Strike a pose

Last week (& partially last week) I've had to cut back on wearing eye makeup because of this wretched thing called a "stye."  My left eye was apparently really irritated when I wore fake eyelashes (oh the small price for beauty)  With less makeup and working out in the mornings before work (my hair is what it is after workouts), I definitely felt frumpy, bothered and just not pretty. Then I was reminded of how much we depend on the material things that make our eyes look bigger, our lips pout or our chests stick out.  Or how our culture depends on these so much so it becomes an obsession! 

On another note, I am so thankful for the support of Haseeb & Maya Omar of my pursuit into the modeling industry. Haseeb is a fantastic photographer, developing his hobby into a real genuine passion.  We shot some photos in Balboa Park and I couldn't get enough of the experience!

Last weekend we drove to the beach in Carlsbad (which was BEAUTIFUL btw) with another photographer, another model, Haseeb and I.  The weather was gorgeous, water temperature perfect and Oliver Henry Asis shot some AMAZING photos. Aren't they impressive?  I absolutely love the contrast in the lighting and the background. 

I'm no professional but I LOVE how these pictures turned out.  Thanks Haseeb and Oliver!

xoxo,
Kristen

Behind the name

I personally keep a journal to record my thoughts, my hops, my fears and inspirational quotes.  I feel like keeping a blog is idyllic but also a tad bit more time consuming.  It's not as easy as turning to a blank page and scribbling.  But there's something about the time you put into a product that is to be publically viewed.  It requires more thought, reserving the vulnerability of your raw emotions but in a way that is entertaining for the audience.  Hah, I've started so many blogs, I had to think of a blog name- something that captured this particular point in time in my life that I want to convey. 

Juliet:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Well, up until this point in my life, BEAUTY has been a struggle to be realized and understood.  The struggle was at its peak in college where my life and worldview was completely inside out. I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience that made me realize that I have a purpose-driven life and need to live for a cause, greater than myself.  My identity as an athlete, as a young woman, a woman of color and as a daughter was stretched and I had a great deal of difficulty trying to develop each area of my life to the point where I wanted to fully express its derision. 

More than ever, media had an affect of what I thought was beautiful and my own understanding of beauty.  I never thought I was worthy of notice, worthy of being loved nor did I believe in my personal value and worth.  Being a woman who is very goal-oriented and achievement based, I thought that my achievements gave me value. (&they did!) But those accomplishments are only worth as much as you value yourself. 

Since then, I've been molded and shaped to become the woman I'm made to be.  But I won't stop there.  I want to communicate to others this same message.   

tran·spire  (trn-spr)

v. tran·spired, tran·spir·ing, tran·spires

1. To become known; come to light.

2. Usage Problem To come about; happen or occur.

3. To give off vapor containing waste products, as through animal or plant pores.

Slowly but surely, I've learned how to accept who I am as a person of integrity, as a woman of color and someone who has big dreams. It's taken me a while but I can confidently say that "I am beautiful." 

I feel like me entering into this pageant has come at the perfect time to mark the end of one chapter and to begin onto the next.  

xoxo,

Kristen 

 

Talk about growing pains...

Preparation for this pageant has had its fair share of "growing pains," however, I'm still managing to persevere with 40 days left!!

Thank you to (so many) people that have shown their generosity and compassion in this particular cause.  If I've taken anything away from this pageant, it is the fact that I can be a more giving person to others.  My spirit has been uplifted by the words of encouragement and the number of people just interested in what I'm doing with my life.  I am so touched by everyone's kindness, I am truly blessed.

I know that despite my lack of experience in pageants, I know that my life experiences have prepared me for what is to come.  I have HUGE faith that something big will come out of this and I can only imagine the doors of opportunity this may lead to. 

"Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

James 1:4

It has been difficult to achieve and maintain balance with a fullwork schedule, a part-time work schedule, workout routine, home life and personal life.  When I'm tired or stressed, it's VERY easy to slip into negative thoughts, "I'm not good enough," "You don't know what you're getting yourself into," "You're not ready..."

It is a good feeling to feel loved and cherished by coworkers, family and friends that are proud of you for doing your very best! (or simply for being YOURSELF).  I feel like a winner before having competed because of the strong confidence this gives me. 

 Lesson #3:  Don't wait until the finish line or the end product to celebrate.

xoxo,
Kristen

Join us for a FANTASTIC evening at Trattoria Fantastica!

Come eat authentic Sicilian food at Trattoria Fantastica on Tuesday, August 9th from 5:00-9:00pm!
Print out the flyer below and present it to your server. 10% of your check will go towards supporting me in the 2012 Miss Greater San Diego pageant! 

Many great thanks to fellow Padsquad P.J. Busalacchi and the Busalacchi family for their generous support in making this night possible!  I can't wait!

(**this image is hard to ready if you copy & paste, email me at kyoonie@gmail.com

and I can email you the flyer in PDF format**)

Hope to see you there!

xoxo, Kristen

fit for a beauty queen, part II

A beauty queen must be fit- the pageant includes a swimsuit competition!  You must be thinking,

"Piece of cake!"

Kristen, you've been a swimmer for how many years?  Walking around in your swimsuit should be easy.

Yeah right!

Not only do you have to be fit to be judged but also have the confidence to walk around in a swimsuit and heels...on stage!

Plan of attack:
Since January I've been swimming with the San Diego Swim Masters team at the YMCA couple days a week, anywhere from 1500-2500 yards per practice.  The team has been so welcoming, inspiring and full of great people!  This is where I get my fill on some outside-of-the-office socializing. 

