Working On

Work/play. 2012 has started off with a bang with lots of creative projects—corporate identity and rebranding—my favorite kind of work. Then there’s the bread-and-butter production stuff that helps pay the bills, so as long as I remember to do the billing. Note to self—be more disciplined about billing each week.

One of the things I rediscovered while helping the Princess with her arts and crafts projects is how much I enjoy doing them. I’ve decided to make some time to do more painting, weaving, jewelry-making, illustration, and paper crafts. Perhaps one day you’ll see some of my work on Etsy. Or maybe even at a beach near you. (I tend to be quite popular with the under 10 crowd. ;-P)

I’ve also been studying the stock market and scoping out new investment opportunities since I’d decided to take over my managing my retirement portfolio. I decided that perhaps it was time to try my luck because my old 401(k) and IRA seemed to dwindle away while my personal trading account was growing by leaps and bounds. I tend to buy and hold, so I can’t really call it day-trading. Positions are almost all set, which means soon all I’ll get to do is watch and wait and rebalance as necessary.

Streamlining/Bringing Order. A futile effort with a prolific, budding artist in the house (The Princess), but I’m working on it. My sister has helped me clear out some of the Princess’s old toys and books. I already feel a positive energy shift. But the work is far from complete. The biggest challenge will be my shtuff. But it can and will be done.

Physical Fitness. I love food too much to go on a diet, so I have challenged myself to be more conscientious about what I eat and portion size. Using MyFitnessPal.com (my ID: MamaSoph) has been helping a lot. Nothing like seeing the number of cumulative calories to put a damper on the urge to snack.

Although Zumba and yoga have been helping me tone up and boost my metabolism, I feel I should be doing more—like weight training, ballet stretches, and walking/running. Thinking that I should aim to do a little something each day—ideally.

Yum-yums. It’s fine getting premade banchan (side dishes) at the Korean grocery store or to dine at a Korean restaurant, but it’s never quite the same or as good as Mom’s. One of my side projects is working on a Korean cookbook for American-Koreans like myself who crave Mom’s home cooking and want to carry on traditions.

The biggest challenge is determining precise measurements. As I consult “experts” such as my mom, my sister-in-law, and others, I’ve found that I get an overall idea of what goes into certain dishes, but the amounts are pretty vague. That’s OK with me. I’m more of a Zen cook myself. I go with the flow, and nothing is made the same way each time.

Although I’d like to say trust your instincts when it comes to measurements, I don’t think it’ll jive with everyone. Like it or not, I’ll still say it though. And besides, what better way to learn to be a good cook than to challenge oneself to experiment and experience constantly?

Writing. One of my other resolutions is to write more regularly. So far I’ve been good about doing my morning/daily pages, but what about the blog, hmmmm? I’ll get back to posting more regularly. Blogadays, anyone?

Reading. Fiction—Regency romances. (Loving the Kindle that my friend gave me for Christmas—I’ve been reading up a storm!) Non-fiction—self-improvement, Korean and vegetarian/vegan cookbooks, jewelry-making how-to guides. Children’s books—the Princess is really into fairies, princesses (of course!), and pirates. Reading recommendations appreciated.

Alas! Not enough hours in my day.

(Last updated 5/28/12)