chappie.

rarely do i see films in the theaters. either nothing piques my interest enough, or i can't be bothered to spend the money on a ticket when i know i will be able to find a version online that i can view from the comfort of my home. with that being said, i made sure to get two tickets last friday for the opening night of chappie.

chappie is another futuristic brainchild of director neill blomkamp, who previously directed district 9 and elysium. anyone who enjoyed district 9 will surely appreciate chappie for both the action and the emotional connection the viewer forms with the non-human characters. the character in question in this film is chappie, a police robot that is used to test a new program: consciousness.

besides my love for robots, the real reason why i was so excited to see this film was because of the cast. no, not hugh jackman and sigourney weaver, who played much more minor roles than i expected. i was there to see ninja and yolandi visser, otherwise known as die antwoord. i've been a fan of the south african rap group since 2011/2012 and i was immediately hooked by the fresh style and sound that was completely unlike anything i had ever seen or heard before. not only did they make next level music with striking videos to match, but stumbling through youtube one day i came across umshini wam, a short film starring ninja and yolandi that instantly became my new favorite thing. seriously, go watch it now.

as i was entering the theater i wondered how much screen time die antwoord would get and figured they might play minor roles. man, i have never been so pumped to be wrong. without die antwoord, chappie would not exist. not only did ninja and yolandi portray the main characters, they created them. chappie was like one long die antwoord music video and i could not have been any more pleased. from their personal style to slang to music, die antwoord breathed life and originality into this movie. i lost count of all of the die antwoord logos on clothing and even chappie himself!

chappie had me laughing out loud, gasping, cheering, and even brought a few tears to my eyes. in the end, it took a robot to show everyone what makes us human. now i'm just hoping for a sequel...

RATING: 10/10 (but i might be a bit biased)

my journey to health...

this is long overdue! my journey to health, as i call it, truly began in february. i decided that in order to get the things i want in life, i have to pretend like i already have it. fake it until you make it, you know? i want to be healthier in all ways possible: physically, emotionally, spiritually. i decided to start with the physical.

the real idea that got me started was seeing one of my friends and coworkers pregnant. there was no way i could carry all of that baby and all of this weight! i would be a beached whale... not a pleasant sight. a baby is down the line for me but it is still a concern. and of course, i wanted to be healthier in general. lastly, i wanted to show everyone i know that i could do it if i wanted to. suck it.

my starting weight was 235, the most i'd ever been. i do want to say, though, that i loved myself (and was loved) at that weight. by february i had already lost about 5 pounds of holiday weight by doing nothing in particular except not eating cookies everyday. in february i started using an app called myfitnesspal. i entered my current weight, my goal weight, and how many pounds i wanted to lose per week. i started off easy at 1 pound per week. the app calculated how many calories i could have per day and i stuck to it. i entered everything that passed my lips; cheating the app would only be cheating myself.

in addition to tracking what i ate and keeping it under my calorie limit, i joined planet fitness. i try to go to the gym at least three times a week. my first time on the arc trainer, a machine similar to an eliptical, i almost died and only lasted 15 minutes. i went from almost zero physical activity on a regular basis to kicking ass. now, i typically do 45 minutes on a higher level of hills on the arc trainer. i went from dreading exercise to craving the rush of adrenaline and the accomplished feeling you have walking out of the gym.

from the end of february to the beginning of june i had lost another 25 pounds and was down to 205. it helped that my office had a biggest loser competition; the weekly check-ins motivated me to stay on track.

i'm so happy and proud of my progress so far. i feel stronger, happier and more energetic. the doctor was impressed by my weightloss and my vitals. as far as progress goes, i've hit a little bit of a plateau. i'm also giving myself a short break from living off of baked chicken breasts and salads (hehe). i'd like to lose at least another 20 pounds. so i will be back at it soon! and i will bring part two of my physical journey to health.

if you have any questions, please ask! i will do my best to assist!

inspiration.

spring is so inspiring! i love this time of year and the feelings it ignites in me each time we make it out of the winter. it's refreshing. i tend to get some of my better ideas in the spring, with a sense of hope. like a kind of seed you plant and wish to see bloom like the flowers around you. i have so many amazing ideas but... my follow through is awful. it's pitiful most of the time, to be honest. but when my stars do align, it's always something special. i feel it happening now.

i have been spending a lot of time thinking about what i'd really like to do with my life. while i'm in a career job, i'm fairly sure it is not what i want to spend the rest of my days doing. if there's anything i've learned getting older, it's that time is more precious by the minute. so i've been weighing my options; i've decided to try my hand at writing. a novel, poetry, lyrics. it's something that's always come fairly easily to me and i enjoy it. it's time to let all of the thoughts i keep to myself pour out. i will admit i am a little bit scared. but i believe in this. i told j about it last night and he is really supportive. when i woke up this morning my note from the universe was my final sign.

