Me time in Hawaii recap (late post)

08.03.15

this time last week i was wrapping up my week in hawaii.  i'm totally having withdrawls.  but i couldn't have asked for a better vacation.

my only real planned event while i was out there was mayjah rayjah.  and after island reggae fest i totally couldn't wait.

i arrived late wednesday night.  shay invited me to go to his rehearsal.  so, i dropped off my luggage freshened up a bit and got dropped off at his rehearsal.  i got to meet spawnbreezie, and btw got to witness some of his musicality at work.  amazing to be in that environment.  and as i panned the room and smiled and waved to the band. i haven't seen any of them since april.  i noticed behind spawn was kaipo.  eeeee.... omg hi! keep your fan girl inside.  totally have a lightweight crush on him.

so, i got to speak with spawn for a little bit after his rehearsal time ended.  there was a little break and i got introduced to kaipo.  and i of course got to chat it up with the band.  and then i got to sit on kaipo's rehearsal.  it was quick but i was blessed enough to witness him singing first hand in a little room.  so basically my own little concert.  lol don't laugh that's how it was playing out in my head. lmao

the next day, shay picked me up, we had breakfast and chilled for a little.  i got to watch one of his gigs, which i loved btw.  i love watching him work.  it's like i can see the gears moving in his head and then the smile on his face when he figures out how he's gonna add on with his musical influence.  and then it was off to rehearsal with sammy j!  YEAY!!! omg, so sammy j, is my FAVORITE.  he was at island reggae and i thought for some reason i would get the chance to meet him there.  nope didn't happen.  so i told everyone that my goal was to meet him in hawaii.  ummm hi!!! wish granted.  not only did i get to shake his hand and say hi, i was sitting in his rehearsal.  an up close and personal interaction with him.  we also chatted and we found out that we would be hiking up koko head the next morning.  and what do you know, we saw each other there too!  anyway, i digress.  i got to witness this man at work.  his runs....OMG!  so effortless and can go for days.  WOW!

and then of course who am i sitting next to?  kaipo is singing back up for sammy.  along with josh tatofi who is also an amazing singer.  so kaipo and i chatted a little between songs.  we laughed and he got me in trouble with sammy.  lol definitely a story i will remember forever.  ask me about it when you see me.

after sammy's set, kaipo rehearsed again.  and i got to see his gears tick too.  i love watching music develop and see how things all come together.  damn maybe i need to be back in the music scene for a living.  lol and can i say, the way that they all just switched instruments and were GOOD on everything they touched.  i couldn't help but feel a tad bit inadequate and unworthy of sharing the room with these guys.  lol  but glad i was there to soak it all in.

i don't know if you can read it in my words.  but WOW!  the musical talent that i was surrounded by in the first 2 days i was on the island.  i could have left completely satisfied if i only had those 2 days there.  luckily for me, that was only the beginning.

friday morning, my girl kristina from college picked me up and we went for a hike up the kokohead stairs.  it was a pretty challenging incline.  and the stairs are not consistent so you are definitely working and skillfully planning out each step be fore you take it.  oh and i know i mentioned it earlier, but while we were there, sammy j and messaged me on ig telling me that they were there.  and we actually got to see him and his friends on the trail.  that's were i took my second picture with him.  and i actually took some of their pictures at the top. anyway, it was great to catch up with my friend during the hike and over breakfast.  sooo glad i was able to spend some time with her while i was there.

later that day was mayjah rayjah!  candy and mana picked me up, and then we all enjoyed a night of good vibes and even better music.  so everyone asked me how it was.  and i can't even begin to describe it.  all i can say was it was soooo good.  and if you've been to irf, it's that times 10!  i loved every minute of it.  after the concert mana had to head to bed b/c he had work the next day, but candy and i decided to go to the after party and play a little while longer.  the line was sooo long.  luckily for us we ran into kaipo and i mustered up enough courage to ask him to help us get in.  i told him that we would pay, we just didn't want to wait in that disneyland line.  lol  well well... lucky us, he got us in and we didn't have to pay. 

so candy and i had a few drinks we and we got to enjoy the sounds of nesian nine!  whoa the music vibe is just not stopping.  woo hoo for me.  but, the night was getting long and candy and i decided we would call it a night.  butttt...as we were standing in front of the hotel deciding on if we were going to go back to the hotel or hit another bar, kaipo came down and convinced us to join him.  honestly it didn't take to much convincing. lol so the rest of the night was spent with him.  definitely, an eventful night to say the least. lol

the next day, candy and i spent on the beach for the most part.  and that night i met up with my roomies for the week at a club.  and the next day we spent on the beach again.  definitely a smile on my face.  and that night kaipo took me out and we danced and i drank the night away.  lol i do not know who i thought i was that night drinking that much.  lol 

the next day was my last day in hawaii.  i met up with a close friend from childhood.  and we had lunch at his hotel.  i wasn't feeling the best but i was glad i got to spend time with him.  and then i spent the day with my roomies at lanikai.  such a beautiful last day.  

the next morning, i finally got to pig out and boots and kimos and it was off to the airport. 

needless to say i had an amazing time! i'll post pics and maybe even video's later.

