New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2014 is good to you. I’m not sure how well I did with my 2013 resolutions, I’ve barely looked at them. I spent more effort I think with my Reading Resolutions! But I decided to try again this year, to try and give myself a bit more focus.

1. Be more healthy

I really need to put a bigger effort into this. 2013 was a hard year as it saw both my parents fall ill and it’s really reminded me that I’m getting older and need to put in a bigger effort with eating well, exercising and taking care of my mental health.

2. Find a job

Easier said than done! But now that I’m living in a new country, in an urban area, there should be much bigger scope and opportunities for me. I just need to buckle down and find something while I try figure out what I want to do with my life.

3. Be more creative

I have a large stash of crafty stuff yet sometimes I’m afraid to use it. You see, in my head I’m really creative and great at crafting but in reality I’m not that good at it. So I’m always afraid to ruin pretty fabrics and materials. I need to stop being afraid and just learn to enjoy the process more, even if my end results end up more pin fail than Pinterest.

4. Try and get out of the house more

I’m pretty introverted and when I’m in a bad place with my anxiety, I can tend to hibernate and stay indoors a lot. I want to get out and about more, be it just ten minutes walking or doing things at weekend, like museums and events.

5. Blog more

Yes, one that happens every year so it seems, but I want to blog a bit more regularly.

6. Learn a new skill

I say this every year but it rarely happens. Not sure what it will be yet but hopefully something will stand out. I still don’t know how to crochet, someone teach me!

7. Keep in contact more with friends

I can be terrible at this but since moving away I’ve gotten a bit worse, so I need to step this up a bit.

8. Try new cooking and baking recipes

Again, I do this most years. I’m not setting any real goals here but I pin tons of things on Pinterest and I need to start trying more

9. Be a bit more organized

Try and keep on top of time management, keeping the house clean and keeping things uncluttered. After having to pack up a whole house, I’ve learned (yet again) I’m a real pack rat, such a hoarder, and I need to keep on top of this in the new apartment.

That’s it! Yes, there’s a few things, but hopefully I’ll be able to work away at these over the year. I don’t expect miracles or anything to happen overnight, but if I revisit this least every now and again, hopefully I’ll be able to improve a small bit in all these areas.

Do you have any resolutions?

What I Did in 2011

I did this last year and I wanted to do it again this year.

1.

• Moved in with my boyfriend after 6 years of going out.
• Went to London and Oxford in October for my birthday and got to do loads of new fun thing like go to the Oxo Tower, go to a comedy club, ice bar and Fright Night in Thorpe Park.
• Met several online friends for the first time: Laia, Lex and Angela, as well as loads of lovely Beaut.ies!
• Went to my first ballet in October.
• Did some more exploring in Ireland. Visited Blarney Castle, went to the Cliffs of Moher again and spent a few sunny days in Waterford.
• Went to several different parties including my brother’s 21st, my friend’s brother’s 21st (which was like a mini outdoor festival), great aunt’s 80th birthday party and a UV party.
• Bought my first car (as well as my second one too!).
• Managed to get two different jobs
• Went to London again in December and went ice skating at the Natural History Museum, visited Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park and ate in China Town for the first time.
• Got a sewing machine and learned to sew!

2.

3.

Again, not plans but what I did New Year’s Eve. Sat in, watched tv with my boyfriend and missed the countdown as RTE did it early. Perfect!

4.

Another year has passed but it’s still the same letter as last year. Why haven’t I done anything about it? Am I too afraid? Or is it I just don’t care anymore?

5.

6.

What don’t I want to change in a way?

7.

My siblings, my bf, KS, SH, BH

8.

Resolutions can be found HERE!

New Year’s Resolutions

It's that time of year again, the time where we pledge to change something. I posted last year what my resolutions were, so before I go on to post this year’s, let’s take a look at how I did with last year.

1. Cook 12 new savoury/dinner dishes

Well, I made 8 new dishes, I just wasn’t motivated last year, mainly as I was still leaving at home and cooking for my family.

2. Make 12 new sweet dishes

I got 9, which is surprising as I love baking. I’ll definitely make up for it this year though!

3. Read 25 books

2010 I pledged 50 books and failed epically, so I went for a lower target in 2011. And read 31 books overall!

4. Watch 50 films I’ve never seen before

Got to 36. Again, I wasn’t hugely motivated but I’ll give it a go this year.

5. Eat more fruit and veg

Yes and no. My veg intake is better but I’m just not a huge fan of fruit. I want to like it more though.

