Nope... not for Christmas next year. Rather, my 'to-do' list for this year. I don't call them 'resolutions' anymore since some are not resolutions, merely stuff I want to do. I've been thinking about this yesterday and here's what I have for 2011:
1. Buy at least 3 small bags. Let's start with the easiest to achieve :) While I was packing for our trip last December, I was thinking about which handbag to bring. I decided I needed 2: a big one for the plane and longer excursions, and a small one for the mall and nights out. That's when I realized that almost all my bags are big... like really big. I've been into big bags the past couple of years and slowly, I guess I must have 'retired' my small ones. So this year, I have to start thinking small... small bags that is.
2. Get that flu vaccine!
3. Get Andrea a new car seat... and make sure she gets used to it and stays there during our road trips. Hmmm... is this cheating? Because we already bought her the car seat last Sunday (January 3... so still counts for this year *wink*). So the only thing left to do is to make sure she stays on the car seat during road trips. Maybe I should get her a portable DVD player as well? It seems to work for my friends who have car-seat-age toddlers.
4. Post at least three blogs about crafting in one month. Oooohh... steep call for someone with very little free time. But I did buy that sewing machine... and I did buy a lot of supplies (and I just received my credit card bill for last month... small purchases for ribbons, felt, buttons, rhinestones, etc do mount up, OUCH!)... so... let's do this!
5. Lose the pregnancy weight I gained in 2009... Aarrrggh!! This is the most difficult thing on my list.
6. Buy a new TV. This one has been on my mind for a few years. My husband's thinking is if something is still working... why replace it. Hence, our old TV. But I really want to decorate our living room at least and I need a nice TV for that.
7. Participate in at least one volunteer activity/support a charitable activity. Well, hello there! You made it back on my list this year!
8. Go to church at least once a month. This sounds horrible, I know... but well, my husband and I haven't been attending church regularly for quite a while now. Lots of excuses... too tired, too many things to do... etc. So I want to ease us back to our faith. Baby steps. Plus I want Andrea to grow up knowing the joys of Sunday School that I experienced as a child.
9. Save up for another investment account. We closed one of special deposit accounts and used the money to add to our budget for the new car last year. Since Andrea will start school soon (and good private schools cost a small fortune here!) we need to add to our savings.
10. Get rid of the bookshelf in our spare bedroom and all the books in it. While writing this... I already know my chances at failing are at around 90%. But I swear I will reduce the number of old books at our house this year! This year, I start my WAR AGAINST CLUTTER!!!
11. Sew at least one dress for Andrea from scratch ;) Ambitious. But I really want learn how to sew.
For the past 2 years, I've had 9 goals. I don't know what's so special with 9 but since it's 2011... I added another 2 to make it 11 goals.
Showing posts with label Plans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Plans. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Looking back
Last January, I reviewed my previous year's "to-do" list. So this year, let's look at what I set out to do last year to see how I did:
- Get Andrea walking and talking by the time she reaches 1-year old. FAIL. When I was making last year's list, by talking, I was thinking more of phrases. But I guess that was too much wishful thinking. She can talk like... like say "Daddy", "Mama", "Ate", "Dora", "Pucca", and a few others. This December, she learned how to say "Map" and "Backpack" (though she says 'ba-pa') and yes I know she watches too much "Dora the Explorer". Anyway I say 'FAIL' because she can't walk yet... not by herself at least. She's still a little wobbly and needs to hold on to someone's hand when she walks.
- Visit my dad at least twice this year. SUCCESS! I visited 3x :)
- Bring Helaena with me to Bataan at least once. Big big success! I consider this my second biggest achievement for last year (next to surviving Andrea's first year of course!).
- Buy a new car. Whee!!! This one's a success too!! I didn't really think we will be able to do this last year given all our expenses for Andrea but I guess God works in mysterious ways and he answered my prayers... our old car broke down. Like really broke down... stalled on my husband on his way home one night, needed to be towed back to our house in the middle of the night and cost us a lot to get fixed... AGAIN! I guess it was the last straw for my husband as well because after we got it fixed, he finally agreed to see it and get a new one.
- Lose the weight I gained during pregnancy. Big FAIL :( I still need to lose another 10 lbs.
- Get rid of around 50% of junk around the house. I THINK I succeeded. I was able to get the old VCR (totally old school right???) out of the room and I think my husband got rid of it. The old printer was supposed to be given away, I took it out of storage but I have a nagging suspicion my husband has it hidden around the house somewhere X( The hard drives are out... the old PC's are out. The old books are still there but I was able to get rid of some other old stuff so ok, I consider this one a success.