Too Pretty Brand

So I came across this brand on ig.  They liked one of my pictures, so I initially perused through it.  I liked the saying and had all intention of buying a shirt but they didn't have my size.  The one I wanted read, "Never too pretty to hit like a boy."    I found myself every so often wandering back to their page.  So, one night I had time and I actually read through the website, read about the founder Cary Williams and loved what I read.  She totally understood me, as a girl that also identifies with fighters, and being athlete in general.

And then I saw a link that said "Athlete Search."  Soooo, I decided to try.  I'm hoping I get it!

Here's what I answered for "Why would you be a good athlete for Too Pretty Brand?"

I'm a very active person in multiple sports.  And, I'm dedicated to everything I do.   Rarely do I ever miss hitting the gym and when I do, people tend to notice and ask me if something's wrong.  Although I think this is pretty funny, and have to giggle when this happens (because it's usually because a meeting ran long or maybe I needed a rest day), it shows that people recognize how committed I am.

And not only am I committed to myself, I love supporting my teams.  With my fellow fighters, I may not be the first person you see when you enter the ring, but you'll definitely hear me cheering you on.  I try to make it to every fight I can, whether I'm fighting or not.  With my runs, if I'm on the course with you and we happen to pass each other, I make sure to give some encouraging words.   If I'm not on the course, I'll be on the side maybe even with a sign to show my support.

I love what the Too Pretty Brand stands for.   When I read, that Cary was told she was too pretty to fight, but fought like a boy, I chuckled because I've been told the same thing.  When I was first told that I was too pretty to fight, I was a bit perplexed because I didn't know how to feel about the comment.  I had to think to myself, "Are you complimenting me or are you insulting me? "  And then I felt empowered.  Empowered because I knew behind this "pretty" face is also a "pretty" heavy kick.  I love the fact that she knows we don't have to sacrifice our femininity in order to be strong athletes.

06.06.15 San Jose Giants Race

super duper late post.  what else is new.  lol

i did one of my annual races last month. the san jose giants race.  they offer a 5k and and 5 mile.  i've gotten my parents to do it with me in the past but they weren't able to do it this year.  this year it was me and my sister and a couple of other concrete runners.

i knew i was gonna be a bit faster than last year so i was excited to see well i would do.   iwas able to shave a couple off minutes off my time.  and my sister and i came in nearly at the same time.  it was great to be able to cross the finish line actually with someone i knew.

last year i came in at 50:02.  here are our results from this year.  woo hoo!

Janice:  46:44
Melanie:  46:45

Here are some pictures.  We also got featured on a facebook page and i'm showing off all of our goodies from the post-expo and a little close up of the medal.

operation melanie continues

i have my workout goals, everybody does.  and at first it was just to lose weight…correction fat!  i feel like i've gotten to an "ok" point.  i was at a plateau for sooo long last year, when i finally broke past the 130 lbs barrier, and kept it off.  i was sooooooo happy!  it took forever.  but then the holidays came and i went back to fluctuating between 130 lbs and 133 lbs.

so the new year came and i kept a steady 130 lbs.  there goes that damn barrier again.  and then april came and i had to travel so much, that i wasn't able to keep my normal consistent workout schedule.  i feel so fluffy.  but of course, back to the workout schedule.

buttt this time i'm adding a little something to it.  for awhile now, i've been doing my weight sessions in the morning and my muay thai sessions at night.  and a little while back i added a total body conditioning class on mondays and wednesdays before muay thai.

back to my new goals. weight loss is still a pretty significant goal for me, especially if i want to continue  fighting.  i need to keep my weight under 130 lbs at least, so the girls i fight are gigantic compared to me lol.  but my main goal right now is to basically get ripped! lol but really i want to have a fit body.  i want the cuts in my arms and back and of course every where else.  not manly, but i want them.

