Happy Blog Action Day!

I was 10 when my family moved to the States - to the suburbs. We had lived in Hong Kong so you can imagine the contrast. The neighborhood that we moved into was still new so there were plenty of open fields. We would ride our bikes and play in the fields - I remember playing T-ball quite a bit. In any case, I look at my own kids and wish they could do the same. Sure, we take them to the park but it's not the same really playing in the dirt, climbing trees, etc. The old neighborhood is all built up now and I really wish for the kids to have free reign of wherever they play. I'm looking forward to moving into the new house; it's an average size lot but it's right next to a spring and it's all overgrown with plenty of space for the kids to explore. (That's the view from the living room.)

There's a trend now to build McMansions closer to the easements, which I don't get. You're then left with a 2 ft strip of lawn you have to mow - for what? A dog run? It seems to be unusable space to me. So you water, mow, fertilize the lawn for what? I just don't get it. Actually I do: it's not the outside that shrunk, it's the inside that got bigger. And don't get me started on that.

It would be hypocritical of me to stand in the way of someone's dream of building their own home. But I would ask of them to consider what you sacrifice in pursuit of more square footage.

P.S. Happy Birthday AC!

T - 7 days... until midterms

So next week is midterms - the sheer volume of readings is beyond measurable. However, because my classmates are on top of it, we've been taking turns outlining the various chapters in all the books. I love my classmates! I haven't freaked out yet but I feel it coming on. Of course, it doesn't help that I'm typing this up when instead I should be reading.

Also, the house is starting to take its form!

I've also been thinking that I need to cut back my hours at work. Part of me wants at least more than one day of "unscheduled" activities (i.e., no classes, no work, just whatever; right now I have Fridays off from school but then again I work Friday nights.) But the other part of me wants to keep the hours - y'know, cuz I love the challenge. I have to admit: it's pure ego. School, work, family, building a new house - that's right, baby - bring it on!! OK, I exaggerate - I'm not the one actually building the house but the impending move does scare me.

I have been working out more - helps me clear my thoughts and also think about how to tackle the day. It's purely cardio though: jogging, treadmill, elliptical. I need to start lifting weights but I have to concentrate more on what I have to do next (what set am I on? how many times did I lift this already? shoot, I lost count) that I usually opt for the cardio.

One of the things I have been thinking more about is this blog. I mentioned in a previous post I think that in order to become a successful OT, I need to OT-ize myself and work on my own challenges. So far, the exercise has been great but I think I need to broaden my view. So I decided to COPM myself. Well, not exactly the official COPM but basically, of all the areas of my concern, focus on the top 5:

1. Lose weight
2. De-clutter
   
3. Stay on top of reading assignments
   
4. Update my calendar on a daily basis
5. Limit my "leisure" reading
   

OK, so how I go about this...

1. Lose weight
• Reason: I need to do this not only for my health but also to set a good example for my kids. I am already a clumsy person. To be clumsy + carrying extra weight = not comfortable moving.
• Method: No junk food. Drink more water. I don't drink soda anymore but I do love juice so I need to limit that. Exercise - more weights.
  
• Goal: BMI 18.5-24.9, current BMI: too high
  
2. De-clutter
• Reason: I am a pack rat. I can't help it. I think it's genetic.
• Method: Spend at least 30-60 mins everyday to clean/purge.
• Goal: Kind of vague right now since I don't know exactly when the house will be done. I want to be packed and ready to move by end of the year though (if not sooner)
  
3. Stay on top of reading assignments
• Reason: Like most people, I procrastinate.
• Method: Like the cleaning, spend at least 30-60 mins everyday to read.
• Goal: Stay current with the class readings.
  
4. Update my calendar on a daily basis
• Reason: To stay sane.
• Method: Um, update my calendar everyday...
• Goal: Sanity
  
5. Limit my "leisure" reading to 30 mins a day
• Reason: It's part of my escape. Seems though, I "escape" a bit too long when I have other obligations I need to attend to.
• Method: Quickly skim the headings in google reader, just reading a few. I think I may have to set a timer for this one.
• Goal: Get other things done.

I was hesitant posting this mainly because I've tried losing weight before and obviously haven't stuck it out long enough to make it work. I hope that posting this makes me more accountable to it though. On one hand, I am afraid to commit to this (and to the world) but on the other, I know I need to. I'll post my progress as I go; if I get brave, I may take pictures but I can't promise that.

Here it goes...