Sunday Rituals

Sunday is commonly known as "the day of rest" where people do nothing and go nowhere; however, it seems like very few people actually follow these Sunday guidelines. Some people may experience the Sunday night blues as the weekend comes to a devastating end. Personally, I rarely just lounge around or hibernate on a Sunday, but I do try and make a habit of not stressing about the upcoming week. Therefore, I have developed some Sunday rituals that allow me to prepare and look forward to the working week ahead.

Here are my Sunday rituals:

• Clean out my bags: I go through my purse and recycle receipts that I don't need and file the ones that I do. I dump out the coins into my jar.  In addition, I clean out my work messenger bag and reorganize papers that have been thrown in there throughout the week. Then I repack my messenger bag with the things I need for the week, and I double-check that my name tag is in my bag.
• Visit grocery store: I usually visit my neighborhood Trader Joe's on Sunday and restock on necessities and Trader Joe's specialty items. I buy 90% of my food from Trader Joe's, and everyone knows the best demos at TJ are on Sundays. Once in a while on a Sunday, I will need to make a trip to Safeway for cleaning supplies our household goods (like toilet paper).
• Library: I return items (both books and movies) to the library, and pick up new ones for the week. I always walk to the downtown Central Library; therefore, I am guaranteed 4 miles of walking. As I am trying to live a more minimalist lifestyle, I hardly buy books and movies; therefore, making the library that much more as a valuable resource.
• Meal prep: I cook my meals for the work week on Sunday; therefore, I dirty very few dishes throughout the week. Also, I put together some easy to grab items to throw in my purse or work bag. In addition, I found that when I prepare food on Sunday for the week, that I do not eat-out as much because I hate to waste food or for my food at home to go bad. Food prep not only makes me eat healthier and save more money, it'll also helps me avoid those awful "I'm starving ravenous moments."
• Planning my week: I have two calendars, an actual work planner, and the calendar on my iPhone. I make sure on Sunday that all appointments (both work and personal) are on both. This has helped me to anticipate everything that is happening during the week, and if there is free time to schedule some hikes and outings with friends. In addition, I set goals for the week, and I write them on a small white board above my home desk.
• Pampering: For my Sunday showers, I take the opportunity to use a leave-in conditioner. In addition, I take the extra time to follow through with my skin care: face mask, exfoliating scrub, toner, and moisturizer.

How do you Sunday?

Life Hacks

Never make the wrong turn on the freeway again.

The alignment of the tabs on top of exit signs tells

you whether the exit will be on the left or right.

In life, most people try to find the easiest way to accomplish tasks; in addition, ways that can allow for the most procrastination to be achieved. I am constantly looking for simple solutions to everyday problems. If something can be accomplish quicker, and more efficient, then I am a huge supporter of changing my ways. I became fascinated with life hacks on Pinterest. To further my knowledge of life lacks, I recently read Life Hacks by Keith Bradford, and found several things that were insightful and could reduce my frustration level in my everyday life. Therefore, I thought I would share some of those tips with you; some of these I am interested in trying, and seeing if they actually work.

Technology

• Get the Wi-Fi password to almost anywhere by checking the comment section on Foursquare.
• Accidently close a tab in your Internet browser? Press "Ctrl+Shift+T" to reopen it.
• Storing batteries in the freezer can double their lifespan.
• You can search "(month)(year)" in Wikipedia to give you all the major world news for that month.
• On Supercook.com you can enter what ingredients you have readily available and it can tell you what meals you can make as well as how you can make them.
• Want to make sure you wake up in the morning? The Snooze app for iPhone will donate to charity each time you hit the snooze button.
• The Along the Way app will give you any cool attraction you can see along the way of any road trip.