my best friend showed me some girl on ig @katyhearnfit, and i fell in love.  lol  no really…i found a body that i would like to model myself after.   and wouldn't you know it, she provides "challenges" where she gives you an 8 week workout plan.  sooooo, i decided to take it on.  i started on monday, and am excited to see where it takes me.  and with being so off for the month of april, i definitely needed that extra kick.  (side note:  my day 1 progress picture is horrible and really made me realize how much i needed the extra kick) 

fast forward to today.  today was a really long workout day for me.  4 sessions in total.  crazy?  yeah i kindda am.  but i'd like to say i'm determined.  this morning started out at my work gym, doing my weight training provided by @katyhearnfit.  then, i did the total body conditioning class and then muay thai.  added to the schedule tonight was jui jitsu.  

i've been wanting to try it for a little while now and we now have an all girl class, so why not try.  i learned the warm up drills and did a couple of training drills.  3 to be exact and then i got thrown to the wolves.  lol  i rolled…today…on my first day! lol  but how else are you gonna learn.  sometimes you just gotta get in there.

i was soooo confused.  i didn't even know where to start.  i didn't know the secret handshake lol.  and i didn't know how to position myself to even begin.  they basically told me to try to stay out of her guard.  so i tried.  she got me in a few times, but i was able to get out a lot.  she ended up getting me in a triangle choke at the end of the second round.  but, they told me i did really well.  and they said i definitely made her work.  i honestly think it was b/c i was just stronger than her.  or so that's what they also said… that i'm strong.  

and earlier while i was learning the warm up drills, coach jay walked in while i was having a hard time with one of them.  he said something along the lines of, "its good to see you not perfect at something."  lol i took it as a compliment.  don't get me wrong, in no way do i think i'm perfect at anything.  but i know i do work my ass off to be the best that i can be.  and if i don't get it right the first time, i will keep trying to make sure i eventually do.

anyhow, today was pretty challenging.  long days and new things in my path.  but, i'm definitely excited to see how everything progresses.  

wish me luck! 

Concrete Runners Secret Meet 04.25.15

while we were in LA, for N+TC Tour LA, we were able to put a little secret surprise together for our Concrete Runners.  we told them that there would be an early run in the morning but didn't tell them anything else.  just just told them it was a secret.

we arrived at the park and they saw this:

the secret run was to run with Manny Pacquiao.  this would be his last run at the pan pacific park in LA before his big fight with Mayweather.

due to some unforeseen circumstances only a few of us actually got to run with him.  but here's the footage i got from that day.

N+TC Tour LA 2015

The this past weekend i got to participate in Nike's N+TC Tour again in LA.  i was a bit worried that they wouldn't do one this year, as last year we registered way in advance and this year they announced so much later.  but they announced and of course i was juiced.  not to mention i would get to experience it this time a Concrete Runner (no longer running divas) and i would have my squad with me.  IF we got in... this year it was by lottery.  but our OGs and team captains got in and a good amount of our members too.  we came rolling in 22 deep!  yee!

friday night consisted of an event they called SNKRS Courtyard event and an NRC run.  The event had light refreshments and a panel of guests that are a part of Nike Women.

part of our saturday afternoon, for N+TC we spent on a little scavenger hunt trying to collect the earrings they had a various stores in Santa Monica.  we get everything except one.


saturday night, it was off to N+TC.  dthis year you didn't get to pick your sessions.  they picked your session track for you.  there were 3 tracks, like their app:  get strong, get lean, and get toned.  and your classes were based on the track they put you in.  fortunately, for us (Concrete Runners) we all showed each other our schedules.  i didn't like my schedule too much, and got to see the other classes.  so, i just waited in the wait list line to see if i could get into the classes that i actually wanted.  of course my sister and i HADDDD to get in to Prevail, the boxing class.  And I wanted to take he Groov3 class, a dancing class with short choreography.  my last class was Pound, from what it sounded it like it was a drumming class.

luckily for me, i got into all the classes i wanted.  woo hoo!  last year, some of the classes were almost impossible to get into if you were wait listed.  like, only 2 people from the wait list would get in.  it seemed like this year, a good amount of people that were in the wait list line were able to get in.

so after our warm up workout.  which seemed like we were in divergent, btw.  pretty weird and cool at the same time.  my sister, me, and morgan rushed over to the Prevail class.  my sister and i were determined to get in, wrapping our hands in the wait list line.  lol hella OA (filipino term meaning over acting, basically being dramatic).  but we all got in!  woo hoo!  they had the room split up in four with a ring in the middle and basically did it like a circuit training.  we did plyo first with an ab workout, then did some footwork drills, 3rd we did some training to get your heart rate up with 2 lbs weights.  and lastly...THE MITS!! YESS!!  they only did one combo though.  which is understandable, knowing that this would be a complete introduction to a most of the people there.  jab cross, jab cross - half moon to the right - cross cross.  so one mitt guy to 4 girls.  he just went down the line.  he went to the first girl in our line, then got to janice, he wasn't expecting the quickness.  got to morgan, then me.  i finished my last cross and he was like "whoa, you got a lot of power."  second time around, he asked me, "do you fight?!" with my shy smile i innocently said, "well...yeah!" lol  the announcer in the middle caught me in the combo and announce, "wow we got pacquiao in here!"  he was talking about me.  why thank you! *curtsy

