spark! Challenge

Happy Leap Day! We have an extra day to think about what it is we want in life and how to make it happen.

I was reminded that setbacks and obstacles aren’t reasons to stop moving forward. We should take them as they are- life lessons, motivations, and opportunities to grow and change.

Anyone who knows me and follows this blog knows that I tend to overdo things during my challenge months and end up lacking the energy to continue the intensity the following month. I have to learn to keep things consistent. Maybe because I’m coming off a “lazy” month that I’m excited for March.

I’m calling this latest challenge “spark!” which means a lot of different things.

Spark is finding your motivation, shining a light on your interests.

Spark is discovering what inspires you and being creative.

Spark is doing what you love, igniting your passion.

Spark is being a light to others, helping one another to achieve the dreams we’ve set out to do.

And “spark!” is one of the children’s writing projects I’m working on.

Whatever “spark” means to you, I hope you will join me. I’ll post specific goals soon and feel free to share yours.

P.S. Because I’m a dork when it comes to these things, I also found the perfect song to go along with the spark! Challenge. The lyrics seemed very appropriate: “So let’s set the world on fire. We can burn brighter than the sun.” It's from "We Are Young" by the band fun. I have no idea how to embed a video here so just click on the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8crN86RFD8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

First Month Wrap Up

2012 is no longer the new year but something we’ve all gotten familiar with. Perhaps we’d taken it for granted already but hopefully it still holds some promising and exciting things for all of us.

I’ve been trying to tell people that the best time to do anything to improve one’s life is now. Start now- and don’t give up. Try again and again until you accomplish what you set out to do. Life is all about making the choices that will make us happy or set us back on the right track.

I think I did well with my goals.

*Work on blogs. I was able to post weekly on both “The Chronicles of a Children’s Book Writer” and “Library Hopping.” It’s been challenging to come up with content on a regular basis for each blog. But I feel the schedule of one post per week (per blog) is doable and something I’d like to maintain.

*Volunteer 100 hours this year. In January, I was able to rack up 18 hours already. This included being a Hands on Portland Volunteer Leader for The Children’s Book Bank during Martin Luther King Weekend of Service. It was definitely a rewarding experience.

*Lose 15 pounds over the year- or about a pound a month. Exercise 3 times a week with at least one of them being on the elliptical. I decided to combine both of these because there definitely was a correlation between the two. It was rare that I only did the minimum number of exercise per week. And I know I have to make this a more consistent part of my life if I want to continue losing weight.

*Vegetarian Days. No Spending Days. 3 days a week. These were kind of difficult for a couple of weeks but it made me more aware of my actions. That being said, though, they didn’t really make eat healthier or save money, respectively, so I don’t think I will continue doing them.

*Read 60 books a year. I decided to reactivate my Goodreads account. I’m counting 6 books so far, not excluding the picture books. I have a few Reading Challenges going on: Big Books, Newbery Winners, Caldecott Winners, Dr. Seuss, and World Book Night Selections. Luckily, there are some crossovers or I’ve read them rather recently.

*Moving to a new place has been postponed until the second half of the year.

*I’m definitely saving up for a Philippine vacation in December but I’m also saving up to get my citizenship application going. I’ve been slacking on the latter. I could have taken advantage of not needing to attend the 6-week course to send in my application already but it’s just so expensive!

*Things I didn’t do: Get an eye exam. Get a dental exam. Look into IRA’s.

Overall, I did well. I like reflecting back on what went well and what didn’t and adjust things if necessary. For the things I didn’t get to do, there’s always this month.

Happy New Year! (Eight Days Later)

I love the newness of things. And January 1, 2012, was not only the start of a new year but of a new day, a new week, and a new month. It was the perfect time to be starting something.

Over the years (and after reading many self help books for the pure enjoyment of it), I’ve developed a set of core goals that I use to base my actions on. Will what I do help me achieve any of the following?

· I will live the most authentic and best life possible that is honest and respectful of myself and others.

· I will be a successful published writer of children’s books. I will entertain people with my stories. I will promote literacy, especially in children’s lives.

· I will lead a healthy and active lifestyle.

· I will be financially secure and independent.

· I will surround myself with people who share my interests and learn from one another.

