Brinky Links 1 (10/08/11)

Hi! Welcome to the first edition of Brinky Links! I'm excited to share the first one because it'll be my all-time favorite links on health, fitness, productivity and overall wellness. I'll throw in some surprises here and there. If you have any links to share, feel free to share them in the comments section.

Let's begin with a song. Everyone's listening to Adele lately and so am I. Here's a beautiful video of the heartbreaking song 'Someone Like You'. The video features Paris in black and white.

Chris Guillebeau is really the man who started it all for me. I was working in the middle of nowhere when I first read  his article on The Decision to be Remarkable. Needless to say, fueled my desire to change the world.

But as life isn't always peachy-keen, this article on taking back control of your life from the 99 percent gives concrete tips on how to get your life back on track. Sounds perfect to me. :)

Speaking of taking control of your life, here are two people who have done exactly so.  The result? More freedom to to be productive exactly as they want it. But mind you, their suggestions veer away from regular time management tips. Seth Godin doesn't go to any meetings all. Danielle LaPorte suggests against keeping a overly detailed to-do-list. Worth emulating? You bet.

Another worthy read on productivity is Ramit Sethi's post on laziness and motivation, delivered in his usual snarky style. Truly a gem!

If you are a fan of inspirational quotes like I am, here is my favorite site for quotes. Today's pick:

 "I think it’s naive to pray for world peace if we’re not going to change the form in which we live."— Godfrey Reggio 

I'm not vegan but I enjoy visiting Angela Liddon's blog Oh She Glows every day since 2009. Her creative ways with vegetables never fails to inspire me to add more to my diet.

Another healthy living blog I enjoy visiting regularly is Can You Stay For Dinner? by the amazing Andie Mitchell. She dropped 130+ lbs in over a year! This superwoman also writes amazingly-well with her poetric blog entries.

Finally, if you're a Filipino (or if you want to visit the Philippines), be sure to read Anton Diaz's compilation of the most Awesome Food Experiences Around the Philippines. Reading it makes me proud that these awesome dishes are made in my country.

Got anything to share from your end? I would love to hear from you! :)

Living An Unhealthy Life With A Healthy Mind

Let me illustrate. Just today I had these superstars:

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Yep... a Big Mac meal.

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More Mcdonald's goodness.

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Some Japanese to balance out the Fastfood saltiness.

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And some Chinese dumplings (Siomai) just because I love them.

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For the finale, we have a rice meal. Because nothing spells dinner like rice and saucy meat. 

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On the brink of being healthy, say what? I figured I'd be honest on my second post. These are my weaknesses. These, inspite of their yumminess, hinder me from being healthy. I like extremes. I like all-or-nothings. But the truth is, it doesn't exist. Life is one gray area and I've tweaked my quest. I'd like to learn how to lived a well-balanced life. 

I'm new here, so tell me, what are your weaknesses?

We start here. (Declarations/Expectations)

Confessions first. Currently, I am what they call a 'lazy dreamer'. I have so many visions for my future and so much time to accomplish it all. But given my current state of life (jobless and living in my parent's house), I'm not making it easier for myself.

Years ago, I was such a go-getter, inspite of my lazy dreaming self. I was getting good grades, involved with school organizations, exercising and eating well. Then I lost momentum and slowly disintegrated to a less stellar version of myself. (More on that in the about page.)

Now out of college and out of work, I seek to reclaim my vigor for life. Forgive me for sounding like an 80-year-old grandma but I feel like one. These days I only do three things: watch television, surf the internet, eat and eat and of course, dream.

This idea of Brink! was incubated in my head for months before I took action. Most of the time I felt I couldn't do it because I had no credibility. Who am I to tell people how to live healthily? But I finally understood that starting the blog didn't mean telling people what to eat or how to exercise. It's about sharing the journey. I'm on the brink of achieving my dreams bit by bit. I hope you join me in this journey.

What can you expect from Brink? 
It's a good thing that I've documented most of my ideas on Evernote. Thus I have the pleasure to tell you that you can look forward to the following features on Brink!

• Healthy Picks - Restaurant and food reviews focusing on healthy selections/menus. 
• Monthly Challenges - Join me as I embark on challenges for my health! We can report to each other and keep each other accountable.
• Brink Icons - Profiles of people who have successfully crossed the path of Brink-dom and have achieved their dreams, health-wise and life-wise.
• Brinky Links - Giving you the week's most interesting healthy links from the Internet. 
• Recipes and Kitchen Recipes - Since I'm Filipino, expect healthy-fied versions of your favorite Filipino dished. But I also like experimenting and baking, so look out for doses of desserts and offbeat dishes too.
• Product Reviews - I'm developing a method on reviewing products. I want to different, honest and effective in delivering reviews.
• Lowdown - Information I've gathered so far food, fitness and overall health drinks. 
• Inspiration - Something to fuel our desires to achieving our dreams. 

As a final note on this first post, I just wanted to share a song that played randomly on my Itunes while I was writing this post.  It's Just Watch The Fireworks by the band Jimmy Eat World and it speaks accurately of what I've set out to do here. Have a listen. :)

"Here you can be anything.

I think that scares you.
I've been here before but only by myself.
What giving up gives you and where giving up takes you.
I've had and I've been.
Here in center frame, there's only air.
Just enough space to fit.
I said it out loud over and over but what do I know.
I said it out loud but it did not help.
I'll stop now.
Just so I can hear you I stay up as late as it takes, as long as it takes.
I promised I'd see it again.
I promised I'd see this with you now."