It’s been quite a while since I’ve blogged or read others’ blogs. The holidays were hectic, but passed by like a breeze. I thought about stopping my blog after not writing for so long. Sometimes I’m too lazy to blog, or feel it’s hard to blog because my life is uninteresting to think of topics to write about. However, to my surprise, I still get comments here and there, which got me motivated to keep writing knowing there’s people out there that still read what I write, despite me thinking my life is becoming uninteresting.
Anywho, a recap of the past year’s resolution results: I had made two main resolutions which was to be healthier (as is probably everyone else’s) and more productive/less lazy. I think I did make a conscious effort to be healthier by changing some of my habits like what I eat in the morning, my portions, drinking more water, and getting adequate sleep. I had kept up with exercise for a while, but things stopped once I went on a trip, and never picked back up.
Being productive and less lazy was not-so-much accomplished. Not much to say about it, but that I’ll keep it for this year’s resolutions.
2011 Goals
-Get back into exercising, especially since I’ll be attending the Great Aloha Run next month.
-De-clutter (see one of my previous posts)
-Take more pictures. I finally upgraded to a DSLR, so I am hoping to put the camera to use and get familiar with it.
-Write a PostSecret card and mail it in or slip it into the book in the store. It’s such a brilliant idea and I’m surprised of the creativity and thought people put into their postcards. I think it’d be a nice surprise if I left one in a PostSecret book.
-Go without spending money on clothes for six months. It’s quite a restraint, but I know I’ve splurged enough after Christmas. Also, my room can’t handle more clothing if I don’t do some cleaning out first. Hopefully, if I don’t go to the mall or clothing websites, I won’t be tempted to buy anything. Out of sight, out of mind.
1.17.2011
11.24.2010
25 in 25
Twenty five things I learned in twenty fives years, in no particular order...........
1. Going to college and getting good grades doesn’t necessarily secure you a good paying job in the real world2. Don’t drive a car that is too big for you, even though it’s a nice car.
3. Start saving money early.
4. Everyone has their own goals and dreams. Don’t judge others.
5. The “what I want to be when I grow up” we write about in elementary school doesn’t come true for the vast majority.
6. Cheese is delicious. I wish I knew how good it was earlier.
7. Friends are important in life, but at the same time, we have to understand the level of friendship we have with are friends will change throughout our life.
8. Change is inevitable. It’s up to you to see the glass as half full or half empty.
9. Everyone should travel to a foreign country at least once. It is such an eye opener to experience other cultures.
10. I often have too much on my plate than I can handle—both literally and metaphorically.
11. Buy life insurance and buy it when you’re young. The earlier you buy it, the less your monthly premium will be.
12. Knowledge is power only when you apply the knowledge.
13. It’s not always what you know, but who you know.
14. Be the change you want to see.
15. “Love—everyone wants it, but not everyone finds it.”
16. Smiling is the universal icebreaker.
17. Exercise. Your metabolism slows down dramatically when you get older and if you have to sit on your butt eight hours a day.
18. Everyone needs an indulgence every now and then.
19. It isn’t worth it to go shopping on Black Friday. You’d make better use of your time sleeping in.
20. Alcohol isn’t as great as it’s made out to be, especially if you’re allergic to it.
21. I need to think before I speak. Not everyone can handle bluntness.
22. Be kind and helpful to the people you cross paths with in your life. You never know when you’ll cross paths again or when you may need their help.
23. Sleep is important. However, sleeping and being a college student are two things that don’t go together.
24. Women over-complicate things; men over-simplify things.
25. Live. Laugh. Learn. Love.
1. Going to college and getting good grades doesn’t necessarily secure you a good paying job in the real world2. Don’t drive a car that is too big for you, even though it’s a nice car.
3. Start saving money early.
4. Everyone has their own goals and dreams. Don’t judge others.
5. The “what I want to be when I grow up” we write about in elementary school doesn’t come true for the vast majority.
6. Cheese is delicious. I wish I knew how good it was earlier.
7. Friends are important in life, but at the same time, we have to understand the level of friendship we have with are friends will change throughout our life.
