Bayram Cigerli Blog

Bigger İnfo Center and Archive
  • Herşey Dahil Sadece 350 Tl'ye Web Site Sahibi Ol

    Hızlı ve kolay bir şekilde sende web site sahibi olmak istiyorsan tek yapman gereken sitenin aşağısında bulunan iletişim formu üzerinden gerekli bilgileri girmen. Hepsi bu kadar.

  • Web Siteye Reklam Ver

    Sende web sitemize reklam vermek veya ilan vermek istiyorsan. Tek yapman gereken sitenin en altında bulunan yere iletişim bilgilerini girmen yeterli olacaktır. Ekip arkadaşlarımız siziznle iletişime gececektir.

  • Web Sitemizin Yazarı Editörü OL

    Sende kalemine güveniyorsan web sitemizde bir şeyler paylaşmak yazmak istiyorsan siteinin en aşağısında bulunan iletişim formunu kullanarak bizimle iletişime gecebilirisni

Random etiketine sahip kayıtlar gösteriliyor. Tüm kayıtları göster
Random etiketine sahip kayıtlar gösteriliyor. Tüm kayıtları göster

A Bit of Color

In my industry, when we are looking for information, we ask for "color", as in, "can I get some color on that sale at Nordstrom?" And the person would say, "it's tomorrow from 8 - 5." 

Here's a "bit of color" about me: 

I am reading two books (one for the bus on my Kindle, one hardback for home) and they are The Architects Apprentice and The Beekeepers Apprentice. It's a coincidence that both of them have the word Apprentice in them!! Both are good so far! The Architect is about Istanbul in the 1500s; the Beekeeper is about Sherlock Holmes. I hope to finish both by the end of the year, which will bring my total books read this year to 77 books. 

I am looking forward to this weekend, when we will have our group holiday dinner for work, next week, which is a short week where I will go and visit family and friends, and a good night's sleep, which I may not get for another week or so, but whenever I get it, it will be great. 

I am eating a lot of "comfort" foods lately. Soups, stews and desserts have been on the menu a lot lately, and I need to get back into the habit of eating more healthy. 

I am planning my running schedule for next year with hopefully a couple of vacation trips sprinkled in. It's hard to plan around 5 other people's schedules (only one of us can have a day off at a time at work), summer plans, family things and races!!! I know, it's a hard problem to have... 

I am putting off buying the last of my gifts. I have to buy a gift for a coworker's wife for our holiday party and I don't really know her well and I have no idea what to get her! 

What are you reading? What should I get my coworker's wife? 

The Weekly Wrap

Well, this week did not go as planned! 

On Monday, I awoke feeling rested, well, and ready to start the week. I was even up early, so I sipped on a cup of Dunkin Donuts bakery flavored coffee and watched a few episodes of Forensic Files. 


When I got up to get ready for work, I made sure my hair was extra pretty for the day so I could take a picture of my new highlights. I went super dark back in January, and I absolutely love(d) it; but it faded so fast-- as dark usually does with my hair. I do not want to keep darkening it thus I decided to go with highlights and start the process of going back blonde.


Around 10 AM, I started getting really nauseous. I endured some pretty rough side effects from a medicine I am on, over the weekend, but I thought that was over, so I was unsure why I was feeling so bad.

Ten minutes after I started feeling bad, I threw up (TMI? Oh well). Afterwards, I felt better so I thought it was still just a side effects since I had been feeling bad over the weekend. A few minutes later I started feeling bad again. And well... I bet you can guess what happened. Over the course of two hours, I puked 7 times. I had to call it a day early and left for home at noon.

I spent the rest of day and evening sleeping. I felt absolutely awful. I was so sad, too. As you guys have read on my posts over the past two weeks, I have been sick a lot. I have cherished feeling "normal" and like myself again; so getting sick on Monday broke my heart. 

Tuesday ended up being the same way. I did not throw up as much, but I only lasted at work until 3. I once again slept all afternoon and evening.. I also talked to my doctor and learned that yes, I am indeed still pushing through some side effects. 

Fun, fun, I tell you. 

Wednesday, I woke up feeling better -- much, much better, but I had a headache (dehydration) and felt weak (expected). I was determined to have a good day though, so I made myself up extra fun with red and brown eye shadow (I love this look) and a positive attitude (ha).
I made it through the day without throwing up!

