Good morning everyone, and a Happy New Year 2011 to you all! Can you believe it? Another year has come and gone, so you know what that means right?A brand new year - a brand new day - a brand new start!
A lot has happened to me this year, but the most unforgettable thing about 2010 was when I had my car accident in March. I may have mentioned this quite a bit in my blog this past year, but this accident really turned my life around as well as my family's. We've gotten much more close than we did before and I feel like I've grown into a stronger and wiser person in many, many ways.
And speaking of a lot, I realize that it has been a little over a year since I started this blog! I have a lot to catch you all up on, but I will do that in my next post :) A couple of highlights I do want to mention, so that I won't forget:
~Update to the conclusion of the car accident case
~My new second job!
~My new YouTube channel - my plans for this year: new vlogs!
A year ago, I wrote down my New Year Resolutions for 2010 - let's see what I wrote and how I did!
1. Controlling my food intake and drink more tea/water.
I think I've been doing well with my food intake. I learned to tell when I'm getting close to being "comfortably full" and overindulged a lot less. There have been a few times that I have over indulged in my favorite foods, but at least I'm doing it when I know I have been doing a good job for a while. :D I've been drinking a lot more water this year, especially where I work. Water is essential to the body especially if you plan on moving around a lot, and I think I did a really good job. :)
2. Making the most of my day by getting up early.
Actually, since I started exercising after getting off from work, it had been harder for me to fall asleep easily as soon as I get home. That's because while exercising my endorphins kept my mind awake. There are times when I force myself to get up early when I need to but then I feel extremely tired later on. I think I've been doing a good job with getting up early when I have to, but at the same time I need make sure that I take care of myself so that I won't overcompensate my body from lack of sleep.
3. Do a few minutes of yoga every morning and hit the gym at least 3 days a week.
I have done some yoga in the morning, but what I've been doing more of was actually stretching. I like to feel all warmed up before I start my day, so I made sure to stretch, even if it was only for a minute or two if I'm in a rush. I made it part of my work routine that if I work at my main job at the retirement home, I go to the gym after I clock out. I do at least an hour of workout, and a few minutes to cool down with stretches or yoga. As a bonus, I motivated a few of my co-workers to work out with me after work! Motivation is contagious!
4. Read a little more each day.
I'll be honest: I didn't do a whole lot of reading as I hoped to do this year :( There were a list of books that I really wanted to read, but I get so caught up in wanting to rest after work or playing my video games or even cleaning up around the house that sometimes I'm just not in the mood to read. I'm not talking about just reading blogs - I'm talking about reading an actual book. :( I thought about getting the new Nook, but then I thought about how I might not be using it that much either with my schedule... I will have to do a better job and find some time to read even if I am busy. :(
5. Organize, organize, organize!
...I will also be honest on this one: I haven't done a good job with that either... Even right now, my belongings in my room - with exception of my make-up, jewelry, and clothes - are in complete disarray... There are times when I find myself scrambling for my things at the last minute when it's time for me to leave for work or wherever I need to go. This will be added to my personal list of things to improve about myself for this year.
6. As much as possible, try out something new each day.
For this one, I did say that I was going to try to improve my cooking skills. For each month, I made a couple of new dishes right in my own kitchen. I have found a couple of new favorites that I enjoyed making: Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup, Iced Pumpkin Harvest Spice Cookies, and Steak Dianne. I also got the opportunity to explore different restaurants and cafes with my boyfriend Taylor in the last year to get the "taste of the town" and we made a lot of interesting discoveries! We are adventurous eaters and will try almost anything! I plan to keep this up this year!
So I did all right in 2010; there is a lot of room for improvement though!
For 2011, here is my new list of New Year Resolutions:
1. Update my blog daily - I realize that I haven't been connecting with you guys here as much as I really should, so I'm going to update my blog everyday. Even if it's for the most random stuff, I'll post it. :)
2. Update my vlog channel daily - I have created a new vlog channel for my everyday vlogs on YouTube :) My challenge is to record each and every day of my life, even if it's just for a few minutes each day. When I get a laptop at the end of this month, I'm planning to use that to edit my videos for my main channel - look out! I'll be cooking for you all very soon!!
My main YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/xsimplyreikox
My vlogs: http://www.youtube.com/xsimplyvlogsx
My vlogs: http://www.youtube.com/xsimplyvlogsx
By the way, here's an updated vlog from my main channel, taken about half an hour before midnight last night/year:
3. Continue to keep myself fit by going to the gym after work or exercise at home.
4. Starting today, I'm going to cut out SODA from my diet! As much as I like to drink soda, it's got sooooo much sugar! I'm also trying to set an example to my family, especially to my brohters, so that they can control their soda intake. My mom's diabetic and she stopped drinking soda a long time ago. I want to try to do the same thing this year, so for one whole year, I WILL NOT drink soda! :)
5. I need to improve on my organization skills - big time. :o
6. I have also noticed this year that I've had a terrible spending habit - I have thought of a method that will help me to spend money wisely this year :)
7. Try to cook more! :)
...and there you have it guys!
So here are my questions to you guys:
1. What are your New Year resolutions? :)
2. How did you do with your New Year resolutions for 2010? Did you do a good job? Are there things you want to improve for this year?
I wanna hear your thoughts! :)
I'll chat with you all tomorrow! Time to get ready for work!
Happy New Year everyone - I hope your year will be wonderful and bright!
With love,~Reiko xoxo