Food and Drink

• Cottage cheese and sour cream will last twice as long if you turn the container upside down. This forms a vacuum seal and prevents bacteria from getting in.
• Tired of your takeout food getting cold by the time you get home? Put it in your passenger seat and turn on the seat warmer.
• Microwaving lemons and other fruits for fifteen seconds can double the amount of juice you get from them.
• Popcorn actually pops better when it's stored in cold places like the refrigerator.
• An empty Pringles can makes for a perfect container for your raw spaghetti.
• To keep potatoes from budding, toss an apple in the bag.
• Open your bag of chips from the bottom since most of the flavoring has sunk there.
• Microwave a Nature Valley bar for thirty seconds to prevent crumbs when you eat it.
• You can add two eggs and half a cup of oil to turn any cake mix into cookie dough.
• It's completely safe to eat the stickers that are on fruit. Even the glue used to put them on is food grade.
• Has your champagne lost its bubbly-ness? Drop a raisin in and watch the bubbles magically return.

Health and Fitness

• Eating celery is technically exercise. When you eat celery, you more calories digesting it than you consume.
• Don't wet your toothbrush after you put toothpaste on it. Water reduces some of the healthy benefits of using toothpaste.
• Laughing for fifteen minutes has the same health benefits as getting two extra hours of sleep.
• By simply owning a cat, your risk of heart attack decreases by 30%.
• Get stung by a bee? Apply a cut onion to the area. This will help break down the chemicals responsible for inflammation and discomfort.

Cures and Solutions

• Use a clothespin while hammering. You'll never bang your thumb again.
• To cure a sore throat, add a teaspoon of honey to JELL-O mix and heat it up. The gelatin will coat and soothe your throat.
• Make homemade ice packs by adding one part rubbing alcohol to three parts water in a Ziploc bag. It will get cold but not hard, so you can easily write it around sore body parts.
• Adding vodka to your shampoo can strengthen your hair, prevent dry scalp, and stop dandruff.
• Cornstarch will untangle all kinds of knots. Rub some into shoelaces, chains, and string to easily loosen them up.
• Blow some air in when filling up water balloons. This will cause it to pop when it hits someone instead of just bouncing off.

Money Savers

• Don't pay to learn a new language! You can learn Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Portuguese for free on Duolingo.com.
• To save money, when you shop, don't touch anything. Touching an item makes you more likely to buy it.

Life Tips

• If your car is about to get towed, get in it. Tow trucks are forced to stop to avoid kidnapping charges.
• If you ever need to stop and ask for directions, skip the gas station and find a pizza delivery place. They know their way around town way better.
• If you are buying headphones or speakers, test them out with "Bohemian Rhapsody." It has the complete set of highs and lows in instruments and vocals.
• Make a password into a goal of yours so you're constantly reminded of it.
• Use ketchup packets as ice packs. They're the perfect size for a kid's bumps and bruises and they stay soft enough to form around any body part.
• When buying something online, only read the reviews that gave three stars. They're usually the most honest about the pros and cons.
• When you're at a restaurant, wash your hands after ordering. The menu is generally the dirtiest thing you can touch.
• Microwave two big bowls at the same time by elevating the second bowl with a mug or another small, microwave-safe container.
• When you're thinking about buying something you don't necessarily need, imagine the item in one hand and the cash in the other. Which one would you take?
• If you have to put a beloved pet to sleep, find a vet who will make a house call. You'll feel better knowing that the animal's last hour won't be spent in a place it hates.
• If you ever find a driver's license, you can put it in any mailbox as is and the postal service will return it to its owner.

Survival

• When you call 911, the first thing you should always say is your location. They immediately send police when they have an address.
• Tip for your next camping trip: keep your toilet paper dry by putting it in an old CD spindle. It  fits perfectly.
• Tip for your next camping trip: use "joke candles" (the ones that you can't get blown out) to light fires. This way, the wind won't affect the flame.
• If you ever suspect that someone is following your car, take four right turns. It will form a circle, and if they're still behind at that point, then they're definitely following you.
• If you're ever homeless, spend whatever money you have on a 24-hour gym membership. You'll not only have a place to go at night, but will also be able to use their showers to stay clean.
• Don't put your feet up on a car's dashboard. Airbags go off like small bombs and can easily break both of your legs.