I was uber tired after work though, and Johnathan worked 12 hours in the sunshine and 80 degree weather, so he was even more tired and drained than I was. Needless to say, we went to bed very early; J had started falling asleep on the couch at 6 PM anyway. 

He is so cute when he sleeps, hehe.



Yesterday, I was back to normal, but still intensely fatigued (I am so damn tired of feeling tired all of the time), but I pushed through work and got caught up on everything.


Checks... invoices... bank reconciliations... credits... issues... make all of the numbers stop!

I did, however, have a nice little break in the afternoon and surprised my co-workers with an "ice-cream sundae" bar". There is nothing better than having happy employees! The weather was super gloomy, everyone has been working hard, and today is the first day of Spring, thus ice-cream just felt right. I opted for a low-sugar sherbet option so I could keep it healthier and still participate. Surprisingly (not), it was not a popular choice amongust the others. Ha.


Last night, I made sure I rested and relaxed, and I even watched "Crossroads" on Netflix. Man, that Britney movie brings back so many memories! I got in bed early and slept like a rock. 

Today I feel the best I have felt all week! I feel back to me again. Plus, having my work caught up is a great feeling, especially when I had a ton going on. I am super happy it's Friday as I am ready for the weekend.

Plus, when you receive texts like this at work, how can it not be a great day?


Random Ramblings

- The other day I was walking to the bus stop and my bus cruised right past me, about two minutes early. This bus goes from Oakland, where I live, to San Francisco. I hopped on the next bus, which goes to downtown Oakland where I would have to transfer in order to get into the city. As I got on, the driver asked if I had missed my regular bus. I told him that the bus had been early and had passed me up. He said, "I'll catch it for you!" and proceeded to slam on the gas and do a high speed bus chase through Oakland. If there were people waiting at stops, he would open the door before he even got to them and would rush them onto the bus. It was hilarious! We ended up catching my bus, and the driver flagged it down and made the other driver wait so I could get on. I have never had so much excitement at 5 in the morning! It was fun!

- I am having issues finishing books lately. I started one I thought I would really like about the strife between the Hutu and the Tootsies in Rwanda, but it just didn't catch my attention and I ended up putting it down after about 20 pages. Then I started another about traveling in Chile that looked really great, and I am still working on it, but it's slow going. I just started a third book (at the same time) and am about 7 pages in and so far, it's so-so. I am not sure if my attention span has changed or what, but it's really frustrating because when I am not enjoying a book, I tend to procrastinate reading, which is something I normally enjoy!

- My boss asked me the other day if I could define "extravagant". I told him what I thought it was and then he asked me what the last extravagant thing was that I have done. I had a hard time thinking of anything! I have traveled, but usually I stay in cheaper hotels and often eat picnic foods. I don't really buy myself clothes or jewelry. I sometimes go out for an expensive meal, which is extravagant to me. What would you say if someone asked you that? What "wasteful" things do you spend your money on?

- I think there is something in the air these days. Three people I know are making huge job changes (and several others are thinking about it)! It is hard to change jobs after years in one industry (trust me, I know), but I am of the camp that it is worth it, even if it means a pay cut or a move to a different city. It is hard at first, and it sucks having to relearn a bunch of new things, but in the end, it often works out. A friend of mine worked for YEARS for the government, and all of a sudden up and decided to move from the Midwest to San Francisco to go to culinary school. This was 10 years ago, and now she is a successful restaurant owner and she is 100% happier than she was before. Sometimes the sacrifice is totally worth it!

What is on your mind today? What are you reading? Have you ever made an extreme career move (or thought about it)?

Let's Chat: January Happenings


It is hard to believe that today is January 12th -- it's nearly the middle of the month! I wish time would slow down. The days seem to be passing by so quickly. Today's blog post is a bit random and in the style of my "Let's Chat" posts. 


First, I want to start with my dad. Most of my friends and nearly everyone who reads my blog knows of the cancer battle my father has been fighting. It started in 2006 in his kidney's. One of his kidney's were removed and he remained cancer free until he almost died in September of 2011. Thank God for the incredibly gifted doctor's at Duke Hospital who saved his life. 

Since then, my father has been fighting terminal cancer. It's in his brain, the bones in his legs, his pelvis, and now it has started aggressively spreading through his liver. He was scheduled for surgery last Thursday on the rod that is in his right leg (the cancer has eaten away the bone). The surgery was immediately cancelled due to a CT scan that showed all of the cancer found in his liver.