I've been training for Disney's first EVER Tinkerbell half marathon at the Happiest Place on Earth taking place on January 29, 2012 (there's still space to register!). I'm gaining the endurance for longer and more consistent running.

I was thinking about yoga but had some hesitations, a HUGE bump in the road was the price of membership or even a month of yoga until...GROUPON.  The weekend after I was contemplating a yoga membership, GROUPON came out with a deal for CorePower yoga, $60 for a month of yoga.  How perfect!  Thanks coworker Maya for showing me the power of yoga!

Here's a look into a typical week:

Monday - Thursday:
7am - 11:45am: Work
12pm - 1pm: Swim practice
1pm - 6pm: back to Work
6:30pm - 7:30pm: Yoga or Run

I have Friday's off (yay alternate work schedule!) so I'll use this day to get an extra long run in or take my time at swim practice.  With such a hectic work/workout schedule, I HAVE to stick to a good diet and making sure I'm hydrating with plenty of water. I like drinking Trader Joe's electrolyte enhanced water, comes in 50.7oz bottles because I can refill it 2-3 times a day and there you've downed around 150 oz. of water.  & you'll sweat 2-3 lbs of water during yoga (at least it feels like it) so it's very important to stay hydrated. 

Side note: There's this really cool website, MapMyRun.com and it tracks your workouts for you!  You can trace your run, bike or walk along pathways or streets.  It also save your workouts and it'll calculate how far you went!  AMAZING!  Thanks coworker Tim!

I try to rest on Saturdays and Sundays but if I'm not at the number of workouts I wanted to get in during the week, I'll just make it up during the weekend. Especially when we have stuff going on at the office, I'll save that workout for later. Plus it doesn't hurt to be walking laps around Petco Park as Padsquad :)  Go Padres!

This past week I tried to run before work, even though I vowed NEVER to get up in the 5 o'clock hour after years of morning practice.  Lesson #1: Sometimes you have to set aside some things to get other things accomplished.

Wednesday, July 20
5:30-6:30am: Run (2.5 mi)
7am-11:45am: Work
12pm - 1pm: Swim practice
1pm - 6pm: Work
6:30pm - 7:30pm: Yoga

I attempted to repeat this the next day but I was so SLEEPY, I couldn't keep my eyes open enough for yoga.  I caught up on sleep this past weekend which was nice. 

Results?
I feel like I'm in the BEST shape of my life!  Swimming tones my arms, running shapes my legs and yoga helps with flexibility, core and gets everywhere else that hasn't been touched.  I think it's a good balance of physical activity for more holistic fitness. & it doesn't hurt for an extra 50 crunches here and there :)

Such a busy schedule does put a damper on your social life. Lesson #2: Surround yourself with people who will support you no matter what. You can only get so far on pure self-motivation. 


xoxo,
Kristen

fit for a beauty queen, part I

The decision came easily, (or more easily) to compete as I had been on the 4-hour diet by Tim Ferriss for about a month before I decided to really commit to the pageant.  This diet is pretty much no dairy, no carbs, no fruit and no sweets for 6 days a week and then one "cheat" day where you can eat whatever you want!  The first month and a half I was pretty strict about what I ate and since then I've added Fage yogurt because it's packed with protein. (My favorite flavors are honey, cherry and strawberry, YUM!)

A typical day of meals:
breakfast:
7:00am - Muscle Milk
8:00am - Fage yogurt
10:45am - 2 hard boiled eggs (without yoke)
(I'll have a powerbar or Cliff bar if I work out in between)
2:00pm - salad with chicken
4:00pm - a little snack before workout
dinner- meat dish with vegetables

My energy levels have been sustained, I'm having less soda/caffeine cravings and I can stay alert longer.  A HUGE impact on my days at the office.  With 47 days until the pageant, I need to be a little more stringent- less dairy & less sweets.  I've been paying attention to my cravings and I above all crave sugar!  We won't even go near the topic of ice cream.

Kristen's nutrition secret:

Beef Jerky- it's like eating a steak without the knife and fork! 

High in protein, check! Low in calories, check! Tasty, check!  (but a tad expensive, I'll splurge if I've been good)  I definitely love this diet, but I wouldn't call it that because I get to eat all the portions of food I want.  It's more of a "lifestyle change," which is essential to anybody's weight loss.

This way I have to THINK about what I'm eating.  If you're working out, you may have to make some modifications so you're not depriving yourself the calories you need to burn.  I've added yogurt, fruit and bars for that reason.

xoxo,
Kristen

Countdown to Miss Greater San Diego 2012

Hi everyone,

I'm competing in this year's Miss Greater San Diego USA pageant September 10, 2011!  Suprised?  Yeah, me too.  Thanks to Padsquad Alicia, I am considering this opportunity to be fun, fulfilling and a step towards becoming the next Oprah!  (At age 18, Oprah Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant).  I have already received generous support and encouragement from family, friends and coworkers, now there is no turning back!  Thanks coworker Alicia!

Why am I competing?
Mahatma Gandhi said,It's my dream to empower young women to dream bigger than they can imagine and represent the dreams of women of ethnic minority. 

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world"

and I've taken it upon myself to be just that. 

You can attend the evening's event by contacting me at kyoonie@gmail.com.  Presale tickets are $30 for the evening program, $15 for the preliminary event or $40 for preliminaries, evening and a program.  Please let me know if you're interested before August 5th, seating is limited and assigned. 

For more information you can visit Miss Greater San Diego and you can find directions to the event!


xoxo,
Kristen