Post-Detox Thoughts and Musings

I completed my first ever detox 10 days ago. It started on November 1 and ended on the 10th (inclusive).

It was amazing! It was restrictive. It was a test of character. Turns out I’ve got solid willpower skills when I want to use them. The thing is, usually I don’t want to apply willpower Let’s go over the detox and my survival of it, then finish with lessons learned and future detox plans.

Why did I detox? I just wanted to feel better, that’s it. I wanted to feel lighter, healthier, to have better skin and and more energy. Simple wants, really.

In October I realized that I will need to drastically cut down on my indulgent consumption of delicious (and sometimes not) and bad-for-you (but sometimes not) things. Plus there have been a lot of visitors and out-of-town guests, which usually requires going out to restaurants and bars.

I just didn’t feel right. I feel bogged down, I feel heavy, unhealthy and not my chipper self. Moreover, with the seasons changing, I wanted to feel as light as possible, since the extra fall/winter clothing was sure bound to make me feel only worse.

So I started researching detox options. And so I found one. I learned that “there can be no dairy, grains with gluten, meat, shellfish, anything processed (including all soy products), fatty nuts, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant), condiments, sugar and obviously no alcohol, caffeine or soda.” All right. That seemed challenging enough! Perfect time to stretch those willpower muscles.

The biggest challenge was breakfast actually. I usually have no problems surviving on salads, and I don’t care for soda and most condiments. Giving up alcohol was not a problem either as I’ve done it in the past (there are practical consequences that make it difficult – for example, getting bored at parties when everyone is tipsy and silly. Or declining invitations to open bar events because that usually leads to nowhere go. My favorite is always surprising people when I tell them that I’m not drinking, though. People are not used to young social people not drinking).

Breakfast was a bitch. At first. On day 4 I decided that I love smoothie breakfasts (with Vega and greens plus by Genuine Health were what made them amazing). I am also the kind of a person who eats in the morning (how can you not eat in the morning and stuff yourself silly at night? You’re doing it wrong!), so going hungry till lunch was a pain. However, as the detox progressed, I realized that a breakfast smoothie was enough to keep me going.

I discovered that steamed fish is the best thing in the world, too. Simply steamed with a bit of natural herbs. Bam! I also fell in love with kale all over again.

I blended a lot of green vegetables together. And made very green soups.

I learned that one doesn’t need to eat a lot of food. Moreover, I learned that the many foods that we eat on a daily basis can make us feel pretty bogged down and tired. I had SO much energy when I didn’t eat bread, grains, dairy (biggest culprit, I think) and meat. Night and day.

I now have more respect for a vegan diet. I am considering a plan where I eat vegan several days per week just to maintain that feeling of lightness.

Despite not drinking coffee and having one of the busier weeks at work, I fared incredibly well. Instead of coming home to crash, I would come home and find that i had enough energy to take on personal projects or just work some more. All right! In fact, getting enough rest and taking your vitamins (or greens plus) was better than drinking coffee.

I also developed more appreciation for the foods I took for granted. For example, for some people a steak is a usual thing. Whereas for me a 100% grass-fed strip loin is now a treat on par with lobster. I just appreciate the fancy (and usually bad for you) foods a lot more now. I try to not wolf the food down as fast as I can, but really take the time to enjoy it.

Eating natural and healthy (and in most cases, organic) foods has made me feel lighter, better, more mellow and happier. I lost 5-7 lbs, and I now want to do a weekly detox once a month. Or 10-day detox every two months. I do admit that I had two pretty dark days where I spent the evenings reading menus of various restaurants (from ridiculously indulgent to plain ol’ pizza chains). But I prevailed.  There were only positive consequences of this detox, once you get over the fact that you can’t eat anything you desire.

My Life According to Placebo

It’s no secret that I like Placebo. I first heard them when I was 12 I think, and I definitely didn’t like them. The Pure Morning video played on MTV Russia daily at a certain point in time.

I didn’t like it then; however two years later love appeared.