I received the call on Wednesday night about all of the findings. The doctor's will not be able to operate on my father anymore. I cried myself to sleep and took the next couple of days to process the information. For years now, my family has been on the rollercoaster of great news, devastating news, great news, devastating news, and now we have received the biggest reality check of it all. 

I hear of cancer killing people all of the time, but I never thought I would have to deal with it, especially right now. I feel like I was 16 yesterday. It was just yesterday that my father and I were fighting over my curfew and what I could wear. I love him so much and I just cannot believe his health has turned into this so quickly. He has told me repeatedly he does not want to die. He has fought so hard and remained so damn strong, positive, and optimistic throughout this, and to see that it is finally coming to this breaks my spirit, my heart, and my soul.

There is nothing I can do to make it better. I can remind him of how much I love him and send little gifts... but does that take away his fear? I can not imagine knowing that I am going to die soon, especially since I know my father wants so desperately to live. There is still so much we have to do... I need him to walk me down the aisle, I want him to become a grandparent. I want to share all of this with him. However, I have to come to the realization that I will not be that lucky.

The past few days of knowing this information has been hard but I have been praying constantly. I made a status on Facebook and I am asking for prayers on my blog, too. I know there is nothing that can be done to make this cancer magically disappear, but if anyone reading this can pray for my father to find peace, strength in his soul, and to feel God's warmth and protection around him, I would truly appreciate it.


A couple of months ago, I was getting ready for work in my bathroom, and I accidentally hit my phone. This resulted in my phone falling screen first on my tile floor. Because it did not have a case on it (that broke a few weeks prior), it cracked badly and since then, little pieces of the screen have been slowly chipping away. I had been using my phone cracked, all while lazily looking over my options. 

On Friday morning at work, I dropped my phone again, and it finally bit the dust. I immediately freaked out because the phone had completely died and I found out I did not have insurance on my account (why? I have no idea). I broke down in my bosses office because I was still a nervous wreck over my father. Now could not be a worse time to be without a phone.

I was touched by an angel, though. I went to Verizon and they let me upgrade my phone four months early, and provided a free "Lifeproof" phone case (which is just like having insurance on your phone). I have a ton more memory on my 5S. I was most thankful because it was a heavy and completely unexpected expense. 


When Johnathan and I arrived home from visiting our families for Christmas, I had my first ever experience "dumpster diving" (I guess you could say). 

My neighbor had a gorgeous black table he was throwing away. It was in perfect condition besides being a little dirty. J asked him if I could have it and my neighbor was more than happy to rid of it. I cleaned and polished it, added decor, and placed it behind my love seat. I think it fits perfectly and I am so happy to have it in my apartment!



Speaking of home decor, my brother and sister-in-law gave me two new Marilyn Monroe pictures to add to my obsession-- I mean collection. I love the quote on the below picture and think it looks perfect on my mini book shelf.



New Year's Eve was low key for J and I. I worked a half day and with it being the end of the month, I was absolutely exhausted by the time I left. Accounting is no fun on the last day of the month, and because of the holidays and a surplus of absenteeism, those of us who worked were in especially stressed and rotten moods. 

Thus an evening at J's mom's in the beautiful mountains of Lake Lure were exactly what we needed. We had a relaxing night with beautiful scenery and great snacks. 





This past weekend was difficult. After the news of my father then my phone, I was drained on Friday night. Saturday I felt OK during the day so J and I went to our friends house to watch the Panther's game. After 45 minutes or so, I felt myself growing increasingly weak and shaky and I proceed to throw up 3 times. How wonderful, right? This was after the heel of my favorite boots fell off walking in their house. This was me completely sober too; no wine or anything. I couldn't believe. 

After that we went home, and I was down all day yesterday and today I am still feeling naseous and light-headed. I hope my body is working hard at fighting off any flu that may be trying to lurk; I have never had it before and I do not want to start now. 

I will leave you with a couple of weekend pictures and cute pictures of Marty (since it's been a while).I'll write more this week. What's going on with you guys?





Coffee Talk

I am having a hard time forming more than a list these days... but there are a few things we would talk about if we were having coffee today. First I would ask you:  

How is your week going? What's the weather like where you are? What big things are going on in your life lately?