Party Hacks

• If you ever have to clean up vomit (and hopefully you don't), put ground coffee on it first. It takes away the smell and dehydrates it. Then, you can just sweep it up.
• Suspect someone is give you the wrong phone number? Read it back to them incorrectly, and if they correct you, it's legit.
• If you're ever drunk and need to sleep in your car, take the keys out of the ignition. It's actually considered a DUI if the keys are in there while you're in the car.
• Those lines on red Solo cups are actually alcohol measurements.12 oz for beer, 5 oz for wine, and 1oz for liquor.

Around the House

• The best way to clean a microwave: Put a cup of hot water and vinegar inside, turn it on for three to five minutes, and wipe clean with ease.
• Use a blow dryer to instantly defog any mirror.
• Get a small pan and fill it with water. Add some vanilla extract and cinnamon and put it on the stove. Your house will smell like a delicious bakery in no time.
• Take a picture of your fridge and pantry on your phone before you go grocery shopping. You'll never forget anything at the store again.
• If you don't own an ironing board, throw your wrinkled clothes in the dryer with a wet sock for thirty minutes.
• If you want a streak-free shine on windows, use newspaper.
• Hate that dust in the last couple bowls of cereal? Pour it into a strainer first. Problem solved.
• If your toothpaste says it repairs teeth, make sure it contains "NovaMin" as an active ingredient. It's the only ingredient that actually repairs teeth.

School

• Mathway.com solves all kinds of math homework problems with step-by-step explanations.
• Writing an essay? Copy and paste it into Google translate and have the computer read it out to you. It'll be much easier to find errors this way.
• You can remember the value of pi (3.1415926) by counting each word's letters in "May I have a large container of coffee."
• Changing the font size of periods from 12 to 14 can make a paper look significantly longer.
• The EasyBib iPhone app will give you a bibliography on any book if you simply scan the barcode.
• Stop using Google.com to search information for school essays. Use "scholar.google.com" instead. You'll find more relevant information right away.
• Never send your resume to someone as a Word document (unless asked). Send it as a .PDF file since it's much cleaner and more professional looking.
• Have a separate user account on your laptop for presentations. This way, embarrassing personal things won't show up when you open it in class.
• SelfControl is a program that blocks sites like Facebook, Twitter, and email for a specific period of time. Using it will help you minimize distractions while you study or do homework.
• It is actually better to take exams on an empty stomach. Hunger makes you focus better.
• Minor in what you love and major in what will get you a job.

The Joy of Less

Back in January, I began my journey of becoming a minimalist. I had the strong desire to reduce the amount of possessions after initially hearing about The Tiny House Movement. For those that haven't heard of this social movement, let me shed some light on it for you! In a nut-shell, it revolves around people choosing to downsize the space they live in for many reasons: environmental and/or financial concerns, and also wanting more time and freedom.

Living in Seattle, it is very easy for a resident to spend 1/2-1/3 of their monthly income for an apartment (which can be considered a tiny house). One day, I looked around my apartment, and I was amazed on how many items I moved from the Midwest, and then continued to accumulate living in Seattle for 4 years. Therefore, I felt propelled to shed some weight from my apartment and simplify my life.

The first book I read was The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A Simple, Effective Way to Banish Clutter Forever. The second book I read was The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Guide to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify. Both were great, but the latter resonated the most with me.

Below I have included some of the context that I found profound and kept me motivated to decrease my possessions, and to sustain a mindset where I did not feel the need to continue to bring unnecessary items into my apartment.

The Joy of Less

· Chapter 1: See your stuff for what it is

o Our stuff can be divided into 3 categories

§ Useful Stuff

§ Beautiful Stuff

§ Emotional Stuff

§ Ask these questions with each of your items:

§ What are you and what do you do?

§ How did you come into my life?

