#ThingsToDoIn2015: The final scorecard

I’m going to do this update separate from my new list of #ThingsToDoIn2016 and will be as honest as I can be about where I landed.  No explanations, just a status report for my benefit.

1.  Read six books. – Read one.  I tried.  I do have the six I can start with in 2016.  #FeelingOptimistic.

2. Take a trip to visit old girlfriends from SPCP/SPCQC — on my own — so that’s either Boston or California. – Boston is definitely on my list.. at least once.

3. Do another craft fair and learn new techniques.  (Visit one, not sell in one.) – Hoping to do this in the Spring.

4. Take my little guy to ComicCon 2015.  (Epic fail!) 

5. Take at least one actual class beyond online.  (Yes, Elaine.)  Definitely in 2016. Whether it’s an actual sewing class with Peter U or a course at FIT or at the Lion Brand Store, I will.

6.  Watch at least 1 concert — hopefully Billy Joel’s at Madison Square Garden.. –

7.  Watch at least 1 play or musical on Broadway.  And I saw God… =)  – Act of God, actually! HAHA!  Happiness..  Done!  I am actually going to drop this for 2016 because I am already slated to watch a musicale this coming Saturday with my little guy.

8.  Go to the gym at least once a week — and maybe even earn a locker!  (Go 10x the previous month and you get YOUR OWN LOCKER the following month.) – With all the weight gained over the holidays, this is a MUST.

9. Lose another 10 lbs at least before April.  (Lost over 20 in 2014!) – Need to work on this seriously in 2016.

10. Tweet/Instagram at least one positive thought every week.  (I thought “everyday” would be too big a commitment to make.) – Very good with this one!

11.  Find a rehearsal studio and actually spend an hour just touching the piano keys again. – I have actually found the studio.. just haven’t found the time.  Hoping to do this first quarter of 2016.

12. Spend a Saturday a month, on my own, just roaming NYC or some other place nearby.  (Do something “only in New York”..) – This has been one of the easiest to do.

13. Leave one preloved book out in the open once a month for someone else to enjoy/read. – I must choose the books I will part with so that I can get this act of sharing books going.

14. Destash: Give 5 items away from my current stash (clothes, books, art supplies, postcards) every month. – I have started — sort of?  Well, I need to be more systematic about this to make this work.

15. Write one letter long-hand every month. – Did not get to do this every month but did my fair share of longhand letters.  Happy with the effort and the results but hope to do more in 2016.

I know it looks like I didn’t get anything accomplished given the updates regarding the 15 on my list, but I’m happy to have been able to focus on trying to get these things done.  From the very beginning, I have tried not to be too hard on myself in keeping to the list, but I think the lack of progress should goad me to be more focused on what I will set out to do in 2016.

As I wrote on my Facebook wall as the year ended:

” 2015 had its challenges but I’d rather look at the gifts it brought my way like the lessons I learned. Some friends find it weird that I am thankful for the bad things that happened or the people who caused me so much pain and sorrow, but it is because of them that I found the courage to stand up on my own and be brave. I am in a better place now and I am much happier. I end the year knowing I am at peace with who and where I am. I am thankful for the love of family and friends which kept me going. To those who were there even when it was awkward, when they didn’t know what to say but who never left my side or let go of my hand, to those people I least expected to reach out and offer their kind words and support — I wish you and the ones you love the best of 2016. I am not quite there yet– my journey has just begun– but I am happy to be finally on my way.. Happy new year from Angelo and I.”

And while I have always kept our photos private — being careful not to post personal photos here, here’s one that I think is safe enough to share with the whole world as we bid 2015 goodbye, and say hello to 2016.

 

#ThingsToDoIn2015: So it’s now November and..

After the August check in which followed the one  in March (the first quarter), I thought it was about time I gave an update about the list of 2015 “to dos” I had made in the beginning of the year. With 2015 almost ended, I am not going to kill myself over the things I didn’t get to do, but will at least try and move that to 2016.  (Me procrastinating again!)

1.  Read six books. – Don’t shoot me.  I’m on my 2nd book, but hope to make it to the 6th before the year ends..  I know this should be easy, but it hasn’t been.  It hasn’t been for lack of books to read — it’s just that finding the time can be such a challenge.