I found a year-old post with this meme. You pick a performer and answer the following questions using only their songs. Then see what happens.

Are you a male or female:
Slackerbitch

Your last relationship:
Meds

Your fear:
Scared of Girls

What is the best advice you have to give:
Ask for Answers

Thought for the Day:
Taste in Men

How I would like to die:
Haemoglobin (esp first line…)

My soul’s present condition:
Because I Want You

My motto:
Hang On To Your IQ

Describe Yourself:
Special K

How do you feel:
Bigmouth Strikes Again

Describe where you currently live:
Brick Shithouse

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Twenty Years

Your favorite food is:
Bubblegum

Your best friend is:
Lady of the Flowers

You and your best friends…
Every You and Every Me

What’s the weather like:
Battle for the Sun

Favorite time of day:
Pure Morning

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
Days Before You Came

What is life to you:
Running Up That Hill

On Spontaneous Eloquence

“My vocabulary dwells deep in my mind and needs paper to wriggle out into the physical zone. Spontaneous eloquence seems to me a miracle.” – Vladimir Nabokov, Strong Opinions

In May I spent more (than usual) time worried about the words I choose in everyday language. I became acutely aware of the differences in my written speech and my spoken one. I noticed that I had opted out for simple, quick words that popped into my mind like fireworks, instead of selecting the vivid and precise boulders of usually longer and mostly unpopular words. Words that communicated the meaning exceptionally, but words that also don’t spring into action at the slighted fancy of the brain. The words need mining. While I wanted to give them some spotlight, I ended up using the simplest normal words.

The more chipper, satisfied and energetic I was, the more my speech resembled a basic soap opera set. Exaggerating, I’ll even say, my speech was caveman-like! Sentence structure, all sorts of exclamations and exclamation marks. Well, the usual me, I guess, hehe.

Having learned English as a second language, I’ve always paid attention to my vocabulary, words I use, metaphors I create and more. Knowing more than one language makes you appreciate the variety of expressions that already exist and that could be created. Writing was not a problem. Writing allows for apt word selections and swollen metaphors because of the comforts of time and editing options, while speaking in person demands mental dexterity and immediate responses. I also couldn’t understand the incongruence between my written language and my spoken one. What the …!

So I entertained this worry until I ran across the aforementioned quote by Nabokov in Strong Opinions. That definitely relaxed me. Consulting with a couple of fellow lovers of words and letters, I found out it’s not an usual concern. Moreover, it made me consciously make an effort to give some air time to words we sometimes only see in print.

Progress! Yesterday for the first time I noticed that, while telling Meghann a story, I deliberately thought about colorful metaphors to employ. I took the time to summon a lengthier and sometimes even more pompous word where a simple one could suffice. I realized that ever since I consciously made an effort to decorate in-person parlance with more book-like words, I’ve been making some success. Now the only task is to continue to collect and use more of these epic words

Fun Update: randomly searching the web, of course, yielded this paper: “Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly” . I smirked. Tell that to the author himself!

I’d like to say that I believe there is a difference between literary, fiction-oriented writing and to-the-point writing style of the everyday (journalistic, business, too). I just like my goddamn language, so I will savor every word I can.

On the other hand, I, too, was annoyed when students mindlessly employed long words to add potential zest to papers. But never in my life have I discounted someone’s intelligence just because they used complex words. And knew when to use them. More often than not, their speech was also more entertaining, with puns and humor, jokes and various references.

How About a Different Job Each Week?

When I received an opportunity to review The One-Week Job Project: One Man, One Year, 52 Jobs, I was thrilled. The book was about a familiar soul – a young person with a passion, curiosity and the balls to take action. In his book, Sean Aiken takes the readers on a year-long journey across cities, provinces and even countries, in search of the career he will like.

The idea is simple: To try out a different job for a week, 52 times, in order to truly discover what Sean needed in a career, what made him happy and what didn’t. He traveled all over Canada and the United States, donating his wages to ONE campaign. During the journey, he met a wide variety of people from all walks of life. Sean Aiken should be an inspiration to all who want to follow their passion; to all who want to change their life for the better; to all who don’t know where to start and to all who need that extra push. Besides the above, it’s also an entertaining and unique tale.