8. Change is inevitable. It’s up to you to see the glass as half full or half empty.
9. Everyone should travel to a foreign country at least once. It is such an eye opener to experience other cultures.
10. I often have too much on my plate than I can handle—both literally and metaphorically.
11. Buy life insurance and buy it when you’re young. The earlier you buy it, the less your monthly premium will be.
12. Knowledge is power only when you apply the knowledge.
13. It’s not always what you know, but who you know.
14. Be the change you want to see.
15. “Love—everyone wants it, but not everyone finds it.”
16. Smiling is the universal icebreaker.
17. Exercise. Your metabolism slows down dramatically when you get older and if you have to sit on your butt eight hours a day.
18. Everyone needs an indulgence every now and then.
19. It isn’t worth it to go shopping on Black Friday. You’d make better use of your time sleeping in.
20. Alcohol isn’t as great as it’s made out to be, especially if you’re allergic to it.
21. I need to think before I speak. Not everyone can handle bluntness.
22. Be kind and helpful to the people you cross paths with in your life. You never know when you’ll cross paths again or when you may need their help.
23. Sleep is important. However, sleeping and being a college student are two things that don’t go together.
24. Women over-complicate things; men over-simplify things.
25. Live. Laugh. Learn. Love.
11.12.2010
The Frugalist
Now more than ever before, people are trying to find ways to lower their debt, cut spending and save more. If there's one thing we've learned from the recession, it's to live within your means. It sounds simple really---spend less than your net income. Of course, that's a lot easier said than done. Luckily, I was able to learn about saving money prior to the recession. (I'm Chinese, so it was probably already in my blood) A friend of mine taught me about budgeting, which has been very helpful. It definitely takes some time, but surely makes a difference. It makes you aware of the the things you're spending money on--what is needed, which are pleasure, and what things can be cut down to reach certain financial goals whether it be being debt free or saving money.
I'm glad to say that with budgeting and cautious spending, I'm in a financially good state. I'm not rich to be splurging, but nor am I not in debt or struggling like many other people are right now, especially those without jobs.
I've learned there are only two ways to save money: 1) increase income 2) decrease spending. I was able to increase income a tad bit with a new job, but when I didn't have a new job, I turned to decreasing spending.
Ways I save money:
-Use store brand cosmetics instead of spending on expensive brands. Many drug-store brands are made from the same manufacturer as name brands with the similar ingredients, but targeted to different audiences.
-Bringing home lunch to work. Food can be a big drain of money and bringing home lunch certainly helps.
-Shop on sale from everyday items to clothes, accessories, etc. I like to use sites like Amazon and eBay to buy things like books, computer accessories, etc. If you're shopping online, remember to Google to check if there are and promo codes for the site you're shopping at.
-Getting my multi-media for "free". Yeah, it's bad, I know. However, if I had to pay for all the movies I watch, music and programs I had, that would be a shit load of money.
-Having a regular cell phone. Yep. I have a regular phone with 500 mins and 400 texts. No fancy texting or smart phone with expensive data plans.
"A dollar saved is two dollars earned"
I'm glad to say that with budgeting and cautious spending, I'm in a financially good state. I'm not rich to be splurging, but nor am I not in debt or struggling like many other people are right now, especially those without jobs.
I've learned there are only two ways to save money: 1) increase income 2) decrease spending. I was able to increase income a tad bit with a new job, but when I didn't have a new job, I turned to decreasing spending.
Ways I save money:
-Use store brand cosmetics instead of spending on expensive brands. Many drug-store brands are made from the same manufacturer as name brands with the similar ingredients, but targeted to different audiences.
-Bringing home lunch to work. Food can be a big drain of money and bringing home lunch certainly helps.
-Shop on sale from everyday items to clothes, accessories, etc. I like to use sites like Amazon and eBay to buy things like books, computer accessories, etc. If you're shopping online, remember to Google to check if there are and promo codes for the site you're shopping at.
-Getting my multi-media for "free". Yeah, it's bad, I know. However, if I had to pay for all the movies I watch, music and programs I had, that would be a shit load of money.
-Having a regular cell phone. Yep. I have a regular phone with 500 mins and 400 texts. No fancy texting or smart phone with expensive data plans.
