I started with my first running training today. It was not pretty early for a Saturday. And it was cold! There were 3 other people who were also doing the training. So it is a pretty small group.

During the first lesson we just got to know each other and started doing some warming-ups. We were also taught how to run the right way, i.e. not moving your upper body while running. We learned some tricks in order to avoid that.

My physical condition is very bad. I could not even run at an okay speed for 1 minute without running out of breath. *Sigh* I am planning to start running around in order to build up my condition again.

Anouk's Lost

I was looking at the pictures of unique homes on MSN, when I found out about that some of the buildings (Der Neue Zollhof which means The New Maze) in the Medienhafen in Duesseldorf I visited in June are Frank Gehry's works. I do not know anything about architecture. I only heard about this architect, when I visited the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles in March this year. I recently found out that Frank Gehry was actually born in Canada and that he has recently worked on the renovation of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto. I have been to the AGO before the renovation and I have to say that it looks much better now. It is pretty impressive! 

Picture of the AGO, taken by Glogger

1. Put the icing on the cake: Make a good thing even better, although it is not something that is essential

2. Small beer: Of little value or importance

3. The hard stuff: A drink with high alcohol content, e.g. undiluted whiskey

4. A different kettle of fish: Something entirely different, more complex or demanding

5. A couch potato: Someone who spends too much time watching TV with no real interests or hobbies

6. A hot potato: An issue that is controversial, dangerous or embarrassing

7. Take with a pinch of salt: Do not believe that what is referred to is completely true

8. Pie in the sky: Predictions or promises which are unlikely to be fulfilled

9. The upper crust: The highest social classes; the aristocracy

10. Fair game: Someone who is easy to attack because he/she has left him/herself weak or exposed

After the storm-resistant umbrella I discovered an even cooler umbrella that is also storm-resistant. It is the Nubrella! This umbrella looks like the larger version of the helmet of an astronaut. And you do not need to hold it! I think it is a very funny product. If you want everyone's (especially strangers') attention, you surely need to get one! I can now already imagine how it must be like, when one day we all look like aliens walking around in the streets....... on a rainy day. It does not seem to be romantic, if a couple walks around holding hands and carrying the Nubrella! Hahaha...

As everyone knows, fruits contain lots of antioxidants that have anti-aging effects. Besides, you can lose weight more easily by eating lots of fruits. Firstly, most fruits contain lots of water, so you get full sooner. Secondly, compared to a cup of rice, pasta or bread that contain a high amount of carbohydrates, fruits are low in calories.

According to Canadian Living, the top 25 healthy fruits are (alphabetically):

Avocado
• Nutritional value (½ avocado): 114 calories, 4.5 g fibre, source of vitamin E and folate
• Disease-fighting factor: Avocados contain healthy monounsaturated fats that can help lower cholesterol levels when eaten instead of harmful saturated fats. For a heart-healthy boost, replace butter with avocado on your favourite sandwich.  

Banana
• Nutritional value (1 medium): 105 calories, 3 g fibre, source of vitamin B6, potassium and folate
• Disease-fighting factor: With 422 milligrams of potassium per banana, these sweet delights have more poassium than most fruit and may help lower blood pressure levels.

Blackberry
• Nutritional value (½ cup/125 mL): 31 calories, 4 g fibre, rich in antioxidants
• Disease-fighting factor: Blackberries get their deep purple colour from the powerful antioxidant anthocyanin, which may help reduce the risk of stroke and cancer. Studies show that blackberry extract may help stop the growth of lung cancer cells.

I have finally started reading Ovid's Metamorphoses! I actually bought the book, when I was still in high school. It is actually a Dutch translation, because I did not think I could read the whole work in Latin. At the time my Latin was okay though. Haha. Using a Latin-Dutch dictionary, I should have been able to understand the major part of the Metamorphoses.

In The Netherlands Latin and ancient Greek, considered as dead languages by some people, are taught in middle and high school. Not everyone gets to learn them. Only students who follow the six year education that prepares them to enter university (and sometimes college) can take Latin and ancient Greek.

I started taking Latin in grade 8 and ancient Greek in grade 9. Almost half of my classmates dropped Latin after the first year and only a few actually took ancient Greek. As far as I can remember, we mostly learned how to translate Latin and ancient Greek texts into Dutch. The translations only contained the essence, but not the style. I really liked it, because I was amazed at the writing style of Latin and Greek authors. They used a lot of parallelisms and chiasms in their works. In ancient Greek classes I even learned about the rhythm Greek epics had.

Shunza's Sunrises:

It is simple, but beautiful. I love her voice!

Believe it or not, there are now bras for men in Japan now! I do not know what to say about it. I have nothing against anyone with a 'different' sexual orientation or anything though. I guess you can consider it as just a piece of underwear. Both men and women can wear thongs, so why not bras?

You can read more about the bras here.

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to run a 1/2 marathon next year.

I have been very lazy, because I do not do any exercises. Three years ago I did the CN Tower Stairclimb in Toronto, although I never practiced for it. Well, I finished it in a little longer than 30 minutes. A lot of people could finish within 20-25 minutes! My friend could not finish it, because she started feeling sick after she started climbing the stairs. And my ex was walking extremely slowly, for it took him almost an hour to finish the Stairclimb!

This was three years ago. Since then I gained quite a lot of weight. I am not obese or anything! I was just more skinnier at the time. I think I really need to work on my condition now. I just want to be more healthy. And I want to lose weight, too! That is why I want to run a 1/2 marathon.