I wanted to wait a week before posting my goals for 2012 since I wanted to get back to my normal routine after all the holiday hullabaloo and see what was doable yet challenging at the same time.

It’s always a good idea to break down bigger, long-term goals into small, easily achievable ones. That’s why I like monthly challenges- and naming them. And, yet, I didn’t come up with one for January!

• Work on blogs. My main focus is to have a new post a week each for “The Chronicles Of A Children’s Book Writer” and “Library Hopping”. These were blogs I specifically wanted to launch in 2012. (I’m still maintaining this and “e, reader”.) [The first week was successful.]

• Volunteer 100 hours this year. As of today, I had already clocked in 8 hours. I realized that with just my regular library shift, I would have met this goal easily so this is something I will have to adjust.

• Lose 15 pounds (over the year, of course!) This may sound like a lot but it’s only 1.25 pounds a month and we all know how lost weight are magically found during the winter months. [This is reminding me how responsible I am in regards to meeting this goal or not. If I choose to continue to eat the way I do (which is a lot!), then I definitely have to put in some time at the gym.]

• Exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes each- with at least one of them being on the elliptical. [The first week was extremely successful. I exercised 6 out of 7 days and 4 of them were on the elliptical.]

• Vegetarian Days- 3 times a week

• No Spending Days- 3 times a week [The first week was challenging since I only had 2 NSDs by Friday and it was only that evening that I decided 3 times was a doable goal.]

• Read 60 books this year. I figured if I was to do it the past two years, I can do it again.

• Move to a new studio/apartment. [I had originally planned on moving when my lease ran out on March but I may extend it due to other goals requiring financial attention.]

• Save up for a Philippine vacation in December. Buy tickets no later than September but preferably in June.

• Become a US citizen. [I attended a citizenship class at a library. It was supposed to last 6 weeks but it seemed easier than I thought it would be. I won’t be attending any more classes but I can start the application sooner.]

• Get eye exam.

• Get dental exam.

• Look into IRA’s.

I also started keeping a Goals Calendar in which I write down what I accomplished that day. It’s a very useful tool to see how much I’ve done and motivates me to keep on keeping on.

If you’re reading this, you probably have your own goals. Feel free to share them. I find that if you share them, the more likely you’ll end up doing it since you are now accountable for your actions.

Also, I know some people hate the idea of New Year’s resolutions. But whatever you call them, I hope you set some goals for yourself. And, if you fail or momentarily forgot about them, try again. If you think it’s too late to start, it’s not. Every second is a new opportunity. Start now.

Note: I use “goals” to refer to both “goals and resolutions”. Some people do use them interchangeably but there is a difference. Goals are something that can be achieved. Resolutions are something that has to be maintained.

My Reading Life- Year in Review 2011

I read 60 books in 2011, not counting picture books.

Out of the titles I included in my reading list, only 15 of the books were on it.

I’ve read 35 books by authors I’ve never read before and only 4 of them I sought more books to read. Although, a lot of them are first time novelists or just have that one title they’ve written.

I also read 174 children’s books- of which 105 were for the A to Z Children’s Picture Book Series Reading Challenge. I read 16 series- actually 18 but the B’s and M’s had two entries out of 26.

Breakdown of Books Read in 2011- I’ve changed the format since I’m more interested in how many books I read that were in the kids/YA genre as opposed to “adult”.

New- 35

Kids/YA- 19

Adults- 43

Fiction-24

Non-Fiction-17

Recommended: Delivering Happiness; Historical Sketch of the Library Association of Portland 1864-1964; The Dreamer; The Lover’s Dictionary; If You Want to Write*; The Crucible*; Tales from Outer Suburbia; The Elegance of the Hedgehog*; Rethinking Paper & Ink; Pop-Up Book of Death; Press Here; I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!; Guess How Much I Love You; The Monster at the End of This Book; The Runaway Bunny; From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Fankweiler*; A Game of Thrones; The Compassionate Diet; The View from Saturday*; The Art of Happiness; Thirst No. 4: The Shadow of Death; Writing Down the Bones*; The Phantom Tollbooth*; The Night Circus*; Wonderstruck; The Mysteries of Harris Burdick; The Chronicles of Harris Burdick; Every Thing On It; The Happiness Project; It’s Not Easy Being Green; Stumbling on Happiness
 

*These titles were added to My Favorite Books Ever.