2. Take a trip to visit old girlfriends from SPCP/SPCQC — on my own — so that’s either Boston or California. – Boston, I am still hopeful about.  California is out of the question now, although I got a last minute invite to join my friend Peter in San Francisco.  Never been and had always hoped to go, but the fare and time spent flying to and from would be akin to taking a flight home which is on sale.  The only thing keeping me from jumping on that bargain to spend even just a week in Manila is that I have been home twice this year already, so that means while my Mom would love to see me again, she would kill me for the extravagance.  Ha!

And I did meet up with some fellow Paulinians over dinner in Manhattan which quite the warm hug to the heart.

3. Do another craft fair and learn new techniques.  (Visit one, not sell in one.) – So I missed out on all the nearby craft fairs of Heirloom Productions.  There’s one happening around Christmas time organized by another group but I am still thinking about that.  Been there and done that.. but it’s always a nice experience for crafters like me.

4. Take my little guy to ComicCon 2015.  (Epic fail!) I thought I’d be on top of this but I failed to score the tickets, so no ComicCon this year.  He did get to see Wizard World in Chicago with his Dad, and I alerted them to the WalkCon happening in NJ this December, so the tyke is happy.

5. Take at least one actual class beyond online.  (Yes, Elaine.)  Uhm.. next year perhaps.

6.  Watch at least 1 concert — hopefully Billy Joel’s at Madison Square Garden.. – It looks like Billy Joel won’t be this year.  Still hopeful.. still planning.

7.  Watch at least 1 play or musicale on Broadway.  And I saw God… =)  – Act of God, actually! HAHA!  Happiness..  Done!

8.  Go to the gym at least once a week — and maybe even earn a locker!  (Go 10x the previous month and you get YOUR OWN LOCKER the following month.) – Uhm.. next please.

9. Lose another 10 lbs at least before April  the year ends.  (Lost over 20 in 2014!) – I’m not going to try to make excuses.  I have managed to lose weight gained in the intervening months — and I am still at my current which is good — but working on breaking the plateau.. hopefully before January now.

10. Tweet/Instagram at least one positive thought every week.  (I thought “everyday” would be too big a commitment to make.) – Very good with this one!

11.  Find a rehearsal studio and actually spend an hour just touching the piano keys again. – Next?

12. Spend a Saturday a month, on my own, just roaming NYC or some other place nearby.  (Do something “only in New York”..) – While I have been spending the weekends at home of late, I’ve been good with the “roaming NYC” bit.  So this one is good..

13. Leave one preloved book out in the open once a month for someone else to enjoy/read. – Soon!

14. Destash: Give 5 items away from my current stash (clothes, books, art supplies, postcards) every month. – The good news is that the items to be given away have been set aside, I haven’t really been good with the giving away except one or two items as I come across them.  I am still trying to figure out the best way to get rid of my unwanted postcards — those not in my current collecting interest of Philippines, New York, Paris, both vintage and modern, lighthouses and maps.  Do I sell them?  Donate them?  Alter them and send off?

The ATCs, I have already decided, will go to some friends back home who are still into ATCs.  Books — I have multiple copies of first editions of a book series I thought I’d invest in.  Still thinking about that one.  And I’m getting rid of some household items which have been hidden in the cupboard or in the attic.  I need the space and I’m sure someone else can use them.. eventually.

15. Write one letter long-hand every month. – While I still need to write one this month, this has been one of the easier ones considering how I love to write letters.  I actually found a Christmas card I had meant to send off a while back but never got to, and I’m hoping to surprise my friend with the early Christmas greeting and a letter to boot.

I’m not feeling particularly victorious with the year almost ended, but I’m not feeling like it was all a waste of effort to even try to come up with the list.  It’s helped me to sort of focus which is good — and I’m hoping to do another list for 2016.  How’d you do with yours?