6. Lose weight and exercise more

*tumbleweeds*

7. Write more on the blog

Ya, didn’t do so great really but hopefully I can improve this year.

8. Get a job

I got two in fact but as of 31st Dec, I’m unemployed again. So this is another one.

I also listed that I wanted to learn a new skill and in April’s update last year, I revealed I was learning how to sew. I’m still working on that but I want to learn another skill this year.

My resolutions for 2011 will be much the same. They are

1. Be more healthy and exercise more (I really need to lose weight too but I think if I concentrate more on being healthy instead of obsessing over losing weight, I’ll succeed better)

2. Get a job

3. Cook 12 new savoury/dinner dishes

4. Make 12 new sweet dishes

5. Finish reading all the books I’ve started (There’s about 20-30 of them).

6. Watch 50 films I’ve never seen (while completing the A-Z list I started last year)

7. Learn a new skill (as of yet I have not decided)

I’d also like to travel more but realize this will probably have to wait a bit longer (or unless I win the lotto). And I want to be a bit more organized and more frugal too.

So wish me luck! What are your New Year’s Resolutions?

2011 Recap

2011 has been a very strange year for me. I’ve had two jobs but spent half the year searching for work. I got my first car but a month later ended up crashing it. The first 5 months of the year I dealt with a long distance relationship, with my boyfriend out in Australia but made up for that in the last 2 months, as we finally moved in together. Didn’t get to travel as much as my heart desires but went to London twice, got to go to Beaut.ie meet ups in Dublin and had a sunny holiday in Waterford.

Overall, a year of ups and downs. Like any year really. This is one I’m truly happy to have behind me. While it definitely ended well (moving in with the boyfriend, sandwiched with the trips to London), the year will forever be tainted with the memory of the car crash. At the end of 2010, I was in such a bad place mentally that I was convinced I wouldn’t see the end of 2011, I had this niggling feeling that I was going to die. I can’t explain it and I don’t think I ever will, but every time I tried to think beyond 2011, I had a mental block. I’m happy that I’m in a much better place mentally now and hope to follow this by being in a better physical health.

So here’s to 2012 being full of happy, healthy times with friends and family!

The beginning of my epic quest

If you’ve been following any of my New Year’s Resolutions posts, you’d have noticed that I’ve been doing pretty well for most of them. In fact, this week I reached my 3rd resolution; Read 25 books. However, I’ve made no headway with resolutions 5 (eat more fruit and veg) and resolution 6 (Lose weight). I do make some progress in January but it all fell apart. I’m at the stage where I need to start concentrating on this.

It’s not that I don’t know what I have to do. I know it too well, eat less food and exercise more. It’s not that I don’t want to do it, I deep down do. It’s the motivation, I just can’t find the motivation to start. It just seems like such a big mountain to climb. Though I’m almost certain that once I’m in a routine and enjoying it, it’ll be half the work.

I don’t know how much I’m going to blog on it. Or what I’m even going to do this quest. All I know is that I’m going to use August to get a start and grip on all this. If you have any suggestions for me, be it how to get more fruit and veg into my diet to exercise ideas (I plan on using YouTube exercise videos, as well as other things). I’d love to hear all suggestions! Wish me luck!

New Year’s Resolutions!

So until last year, I never really ‘did’ New Year’s Resolutions. I thought they were lame. Why promise to change something just at the being of the year? Why not make resolutions throughout the year, try better yourself all the time? I used to bite my fingernails and one day just decided to stop. And it worked. I think if I had made it a resolution though, I would have failed.

I don’t know what changed last year, but I decided to make some resolutions. I supposed I needed some focus, something to work towards. And that’s important more this year than ever before. I suppose they were more goals that resolutions, I was trying to achieve something instead of just change something. These are the ones I did manage to achieve:

1. Cook 12 new meal dishes

2. Make 12 new dessert dishes

3. Watch 50 films I’ve never seen before

4. Start a blog!

The other stuff I didn’t get around to completing, like read 50 books (I got as far as finishing 14, plus starting another 10. I like to have several books on the go), my weight loss goal (though I gave it a good try) and visit 3 new countries (money restrictions prevented this unfortunately, otherwise I would have).

For this year, I think I’ll stick to similar enough goals, but I might modify them a bit. So here they are!

