Momentum

Momentum

November 19, 2012

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

When my hotmail account was hacked almost two years ago, I cried because I lost a lot of highly important information. A sense of loss lingered within the entire time I was on denial. Amongst all that priceless information,  there was a fitness quote called, 'momentum,' which helped me stay motivated and get closer than ever to my fitness goal earlier this year. 

I've been looking for that quote in google at no avail. Right now my mind is in desperate need of a boost to get my flojo going. I am only on day four of recovery but I want to take giant leaps to get going because it hasn't felt like me for almost five months!

So here I am really struggling with staying still, my leg is resting covered with ice packs and I am, calling out, "Georgie, Yo-yo, Yuyito, gorda, Yuyo, Georgita, Yor, Yo', Gina, Ginita, Gio, don't ruin your momentum. You are one step away from reaching wholeness, don't you dare go crazy!

These idle moments are not easy at all for such a hyped up person like you but some day sooner rather than later, they will pay off every single suffering moment. Wait for the right moment to build your momentum. BUT! Once you get going, don't let go until you've have gone over your last goal."

A few days ago, I was on a countdown to put a halt to physical pain, now I am on the road to re-starting my momentum...

"I sat down with my trainers to check my past seasons and to see what could be done to keep me motivated and in good shape. I had to find a new motivation…

a new momentum."

Hermann Maier

"Most of life is routine - dull and grubby, but routine is the momentum that keeps a man going. If you wait for inspiration you'll be standing on the corner after the parade is a mile down the street."

Ben Nicholas

"For an hour every day, I did something. I was on the elliptical or the treadmill, and if someone asked me to go to a class - whether it was spinning, boxing, yoga, you name it - I went. By the end of the month, I felt so good, I just kept going. I didn't want to lose my momentum."

Molly Sims

Alive and Kicking!

Alive and Kicking

November 18, 2012

By: GIna Yoryet Roman

The week before no symptoms of anxiety, stress nor panic appeared. 

Two days prior I was counting every single second to finally put an end to all my physical misery, unable to withstand the pain after a thirty minute slow pace walk.

It was the night before I couldn't  lock eyes thinking what it'd be like the next am once I set foot in the slaughterhouse for the first time ever.

Believe it or not, not once did I lose it because I knew all along that  the worst was over with and that I'd be in good hands. Given this fact, on Thursday, I arose at 5:30 and decided that I wanted to look good! I mean, it is not like I get a chance to have a surgery every day so I put my rollers on, got all dolled up with a cute workout outfit; a sweater and sweat pants and did my makeup nicely and carefully.

I got to the hospital at exactly 6:50, registered and waited patiently for the nurse to come get me. At 7:40-7:45 she got there and escorted me to the operation room, she had me put a robe on, take everything, I mean EVERYTHING off! 

I said, "Oh no, lady! Why would those have to go? Everything can go BUT MY precious undies!" 

Really!? I was mortified because my privacy had just been invaded and I sat on the bed complaining silently, "Come on people, it is just a knee surgery, why do I have to strip off all of my clothes!?"

Needles to say, the undies had to go! :(

When the doctor arrived, they pulled me into the surgery room immediately, the

anesthesiologist with another young (and very handsome ) doctor grabbed me and shot me on the spine to put me out with local anesthesia. 

It must've been very strong because I instantly dozed off, not completely though. I could still hear voices very far away, amongst the two surgeons performing the surgery, the anesthesiologists, the young doctor, and all the nurses whirling around in the room made me feel a little nervy and I could hear a voice ask, "What happened to this woman?" Another voice replied, "She was a marathon runner."

The next thing I recall was my feeble and broken voice pleading for another blanket  because I couldn't stop shivering being in that ice box of an operation room.

It all happened at the blink of an eye, when I was put back in the room I wanted to pee and after many failed attempts to get up (my legs were still numb from the effects of anesthesia) I gave up and called the nurse to see what the next step would be.

She asked, "Would you like me to bring a bed pan?" I abruptly responded, "No way, I'll just hold off a little longer!" 

That was NOT a good idea so when I could't hold it anymore, I said to her, "Fine, bring the bed pan in."

It turns out that my bladder was immobile because of the anesthesia!! 

So the nurse said to me, "Let me ask the doctor and see what we need to do."

The next thing I knew, is that the nurse came back with the young and good looking doctor holding a catheter on his hand. 

I naively asked him, "What is that for?" Stupid question, dumb moment, ha, ha!

He said, "open your legs." 

I mumbled, "Oh, no!"

He replied, "I know this is embarrassing for you but we have to help you get all the fluid out ok?" 