 

creepy, right? so that's my answer. wish me luck.

i can't wait to share my first thoughts on the weight loss journey that i am well into by now (SOON!)! i find that i've recently turned inward to work on building a happiness from the inside out. it's really working.

expectations.

i've been having a hard time lately. well now that i think about it, maybe it's been a problem i've had my whole life. it seems like everyone i know has expectations of me. family, friends, boyfriend, job... i feel like all of my time is taken up trying my hardest to fulfill these expectations. at the end of the day no time is left for me and the expectations, goals, and dreams i have for myself.

for as long as i can remember i have been a people pleaser. i will do anything to make sure the people in my life are happy, even if that means putting my own happiness on the back burner. to be honest, i do this with everyone, even acquaintances and strangers. i hate to think that someone might have a bad opinion of me. i am constantly worried about how what i say and do will come across to others.

i'm an introvert and sometimes all i want to do is go home, decompress, and get into whatever hobby is inspiring me that day. often though, i find myself agreeing to go out with friends even when i'd rather not. i'll spend my last $20 to go to a show or out to eat with someone just because they asked me to and i don't want to disappoint them by saying no. when i think about why i went to college the number one reason that comes to mind is that it is what my parents always wanted for me. don't get me wrong, they were never those overbearing parents insisting i have no other choice but to go to college. but in my mind, for whatever reason, i felt that i would be a massive disappointment to them if i didn't get a degree. so now i have a job that is far from my dream to be able to afford to pay on my student loans for an education i'm not entirely sure i wanted in the first place.

when i take time to reflect on this problem of mine i realize that it is just that, mine. i can't blame anyone else for having expectations of me. i can't blame anyone for my desire to please. i blame myself for not standing up for what i really want and need. i blame myself for not putting me first. so now that i've come to this conclusion, what's a girl to do? change it. it's going to be hard to change a lifelong habit but i'm determined. i'm tired of always worrying about what people will think. instead, i'd like to get to know what i think. it might come off as selfish, but after twenty-seven years of giving people what they want, i want to get what i want out of my time on earth.

there is just one thing i'd like to propose to anyone reading this: lighten up! if you know someone isn't a bad person, cut them some slack. i'm not saying to lower your expectations. i just think that if someone would prefer to stay home sometimes or forgets to text you back, it's not the end of the world and certainly not reason enough to dump them as a friend. so live and let live. focus on yourself and what you can do instead of the ways others disappoint you. maybe, that way, we'll all be happier in the end.

moving on.

well, a lot has changed in the past few weeks. sometimes it seems like i will never get a break and life is a constant chain of events from crisis to crisis. in the end though i always seem to make it out alright so i am learning (and/or trying) not to get so upset. most of the time your obstacles turn out to be opportunities in disguise. i am especially keeping that in mind in this particular situation.

a few weeks ago the temperature in maryland dropped to the single digits for a few days. that, combined with the shoddy heating system (if you can even call it that) we have in our apartment, led to the pipes freezing and bursting in the first floor kitchen in our apartment. by the time we woke up and found out what had happened, a few feet into our living room was soaked and the kitchen was a mess. luckily nothing of ours was ruined.

unfortunately our current landlord is what is considered a slumlord. he is very wealthy and stays that way by being cheap. it took a year and a half of begging to get him to install some kind of heaters and those barely work. so when i called him to let him know about the water damage i was not expecting much. long story short, i finally got in touch with him after calling for five hours and he didn't fix a thing. he left the water in the carpet and the walls and i am convinced that both are now growing some pretty ripe mold.

so... we are moving. there is no way we can continue to stay in this moldy, cold apartment with a landlord that doesn't care. i am sad to be leaving fells point though. it is hard for me to leave things behind. i start to worry about if the next chapter will be as good as the last. it has been amazing living in the heart of fells point for the past two years. from the constant smell of bread baking at the h&s bakery to our awesome neighbors to the water at the end of the block to all of the shops and restaurants and fells point fest... not to mention this was jerrill and i's first place together.

at the same time, i think this is a necessary transition in our life together. we are moving from downtown to uptown, hampden to be exact. we managed to find a sweet one bedroom apartment above a shop right on the avenue. it will allow us to save some money, surround ourselves with creative people, and most importantly have a comfortable living environment with a decent landlord. not having to fight for a parking spot is a pretty good perk too! there are parks within walking distance and a bunch of different shops and restaurants to explore. moving into a new place will allow us a fresh start for new habits we'd like to adopt. overall, it will be a big improvement.

we will hopefully be moving this weekend. everything has happened so fast that i think it's still hard for me to grasp the idea that in less than a week this apartment will no longer be my home. i've loved this little house on the point. but it is looking less and less like my home lately, as we've begun packing everything into boxes. our art is off the walls, our bookshelf empty. i wanted to take a video walkthrough of the place one last time so i could remember everything but it all happened so fast. now it will just have to live on in my mind.

i saw this comparison between successful and unsuccessful people a few weeks ago and it makes a lot of sense to me. i have always been one to fear change but starting now i will begin to embrace it. if this is my only life i sure as hell want to experience as much as i can while i am still here. so i will accept this change with open arms and bring positivity and peace into my life! i can't wait to share photos of the new place and i'm getting more excited about it by the minute. here's to change, growth, and rebirth!

