Time for an Update?

Who's still reading this? And why? I checked in on this tonight and was a little mortified to find that my most recent post was about pole dancing. I mean, if a random person found this and got their impression of me through only my blogs, I'd like to be able to offer more than the fact that I learned to dance like a stripper.

Anyway, a quick recap of my progress on this list since June:

• I've been doing Krav Maga somewhat regularly and love it. It's a different approach compared to yoga and running, both of which require no aggression, and hey, at the end of the day, it's nice to be able to hit things and be healthy about it. Also, I got pink MMA gloves. 
• I took a bike riding lesson and learned how to balance...but I couldn't quite get myself to pedal without tipping over, sooo... I guess I'll have to take more lessons. (Do you bike riders secretly have abs of steel from all that balancing? Do you also have more cushion back there? Because ow. I totally get why they have padded shorts now.)
• I got highlights! I'm ashamed to say I checked myself out lots of times after getting them, but they're gorgeous. If I wasn't so afraid of frying my hair, I'd go for a second round. But you'll have to wait a few more months, lovely chemicals.

The during.

• On the Filipino front, so far I've done a volunteer project with other members of CORE at a nursing home last spring (or was it in the fall?), read a new translation of Jose Rizal's El Filibusterismo, and taken on the role of editor of their semi-annual/quarterly newsletter. What can I say? My job follows me everywhere. But it's good to make my contributions however I can.
• Attempting to teach myself Spanish is harder than I thought, in that my ambitious self will set a crazy lesson plan and then my lazy self will say "That's ridiculous, I know espanol muy bien." BUT! I've got a trip to Puerto Rico planned and while that won't make me fluent, I'll at least get to say arroz con pollo, donde esta el bano? y quiero cafe por favor.

Did I miss anything? Until next time, blogosphere. Toodles!

#25 in Progress

Ever since high school I tried joining Filipino-American organizations at school. I'd attend a couple of meetings and then bail. Why? It seemed like the organizations' purpose was solely for partying. I don't need to join a club to get drunk, thankyouverymuch.

Now as an adult and with slightly more leadership experience, I have more options (and lower standards when it comes to who I drink with. Kidding!). I've joined CORE, a non-profit organization for empowering Filipino-Americans. I have a couple of ideas for new programs I want to launch, so fingers crossed that they don't fall through. This is very vague only because it's not even in planning stages yet.

This Friday I had dinner with other Filipinos and Gawad Kalinga, a Philippine-based organization whose goal is to eradicate poverty in the Philippines through community building. It was refreshing to hear from the founder who's passionate about making his country a better place, someone whose motives weren't to gain political power or fame. I'm glad that there are people, even if it's just a handful, with the vision and integrity to create organizations like GK.

Enough of this. I ran out of things to say.