I resolve…

I had a think about some resolutions for the coming year. Also take a look at this! ONE Care more for the environment -use less plastic -recycle, reduce waste, especially at work where somedays all I do is print -buy local/organic when possible -use the dryer less (kind of impossible when the house is freezing in winter, but i’ll try!) -cook more vegetarian and vegan meals when possible, that are tasty! -take my lunch to work at least 4/5 days -buy a reusable travel coffee mug, and use it -grow what herbs and lettuce/spinach I can

TWO Be more tidy/organised I think i’ll just start with making my bed, progress is progress people.

THREE Become financially organised. Kind of goes with two, it’s more about organising automatic payments etc. I just normally pay everything manually. It would save time, if I just set up the payments to go out already sheesh! Plus i’m in charge of the flat account, so being more organised would save me trawling the account history to see if I did actually pay the electric bill etc which 10/10 times I have done.

FOUR Getting my learners permit Yeah, I don’t drive. I should really get started on at least getting the permit.

FIVE Ride around the bays I desperately need to become more bike confident, I don’t think hearing/reading cycle horror stories has helped. Plus I used to manage riding to uni without getting hit by a tram, just need to get some self confidence!

SIX Go regularly to swim squad I really want to get back into swimming, but at the moment i’ve got running training, strength training, interval work, and boot camp part THREE coming up in february, so for now at least once a week.

SEVEN Keep a health diary I’ve started tracking my exercise here which is brilliant, free, quick and easy. I’m also going to be more diligent with my food diary, tracking! I have a notebook, but I did see an amazing wellbeing diary the other day which if its still left I might get in the new year.

EIGHT Use my juicer at least once a week I bought a second hand juicer two weeks ago, it has seen NO use by me. I keep saying its because of the weather, but yeah, the thing kind of scares me, in that it may take my hand along with the apple. There is nothing wrong with it by the way.

NINE Make new friends I’d like to meet and get to know some new people, most people I have met here have moved back overseas. This includes bloggy peeps!

TEN Reach my healthy weight range My healthy weight range is between 61-76kg, I think I would prefer to be closer to the 76 than the 61, but i’ll really have little idea until I get there. If the past twelve months has taught me one thing, it more about the food you eat than the exercise. If I had taken more care with what I had eaten, whilst getting fitter, I would be much closer, if not at goal. I really enjoyed my massive increase in fitness this year, I just need to eat less, period. Make better choices, period. No crap in the house, period. I’ll also be very very happy along the way to get my BMI under 30 which would be about 92kgs and remove me from the obese category, whoot! And it is possible, its only a little over 500g per week to get there.

Ten things does seem a lot, and they do have mini goals within, but they all tie in with wanting and needing to be more organised. Period.

Plastic Plastic Everywhere

I normally have the usual resolutions, get rid of more weight, don’t eat so much cake, cupcakes, the usual. I don’t currently have a list for 2010 running about in my head, however.

I will be more kind to the environment!

image from www.inhabitat.com

I used to be very good especially when buying groceries to bring reusable bags pretty much every time. Now, never, maybe twice this past year, if that. Insane. I still don’t put my fruit and veg in the little plastic bags, they all go in my basket – so that is better than nothing, but still!

In the last few weeks I have switched our dishwasher powder over to something more friendly and will be doing the same when our other cleaning and household products run out. Plus the local organics shop from what I remember has a system, where you can come in and refill your empty containers with new powder etc, so that’s a bonus! It’s quite easy to do, and in my apartment I’m the person in charge of the flat account, so as long as my other two housemates have access to the goods, all is good. It really isn’t going to cost that much more in the long run. And they are not HUGE changes, but in effect they WILL make a difference.

My plastic drink bottles should get replaced with something akin to this.

And those plastic bags with these.

I’m sure there are plenty of more things I could do around the house, or even at work. I should compile a list.

If anyone has any ideas or thoughts…

Eve

I finished work at lunch today, went to the gym – it was desolate, being packed the previous two weeks with people trying to starve of the indulgence of the season. It was funny, in that the only people around were ones who I recognised from seeing pretty much consistently throughout the year. I went because I like having that transition from work to home, and because I like it in a way I never thought I would.