§ Did I buy you, or were you given to me?

§ How often do I use you?

§ Would I replace you if you were lost or broken, or would I be relieved to be rid of you?

§ Did I ever want you in the first place?

· Chapter 2: You are not what you own

o It's not easy to be a minimalist in a mass-media world.

o We also identify with stuff from our past, and hold onto certain things to prove who we were, or what we accomplished.

• Examples: cheerleading uniforms, sport trophies

o We are not what we own; we are what we do, what we think, and who we love.

§ By eliminating remnants of unloved pastimes, incomplete endeavors, and unrealized fantasies, we make room for new (and real) possibilities.

· Chapter 5: Detach from your stuff

o Pretend you are moving overseas for a permanent move. Survey the contents of your house and decide exactly what you would take.

· Chapter 6: Be a good gatekeeper

o All we need to do is stop and think, "Why?" before we buy.

o To be a good gatekeeper, you have to think of your house as a sacred space, not storage space.

· Chapter 7: Embrace space

o Space may be easy to lose, but it's just as easy to reclaim.

o We need space for our ideas and thoughts--a cluttered room usually leads to a cluttered mind.

· Chapter 8: Enjoy without owning

o In pursuing a minimalist lifestyle, we must resist the temptation to recreate the outside world within our abodes.

· Chapter 11: Start over

o The key to starting over is to take everything out of the designated section.

o Decluttering is infinitely easier when you think of it as deciding what to keep, rather than deciding what to throw away.

o Starting over-emptying everything out, then bringing things back one by one is so effective.

· Chapter 12: Trash, treasure, or transfer

o Trash- if it’s not good enough for Goodwill, it belongs in this pile.

o Treasure- items you'll keep and truly cherish for either their beauty or their functionality.

o Transfer- perfectly good items that are no longer good for you.

· Chapter 13: Reason for each item

o As you sort through your items, stop and question each one that is headed towards your Treasure pile.

· Chapter 14: Everything in its place

o If an item in question used daily, weekly, monthly, once a year, or less? The answer determines whether it belongs in your Inner Circle, Outer Circle, or Deep Storage.

§ Inner Circle= items frequently used: toothbrush, laptop, utensils, and socks

§ Outer Circle= backup toiletries, wrapping paper, ribbon

§ Deep Storage= spare parts, seasonal decoration.

· Chapter 15: All surfaces clear

o Horizontal surfaces are a magnet for clutter.

o Surfaces are not for storage.

o Limit yourself to 3 permanent items per surface

§ Example: alarm clock on nightstand, cookie jar on kitchen counter

o Biggest surface of all=floor

· Chapter 16: Modules

o Consolidate like items: store all similar (or related) things together.

§ Consolidating your stuff lets you see how much you have.

o Contain items: the container can be a drawer, shelf, box

· Chapter 17: Limits

o Limits can and should be applied to just about everything.

· Chapter 18: If one comes in, one goes out

o Every time a new item comes into your home, a similar item must leave, and this rule is most effective when applied to like items. New shirt comes into the closet, an old shirt goes out.

· Chapter 19: Narrow Down

o Holy Grail of minimalist living: owning just enough to meet our needs, and nothing more.

o In addition to simply decluttering our stuff, we can also narrow down by more creative means--like choosing multifunctional items over single use ones. An example, a sleeper sofa eliminates the need for a separate guest bed.

§ Goal: to accomplish the greatest number of tasks with the least number of items

o We can also narrow-down our possessions by digitalizing them.

· Chapter 20: Everyday Maintenance

o Keep decluttering: recommend purging in cycles, after your initial decluttering, take another look around after a few weeks or months.

· Chapter 21: Living or Family Room

o Purging just one piece of unnecessary (or unloved) furniture can make a dramatic impact. If you target a major item you'd like to toss-but still feel a little hesitant-move it out of the room for a few days.

o Use creative strategies to meet your entertainment needs--like borrowing items from friends or the library instead of owning them.

