end of the semester & durian dreams

11 more days until i fly home--yay! this is the final week of classes...i just have 1 more class this afternoon and 2 tomorrow...

i had a big presentation yesterday that went really well :) i felt pretty good actually. normally i'll get a bit nervous having to do a presentation or speaking in front of a group of people, but yesterday i was relaxed. i was surprised to get various compliments throughout the day yesterday and even this morning about how well my presentation went. a couple of people even commented on "my impressive level of spanish". hehe...i was pleased, to say the least ;)

the other good news is that all of my final papers are done! i just have 3 exams next week...and then i'll be leaving on the 10th!

i've been having lots of energy lately! i've also been in a very, very good mood. i'll find myself smiling "just because" :) i've been enjoying some simple pleasures as well...what a joy it is to sit in the sun eating melon....or to walk around on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

mono-mealing has been very satisfying lately. now i tend to shy away from "complex" dishes and if i'm not mono-mealing, i prefer 2 or 3 ingredient meals. i never would have thought that i could be so satisfied after eating 1.5kilos of grapes haha, but it's great!

mental clarity is also one of the many benefits eating low fat raw has brought to me...as long as i continue to eat well, my thinking has gotten clearer and clearer...

oh and a random thing...last night i had a dream that i ate durian for the first time and it tasted like bavarian custard....so creamy and so good! actually i'm not even sure i've ever eaten bavarian custard, but i specifically recall saying in my dream that that's what it tasted like! yummy--i can't wait to try my first durian!

yellow dragon fruit

oh so good! i picked up 2 yellow dragon fruit the other day...just had them a bit ago. they were very good!

in the past i've had the other two varieties. a few years in mexico i tried the red ones that are red on the inside and last year in barcelona i ate the red ones with white flesh...so, when i saw the yellow ones i wanted to try them!

i've read online that the yellow ones are the sweetest variety and i would have to agree. they are not really sweet or anything, but just right. i absolutely love the texture...the little seeds were cool. hopefully i'll be able to get my hands on some more soon :)

check out the pics...

what a yummy day

today was another excellent day :)

bfast: watermelon

lunch: 4 mangoes, 10 fresh dates, 1 cuke, 150 grams oakleaf lettuce

supper: 7 kiwi, strawberries, 5 kumquat, 1 cuke, 150 grams of oakleaf lettuce

i made sure my mangoes were nice and ripe...they tasted like honey! the dates were so fresh and moist they were like caramel. who knew fruit could taste this good?!

a lot of people say that it's too hard or too compicated to live off of fresh fruits and leafy greens. it's only as hard or as complicated as you make it. one thing that has really helped me is to be absolutely sure that i'm getting suficient calories. without enough fuel, cravings and other problems pop up...but being sure to eat enough should take care of any troubling issues. i'm still taking some time to get used to the large volume of food i need to eat...

and now that i've started running again i need to be eating more. so, i'm eating more calories and feeling really good!

today's totals:

calories = 2,021

ratio calories/protein/fat = 90/5/5

protein = 34.5g

fiber = 55.5g

carbs = 534.5g

fat = 11.2g

a couple pics...

bfast watermelon

kumquats

this was my first time trying kumquats. i'm trying to get my hands on any new fruit i can-it's such a treat to discover a new fruit :) they have tangy, sour flesh and a pleasantly surprising sweet skin.

a nice little treat

these cuke-date sandwiches are inspired by ashley over at raw food climber (http://badashclimber.blogspot.com/) and boy are they good! thanks for the great idea, ash :)

some fruity pics...and a nice salad :)

gotta love that raw high

i have been feeling absolutely wonderful for the past week or so. it's an everyday thing now...used to be there would be 'good' days, 'okay' days, 'great' days, 'could be better' days...but now they are all turning out to be magnificent days :) that's not to say i'll never have some low moments or anything, but i believe i've reached a new stage in my raw journey.

eating consistently low fat raw has turned my life around. i've also been doing some other helpful things like...