Each chapter starts with that week’s city, job description, approximate wages, some facts about the industry/job and lessons learned. Sean then describes his adventures, not forgetting to highlight any valuable advice he received from his employer/colleague. Not every chapter contains a gem of wisdom, but each describes unique situations and (mostly) unusual environments. I definitely wouldn’t have learned about so many careers in such a short time if I hadn’t read the book.

One Week Job project is not a self-help guide on how to pinpoint the best job for you. It’s a fun tale about one way of doing it. It’s also a colorful retelling of an individual experience. It is hopefully an interesting and inspiring read for young students, whether in high school or university. Or anyone looking to discover their true passion.

I personally loved the book because I respect and identify with the kind of a person who wrote it. Sean is a kindred spirit. I feel that in my life I, too, sprung into the unknown, took risks and followed my heart. I can relate. And I am glad there are more of us to tell the tale!

Bonus points for great insights in some chapters of the book. I highlighted interesting quotes from some of Sean’s employers; I circled some lessons that Sean learned from his own mistakes or insights. My favorite is from week 16 where Sean learns that “every person who comes into our life, no matter how briefly, we have the ability to affect – through a kind word, a smile, a door held open. Each one of these simple interactions leave us altered in some way – whether it’s positive or negative change is up to us to decide.”

It’s a fun read! Check out Sean’s website (there’s more goodies there!). Since completing his journey Sean produced a documentary, launched the One Week Job program and spoke about his adventures in front of a variety of audiences.

Thanks to Penguin Canada for sending me a copy!

Life Update: I’m Moving

I haven’t updated my blog in a long time; apologies to loyal readers. I have been preoccupied with everything but blogging about my life and other things. I think the biggest “issue” I have with WordPress is its “seriousness”. Blogging with WordPress is not an easy task (like it is with Posterous or Tumblr), nor does it appear as a light and no-frills solution. Tagging, categorizing, deciding on the best time to publish kind of intimidate me. I feel like I need to have a robust post before I put it on my wordpress blog.

Anyway!

Before April is over, I should fill you in on what’s been taking place. On Saturday, May 1st, I’m moving out of the house, where I spent past 2.5 years. It’s been a SLICE. Half the time was spent in university and the other half at work. In my mind, however, it will always be a student dwelling. I’m happy to be moving out and building a new nest (in Roncesvalles/Bloor West area), one that better represents my inner growth, interests and general developments in life. I’m also going to have one roommate; I’m convinced that she will be a great fit for me; she’s got her shit together, she’s a blogger, she’s bubbly and also works in the same industry as me, so that definitely adds to the combo.

Pictures later. But: In the new house I will have my own floor with a patio with a BBQ. My room has two (score!) windows, one of which is a bay window (hello reading in lots of natural light). The kitchen is brand new, the bathroom is spanking clean, the dining room is large enough for ample entertaining (from Mad Men parties to board game nights), and the TV room is cozy enough for screenings. All is well!

I’m very excited. As the moving day approaches, I am also more nervous. New life! New chapter. I’ve disposed of 10 garbage bags full of things already. I’ve thrown out a lot of things I haven’t used (or looked through, or even remembered having) in the past year or two. I’ve decided to shed layers and memories. I seem to try to hold on to as many memories as possible, whether they’re good or bad. But this “I have to remember everything that happened in my life” kind of mentality is what causes accumulation of useless crap. It’s all gone, leaving room for new experiences and memories.

I’m a little nervous because I definitely have no excuses to occasionally act like a student I’m also going to own more furniture now (those dressers, and possibly a couch). On one hand I’m settling down in Toronto, but on the other, I am uprooting myself from the routine (despite the changes for the better) of the past 2.5 years and leaping into new future. So this move is a liberating experience. After a year or two I will feel even more solid on the new ground, ready to spring into another city or a continent. It’s happening.

