Month: December 2023

December 31: thank yourself (you were amazing in 2023 and you will be in 2024)

As I am writing this, it will be few hours before we bid goodbye to 2023. before we finally leave this year let us thank ourselves for the overall growth we gained in the last 12months.

We often look forward to have a fresh start at the beginning of a new year because maybe we are disappointed with all the stuff we set early this year and we feel like we did not successfully done any. Or the plans we made did not go well. The bottomline is we feel like 2023 was not good or we were not enough.

Stop.

Think again.

You made it to this day alive! It’s a huge achievement! Thank yourself. Be proud of that.

Most of the time we are so harsh to ourselves appreciating other people’s achievements and not seeing any of our own.

Close your eyes for a sec. Ask this: What are the wins did you make in 2023?

This is not only the time to jot down your New Year’s resolution but also the time to give credits you owe yourself from the wins you made from the old year. Small or big wins are worth celebrating.

You deserve all the best the world offers you every year. Happy New Year to your wins and the future ones!

12 simple 2024 New Year’s Resolution

I am a firm believer of setting goals as high as the Mt. Everest. However, setting simple good habits can make a big difference and can help us attain our big goals. Below activities may look simple but incorporating it to your daily routine will create a huge difference in your life.

1. Get up at the same time

Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, it is important to have a consistent time to wake up. You will have to assess when you usually wake up and will initially have an alarm clock and you will eventually notice that you will not need an alarm clock anymore.

2. Make your bed

Making your bed is like a switch to the brain that tells it that you are ready to start your day. If this is not in your routine yet, you can begin by organizing your pillows then next day your blanket and later on you will see yourself doing this automatically.

3. Meditate

This will help you relax and breathe properly. Start small – you can try 30 seconds on the first day then add 30 seconds everyday until you reach a number of minutes that will fit your lifestyle. Do this after you get up and before going to bed.

4. Exercise

Strengthening the body will give you more energy in a day. Try easy exercises first like 5-minute stretching and then increasing the intensity everyday. Look for exercise that you enjoy doing for longer time.

5. Hydrate

Our body is made up mainly of water and therefore hydrating will make our body happy. If you are drinking on average per day of 5 glasses, add one more glass every other day. Or have a container that can monitor how much water you drink in a day.

6. Read

Reading is an exercise for the mind and soul. Grab a book and start reading for straight 5 minutes do not go beyond that even if you get excited. The next day make it 10 minutes and then add more until you find the duration that will make you read everyday.

7. Cut sugar

Your internal organs will thank you now and tomorrow. Slowly, you can stop drinking soda. Then, reduce eating sweet candies and chocolates. Or, changing your milk tea intake from daily to weekly to monthly or even once ever 6 months..

8. Less salt and fat

Your internal organs will also thank you if you start doing this. Start by removing the crispy yummy chicken skin of your fried chicken or reducing eating in fast food. Avoid areas or restaurants that will tempt you to have the good tasting evil salty and fatty food.

9. More fiber

Your tummy and butt hole will love you. LOL. If you are craving for sugary, salty or fatty food, grab an alternative that is high in fiber. Sugary food – get fruits. Salty food – cucumber with vinegar and a pinch of salt. Fatty food – make your own fries with potatoes cooked in an air fryer.

10. Reduce screen time

In this past-pacing tech world, we get afraid to feel left out if we are not scrolling through our phones. But, it is not healthy for our brain and eyes. Start by setting your phone to limit your usage of the apps by half or your usual usage then reduce that time by 10% every week.

11. Journal

It will make you track your life especially your emotions. Allocate 5 minutes of writing in the morning what you are grateful about and then another 5 minutes at night of what happened to your day and what you learned. Increase this time by 1 minute everyday until 15-30minutes.

12. Rest

If you get up at the same hour, try to go to sleep at the same hour as well and your cells will be thankful. Try not to look at any bright screen 30minutes before sleeping. Go to bed at the initial time you set and close your eyes and relax. Your body will tell you that you are not sleepy but, do not give in. You can count if there are so many things running in your mind. Aim for 7-8 hours of undisturbed sleep.

December 29: gratitude (what are the things you are thankful?)

If someone ambush interviews you asking what are you thankful for in 2023, what will be your fastest response?

During our darkest days, it seems that the world will never be our ally. We lose sight of what we have which are often more than enough for us. Having a grateful heart can drastically change your life by switching your perspective.

Everyday we have a lot to be thankful for. From the moment we wake up to getting rest at the end of the day. We often do not pay attention on these mundane things but to get up in a comfortable bed is something someone should be thankful for. The food. The stress we get. The friends who never give up on us. The opportunities we have.

In the next coming years, darkest days will come but will not last. Being thankful despite these moments can create sparks in you. They say that there is always light at the end of the tunnel but why not be a lighted tunnel for you and other people by being thankful for wherever life has taken you?

December 28: vision (what am I imagining for myself this 2024?)

Yesterday, I gave in to my brain wanting comfort. I procrastinated for my urgent tasks and I did not write the day’s blog entry in my full free will. And, I am not proud of that because early this year, I envisioned myself as a more productive person with an unbreakable routine.

It was frustrating but then I realized I made a significant progress on that routine I am building. I was on my 200-day Duolingo streak. I made it to reading the Stoics one page a day up until this writing. I got to go back journaling from day 1 to this day.

Three habits I managed to incorporate on my daily life for 365 days. Not as much as what I imagined when I got to the first day of 2023.