I am not really one for small talk, but I may start the conversation off by saying that it's finally raining here! We have been needing it so badly. Of course, this is literally just a drop in the bucket, but I will take it. The other good thing is that this hopefully means that it is snowing in the Sierras and I can soon do some skiing and other winter sports.

Next I would delve more into my week by saying how I sometimes really love working with all men (not as many emotions running wild, no line in the ladies room EVER) but sometimes men can be as bad or worse than women when it comes to being catty and/or talking about each other behind the other person's back! They sometimes whine so much I want to just smack them. That and one of them keeps stealing my supplies.... As much as they are a pain, I do like the group I work with. In fact, last night we all went to all-you-can -eat Korean BBQ and I  gorged myself on spicy pork and little side dishes!

I need a quick and effective fitness routine that I can do at home. Do you have any suggestions? My criteria is that I want it to be less than half an hour and I do not want to have to pay for it. This month, and even more so in December, is filling up with week day activities and I need something quick I can do in the gaps of the day.

I have not done any Christmas shopping, and I am behind on starting my Christmas cards. This year I am having trouble getting motivated to do projects. This also bleeds into my running life. I just can't muster up the energy to go running on the week days lately! With the holidays around the corner, this is not going to get any easier. I need to make a list/schedule and start checking it off.

I would love to do this multi day snowshoeing trip in Yosemite. Seeing the valley in the snow would be absolutely priceless! I have added it to my list of things I want to do, which is getting longer and longer each day!

source

Okay, your turn: Where do you want to travel to this winter?  Have you started your shopping yet? tell me what fitness routine you are doing for the winter!

Let's Chat: Your Weekly Dose of Random!

It is Friday; and in true Fitness Blondie fashion, I am linking up with the girls and it is time for another round of "Let's Chat": your weekly dose of random in regards to all things life!

I received my Ipsy bag a little late this month; it felt like it took forever to come. I absolutely love the bag this though; the teal color is very pretty. I used the mascara, eyeliner, and lip color, in the picture below and I think they look great together. The lip color is natural and the mascara really thickens and lengths the lashes. The liner glades on nice and smooth; which is essential for me when I am picking out an eyeliner.

I have not used the protein BB cream that came for my hair but I am excited to use it as my hair is super dry. Has anyone else used it; what do you think?

If you do not know what Ipsy is, it is a monthly cosmetics subscription. On the first of every month you are charged only $10 bucks, and in the middle of the month you receive 4-5 beauty products. The best part? When  you sign up, you take a survey of your likes and wants, and Ipsy will send products catered to your preferences!
My mantra lately has been lazy girl hair. I have written about it before and I am still keeping this style going. I have not been a morning person at all; not that I have ever been, it has just been worse over the post couple of weeks, ha. Therefore, my hairstyles are all 3-5 minutes or less. However, it works! A little dry shampoo, leave in conditioner, and some volumizing hair spray is all a girl needs.
My anxiety has been so much better and damn it feels great to say that. I am staying so super busy with work and blogging; but it's great. It is essential to my growth and success; so I will take it. I have officially started training regularly at my new gym and so far so good. It is good to be back at a gym with a lateral cardio machine; I have been taking advantage of it regularly. I have also been really putting myself out there to make new friends. I have gone out with friends that I have not seen in a while and I have made a few awesome new ones; especially my girlfriends Candice and Brandie. I have been going out, doing new things, and having a lot of fun! That means so much to me especially due to the place I have been in life over the past months.
My dear friend Heather has launched her brand new company Shine Athletica. It is absolutely amazing to see women chasing their dreams and putting in the hard work and dedication it requires to be successful. Heather has done just that with her new apparel company. I know my friends and readers need new, awesome gym gear on a regular basis, so help me support small business and visit Heather's site! She has also been kind enough to offer a coupon code; which we all love!
The wonderful and amazing Diatta has interviewed me for the GuideStar Professional Connection blog to talk all things blogging; what I stand far, how I grow, and what blogging means to me. Head on over to read the article and show Diatta some love; she is so smart with blogging and works so, so hard!


Let's Chat: Muscle, Makeup, and Much More!

I have not written a "random" entry lately, so I thought today would be a great time to link up and post one. My brain is not fully functioning, I have had a killer week with work being crazy due to "end of the month" (I know I say that all of the time), and I have been wicked sore. Thus I am living for the long weekend; I need it. Life's rough, I tell ya. 