I Embrace My Country’s Flag <3

At the Russky Dom – Russian House, – in Vancouver. GO CHECK IT OUT NOW. AND WRAP YOURSELF IN A FLAG FOR CHRISSAKES.

I was a little bit disinterested about going into the Russian house at the winter Olympics in Vancouver… until I found out that Cheburashka will be making an appearance and everyone can purchase a furry friend for themselves ($25)… in white, blue or RED! Isn’t that a mood lifting thought??

That’s me:

Even president Medvedev is as cool as I am:

I Did It! I Did It! Goal-Tackling.

Before January started, I outlined several objectives for this year. But I also outlined a couple of distinct goals for every month of the year (that job isn’t finished yet as I’m sure something will come up mid-year). Besides two minor goals and one medium-difficulty goal, I decided to really test the willpower waters and wrote down:

• Go to the gym 15x (and work out, duh)
• Do not consume any alcoholic drinks all month

Aaaaand I did it. I worked out 17 times in January, and each session was at least 30 minutes, burning at least 350 calories. The average was actually closer to 500 calories per session. My cardio endurance skyrocketed. I now CRAVE going to the gym. Seriously? Me? also didn’t have any alcohol.

I exercised my willpower, I followed my goals, and I put health above everything. If I absolutely couldn’t work out after work, I went in the morning. The person I was a year ago would say “Is she serious?” “Who the hell does she think she is?” and “Weirdo.” Seriously, I agree. But I also love whom I am becoming. Remember I wrote about wanting to become a gym rat? Well, I’m on my way.

How did turn around 180 degrees and do all this? Good question.

1. It started with a personal assessment and goal visualization. I really looked at where I was in terms of fitness, and then I visualized where I’d like to be.

2. Quantify goals. I put a number on my fitness objectives. Instead of saying that I will follow through with a complex diet-weight training-cardio program, I just set a one simple goal: do as much cardio as you can in the gym, fifteen times, rain or shine. Put a number on it! And track it. I wrote down “Gym #…” on every day that I went. You’ll feel better once you get into the double digits.

3. Give yourself a month. I tried the “I’m going to the gym 4 times a week!” thing and it didn’t always work. We all know that some weeks are busier than others — friend from out of town, conference, business travel, birthdays, events, whatever. Other weeks are meant for vegetation. So try to give yourself a month to achieve your goals. One week I went to the gym 3 times, another week I went 6. Evens out. Same analogy can be applied to the “A book a week” rule. It’s hard to do it in a week, but it’s easier to accomplish the “4 books in a month” rule: some weekends are quieter than others. Give yourself a month.

4. Don’t be hard on yourself. Emergencies and unpredictable situations cause you to skip gym. Sometimes you go out for dinner and can’t work out after (try to work out in the morning in that case). Other times it’s -20C and it’s tough to get up at 6:30am. It happens. You need to do work instead of gym – also happens. Just don’t stress about it. Sometimes skipping gym actually helps you achieve better results when you do continue to work out.

5. That being said, No slacking! You made a promise to yourself. You’re accountable to yourself. Imagine how crappy you’ll feel if you fuck up? …And how you’re going to shine when you do achieve your goal? That’s what helped me with the no alcohol goal. Well, that and saving money, the ability to exercise my willpower and to almost boast that I indeed can say no to a drink and not be bothered by it (by the way, that gets easier as time goes by. What’s another month of total sobriety and not even light intoxication?).

6. Are you doing it for the right reasons? In my baby steps in Buddhism, I became really intrigued by the idea of intent. Whether you’re doing something for a good cause or for the right reasons makes all the difference. With fitness, I looked at why I was doing it and realized that I just want to be super healthy. I want to live forever, I want to be in good condition, and a side-product, of course I want to look my best. With alcohol – that’s a whole other post, really, – it’s more complicated. But the intent was a big theme. Do you really need that glass of wine? Do you need the extra? Do you have to say “yes” to what’s offered?… You get it. The old saga was over.

