My Aspirations for the New Year 2023.

Happy New Year!

We're almost halfway through the first month of 2023, yay! Although this may seem like too late for a new year blog post (I was out of town with the family last week, more about this in a separate blog post), I wanted to write one anyway, just so my friends and readers know that I'm still writing, my neurons are still working, and I'm still alive (and kicking) in the blogosphere.

In the past, I would usually write a yearend recap slash appreciation post; this time, I'd like to share my aspirations for the new year. I wouldn't want to call them as resolutions, since resolutions tend to be broken anyway. The word 'aspiration' has a kinder, brighter ring to it, which makes the process of turning them into reality more fun, more inspiring, and definitely more positive.

Here's what I aspire to do this year:

Blog more often, with passion.

I had been in a writing slump the past two years, and I won't deny it. This pandemic affected me so much - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Being cooped up at home for months, losing my grandmother to COVID, being away from my husband because of travel restrictions, having to undergo quarantine twice because of a COVID scare in our neighborhood... these were just some of the dispiriting things that I had to deal with, and eventually contributed to my writing slump. I was uninspired and unmotivated for the most part, and even if I did manage to produce a few blog posts here and there, my writing felt and sounded very contrived and strained.

Dining out with my siblings and cousins.

Now that things are starting to go back to normal, I'm slowly easing back to life by going out in public more often and attending small gatherings with friends and family. By starting to reclaim my social life, I feel that my writing spark has been reignited, and hopefully, I will be able to write as often and as naturally as I did pre-pandemic.

Fix my sleep schedule.

My body clock has been out of whack for years now. This unhealthy habit is something that I urgently need to work on, more so now that Yue has resumed in person classes and I have to be up before 6am to make him breakfast and prepare his packed lunch. 

Photo credit: Pexels.

For starters, I have cut back on my caffeine intake, limiting myself to one cup in the morning and another in the early afternoon (no more coffee at night). Naps are now also a no-no, and whenever the urge to nap comes, I would keep myself preoccupied by taking a walk outside or playing Just Dance.

Save more money.

This resolution is almost always on top of everybody's list, each and every year. However, saving money can be a bit of a challenge for must of us this time around, with the rising inflation and skyrocketing cost of living. 

Photo credit: Pexels.

That being said, my husband and I have been looking into other ways to save money, aside from the usual budgeting and setting aside a fraction of our household income. We're leaning towards investments, and after much consideration and computation, mutual funds is the best choice. To give us an idea of how much we can possibly save and earn, we used this Investment Return Calculator. 

Make healthier food choices.

Instead of just saying that I will go on a diet to lose weight (and end up gaining all that weight back after a few cheat days or so), I will start with something more doable and realistic, like eating more "whole" food and cutting back on sugar intake.

Photo credit: Vanessa Loring on Pexels.

Losing weight has been a struggle for me since 2017 when I started taking corticosteroids for my asthma (doctor's orders, of course), and crash diets no longer work on me the way they did when I was in my 20s (I feel so old, haha). Perhaps by changing my perspective and mindset on dieting, like having better eating habits instead of not eating at all, will be more beneficial for me in the long run.

Be a coach, and no longer a controller.

So many things have changed since the pandemic, and that includes my son growing up. Now that Yue is fourteen years old, I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that he's no longer the little boy that needs to be taught everything and given instructions every single time. He is now a teenager with a mind of his own, and should be given wings so that later on, he'll be able to take flight with confidence and follow his own path to success. 

Yes, Yue is now this tall.

If you've been following this blog over the years, then you probably have an idea of how involved I am in Yue's life, particularly in his academics. Now that he's older, it's time for him to spread his wings a little bit and start figuring things out on his own. I'll still be in the sidelines, of course, coaching and cheering him on, but no longer nitpicking at every single detail. Well, I'll probably nag him from time to time, especially in the mornings when he refuses to get up even if he's about to be late for school.