Lots to chat about today, so get comfortable!


I have not had a chance to write about my Ipsy bag this month yet. I saw quite a few people on Twitter and Instagram who were not happy, so I was getting nervous. However, it was quite opposite for me. I was stoked! I use the Urban Decay mascara daily (it's fabulous) as well as the dry shampoo. The eye shadow is great too; it is light for an everyday look and brings out the blue in my eyes. 

The dry shampoo is my favorite. I have been using it almost every day. Since I do not wash my hair but every other day or so, I freshen up with dry shampoo every morning. I normally use L'oreal's EverStyle Energizing Dry Shampoo, but this brand has been just as good. It does not add quite the volume that L'oreal does, but it eliminates oily roots. Lately I have been unusually tired in the mornings when I get up for work, which results in my wanting a fast and easy way to do my hair. 

My go-to lazy look? I sleep with my hair in a low braid, take it down in the morning, spray the dry shampoo all over, put Sexy Hair's "Power Play" on my roots then volumizing hairspray, and then flip my hair over and running my fingers through. That's it! It takes all of 3 minutes.

If you do not know what Ipsy is, it is a monthly cosmetics subscription. On the first of every month you are charged only $10 bucks, and in the middle of the month you receive 4-5 beauty products. The best part? When  you sign up, you take a survey of your likes and wants, and Ipsy will send products catered to your preferences!

I feel odd posting a picture like the one below, but I am going to do it because I am so proud. If you are uncomfortable or offended then I'm sorry; but I never claimed to be super conservative or modest, ha! Plus, competitors wear a fraction of that on stage. I digress. The scale has not been my friend lately; it never has, to be quite frank. That is OK right now because if I am being brutally honest, it has been my own fault. I am still doing quite a bit of traveling and working overtime thus I have been more lackadaisical with my eating. I need to get out of that though because I really want to get this last 25 pounds off. 

Though the scale has not been great, my muscle definition has. Which to me is the most important part. As I wrote about last week, there are many different shapes and sizes to health. Some people are tall and very thin, yet perfectly healthy. I am not one of them. I am naturally "thicker" with  a lot of muscle tone. However, last year, when I put all of that fat over the muscle, it was awful. Sometimes I felt like a giant balloon. My lower body is quite bigger than my upper body; namely my quads and glutes. Instead of loathing them like I did when I was young, I am now so proud and happy to have them. I have been training very hard and I am proud of how the fat is melting off and the definition shaping up. My only big problem is my inner thighs, it always is and always will be though. Regular training and cleaning up my nutrition will help that at least. 
I have been trucking away on this little blog; and I have had two very cool features lately. (Additionally, I had my first ever sponsored post Tuesday! The first is one of my favorite blogs; the motivational, healthy, and hilarious; "Fit Bottomed Girls". I sent them a guest post back in June for them about my journey. It was such a privilege to be featured on that blog. Be sure to go check them!  I know you will LOVE it.
Yesterday I guest posted on Pump Up's blog! I wrote one of my favorite posts on a topic I am extremely passionate about: the different shapes and sizes of health. If you have not read "You are So Pretty... For Someone Of Your Size", I recommend it. You may relate.


Pump Up is an app that is similar to Instgram but it is targeted to health and fitness. I absolutely love the concept and had to immediately partake and help get the word out. It is also much more than just posting pictures. One can schedule and post their workouts for the week, and connect with so many people who are on the same journey and facing the same struggles as you are. It is a wonderful place to engage. Once you download the app, make sure we are following each other. My username is none other than FitnessBlondieL!


As everyone knows in the US, it is Labor Day weekend. This is my last 3-day weekend before I go back to a regular 5-day work schedule. I will miss having Monday's off immensely. Since it is Labor Day weekend, last weekend sucked, and I worked hard all week, I think I am going to let loose and have a little fun. I will kick off the weekend with a half day at work and then the Blake Shelton concert. 

Since I love Blake Shelton and country music, I have to rock authentic cowboy boots. Alas I do not have $300 to splurge on a new pair right now. The solution? Make your mother UPS her boots, of course!
The boots safely arrived and I have been wearing them since it is casual week at the office. 
Y'all have a great weekend now, ya hear? Yee Haw!