I hope some of these tips were useful to you. I’m undergoing major, major changes in my life. I like who I am and I love who I am becoming. The world is really becoming a playground and I will achieve anything I set my mind to. You should hear the giant theme of this week, ohhhh boy. But shh, all in due time

With the Vigor of a Jihadist

Enter The New Year, Ebulliently. 2010 started on an absolutely tremendous note. I chiseled a plan. I bit my lip and dived into. I just started doing it instead of thinking about how awesome it would be to have done it. And it became easy.

I started pursuing about 3-4 hard paths. All at once. With the vigor and fervor of a jihadist. The reason I refer to the latter is because with a similar level of passions I want to abolish all my bad habits, negative patterns and so on. Lots of energy and proclamations on my part.

In the attic of my soul I found a mysterious box and opened it. It contained all the will in the world, all the energy in the world, all the creativity in the world, all the compassion, understanding, peace and love. That box flooded the contents of my soul, and I am happy it did.

Back in November I have been setting out a path I’d like to take not only in the new year (this one), but also in a new decade. I thoroughly thought about the person I would like to be and become. I remembered something I read a while back. It went along the lines of: act like the person you want to be. Stop with the planning, just adopt the mindset of someone you’d like to “be”. And then be it.

I’m going to share what I have been doing when this month ends. There is still a week left, I may get derailed completely come Wednesday (slim chance), hehe

What I’m trying to say though, is that the first step to ANY change is to ACT it. Act as if you’ve always done X, act as if Y is what you’ve had all along, act as if B liked you, and so on.

Some of the best outcomes in my life happened when I already (mentally) owned whatever it is I was going for. I said, this is mine, I deserve it. 9 times out of 10 I got it. Some of the best outcomes happened when I broke down large goals into smaller pieces; when I gave myself a break; when I rewarded myself (a.k.a. bread with Nutella after a loooong workout, heh).

There IS enough time in the day! You can make time. You can make the time for everything. The first step is to make a list of things you WANT to be able to do. Make a list of things you HAVE to do. Make a list of things that aren’t as important to have done.

Make a schedule. Record your accomplishments. Keep track of things you did. Monitor the number of sleeping hours, take note of most productive times in the day, remember what made you happy and why you want to do it again.

More than anything, open your mind. You can do anything you want. It’s never too late. And – you are not alone in this.

Stay tuned. I’ve got some announcements to make when January ends.

35 And 120 Are Very Special Numbers

Before the New Year, secretly, in November I thought about what I wanted to accomplish (from the creative perspective)  in 2010. I’ve got my career goals outlined all right, and I’ve a plan, and, in fact, tonight after leaving the office I plan to attack said goals with vigor inspired by the new Starbucks VIA instant coffee (oh what a nice plug, can I get a pack of it for free now?). Or the espresso machine that got installed in our office.

Sp. Creative side. I dusted off my Holga. I’ve had it since 2005 and I have been taking photographs with it, but not many. I’ve thoroughly researched various Ilford films and found places where I can buy a fun variety of film rolls:

• Ilford SFX 200 120:  medium speed black and white camera film for creative photography. It has extended red sensitivity and is especially suited for use with a filter to create special effects. By using a deep red filter skies can be rendered almost black and most green vegetation almost white. Its unusual tonal rendition ensures interesting results for a range of subjects, including portraits, landscapes, townscapes and architecture.
• Ilford XP2 400 120: a sharp, fast, fine grain black and white film. It can be used for any photographic subject, but ensures excellent results when there is a wide subject brightness range. The film yields high contrast negatives and has an extremely wide exposure latitude making it suitable for use in varied lighting conditions.
• Ilford Delta 3200 120: an ultra-speed black and white film, ideal for fast action and low light photography such as night time, sport, or indoor architectural applications where flash photography is ‘forbidden’. This is a genuine high speed film with an ability to record highlight detail that sets it apart from other films.
• Ilford H5 400 120: a high speed, medium contrast film making it especially suitable for action and press photography and also an excellent choice for general purpose photography. Nominally rated at ISO 400, it yields negatives of outstanding sharpness and fine grain under all lighting conditions.

