Festivities & Fitness

Hello hello!  Been a while since I've been on here!  Quite a bit has happened since my last post, but I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to document anything!  Luckily today is my token lazy day - and I'll explain why :)

Well first off, on the work front, the holiday season here was NUTS.  Everyone has been working like crazy since Halloween!  Horror Nights went well - the late shows were actually fun to perform because the crowds were really rowdy and into the whole evening - and then it was straight into Christmas prep.  December hours were nuts as well - I ended up working three weeks straight!  Talk about exhausting, but once I finally got a couple days off I was good to go.  Now that New Year's is over we're pretty much on a normal schedule, so I think everyone is breathing a little easier!

On TOP of a crazy work schedule, I also spent December prepping for my first bodybuilding competition here in Singapore, the Muscle & Fitness War 2014.  Am I nuts?  Pretty much, yeah.  But don't worry, I didn't totally deprive myself for the holidays!  I still had an AMAZING Christmas buffet at the Carlton Hotel the weekend before Christmas, at which I made approximately 9 trips to the buffet and made sure I got my money's worth of desserts as well ;)  I was with a great group of people and we had an awesome time!

Our post-Christmas holiday photo!

My one glass of champagne for New Years, lol

Once I'd had my holiday feast, it was back to the grind!  Three weeks of diligent dieting, the last week of which was laid out very strictly by my amazing coach.  Although it was a little rough having to withdraw myself from some gatherings (knowing I couldn't eat or drink anything out at restaurants or friends' get togethers did put a damper on my social life!), I trusted that my friends understood why I was doing what I was doing.  If not, well, the photographic evidence from the competition hopefully showed why!

Taken backstage before the class began.  My tan wasn't as dark as I needed/wanted it to be, but everything was in place and I was happy with it :)

The competition went very well for me, personally.  I didn't place, but the classes and the judging were based on a different level and criteria than I'm used to in the States.  Essentially, I feel the look I had wasn't the look they wanted.  I know, however, that I gave my absolute best and was conditioned beyond my expectations!  It was the best I've ever looked and felt, and I know that I left it all out on that stage and did exactly what I showed up to do, so I have absolutely zero regrets!  And my coaches were very proud of me, and gave me the biggest words of encouragement and support I could possibly dream of - and they're the pros, so I'm gonna go with what they say!

My coaches and I after the competition.  There's no way I could have reached my full potential without them!  They are the best!

I also just have to take a moment and give a shout out to all of my friends here in Singapore.  You guys have shown me so much love and support, and I just need to make sure you all know how much it truly means to me.  I've done these competitions on my own before, and I was happy with myself and how I prepped, but having such a huge support system here made my journey SO much more positive!  Competition prep is never an easy thing, and it can be difficult if the people around you don't understand or they question why you do what you do, but you guys just went with the flow and respected my decisions, and I could not ask for more.  You didn't just respect my choices, but you applauded them, and for that I am so grateful!  Much love!!!

After the competition, we had an AMAZEBALLS dinner at Communal, an American restaurant here.  We had never been, but I had high expectations as I have been craving a taste of home - and they definitely delivered!  I had just about a little bit of everything on the menu lol!  Cocktails and burger and beer, oh my!  ;)

My first cocktail in ages, and FRIED chicken wings?!  Whaaaaa?!?!  My stomach had no idea what hit it!

I know I skimmed over a lot here, but there's been so much that I don't think I could fit it all in anyway!  Basically, it's been a crazy past couple of months, but I have worked hard, learned a lot, had great times with my friends, and had some incredible experiences.  We'll see what else Singapore has in store for me in 2014!