Climbing higher

♫ Amaranthe – Afterlife

What is this I don't even... I guess I really didn't have much motivation to blog last year. I cannot even say I was so busy, although I was, but still I had the time for gaming and such.

It would be somewhat pointless to write a summary of the highlights of my 2014 since I didn't share that many details of it along the way either, but here's some insight into training and exercising.

A year ago I wrote how I would like to learn cool new tricks on the pole in 2014. Well, I'm not sure if I did, I should take another look at my actual exercise journal. Most of the time I felt like this though:

I haven't given up pole dancing. However, I haven't been doing it that much lately either, partly because the studio schedule wasn't very good for me in the autumn. I also hate to fight such things as dry skin, lack of friction and an extremely slippery home pole. I've also faced some sort of a wall with my progress since certain strength moves (and lifts in particular) have been too hard to tackle. However, I try to remind myself that however slowly I may be learning, I'm still climbing higher than anyone on the couch.

What I did in 2014, however, is something that had been haunting me for ages – no, I can say "always". I had never been able to do a handstand. In October I decided that I would try to narrow the gap between being unable and being terrified. That's right, I had been too afraid to even try (at least without a spotter). Ever since I started pole dancing, I had practised a bit by backing against a wall or a pole, but that doesn't yet put me in a perfectly upright position.

I practised handstands every day, and after 25 days, I managed to take off from the floor into a handstand against my pole. And after that, I've kept practising regularly.

(It looks like I hadn't shaved my left armpit, but I certainly have!)

I'm not yet thinking of doing a freestanding handstand, and with my shoulder structure, that may be a difficult and long journey. However, I feel quite confident going into a handstand against a wall or a pole, and it's already much, much more than I ever expected I could achieve in a few months.

And well, if you are like me and have never been able to stand on your hands, I can tell you something: if I can learn it, anyone can! Okay, not anyone, I wouldn't recommend trying if you have some problems with your wrists.

I've been slightly more excited about aerial silks lately. Soft fabrics can be much more comfortable than a cold, hard pole, and potential friction problems are quite different. This photo was obviously taken last summer, but on such a cold winter day as this, it's nice to look back on summery outdoor acrobatics sessions!

Yet another new year

♫ Sabaton – We burn

Happy New Year, my dear readers! I know I'm a bit late with this one as well, but I think it's alright to wish a happy New Year at least during the first week of January. :)

I was a lousy, lazy blogger in 2013 and now I'm trying to write about the past year a bit, maybe about the new one as well. I was inspired by a few fellow bloggers' New Year's posts, and thus I'm going to borrow some elements and/or questions from them. ;)

The best memories of 2013
Going abroad feels nice every time – visiting Rome was something to remember for sure. A very dear friend got married in March, and I was one of her maids of honor.

"Just as sure as Rome is falling, I'll be rising again..."

The only photo of myself taken with my own camera at my friend's wedding :x

Did you do something you had never done before?

I visited Ostrobothnia for the first time AND for the second time too. >:x The second was not naturally the first anymore, but I visited different towns (and different sub-regions!) so I suppose it does count! And the trip to Rome was my first time in Italy as well.

I also went to a real big stadion concert for the first time ever – my favourite bands have usually been way too small to perform at such venues.

I started exercising at a gym, like weight-lifting and such! And no, this was not a New Year's resolution. It seems I quit too, since I suddenly no longer had that much time. >:x I didn't like it that much either, though I did feel good after the exercise and I know it did me good, but I have other physical hobbies which I prioritized once I no longer had the time for everything.

And when it comes to doing things for the first time, I could probably list a bunch of pole dance moves which I nailed in 2013.

You can go to Ostrobothnia, but you can't get away that easily...

Trying to catch a glimpse of Iron Maiden

This is not one of those epic success pole moves, unless the miracle of having enough grip at home counts. I have no evidence of the epic success moments. :(

The biggest achievement

Getting paid for doing graphic design again.

The biggest failure

My body is one big failure! Seriously, I'm suffering from something all the time; sports injuries here and there. At least I'm not very sickly otherwise, but it does piss me off that my body can't just take certain things when it comes to exercise (for example) and thus, I also failed my previous New Year's resolution (though I can blame my head too, not just the body!) Oh well, I'm trying again this year – hopefully I'll have some achievements to boast about later!

Are you happier than you were on this day a year ago?

Strangely enough, being able to drag myself out of bed too early each morning in order to go to work does make me happier than not being able to do that.

What did you want and get?
A job.

What did you want but didn't get?

A permanent job, but I am very happy and grateful for what I did get.

A rule of life you learnt

Don't evaluate yourself based on what others might expect of you (especially if you cannot meet those expectations).

And finally, what I am looking forward to or wish to experience in 2014:

I would like to get a permanent job.

A trip abroad – I'm just curious to see foreign countries and interesting cities, and I'll have to hope I can find the time and money.

Hopefully, there will be a lot of great concerts too!

And, I wish to learn a lot of new cool tricks on the pole.

Zombie Fitness

♫ Lady Gaga – So happy I could die

I've been following the Bat Fit challenge with some interest ever since it began, yet I haven't participated in it at all. I've read related posts in several blogs and considered joining, but well... I don't know. However, I haven't been totally inefficient; I've tried some wholly new physical things, enjoyed them, and well... I've been developing and stretching muscles as I want to become more wiry and supple than I've ever been. (But that's a poor goal. I've never been supple – not even when I was a child. Thus, that mission is probably even too easy to accomplish!)

Anyway, I found something that might be of interest to some of my readers. A game called Zombies, Run! It will be released for iOS and Android phones, and it obviously tries to take basic jogging to a whole new level! And no doubt it does if you'll be hearing hungry groans following on your track. That seems very interesting! I wouldn't preorder the game yet, though – I want to get to know more about the actual gameplay part of it, and I want to read some reviews before spending $20.

Images © Six to Start

Obviously the gameplay mechanics include jogging and automatically experiencing things on the way, collecting items and such. Once at home, those items should be put in good use in the game world. The concept sounds intriguing. Looking forward to the release! So long!