Tag Archives: goals

February in Review

29th February, 2012 on Food, Life, Photography, Travel 2 Comments

So here’s how I’m going with my resolutions/goals for this year, and mini goals for February.

Weightloss/Health

Feb goal: Attend Saturday morning boxing class every week and stop drinking beer – WIN

Okay, so I attended 3 out of 4 boxing classes – but that’s not too bad for a Saturday morning. After skipping a week due to lack of enthusiasm from my boxing buddies, I’ve made the decision to just go whether I’ll have a partner or not – I’ll tag along with another pair if necessary.

I’ve not only stopped drinking beer for all of February, but also stopped drinking alcohol entirely. I was thinking of doing Feb Fast but it’s a fundraising thing and I’m already getting people to sponsor me for the World’s Greatest Shave, so just took it on as a personal challenge. I am looking forward to having a drink on the 1st of March to be honest, but I think I’ve definitely broken the habit of having a beer every day and can go back to having a drink or two a week.

Despite being really good this month, my weight and measurements haven’t budged at all. That’s okay, as I lost a large amount of weight last month, so I’m just happy to maintain at this point. Hopefully March will see a small but steady improvement. I also feel like I’m at a happy and healthy place with food these days, which I’ll write more about this month.

New health/weightloss interim goal: In addition to my 3 group fitness sessions, add in one zombie run and at least 30 minutes of walking/cycling on the other days. I think if I can manage this (ie. 4x hour long intense exercise + 3x shorter exercise) that will be a maintainable exercise schedule for me!

Europe Trip / Money

Feb goal: Investigate extra forms of income – SORT OF

I’ve signed up for a couple of affiliate programs (but haven’t done anything with them yet), and sent off some sample photography to some friends for some advice and possible assisting work. I have to admit this has been a sort of half-hearted effort though. I think the best bet for me is creating stock templates and graphics, but that involves the kind of time investment that’s difficult when I have lots of client work to deal with (and that pays better).

This month hasn’t been fantastic in terms of saving either, as I had to take a fair chunk out of my savings to pay a bunch of big bills which seemed to come all at once. I’ve been adding in extra lately to make up for it, but things are getting a bit tight!

On the positive side, I’ve been researching the places we want to go, the best route (planning more than 3 months in Europe is super tricky with visas) and how to save money as we go. I know it’s almost a year away, but it’s fun to start planning!

If I remember correctly, this is plan version 3.5 - will probably change again!

New Europe trip / money interim goal: Look into CouchSurfing. I think there’s a meetup in Perth? Here is my not-very-filled-in profile if you’d like to add me.

Improving Photography

Feb goal: Investigate the best and cheapest way to light food photography at home, hopefully without having to buy any new gear – SORT OF

I’m not sure why, but every time The Boy cooks one of his masterpieces I find myself scrambling at the last minute to find props and figure out what to do with lighting.

The Boy's latest: Luke Nguyen's Hanoi style Pho

I think playing around with props and a reflector helps a bit, but I’m still relying heavily on Photoshop. I wish I could just shoot these dishes in natural light! Perhaps I need to invest in a natural light lamp after all?

I’ve been inspired a lot by travel photography lately, and since I’m heading to Singapore in a few days I’m hoping to come back with some great shots. I think the main thing is to be bold and take heaps of photos, even if it means asking a stranger permission.

New photography interim goal: Be fearless; take more photos; observe the little things.

How are you going with your goals?

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Project 333

2nd January, 2012 on Fashion 12 Comments

In an effort to learn how to live with less, this year I’m taking the plunge and starting Project 333. The premise is simple: 33 items (including clothes, jewellery, shoes and accessories), 3 months.

I’m expecting this project to be a lot easier on me than some people, given Perth’s balmy weather (it will almost certainly be uniformly hot for the next 3 months), my work situation (freelancing means I don’t need separate casual and business clothes), the fact that I don’t really go out to formal occasions much and my generally minimalist shopping habits. It will certainly still be a challenge though, so let’s see how we go!

Here’s my list of chosen items:

  1. blue skinny jeans
  2. leather thongs (that’s flip flops for you US peoples, or jandals to New Zealanders)
  3. nude patent leather pumps
  4. blue leather ballet flats
  5. mustard ballet flats
  6. blue Converse sneakers
  7. sandal wedges
  8. sunglasses
  9. loose grey sweater
  10. mustard yellow cardigan
  11. black cropped blazer
  12. black shorts
  13. black maxi dress
  14. ivory silky tank
  15. orange silky tank
  16. red t-shirt
  17. olive green t-shirt
  18. white and navy striped t-shirt
  19. red and white striped t-shirt
  20. navy patterned sundress
  21. black and white patterned dress
  22. pink patterned sundress
  23. navy knee length cotton dress
  24. watermelon polka dot cotton dress
  25. red polka dot shirt
  26. green shirt
  27. grey skirt
  28. wide black belt
  29. thin brown braided belt
  30. necklace
  31. red silk dress
  32. dusty pink silk dress
  33. green silk maxi skirt
Project 333 wardrobe (summer)

This is my complete wardrobe for the next 3 months

Brown braided belt, wide black belt, sunglasses, wooden bead necklace

...plus just a few accessories

I’m going to allow myself to replace any of these items if they get too worn out or stop fitting me within the timeframe. Note that as per the rules, I’m not including my wedding or engagement rings, regular earrings, pajamas, home clothes or sports clothes, although the last three items can’t be used for non-home/sleeping/exercise purposes.