My face turned a million colors because to make it even worse I got my period the day before! 

I kept avoiding to look at him in the eye, I instead stared at the ceiling asking myself, "Why did I have to get the youngest and best looking doctor!?"

That had to be the worst episode of this whole thing!

Later on, my therapist, the priest at my church and some friends stopped by to visit.

The first thing they all implied, "Gina You look great, it doesn't even look like you just came out of the surgery room!"

My strategy to look good worked after all, huh! 

I came home the following day and I've been here since. As hyped us as I always am, I am going crazy but I know for a fact that this is only temporary.

I am really looking forward to starting therapy and getting re-started with my normal routine.

I will always remember these moments and I DO NOT want to ever have another surgery! Even though I jokingly said that while I was at it, I'd get a face and but lift, a lipo, a boob job, the whole nine yards that nobody would even recognize me!

What I learned: 

To not be a deaf and blind tenant in my own body and appreciate and comform with what my engine can do. But more than anything, to accept that I've been there, done that, my moment is done so now just work to maintain a lifestyle and cherish my temple.

What I witnessed: 

I am amazed to see what the female body can do so from now on, accept it

for the creator it's meant to be, not in a vain and superficial aspect but visualize its purpose and be thankful for it. 

What I take from this experience:

At the end of the day, health is what really matters. Our most valuable asset is our body (and health). If we are not healthy, we are not complete so we cannot give or do our best. So we have to invest in our wholeness.

What I gained: I gained a new friend (my therapist) who we are already planning to go dancing once I am reloaded. 

All along there have been many angels called family and friends who care about me and who supported me with their unlimited well wishes, prayers, intentions and warm words. 

Thank you!

In Illo Tempore

In illo Tempore

November 11, 2012

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

Whilst tasting my mother's exquisite cuisine skills when having late lunch with a friend and my mother yesterday, I couldn't help reminiscing about some of my best childhood memories. Amongst those vivid images are a myriad of moments of my siblings and I horse playing nonstop day and night. 

There are some vague flashes of my sisters and I walking to school together holding hands, fighting over our toys and making up the very next second (my sisters and I are closer in age but I also treasure momentos of my brothers). 

We shared a lot of priceless gifts all through our naive childhood, in our adolescence, during our young adulthood and now as older adults. Regardless of not talking about it much, we know that there will be a lifetime unbreakable bond uniting us, no matter the distance or any catch-22.

Having a full household with five girls and three boys was always a ton of fun for us - the children, but I bet it wasn't like that for my mother as each day concluded, she was wiped out after she came back from her full time job to take care of our needs; cook, clean, bathe us, finally put us to bed, after that, she'd manage to hop into bed herself at two or three in the morning and she had to get up again before five am to feed and bathe us and make sure that our hair was always sleek, our uniforms were always clean and that we always smelled of soap.

Flavouring that meal yesterday harbored a nostalgia for my childhood and of once upon a time when it was just the ten of us…In illo tempore. Was it more likely the fact of taking the time to flavor each bite since I am always on the go? 

Or because I was suddenly impacted with emotions because Christmas is around the corner and I long for all those years when it was all of us together sharing hugs, gifts and laughs.

Possibly! Sitting down and having a meal the way it's supposed to be, instead of having lunch in my car or anywhere I get a chance, was indubitably more joyful. 

That delicately made dish, transported me to illo tempore when things were a different story in Mexico and all our temporary homes when growing up. Caught amidst two cultures, I always believed that my mother was too old fashioned every time she said to us, "Life in Mexico is totally different from here, (The U. S.). In Mexico morals, values, respect, ethics, are still existent  in the younger generations."  So from thereon, an image of an immaculate and untouchable Mexico was engraved in my mind. Living in many different parts of Mexico during my childhood also reassured that affirmation when I witnessed younger peoples' behavior towards their elders, when marriages were life-lasting and when family bonds were stronger than now. I don't recall a great percent of teenage girls getting pregnant nor a lot of teens and young adults living such empty and superficial existence. For the most part we were surrounded with innocence and that incorruptibility lingered long after that. 

Humanity has indeed changed this society but I can't change anyone, change must start within first and foremost. And even when there may be very little good left, I still have one of the greatest presents I can ever be gifted with…

My family like it was once in illo tempore and the way it will soon be when mom, dad, HR1, HR2, HR3, RG1, RG2, RG3, RG4, RG5, DRG21, SJJR, HR1-2, HR2-2, HR3-2, ABJR1, AWR2, EMR1 can re-connect physically once again and celebrate the Roman Dynasty, our family legacy.