i start my day by watching a short daily affirmations video (http://www.thesecret.tv/secret-to-you/) and i say the affirmations out loud as i watch.

i also read the optimists creed:

I promise myself...
To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.
To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet.
To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

on the way to and from school i recite the following positive affirmation: "I am happy, healthy and thriving." and i have started incorporating visualization and more positive thinking.

all of this combined with low fat raw is doing wonders for me :) i'm focusing on fresh, ripe juicy fruits and leafy greens. i'm enjoying my food even more than i ever thought possible. i'm eating lots of mono meals and find myself so satisfied with the simplicity of it. i remember when i thought eating 100% raw would be impossible...then when i found that do-able, i remember doubting i could ever be satisfied with a mono-meal haha...now i look forward to be able to eat a mono-meal instead of a dish with 4 or 5 ingredients. amazing what we can accomplish!

i find myself smiling a lot lately! i'm calm, focused, energized and at peace. i'm happier than i ever have been. i look forward to each day and focus on living in the present moment. i'm high on life--and what could be better than that?!

strong emotions

i have been experiencing some pretty intense emotions lately. i feel so good today--it's almost hard to believe. i am so happy, so grateful...i feel so blessed to be alive!

i remember reading about people who had gone raw and began experiencing strong emotional detox...i couldn't really imagine how it would feel. i only thought about the physical changes--clearer skin, getting in better shape, etc. well, all of last week and the beginning of this week i had typical cold like detox symptoms.

although i've been raw since august of '08, i've only been eating low fat raw for about 3 months (with a crazy 18 day period of cooked food). my body finally has had a chance to get some nasty stuff out. what i didn't really expect along with the physical detox was the emotional one as well...

i spent hours just crying, not knowing what to do. i felt so alone, abandoned, scared...there were many times when i would just crawl up into bed, not wanting to have to think about the outside world. i really couldn't imagine it getting any better...but i resisted the urge to "slow down" the detox by eating cooked food...i wanted to allow my body to do the cleansing that it needed to do.

i am so glad i stuck with it....i feel better than i ever have! i feel happier than i have ever felt before :) i feel calm and at peace with myself and others. that's not to say i haven't felt sad...there have still been times when i haven't felt so good and actually those emotions seemed stronger than usual. when i've been sad, instead of trying to ignore my feelings with tortilla chips or pizza, i've felt them...i've learned to sit with them. and in acknowledging and dealing with my emotions i am learning a lot about myself.

i am very grateful that i have come to this point in my raw journey. i feel like i am finally truly living. i'm smiling for no reason at all...sometimes just giddy with happiness...wow, this life is so beautiful :)

check out this video

this is a truly lovely video...the power of affirmations...enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXGwhjUQzrY

the raw euphoria is back

wow, do i feel good! physically, mentally, emotionally...

it was a tough week, but i made it out, not only alive, but truly feeling wonderful! i feel so at peace where i am right now...i feel like i am where i need to be at this moment. i had a lot of emotional upheaval a couple of days ago...i thought of things that i hadn't thought about for a long time. i cried and cried and cried....

i've worked through those emotions and memories and i've come out so much stronger. i have such a will to live...to just be here, in the present moment. i want to run free and get outside...be active, enjoy life and all the things that are here for me to partake in.

i thought i was feeling good before, but i have a feeling it's all just beginning...

still feeling icky

i'm still not feeling great. i got into bed last night at 7pm, but i didn't fall asleep until after 9pm. i couldn't drag myself out of bed until 10am this morning. i was still very congested and tired in the morning...i just drank some water and rested...i did a little homework, but nothing too mind boggling.

it'll be another early night for me...

passion fruit!

wow! today was the first time i had ever eaten a passion fruit. it was so good. when i brought 2 of them home last week they smelled really, really good. but upon opening them i couldn't believe the smell--truly exquisite!

i waited until the skin got a little wrinkly before i cut them open. i documented their consumption with quite a bit of detail considering i was so excited to be eating them haha. check it out...

before cutting it open

cut open

detail shots

it's all gone...