· Chapter 22: Bedroom

o Should be the most uncluttered room in your house.

o Main function of our bedroom is to provide space for sleeping and clothes storage.

o You don't have to own certain pieces of furniture simply because it's expected. Just because a bedroom set has 6 matching pieces, doesn't mean you have to buy/keep them.

· Chapter 23: Wardrobe

o To start over: take everything out of your closet, dressers and armoire, and lay it out on your bed.

o Declutter: try everything on.

§ The #1 reason to keep an article of clothing is that you wear it.

§ Don't save something simply because you paid good money for it.

o Minimalist wardrobe=capsule wardrobe= a small set of essential pieces that can be mixed and matched into a variety of outfits.

o Contain: keep all clothes in a closet/dresser/armoire or shelving unit (don't let shoes lounge in your living room).

o Maintain: keep your closet tidy. As soon as you take out an article of clothing, hang it, fold it or toss it in a hamper.

o Avoid temptation, and don't set foot in a store or retailers website until you absolutely need something.

· Chapter 24: Home office

o Declutter- first get rid of all junk mail that's accumulated.

o Truly minimalist office: narrow down your supplies to the bare essentials. Don't devote valuable space to storing backup.

· Chapter 25: Kitchen and Dining room

o To start over- empty every drawer, cabinet, cupboard, and shelf. The idea is not to choose the things we will get rid of, but to choose the things we will keep.

o Declutter: trash expired food, chipped plates, cracked glasses, bent or managed silverware.

§ Choose multifunctional items over single use one.

o The kitchen is such a hub of activity, it requires not only everyday maintenance, but all day maintenance.

· Chapter 26: Bathroom

o Declutter: Trash cosmetics you don't wear regularly. While makeup doesn't have an expiration date, they do have a limited shelf life.

§ Liquids and creams is 3-6 months

§ Powered foundations/blush/lipstick are 1 year

o Clear surfaces are not only more attractive, they are more hygienic.

§ Tub ledges should be clear; therefore, install a shower caddy.

· Chapter 27: Storage Spaces

o Example: attic, basement, garage, and storage locker

o To avoid clutter buildup, keep your storage spaces streamlined as your living space

§ Can you list the contents of your storage unit from memory? If not, do you really need things you don't even know you have?

o Declutter: stick to the following rule: if you haven't used an item in over a year, out it goes.

§ Be a borrower: rent from stores or borrow from neighbors.

§ When something comes in, something goes out--and not out to the garage.

· Chapter 28: Gifts, heirlooms, and sentimental items

o Gifts

§ Challenge is two-fold- to purge unwanted gifts we already have and to avoid receiving new ones.

§ Avoid gift exchange situations.

§ For individuals who insists on bestowing you with gifts, express your preference:

§ for consumables: coffee beans, plants, flowers

§ for experiences: theater tickets, membership to museum

§ for services: car washes, computer assistance, baby-sitting

§ Propose spending time together in lieu of gifts

o Heirlooms

§ We keep them out of sense of guilt, sentiment, and responsibility to preserve or family "heritage"

§ Our obligation is not necessarily to keep the items we inherit, but to find the best use for them.

§ If valuable or historically significant lend/donate to museum or historical society.

§ Don't hold on to item because it MIGHT be worth something.

§ Make decluttering part of your estate planning-pare down your possessions while you are still here, and don't pass down clutter to the next generation.

o Sentimental Items

§ Choose a handful of pieces for preservation, or reduce your collection to one container.

If you want to learn more from the author of this book, visit her blog:  www.missminimalist.com

July 4th Staycation

With the holiday weekend approaching, many may be planning to leave their cities to go explore someplace new. If you live in a large city, you are probably familiar with the effects holidays have on traffic congestion. The impending gridlock of traffic has a tremendous impact on the plans I make during holidays. In life, I tend to be a very calm individual; however, the drivers of Seattle cause me to have a senseless reaction to congested traffic. In order to prevent my road rage from manifesting into a shouting match on the road or intentional tailgating, I have decided to spend most of my holiday weekend as a staycation in Seattle.