- Get a flu vaccine. FAIL. I never got around to it. And I got the flu for the first time since 2008. Aargggh. This is so totally going to be in my to-do list for 2011.
- Get the vaccine against cervical cancer. FAIL. With Andrea's vaccines, her equipment (walker, high chair, car seat stage 1, etc, etc) and buying a new car, I decided to put this off for this year or when I'm brave enough to get the shots (because I heard they hurt!). I'll think about it.
- Participate in at least one volunteer activity/support a charitable activity. DONE. I prefer not to elaborate on this.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
...And in with the new
... year!
I'm 12 days late for New Year's resolutions. Anyway, I don't like resolutions so I'll stick with plans.
1. Get Andrea walking and talking by the time she reaches 1-year old.
2. Visit my dad at least twice this year. I'm not the best daughter but I'm not a bad one either. I wasn't able to visit my dad even once last year since I couldn't travel but I hope to do better this year.
3. Bring Helaena with me to Bataan at least once. I still don't know how I'll manage this since my mom will probably fight me tooth and nail against it. But by hook or by crook I will try my best to get Helaena to meet her relatives in Bataan.
4. Buy a new car. I still don't know how I'll manage to convince my husband short of wrecking our old one but I really believe that we NEED a new car.
5. Lose the weight I gained during pregnancy. I am not shooting for the moon here. I know my limits.
6. Get rid of around 50% of junk around the house. My husband likes keeping things. I don't know what he has against the trash can but he doesn't like throwing out stuff... even old, broken ones. Top on my list of things to get rid of: old broken VCR, old corrupted external hard drive, old books.
7. Get a flu vaccine. I was not able to get one last year so I will definitely get one this year.
8. Get the vaccine against cervical cancer. I am a bit undecided on this one since 1) I seem to have developed a trauma on needles due my numerous needle encounters when I was pregnant; 2) it's expensive, and I already have Andrea's vaccines to think of; 3) one of my friends told me it hurts!
9. Participate in at least one volunteer activity/support a charitable activity. I think this is something we all have to do every year so I'll put this in again.
I had 9 plans last year and I have 9 again this year. Bring it on, 2010!
I'm 12 days late for New Year's resolutions. Anyway, I don't like resolutions so I'll stick with plans.
1. Get Andrea walking and talking by the time she reaches 1-year old.
2. Visit my dad at least twice this year. I'm not the best daughter but I'm not a bad one either. I wasn't able to visit my dad even once last year since I couldn't travel but I hope to do better this year.
3. Bring Helaena with me to Bataan at least once. I still don't know how I'll manage this since my mom will probably fight me tooth and nail against it. But by hook or by crook I will try my best to get Helaena to meet her relatives in Bataan.
4. Buy a new car. I still don't know how I'll manage to convince my husband short of wrecking our old one but I really believe that we NEED a new car.
5. Lose the weight I gained during pregnancy. I am not shooting for the moon here. I know my limits.
6. Get rid of around 50% of junk around the house. My husband likes keeping things. I don't know what he has against the trash can but he doesn't like throwing out stuff... even old, broken ones. Top on my list of things to get rid of: old broken VCR, old corrupted external hard drive, old books.
7. Get a flu vaccine. I was not able to get one last year so I will definitely get one this year.
8. Get the vaccine against cervical cancer. I am a bit undecided on this one since 1) I seem to have developed a trauma on needles due my numerous needle encounters when I was pregnant; 2) it's expensive, and I already have Andrea's vaccines to think of; 3) one of my friends told me it hurts!
9. Participate in at least one volunteer activity/support a charitable activity. I think this is something we all have to do every year so I'll put this in again.
I had 9 plans last year and I have 9 again this year. Bring it on, 2010!
Friday, January 8, 2010
The year 2009
This is the first time since the year started that I find myself with a little extra time to reflect on my 2009. Life really is full of surprises! My year turned out very differently from how I planned it.
At the beginning 2009, I documented my plans for the year (see Begin with the end in mind, January 7, 2009). Let's see how well I did.
2009 Plans:
1. Consume only 1 plastic cup from the pantry per week.
(Just the ones from our office pantry and not including the plastic cups used to serve drinks at fast food joints). I think I actually did better than this. Since I started using my own mug... I think I stopped using plastic and styrofoam cups from the pantry as early as February last year.