Worst: The Graveyard Book; The Catcher in the Rye

2011: Year in Review- Make It Happen

I learned the importance of happiness in 2011.

Yet it was only a few weeks before the year started that my sister passed away. The last thing in the world that I felt was happy. And, I knew any joy I may feel in the future would not be complete because I wouldn’t get to share it with her. On the other hand, I would have been doing her a huge disservice if I didn’t try to be happy. I’ve learned over the years how resilient the human spirit is in the face of sadness and devastation. So, to honor Charmaine, I set out to be happy.

I’m fond of lists, of setting goals and resolutions. But I wanted to stop planning too much and to start doing. “Make It Happen” was the year’s theme and the key to my happiness. I was going for my dreams.

Spoiler alert: I’m still not a successful published writer of children’s books. Sometimes the road to success is long but at least I know where I’m supposed to be going. I’m going to travel on and enjoy the journey.

I did take baby steps in fulfilling that particular dream by enrolling in a couple of writing classes. I got to know the character for my picture book series better and I can’t wait for you guys to meet him soon. The classes were such positive experiences that it motivated me to continue taking college courses- even if they aren’t for writing- just to continue learning.

I continued to immerse myself in Portland’s literary scene- and the Book World in general. I won a contest for Wordstock. I know it was just for a button but I’ll take any win I can get. I met one of my favorite writers ever- Jasper Fforde- who proved to be as hilarious as I thought he would be. Libraries continued to be great sources of both information and entertainment- from Bollywood dancing during a multicultural presentation to eating hot dogs and cracker jacks after an opening reception for a traveling exhibition on baseball.

Volunteering has become a big part of my life since moving to Portland. I was able to explore different projects yet be more involved in the causes important to me- namely the ones promoting literacy in people’s lives.

I also set monthly challenges throughout the year as a fun way to keep myself accountable for the things I set out to do- Spring Into Shape, The Incredible Lightness of Being, and Step Up, just to name a few. They really worked and I think it motivated others to do the same.

I did things I wanted to do (enjoying festive moments throughout the year)- and things I didn’t realize I wanted to do (tangoing in the park). I got to explore Portland- and Oregon- and appreciate the quirkiness and wonderfulness of where I lived.

In late October, my dad passed away. We hadn’t really been close over the years. But the more I heard stories about him and how he lived his life, I realized we had a lot of things in common. I was my father’s son despite not having a relationship with him besides the occasional phone call.

The deaths in my family made me appreciate life even more and taught me how important it was to nurture the relationships I had. Everything I had been doing took on another dimension. Taking care of myself (the monthly challenges). Volunteering (because now I was doing it in memory of them as much I was for myself and helping out others). Going for my dreams. Creating moments with family and friends. If it weren’t for my efforts in seeking out happiness and choosing to be happy, I don’t think I would have been able to bounce back as quickly as I have.

I feel much more confident in going after what I want. At the same time, I know I’m still a work in progress. I’m so ready for whatever happens in 2012 (and beyond). I look forward to the future with all the happiness it has to offer.

Step Up Challenge Write Up

Now that October has come and gone, I can say with certainty I did well with my Step Up challenge. One of the reasons for its success was probably due to reading “The Happiness Project” (Gretchen Rubin) while it was going on. Like “Delivering Happiness” (Tony Hseih) in January when I was planning out my resolutions for the year ahead and “The Art of Happiness” (Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler) during my Incredible Lightness of Being challenge, it’s great when the perfect book comes along during a time when I was able to fully appreciate what it had to say. These books helped me put things in perspective.

Goals: Start keeping and filling up a notebook for one month. Do 30 minutes of focused writing every day.
A single-subject notebook (or even just a notepad) should be on every writer’s must have list. The goal of filling one up during a course of a month is very doable with focused and/or creative writing. It also provides a sense of accomplishment when you see how many words you wrote.

Goals: Write a review for every book read. Read one new author in the A to Z Children’s Picture Book Series Challenge.
It was fun to figure out what to read, especially for the A to Z CPBS challenge. Taking time to reflect on what I liked and didn’t like about a book was a good exercise- and very helpful as an aspiring writer.

