Saturday, May 31, 2014

Mini Habits Day 33

1. I am grateful for the help of my housekeeper today to clean up after me while I cooked most of the day.

2. I worked out for 30 mins on the elliptical, then 15 minutes of weightlifting, then 6 hours of cooking.  Tired but productive!

3. I spent quite a bit of the day preparing for the party I am hosting tomorrow and planning for my upcoming move to Pakistan.  It was an exceptionally productive day, capped off by writing award nominations, editing documents to help friends, making lists of the things I need to do before I arrive in Pakistan, choosing t-shirts for my t-shirt quilt, talking to my sister and niece in Japan and grocery shopping.  After that list, I am impressed I am still awake :)

Friday, May 30, 2014

Mini Habits Day 32

1. I am grateful that my wonderful friend introduced me to Ms. Fischer's Mysteries and that I had some time tonight to enjoy an episode or two.

2. I woke up early this morning and did my 30 minutes on the elliptical machine.

3. I read a news article today about a school where the yearbook photos were altered to put more clothing on some of the female students.  The article made me exceptionally angry- unless the girls were actually naked in the photos, what right did the school have to make changes to their appearance in the book that is supposed to be their memory of their school days?  While I wish, when I look at my yearbook photos, that I had made different clothing choices when I was having school photos, it is a documentation of who I was at the time and that has shaped who I am now.  To have someone make the decision to change my history without consulting me would really anger me and I can understand why these young ladies are upset.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Mini Habits Day 31

1. I am grateful for excellent Pakistani food and friendship this evening.

2. I typed for hours today.  If that does not count as a workout, it should.

3. I need some sleep tonight.  Four hours of sleep last night was not enough to make me really productive, and I will be a crabby nightmare if I have another bad night of sleep in a row.  Especially because I will have to work most of the weekend in order to just catch up on the many projects overwhelming me at work.  Sigh.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Mini Habits Day 30

1. I am thankful for the great relationships I have with many of my exes.

2. I did 30 mins on the elliptical machine this morning.

3. Location, location, location.  And timing.  These are the two things I am really bad at in relationships and they are so critically important.  To be ready for the right person at the right time in my life...that is a skill I am still working on.  Someday, at the right time, the timing and the location will come together, of that I am confident.  And until then I will cheer on my friends and exes who manage to find that magical combination.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Mini Habits Day 29

1. I am thankful for having had a wonderful 4 day weekend vacation.

2. I swam and walked today, for a total of more than 30 minutes.

3. I am back and unpacked, and looking toward the rest of the work week.  How I will complete 40+ hours of work in only 3 days is a bit of a mystery at this time, but I am sure a few long days will allow me to get everything done.  I will start the work week out properly by getting up to work out tomorrow.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Mini Habits Day 28

1. I am thankful to have traveled with my own snorkel and fin kit.

2. I spent 4 hours snorkeling today- lots of amazing exercise!

3. Snorkeling is truly an amazing form of meditation.  I got completely lost in the visual beauty of the coral and the sand and the swirling of the water and sunlight.  And the fish...thousands and thousands of them of various colors and shapes and sizes and shimmers.  The ones who were curious about me, and swam close to check me out, and the ones who were scared and darted away.  The plants that peep out of the coral, until I get to close and retract quickly from me in fear.  The beauty of the environment, living peacefully, coexisting and supporting.  Peaceful.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Mini Habits Day 27

1. I am thankful for being able to take photos with my eyes of the amazing nature along the Kiulu River today.

2. I worked out by paddling, jumping, and holding tight for 90 minutes on the river today.

3. Every muscle in my body aches right now.  We had an amazing time out on the river today, but I certainly used muscles I have not used lately and I am feeling it.  We got back to KK and did a bit of shopping, and ate some great Chinese food.  Now we are both ready for bed and it is only 7 pm.  Being tired because we were so active today is great.  We will have another active adventure tomorrow.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Mini Habits Day 26

1. I am thankful for fun travel companions who are willing to run away for the weekend with very little planning notice.

2. Walked miles and miles through the airport :)

3. Had a very long day.  What can feel longer than a Friday before a four day weekend?  It seemed as if each minute today lasted at least an hour.  However I did stick with it and managed to get some productivity out of the day, no matter how slow my brain was moving.  Now, reveling in the long weekend and a vacation to Kota Kinabalu!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Mini Habits Day 25

1. I am thankful for friends with interesting stories shared over a burger as we talk about the most recent coup.

2. Ran around the world today on different efforts after a very short night of sleep.

3. I spend so much time writing each day for various reasons that I am beginning to wonder about the real need for this specific mini habit.  Today in the office between meetings and out of the office events I read and wrote thousands of words...what exactly am I trying to achieve in this blog?  Time to think about having a purpose other than simply capturing what is on the edge of my mind as I get ready for bed.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Mini Habits Day 24

1. I am very thankful to be home before midnight after a day of very successful work related events.

2. I started the day with a 30 minute elliptical workout, which helped me to jumpstart my energy level.

3. I met several very interesting people this afternoon and evening, all associated with female entrepreneur mentoring or disaster management efforts in ASEAN.  A very diverse afternoon and evening.  I hope our paths cross again soon.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Mini Habits Day 23

1. I am thankful for the ability to go to bed at 8.30 this evening.  I am tired.

2. I met my requirement for 1 minute of exercise.

3. I really enjoy Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and very much appreciate the app they have that allows me to listen, even overseas, without dealing with the slow streaming speed of the internet page.  Why are they able to stream the broadcast through the app without the constant buffering but when I try to listen on my computer it is a constant stop and start?