 

 

#ThingsToDoIn2015: August update

I have been meaning to do a self check of this list for a couple of weeks now, but the trip home (yes, the second this year) and life in general, have gotten in the way.. My last update was in March (the first quarter), in reference to my first post at the beginning of the year.  It just feels but fitting to check on how I’m doing from time to time to actually get things going.  So where are we so far?

1.  Read six books. – Progress… I actually managed to finish a book while in Manila (Yay!) and am hoping to get on with my second… and I am positive I will make the 6 as promised.  It was actually refreshing to work through a book at a leisurely pace (read: mostly bathroom reading) and still enjoy a fresh read.  I have some serious material to go through in the next couple of weeks and hope to do some real reading to complete my goal of 6.

2. Take a trip to visit old girlfriends from SPCP/SPCQC — on my own — so that’s either Boston or California. – With two trips home and hardly any vacation days left, I’m going to edit this one and revise it to be just a simple meet up nearby — for now.  Planning something with some fellow Paulinians in my neck of the woods in the next couple of weeks.  Maybe a brunch or drinks?  Just to reconnect.

3. Do another craft fair and learn new techniques.  (Visit one, not sell in one.) – There’s only one more left for the year from my favorite craft fair organizers, Heirloom Productions, and it’s this October in York, PA.  So I’m a little iffy about even going given that I have a ton of craft projects on my planning board right now — and going will be craft heaven for me, but it will throw my current plans out of whack.  So unless there’s a craft fair closer to home, I think I will end up passing up on this one.

4. Take my little guy to ComicCon 2015.  (A request that was made in March and which Mommy committed to make happen.. ) – I would’ve wanted to buy tickets early but I wasn’t able to.  (Epic fail, I know..)  But all hope is not lost —  I’m still waiting on Midtown Comics to announce when they will sell tickets — and I’m almost afraid to even make a plan to go and grab a pair for my little guy and I when they do.  Everyone — and I mean EVERYONE — seems to be waiting on the big day because they are the only source for tickets this year that will still sell any.  Best effort..

5. Take at least one actual class beyond online.  (Yes, Elaine.) –  With the fall term coming upon me soon, I need to make a decision.  In the past couple of weeks, I’ve made a decision to try and learn how to sew, but I need to have my sewing machine serviced first.  (I do well by hand, but I need the real deal to make what I hope to make.)

6.  Watch at least 1 concert — hopefully Billy Joel’s at Madison Square Garden.. – It looks like Billy Joel won’t be this year.  Still hopeful.. still planning.

7.  Watch at least 1 play or musicale on Broadway.  And I saw God… =)  Actually made a spur of the moment decision (budget be damned!) to watch “ACT OF GOD” with the fabulous Jim Parsons via TKTS.  I landed on the front row and right in the middle within kissing and spitting distance, but so LOVED every moment of it.

8.  Go to the gym at least once a week — and maybe even earn a locker!  (Go 10x the previous month and you get YOUR OWN LOCKER the following month.) – Uhm.. next please.

9. Lose another 10 lbs at least before April.  (Lost over 20 in 2014!) – While I had managed to keep my weight at bay through most of the middle of the year, the trip home always throws me off and I am currently in the process of trying to lose all that I gained.  Not a happy topic to discuss but I’m not killing myself over this one.  It’ll happen — soon enough.

10. Tweet/Instagram at least one positive thought every week.  (I thought “everyday” would be too big a commitment to make.) – I haven’t been keeping tabs, but I think I’ve been pretty good with this one.

11.  Find a rehearsal studio and actually spend an hour just touching the piano keys again. – Music sheet… check.  Rehearsal studio research… check.  (Found me one nearby..)  BUT — haven’t quite gotten down to this.  Promise, before winter.

12. Spend a Saturday a month, on my own,just roaming NYC or some other place nearby.  (Do something “only in New York”..) – This, I’m very proud to say, I’ve been very good at.  Even made it to Brooklyn Heights last weekend.. YAY!

13. Leave one preloved book out in the open once a month for someone else to enjoy/read. – It’s probably because I’m such a book lover that I find it so hard to part with my books — at all.  But again, I want to get this going, specially in the spirit of finding a home for the books I would rather not keep.