Staycations are vacations spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions. Since I am still doing my 52-Hike Challenge, I plan to get up super early, hike with friends, and beat all the other hikers to the trailheads. Then, spend the rest of the weekend exploring my beloved Seattle.

I recently read an article on how to make the most of your staycation, and here are some ideas if you are planning your on own staycation:

1. Shake It Up: Stay up late, sleep late, eat at slightly different times--as you would when you're on vacation. This is helpful because you want to create an environment that gets you out of your normal routine.
2. Give Your Home That Hotel Feeling: What makes a vacation a vacation? You don't have make your bed, you don't clean, and you do very little cooking. Therefore, take some of the money you're saving and hire a cleaning service to come midweek to make everything shine and sparkle so you can have that coming-home-to-a-clean-house happiness. For a special touch, put out all of those things reserved for guests, like the fancy set of hand towels and soap. Buy yourself a plush white cotton or terry robe. Also, sleep on ultra-high-thread-count sheets. Save yourself a few nights of cooking and cleaning by eating out or ordering in. On other nights, give yourself permission to rely on inexpensive prepared food with little cleanup.
3. Play Tourist: Pretend you have out-of-town guests and you want to show them what's great about where you live. Venture out every day for a new activity--visit a museum, tour a local historic spot--that you wouldn't do on a regular weekend. Another idea for seeing your city in a whole new way, take a walking or biking tour.
4. Put the World on Hold: Gather up all the clocks in your house and stash them in a dresser drawer, and leave them there for the whole day. Also, turn off the ringers on your phones and mute the answering machine. Check messages only when you want to, keeping in mind that "not at all" is always an option. In addition, make sure you do an "out of the office" message for your email, and power down your computer. Lastly, skip the news and maybe even stop the mail for a week; the bills will still be there when your vacation is over.
5. Have Fun: Indulge in a vacation-reading binge. Tackle a classic you never got around to in college, or if that feels too much like homework, try a summer blockbuster. Or you could have your own three-day film festival. Pick a theme--Road Trip movies or The Five Biggest Tearjerkers. Once you have found the movies in your Netflix Queue, make sure you have a supply of your favorite movie snacks

Cheers to your upcoming vacation or staycation memories!

Summer Book Bingo 2016

Every summer, the Seattle Arts and Lecture and the Seattle Public Library team up to excite adults to participate in a summer reading program, Summer Book Bingo. This will be my second year participating, and the first bingo square that I have completed is the "Translated from another Language," and that book was The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo.

Below are the Bingo squares for this summer's program:

• Recommended by a librarian
• Cookbook/Food Memoir (Bonus points for making a recipe)
• You've been meaning to read
• #We Need Diverse Books
• Collection of short stories
• From your childhood
• Prize-winner
• Set a place you've always wanted to visit
• Recommended by an independent bookstore
• Banned
• Collection of Poetry
• Young adult book
• Translated from another language
• Non-fiction
• Novel
• Local author
• Written by a Seattle Art's and Lectures speaker (past or upcoming)
• Reread
• You finished reading in a day
• Read out loud
• Out of your comfort zone
• Memoir
• Written more than 100 years ago

How to play: Complete a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line for a Bingo. Complete all 25 squares for a blackout card. This is for all books read from May 23rd-September 6th.

Fine print: You are on your honor to read books before adding them to your Bingo card. Cheating, skimming, or reading CliffNotes will invoke bad summer karma, which may include sunburn, ants at your picnic, or marauding mosquitos.

HAPPY READING!

Where I Find Happiness

I recently read A Work in Progress by Connor Franta, which is a memoir about a small-town boy to Internet sensation with his YouTube videos. This memoir relays the importance of don’t be afraid to be yourself and go after what you truly want; plus the author takes stunning photos. I hadn’t heard of Connor Franta until I read this book, but he is truly inspiring!

