So, that's where I'm going...

• Zimbabwe
• Zambia
• Malawi
• Tanzania
• Kenya

I'm leaving in September, because I still have to pass my CFE exams. I know I said I would do them in May, but I was overloaded with work. Also, there is so much to prepare, I didn't even receive my passport yet! My friend asked me to give her my address in Africa so she can send me a postcard, and I was like..."I'll be camping in the wild though..." Crazy? I know, but I think we all wish deep inside that we could be as crazy and carefree. No one could guess how calm and certain I actually am through all this craziness though. It is what I should do and what I want to be doing. I can't wait to be there!

I still remember what gave me the inspiration to go to Africa. It was in that Chinese series where someone said that the sunrise in Africa is the most beautiful. I don't remember who said it, or which series it was, but I remember that quote for some reasons. It's always the little accidental things like these that make us want to discover more...

...and then I think of  how much went through my mind the first time I decided to go so far away on my own. It felt like yesterday, yet so long ago. I think about how difficult yet so easy it was to make such a decision. Your heart knows.

Healthy and low-calorie cookies/galettes

I woke up this morning and had the sudden idea to make some cookies! I just took a pen and wrote down the list of ingredients that I thought would taste good and that I already had at home. It's fun to make something out of things you already have in your kitchen. It was purely experimental; had no idea if it would turn out good or not.

Ingredients
1 large banana
3/4 cup of old-fashioned oats
1 egg
1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

...and of course, be creative and add whatever you like. I might try that with peanut butter next time. Also, you might want to add some honey or sugar if you have a sweet tooth. I personally didn't add any sweetener. I don't even add sugar to my coffee these days. Acquired taste is a funny thing; never thought I'd enjoy the bitterness of black coffee and appreciate food that are not heavily flavoured. Somewhere during my childhood, my mom said that candies, soda and juices make you thirstier, and I'm not sure whether she indirectly taught me to not like sugar, but I became one of those kids who didn't like candies, ha.

Anyways, back to my awesome cookies...

Directions
1. Mix all ingredients together. I just used my hands.

2. Scoop the batter onto a stray after greasing it with whatever you have. I used butter that I melted in the microwave.

3. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes.

Tadaaa!

Personally, I hate long lists of ingredients, and ingredients that I don't use often. These cookies (or galettes) are so easy to make and so healthy, except for maybe the cheese, but I love cheese!

I made 6 big cookies, and each cookie was like...80 calories. So awesome!

I don't want to say this but, damn, I'm so smart sometimes!

PS.: I added peanut butter instead of cheese and it was even better!

Quote of the day: If there's no more light one day...

"If one day I'm very sad and don't see light at the end of the tunnel, like if I'm diagnosed with an incurable disease, or if my husband cheats on me or something of the sort, and if my family is not around anymore and I have nobody else but me, I will sell everything I own and move to the countryside somewhere in Asia...Ha, why am I even thinking about that in advance?!"

"You don't even look like you can be sad."

30 day hot yoga challenge: Day 27

I'm a little sad, because I highly doubt that I can complete the 30 day hot yoga challenge.

On Monday,  I went running for longer and more intense than usual. Also, I did not stretch. I felt okay afterwards, but I also felt something wrong in my right knee, which is not a big deal but I just felt like I should wait at least 2-3 days before I could run hardcore again.

However, I still kept on doing yoga everyday. On Wednesday, during my yoga class, I felt like something popped in my knee. I tried, but I couldn't really do the rest of the class. The next day, I couldn't sit down without holding on to something, it would hurt when I walk down the stairs and I felt like my knee would crack if I walked fast, and it did crack once in a while. No need to mention that I missed class on Thursday and Friday.

My knee is better today, but there is still some pain, so I don't want to risk. That means that even if tomorrow my knee is fine, and I go to class until Tuesday, which is when the challenge ends, I would have done 25 classes instead of 30...It sucks.

I did learn a lot during these almost 30 days though. I learned to listen to my body. Your body degrades if you stress it with intense activity everyday, especially with yoga because you're working every muscle in your body. If you don't give your muscles and tendons a chance to heal, and re-damage them the next day, and the next...you will never recover, and healing time is what makes you stronger.

I also learned quite a bit about food. I never truly felt fatigue in my life before this challenge. I have done intense workouts before, but I always had plenty of time to rest. During the challenge, I had no time to rest, so I did plenty of research on nutritional facts and learned about how easy, yummy and fun it is to eat clean. This will probably not change how I live, but it provides some options.

With the 30 day challenge, I guess I worked yoga into my life and I plan on continuing after the challenge, but probably for 3-4 times a week. I'm glad it's almost over because now I will have time to do other activities that I love. I joined some hiking clubs actually because during my travels, I discovered that I loved hiking, and I'd like to discover some nice places and mountains in Quebec!

I'm ending this post with, Namaste :)

"I adore you so much!"

"I think you adore to adore me more than you actually adore me."

"...Ha, what are you talking about?"

"You clearly know what I'm talking about."

"Well, what if that was actually the case?"

"...Nothing."

I, sometimes, really wonder if that matters, are these imperfections part of the beauty of life? But what if I can't convince myself to accept these incompleteness? What should I do? ...and this is the biggest question in my life right now. I'm not sad, but I'm not happy either. Over two years have gone by and I still haven't found an answer...

Where should I go?

Last year, I knew with certainty where I wanted to go; South-east Asia and the Silk Road. This year, however, I've been very indecisive. I won't be able to take 3 months off either...I'll probably get 3 weeks or so, which limits my choices even more.

The top countries that I want to visit are:
-India, because it seems like such a rich, diverse and crazy place...

-North Korea, and I don't care what people say, but there's a strange fascination that has drawn me to it...maybe because it's like a time capsule rarely seen by outsiders. It's delicate and pure but not quite...it's hard to describe actually...

-Kazakhstan, I don't know why but I've always wanted to party in Almaty...

-Nepal, because I want to go hiking!

-Egypt, because I've always been intrigued by mummies, and it's one of the oldest civilization in the world which is quite fascinating...

-The Asian side of Turkey, which I haven't been to yet...

And guess what, I'm not going to any of these places yet, because I don't want to go back to Asia so soon, and I want to see something totally different. I've actually been debating between South America and Africa for the last month...but I've come to a decision, I think. It's Africa. Why? Because it seems physically more challenging, it's more mysterious and I want some adventure! I want to explore, I want to suffer, I want to be awe-inspired. I'm a little scared, but so curious at the same time! I've dreamed of watching the sunrise in Africa!

Now, the question is where in Africa...hmmm.

PS.: My mom will kill me if she knows I'm going to Africa.

Quote of the day: Balls

"You really got balls, well, not literally. Although sometimes, you're ridiculously stupid and stubborn. For a girl, you got balls".