14. Destash: Give 5 items away from my current stash (clothes, books, art supplies, postcards) every month. – Still trying to get this down pat… like I had written a few months back, I have been good with the “give away” part, but have been slow on the 5.  I have successfully set aside half a balikbayan box full of Angelo’s clothes — time to do mine again.  I did a first wave sweep in March before my first trip home April 2015, but I have been finding others that I need to give away to someone else who would have better use of it.  Plus I’ve been shrinking in size, so I need to stick to the smaller and leaner me…

15. Write one letter long-hand every month. –  Yes, still happily writing.

While most of my list remains in the “to do” section of my life, I think I’ve made quite a bit of progress given where I was last year.  I’ll say it again, I’m in a much better and happier place.  One of the lessons I’ve learned is that “better” is not always synonymous with “happier”.  But that doesn’t mean they cannot be used in the same sentence or spoken in the same breath.  It’s a matter of choice, a matter of priorities —  namely, prioritizing yourself above the other more important things you feel should go before you even think of you.  And after a long, long while when I thought self sacrifice was the ultimate in motherhood and a person’s existence, I have let go and can say I am better and yes, happier.  One last quarter to go and we’ll check back at the start of 2016 and see.  Getting there…

 

#ThingsToDoIn2015: March update

At the beginning of the year, I did two things in particular referencing the year just ended and the one beginning.  I went back through a list I had written in 2014, and I wrote up a new list with the hashtag title above.  I’m reproducing the list here and tallying what I have to show for the first quarter of the year.  Again, more of  a list of reminders for myself.

I just went over the list and realized that I am not doing very well in many respects with regards to following through on what I had hoped to accomplish.  I think it’s a good practice to check back periodically and see what I have actually done.

1.  Read six books (one every two months should be doable) – You’d think with the Kindle app on my phone and several books to be read sitting in my digital library, I’d have no problem saying I’m doing good by this one every two months.  Plus, I actually have a hard copy book I was hoping to read.. (Still haven’t done it, though.)  Reminder to self: READ.

2. Take a trip to visit old girlfriends from SPCP/SPCQC — on my own — so that’s either Boston or California. – This one’s going to take some planning.. it might happen in May (there’s a Paulinian gathering in Virginia), or maybe not.

3. Do another craft fair and learn new techniques.  (Visit one, not sell in one.) – This one, I have an excuse for.  I have to follow the craft fair schedule.  While there was one nearby, weekends are not that easy to pull off at this point.

4. Take my little guy to ComicCon 2015.  (A request that was made just today and which Mommy committed to make happen.. note to self: buy tickets early!) – This one, I have until October to fulfill!

5. Take at least one actual class beyond online.  (Yes, Elaine.) –  Next term.

6.  Watch at least 1 concert — hopefully Billy Joel’s at Madison Square Garden.. MAYBE day after my birthday. – Well, I was vacillating between buying tickets and not, basically because I didn’t know if I would go alone or take someone, and if I did, who I was taking.  When I finally decided I would buy the tickets anyway and just decide on who to take later, the date was sold out.  So that’ll have to wait for later in the year.

7.  Watch at least 1 play or musicale on Broadway.  (Yes, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump away from where I work and I didn’t watch any last year.) – This one, I will do after I return from Manila.

8.  Go to the gym at least once a week — and maybe even earn a locker!  (Go 10x the previous month and you get YOUR OWN LOCKER the following month.) – Uhm.. pass.

9. Lose another 10 lbs at least before April.  (Lost over 20 in 2014!) – This is turning out to be more difficult as I have plateaued seriously.  I have been trying to break it, but the struggle has been more not to gain any more pounds.

10. Tweet/Instagram at least one positive thought every week.  (I thought “everyday” would be too big a commitment to make.) – This, I’m proud to say, I’ve been very good with.  In fact, I’ve been thinking of doing a separate post just to tally what has been uploaded so far.

11.  Find a rehearsal studio and actually spend an hour just touching the piano keys again. – Last weekend, I printed off the music sheet I got, bound it for easy skimming through on the piano and planned, although not seriously, to go into a rehearsal studio in the city.  But there was the gown.  So instead, I spent a good part of over an hour in a fitting room, trying to find my right size and fit.  So no rehearsal studio.