2. Start thinking about carbon footprints.
As I said... just START ;) Since we didn't get to go anywhere all year (no flights)... and I was even stuck at home for a month (no cab rides, car rides), AND I started bringing my own re-usable cloth shopping bag late last year when I go to the grocery, I think our carbon footprint was significantly reduced.
3. Have shelves installed and cabinets repaired downstairs.
Yey!!! This is done :) (See Home Improvement - Part I regarding the book shelf). My husband installed new shelves for our books and the cabinet doors in our kitchen downstairs have been replaced (thanks to my in-laws, they were the ones who had the new ones made :D).
4. Visit 2 Asian countries.
Sadly, this was out of the question last year and for the next few years I think until Andrea is old enough to actually enjoy an out of the country vacation.
5. Get Flu vaccine.
I wasn't able to get one last year either since my OB Gyne asked me to wait until after I gave birth. But I've never been so healthy in my entire life as I was last year. Even without the flu vaccine, I didn't get the flu. I took vitamins everyday, milk 2x a day, no drinking, no exposure to 2nd hand smoke, plenty of rest, etc etc.
6. Visit at least one Philippine destination that we've never been to before.
Hmmm... I didn't get to do much travelling last year due to a complicated pregnancy. My husband and I did get to go to Clark to witness the Hot Air Balloon festival though. It was the first time we've been able to see it (though we've been to Clark before). I think that can count... though it wasn't exactly what I had in mind.
7. Limit purchases for the year to 5 pairs of shoes and 2 bags.
Stupid plan for any other year but I was able to keep to this last year. My feet were so swollen for most part of last year that I lost all desire for shoes and just bought one comfortable pair which I wore out from overuse and discarded immediately after I gave birth.
8. Make sure that all books and magazines in the house are in bookshelves.
I think they are... except for the ones my husband read and never returned to their proper places X(
9. Participate in at least one volunteer activity/Support a charitable activity.
Wow... I forgot this was even part of my plan. I think I only had Earth Hour in mind when I wrote this but I didn't get to volunteer for that since I was already pregnant then. But I was able to give my support to a couple of organizations during their Typhoon Ondoy relief operations.
That was it. But I had additional accomplishments:
1. My blog did 2x as well as it did last year. As of last year, I was only targeting 1000 visits before the year ends. I was able to meet that. Then this year, I had more than 2000 visits. So Thank you!
2. And very important: I had Andrea :)
Now I have to start thinking about 2010.
At the beginning 2009, I documented my plans for the year (see Begin with the end in mind, January 7, 2009). Let's see how well I did.
2009 Plans:
1. Consume only 1 plastic cup from the pantry per week.
(Just the ones from our office pantry and not including the plastic cups used to serve drinks at fast food joints). I think I actually did better than this. Since I started using my own mug... I think I stopped using plastic and styrofoam cups from the pantry as early as February last year.
2. Start thinking about carbon footprints.
As I said... just START ;) Since we didn't get to go anywhere all year (no flights)... and I was even stuck at home for a month (no cab rides, car rides), AND I started bringing my own re-usable cloth shopping bag late last year when I go to the grocery, I think our carbon footprint was significantly reduced.
3. Have shelves installed and cabinets repaired downstairs.
Yey!!! This is done :) (See Home Improvement - Part I regarding the book shelf). My husband installed new shelves for our books and the cabinet doors in our kitchen downstairs have been replaced (thanks to my in-laws, they were the ones who had the new ones made :D).
4. Visit 2 Asian countries.
Sadly, this was out of the question last year and for the next few years I think until Andrea is old enough to actually enjoy an out of the country vacation.
5. Get Flu vaccine.
I wasn't able to get one last year either since my OB Gyne asked me to wait until after I gave birth. But I've never been so healthy in my entire life as I was last year. Even without the flu vaccine, I didn't get the flu. I took vitamins everyday, milk 2x a day, no drinking, no exposure to 2nd hand smoke, plenty of rest, etc etc.
6. Visit at least one Philippine destination that we've never been to before.
Hmmm... I didn't get to do much travelling last year due to a complicated pregnancy. My husband and I did get to go to Clark to witness the Hot Air Balloon festival though. It was the first time we've been able to see it (though we've been to Clark before). I think that can count... though it wasn't exactly what I had in mind.
7. Limit purchases for the year to 5 pairs of shoes and 2 bags.
Stupid plan for any other year but I was able to keep to this last year. My feet were so swollen for most part of last year that I lost all desire for shoes and just bought one comfortable pair which I wore out from overuse and discarded immediately after I gave birth.
8. Make sure that all books and magazines in the house are in bookshelves.
I think they are... except for the ones my husband read and never returned to their proper places X(
9. Participate in at least one volunteer activity/Support a charitable activity.
Wow... I forgot this was even part of my plan. I think I only had Earth Hour in mind when I wrote this but I didn't get to volunteer for that since I was already pregnant then. But I was able to give my support to a couple of organizations during their Typhoon Ondoy relief operations.
That was it. But I had additional accomplishments:
1. My blog did 2x as well as it did last year. As of last year, I was only targeting 1000 visits before the year ends. I was able to meet that. Then this year, I had more than 2000 visits. So Thank you!
2. And very important: I had Andrea :)
Now I have to start thinking about 2010.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Begin with the End in Mind
...according to the 2009 calendar on my desk. That got me thinking (since I have nothing better to do today until people start answering the emails I sent them yesterday)... how do I see my 2009? Truthfully, I'm not one for planning. My 2008 was all about spur-of-the-moment decisions that left MG all tied up in pretzel knots most of the time.
So for the sake of passing time this morning, I'm making a list of things I want to accomplish this year.
1. Consume only 1 plastic cup from the office pantry per week.
Disclaimer: This does not include the plastic cups they will probably serve me at fast food joints. This is the first thing that came to mind since I noticed that I've been using the same plastic cup since Monday (I wash it ok?). Must have been the guilt instilled by MG after he showed me the commercial on Discovery channel (I think) about how many plastic bottles are consumed every hour. But baby steps... let's start with the plastic cups from the pantry for now.
2. Start thinking about carbon footprints.
I just said start ok? Baby steps.
3. Have shelves installed and cabinets repaired downstairs.
This is actually part of my house repairs list from a previous blog entry last year.
4. Visit 2 Asian countries.
Candidates: Thailand (Paging... Shine!!), and either Singapore or Hongkong.
5. Get flu vaccine.
I actually appreciated the shot I had last year. I didn't get sick (and that says something for someone who gets sick with every rainy spell).
6. Visit at least one Philippine destination that I've never been to before.
There are still a lot of places I haven't seen. Bohol and Palawan top my list.
7. Limit purchases for the year to 5 pairs of shoes, and 2 bags.
Gifts do not count. So... *ehem*... mommy, I'm counting on you...
8. Make sure that ALL books and magazines in the house are in bookshelves.
All books and magazines that do not fit in existing bookshelves will have to be disposed of. I can do this! I know I can!
9. Participate in at least one volunteer activity/Support a charitable activity.
Preferably, volunteer activity involves a beach. If I can't do that, then my fallback will be to offer support to a charitable activity.
Ok, that's all I can think of and that took all morning. There are others that I'm thinking about but I'm not sure if I can do them this year and I want to stick with achievable targets.
Happy new year everyone!
So for the sake of passing time this morning, I'm making a list of things I want to accomplish this year.
1. Consume only 1 plastic cup from the office pantry per week.
Disclaimer: This does not include the plastic cups they will probably serve me at fast food joints. This is the first thing that came to mind since I noticed that I've been using the same plastic cup since Monday (I wash it ok?). Must have been the guilt instilled by MG after he showed me the commercial on Discovery channel (I think) about how many plastic bottles are consumed every hour. But baby steps... let's start with the plastic cups from the pantry for now.
2. Start thinking about carbon footprints.
I just said start ok? Baby steps.
3. Have shelves installed and cabinets repaired downstairs.
This is actually part of my house repairs list from a previous blog entry last year.
4. Visit 2 Asian countries.
Candidates: Thailand (Paging... Shine!!), and either Singapore or Hongkong.
5. Get flu vaccine.
I actually appreciated the shot I had last year. I didn't get sick (and that says something for someone who gets sick with every rainy spell).
6. Visit at least one Philippine destination that I've never been to before.
There are still a lot of places I haven't seen. Bohol and Palawan top my list.
7. Limit purchases for the year to 5 pairs of shoes, and 2 bags.
Gifts do not count. So... *ehem*... mommy, I'm counting on you...
8. Make sure that ALL books and magazines in the house are in bookshelves.
All books and magazines that do not fit in existing bookshelves will have to be disposed of. I can do this! I know I can!
9. Participate in at least one volunteer activity/Support a charitable activity.
Preferably, volunteer activity involves a beach. If I can't do that, then my fallback will be to offer support to a charitable activity.
Ok, that's all I can think of and that took all morning. There are others that I'm thinking about but I'm not sure if I can do them this year and I want to stick with achievable targets.
Happy new year everyone!
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