I used to take pictures like this. And I even had them printed, but prints have disappeared into a storage abyss:

Update: Last weekend the wonderful Colleen and I went uptown to relax and hey, I used the Holga. I’ve got 12 shots that are being developed as we sit here in front of our computers. I also have 24 b&w exposures and 24 color exposures from last year. It’s happening.

Quotes, Words and Memory

I probably haven’t mentioned it in my official blog, that is, this one – albeit I posted about it on Twitter and via Facebook tumblr application, but anyway: Last fall I established a blog, a collection of verbal snippets. word quote machine, it is called (wtf, right?). Feel free to follow it for various quotes, interesting images [conjured by letters], curious words, sometimes definitions. So far I’ve managed to come up with 150+ posts which I consider above the average quote book. You know, none of those marginal uplifting or happy go lucky quotes favored by the Hallmark crowd. I tried to look beyond that and dove into deeper literature for what I amassed in my quote tumblr.

Feel free to follow and hopefully enjoy

2009 In Question

Doing reviews (monthly, annual, whatever) is important. The first importance I learned as a child – replaying past events in one’s head exercises and strengthens one’s memory. The best thing you can do when going to bed is to replay the whole day you just had. Turns out a lot of people have difficulty remembering what happened throughout the day (sleepwalk much?). Second important feature of reviews is the strategic aspect. You look at what you’ve done, what you wanted to do and so on and so forth.

Judging from the Twitter and Facebook updates from my friends and their friends, it seems that 2009 was too much of a contrast year. Things were either awfully great or plain awful. Cute note: I remember at least 5 people saying things along the lines of “not ushering 2009, but kicking it out”, “good riddance 2009″ and so forth. Agreed.

While 2009 was a fantastic year in terms of things like graduating from university, landing a terrific job, coming into myself, kicking bad habits and acquiring new and good ones, the year had a lot of stress, strange conflicts and 0 European travels.

While I might remember this year as the year I graduated, visited Harvard for the first time, joined the iPhone cult, realized that indeed I need to pursue my dreams as an author and so forth, I will also not regret it being gone.

I can’t wait for 2010. I actually can’t wait for the Chinese new year, I guess that’s what I really want since that’s when my tiger turbo boost kicks in. Onward!

Back When I Was Young..

too cute for alcatraz

Originally uploaded by dreamtiger

… I could escape Alcatraz only because I was too cute….

And silly, and associating myself with people who knew no limits

And San Francisco was as foggy as there was no tomorrow

And new friends appeared out of nowhere (that’s you, Michael L!)

Ah, 2000 and guess

Cities and Horcruxes

I was walking down the street (how Dickensian and utterly, typically boring), en route to home sweet home, and I thought about something. I tried to figure out where my home was. Because I love my parents, my dog and the lovely house where they all live, I want to say, “My home is in Vancouver!” and yet when I am there I feel like I am on an anything goes vacation. I also feel different, like an outsider and almost like the blast from the future. So no, not quite there.

Toronto is fantastic, it’s a home. But it’s a home which is solely powered by my passionate heart. I make it what it is. I am the fire that burns in your eyes. And is it really home when one person is behind it? Perhaps not.

“Home is where the heart is,” I hear. Oh, what a relief! But where is my heart?

I love Berlin, my heart got lost there. Ibiza’s wonderful and Spanish only, seafood-infiltrated beaches devoured a big chunk of my pumping muscle, too. So where? I betcha Rioja is dying to eat the rest of what I have hiding behind my left lung. And I haven’t been to Congo yet.

So I realized that every bits of my soul are all over the world. Then I thought about Harry Potter, lord Voldemort and horcruxes. When I heard Tom Riddle about splitting his soul and leaving it to various objects (places in my case), I saw myself leaving bits and pieces of me everywhere. I love the world, I love to travel, I belong in the airport and I am the explorer.

I can leave bits of my soul in many places, thus living on in many places at the same time, and living forever. In very big fat theory.