One of my favorite chapters in the book, was where Connor listed where he found his happiness. Therefore, it sparked my interest to reflect on where I find my happiness.

Where I Find Happiness

• Sitting on my balcony on a rainy morning with a cup of coffee.

• Putting on warm clothes straight from the dryer.

• People watching at the Seattle Center (where the Space Needle located) and coffee shops.

• Taking sunset walks. In my opinion, like snowflakes, no two sunsets are the same. I seem to breathe better and think less when watching a sunset over the Olympic Mountains.

• Cooking new recipes. I am definitely more of a cook than a baker, and there is something so rewarding with successfully creating a recipe from a cookbook.

• Hibernating with a book with the weight and warmth of heavy blankets on me. I am definitely tactile-seeking; therefore, the weight of blankets is very soothing while I am engrossed with reading a new book.

• Hiking and wandering around in nature. I become fully immersed in my surroundings, and it is a truly liberating experience.

• Watching home videos. I had an amazing childhood, and I am fortunate my parents recorded most of it. To see my childhood experiences and adventures through my eyes as an adult, reinforces how lucky I am to have memories that I can rewatch over and over again, especially since many of my relatives have passed away.

• Photography. Since moving to the PNW, I have gone through a lifestyle change. I explore more; I try new things more, and document things more with taking photos. It brings me instant joy to go back through my camera roll and see the things I have done already, which of course, sparks my desire to do more amazing things.

• Embracing the inner foodie in me. I love devouring as much food as possible while traveling, and definitely prefer doing family-style at meals.

• Autumn is my favorite season. Seattle is less busy. Hikes are so beautiful that I have to remember that what I am seeing is truly reality and not a fantasy. In addition, autumn eats (casseroles, soups, crockpot recipes) are my comfort foods.

• Purging my belongings and giving them to charity. As I have gotten older, I have been trying to be less materialistic. It is comforting to get rid of something in my life that I am no longer using, and knowing it will eventually get to someone that needs/wants it.
• Skyping with friends and family. It is difficult being thousands of miles away from those that I love. This is one of the times where I will endorse technological advancements, because it allows me to stay in touch, and to be part of things happening far away from me.

• Listening to music. I am still working on the power of silence and finding comfort in that. I listen to music as much as I can; in the car and walking throughout the city I listen to music a lot, and it aids me in collecting my thoughts, and also it aids in me in turning my brain off.

• Making lists. This is another way for me to organize my thoughts and to make goals for the future.  Crossing things off my lists is so satisfying.

• Going offline. Although I enjoy seeing updates on social media, there is definitely something catharsis about not having the capability to be online. No matter how much I try not to let news and updates affect my emotions, it happens. Therefore, I find it a necessity to spend a chunk of time where I go offline.
• Thunderstorms. I am known as a pluviophile (a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days), but my love for thunderstorms goes back to when I was child in the Midwest. In the Midwest, we have thunder so strong it shakes the walls and hanging pictures fall to the floor. In Seattle, thunderstorms are rare, and so when they do occur, it is so lovely to sit inside reading a book, playing board games, or binge-watching something on TV.
• Getting snail mail that isn't a bill or junk. I love getting cards, post cards, and letters from friends and family.
• Going on road trips with friends. There is just something about traveling with friends, especially old friends, that heightens my sense of adventure and willingness to try new things.
• Clean apartment. I enjoy my apartment to be organized and clean. However, before I leave for vacations or a weekend getaway, I always deep clean my apartment; because there is no better feeling than coming back to a clean apartment after traveling.

Ultimate Happiness: Having the courage to move to cities and jobs and not be stuck or settle. This mantra has led me to the fulfilling and rewarding life I currently have in Seattle. I am a creature of habit, and a type-A personality, so challenging myself to seek and follow through with new experiences is a major accomplishment for me!

So what brings you happiness, and are you taking enough time to assure you are happy with yourself and with others?

