a little inspiration

holstee's manifesto: this is your life

• do what you love and do it often
• if you don't like something, change it
• stop over analyzing, life is simple
• all emotions are beautiful
• open your mind, arms, and heart to new things and people, we are united in our differences
• travel often; getting lost will help you find yourself
• life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them, so go out and start creating
• life is short.  life your dream and share your passion
• live mindfully

http://www.holstee.com/pages/manifesto 


apple: intention: designed by apple
- start with what we want you to feel

new me!

had a good talk with claire (as always) yesterday, and it was a wake up call almost.  i need to get rid of some bad habits and start unleashing my potential.

bad habits to kick:

• being lazy (appearance, presentation, mentality): let myself shine, be the person i CAN become, starting with a me-first mentality and attitude. time to class it up and own up to who i want to be and the life i want
• prioritizing others: me first. be flexible but accommodate only when my own well being is not affected. can't go around and cater to everyone

and with that, i'm starting a blueprint juice cleanse for the next 3 days. a mental and physical reset, but also for the vegas trip this weekend (teehee). planning on documenting the progress since this is the first i'm trying it (and also that i should be able to stick to a shorter/3-day commitment).

so here's day ONE:

• 8am: started with the green juice at 8am this morning and wow, it's just so ... leafy tasting.  took me a while to get it down.  not pleasant..
• felt sleepy all am, not sure if it's because of the juice or just that i didn't get a lot of sleep last night. also feeling sore/achy, but that's probably from yoga and the equinox metcon class i took this weekend
• 10am: getting really hungry after juice #2, and still feeling sleepy. wonder if i should just have a few sips of black coffee since that's part of the cheat sheet. having a looming headache too... no bueno
• 1pm: was starving so started juice #3 at 1pm. oh man, it's the green juice again.  but probably because it's the green juice, now i barely feel hungry.. i mean who would have an appetite after this??
• 2pm: juice #3 is taking me a WHILE to finish.. but hey, suddenly around 2pm, my sleepiness is gone and my mind is sharp now (hence i'm starting the blog).  and not very hungry any more, woot!  headache still seems to be there though
• 3pm: feeling hungry again but have a meeting..
• 4:20pm: juice #4! this is a yummy one, tastes like lemonade. just wish it was more substantial...
• 5pm: so full... feel like i'm about to explode from all the liquids... and so cold.  is it me or the AC??
• 6pm: chugged #5, which is ANOTHER green juice, ugh. cold.. soooo cooldddd. drinking decaffeinated tea
• my knee started hurting at some point during the day.  am i going crazy..??
• turned out that the floor thermostat was turned all the way down to 60 degrees -___- 
• 8pm: #6 - oh so yummy cashew milk before sleep no more.  sucks i couldn't drink but not feeling hungry at all.  this is not so bad after all :D

day TWO:

• 8am: juice #1. yuck still..
• 10am: juice #2. been feeling sharp minded all am.  this is nice!
• 11:35am: hungry...
• 12:30pm: starving! #3 green juice... sighh...
• 3:00pm: almost fell asleep during a meeting. unclear if it was from juicing or the discussion
• 4:00pm: yummy lemonade #4
• 6:15pm: #5... (3 more to go!)

day THREE:

• feeling GREAT!  loving it :D

just remember...

i have amazing friends, and i'm a lucky girl. :)

apparently i can't commit to a disciplined writing schedule.  sigh, 30 days to 30 fail.  well, if there's one thing i remembered from the remaining days of my countdown, it would be that i'm a really lucky girl.  claire and bethany did a surprise dinner for me the night before my birthday since i had to fly out to austin for sxsw on the big day.  my birthday party the following weekend was also amazing.  it felt so nice to be surrounded by family and close friends.. except the bday hangover is getting harder and harder to deal with...eek

t-8: 3 in 1!

today i remembered!!