For 2024, what I am imaging for myself would be more good habits in my routine and a more fruitful use of every second of my life. To face the challenges and not run away from it through any retail therapy or mindless social media scrolling. To be healthier as by getting better food options and moving my body more. To become more mindful by focusing and giving full attention to something and being contented in the silence of the surrounding listening to the task at hand. I envision a better me in the next 365 days.

Ask yourself, what am I imagining for the new version of myself this 2024 before you begin your New Year’s resolution.

December 27: Reflect (before the year ends-welcoming 2024)

Spend 30 minutes of your day before 2023 ends. How did you spend the last 12 months? Did most of your time put into waste by aimless scrolling to your social media accounts?

Reevaluate what you’d done. Are those something you’re proud of? Or hours you regret losing?

A lot of people aim for more money to get things that can only give us instant gratification that are often short-lived. These things may be expensive but the most expensive one would be time. This resource is non-renewable and non-refillable. It is too precious. Once lost, it is lost forever.

So, before the year ends, ask yourself, how did you use your 365 days as a free person with full capacity to function your 101%? Let’s try to be mindful how we will utilize the next seconds of your life.

2022 Top 3 exported crops in the Philippines

Philippines may be small in terms of land area for crop production but we can be great at other agricultural commodity. Here are the top 3 crops that we are exporting:

1. Pineapple

I was also surprised to know that Philippines is the 3rd top producing country in the world that produces pineapple. So, I guess Spongebob may prolly be living in one of our seas. 😛

2. Banana

Na na na ba ba na na. Yup, banana is also one of the top crops that we produce and export. Large plantations can be seen in the Southern regions of the country.

3. Coconut (oil and other products)

This did not surprise that much. Actually, before (if I am not mistaken) we export coconut itself. What surprised me was that nowadays it was the oil and other products of coconuts that we export the most.

Although land areas for agriculture are declining, I still have high hopes for our agricultural sector. With proper handling and management we can produce other crops that can boost our economy.

December 26: plan (what are you aiming this coming 2024?)

I am a spontaneous person. I do things whenever I like. I am not a kind of person that makes plans. But, I realize that not having a plan is messing up my life goals.

This coming new year my aim is to be more organized through everyday intentional planning. Your goals will come around when you have plans that is carefully thought. These plans may never come into life prolly because the universe has a better plan for you, still try to have one and a plan B.

It gets me frustrated because I start making plans for three consecutive days and then I get back to my old habit of not having a plan and end stressed out. I want to better on this aspect of my life so I will be less anxious and worried in the day.

I must be a better person this year. I must be the person I imagined that my future self will be proud of.

December 25: 4 easy things (to start before 2024 that will create change in you)

It is 7 days before the start of a new year. We always have our list of New Year’s resolution but as the year unfolds, think about the list you made starting this year. Have you checked any of those? Most likely not unless you made a big change in your life. It is easy to write your goals but hard to be committed and have the discipline. Committing and having the discipline both needs creation of routine. The three things I am listing today are a must to include in your list. Start making it a routine 7 days before the year ends, do not skip even a day until January 1st.

1. 5-minute meditation after getting up and before going to bed

It will nourish your soul. This will also create better focus and attention. Try not to open any app in your phone after opening your eyes in the morning and move your phone farther from your bed before sleeping then meditate for 5 minutes. Focus on your breathing and relax.

2. 10-minute exercise in the morning and in the afternoon

It will nourish your body. Whichever exercise you get fun doing, allocate at least 10 minutes in the morning and afternoon to move your body.

3. 15-minute journaling

It will nourish your heart. Write down things you are grateful. Your emotions. What made you happy or stressed. Think about how you will start your day and contemplate on how you will gonna end it.

4. 20-minute reading

It will nourish your mind. Fictional, self-help, scientific article or news. Make it a habit to read without distractions for 20 minutes. Seeing different perspectives will create a new way of you looking at life.

Easy to make Pinoy dessert – maja blanca (coconut pudding)

After Christmas, we are going to prepare for the New Year’s dinner. In the Philippines, we call it media noche. Now that I live outside my home country, I usually want to bring something Filipino in gatherings like Christmas or New Year’s eve dinner. However, I often struggle what to make that is easy to make but will still tastes good and ingredients are available in the nearest grocery. And it dawned me – why not make maja blanca.

Maja blanca is like pudding but you do not need to bake it! It is a Filipino dessert or snack mainly made of coconut milk. Below it the ingredients and how to make it:

Ingredients:

400-ml coconut milk

350-ml evaporated milk

400-ml condensed milk

1/2-tsp salt

1/2-cup granulated white sugar

1 1/2-cup corn starch

1 1/2-cup water

1-cup whole kernel corn

Preparation time: 25-30 minutes

Procedure:

1. Combine coconut milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk in a pot. Put the pot in a stove under medium heat. Mix it well until there is no curds.

2. Add the sugar and salt in the mixture and mix.

3. Dissolve well the corn starch in the water. Make sure there is no corn starch curds in the water and the mixture is homogenous. Add this to the simmering pot of milk mixture.

4. Continuously mix until it begins thickening and then add the corn. Make sure to add the corn when the mixture is not very thin but before it gets very thick.

5. Mix very well until all the corn kernels are evenly distributed and the mixture gets thick.

6. To make it very Pinoy, put it in a bilao. But, if bilao is not available, the baking pan will work fine.

7. Cool and serve with cheese (optional)