second class was Groov3.  janice and morgan went off to the spin class.  so i was alone until some of my fellow CR crew came in.  we did a cute little dance routine, a couple of easy 8 counts but definitely fun.  lots of boot popping going on in there.  lol

lastly, Pound.  i think i was most excited about this class.  i mean of course i was excited about boxing, it's a part of what i love.  but pound sounded fun and i didn't know what to expect.  i read the description and knew it had to do with drumming, but some reason i was imagining a workout like taiko drums.  it was basically a workout to a drummer keeping beat.  we would drum along on the floor, in a squat, lunge, bend over to one side drum that way.  i really don't know how to describe it but it definitely was fun.  and it definitely was a workout.  i got some footage, but it gives it no justice to how much fum it really was.  i was having too much fun myself to stop and film.

here are some pictures and footage of what i experienced. 

03.31.15 ootd

Quick outfit of the day.  I'm here at a work conference. Someone commented on my suspenders and my response was "gotta find a way to keep a business trip fun!"

So here's the lowdown from top to bottom. 

Glasses:  Warby Parker $150 - yes, they are prescription not just for looks

Suspenders:  h&m $10

White v-neck:  $5? Forever21

Pants:  Express idk how much

01.11.15 Hot Chocolate 15k

The i'd been eyeing this race for so long.  and this year, i finally did it.  i, initially, signed up for the 5k, thinking, "i don't know if i want to train for a long run for so early in the year."  but i thought about it and thought, "you know what, i'm just gonna bang it out!"  and bang it out, i did.

i got in a run at lake merced on the first of the year and did pretty well.  i pr'd.  not bad for the first run of the year.  i'll write more about the pr's later.

so with this new pr, i was feeling pretty good about the race coming up.  i've never run the course, so i didn't really know what to expect.  it started out in golden gate park, ran out to and along ocean beach and then we back tracked and ended back into the park.

not knowing exactly what the course was, but knowing we would simply backtrack i paid a little attention to the course going out towards the beach.  i noticed as we were running out that mile 7 coming back was on a hill.  so coming back into golden gate park, i prepared myself for the hill at mile 7.  well, i guess i wasn't paying that much attention b/c the whole rest of the race from there was uphill.  lol  basically the last 3 miles were uphill.  and if you've ever heard a runner talk, the last 3 miles, are the worst.  it was definitely taking a toll on me.  i just wanted the hills to end, and where the hell was the finish line!

but i did it and i did great.  i was proud of my time and how i did.  this race proved it, my average miles are now in the mid 9s.  good by 11s!  i finished in 1:32:33 at an average of 9:44/mile.  considering I used to finish 12k races in about 1:30 I was pretty darn proud!

here are some pictures of me and our concrete runners crew.

11.04.14 49ers Rush Challenge

I'm it's already the new year and i'm so behind on my posts.  i'll try not to be so late this year, especially with my race entries.

so this will be my lame attempt and recalling my races since the nwm2014.

my very last race for 2014 was the 49ers challenge on 11.04.14.  well i actually did two races that day.  i signed up for the challenge but ended up doing the 4.9k first.  we (who ever concrete runners were with us) decided to accompany arlynn/arthur's mom in her journey.  we thought we would be a doing a good stroll or fast paced walk just to accompany her, but she really was speed walking, so our fast paced walks turned into light jogs at times just to keep up with her.  it was fun.

then later that day we did the 49ers challenge.  i thought the courses were going to be a bit tougher.  but i think the hardest thing was going up and down all the damn stairs.  lol.  we went all the way up to the nose bleeds and all the way back down i don't even know how many times.  and it was a warm day, so it was a little irritating.  but, i definitely do the race again...but i do have some qualms about the pricing.

it was $100 more than the 4.9k race and the medal was the same.  so i have 2 of the same medal.  the shirt was the same.  the only thing that was different is that we got a drawstring backpack instead of a plastic bag, and we got a rally towel and a mini football at the end of the race.  i don't think those even add up to $100.  other than that... i didn't really have any complaints.  the race was pretty organized, thank lord!  there's nothing more disappointing/irritating than an unorganized race.

but here is the course and some pictures from the event. i don't know where all the pictures went, so I had to snapshot from my ig.