Stefanie's

[Nikoluski]

I am loving this journal

Caution: it's late and I'm tired and sleepy, for this following post, so I don't know what will come out.


Saturday, Nov.6th, 2010.

I'm not sure I will get this change again in my life (I am one to believe that we chase after our chances, in a good amount of degree), but despite the momentary monotonous feeling of thinking over the same phd subject matter, from the morning until the night, and sometimes in my sleep too, I am truly grateful (is it Thanksgiving yet?) to have this opportunity of 'free' schedule, to structure my day around studying and training.
And dwelling upon the ancients' virtuous life-model of taking care of 'body', 'mind' and 'spirit', perhaps the first two are fully functioned right now, in opposition to a grand majority of the human population, while the third will always be a constant struggle for anyone wandering on this planet earth.

With that being said, I wanted to share the fact that I really enjoy my research; it's a combination of things I like, minus the training, and I find it a real challenge. It deals with the structure of public open urban spaces, definitions of 'civic art', and creating a new methodology of putting together quality public open spaces for the contemporary city. It blends architectural design, philosophical paradigms, form perception, and art theories. And this is important for me to note down, because all of 2009 was a constant question mark of "what the heck am I doing here in Milan"; needless to say that my presence here was a result of chain- events that unfolded not so harmoniously, accompanied with psychological mild turbulence

I'm probably writing all this down because I've been dealing with this phd all day today, from 10am until midnight, with a two hour break for training etc. Ughhhh

But because I don't want people (and myself, after years), to think that I'm a zombie that only studies and trains, here's the latest painting I completed (about a month ago, but oh well): (it's a Norman Rockwell reproduction)


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Ok, training, training:

> 25min warm up jog on grass (I love this park right near my residence - only two loops around for 25min)
> 10min dynamic stretching
> 5 x 30m A skips
> 5 x 30m B skips (I am doing these again, after Charlie told me to drop them, because I think I am doing them more correctly now, but I guess I should post another video soon)
> 5 x 30m running A's leading into a 30m stride
> 5 x 30m scissor kicks leading into a 50-60m stride

> 3 x 4 pulls ups
> 4 x 10 dips
> about 200 abs (I was doing 1200 abs just a couple of weeks ago, I should bring my game back now.. I wish I had a med ball here.)


Today was a "knee-check" day, and my verdict is: CHECK. (but I'll stick on grass for the next couple of weeks - my park has a short hill too - I know, I'll be careful)


p.s. John, that summary was awesome..

Just remember to come back to this post frequently... Good times!

[Stefanie]

Just remember to come back to this post frequently... Good times!

I will keep that in mind.

Wednesday, Nov.10th, 2010

Is this migraine age??? My mom has had them, and my middle sister also (she started getting them around my age). But I really think that the reason my head started to hurt so sharply at the end of the day, is because I hadn't fed myself properly, and then I went training.
Today was one of those days when I realized how MUCH I still have to read, which, if not faced by deadlines, would be a pleasure thought, but now kinda stresses me out. Or just a little bit. I'm thankful to Christos, my highly-intelligent-upstairs-researcher-friend, who sometimes sleeps at weird hours, and works extensively to get things done, and when I asked him "are you stressed at the moment" (during a very tense and dense period of work) and he said "no.... I never let things like this worry me". He is actually worried because back home, (in Greece), as he says, he cannot find young researchers motivated enough to work on his projects enthusiastically, and he compares them to me, and he wishes there were more like me. Which is nice.. One remark that really enlightened my stress: "the young people I work with, don't feel like writing... but researchers should be pondering on things all the time... not to the point of torture, of course, but for the sake of insight". Sometimes, I torture myself. But now I can see more clearly. In theory, at least...
So I decided... enough studying today... I will watch Grey's Anatomy on youtube tonight If I don't fall asleep...

Training:
- 20min warm up
- dynamic stretching
- 5 x 20m A skips
- 5 x scissor kicks into a stride
Hills:
- 10 x 40m hills, walk back recovery.
Plyos:
- 5 x right-right-left-left (70meters)
- 5 x 70m bounds

Then the headache... which might not be a hunger headache after all because three hours later and a LOT of food, it still kind hurts..

[Nikoluski]

Is the knee OK then? Easy on plyos...

[Stefanie]

Is the knee OK then? Easy on plyos...

Excellent !!!!

[John]

watching Greys Anatomy would give me a migraine

[Stefanie]

watching Greys Anatomy would give me a migraine

Oh come on now =)) It's highly scientific and intellectual (hence the migraine )

Although the weather was 6 degrees (COLD) today, the sun finally peaked out, and I found company for my warm up (Iranian friend =D ) , which brought up my spirits. Company (training company) is so important !!! And then I was expecting Dejan too, so double the good..


Thursday, Nov. 11th, 2010

(all on grass, like all the other days since I came to Milan)
- 20min warm up
- Long and short circuit (tempo) I'm writing it down, otherwise it feels like I didn't accomplish much
100+100+100+
100+200++100+100+
100+200++200++100+
100+200++100+100+
100+100+100++++
100+100+100+
100+200++100+
100+100+100
(+= walk 50m, although it was less after the 100s)
(I was then going to do push ups/ pull ups/ dips at the monkey bars, and then abs, but I ran out of time and ran home instead)

EMS:
- 20min explosive strength on hamstrings
- 15min relaxing massage on hamstrings
- 20min strength on quads


I had red wine today. And now I'm eating sausages. With Dejan =)

[Stefanie]

Friday, Nov. 12th, 2010

> 40min + 40min walking
> 30min warm up jog (grass)
> 10min dynamic/static stretching
> 12 x 40m hills (maybe the hill is a little less, 37+m, but I'll call it 40), walk back recoveries
> 4 x 70min right-right-left-left plyos (on grass)
> 40 total chin ups/pull ups
> 80 reps with resistance band (arms)
> 650 abs (some were done with a thick library book, instead of a MB, which I don't have here )

I LOVE training with company (Dejan is here..)

[Stefanie]

Friday, Nov. 12th, 2010

> 40min + 40min walking
> 30min warm up jog (grass)
> 10min dynamic/static stretching
> 12 x 40m hills (maybe the hill is a little less, 37+m, but I'll call it 40), walk back recoveries
> 4 x 70min right-right-left-left plyos (on grass)
> 40 total chin ups/pull ups
> 80 reps with resistance band (arms)
> 650 abs (some were done with a thick library book, instead of a MB, which I don't have here )

I LOVE training with company (Dejan is here..)

[Stefanie]

Saturday, Nov.13th, 2010

6hours of walking


Sunday, Nov.14th, 2010

1 hour of running (no comment, please )
(>> raining raining all day long)


Tomorrow I have an important presentation.
Tuesday will most likely take a day trip to Vicenza, with Dejan =) Although it will be raining ...
This part of Italy is too wet for me.

[Nikoluski]

1 hour of running (no comment, please )

I can't help it, but I'll save it after your presentation...