t-30: take time to reflect and re-calibrate every once in a while

t-29: silence can be powerful

t-28: the easiest way to get in a good mood is simply to put on a soft tune, walk slower, and smile at the world :)
t-27: true friends care about your well-being. need to be a good friend and call when my friends need support  
t-26: i am lucky to have friends who care :)
t-25: emotional rebound is inevitable.. but not impossible to get over.  just need the right types of distraction
t-24: need more broadway (shows) in my life
t-23: planning ahead = #winning :D
t-22: trust my own instinct/judgement and be the master of my own life. don't let "protocols/systems" to tell me what to do. (re: working from home on polar vortex days)
t-21: alcohol can really impede one's decision making ability... o_O  drink less, regardless of the situation!
t-20: treat myself to a massage.  life is so much better after one. :)
t-19: more museum days needed.  great to get some culture on
t-18: be sincere, but sometimes, 装傻 is the best attitude

t-17: fail cheap and fail early. when it's not right, cut the losses and move on. no need to waste time

t-16: need to work on giving constructive feedback, still shying away from it...

t-15: need to be more efficient...

t-14: i like doing presentations :) 

t-13: getting good sleep is one of the best things to do to yourself

t-12: it feels nice to give back

t-11: stick to my standards - there's a reason why i had them in the first place

t-10: ambiance matters

t-9: preparation is key to the success
t-8: patience is not about waiting, but the ability to keep a good attitude while working hard for what you believe in; being busy doesn't mean being productive, live a meaningful life; when life is good, enjoy it. don't go looking for something better every second. happiness never comes to those who don't appreciate what they have while they have it. 

another catch up post...

looks like i'm really not good at this one post a day business... thank goodness it's < 10 days to my bday.  so ready for this, i'm already checking the 30-39 boxes...

t-30: take time to reflect and re-calibrate every once in a while

t-29: silence can be powerful

t-28: the easiest way to get in a good mood is simply to put on a soft tune, walk slower, and smile at the world :)
t-27: true friends care about your well-being. need to be a good friend and call when my friends need support  
t-26: i am lucky to have friends who care :)
t-25: emotional rebound is inevitable.. but not impossible to get over.  just need the right types of distraction
t-24: need more broadway (shows) in my life
t-23: planning ahead = #winning :D
t-22: trust my own instinct/judgement and be the master of my own life. don't let "protocols/systems" to tell me what to do. (re: working from home on polar vortex days)
t-21: alcohol can really impede one's decision making ability... o_O  drink less, regardless of the situation!
t-20: treat myself to a massage.  life is so much better after one. :)
t-19: more museum days needed.  great to get some culture on
t-18: be sincere, but sometimes, 装傻 is the best attitude

t-17: fail cheap and fail early. when it's not right, cut the losses and move on. no need to waste time

t-16: need to work on giving constructive feedback, still shying away from it...

t-15: need to be more efficient...

t-14: i like doing presentations :) 

t-13: getting good sleep is one of the best things to do to yourself

t-12: it feels nice to give back

t-11: stick to my standards - there's a reason why i had them in the first place

t-10: ambiance matters

t-9: preparation is key to the success

t-30: take time to reflect and re-calibrate every once in a while

t-29: silence can be powerful

t-28: the easiest way to get in a good mood is simply to put on a soft tune, walk slower, and smile at the world :)
t-27: true friends care about your well-being. need to be a good friend and call when my friends need support  
t-26: i am lucky to have friends who care :)
t-25: emotional rebound is inevitable.. but not impossible to get over.  just need the right types of distraction
t-24: need more broadway (shows) in my life
t-23: planning ahead = #winning :D
t-22: trust my own instinct/judgement and be the master of my own life. don't let "protocols/systems" to tell me what to do. (re: working from home on polar vortex days)
t-21: alcohol can really impede one's decision making ability... o_O  drink less, regardless of the situation!
t-20: treat myself to a massage.  life is so much better after one. :)
t-19: more museum days needed.  great to get some culture on
t-18: be sincere, but sometimes, 装傻 is the best attitude
t-17: patience (not passiveness) is a virtue - good things come to those who wait.  

oops, catch up post...

so... clearly i'm not good at sticking to a schedule.  trying to review my week back and reflect on everything that had happened..  here it goes!

t-30: take time to reflect and re-calibrate every once in a while

t-29: silence can be powerful

t-28: the easiest way to get in a good mood is simply to put on a soft tune, walk slower, and smile at the world :)
t-27: true friends care about your well-being. need to be a good friend and call when my friends need support  
t-26: i am lucky to have friends who care :)
t-25: emotional rebound is inevitable.. but not impossible to get over.  just need the right types of distraction
t-24: need more broadway (shows) in my life
t-23: planning ahead = #winning :D
t-22: trust my own instinct/judgement and be the master of my own life. don't let "protocols/systems" to tell me what to do. (re: working from home on polar vortex days)
t-21: alcohol can really impede one's decision making ability... o_O  drink less, regardless of the situation!
t-20: treat myself to a massage.  life is so much better after one. :)
t-19: more museum days needed.  great to get some culture on
t-18: be sincere, but sometimes, 装傻 is the best attitude

phew....

