2009 was a banner year, wasn’t it? Replete with highs and lows. Who can forget the feeling of promise (or dread, if you are batting for the other team) as President Obama took office? My 14 year old was in tears over it. She usually saves her tears for things like the Notebook or My Sister’s Keeper or Fellowship of the Ring. She was in tears! Over politics. This is MY GIRL.
And who can forget when our local paper, the Seattle Post Intelligencer laid off 150 of our finest and went to a web only version? Or how there was a rise of citizen journalism and hyperlocal blogging to fill in the gaps?
Or if you are thinking globally, who wasn’t moved when the people of Iran rose up against the unjust? Or amazed at how their voices couldn’t be stymied (though they tried) with the use of social media tools (like Twitter and Facebook) and help from techies from around the world?
So there is nothing surprising about my own highs and lows. I too started the year with such promise. I was going to lose the weight (for good this time!) and write a book (still working on it!) and become a freelance writer (discovered that it’s not for me). There were a lot of setbacks, missed opportunities and self-denial. It was hard. And there were lows.
BUT.
With each low, I learned something. I grew. My optimism rarely faltered. Though it did a couple of times but even that turned out okay in the end.
I realized that I have some really amazing relatives and friends.
I realized that I have a voice.
And I attribute a lot of my personal happiness to this blog. I write. You listen. I make mistakes. You listen. I don’t write. You still listen. I am thankful.
Ladies & Gentlemen Happy New Year.
Know that when you look up at that big blue moon tonight, I’ll be making a wish for all of you to have a stellar 2010.
Back in 2003 Dooce wrote a post about her adventures with a golf cart and Norah Jones. Now before you imagine Dooce frenetically steering a golf cart while saying things like “SHINGLES” as Norah Jones sits passenger side with her arms wrapped around her knees … the reason I really brought it up was because when she explained the sound of Norah’s voice, she used the phrase: “drip like honey onto sandpaper”and I thought that was brilliant. It’s exactly her voice should be described – slow, sweet, gravelly, etc.
The other day I was sifting through the internet and remembered that I finally met the lovely Jennifer Tai at a Social Media Club event. She used to blog about being a parent and now, well now she’s flipped the switch and is living her passion as a photographer. It reminds me of another certain person (yes, that’s you Karen). And aside from the fact that Jennifer shoots portraits that you actually want to be in (in other words, no 80′s glamour shots and matchy matchy sweater sets), her website features this song called, “Honey Bee” by Zee Avi. I had never heard the song and since then, I’ve downloaded all of her music and have them on repeat. Her voice drips like honey onto sandpaper.
And as an Asian, I get so excited when I see other Asians make it without any schtick … I mean, I grew up thinking Long Duc Dong and that Asian guy in Revenge of the Nerds was all I had to aspire to. So go and tell your friends about her.
A couple of days ago (after I posted a coconut cream pie recipe) a fellow blogger named Tony commented on my post saying something along the lines of, “Hey! Hey you! Remember your New Year’s resolution to lose weight? Remember you were on CNN? How you used to wax poetic about how this was your year to follow your dream? What happened to THAT GIRL? FRAUD! FRAUD!”
Okay, maybe he didn’t say that EXACTLY, but the net affect was the same. It jolted me into WTF mode. Like WTF am I doing? Or WhereTF do I want to go? And good Lord, my britches are tight again and that I haven’t weighed myself nor gone to the gym in AGES. At this juncture, I know that this is a problem of the soul, but it’s showing up on my ass.
Looking back over this past year, I realize that I can make every excuse in the book – my aunt & uncle died, my house went to shit, I got depressed, I moved, got a job, etc. etc. etc. But the truth of the matter is that I did it again – I put myself last on the list. All the promises of earlier in the year kind of went sideways. I didn’t keep the momentum going. I lost 20 pounds and I gained 10 back. In fact, I gained 10 lbs back in the last 2 months. I weighed myself this morning and the scale said something like one-hundred and eighmm-harrumph-haraumph. Okay – 184. But in my defense, I was holding a coconut cream pie while on the scale. Seriously, I think that muffin top is really made out of coconut cream pie.
So, ummm, yeah. What now?
Well, the old Giyen might have said something like, “Oh God. Well, lets take the pressure off and wait till New Year’s to start dieting again. It’s 2 weeks from now and visions of sugar plums are within my grasp, goddammit. Let the holiday feasting begin!”
But that old Giyen is dead. I am really, really tired of being overweight and tired of this conversation. I am going to start up again today. No time like the present to commit to making a change for the better. If I slip up, then so be it. I know that there will be the Tony’s of the world to give me a gentle nudging to get me back on track.
Thanks, man.
PS. If you want to be inspired, check out Tony’s weight loss story here.
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, BlueHost, Freshbooks and OpenSky may take you a purchase page of a company where I am a member of an affiliate program. As a result, I will often get a small percentage of the revenue or a commission off of something you have purchased. I am not otherwise paid to link to these sites, nor do I link to any products that I don't actually use or covet in real life. On the rare occasion I accept payment to review a product, it will be duly noted in its associated post.