I’m also throwing in one addendum - any clothing items that I make myself over the next three months can be added in without taking up an item. This is because I’m trying to get into sewing a bit more properly this year, with the eventual aim of having a good portion of my regular wardrobe made by me. At this stage I’m a very slow and not particularly good seamstress, so it’s likely I’ll only come out with a few wearable handmade pieces within the next three months if any at all.

Why do this? I suppose it’s up to the individual, but personally I can see a lot of benefits of learning to live with less. I live in a smallish apartment with very little storage space, so there is a limit to how much stuff it can contain without getting cluttered. I frequently ‘discover’ items of clothing that had ended up in the back of a drawer or squished into the wardrobe and forgotten. I have things that I do not love, or just don’t have a clue how to wear. I’ve also started daydreaming about our Europe backpacking adventure in 2013, where I will have to carry all my worldly possessions on my back, so those few possessions had better be good ones!

It’s also about a change of perspective – instead of taking an almost disposable view of fashion (buying things to wear only once, or buying more than necessary simply because it’s cheap), challenges like this shift your thinking into a more positive, sustainable mindset. The focus is on quality, versatility and things that will really last rather than rampant consumption. Even if I don’t continue with such a minimalist wardrobe after this 3 months is over, I’m hoping the experience will change my shopping and dressing habits for the better.

Anyone else up for this challenge through the new year? Let me know, I’d love to see what you include in your 33 items and how you go!

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Happy New Year & Resolutions 2012

on Life 2 Comments

Keeping track of things on our fridge chalkboard

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a good NYE, whether it was a quiet one in or a big night out. I celebrated in style at The Brown Fox with some excellent friends, overdid it slightly on the vino, and have spent most of the first day of 2012 sleeping off a hangover. I hope the rest of the year goes a little better!

Resolutions

Last year I made a bunch of resolutions, then completely forgot about the list. I did manage to do almost all of them, except for the gingerbread house and appearing more often in photos. I even managed to lose some weight and get more fit, things that I deliberately didn’t add to my list because they never happen. This year, after reading Zen to Done which suggests having fewer goals at a time to really concentrate on them, I’m keeping it simple:

  • Lose another 5kg
  • Save enough money for our Europe Grand Tour
  • Improve photography

There’s a lot of smaller goals which contribute to each of these larger resolutions, which I’ll be keeping track of along the way, but in total those three main goals are what I hope to achieve this year. I think part of my problem with New Year’s resolutions is that I tend to set them at the beginning of the year, and then promptly forget about or break them straight after. So, still keeping with the simplicity, here’s three things I intend to focus on for the next month which will work towards these goals:

  • Re-commit to a maximum of three servings of carbs per week day, or four on weekends
  • Stop buying clothes and accessories; start thinking about a minimalist wardrobe
  • Investigate the best and cheapest way to light food photography at home, hopefully without having to buy any new gear

There’s a bunch of other things I could easily put on my list of resolutions, but I’m hoping that by focusing on three big year-long goals, broken down into smaller goals or habits to tackle, I’ll be able to actually do something worthwhile. Wish me luck!

Got any resolutions for the new year?

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Croquembouche

11th December, 2011 on Food 4 Comments

So one of my resolutions for this year was to make a croquembouche. Well I’ve now I’ve done it!

Oh right, you want to see the whole thing? Uh, okay.

Believe it or no, this is its 'good' side.

So yeah, I did say it didn’t have to be a good croquembouche, so it still counts. Part of the issue was my confidence in constructing the thing completely freehand (if the base is already not a nice circle you’re not off to a good start), and part was the heat (exacerbated by the turkey also roasting in the oven at the time). We tried to disguise the lopsidedness with lots of spun sugar, but it’s still quite clearly a little unbalanced.

This was in fact my croquembouche at its prettiest – soon after the sugar started melting the the slope more pronounced, until it decided to collapse completely before the guests even arrived. It still tasted delicious though! Props to The Boy who helped construct and Miss N who made the delicious custard filling and did the spun sugar.

Still, who makes a perfect croquembouche on their first try? (Please don’t comment if you have, I’d prefer not to speak to you).

This was for The Boy and I’s first big Christmas dinner party, hence the excuse for going over the top with food, among other things. More photos and video to come!

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