Goals: Lose 5 pounds. Exercise 5X/week including 2X/wk in the fitness center. No Spending Days 4X/wk. Limit eating out to 2X/wk. Vegetarian Days 3X/wk. No Food Court or Fast Food restaurant except Subway.
What you get in life is partly due to the decisions you make, a fact I was constantly made aware of every time I was on the elliptical. Finding time to go to the fitness center (or actually just exercising) was kind of a hassle but it always felt good afterwards. Deciding what to eat (or not) and what to buy (or not) reminded me I had choices in life- and a responsibility to take care of myself physically and financially. Bringing lunch to work instead of eating out or skipping on Big Macs and Quarter Pounders were easier to do when thought about in those ways. Most weeks, I was able to do more that the minimum. The last week of October was kind of crazy and I missed out on my Vegetarian goal by one day! And, I did end up getting a bubble tea drink at a mall so I guess I didn’t meet that goal either. But, surprisingly, I’m fine with it.

Goals: Cook something using fresh ingredients. Maintain blogs.
These were the only two I didn’t accomplish. The first one failed because there really was no reason or incentive for me to follow through with it. I may attempt this goal again at a later date but I’m also fine not knowing how to cook anything beyond canned soup or instant noodles.

Fall Cleaning. It may not have been to the extent I originally wanted but my place has a lived in orderliness about it now.

Do Halloweeny Stuff. Boy, did I ever! Successfully navigating my way out of a corn maze, attending a horror reading, and reading a scary story were some of the highlights but my most favorite was finally carving my first jack-o-lantern!

Buy ticket for Las Vegas.

I also stepped up my volunteering.

To my delight and amazement, October offered many events that fit perfectly with my writing goals. Wordstock had a great roster of children’s book writers and illustrators that attended this year’s festival. I received a lot of very useful information. (I was also very happy I won their button contest with “i’m bringing paperback” entry!) My new writing class also started up. I was actually less enthusiastic about that but it has helped me make progress with my picture book. Another “step up” moment for me was asking Ellen Hopkins a question during her reading. For such a long time, I’ve let my shyness get the best of me. Not that I’m Mr. Confidence all of a sudden but it felt good to speak up.

It would be weird if I didn’t at least mention that my Dad died towards the end of October. Life is what happens despite of all the plans you make. Certain events are beyond our control. I would say this though: I think focus- and having goals and resolutions- in life helped me cope with this unexpected news.

Step Up

After slacking off the past couple months and losing focus, I think it's time for another month-long challenge. I know it sounds hokey already- and add to it that I like naming them- but it works for me. I've realized though that I need to be specific with my actions and the reasons behind them.

October's challenge is to "Step Up" because I want to bring everything I've already done to another level. Step up my writing. Step up my exercising. Step up my savings. Step up my volunteering.

Also, life has presented so many opportunities that I've passed on because I let fear, shame, laziness, other people's expectations, and self-doubt get the best of me. But, by stepping up, things can be so much better than they are now.

I'll share my goals for this month in the next few days since it won't start until October. Once again, everyone is invited to join me in my challenge. What will you step up to?

Edited to add on 10/01/11:

Here are my Step Up goals:

Start keeping and filling up a notebook for one month
Do 30 minutes of focused writing everyday
Write a review for every book read
Read one new author in the A to Z Children’s Picture Book Series Challenge
Lose 5 pounds
Exercise 5X/week including 2X/wk in the fitness center
No Spending Days 4X/wk
Limit eating out 2X/wk
Vegetarian Days 3X/wk (unless it’s a some sort of party or event)
No Food Court or Fast Food restaurants except Subway
Cook something using fresh ingredients
Fall Cleaning
Do Halloweeny stuff (i.e. carving pumpkins, going to corn mazes and haunted houses, etc.)
Maintain blogs
Buy ticket for Las Vegas trip

Being Vegetarian

When I found out that one of my friends' doctors suggested she switch to a vegetarian diet for whatever ails her, I figured I can show my support by dabbling in it as well. Not to the full extent as she would have to but this would be at least something. For me, I don't really consider a meal complete unless there's meat so this was going to be a challenge for me.

My original goal was just to be vegetarian twice a week but when I realized it was relatively easy not to eat meat, I decided I could up it to four times a week. And that was basically my guideline for how I defined a vegetarian: someone who doesn't eat meat. I would continue consuming chocolates, cookies, dairy products, etc.