bring yourself to a smile

t-30: take time to reflect and re-calibrate every once in a while

t-29: silence can be powerful

t-28: the easiest way to get in a good mood is simply to put on a soft tune, walk slower, and smile at the world :)

29 days to go

t-30: take time to reflect and re-calibrate every once in a while
t-29: silence can be powerful

silence tends to make people feel awkward.  many end up feeling compelled to say something.  as a result, they open up more or give up more information that you can use to your advantage.

30 days to 30!

can't believe i'm turning 30 in 30 days!  time sure flies.  thought this would be a good time to take a moment, reflect, and re-calibrate.  (...and also procrastinating from work a little, snow day teehee)

so...

29 has been a good year - i completed my last year of business school, and officially wrapped up my academic life.  i made some amazing friends from business school and i know these are the friendships that will last a life time.  i started a new job, which i envision to be the (re)starting point of my career path and where i will stay for at least the next 3-5 years, and have just launched my very first digital campaign for chinese new year (a first for the brand!), despite all the sweat, blood and tears associated with the production process.  feeling accomplished. :)

29 has also been a tragic year - in november 2013, i lost my dearest grandmother.  this is the first time i lost someone who is so close to me.  my heart still breaks whenever i think of her.  i was so lucky to have had such a wonderful, kind, caring, and selfless figure in my life.  no one in this world can ever replace her, and she will always be with me.  randomly came across this song, RAMelia, which i have dedicated to grandma.  you will always be in my heart, grandma.

29 has been a crazy year - i traveled to 11 countries and 22 cities in this year alone, from israel to brazil to korea.  i moved back to new york and officially kicked-off the next chapter of my life.  after 3 cross-state/borough moves, 6 months of settling in and readjustment, 2 weeks of international business travel, and multiple trials of yoga studios, it finally starts to feel like life is back "together".  feeling like a grown up.

but, life is about looking forward and making continuous progress.  there are still a ton i want to achieve.  i'm surprised at how much i have accomplished in the last 29 years, yet at the same time, i don't feel like i'm close to where i thought i'd be at the age of 30.  am i freaked out?  surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) no.  do i feel ready?  certainly not.  but aye, thus is life.  

claire suggested that i write down one thought per day starting today.  guess that's a fun exercise to do.  so here goes today's...

t-30: take time to reflect and re-calibrate every once in a while

and while i'm doing that, might as well share my...

2014 new year's resolution

(let's see how many of these i can achieve...)

1. Personal

• health: yoga (3x+ per week) and restart hip hop in the summer
• health: get more sleep, wake up earlier
• health: take better care of my skin
• pick up a new hobby. Cooking? Tennis?
• manage finances better
• enjoy every weekend, whether going out or staying in

2. Career

• digital marketing: take classes to acquire more technical knowledge
• leadership & management: become better at managing people, be more proactive
• industry knowledge: read more news to become expert in Chinese consumer behavior and travel retail industry

3. Social

• stay in touch with friends, old and new, more regularly
• get back in touch w former business contacts
• fb cleanse

4. Relationships

• family: call home more regularly and more often
• family: monthly get together w angel and jason
• dating life: find that someone who truly makes me happy

travel log for my year of 29

spring break 2013:

1. istanbul, turkey

2. tel aviv, israel

3. eilat, israel

4. dead sea/masada, israel

5. jerusalem, israel

6. bethlehem, palestine

april 2013:

7. vegas, usa

may 2013:

8. miami, usa

june 2013:

9. buenos aires, argentina

10. colonia, uraguay

11. iguacu falls, argentina

12. iguacu falls, brazil

13. sao paulo, brazil

14. paraty, brazil

15. trancoso, brazil

16. salvador, brazil

17. rio, brazil

nov 2013:

18. tokyo, japan

19. seoul, korea

20. hong kong, china

21. toronto, canada

dec, 2013:

22. miami, usa

WOW!