Hi, 

It has been a while since the last post but here's a quick run down. 

My son got a certificate for Academic Achievement for the year 2020. He has turned 7. I am back into the  work force & my hair went RED. 

But why the sudden desire for RED? 
In mid February 2021, we were hit with a challenge. One we've never encountered before & for reasons I cannot elaborate more on this matter other than the fact that we've had to face this head on. Red not only stands for love & passion but also stands for power & courage. This time round, I've chosen power & courage. Since the position I am in at the moment, is one where I need both of those to fight this challenge we are currently facing. Don't worry, it is nothing criminal or insane, just an issue that has been long overdue to resolve. 

How does it feel being back into the workforce? 
It feels great. I have waited for this moment where I can get some normality back into my life. I have enjoyed the years I have spent being 'full-time mommy' but now it's time for this mommy to get back into the swing of things & continue to make a name for herself. I enjoy meeting new people and making friends. 

There is more to come. A whole lot more. Stay tuned. 

- CJM 

ABS-olutely loving myself a little harder.

 My 6 year old son walked in while I was training and first thing he said was: "Oh mom, you're getting ABS!" and he was so excited! He definitely is my hype man. 

4 months ago, I was in search of something that will get the adrenaline going & would excite me to a whole new level & I did when I enrolled into a fitness academy which specialises in Pole & Aerial. In the beginning of this year, I was committed to adding another skill under my belt & this is one of those skills that I needed to try. 

Pole Dancing? Most people would associate this physical activity with a 'Stripper'. However on the other side of this type of exercise, there is also an opportunity to compete in the championship if you wish to take this skill further. 

At first, as a dancer myself, I knew there are more skills I need to learn to be at a level that I aim to be but let me tell you now - Pole dancing is hard BUT it is achievable. This type of fitness, in my experience will have you using muscles you never knew you had & stretching every part of you. In my eyes, it will take years of training to master at a professional level. 

In my 4 months of attending Gravity Fitness Academy, I have used my upper body strength more than I ever did in my life. I have never seen my body work this hard to be able to lift my body weight up off the ground just by using my arms & core muscles. But through the pain, the tears & the bruises (yes - bruising does happen) I have been seeing results physically & I have been enjoying it. It has also been known that this exercise can & will boost your self esteem once you tackle down some of the tricks and skills, you thought you could never do. 

Any tips? 

Yes, in the months of doing this exercise. I do have some pointers so keep reading. 

1. ALWAYS GO TO A STUDIO FIRST!  (NEVER do this at home for the first time, please find a studio & attend classes with an instructor first. They are trained to give you the proper run down on how to properly execute tricks & skills to avoid damage & injury) 

2. It never looks sexy at first but as you begin to master the tricks & skills, sexiness will follow. 

3. There is no weight limit. Any body shape & size is able to do this type of fitness. 

4. Pace yourself. Some of the skills taught may require many weeks to get right, so don't be disheartened when it takes longer. 

5. Less clothes, the better. The main reason for this, is that you need your skin to grip the pole. Wearing long clothes may cause you to slide off (Hence the attire I wear) 

6. Never moisturise before class. 

7. Expect metal burns & bruising. 

8. POINT YOUR TOES. This makes any pose on the pole look elegant. 

9. Pole Dancing is addictive. You will also feel like trying it on a street pole. I have haha! 

10. Have fun, stay determined, positive & DON'T QUIT. 

I hope these tips can help you in any way. This year, I'm loving myself a little harder. How about you? 

- CJM x 

You're MY cup of tea.

Oh hey! How I miss having this time to write. We are just beginning the month of October but it feels like we've only just started 2020. Maybe this feeling is due to having many months of dealing with a pandemic, it started to feel like we haven't really done much with the restrictions, isolations and such. But in reality, I've actually done quite a lot in the space of 10 months! Home schooled my 6 year old for a while, hosted some gathering events, walked 30m above a rainforest, interviews & party planning, games night, became Wonder Woman for a birthday party, celebrating a milestone, theme park adventures, escape rooms & not to mention joining an academy for Pole Fitness & Dance. (That's only just naming a few)

    And yes eventually, I got my own pole which makes it so much easier for me to practice at home considering I can't go to the studio on Sundays. 

 

Though times as we knew it has changed, for me, this happened in February of 2020 & since then, I have always found more good reasons that came out of the change of events that occurred. 

