2015 Review in randomness

The last post of the year is always the hardest to write. I'm cracking my head and going: wow, this year sure went fast! At the same time, it doesn't seem like it went that fast at all. Anyhoo, speed aside, I'd say it's been a pretty good year with the usual ups and downs and its fair share of joys and disappointments. But that's life, isn't it?

Along the way, I've met new people, made observations, been places, done new things, gained some insights... I'm not going try and structure everything I want to say. I'm just going to throw my random thoughts out there. Oh and I'm not wearing my rose-colored glasses either so please don't be offended if I say a negative thing here, touch a raw nerve there, even if it's New Year's Eve and we're supposed to be all happy and positive like.

1. Drink more tea. I know bubble tea has been around for ages but I only just discovered it -- by accident - this year. Go me! I've been hooked ever since. No boba for me though, not a fan. Boba is cute and all but the idea of chewing mini starch balls doesn't appeal to me. I usually go for the fruit tea or iced milk tea instead - half sugar, half ice.

2.Loyalty to parents (and siblings) comes first and foremost. This goes without saying but apparently some people don't get it. It's a no-brainer so you shouldn't have to stop and think about whose side to take. Your loyalty should always be to the ones who gave you life, raised you and showered you with love. Without your parents, you wouldn't have been born. End of story.

3. Believe not all that you hear. I've lost count of how many times this year that people have told me one thing and done entirely the opposite - without apology. It's not like I didn't know that already but at a professional level? Yes, sure, why not? If a person is prone to breaking promises, why would they stop just because they're representing a business, eh? Lesson learned!

4. Learn to let go - of excessive sugar, salt, toxic people in your life, things you wish you had but can't or don't, unhealthy habits, soda, processed food... To be fair, I just had a burger at Burger King yesterday and I pretended not to notice that juicy piece of bacon calling out to me. Oh man, so good!

5. Believe not everything that you see on the internet. This one goes out to all the boys and girls who genuinely believe that people actually live the kinds of lives they post on social media. What you see posted are those things about their so-called posh lives that they want you to see which represents only a tiny fraction of their real lives. You don't know what else is happening in their lives so don't be too quick to envy them and think that your own life sucks. I read that some people take their own lives thinking how pathetic their lives are compared to those they see on social media, and it breaks my heart. Don't ever do that! Be happy with who you are and what you have. Your life is beautiful in its own way. There's no need to compare.

6. Try new food. Cook new food. Seriously, when am I not talking about food? I ate a lot this year, discovered new restaurants and cuisines from other cultures, and found new food to love and cook.

Oh wait! Brainwave! I know what I'm going to cook for tonight's New Year's Eve dinner. Smoked salmon linguine it is - woohoo! Right so with that, huge hugs and a gigantic thank you for sticking around during my 2-year hiatus and continuing to read and comment on my blog. Be safe and have a Blessed New Year, everyone!

How to get stuff done like a pro

Not that I'm a pro or anything. I'm a pro-crastinator, that I am. But I couldn't very well put that in the title, could I? But now you know. I've got a list longer than Santa's, believe you me, and I'm chugging along in starts and stops hoping I'll wake up one morning and the elves would've done their jobs and there'd be precious nothing left for me to do.

Source

Hey, wake up! This is real life. If it's one thing I do well, it's procrastinate. For realz. So now as I look at all the stuff I still need to get done, I'm getting a little overwhelmed here. And I don't overwhelm easy, as a rule. So I console myself that I'm not the only one. Am I? Please tell me I'm not.

And so I thought I'd talk about how I juggle the crazy number of balls I have up in the air.

1. Make lists like crazy

You already know this. I've made lists on my smartphone. They didn't really work out. I'm more of a scribbler. I prefer to scribble on pathetic scraps of paper. It doesn't matter as long as you have an actual physical list you can see, you will have a mental picture and won't lose track of what you need to do as easily. That really helps.

2. Bite size, please

I tend to take it a step further and break down the complex tasks into chewable sizes so when it comes to crossing items off my list, it'll look like I got a lot done. Okay, so I need to trick myself into thinking I accomplished more than I really did. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Truth is it gives me great satisfaction to cross items off and watch that list shrink before my very eyes (provided I'm not adding on more items than I'm crossing off, that is!)

3. Grit your teeth and prioritize

Since my list includes many things I'm doing for a bunch of other people aka my kids, it makes prioritizing stuff a whole lot harder. I don't try to do everything at once. That would be foolish. I number everything according to priority. Obviously those numbers change, quite a bit. So renumber them and juggle as best you can.

4. Kick some butt

Some of us think we're superwomen. I'm guilty of that. I always think I can get things done quicker and better than anyone else. My tag line: Don't worry, I'll handle everything. Then one day, I looked around and noticed 3 not so little me's sitting around that I can recruit and train to work for me.

Excellent! Time to delegate, peeps. See, I never thought to delegate. But you know what, those kids we have sitting around on the computer all day, those kids can be put to work. The tasks may take a little longer or may not be done to your high standards, but that's okay, they are inexperienced now but they will learn.

5. Give yourself a pat on the back

My teens are pretty good at helping out. I wish I'd recruited them earlier. They're fast learners and more capable than I dared to imagine at first, and they work for free. Score! That said, I believe in praising and rewarding my crew for a job well done. Not that I mind a little reward myself after all that running around. So I treat everyone to their favorite eats, hang out and just chill afterwards.

So tell me, are you one of those lucky ones that the elves love to visit, or are you (like me) busy as a bee now that the holiday frenzy is gaining on us? Feel free to share whatever tips you have or that have worked for you.

Rainy days and Mondays

Hey guys, how did your weekend go? Mine was pretty quiet. We stayed home. I wouldn't have had it any other way after last week which was, as weeks go around here, pretty fast and furious.

Also it's been raining some, well, a lot. I appreciated getting to sleep in a little over the weekend after running around like a crazy woman all week. The idea of lying in bed and listening to the rain is a welcome one. Well, these days, we're getting thunder and lightning for dramatic effect.

I like the cooler days. It brings a fresh, new outlook to things, as if everything's been washed nice and clean and ready for a new start. Colors are more vivid, nature sounds clearer and today being a Monday, the sunrise was brilliant and I'm hoping it'll chase away those dreaded Monday blues.

I'm going to keep it short as I jump straight into another crazy week. I can't wait for things to get less hectic. If you have a minute, tell me what, if anything, do you like/not like about rainy days and Mondays.