Being Legendary

Yesterday was a strange day. I was trying out the Alkaizier Act 3 route with my Witch Doctor to see if the exp is really that good. So far so good, I gained 1 level in about 2 hours (plus some horsing around on Skype with Andy). But the best part was, in that short span of time, I found 3 legendaries and 1 set item.

Yes you read it right, 3 legendaries and 1 set item. And i wasn't wearing any mf gear. My paragon level was 23, so I had 3*23 + 5*15 = 144% magic find after 5 NV stacks. 144% mf, that's half the mf of what my Demon Hunter has. And this haul of legendaries/set in 2 hours is as much as what i've found since the day i started playing D3. Probably found about 5 legendaries prior to yesterday.

So what did i find? Tasker and Theo (gloves), Tzo Krin's Gaze (Spirit Stone), Pus Spitter (Crossbow) and the mother of all jackpots: Immortal King's Stride (barbarian set boots). I checked the RMAH for the boots and it costs about $40 USD. But that's provided if anyone would pay that amount of money to buy it. I'm not too concerned about the cash, so I sold it off for gold instead. Yea it moved in about 10 minutes. That's how hot the barbarian class is right now. The rest of the stuff wasn't that exciting though. The gloves moved for a little gold, I gave Andy the spirit stone and the crossbow is still sitting in the AH.

Overall, a very fruitful D3 night.
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I managed to convince some of my colleagues to follow the Paleo diet. Somehow, we were talking about health, my diet came into the spotlight again and once again they were skeptical about what i was doing. I decided to end this rubbish once and for all, so I showed them my before and after pictures.

15th February 2012: Tired, out of shape and unhappy.

This was how i looked like on Day 1 of my Paleo journey. It wasn't that i didn't train at all. In fact, I was pretty active. I would get home everyday and do one of my intensive workouts (2 hrs), or work on my basketball skills (3 hrs), eat and then game the rest of the night away. But still, i was tired (from overtraining, lack of sleep and malnutrition), not lean/cut/defined, and in general pretty unhappy with my body. Not to mention the IBS i'm suffering everyday. Food that goes into my body always come out looking undigested. I feel bloated half the time and passing gas every 10 mins after i had my meals. Yes it was that bad. I exercised didn't i?

I read something on Nerd Fitness that resonated with me and it came to me that whatever i was doing for the past 27 years of my life didn't work and probably will never get me to where i want my body and health to be. A change was needed, so i decided to go with the Paleo diet and never looked back. The food i eat now is awesome by the way. It's not a diet anymore, it's a lifestyle.

I showed my colleagues the before picture first (of course), and i get the usual responses: "oh like that where got fat? Still thin what. U crazy leh. Like that is ok la, good enough". Total rubbish. That is not ok. Seriously, i refuse to be satisfied with that ugly physique. I'm better than that.

So this is how i look now:

29th Aug 2012: Energetic, Lean and Happy

I think a picture says a thousand words. My colleagues are convinced now, and are getting more interested in the Paleo diet. Everyday, they will come consult me on what they can eat, what they can't and other related stuff. I feel happy that i am able to be a source of motivation and inspiration to them. After all, this is what i feel i should aspire towards: to be a role model for others. I enjoy mentoring and think i've mentioned it many times that i actually like teaching. But teaching is hard when the student does not want to learn. So i decided not to be a teacher. Yes the saviour complex in me is very strong, but over the years, i've learn to control and dispense advice only when asked.

Hopefully my colleagues will be able to achieve their goals in terms of body composition and feel better. I've always rejected the weighing scale as a marker of good body composition, and rely on body fat % instead. But body fat % is tricky to measure and a big hassle. So, here comes Chang's method of measurement: Take off your clothes and look at yourself in the mirror. If you don't feel happy about how you look, then you need to work on it. But of course, working on it also means working on it the right way. And by far, the Paleo diet makes the most sense to me and it is the easiest to follow. Following Occam's razor, the simpler of the available methods is the better one. (might be an incorrect use but i don't care)

I love how i look right now. And i feel so much better than 6 months ago. But more can be done, and it will be easier once i move into my own place as i can decide exactly what i'm putting into my body. It's a long journey ahead, but the future is bright!

Oh and moar phat lewtz plz qq. kkthxbai.