the girls loved him.  I'll concur in a heterosexual way.  He's good looking.  Even better, he's got some great songs.  I

 don't know if he'll blow up, but he'll definitely sell CDs.  

Chuck Wicks definitely started to amp up the energy...only to be sucked out by the vacuum that is Jewel.  I love Jewel.  I know the words to her songs.  I'll sing them in the car if no one's around.  One thing Jewel is not, is a country singer.  She's folk.  She's jazzy with a touch of blues.  Jewel is a great musician, but grossly inappropriate for this concert.

Then the real 

show.  Brad Paisley.  How can you not like the guy?  He's not bad looking.  Great musician.  Hilarious, deep, insightful, meaningful, romantic lyrics...sometimes all at once, usually on a per song basis.  And you have to respect the custom guitars with the paisley printing.   Fun fact:  He's married to the daughter from the movie Father of the Bride.

The Worst Possible Thing...EVER

I was paid a compliment tonight.  No, that's not the worst thing...though, it's directly tied to it.  The compliment was that I have a nice voice.  Ironic to me since I feel that my voice is just so-so.  But I think everyone thinks that about their own voice, so be that as it may...

Anyways, the compliment continued along.  I have a really nice voice...apparently it sounds like John Tesh's voice.  What's funny about this is that I was thinking in my head at the moment, "Please don't be John Tesh's voice.  Please don't be John Tesh's voice."  For you readers that don't know.  Here's how I feel about John Tesh's voice.

I really am very happy and grateful to receive such a great compliment.  Thank you "complimentor".

Summer Goal...

This Summer's Social Goal:   Learn to surf...

Missing it...

So, I have a friend that just left for a short vacation in China with her mom.  I find myself being rather jealous.  When I told her of my jealousy, she pointedly commented, "Please, you just came back from Taiwan!"  

True.  And now I realize how much I miss it.  I don't necessarily miss the work, but the atmosphere, the people, the speaking of the Chinese.  I love being home; don't get me wrong.  I guess I wish I had the opportunity to dip into the Asian-culture that I experienced there, here more frequently.  I hope that made sense.

Also, I can't get my Jay Chou fix as readily in the States as I can in Taiwan.  I need my Jay Chou fix!

The Best Concert Ever....EVER!

Yesterday my cousin and I went made our way to AT&T Park in San Francisco to catch Kenny Chesney's Poets & Pirates Concert. It was, in a word, "amazing!" The show started at 4 pm and we didn't leave until 11:30 pm...That's not a concert, that's a flippin' Extravaganza of Country Greatness, right there!

What made it so great, you ask? Why was it an extravaganza?? Here's why...
The show opened with Gary Allen. He's a great mix of gravely rock vocal and country lyrics.

After an hour-long set, the new love of my life came out...Leann Rimes! She's just so cute and sweet. It's okay, she's married and I understand and am totally cool with that. I guess we'll just have to be friends.

Her set was a bit longer and then they rolled out Brooks & Dunn. If people weren't standing already, they were by the end of their set. Awesome.

And the headliner for the evening...Kenny Chesney. Say what you will about the guy, "he's short." "looks funny without a hat on." "was married to Rene Zellwiger for 10 minutes." Whatever you want...that guy knows how to put on a show! He even brought out some special guests: Steve Miller and Sammy Hagar!

The two sides...

It came back. I thought I had it under control. I thought that I had done everything right...or as right as I could manage. Sadly, no. With great fury, I had a migraine last night (Friday night). I almost can't remember when the last time was that I had one. For those of you that get them, you can understand and relate to the experience. For those that are blessed to not receive migraines here's a quick cap on what happens (to me):
-Slowly, yet steadily, pressure and pain of a piercing nature starts to build just above my left eye.
-The pain increases steadily for about an hour.
-As it climaxes it turns to a more stabbing sensation, yet the pain does not abate.
-I liken the feeling to a 6 inch nail being hammered into my head.
-At some point the pain becomes so excruciating that I expel whatever contents may be in my stomach out my mouth. If there are no contents in said stomach, then violent retching occurs.
-Happily, this exhausts my body to the point that I am able to pass out for a solid three hours.
-When I awake, pain is gone as if it never was and I'm made new again!