I’m spending Christmas this year with some friends, we all have family and loved ones overseas or travelling. So we are having a BBQ lunch, with traditional puddings and alike.

Even though Out & About is only very new, thank you to everybody who has stopped by, and to those that have left comments. Your support and kindness has meant the world to me.

Whatever way you spend this time of year, enjoy.

x

Running on Water

Or at least around it! I’ve registered for my first race of 2010, a local very popular 7km run around the bays. I printed off the programme today as I want to work on speed for this race, and really push myself hard. The training programme I have is for folks that want to finish under 45minutes.

That’s my goal.

Thoughts, tips?

To Market

My days of lazy Sunday sleep-ins get less and less the more I exercise in the wee hours of the morning during the week. I was awake at 7am this morning, before that even. At 7.30am, I was restless enough and wandered down the hall and had a long shower. Before I left the apartment, I made a huge shopping list for the market and headed out.

The waterfront market was busy with shoppers, and extra stalls with Christmas treats along with the usual suspects selling, fresh vegetables, fruit, peanut butter, meat, pizza, coffee, tofu, fresh bread and pastries, and a band was playing Christmas carols as well. For once I strolled through the stalls rather than my usual rush through. I was a bit dismayed to find that the only garlic was imported, so I vowed try elsewhere.

I have been taking a Thai cooking class for the past few weeks, and tomorrow is our final night. My ingredient list was packed with more chillies, limes, fish, coriander, and different sauces. I headed first for a coffee after my market shopping was complete, and then to a place I knew I would be able to find most of the things I was looking for. I could spend hours just looking at all the different items – I lived here for at least 2 years before I realised there was a place to go for unusual along with the day to day things.

When I came back home, I made some meals for the week ahead – The weeks are getting busier closer to Christmas, and my normally relaxed and quiet weekends are filled with tasks and events. I cooked two new recipes, lemon grass and ginger poached chicken, and miso beef. The miso beef was amazing, I had a tiny serve for lunch with pickled ginger. I think the chicken may need a little bit of salt and pepper, as it’s a little bland. But it may taste better once it’s settled.

The cooking classes have been brilliant, they have introduced me to new ingredients and ways to use them. I’ve made green curry paste from scratch, learned that I can use frozen lemongrass if I can’t find fresh and discovered I can freeze numerous herbs. I can’t wait to sign up for more classes in the new year and learn more things, and inject some freshness and versatility into my cooking.

If you have cooking classes available near you, please try one. There are ones that are affordable, or just try something different, learn about a new ingredient.

Did you know you can chop up the coriander root and add it into stiry fry and also into a curry paste mix – I certainly didn’t!

Sacred Scent

I bought a box of peonies for a birthday I went to this afternoon. I saw them in the florist earlier in the week, white, soft, and unusual. With no idea of the scent, due to the almost overwhelming aromas in the florist I ordered a box, but added pink blooms to the order. I picked them up this morning, the scent is divine. I caught the birthday guest unaware this afternoon her head buried in  them and smiling quietly to herself as she picked up the perfume.

After a run of bad weather, the sun came out today. This morning, I went for a long run up to one of the lookouts over the city, there was no breeze, and a little cloud. I stopped myself coming back down for a moment, just to take it all in, the water before me, and the peaks all around, it is so lush here, I never realised how dry it was when I was living in Australia, now I am so used to the green and lush landscape.

I hope the warm weather lasts, and that summer has arrived, and that flowers fill my life for however brief the moment, over and over again.

Knock Knock

I woke up the following morning and lost my nerve. Removed the link, and promptly went to work. I checked my email whilst getting set up for the day, and got a lovely surprise from a dear friend. It helped immensely.

A lot of people know here already, friends, and some had an inkling beforehand. I’m not sure what I was so concerned about, so far people have been supportive, and if they are not well, it would be upsetting, i’d be lying if I didn’t think it would feel like that.

So I got home and put the link back in, and i’m okay with that, in a way I didn’t think I could be.