"A dollar saved is two dollars earned"
10.29.2010
Updates
How did the year creep by so quickly? I swear it felt like I was just making my New Year's resolutions about dieting a few months back. The year started out pretty horribly, but I can say it's turned out pretty great so far, mostly due to the change in job.
I'm quite happy to be working in a totally different work environment in which my coworkers and boss are great people. I can't say I'm passionate about my job, but I like it enough. I'm also super stoked about being able to become the merchandise coordinator after just four months of being in the customer service position.
As for the goals and projects, I'm still trying to work on most of them. I'm still trying to work on "The Flat Stomach Project", although, I haven't been exercising consistently lately. At least I've been able to drop a few pounds and maintain it with conscious eating.
I've decided to abort the project that I've been working on when I was hermiting. It's not something that I was really into, and I need to find something that I'm more interesting in working on, instead of forcing myself to work on it.
My decluttering project is still active, although, it's quite a daunting task. Going through all my magazines is taking a lot longer than I had though. I haven't even gone through my other stuff yet. Perhaps I need to do some prioritizing and time management.
I'm quite happy to be working in a totally different work environment in which my coworkers and boss are great people. I can't say I'm passionate about my job, but I like it enough. I'm also super stoked about being able to become the merchandise coordinator after just four months of being in the customer service position.
As for the goals and projects, I'm still trying to work on most of them. I'm still trying to work on "The Flat Stomach Project", although, I haven't been exercising consistently lately. At least I've been able to drop a few pounds and maintain it with conscious eating.
I've decided to abort the project that I've been working on when I was hermiting. It's not something that I was really into, and I need to find something that I'm more interesting in working on, instead of forcing myself to work on it.
My decluttering project is still active, although, it's quite a daunting task. Going through all my magazines is taking a lot longer than I had though. I haven't even gone through my other stuff yet. Perhaps I need to do some prioritizing and time management.
10.17.2010
Decluttering
It's another one of those sleepless nights because I wasn't feeling well and went to sleep earlier. So, I guess it's time to blog as I find late night/early morning is the best times for me to write. I've been reading a book lately called "Stress-proof Your Life". (It was one of those on sale books that I found at Border's, but it does give some good tips)
It says that one of the reasons people are stressed is because of the place they live in. I think that's absolutely true and believe that's what's happening to me, but I've just never wanted to admit it before. Although, life is going pretty dandy currently, it does bother me that my room is a mess. I'm one of those people that look totally normal and up keep with on the outside that you wouldn't know I had a messy room if you didn't know me. However, I know I have too much stuff in my room, but I've just didn't want to deal with it or convince myself that the stuff is ok to have. There are so many other things that I would rather be doing than de-cluttering and throwing out stuff, but I think it's time to own up to my crap. I want to be able to come home from work and not feel overwhelmed with what I see everyday. Sometimes I feel guilty being out instead of trying to clean out my room, but yet, I don't even know where to start because just thinking about it makes me not want to do it.
Things I need to take care of:
-Go through all my clothes and donate the ones I don't wear anymore. I have a lot of clothes, or so that's what it feels like. I have so much clothes that part of it consumes my bed and I have a hard time keeping up with doing laundry. I'm beginning to notice that some of my clothes still have the tag on them. *sigh*
-Going through magazines and books, and getting rid of some of them. I must say, this one is a hard one, because it's very dear to my heart. Although it's just fashion magazines, I feel like it's a part that represents me. I have parting issues because a part of me still one day wants to use it as inspiration to do something fashion-related again. I still also own most of my college books and projects, as it's something that I think might be useful in the future that I'm not ready to let go yet.
-Organizing my sewing essentials and fabric. This one falls in the category of the previous one. I think I have about five boxes of fabric that I've collected through my college years, bought thinking I would use in the future, and from one of my previous jobs. Although I'm in no way ready to give it up, I think I need to organize it better. Perhaps a few of those plastic drawers.
-Throwing out old bills, statements, pay stubs, etc and organizing my papers. I don't keep a lot of papers, because I don't like having to store them and I also would rather go green and be emailed something. However, the papers I do have aren't really kept in one place. It's scattered in different places around my desk, and I need to find a better way of organizing everything. Maybe investing in a hanging file thing would help.
-Finding a way to organize my knick-knacks. I just have things around in my room that doesn't really belong to any prominent category, so therefore, it's not organized and just laid around the desk where there is space.