 "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

Timothy 5:8 

My countdown

My countdown

November 10, 2012

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

The last couple of weeks, twelve, to be precise, have gone in a blur. Amidst physical pain, frustration and denial, the longest interruption in my active lifestyle has felt more like and eternity.

Being in a countdown, 4 days to be exact (my arthrotoscopy is scheduled for Thursday November 15 at 10am), arises anxiety, NOT fear but distress because I am so ready to conclude this episode and retake my routine.

Since the beginning of August, I can count the number of 'incomplete' workouts I've managed because the impending pain on my knee has been a temporary obstacle which has twisted my life completely.

I look at the stranger in the mirror and deep down lies the fit woman I once was and I say to myself, Why did this injury have to throw me off cycle now that I was doing so well? Not only have I lost most of my muscle but all of my strength as well. Despite not having put on a single pound I feel flabby and puny and my jeans are not filled completely with my trim legs.

My shirts fit me tighter around my arms and I don't necessarily like what I see but I continue telling myself that this is only temporary.

There are very slight traces of the muscles on my body but I shall soon rejoice because I am certain that I will bounce back fairly quickly and when that day happens, I will build a mental discipline like never before.

It has not all been bad though, sleeping a little longer in the mornings has suited me quite well…

But I still long for my morning coffee - my early workouts that hyped me up for the entire day.

I miss my strong, fit and healthy body. 

Once I am on the rebound, I will aim for even better!

I'd like to believe that this is only a break that my body had been deprived from when it was in desperate search of a pause.

On November 15 when I set foot in the operation room for the first time in my life, I will be counting the days till I am able to walk towards recovery.

On January 1st of 2013, I will only reminiscence about all these painful memories and I will soon be on the road to betterness.

As I mature

As I Mature

As I mature I've learnt that you cannot make someone love you.

All you can do is is stalk them and hope they can panic and give in.  :)

I've learnt that no matter how much I care, 

some people are just jerks!  :(

I've learnt that it takes years to build up trust, and it only takes 

suspicion, not proof, to destroy it. 

I've learnt that you can get by on charm for about 15 minutes.

After that, it doesn't really matter!

I've learnt that  you shouldn't compare  yourself to others -

they are more screwed up than you think.

I've learnt that you can keep vomiting 

long after you think you're finished.

I've learnt that we are responsible for what we do,

unless we are celebrities.

I've learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship

is, at first, the passion fades, and there had better be A LOT of money

to take its place!

I've learnt that 99% of the time when something isn't working in your house,

one of your kids did it.

I've learnt that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon,

and all the less important ones just never go away.

The magic of words

The magic of words

November 4, 2012

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

For the last month and a half I've been working with an American company translating/editing medical reports from English to Spanish. This is very infrequent since 95% of my work is in English; Every subject I teach is in English, I write in English, most of my readings are in English, and my  translation/editing/Interpreting work is from Spanish to English.

Throughout my revision I kept bumping into false cognates (pairs of words in the same language or different languages that are similar in form and meaning but have different roots), and other catchy words overlooked by the original translators.

As a Translator and especially as an editor, these things cannot be overlooked because our job is to delve into the terminology and even when finding its equivalent, we have to find the best matching synonym.

Playing with words helps to expand our terminology in a higher level and it is a very aesthetic, entertaining and defying game as words can be twisted, changed, alternated, and used as we wish to create magic alternating their usage in these different forms: as nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, past participles. As Writers and Editors, some may lack imagination, that is  why sometimes their job becomes tedious and repetitive.

The job of an Editor is very demanding sometimes having to trash others' work. Editors are paid for being critical, to see what is wrong with the way words are used to be observative and curios and we have to ALWAYS be alert of the smallest slip ups. This ability of being critical can easily become a disability when it's carried into one's personal life because we tend to focus on the critical aspect of everything and we may miss the good aspects. 

When I first started this game, I was appalled to be critical and even more consternated when my work was trashed because it made me doubt myself more as opposed to being encouraged. Now I still don't like to be critiqued but I take as positive feedback and I actually appreciate it because it helps me overlook my errors and it  forces me to do better.

When I am pushed I am forced to deliver higher quality and sooner or later my superiors will accolade my work. A good example was this Friday when the Project Manager said this to me. "Our final Certified Editor for all IHC/Primary Children's projects told me today that your work is excellent - he is our last pair of eyes to review all work before we send it back to the client, so thank you for all that you do!"

That was a good feeling because I always doubt my abilities so it's great to get another set of eyes to judge my work and give me positive intake. 

A well-lived life

A well lived life.

October 30, 2012

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

I was asked a series of questions in a life expectancy test I took a few weeks ago; according to it, my life span will be very healthy and longevous.