hello 2014!

happy new year everyone! i hope everyone had a happy and safe new years eve and are well into enjoying 2014. i was feeling a bit anxious just before the new year about time and mortality and how quickly years seem to pass. it made me think about how i currently spend my time and how i could spend it better. there are things i've tried to omit or limit in my life in order to free up more time. for example, we do not have television or cable in our apartment. i do watch some shows but i watch them online, without commercials and on my own time. that way there's no getting sucked into the mindless garbage programming on tv these days. despite my efforts, i still find myself not as productive as i would like to be. i will admit i can be lazy but that is something i want to leave behind in 2013.

that's why i want 2014 to be the year of MORE. do more, see more, live more, be more. gearing up into my 30s i want to be as productive as i can and i'm doing it for myself. i heard somewhere that your 20s are for you and your 30s are for everyone else. i'm not sure if i agree with it entirely, but i do feel like i need to make serious moves towards my life goals and the next few years are the most crucial for that. i took a year to get situated in my day job and now that i have that under control it is time to tackle the next set of challenges!

so here are a few of the highlights that will make up my year of more:

• go on more adventures. go hiking, biking, and exploring. geocaching has always seemed like so much fun to me but i've never tried it. i mean, who doesn't love hunting for hidden treasure? i hope to incorporate geocaching into my other hiking and exploring and being more active in general.
• write more. i love writing and really need to focus on this in the new year. i want to blog at least twice a week. writing lyrics and poems needs to continue to be in the spotlight.
• more music. the project i'm working on right now has been a long time coming. it needs to be released this year. i miss having band practice and i'm looking forward to it. for inspiration, i also want to listen to more music this year. i recently noticed that the majority of my music is from years ago. i have a few new albums here and there but it's a little embarrassing because i consider myself a music lover and avid listener. each week i want to listen to at least two albums that are new to me. maybe that will turn into a new feature of the blog! lastly, i need to go to more live music shows. i want to go to at least three this year. party on!
• read more. i'd like to read at least ten books this year.
• meditate more. in 2014 i'd like to begin daily meditation. i've meditated a few times but never made it a habit. i think it will be a good one to adopt this year as i continue to grow and learn about myself and the world around me.
• cook more. i cook meals here and there but by no means every day. this past year our household has made steps by relying less on fast food and carry out and cooking more but i still think there's room for improvement. i want to create weekly meal plans to help make grocery shopping, cooking, and financial planning more efficient.
• more business focus. in 2014 i'd love to see continued growth for my boyfriend's company creative king. i want to be part of that growth and want to contribute more of my skills and time to his endeavor because it is something i truly believe in. in addition, i'd love to start my own business making crystal healing infused jewelry.
• take more photos. take at least one photo a day.
• buy more for self. for some reason when it comes to buying things for myself i hate spending money. this is a bad habit because i end up wearing the same clothes all the time or depriving myself of the enjoyment of something nice and new. when i do finally get something new for myself the retail therapy excitement lifts my spirits and i feel great. this year i will put myself first every once in a while and splurge a little bit. i want to buy myself something once a month.

i'm sure there's more that i could add but i think focusing on these will keep me busy for a while! if you had to pick a theme word for 2014, what would it be?

the best of luck to everyone in this new year! i hope you and yours have a year full of love and happiness as this rock keeps orbiting around the sun.

introduction.

well this is it! i've decided to join the blogosphere. for those of you who don't know me, my name is xinnie. it's a nickname that evolved from my birth name christine. i am currently twenty-six years old and living in baltimore, maryland with my boyfriend and our cat thrasher.

to be honest, i'm not entirely sure what this blog will entail. i know for sure that i do not expect to limit it to any one topic in particular. so let's just call it an alien babe lyfestyle blog! i intend to document my journey on earth in love, adventures, and the path to following my dreams.

currently i am working as a case manager for people with developmental disabilities. my specialty is deaf culture, as i graduated from towson university with a bachelor's degree in deaf studies. i know american sign language and use it often for work and in my personal life! i am also helping my boyfriend launch his clothing line creative king.
 

while my job is something i am proud of, it is not my dream. what is my dream? well, i have many! for as long as i can remember, i have always wanted to be a musician. singing is my biggest passion and brings me the most joy. i was the lead singer for an all girl pop-punk band out of baltimore for a few years before moving on in a direction that suited me better. now i am a part of an intergalactic trip-hop duo called xinnie. we are working hard to finish up our first release and it is exciting to be a part of something that just feels right.

my other dreams include designing crystal healing infused jewelry, becoming self-employed, starting a family, and learning and exploring as much as i can during my time on earth. for now i am taking things one day at a time.

well, that's enough about me! i look forward to sharing my life and adventures on this blog. to start, here is the view of our secret courtyard in the middle of the city where i call home!