I shall try harder to control that grotesque and torturous beast that sleeps (for now) inside my head (just above my left eye...)

Weekends should be...

This Saturday was what weekends should be like. A group of friends went to the tide pools in Pacifica. Then we went horseback riding. Then we had a great lunch. Then we drove home and talked about everything and nothing for a couple of hours.

It wasn't so much the specific things we did, but that throughout it all was good times, good food, and good people. That's a great weekend...and it's not over yet! So great!

And here's me riding my horse...

Ever just wanna be....?

Go ahead, fill in the blank. Ever just wanna be _____ ? For awhile now, I've just wanted to be angry. Not like 'upset angry'. No something more. Not really 'frustrated angry'. I'm talking more 'Hulk angry'. Like if someone got in my way, I'd put them through a wall. I guess there's a certain amount of rage that comes with this type of angry. Happily (and for the people next to walls, gratefully), I haven't been that angry.

I came back from Taiwan and there was that initial re-adjustment transition phase. I felt adrift, not able to get my feet under me and assess where I was or what was going on. It was hard to look forward and plan for anything. I could only look backward at the life I just left in Taiwan. Looking forward I didn't see anything! That was scary and rather depressing, I'm not going to lie.

But with some time spent with some great friends, some good talks, and patience my feet have touched the ground. I'm now in step walking along this path of Life again; and the Hulk inside has been abated...for now. ;)

"You won't like me when I get upset."

New Year's Eve 101, pt 2

Sorry, as I finished my Christmas re-cap I realized that it really should be its own posting. Now, for New Year's Eve...

The city of Taipei was really hopping. If you were wanting for something to do that night all you had to do was head downtown to Taipei 101 (hereinafter referred to as "101").

Work ended, I headed over to Chinese class and at 9:30 met up with Joy and some other friends for a rooftop party. I'm sure we've all be to a rooftop party or at the very least partied on a roof somewhere. There was great food and great company to be had. To be honest, the roof was just a typical roof -- oh, except for the AWESOME view of 101!!! We were maybe 5 or 6 blocks from the building itself.

For those that don't know, Taipei 101 is currently the world's tallest building. (Aside: Taiwan really doesn't seem like the place to find the world's tallest/most anything) Yes, I've heard about the Dubai Tower, but that's not done yet so it doesn't count in my book.

So there we are on the roof looking at 101 all lit up. Suddenly, I realize I didn't have a watch and had no idea when to start the countdown! All concerns were allayed when 101 suddenly went dark and a countdown of lights running up the building clued us in.

Then at 00:00:01 1/1/2008 the biggest New Year's firework show I've seen went off. These pictures hardly does it justice...

New Year's Eve 101, pt 1

Happy (belated) New Year!!! The new year (albeit for the Gregorian calendar, not the Chinese lunar one) celebration was HUGE here in Taipei.

Really quick, let me re-cap a Taiwanese Christmas:
It's a bit funny -- sad, perhaps too -- that Christmas came and went and there was barely a stir in the air. Christmas just isn't here. And with that neither is there a feeling of "Christmas spirit". It was weird...for me, Christmas didn't really happen this last year.

There were Santas and Christmas trees in the departments stores, but they were all cheap imitations of the real thing. I maybe saw that word "Christmas" written a few times around here and there. Most of the time it was, "X-mas". I loathe -- LOATHE -- that term. It doesn't convey anything that is or represents the holiday or what it means.

There were Christmas parties at friends' places and gift exchanges and in those brief moments the spirit of the season was felt. Still, all this amounted to one grand realization for me: Christmas (and the holidays) are founded in family and traditions, and supported by society. For me, I never want to spend Christmas without my family again. They -- all of them -- make the spirit come alive for me.