-Putting up wall decals. This is actually a project from last year, when our apartment was renovated. I bought some flower wall decals thinking it would be nice for my new room. However, after cutting out a good 50+ flowers, I gave up on the idea after thinking about how time consuming it would be to lay everything out to how I want it and to stick each one on with the sticky paper. This isn't top priority, but still something I'd want to do.
This is definitely not one of those one weekend projects for me, however, I want to at least be done by the holidays. October seems to be a busy month for me: October birthdays, film festival, and Halloween. I hope I can manage my time more wisely and be able to slowly work on it.
It says that one of the reasons people are stressed is because of the place they live in. I think that's absolutely true and believe that's what's happening to me, but I've just never wanted to admit it before. Although, life is going pretty dandy currently, it does bother me that my room is a mess. I'm one of those people that look totally normal and up keep with on the outside that you wouldn't know I had a messy room if you didn't know me. However, I know I have too much stuff in my room, but I've just didn't want to deal with it or convince myself that the stuff is ok to have. There are so many other things that I would rather be doing than de-cluttering and throwing out stuff, but I think it's time to own up to my crap. I want to be able to come home from work and not feel overwhelmed with what I see everyday. Sometimes I feel guilty being out instead of trying to clean out my room, but yet, I don't even know where to start because just thinking about it makes me not want to do it.
Things I need to take care of:
-Go through all my clothes and donate the ones I don't wear anymore. I have a lot of clothes, or so that's what it feels like. I have so much clothes that part of it consumes my bed and I have a hard time keeping up with doing laundry. I'm beginning to notice that some of my clothes still have the tag on them. *sigh*
-Going through magazines and books, and getting rid of some of them. I must say, this one is a hard one, because it's very dear to my heart. Although it's just fashion magazines, I feel like it's a part that represents me. I have parting issues because a part of me still one day wants to use it as inspiration to do something fashion-related again. I still also own most of my college books and projects, as it's something that I think might be useful in the future that I'm not ready to let go yet.
-Organizing my sewing essentials and fabric. This one falls in the category of the previous one. I think I have about five boxes of fabric that I've collected through my college years, bought thinking I would use in the future, and from one of my previous jobs. Although I'm in no way ready to give it up, I think I need to organize it better. Perhaps a few of those plastic drawers.
-Throwing out old bills, statements, pay stubs, etc and organizing my papers. I don't keep a lot of papers, because I don't like having to store them and I also would rather go green and be emailed something. However, the papers I do have aren't really kept in one place. It's scattered in different places around my desk, and I need to find a better way of organizing everything. Maybe investing in a hanging file thing would help.
-Finding a way to organize my knick-knacks. I just have things around in my room that doesn't really belong to any prominent category, so therefore, it's not organized and just laid around the desk where there is space.
-Putting up wall decals. This is actually a project from last year, when our apartment was renovated. I bought some flower wall decals thinking it would be nice for my new room. However, after cutting out a good 50+ flowers, I gave up on the idea after thinking about how time consuming it would be to lay everything out to how I want it and to stick each one on with the sticky paper. This isn't top priority, but still something I'd want to do.
This is definitely not one of those one weekend projects for me, however, I want to at least be done by the holidays. October seems to be a busy month for me: October birthdays, film festival, and Halloween. I hope I can manage my time more wisely and be able to slowly work on it.
10.09.2010
Accessory whore
Yes, I'm an accessory whore. I really don't have that many things I give into, but accessories are one of them, and desserts being the other. Since I'm watching my food intake, I have been declining desserts more and that just leaves accessories to tempt me more. I have a lot of accessories from jewerly to scarves to shoes and even accessories for my phone. The only jewerly accessories that I don't have are earrings, belly button rings, etc. and that's because I don't have any piercings. I refuse to get piercings because I know I would go crazy splurging on earrings. Without ear piercings, then that eliminates the temptation.
My favorite accessory would have to be scarves hands-down. Despite living in hot, sunny Hawaii, my collection of scarves is in the 30s, some of which I haven't even had a chance to wear. What's worse though? It still doesn't seem like I have enough scarves. I had an outfit which I wanted to wear a scarf with one night, but couldn't find the right black scarf to match it. The scarves were either too patterned or too fancy--nothing plain or casual enough to go with that outfit.