1. Cook 12 new savoury/dinner dishes

2. Make 12 new sweet dishes

3. Read 25 books

4. Watch 50 films I’ve never seen before

5. Eat more fruit and veg

6. Lose weight and exercise more (I do have a more specific goal than this, but I don’t want to talk about it just yet)

7. Write more on the blog

8. Get a job

I also want to learn a new skill, I haven’t decided what yet but I might start that a few months later, I don’t want to load too much on at one time.

Hope 2011 and is going well for all of you so far. What are your resolutions? Do you make them? Do you stick to them? Let me know!

New Hair: A Week Later

So true!

This is pretty much how I've felt since getting my hair cut. Ok, so I haven't really been crying that much but I have lamented the loss of my lovely locks! I should be used to it now, but I'm not. Though I'm slowly getting my head around it and it's not so shocking anymore when I glance into the mirror. I do like how my hair looks so much healthier but it just doesn't seem like my hair.

(Not sure who drew this, so I can't credit anyone! I came across it on a forum, so thank you to that poster for showing it to me)

I have a secret....

I'm a serial procrastinator. Ok, so maybe it's not that much of a secret to some people but I'm hoping that by admitting it like this it will help me recover some of my much missed motivation.

I used to be seriously organized and motivated but all shreds of that are long gone. It's gotten so bad that the self confessed magazine queen that I am has bought a few magazines the past month and instead of devouring them in one sitting like I usually would, they are still sitting there half read (though that could be because I'm getting bored of reading the same articles over and over again, that's for another post methinks). I think the saying 'If you want someone to do something for you, ask a busy person' is so true, I have a list of things as long as my arm to complete, some so easy and yet seeing as there is no real urgency to complete them and I haven't got a lot on my plate right now, the list keeps piling up. I need some sort of deadline to put on myself so right here and now, I vow that by this time next week I will have cleared that list.

One of those things on my list is to clean my bedroom. Sounds easy enough but believe you me, it's not. I came home from college and just kinda landed my stuff in my room and that was it. Bags and boxes have become covered with more bags. My wardrobe might as well be completely empty, seeing as the floor has now become the wardrobe (though at least Tim the Clothes Camel feels loved and used). I would take a picture to put up on here but the holy mortifying shame is too much for me to handle. It's strange, I love the rest of the house to be clean and tidy and enjoy doing most household chores but when it comes to my room, that has never been the case. I think that needs to be the main thing on my list, declutter this room. In doing so, I hope that it will help me declutter my mind and kick start that motivation. Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!

What's with the name?!

Part of the reason I delayed so much when it came to creating a blog was because I was so busy in college the past year (that's final year for you, be warned!). Another major reason was because I just couldn't think of a name for it! I seriously wracked my brains and no matter what, I couldn't think of anything witty or snappy or memorable or cute. The few times I did think of something I liked, it was already taken (upon investigation, one that I really liked was not only taken but not even being used, the name was just taken cos it was such a well known phrase and they didn't want others to use it. Brats). Anywho, I finally came up with 'Rare Opal' yesterday, I was so proud of it. I mentioned it to one of my brothers and.... silence. I think I could hear the crickets outside it was that quiet. He didn't know what to make of it. Thinking that while he wouldn't 'get it' and that my sister would, I rushed to tell her, only to get this response: It sounds like the name of some antiques store. Wah wah wah waaaaaaahhhh. But by this stage I had already created it and decided I would stick with it, even if it did sound like I was trying to flog some antiques.

I chose 'Rare Opal' for a few reasons. First off, opal is my birth stone and I'd always been fascinated by them, their colours especially black opals and the mysteries around them. Opals are associated with bad luck, in retrospect not something you'd want with a blog or any new venture but they are apparently good luck if they are your birthstone, so phew! If I'm being really honest, I only thought of opal as a blog name when I looked at my new painted nails, which looked like opals to me. To go with opal, I chose 'rare' as my own name is quite rare. I've never met anyone with the same name as me though I know they exist! I guess another reason I picked it is cos I'm one of a kind!

My First Blog

I've been wanting to set up a blog for a good while now, well over a year. Every now and again my mind will wander and I'd find myself thinking that I should record these random musings in a blog but never got around to setting one up. Of course, now that I've set one up, I'll probably be pushed to find interesting topics to blog about! C'est la vie!

I'm not sure what this blog will deal with, whether I'll try keep it specific to certain topics, a personal diary-like blog or just write about everything and anything. So yet another thing that I can't make up my mind about, though that's for another post. Ara sure, I guess we'll find out together as this blog adventure continues. Tally ho!