The title: "You're MY cup of tea" goes to describe everything that has come out of the 10 months of the year so far. Everything that I have encountered, I have taken into account that it is where the course of my life is taking me as new opportunities have opened up for me personally & therefore, it has become MY cup of tea for me to enjoy. 

So, whatever your circumstance in life may be at this very moment, find the good & make it YOUR CUP OF TEA. 

- CJM 

   

The reason behind my PINK HAIR.

April this year, I decided to colour my hair to PINK. The last time my hair went pink was back in 2012. Why the bold, bright colour? Besides the fact that it is my favourite colour, it means something special to me. It's a reminder to make a statement. I usually do this before I do something big or overcoming something that was a difficult challenge for me. 

It's a warm colour, reminding myself to be loving towards myself and towards others. 

It's bright, reminding myself to continue to be a radiant light to others and to myself. 

It's bold, reminding myself to be courageous, fearful & inspiring. 

I've always been true to myself and was always given freedom to express myself and for that I am truly grateful. A warm heart, smile & presence goes a long way. 

If you want to make a statement - do it for yourself. Not in fear of others. Not for others. But solely for yourself. This doesn't mean necessarily to dye your hair or to do something drastic or dangerous but to find something that could inspire, motivate or encourage you to stay strong. Find what works for you.

- CJM 

Stop it.

This global epidemic has shown the worst in some human beings. Surely, you cannot eat 'Toilet Paper' when you run out of food. But it has shown how greedy humans can be when desperate. It has become a "Dog Eat Dog" world. The media has created such a panic storm which outlines more of the negative side to our situation rather than filling social media feeds, television screens and newspapers with a more hopeful approach. An approach that may help uplift mankind than getting them to ransack the grocery store for the sake of fear and show the most ugly side to being human.

It's no secret that what is happening in this era will forever go down in history. We are living in a historic moment or did we indulge ourselves so much into being isolated we forgot to acknowledge it? We cannot help what has happened but we can abide by the government laws given in order to protect ourselves and the ones we love. While social distancing ourselves for who knows how long, we've been told 6 months or maybe longer. Have we ever thought of what we may be like in the future when all these new rules get lifted? If this develops into a habit, would we know how to socially interact with others like we did before?

This pandemic has shown how temporary everything is. Your job. Your freedom. Your entertainment. Your food. Your car. It also shows how much we are slaves to the economy. We cannot survive without money to pay all the expenses we have. If you rent, you need to pay the landlord, the landlord needs to pay the bank or whomever they owe to. If you don't pay up, both parties suffer. 

This pandemic also shows how unprepared we are. But that's not the focus of this post.

What I'm getting at -
You've seen what this outbreak has shown you, everything is temporary. So FOCUS on things worth your time. If you felt unprepared when this outbreak hit your shores, be PREPARED in the future. Find better ways to manage your funds to minimise your expenses.

It is very easy to fall into fear when people around you are in the same bubble and the media shoves all the horrible stories down our throats but stay hopeful, prayerful and positive.

Don't wait for this epidemic to be over and then never take anything for granted.  Start now. Don't take today for granted. Cry if you need to but hold on and stay strong  x 

Stop living in fear.

- Corina Jane (CJM)

My lips are sealed.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Time for that "New Year, New Me" But not for me, New Year but SAME ME. Last year was a roller coaster but through it all, I survived. One of the major things that I did last year was to declutter, take a step back and not explain myself to anyone.  Hence the title of this post: "My Lips Are Sealed"

One of the faults we may have as humans is taking in too much of the outside world. What I mean is, imagine you have a circle around you and yourself being in the centre of that circle, along with your family and those you hold close to you. Then outside from that circle is what you would call "The Outside World" and in that category would be people you're not so close to, those who don't know you on a personal basis. Now outside your circle (referring to the outside world) You may have people who may trash talk you or belittle you in some way (which is a form of bullying and abuse) Their motive is to break your circle. You have to understand that some people will go through extreme lengths to destroy your reputation, this is not a myth. It is a fact.  So you have to be prepared for it. Now you being in your circle, have to think on where to invest your time? Will you:

A. Be focused on entertaining those who seek to destroy your peace and your circle?
B. Be focused on building a stronger YOU and protecting you, your peace and your circle?

If your answer is B. Well done. You chose wisely. 

Not everything that comes your way needs a reaction. So if you are currently in this kind of a situation or you find yourself in one. Assess  it then ask yourself questions like:

"Is it worth my time?" "Am I getting paid listening to the negative opinions of others?" 
"Is it worth acknowledging?"  "Does this help me progress?" "Do I need to prove myself to them?" 

