May 2019

Okay, I have not written anything in this blog for almost six months! What can I say? Life happens! Oh well, it is a lame excuse but this year had been hectic. Work is busy, as usual but I still love it very much. I have also been trying to improve myself physically and mentally. And as usual, I have set some more goals for myself this year.

If you have read my past posts, you know that I always start something and end up not finishing them. It’s not for the lack of trying. I get side tracked sometimes. But I will keep trying.

Tidying Up:

Have you watched Mari Kondo’s Netflix show? One day, we binged watched it and it was a good show. I was shocked with how much people hoard. Then I realized that in a smaller scale, I am too! Few weeks later, I read her book “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and halfway through reading, I got inspired. I was surprised by how I could not wait to apply what I was learning. I gave a heads up to the people in the house that I will be tidying up using KonMari method. It was their warning that if they want to keep their things, it should not be in the communal area because I will be cleaning.

Like Mari Kondo suggested, start in the morning. On the day I said I was cleaning, I woke up at 8am. I started with my clothes. It was difficult. I am not going to lie about that. KonMari method did not tell me to put them if I have to decide which ones to keep, but I did. It slowed me down but I am glad I did. There were some clothes that I wanted to keep but after seeing that they are too tight or did not look right anymore, I had to give it away.

I started in the bedroom. Then the living room. I thought the books would be a struggle. But it wasn’t. When I got the hang of separating what I need, wanted and what to keep, it was easy to ‘thank’ the item and placed them in the bag for donation or disposal. D helped. He sorted his own clothes. He sorted his hats and shoes. He learned how to fold. He was the arm that carried most of the garbage out of the house. He entertained me when the work seemed endless. He took me out for lunch because there was no time to cook. The house was in total mess because it got cleaned. In total, I spent 5 days clearing every nook and cranny of my tiny two bedroom place. I have zero regret spending all my free time doing it. It was worth every second that I did it.

I thought the first couple that appeared on the Netflix show was exaggerating when they said Mari Kondo’s help ‘changed their lives’. I had to experience it to know what they mean. It changed my life. My condo feels brighter, lighter and happier. I can fully open my closet door without bumping into things, it is easier to find clothes and I only have things that I need.

I have gotten into the habit of cleaning, tidying up everyday and it does not even feel like it is a chore. I am a changed person. I used to hate cleaning even as kid. Now, it is like second nature. It totally was life changing. It is a little funny but I did not know how big the impact of tidying is on our life. I also realized the impact of consumerism in my life. I sort of asked myself, how much did it cost me to acquire things that I did not really need? Or did I have to purchase something that was good for a single use? Now, I know to be careful when I purchase something.

Reading:

I am still trying to do my one book a week. Some weeks more successful than others. But for sure, I have read more books than I have last year.

Health: On April 28, I started a 30 day challenge. Goal: Lose 10 lbs, gain some muscle and strenght by working out.

I am not really restricting diet to a certain food group to be more realistic. I will just eat normally. I have noticed that when I do diet based weight loss journey, I end up gaining some weight back after I return to normal food. It is not sustainable. Right now, I still indulge in some junk food. I know it is best to eat clean but it is hard to sustain that. So I figured, I will eat what I want but I will workout.

So this time, I made my own workout routine and I am physically active the whole day. No excuses. And when I mean no excuses, I did not let my colds/cough stop me from working out. Yeah, day 3 and I had sore throat. SMH. I still have cough right now but I know virus is supposed to be self-limiting. It should go away soon.

I decided on a 30 day challenge so that I have an attainable goal in realistic time. I am hoping that it will stick as a habit and I could continue it throughout my lifetime.

So far, I still feel okay with this challenge. Day 7 and I feel good. I know most people will say do not weigh yourself, it is not the best measure. I know it isn’t. But I am still measuring it weekly so I know if I am on the right track. This week, I like what the scale says. I will make sure I write on this blog on May 28 to let you know the result.

Misc:

There are two more things that I should take seriously. I need to edit the story that I have written a long time ago and continue writing my book. I know I said no excuses. I have to commit to doing it soon. Hopefully I can start this week.

That’s all for now. How’s your year been?

~ by alayv on May 4, 2019.