Oh hey...you remember those monthly resolutions I did way back when? I kinda stopped posting/doing them around April time which was not intentional at all! I broke my wrist in April so it kind of limited me in terms of coming up with new resolutions but then my wrist healed and then life just got in the way. BUT...
I'm picking up my monthly resolutions again starting in September! I'm pretty excited because I was beginning to lose sight of doing something positive each month and my chart was looking kinda pathetic with only 4 months worth of resolutions posted!
Have you been keeping your resolutions from the beginning of the year?
Vanessa
x
I seem to have missed January, February and March. Where did it go? It suddenly seems like we're a fourth of the way through the year in a blink of an eye! But alas, it is time for another monthly resolution!
This month is called 'Art April'! I used to LOVE art at school! Oil pastels were my material of choice and I so miss that creative side of me once I went to university. Inspired by Instagram and amazing illustrators on the blogger-sphere, I decided to take up a little bit of art this month. Although I love oil pastels, I'm going to experiment in a little watercolours this time and I managed to find some very inexpensive watercolours on Amazon and some 'special' paper so I'm all set to go! Now I just need some inspiration of what to paint!
I can't believe I've actually made it this far with my monthly resolutions. I thought I was going to give up by February. Have you been doing monthly resolutions with me too? If you haven't, how are your yearly resolutions going?
Vanessa
x
I've been a little out of blogging lately mainly due to life and family things but I'm slowly easing myself back into it. The end of my favourite month is upon us. Farewell February, you have been super awesome!
The end of February means it is time for another monthly resolution. If you're unfamiliar with this series then this post should really explain it all. This month I will be learning Mandarin. Thus is shall be named 'Mandarin March'. I've always wanted to learn mandarin and when fellow Chinese people approach me and yabber on in Mandarin, all I can do is shake my head and say 'no' (believe me, it's happened to me a few times!).
As a Cantonese speaker, I find myself picking up Asian languages a lot easier than European languages. Something about the way my tongue rolls, it just doesn't like it. My friend who studied for a little while in China will help me along the process by messaging and speaking to me in Mandarin. I'm not attempting to becoming fluent at all but I would like to learn the basics so I'm able to converse a little.
Bring on the challenge!
Vanessa
x
January 27th 2013: A last minute cinema trip with an actual person! Yes, I am slowly getting over my fear of going to the cinema with other people! I went to go and see The Impossible with my friend and it was really good. A really big cry-fest!
January 28th 2013: I went down to Edinburgh for the day to visit my friend. Amazing day with more food than my belly can handle! I've already booked my ticket back down for a small visit with possible exciting adventures!
January 29th 2013: If you've ever had a Ben's Cookie in London, they are quite possibly the best thickest, doughiest cookies ever! I decided to try and recreate them and they are so yummy! Made with Green and Black's finest cocoa powder, they are the ultimate delicious cookie!
January 30th 2013: It was my last rest day before I go back to work so I kicked back, relaxed and watched back to back episodes of The Great Comic Relief Bake Off! It's actually sooooooo funny! But does anyone else find Jo Brand utterly irritating?
January 31st 2013: BYE BYE JANUARY! It's been the absolute longest month ever but I'm so glad to have completed my first month's resolution. With a tired look on my face and a thumping headache whilst I type this, I'm really looking forward to February because now it's only 16 days until my birthday!
Vanessa
x
February is my favourite month of the year. Mainly because my birthday is in the month of February, so even better! January is almost over which means it's time for another monthly resolution. This month is inspired by Gemma over at Gemsmaquillage and her Jar of Happiness. I read her post on it and was inspired to start my own jar. Why didn't I start it in January I hear ya ask? Well, I thought February would be more fitting as it's my birthday month and it's also Chinese New Year so in honour of my ethical origin, February will start my year off.
The idea behind the Jar of Happiness is to fill it with things throughout the year that will serve as a reminder for that year. I feel 2013 will be a year full of adventures, friends and exciting things! It will sit on my cupboard/dresser and it will be a constant reminder for me to take exciting opportunities in an effort to fill up the jar with awesome memories.
I bought this jar from TK Maxx for about £1.99 but you can use any jar you like and I tied a craft ribbon around it to make it more special and unique. Once items start flying into it, it will look amazing!
Have you tried the Jar of Happiness before? Did it push you to take more exciting opportunities?
Vanessa
x
Yay! It's almost the end of January! That means one of my all time favourite months is about to begin! Next week will be a round up of the last few days of January so next month's resolution post will be up soon!
January 21st 2013: I've been feeling so grumpy the last few days (definitely woman time!). All I've been wanting to do is stay in bed, eat my weight in cheese puffs and watch Dexter.
January 22nd 2013: I always feel absolutely terrible after my second early shift. 5am wake up calls plays havoc on my skin and my under eyes! I look like the living dead! Attractive.
January 23rd 2013: One of the worst things about shift work is that I rarely get any time to myself or even to think, so this is a last minute photo. Curled up in bed just before midnight with a book. Two of my favourite B's.
January 24th 2013: The snow is slowly melting away up here in the North East and turned to slushy mess. The car park at my work is bumpy with a capital B! I'm so glad the snow is melting and the temperature is getting a little warmer.
January 25th 2013: One of my work colleagues is leaving work so I made some cupcakes for her leaving do spread. Half are vanilla and the other half are chocolate Rolo. I got so many compliments about them, feels good to be baking for other people again!
January 26th 2013: My last night shift which means I'm finally on days off! I switch desks every time I work so I have to carry around my desk essentials in my bag all the time. You can usually find a coffee flask, Nivea lip butter and locker keys littered around my desk!
Quite a boring week I must admit! I hope you had an even more exciting one! I'm away to Edinburgh tomorrow for the day which I'm really excited about!