I would personally say "NO" to each of those and I hope you did too. I've developed a habit of being quite selective in who I get close to, what I say and do. Your own choices, decisions and the way you decide to live your life, is your business and yours alone. Be comfortable being your own company. Understand that there will be people who don't share the same view as you. It is always best to be sweet than be bitter. If there are stories about you in a negative light, let people believe what they want to. The main thing to learn is to train your mind to block out all the unnecessary things that doesn't help you grow and continue on your journey for yourself and your circle. Lastly, silence is always best. It literally is. You don't always have to have the last say. Silence is a great way to gather yourself and to refocus on what's important. It's not that you're weak, it's because there are greater things for you to pursue than arguing or letting something destroy the calm environment you have created for yourself. The one who makes the most noise usually is the foolish one, so it is wise to teach yourself to be silent when something doesn't need a reaction.

You don't need to explain yourself to anyone. Make your moves.

- CJM

D.I.Y Project Step by Step

Alot has happened since the last post & when I say alot, I literally mean ALOT! But I'll save that for another time. If you know me, I'm a curious child, a bit of a wild child and well someone who likes to take on challenges. So my team and I worked together to put together our first D.I.Y (Do It Yourself) project starting with a "FIREPLACE" as we come to the Christmas Season. 


What you'll need:

Fireplace:
3 x Big boxes
2 x Brown Paint bottles
1 x White Paint bottle
- Paint brushes/rollers
- White Masking Tape

Fire:
- Red & Orange Cellophane
1 x Himalayan Salt Lamp which lights up, perfect for night time as it gives an illusion of 'fire'
Add: Sticks around 'fire'
Optional: Battery operated string lights in replacement of Salt Lamp for 'fire' used together with Cellophane.

Decorations:
1 x Green and Red ribbon Garland
- Stockings (we had 7 due to 7 children attending our Xmas dinner)
- Thumb tacks to hang stockings up on fireplace.
Extra:
- Photos of memories hanging on a string, zig zagged and placed on top half of fireplace.
Optional: Battery operated candles can be used placed around sides of fireplace etc.

Note: If placing lollies or heavier objects in stockings, use stronger hooks to hang up stockings on fireplace. We waited til the end of the night and did some quizzes for children to fill their stockings with lolly bags at the end.

STEP ONE 

Gather 3 boxes. If you can't find one, ask one of your local stores if they have any unwanted boxes. Tape the flaps down so both ends of the boxes are closed. Do this with 2 of your boxes. 

STEP TWO
Get your paint bottles and brushes. There are two ways you can do this step. (BRICKS) 

1. Paint all your boxes white and then put masking tape around horizontally, leaving a 12cm gap in between each line of tape. Do the same vertically as well.  This masking tape will leave behind white lines (for the brick outline) when you paint the box brown (2 coats preferred)

2. Paint all your boxes brown (2 coats preferred) and with white paint, start painting the white brick outlines on top of your brown paint. Same measurement as above or do your own measurements. 

Paint BRICK DESIGN on 3 sides of all the boxes (leave the back as it will not be seen) and leave the flaps brown.

STEP THREE. 

Putting it together. 

There are also two ways you can do this step.

1. Tape 2 boxes together and with a stanly knife, cut a small square hole in the middle at the bottom of the box, this will be where you will put the "fire" 

2. Put your 2 boxes together leaving a small gap in between the box. With a spare piece of cardboard paint the bricks on it, matching the bricks on the boxes and then measure it to fit in between the gap. Using a strong hold tape (duct tape). Fold the ends of piece of cardboard, so the flaps are facing inwards and tape down the flaps to the sides of the two boxes. That will leave a gap underneath for the 'fire'. 

STEP FOUR 

Top half of fireplace. 

With the 3rd box, lay it out flat. Cut one of the sides off, so there should only be 3 sides. This box should also already be painted with bricks on 3 sides. Leave the box flaps brown. Position this box on top of the bottom half of the fireplace. With the top of the chimney, diagonally cut the corners of the box flaps (like the side of a triangle) and then tape the box flaps together and coat again with brown paint to cover the tape. 

Add decorations. 

FOR THE FIRE

1. With the cellophane, mix the red and orange cellophane together. Lay them on the ground flat and layer each colour on top of the other. 

2. Get your salt lamp (low voltage) and place in the middle of cellophane. 

3. Wrap up your salt lamp with cellophane and design your style of 'fire'. Use tape to secure the cellophane. 

Add sticks to make your fireplace more realistic.