Mid-Year Check 2024

I started drafting this entry nung beginning of June pa lang. Ang saya pa ng tone nung pagkakasulat ko that time. I even claimed this year to be one of the best ones. But after just a month, it went from being one of the best to one of the worst.

Yung positive muna. Meron kasi akong main goal na hindi ko sinama sa 2024 Game Plan ko. Kasi ayokong ma-jinx. It’s doable, pero may mga bagay pa rin na outside of my control. I just hope na everything would go according to plan. Thankfully nagawa ko sya, at yun ay ang wish ko na madala si Almond—our beloved cat, our first fur baby—dito sa Canada.

Sobrang relieved at ang saya ko nung sinundo ako ni Kenneth sa airport, tapos kasama na namin si Almond pauwi. Ito yung reason bakit sabi kong one of the best years ang 2024. Well, I called it too early. Because just a few weeks ago, may dumating na masamang balita. And my theme for this year couldn’t be more perfect:

Open to life’s plot twists

This new plot twist is truly devastating. I don’t even know if I’m handling it well. I just know that I need to be strong so I can also be strong for her. I have to remain positive, hopeful, and sometimes inject some humor to somehow lift the family’s heavy spirits.

For now, I will try to look ahead and take it one step at a time. I will continue what I started writing last month and revisit my 2024 Game Plan. I already know that some goals will be dropped and a few will be added.

😊

😐

☹️

Personal Goals

Isasama ko na dito yung Almond goal so a total of six personal goals.

1. Bring Almond to Canada 😊

Based sa kwento kanina, this was a success. Three months na sya dito, and I would like to think that she’s living her best life. Minsan pag tinitingnan ko si Almond, hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala na nandito na sya. Hays. This really was a dream come true.

2. More in-person interactions 😊

Dahil umuwi ako ng Pilipinas nung February, this goal was really easy to achieve. Pagbalik ko ng Canada, I was still on a bit of a high and it gave me the confidence to connect to new people with less anxiety.

Although, I also have to accept that there are people I won’t vibe with despite repeated interactions. It is what it is. So far, this goal was a success. I’d like to continue this momentum for the rest of the year.

3. Lead by action 😊

I’m happy to report na sobrang consistent namin ni Kenneth with household chores. Ngayon ko lang na-realize na sobrang rare ko nang magtanong sa kanya ng, “Nag-scoop ka na?” (ito yung scooping the cat poop from the litter box). Wala na rin yung usual na, “Kailangan nang itapon yung basura.” Ang galing. Good job to us.

4. PH Christmas Vacation 😊

Last last month ko pa nalaman that PH Christmas won’t be achieved. But I guess this can still be a success kasi nakauwi pa rin naman ako. From PH Christmas, I will just change it to PH vacation. Umuwi ako dahil 60th birthday ng Papa at gusto nya na kumpleto kami. More on this sa PH 2024 Series posts. We also went to Japan which was a happy bonus.

5. Simplify 😐

Hmmm. Until now, medyo malabo pa rin kung pano ko ‘to ma-a-achieve. Siguro kelangan ko munang ma-determine kung ano bang magulo sa buhay ko at kung pano ko sya masi-simplify. Ang una kong naiisip ay yung apartment namin. Naguguluhan ako. Parang ang daming nagsipagpatong. Dun nalang muna ako magfo-focus habang nagiisip pa ko ng iba.

6. Book Reviews 😊

So far, I’ve read 13 books and was able to write short reviews for 11 of them. I also exceeded my reading goal which was to read 12 books this year.

Wellness

From five wellness goals, I compressed it to three:

7. Weekend social media user ☹️

I don’t think I can do this. I’ve already given up. But what I’m proud of is using these apps less and less.

8. Reduce inflammation

9. More home cooked meals, more vegan dishes

11. Limit food deliveries

I am struggling with these three. I can’t seem to get a grip. Right now, ang weakness ko ay milk tea and food deliveries. I rarely cook now. To be fair, nagkaron ako ng phase na ang proud ko sa mga food choices ko. Pero lately, hindi ko na alam kung anong nangyayare. I need to go back to one of my 2023 goals which is to truly love my body. If I truly love my body, I will be mindful of what I put into it and stop putting so much junk.

These three goals are more likely the same so I’m lumping them together and replacing it with my former 2023 goal:

8. Truly love my body ☹️

Although I’m proud of my after-work walks, I’m not happy with my eating habits. Na-jinx yung sinabi ko noon kay Kenneth na hindi ako nauumay sa baked chicken/salmon and veggies. Isang araw bigla na lang akong nag-crave sa fastfood tapos tuloy-tuloy na. I’m disappointed. But the only thing I can do right now is: do better. Accept my slip-up and just do better.

9. Intentionally expose myself to discomforts 😊

Last year, I listed down some things to help me with this goal at nagagawa ko naman yung iba dun—tulad ng initiating small talks and 24-hour fasts. Siguro yung isa pang improvement na related dito ay yung pag-regulate ng reaction ko during unexpected discomforts. Sometimes I find myself talking through it and mentally saying, “It’s okay, you need this. Maybe the reason why you’re feeling uncomfortable is you’re too comfortable. You need this.”

Finances

As always, I am obsessively tracking our expenses and saving for our money goals. I take pleasure in seeing my charts and reports every month.

I ditched two goals under this category and replaced it with a new one.

10. No new gadgets 😊

So far, so good.

11. Complete 20% home deposit 😊

We’re still on track. Bukod sa deposit, I added house closing costs and budget for new furniture. Based sa calculations, we can achieve them by December.

12. Find a more purposeful and fulfilling work

13. Increase monthly income

I got rid of Goal #12 a couple months ago. Sabi ko last year, gusto kong mas mahirapan. But I’ve come to realize that I’m good with what I’m doing right now. I’m letting go of the need to to find purpose and meaning from my work. I will get my purpose from other things instead. I talked about it at length here.

And I guess the reason why I’m not chasing too much (career-wise) is because I’ve been through a lot already (multiple surgeries, chronic pain from endometriosis, a holdup attempt, all sorts of trauma). If I will constantly be in pain, I want to have a laidback life. I deserve a life that’s not too stressful.

I may have to wait for months or years to get the things I want (sa case ng MacBook, 3 years na kong naghihintay), but I’m 100% okay with that. I noticed when it comes to things I really really want, I tend to be patient. I won’t get a cheaper alternative so I can have it now, I will wait.

Goal #13 feels connected to #12 so I’ll be removing it too. I’ll replace these two goals with:

12. Find a new job in Calgary 😐

There’s a possibility that we could move to Calgary this year. If that’s the case, I have to find a new job. My goal is to find something similar to what I have now: easy, no to little stress, and pays decent. If I could find something that will let me work from home, even better.

Out of my 12 revised goals, I’ve achieved two, I’m doing pretty good on six, and need to majorly improve on two.