This Blog is One Year Old…and counting

July 15, 2009

Happy birthday to my blog. It’s now one year old.

Lots of friends, places, and adventures featured in 74 entries during the past year.

This is entry #75!

10,153 hits (average of 27 per day) is rather unexpected — didnt realise people actually find stuff on this site interesting or useful.

I feel my blog is still far from being personal (it’s predominantly narrative). Hopefully I will be able to improve on that bit over time.

Mid Year Review of Personal Targets 2009

July 4, 2009 — 2 Comments

Six (6) months have gone by and it’s time to see how far I’ve gone (or how far away I am) in terms of my personal targets this year.

On track

• Revamp casual and weekend (including night-out) wear. Priority shirt colors for this year: white, black, red. [Still need to define work clothes and casual clothes. Decided not to be too strict on colors though have preference for purple, orange, and white as of now]
• Increase your level of interest in Singapore real estate property developments (read newspaper ads, visit showrooms). [On and off interest which will shift to high gear in the 3rd quarter]
• Learn and memorize five (5) Mandarin songs by yearend and sing them in public (i.e  KTV). [About to finalise the 5 songs and will begin work on pinyin lyrics pronunciation before public launch haha]
• Lose some more weight (but still take breakfast!). Be a “legitimate” size L (heading to “aspirational” M) instead of borderline L/XL. [More comments about me losing weight than gaining weight so that's a good indication. Can fit into L shirts comfortably and jeans/shorts that are 2 inches lesser than before. The dryer better not shrink my clothes too much or else!]
• <Undisclosed target — to be shared at yearend if achieved> [Still undisclosed though making good progress]

Started but need to be more serious

• Track expenses. Minimize impulse purchases – local and overseas. [Began in January, even purchased a software but found it challenging to keep receipts, type info, etc. Hopefully I will gain more patience in the coming weeks to track whatever I can track until yearend. I guess the trick is not to spend too much so I don't need to track a lot in the software]
• Learn how to play mahjong, seek opportunities to practice, and aim to playing decently in 2010. [Learned a bit in the first quarter, missed an opportunity to practice recently but still positive about it]
• Develop basic appreciation for jazz. [Interest is there, just not enough hours to sit in a bar and listen to live jazz which is part of this target]
• Volunteer your time to give encouragement to younger people and/or differently-abled individuals. [Started in the first quarter and will resume in July/August]

Not much progress; at risk

• Have breakfast most days of the week. [Have traded this for more minutes of sleep. If I wake up 30 mins earlier than usual, this will be possible]
• Cook one new dish (at moderate complexity) per month. [This is meant for the weekend. Still possible but that means cooking two new dishes per month to reach 12 by end of the year.]
• Think green. Save the earth in your own little way. Lessen volume of paper at home (scan pages if info is useful). [Scanner is active but I still collect a lot of paper along the way, especially on weekends when I go around, i.e. brochures, pamphlets, etc]
• Take the bus and MRT more frequently. [Weekends are quite ok but weekdays/nights are terrible since I take a cab to/from work.]
• Determine your threshold for alcohol level intake (in as few attempts as possible). It’s about time you have an idea. [Not much partying as I either stay home on Friday nights or do other things on Saturday. Not really sure whether this will be met]

To be replaced as unlikely to happen

• Visit a country at least 5 hrs away by plane on holiday. [Ideally for late 2nd quarter or early 3rd quarter but with the H1N1 virus around, I am happy to stay in Singapore]