My next favorite indulgence are phone charms, especially the unique and cute ones. I think my collection is currently at ten or so. I have some just on my bag as accessories. There really is no real purpose to have a phone chain, but some of them are so cute that I simply can't resist them!! (No picture cuz I'd have to take them out from my bags and gather it together)
Then there's all the fashion jewelry I have, which includes necklaces, rings, bracelets/bangles, and brooches. I've bought quite a bit over the years, but don't wear some of them as much now as I work in an environment in which I need to dress business casual and my taste has kind of changed. (No picture either because it's all over the place)
Last but not least, there's bags and shoes. I do have a fairly decent amount of shoes and bags, although I'm not nearly as crazy about them as I am about scarves. However, my collection of shoes is increasing and I'm using work as an excuse to buy more.
My favorite accessory would have to be scarves hands-down. Despite living in hot, sunny Hawaii, my collection of scarves is in the 30s, some of which I haven't even had a chance to wear. What's worse though? It still doesn't seem like I have enough scarves. I had an outfit which I wanted to wear a scarf with one night, but couldn't find the right black scarf to match it. The scarves were either too patterned or too fancy--nothing plain or casual enough to go with that outfit.
My next favorite indulgence are phone charms, especially the unique and cute ones. I think my collection is currently at ten or so. I have some just on my bag as accessories. There really is no real purpose to have a phone chain, but some of them are so cute that I simply can't resist them!! (No picture cuz I'd have to take them out from my bags and gather it together)
Then there's all the fashion jewelry I have, which includes necklaces, rings, bracelets/bangles, and brooches. I've bought quite a bit over the years, but don't wear some of them as much now as I work in an environment in which I need to dress business casual and my taste has kind of changed. (No picture either because it's all over the place)
Last but not least, there's bags and shoes. I do have a fairly decent amount of shoes and bags, although I'm not nearly as crazy about them as I am about scarves. However, my collection of shoes is increasing and I'm using work as an excuse to buy more.
(One pair missing that's not in the picture)
(Three more bags not in the picture that's somewhere in all my piles of stuff)
9.22.2010
My would-have-been-wishlist
I had copied ThinkTiff and started a post on a wishlist a little while ago since I ran out of ideas on what to blog, but I never finished the post. The wishlist was a list of things I was considering getting myself for Christmas. However, now it's my would-have-been wishlist instead as I don't feel I should be buying anything for myself. I had accidentally scratched my co-worker's car the other week when pulling into the parking. Luckily she had a sense of humor and also her car is kind of old, so wasn't upset over it. It was two lines, which I didn't think was too bad. Yesterday I got her invoice though. I nonchalantly wrote her the $800+ check, although it was killing me inside that I did a stupid thing that cost me so much money. *sigh* My consequence for not being able to park.
Anyways, my would've-been-wishlist that is now out the window:
-A necklace or ring. There's two items from our "estate" aka gold buy back collection that I have my eye on. My excuse is that I work in fine jewelry, so I should have one or two pieces sooner or later. For now, it's the only thing in the store I could afford.
-To get a Japanese straight perm. I got a straight perm once when I went to Taiwan and absolutely love it! I miss having flat, smooth, straight hair and not needing to straighten it everyday. A hair straightener is ok, but just not the same.
-Treat myself to a massage. One of my good friends was very generous and treated me to one before and it was awesome!!
-Buy a beginner DSLR camera. One of my hobbies is photography and I've been wanting to upgrade to a DSLR camera for a while (as mine is currently not), but haven't been willing to dish out the money.
Anyways, my would've-been-wishlist that is now out the window:
-A necklace or ring. There's two items from our "estate" aka gold buy back collection that I have my eye on. My excuse is that I work in fine jewelry, so I should have one or two pieces sooner or later. For now, it's the only thing in the store I could afford.
-To get a Japanese straight perm. I got a straight perm once when I went to Taiwan and absolutely love it! I miss having flat, smooth, straight hair and not needing to straighten it everyday. A hair straightener is ok, but just not the same.
-Treat myself to a massage. One of my good friends was very generous and treated me to one before and it was awesome!!
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