Earth Hour 2016

"The Earth does not belong to man--man belongs to the Earth." --Chief Seattle

The lights went out for an hour in thousands of places across the globe to raise awareness about the impact of energy use on climate change on March 19th. Earth Hour 2016 was between 8:30pm and 9:30 in the local time of the city that was participating. The event encouraged individuals, communities, households, and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a symbol for their commitment to the planet.

Countries that participated in the Earth Hour City Challenge: Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Finland, France, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, USA, and Vietnam.

This year's theme celebrated "Places We Love"--the mountains, rivers, beaches, reefs, forests, and national parks that organizers say are in peril from climate change. Seattle was one of the cities that participated in the Earth Hour City Challenge this year, resulting in the Space Needle going dark for one hour (see above photo).

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says Seattle is one of the success stories. Along with efforts to reduce fuel consumption by 1 million gallons, Seattle has ambitious plans to reach it's goal of eliminating carbon emissions by 2050.

Obituary: Hiking Shoes

The moment has come....where I had to trash my FIRST pair of hiking shoes. I have used these shoes for almost four years of hiking, and they were probably expired over two years ago, but I kept using them. They haven't been keeping my feet dry for a while, but I allowed nostalgia to trump practicality. The last hike I did in these shoes, it was raining so hard, and the trail was so muddy that my socks had to be peeled off my feet, and my skin was so brown from all the muddy water that leaked into my shoes. I was flooded (pun intended) with the memories of all the trails that these shoes took me on, including my FIRST hike in Washington.

I moved to Seattle in May 2012, and I went on my first hike in August 2012. During those first few months in Seattle, I was working on improving my fitness level, since I had become quite sedentary being a graduate student. Living in downtown Seattle, it promoted me to walk almost everywhere, and I finally felt ready to embrace the hiking lifestyle of PNW with a small hike at Mount Rainier.

I went with another Seattle transplant from Florida. She had never been hiking before either. We each had a bottle of water, a backpack with a few snacks, and our cell phones for navigation to the visitor center at Mount Rainier. We did zero research on trails or anything, we basically thought it would be fun to go hiking, and there ended our thought process; clearly we were amateurs and bordering along the lines of being idiots.

We arrived in the late morning so the visitor center's parking lot was full, so we had to park in another parking lot and take a 20-minute shuttle to the visitor center. After talking with the ranger at the park entrance, we decided we wanted to hike the 4-mile Reflection Lake trail. Completely doable...on paper. Since we had never been hiking before, we just assumed there would be signs marking every intersection, telling you which direction to go; which of course is not the case. We got sooooooo lost, we would have been easy pickings for a bear cub if it was in the vicinity. Our simple 4-mile hike turned into almost 8-miles, and remember it's the peak of summer, and we had one bottle of water. And to add to further insult, mosquitos were EVERYWHERE! We were eaten alive, I remember having over 50 bites once we were done hiking, and we had brought zero sunscreen. Conclusion to this story, we didn't die; we made it back to the visitor center, drank gallons of water, and immediately got back on the road to come back to Seattle.

My first hike was a humbling experience. I am sure after that experience, many people would have decided that hiking just wasn't for them. However, when I got back to the safety of my apartment, I realized how amazing the experience was, and I just couldn't appreciate it at the moment. Since that first hike, I have tried to encourage other friends that have never hiked to embark on the journey with me.

My fitness has clearly improved since 2012, and I have successfully completed a 22-mile day-hike. This year I am aiming to complete the 52 hike challenge. Four years ago, it was difficult for me to just walk four miles without being worn out. Now, after completing hikes, I feel rejuvenated and at peace. Transformation may not always be physical, but rather something that happens mentally. For me, it has been both.

I have purchased a new pair of hiking shoes from REI, and I went on my first hike on Tiger Mountain last weekend. And yes, it was glorious when I took my socks off, that I didn't have to worry about any epidermis coming off.