That test had completely absconded out of my mind until this morning while listening to, "A laugh a minute, on screen and in life," an interview about/with the recently deceased essayist, novelist, screenwriter and film director Nora Ephron - she was unbeknownst to me until today (I recently learnt the meaning of unbeknownst and I bumped into it once again in her reading). 

In the interview Nora spoke about her published essay collection about the fears and challenges of getting older called, "I feel bad about my neck and other thoughts on being a woman."

She attested the following in her interview:

I think one of the things that I loved about the book as somebody who's in my 50s, is that I'm feeling a lot of this too, eyeglasses.

NORA EPHRON: Eyeglasses. One of the worst things.

DAVIES: You can't read the instructions on the bottle of pills.

EPHRON: Well, could you ever? By the way, they are so small that I don't know that I could have ever read them. But I didn't need the instructions on the pill bottle...

(LAUGHTER)

DAVIES: It didn't matter.

EPHRON: ...as much when I could read them because there wasn't as much wrong with me. I mean I take so many pills in the morning it's a miracle I have room for breakfast.

DAVIES: But you scatter glasses all over...

EPHRON: But glasses.

DAVIES: You scatter them all over the house and you can never find them, right?

EPHRON: I can never find them. And when I find them, when I - the thing that makes you nuts if you're a reader...

Like glasses.

DAVIES: You scatter them all over the house, and you can never find one.

EPHRON: I can never find them, and when I find them - the thing that makes you nuts, if you're a reader, which I am, is that you've spent your life seeing something you want to read, picking it up and reading it.

DAVIES: Right.

EPHRON: There's no gap between the impulse and the actuality. Now, of course, you have to find your glasses.

DAVIES: It's a process.

EPHRON: And you have lost them. Even if you just went out and bought, like, five pairs of them at the drugstore that don't cost that much so that this won't happen, you can't find the ones you really like, because even if you bought five of the same ones, somehow there's one that's better than the others.

DAVIES: That's perfect.

(LAUGHTER)

EPHRON: And, in my case, you don't even know which glasses you are, because you've got distance. You've got trifocals. You've got bifocals. You've got dark reading glasses. You've got - there are - I was thinking of color-coding my glasses, but then I know I would forget...

DAVIES: The color codes.

EPHRON: ...which was which.

DAVIES: Right.

EPHRON: Because I forget everything.

DAVIES: You avoid mirrors, you say? I don't...

EPHRON: I avoid...

DAVIES: You shouldn't avoid mirrors.

EPHRON: Thank you so much.

DAVIES: You look perfectly nice.

EPHRON: That's very nice of you to say, but the truth is, there does come a certain moment in your life - and I notice, by the way, if I'm following a young person down the street and that young person passes a mirror, I feel the fabulous way he or she turns toward it and kind of smiles...

DAVIES: The dramatic sashay.

EPHRON: ...and checks themselves out, and they know what they're going to see. We don't know. There's a certain moment where you just are terrified about what you're going to see. So you - if you are forced to look in a mirror, you kind of squint, and then gently open your eyes to see if it's safe. Andif it's not, you just close them and walk on.

Nora just like every woman in this planet is daunted by the infinite number of challenges we have to face day by day, yet she was able to shun all the tiny matters lying within and managed to succeed. 

That's what amazes me the most and that is exactly what I will shape one day. When I turn seventy or eighty years old, I will look back, reflect and will humbly pride myself of the legacy I built and the transparent trace left behind with all the personal, professional and spiritual  accomplishments I will have reached.

When I am ninety years old I will tell myself; "This odyssey was very scary but I endured it . I was bent temporarily time after time but was never completely annihilated. I've defeated every battle set my way and I am ready for more. I am the most imperfect perfectionist and I accept it! My accomplishments were reached by me and only me and I didn't have to use others to find my essence and to leave my mark in this world. I am completely ok with having a few extra kilos on me because I was never a super model to begin with. The spots and wrinkles on my face are a part of me and I'll keep them. Ok, it's about time that you stop being so hard on  yourself. Be scared of what lies ahead but I will pull through just fine." 

Not a single minute will I let myself loose because it is not a choice.Therefore when I check out I desire to be loved and well-remembered by those who care about me. 

Aging is sure frightening. However long I am to last, I wish to have a well lived life like that of Nora Ephron's and then I shall rest in peace. 

She can deal with stress and carry heavy burdens. She smiles when she feels like screaming, and she sings when she feels like crying. She cries when she's happy and laughs when she's afraid. Her love is unconditional. There's only one thing wrong with her. She forgets what she's worth.