When I joined, I was looking for motivation and inspiration to get fit and healthy. While I never really put up a checklist like many others, my goals were to get into shape so that I wouldn’t tire so quickly when I was assigned overseas for work (and could therefore do more shopping/sightseeing/taking it ALL in). It’s not an incredibly strenuous job, my job, but a large portion of it does involve walking & talking, sometimes simultaneously. Increasingly, I’d become so self-conscious of how exhausted I felt/looked that I’d just hole up in the hotel room after hours. I also had a friend’s wedding coming up - she’s one of my best mates but terrifyingly, the bridesmaids dresses were a tad … ‘revealing’. There were barely any folds or material to hide a bulge (or 12), so in shape I needed to get.

It’s now been over a year since I made the decision to ‘fix’ myself, and gladly, I realised, not for anyone else, but for me (and maybe a l’il for the bride). Thanks to all the awesome people who shared their experiences and tips and reblogged quotes and infographics and pics and links and advice and everything else, I’ll never be the same. If it weren’t for all of you, I wouldn’t have known or done all the things I have since, all of which has changed my life indefinitely.

As it turned out, I had more stamina than I ever thought possible for my two-week assignment abroad, which consisted of three work shows back-to-back, and a short weekend with my Aunt & Uncle in San Francisco before heading back home (sans jet-lag). And when my friend’s wedding came around, I’d somehow accepted that I’d done all I could, and that was that, and decided, flab or no flab, I was gonna have a fab time. And I did. And it was great. And I didn’t puke on seeing some of my photos.

So, now that that’s over, what now? I’m not entirely sure. But I did enjoy the fact that I could finally jump rope for more than a minute without feeling like dying, and I love how my abs were beginning to form (and never seemed to go away no matter how much lasagna I ate!) I didn’t need to ‘suck in’ my tummy anymore when walking past cliques of guys in the corridor, and kinda liked it when the breeze would catch my shirt and tug it around my waist. Above all, I loved how the day after a workout, I could feel the movement of every muscle in my body, like I was more alive than I’d ever been. I’m not one for aches and have an irrational fear of any kind of pain, but this.. this was something else. And endorphins.

I guess in short, what I’m trying to say is, this goes on, but with a more… personal twist. It might not be completely health & fitness, because life these days is becoming so much more than that. But a large part of it will always be some sort of inspiration that I hope everyone passing by will kinda pick up on. Because inspiration, in my opinion, opens up entire realms of possibilities. Anything and everything you dream of can, and will, happen.

So, lets get the ball rolling with a new set of goals for me:
First up - new overseas work assignment I need to shape up for. I have exactly one month to do this (i.e. Oct 16).
Next - have an awesome birthday out this year instead of hiding under the bed. The plan is to spend some time with my favourite Martini, and some of my best friends in the world.
Then - go running. I’m petrified of running for a multitude of (again) irrational reasons. Also, I have no shoes.

I hope you’ll stick around.

Hugs.