Monday, May 19, 2014

Mini Habits Day 22

1. I am thankful for the amazing rainbow I saw on the way home from work tonight.

2. I did 30 mins on the elliptical machine and 10 mins of weightlifting.

3. I am sitting here with a glass of red wine, some camembert and crackers and feeling content with the world.  What a delightful combination of flavors and textures.  Truly something to savor.  Perhaps I will savor it more by not typing as I enjoy.  Yum. Yum. 

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Mini Habits Day 21

1. I am thankful for my "Celibacy in the Kampung" ladies group, and the fun we have during our Sunday outings.

2. I did not work out today because I woke up feeling horrible.  Body aches, sore throat and ooginess, so I babied myself today.

3. Friends are so important in ones life, and today while I was feeling sick I reveled in hanging out with two great friends who I would not have met if I had not come to Brunei.  Both friends are great for chatting about work and personal challenges and enjoy thinking about what is going on in the world.  I appreciate their perspectives and will miss them very much when I leave here.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Mini Habits Day 20

1. I am thankful for the interesting people with whom I spent the morning celebrating World Telecommunications and Information Society Day.

2. I had a great 30 min elliptical workout and ended with many sets of free weights.

3. Today I started planning for my next packout and move.  First, the moving companies came to review the things I will be moving so they can give my office a quote for the work.  Both companies sent very nice, knowledgeable people who asked good questions.  I wish them well on their quotes.  Then I started going through things to see what items I have to donate to the charitable drive at the office on Monday.  With very little effort I was able to come up with two boxes of clothing and housewares that will leave my home to bring joy to someone else.  Tomorrow I will search for more.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Mini Habits Day 19

1. I am grateful that I enjoyed getting absolutely soaked by a crazy rainstorm after lunch today.

2. I worked out by splashing in puddles as I dashed from lunch to office and by lugging around the heavy supplies for our various social events tomorrow.

3. The way different people in different countries think is fascinating.  One of the things I enjoy most, while also being frustrated by it at times, is the different perspectives that drive decision-making in different places.  The aspect that frustrates me most, and is common across many places, is the defensive crouch.  Every person and every nation makes mistakes.  Pretending that one does not make mistakes is living in denial and prevents one from learning on how to do things better in the future.  Pointing fingers about issues is also frustrating to me.  If one sees something that should change, why focus on blame?  Why not focus on how to do things better and encourage changes in behavior?

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Mini Habits Day 18

1. I am grateful for my wonderfully capable of home repair friend William for his help getting the new pieces of my elliptical machine put onto the machine and the machine actually functioning better than it did when I first put it together more than a year ago.

2. Thanks to #1, I was able to do a flawless 15 minutes on the elliptical machine this evening!

3. It is always so amazing how much easier things go when you have the right tools to do the job and enough practical experience to know how to make the pieces fit together logically.  This is not only true for home repairs, but also for really everything in life.  I appreciate the skills I have learned in different jobs and schools that allow me to have diverse tools and practical experiences to apply in so many different aspects of my world.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Mini Habits Day 17

1. I am thankful for my great colleagues who have the ability to make me think and laugh.

2. I worked out today by walking up and down my home stairs.

3. I made a poor food choice today by having potato chips and olive dip for dinner.  I am sure my tummy is going to object, but that was exactly what I was hungry for in that moment.  Tomorrow I will make better choices, I am sure of it.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Mini Habits Day 16

1. I am thankful for the amazing fun I had with my wonderful guests!

2. I worked out today trying to fix my elliptical machines.  It was a failure so tomorrow I will shift to another workout effort.

3. Saying goodbye to my final houseguest today was bittersweet and going back to work after being away for a few weeks was painful.  I had such a good time and learned a lot about myself over the past few weeks of visitors.  I enjoy both having people around and having my quiet me time.  I am happy that I have chosen not to have children, while appreciating the wonderful times that I have with my nieces and nephews and the other wonderful children in my life.  Getting out of my rut and seeing Brunei with new eyes was also a great experience.  I have been very lucky to be assigned here in order to learn about the unique country that it is.

Friday, May 02, 2014

Mini Habits Day 15

1. I am thankful for the very large house I have so I can host so many wonderful friends and family at one time!

2. I worked out in the swimming pool today by throwing children around and swimming.

3. There is an ant alive and walking around in my laptop touch screen.  It is the oddest thing- I thought initially it was only on the screen and I tried to kill it, but it kept moving around.  So odd.  When I googled the issue, it turns out to not be uncommon.  I just hope it figures out how to get back out of the screen before it dies in there.