In theory, I would be living in all of the cities I visited, because they affected me so.

In reality, however, I will probably be only living forever in the minds of people I affected. I will live on as long as the memory of me lives on in the people that were close to me. Perhaps down the road, the memory can carry onto people that I have not known. By creating something, by giving life, finding, building, teaching, showing, making, explaining, illustrating something to someone else, I can hope to give a part of my soul to them, thus extending my life. Man wants to be remembered.

I have to live my life prudently, expressively, beautifully and independently. I have to go where my mind and heart tell me to. I will not trust witches, nor will I subscribe to pure paganism. I will be me, and I will keep on splitting my soul in as many cities, places and people, as possible.

I live forever already.

Atlas Not Shrugged [Projects]

My friend and a very talented photographer Eugen Sakhnenko started a 52-week long project on November 30. It is called ATLAS, and it is a weekly portrait blog that features interesting people. In his own words, it’s about “people that are doing something interesting with their lives.”As it stands, most of the people are from Toronto area, although Eugen has photographed bestselling authors and successful entrepreneurs from New York, too.

During the week of December 7, 2009 I was a featured person. I’m very glad that Eugen asked me to participate after he attended Slow Art (which I hosted in Toronto on October 17). I feel that it’s important to highlight and encourage people that are doing something exciting with their lives. Moreover, I like that this is a year-long project and social media-fueled. Readers can connect with those featured in the project, they can learn more about them and strike up a conversation. We’ve been retweeting announcements at the beginning of each week. I personally am lobbying for an excellent wrap-up party next year.

Please check out my profile and leave a comment It would be much appreciated, and you can learn more about me, if you’re interested. Moreover, stay tuned to more awesome peeps popping up every Monday morning on the same photo blog.

2010 Kick Ass Time

It's not 2010 yet, but this was at Chris's birthday party & it looked awfully appropriate for the January 1st photo

Fun fact: I was born in the year of the fire tiger – um, can’t you tell?, – back in the hot and Soviet 1986 (eat your shorts, I’m young and loving it).

Not only do I like the fact that 2010, when split, is 20:10 (2, 2, 2!), but just a nice set of wholesome and beautiful 0-0 and 2 and 1. Anyway, excuse my obsession with semantics and the aesthetics. Off to some New Year ideals and promises, yeah?

In the new year, the beautiful and successful, 2010, I will use less brackets. And I will say “like” less. Down with the valley girl-isms. I should probably use less dashes, but I feel they’re underused and need more attention.

If anything, I’ll require larger supplies of exclamation marks in 2010.

I will also start my RSSP contributions in July 2010. When you start young, you get chances to end up in the big pile of dough… eventually.

I will have read at least 25 books. This year I read 18 or 20. I’m really aiming for 35 tomes.

I also want to completely stop eating meat produced from those giant farm plants where the animals get treated in the most terrible ways. I already don’t eat red meat, but I really need to eliminate processed meats and chicken breasts that came from hell.

I will become what is known as the gym rat. My gym routine will take precedence. I need to exert myself on the treadmill or die.

I will polish my Spanish. I spent three years studying it, and even could write two-page essays (um, on explorers. I wrote about Cristóbal Colón). It’s a shame to let language escape. Resuscitation! ¡Vámonos! Almodóvar‘s films can and will help.

And there’s professional goals, but those are better left for planning on paper and in Awesome Note. I already started with the new division, talked with VP’s about future plans and have a personal list of accomplishments and project ideas. It’s on.

Going to SXSW in the new year is also a goal.

Tentative: I will go to Vancouver during the Olympics because I can get a free bed, room, house AND the best dog in the world to stay with. Bugs Tomato is my man! It’s my chance to visit a city during the Olympics. I’m probably not going to be at London 2012, maybe Sochi 2014, probably not Rio 2016, but who knows.

Either way, I will be happy, learning, yearning, trying and achieving. 2010 is only the beginning of the awesome 12 year cycle. Make amends or get out of my way. Rawr!