Vanessa
x
As Sunday rears its head, it's time for another photo a day January post! If you would like a daily update of my photos, click that little Instagram logo to your left and you'll won't regret it :)
January 13th 2013: The day I woke up and had more than 5 hours sleep! I was feeling so refreshed it was unbelievable! Damn my long hours at work!
January 14th 2013: The day snow hit the North East! It was short lived as now we don't seem to have any and England and Wales is covered with it! Not that I'm complaining, I fall into the 50% of the population that actually dislikes snow.
January 15th 2013: I've been giving gluten free pasta a good go and I actually really like it. You would not believe the amount of bread, rice and pasta I eat so I thought changing small bits of my diet might be good for me.
January 16th 2013: I cannot stop playing The Cup Song. I first heard The Cup Song on Pitch Perfect where Anna Kendrick's character plays it in the movie. I YouTubed it when I got home, learnt how to play it with a plastic cup and now I can't stop. It's so amazing to see people's faces when you do it. It's not that difficult. Really.
January 17th 2013: My first day off work and I popped into town to buy myself a 16-25 railcard in an attempt to have more adventures! Then one thing led to another and I ended up shopping and buying a Starbucks. I think they're still trying to use up their Christmas cups cos I was lucky to get one of the last ones!
January 18th 2013: I have been waiting to see this Les Miserables for about a year! I've been wanting to see the stage production in London for quite some time but no-one quite understands my obsession with it. I dragged my Mother along with me to see in on Friday night and ended up sitting about 4 rows from the front. Cue my aching neck but the movie was so good! I commend the actors who were amazing at the live singing! Had me in tears by the end.
January 19th 2013: At the beginning of January, I told myself that I would have a life plan by the end of the first week, but no, I still haven't got one. My Mother is insistent on pushing me to pick ANY other job and that I can't afford to be picky. Yes, yes I can.
January 20th 2013: Been making lots of yummy pot stickers this morning. They're so delicious that I'm already craving more. How can that be?
How has your week been? Were you a graduate struggling to find any career direction too?
Vanessa
x
Week two already?! Where does the time go huh? What with being back at work this week, my photos have gone a little downhill and just features mainly food items but let's crack on!
January 7th 2013: I finally went to see Pitch Perfect and it is such a good film! Love the music, actors and storyline! I quickly went home to download the soundtrack, now all I need is a plastic cup so I can learn the cup song.
January 8th 2013: My Dexter marathon continues. I've finished season 2 now so I'm about to start season 3 but with long hours at work, it'll have to wait until I get a good block of time on my hands,
January 9th 2013: My old uni friend came to visit me from Kirkcaldy and we exchanged belated Christmas presents. I yelped with joy in the middle of Starbucks as I opened my gifts! I'd been lusting after the listography book since November and she amazingly remembered which one it was I wanted. My mug collection is growing quite nicely as well with my new Edinburgh Starbucks mug! And the Mini Eggs are a recurring joke in our friendship. Let's say it involved a tube of Mini Eggs and a Megabus.
January 10th 2013: I did have plans to go to the cinema but I decided to stay at home and watch Dexter whilst baking a cake. I got some new cake utensils and I was trying out a bundt cake. Turned out good on my first attempt I feel.
January 11th 2013: Yup, back to the daily grind of work. Trying to be healthy and opted for a homemade salad then I realised it looked ridiculous in my kiddies lunchbox. *sigh*
January 12th 2013: Came home from work and left promptly again to meet my friend for dins. I didn't realise how busy town is on a Saturday. Mingling amongst family dinners, friends get-togethers and dates...I felt like a fish out of water! But we ended up at TGI Fridays and I chowed down on my meal before snapping a picture of my glorious burger! But, I did get a new book in the post. I can't wait to read this, I've heard good things about since my purchase on Amazon.
A rather mediocre week but how is everyone's January going? Resolutions still intact?
Vanessa
x
If you read my resolution post, you will know that I'm doing 'photo a day january'. This is a quick round up of my week so far.
January 1st 2013: I barely slept a wink on Hogmanay and I was up at 5am to start the year off by working a 10 hour shift. After work, I nipped home and swiftly went out again to have some dinner. Exhausted as I was, I managed to make it through dinner without falling asleep in my dinner!
January 2nd 2013: More food! It was MamaOrchid's birthday on the 4th January but we food we wanted to have is only on Monday-Thursday. We had some delicious Chinese hotpot which was so good but so filling at the same time! It's also a healthy alternative to a heavy meal as everything is cooked in a pot of boiling water with a little stock.
January 3rd 2013: I had some annual leave hours to take so I left work early and came home to make a start on my pile of DVDs I bought last week. The 3rd also marked the first day of my week off! I didn't get any time off work over Christmas so this week off is definitely well deserved.
January 4th 2013: MamaOrchid's birthday! I made her a lovely cream chiffon cake and it went down a treat! Exhausting to make but the end result is tasty!
January 5th 2013: Town was surprisingly very quiet at the weekend but me, MamaOrchid and BrotherOrchid went into town to run some errands. We went to the Monkey House for lunch as my Uncle said the food was good there. I can't comment on the other food items, but the chips here are amazingly tasty!
January 6th 2013: I made plans to go to the cinema today as I still haven't seen any of the movies that I wanted to last month but I decided to spend the day at home blogging, watching old skool CITV and watching Dexter. I started it last night (which was probably a bad idea seeing as it was quite gory!) but it's soooooo good! Such a loveable character and the storyline is fantastic!
So here is my round-up. Not a very exciting week I must admit but all I really need is a little downtime that doesn't revolve around work!
How has your first week of January been?
Vanessa
x