I also wanted to be vegetarian for a whole week, which I just recently completed. How do I feel? What did I learn?

There really were no health benefits for me because I was still eating a lot of processed foods. Perhaps that's why I didn't feel any change in energy. Instead of eating healthy lively food, I was still eating junk. And I wasn't getting enough protein just because I was too focused on what I shouldn't be eating that I forgot about what I should be incorporating in my diet. Obviously I have many things to learn but at least I am even more mindful of what I put in my body. I'm happy to say that I can see myself as being a moderate (occasional) vegetarian.

There are many tasty vegetarian options out there. Although as I took a bite out of a veggie burger patty or a curried tofu, I couldn't help but think how much more delicious the dish would have been if it had some form of dead animal on it.

An Incredible Lightness of Being

A new month means new goals.

While I always get excited about dreaming up of what I want to do or accomplish, I learned- actually, I was reminded again- that it really helps if I write things down. It makes the goals more concrete and I feel more accountable for them somehow. While I carried over some previous habits into June- like volunteering again, exercising on a regular basis and having No Spending Days- and started writing every day (even if it is just journaling), I didn’t feel I did anything worthwhile. It sounds silly but meeting those goals wasn’t fun for me because I didn’t give that month’s challenge a name like I did for May- Spring Into Shape, or SIS.

But we learn from our mistakes. And, so, July’s challenge is to attain An Incredible Lightness of Being- or Lightness, for short. I don’t care if it doesn’t really make sense but it sounds nice. So, why Lightness?

July means summer. Hopefully, that big ball of light in the sky will make many appearances in Portland. We celebrate Independence Day and the sky lights up for that one night.

Lightness also refers to losing weight and being healthy. I’m definitely going to keep exercising 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes. Along those lines, I’m going to try vegetarianism this month as well- a single day here and there and then a whole week in mid-July. Hopefully, I can make it a habit to not eat meat at least twice week. (If I’m not lazy, I’ll talk about why I decided to do this in a later post.) And, I’ve always wanted to read up on meditation so it seems like the perfect time to try it out.

Lightness can also be the unburdening of debt. While I’m pretty good with my finances, I’m still going to have at least two No Spending Days a week.

And, to me, lightness of being results from happiness. And, isn’t happiness something we all want in our lives? So, every day this month, I’m going to find at least one thing that I’m grateful for. And, if I can do it in a haiku (a throwback to April’s challenge), so much the better!

What makes this month’s challenge more fun for me is that there’s a book associated with it that practically covers everything I’ve been talking about. I am currently reading “The Art of Happiness” by the Dalai Lama. There seems to be a connectedness with my current interests.

Of course, everyone’s invited to join me in my challenge to find an incredible lightness in being.

Spring Into Shape

My self-imposed monthly challenges have reminded me of the things I'm able to accomplish when I only set my mind to do so.

April's was to write a haiku every day which coincided with National Poetry Month. I dubbed May's as Spring Into Shape (or SIS) with the intention of getting physically and financially fit. Here are the goals I set up for myself:

• Lose 5 pounds (x)


• Exercise 3X a week for 30 minutes (*)


• Keep a food journal (x)


• Get a free credit report (*)


• Limit blended caffeinated beverages to once a week (x)


• No fast food except McDonald's and Taco Bell (*)


• Limit eating out 2X a week (x)


• No Spending Days 3X a week (*)


• No more work burritos (*)

(*) Goal met
(x) Goal not met

It was early on in the SIS challenge that I decided I didn't want to continue keeping a food journal. I'm too much of a foodie to keep track of every single thing I eat. Consequently, the limiting of blended coffee drinks and eating out fell to the wayside.

I would say though that my No Spending Days were effective in not making me eat as much. Plus I really did become more aware of my eating portions.

As for exercising, this is definitely something I'll be carrying over. The physical aspect of SIS wasn't necessarily to lose weight but to incorporate healthy life choices.

To meet my financial goals, I've got to say I'm grateful for gift cards. No Spending Days have been fun but I'll probably cut it down to only once or twice a week, emphasizing more on how much I spend on any given day.

It's weird I didn't think to continue a writing challenge but that'll be soon remedied. I look forward to future challenges!