Should you buy Expensive Gifts or Gifts from the Heart?

This post is not late.  It’s for all those Soviets that still exchange gift on New Years eve .  For us this is the time of buying gifts and raking in the extra sales at the same time.  As I wonder from store to store one thought comes to mind: Should I buy expensive gifts or should I buy something that has meaning to the person receiving it?

When you know someone who has anything and everything they can possibly want, buying them just another gift is pointless, it will end up in the reject pile.  Typically people in this category are better off being treated to a night out, like opera, ballet, jazz or any other venue where you can spend time with them.  I personally love gifts of this nature, because I get to spend time with people and I be entertained at the same time.

Then there are those people who are more about the thought process that goes into the gift rather than the price tag.  Those people are hard to shop for, yet when you find what they like the feeling is very rewarding.  Knowing that you found something that they will enjoy immensely makes the present more valuable and appreciated.

The last type (but not the least) are the money grabbing, most expensive gift is the best gift type of mind set.  Those kind of friends you need to steer clear from.

At the end of the day, it’s really up to each and every one of us to decide how much effort we want to put into a gift.  The easiest gift has always been a gift card.  They are appreciated but overrated.  I think that giving a prepaid Amex or Visa card is better because it allows the person the freedom to shop wherever they choose.

And for all you folks out there who just give unwanted gifts…keep your money and face up to the fact that you don’t know how to listen.

Happy Giving & Receiving !!!

Bodies…The Exhibition

Since I started studying to become a personal trainer I have to memorize many cool things that involve the human body.  Reading text books and seeing the drawings is great but I wanted to really see all the muscles bones, nerves and arteries/veins live.

When the Bodies Exhibit first opened up, I was very much against it.  Displaying bodies in my eyes was very disrespectful to the diseased.  Plus the thought of being next to the bodies that once lived gave me the creeps.  At the same time, the thought of seeing a body in all of its glory was fascinating.  It took me a year to come to a decision of whether or not I should attend.

My first trip to the exhibit was a mixture of excitement and fear.  When I came out I was in awe.  I don’t know how the bodies were handled during the preparation process, but the exhibit does a wonderful job of being respectful to the diseased.  I loved every minute of it. It was educational and mind boggling.

Yesterday I went to see the Bodies Exhibit again, this time to study.  I have to say, this trip wasn’t enough and I’ll be going back again.  If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you do.  From an educational standpoint it’s phenomenal.  Plus its good to know what our bodies are like.

How to Deal with being Exhausted

It seems that I can never catch a break.  Ever since I started working at the gym I’m constantly fighting off fatigue and it’s not like i do a lot.  Most of the time it’s just walking around and making sure people are doing their exercises correctly.  I feel that I preach more than I actually do.  I have stopped eating on a regular schedule and instead eat sporadically.  Which results in constant headaches, stomachaches and bunch of other aches.  No matter how hard I try (or maybe I don’t try hard enough) I can’t seem to get enough food/water in my system.  On top of that I seem to stress the dumbest things ever.

Let’s try to come up with a way to cope with stress and exhaustion:

Sleep for eight hours straight – without drinking or smoking

Eat every three to four hours- instead of binging every six hours

Drink at least two liters a day – instead of just 16 oz.

Seems like an easy plan to keep, but I can’t seem to stick to it.  I give myself two weeks to get my routine in order and I’ll keep the progress on this post.

On top of being exhausted all the time, I miss bloging and can’t wait to get back to it, so maybe this will help me in more than one way: bloging about my progress and actually committing to the program.

Tis the Time of Gift Buying, Gift Giving and Gift Receiving

For those of you late shoppers who still haven’t finished there Christmas shopping – Hahaha – you’ll need to hurry up, get creative and start shopping.  As for the rest of us who don’t celebrate Christmas our shopping begins the day after all the mayhem is over,  after Christmas.

Being that I’m always picky and do not like to receive gifts that will clutter my apartment anymore than it already is, I tend to make wish lists and then send them out to my friends.  This way, I know I’ll get something that I want yet I have no idea what it would be (well sort of).

It seems that the best way for anyone to enjoy gift giving and receiving is the ability to communicate what each person wants.  Instead of hoping, wishing and preying for a gift that they dropped a hint once, nine months ago, one should take charge.  Bottom line is if you want to enjoy gift receiving, you need to step it up and open up.  Nobody mind reads and nobody likes to see their gift being exchanged or never used.

I think that as long as people have low expectations and are open about what they want, this time of year could go smoothly and happily.

Happy Shopping!!!!!

Work & Drama

I’m really happy about the decision I made going into personal training.  It’s a tough job yet the rewards I see are great.  I’m constantly on my feet, though in the beginning was torture.  I would come home and crash because my body wasn’t used to this kind of abuse.  As an ex-accountant I was used to sitting for eight hours a day staring into a computer.  Now I have to walk around and boy my body wasn’t used to the change.  I kept telling my co-workers that I’ll come back to work out but the second I got home and ate I passed out.  That was pretty much my whole week.  I couldn’t even write, though I had great ideas – none of which I remember now because I didn’t have the strength to write them down.

The second week was better, I worked out a few times and I’m feeling more energized.  I have to say that I’m happier now, I’m constantly busy and I don’t have too much time for myself which is good because when I have too much spare time I start having negative thoughts that taunt me.  The only draw back of my career at the moment is that I am still not good at selling my services, but I am making acquaintances with the gym goers and helping them out when ever I can.  I know what I need to do to fix my uncertainty – I need to get fit myself and create a routine that I can teach to others.  Then I’ll be ready to attack and help the average folks get in shape.

Drama at work: