To me the New Year is a fresh start. Do I have to wait until January 1, 2010 to begin my resolution? NO. Do it NOW!!

To survive 2010, my suggestions are:

1. Don’t spend more than you make.

2. Put 20% of your earnings into saving or investments.

3. Strap on those running shoes and at least walk around the block if you are not the exercise type.

4. Smile. Smile at yourself in the mirror in the morning, and smile at a stranger. (In a non-creepy way)

5. Say one nice compliment to someone.

6. Give yourself a pat on the back for for trying to be your best.

7. Learn one survival skill.

8. Pay off your debt, one day at a time.

9. Try something new.

10. Do it NOW, even if it’s a small step.

Life is simple. Do your best, do it now.

To think that the entire day I was stressing over what to buy who and where the sales are. Then my husband reminded me of one more thing when a McDonald’s commercial came on. That there are people out there in the US that hasn’t even been to a McDonald’s because they can’t afford it, and that there are also a lot of lonely people out there that would spend the Holiday’s alone. How SAD!!

With recent economic downturn, many out there will be having a pretty crappy Christmas. To save, our family opted out of a Christmas tree and no lights.

For us Christmas is not about the trees or decorations, it’s about people. So instead we put that money towards feeding a homeless family and buying their kids a gift. So how can you survive the Holiday when you are down on your luck? Here’s the solutions:

1. Alone for the Holiday – If none of your friends of acquaintances invited you to join their Christmas dinner, go have your own. Throw a party of your own, and if money is an issue, have a pot luck. If you have no friends, then go down to the local food shelter or church and help out a hungry family that is in worst luck than yours.

2. No money for presents – If money is an issue then, give a present of a kind deed. Yes, go out there and do something nice for someone. Gift giving does not always have to be BOUGHT. It can be a kind gesture. Not only will that make you feel good, it will make the recipient feel special too. Hell, and there will be no bitterness of you gave a better gift than you received.

No matter what the situation, you can overcome it. To survive and not think of yourself as a victim, but rather a survivor. Be creative and think of other ways to celebrate this Season of Giving. This is not a Season of Entitlement. Forget the past and go for the future . . seize it. Forgive yourself, forgive others, and live your life.

Survive Boredom

You might only be reading this blog because you are bored. In my attempt to avoid boredom I am writing this to help us ALL survive boredom.

But oddly, I realize the more I try to avoid boredom the worst it gets. In search of ways to rid of my boredom, I got even more bored. What seems like minutes turn into hours as I linger in this eternal nightmare. My brain has gotten over-excitement, where my mind has too much energy – and so I feel I want to do something – but am finding it very difficult to focus my energy. Maybe it’s the lack of interest in what is around, or maybe because I’ve become over-passive and allowed my mind to run wherever it likes. To counter it, I just have to place my attention on something, and replace it when it moves, until my mind settles. Concentrate! You will finish this blog.

Strange though, there are always more things that I want to do than I have time to do. So why am I bored?
I found out from surfing the Internet that boredom is our second most suppress emotion – one that could cause us stress, infidelity, obesity, and even overspending. So what is boredom and how do we survive it?

There are two types of boredom: Situational and Repetitive.

Situational boredom is defined by the presence or absence of something in a situation. This can be listening to a boring lecture, or waiting for a plane in an airport.

Then there is repetitive boredom, where something that in it-self is fun becomes boring through mind numbing repetition. It is the lack of a challenge, the need for social interactivity.

A desire for instant or near-instant gratification is an obvious cause of boredom in many. I have this feeling that the more we limit our capacity to wait, to think, to anticipate, to discover, the greater is our propensity for boredom.

Now how does one survive boredom?

Have you already done everything and still felt unfulfilled? Does it seem that there is nothing else to do at home and in the office? Are you simply bored of life? Here are several interesting things you can do to kill boredom: One idea is to engage with each other – that’s where the blogs and the chatrooms came from. But here are others.

1. Watch LESS television. Too much of the tube feeds boredom and restlessness. Set aside evenings away from the television set to go to a movie, play tennis, or be with friends and family.
2. Take a break from daily routine. Go lunch with your friends or go shopping for bargains. Go out to dinner and leave your daily routine behind for a while.
3. Keep in touch with friends and relatives. Invite a neighbor of yours for coffee, or call up a friend whom you have not recently heard from. Who knows? Your friends or loved ones might have more interesting ideas for a fun weekend or summer vacation you can all attend.
4. Communicate. Find friends among co-workers and give yourself breaks to chat with them or invite them to your home for a social event.
5. Read and explore. If you enjoy reading, read more. You will find new attitudes and new possibilities for your life with different reading materials including magazines, encyclopedias, novels, newspapers and fan fictions.
6. Change your routines OFTEN. Do not be afraid to make changes. And while you are busy at your tasks, listen to music or dance around or even make faces. It will surely brighten up your day. Make routine your slave, be spontaneous.
7. Give yourself a “private hour” each day to do only what you want. Read, get a massage, polish your nails or simply sit quietly and relax, or play a brain challenge game.
8. Fun laughter and humor in life. See the funny side of life. Read comics, watch a live comedy show, or play with children or pets. Laughter is the best tonic for boredom. The more you laugh, the less bored you will be.

So how does one survive procrastination? I was great at it in High School, College, and in life. Procrastinated in everything I did, to include studies, leisure, and work. My husband calls it lazy and sometimes mental masturbation, I call it brain storming–feeling the creative drive, research. But however you put it, it is still procrastination.

In some degree, I do blame procrastination to my “not doing my best” and for me not living the life I really want to live. I heard a saying once that procrastinators survive as do-ers live. So how does one overcome procrastination?

1.    Completed a project as soon as I got it. I didn’t want to waste anytime because the sooner I get it done, the sooner I move up to what I ultimately wanted to achieve, my end goal.
2.    KISS – Keep it simple silly. Just started and did not mess with anything as in formatting, tinkering, procrastinating.
3.     Removed everything that tempted me and drove me away from what I had to do. Turned off the phone, turned off the internet.
4.    Locked myself in the bathroom to get my work done. Made it the first thing I did when I got it in your mind or even feel the inkling to get it done.
5.     Told myself I’m just going to put at least 10 minutes into it.
6.    I placed the project I dread more at the top of my to-do list
7.    I always try to find something about the project that excites me.
8.    Most importantly, forget about perfection. Just start doing it, and fix it later.
9.    If all else fails, I take a nap, a bath, or go outside and enjoy the outdoors or do nothing and stare at my computer.

Life isn’t all about productivity, but it is about getting things done so you can live your dreams.
Please chime in and let me know how your progress is going.

I got obsessed with a Spanish Television show and want to learn the Spanish language to watch and better understand the show. I have some advantage in that I am already multi-lingual. I can speak English, Cantonese and Mandarin fluently.

Although I have taken Spanish in High School and a class in College (and failed), I can’t even say “what’s up” currently. However, I am determined to learn the language to watch a show, Los Hombres de Paco.

I did what most would do when they want to learn a new language, I went out scoured the shelves of Barnes and Noble, and purchased an audio Spanish Level 1, along with Rosetta Stone, and a Spanish-English dictionary.

I gave myself one month to learn the language and be able to carry on a rudimentary conversation but mostly, be able to watch my show and comprehend.

My current process:

1. Purchase a Spanish learning audio and books.
2. Listen to my audio lessons in the morning for a half-hour as I get ready for the day or when I go on my walk.
3. Watch my Spanish show with subtitles until I can memorize the dialog in English, then I would just focus on their conversation without the subtitle. (peeking at the subtitle when I am completely clueless.)
4. I have post-it notes around the house in Spanish. And I make comments and curse in Spanish, especially when I am talking to myself. You all know what I mean. When I think . . . Okay, I respond with Vale!, I can’t in No Puedo, Sh*t in Mierda, ect.
5. If I am in a Spanish speaking restaurant, I try to talk to them in Spanish . . . thus I order my food in Spanish.
6. I would listen to the Spanish radio station on my drive home from work so I can get some music in and some DJ chat.

This is the best way to immerse myself in the language especially since my husband only speaks English and my family speaks Chinese.

I’ll keep you updated as to how well this approach works.

I was recently visiting a couple friend in Napa and I realized they have every type of shoes you could imagine. And since we are heading out for a hike, they pulled out their best pair of boots. Their fufu fluff designer hikers. A walk-in (shoe) closet of shoes and they own uncomfortable fluff.

Alright people, if you can spend $400 on designer shoes, go spend $200 and get a pair of good boots, proper fitting survival boots. The first thing my Drill Sergeant taught me was, protect your feet. Protect your #1 mode of transportation. A healthy well-protected pair of feet can take you to food, water, and shelter. It will save your life.

You want boots that can:
1. Traverse rugged terrain – The ground could have rocky paths, crazy contours, sharp rocks, ankle spraining obstacles, or narrow trails.
2. Get Wet – It is imperative to keep your feet dry. Especially if you cross streams, rivers, seashores, or floods.
3. Withstand Heat – You would want to feel comfortable in case you have to be exposed to long period of blazing hot concrete or desert hot floors.
4. Protect – There are nasty insects and reptiles out there not to mention animals that you’d want to keep out and protect from bites.
5. Fit Properly – Try on the boots late in the day when they are slightly swollen and wear thicker socks. You wouldn’t want huge blisters or lose all your toe nails from poor fitting boots.

So a good sturdy, comfortable, pair of boots is in order here. Look for an 8 to 10 inch high top leather or Gortex boot with superior ankle protection and at least 1/3 inch thick Vibram Soles.

Oh and don’t forget, NO Cotton Socks. Look for a pair of Ragg Wool or Merino Wool socks, they wick away moisture. And if you are allergic to wool like I am, wear a pair of polypropylene liner under the wool socks.

If your feet aren’t happy, there’s a good chance you will not be either.