12. Spend a Saturday a month, on my own,just roaming NYC or some other place nearby.  (Do something “only in New York”..) – While this has taken effort, I have managed to do this by spending one Saturday meeting a friend in the city, and the last two Saturdays doing personal errands I would otherwise normally rush through on a week day.  Again, I owe posts to chronicle these, but will get down to doing that starting this weekend.

13. Leave one preloved book out in the open once a month for someone else to enjoy/read. – Soon.

14. Destash: Give 5 items away from my current stash (clothes, books, art supplies, postcards) every month. – I have been good with the “give away” part, but have been slow on the 5.  But since I just sent back a balikbayan box with old clothes and other things for destashing two weeks ago, I guess I’m good?  I should document it, though.  Just to make sure I’m keeping with the goal.

15. Write one letter long-hand every month. – Proud to say this one, I’ve been good with.

Two posts in one day.. wow.. and I have a third brewing in my head.  Friday is proving to be quite a productive one, even with the snow we’re reportedly getting later in the day.  Bundle up, New York!

Thank you, 2014.. Hello, 2015!

I have been trying to sit here and finish a post to welcome the new year, but I have been lazy throughout the holidays and have been writing in stops and starts.  Now the rendering of word art, however, has been a bit easier, and I have three to four works in progress I hope to finish today.

I needed a new ‘THANK YOU’ graphic and I suddenly remembered I had this gorgeous handmade paper from the Philippines which I had bought some years back which I still have half a sheet of.  Sometimes you just have one of those things you keep saving, and before you know it, they are no longer the same or are not of any use as you had originally meant to keep them.

I am trying to get into 2015, but things keep pulling me back to 2014.. so like most things, let’s do baby steps and say thanks to the year just passed, and say hello to the new one that has just begun.

I’d like to save my “Thank you, 2014” post for the “other” blog where all my thank you’s are meant to be posted.  (It has been languishing in limbo the last half of 2014, but I promise to jump start it before January is over!)

So, hello, 2015!  

For starters, here’s a list (not of resolutions that we end up breaking anyway!) of things I hope to do in 2015.  For brevity and to make my life a little simpler and the goals more achievable, I’m keeping it short.  No write ups, just a list.. and let’s see how I get on with this as the year goes.  (I just found my 14 for 2014 list, but that’s another blog post altogether.)

#ThingsToDoIn2015

1.  Read six books (one every two months should be doable)

2. Take a trip to visit old girlfriends from SPCP/SPCQC — on my own — so that’s either Boston or California.

3. Do another craft fair and learn new techniques.  (Visit one, not sell in one.)

4. Take my little guy to ComicCon 2015.  (A request that was made just today and which Mommy committed to make happen.. note to self: buy tickets early!)

5. Take at least one actual class beyond online.  (Yes, Elaine.)

6.  Watch at least 1 concert — hopefully Billy Joel’s at Madison Square Garden.. MAYBE day after my birthday.

7.  Watch at least 1 play or musicale on Broadway.  (Yes, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump away from where I work and I didn’t watch any last year.)

8.  Go to the gym at least once a week — and maybe even earn a locker!  (Go 10x the previous month and you get YOUR OWN LOCKER the following month.)

9. Lose another 10 lbs at least before April.  (Lost over 20 in 2014!)

10. Tweet/Instagram at least one positive thought every week.  (I thought “everyday” would be too big a commitment to make.)

11.  Find a rehearsal studio and actually spend an hour just touching the piano keys again.

12. Spend a Saturday a month, on my own,just roaming NYC or some other place nearby.  (Do something “only in New York”..)

13. Leave one preloved book out in the open once a month for someone else to enjoy/read.

14. Destash: Give 5 items away from my current stash (clothes, books, art supplies, postcards) every month.

15. Write one letter long-hand every month.

So let’s see where this list goes.  I just went over last year’s list and I don’t think I did too bad against that one.  But as I said, I’ll get to that in another post.

Happy new year, everyone.. Let’s try to make this a “happy” one, indeed, whatever “happy” may be for each of you out there.