101 Things in 1001 Days

The problem with New Year's Resolutions is that I usually forget about them a month later while Bucket Lists don't provide a realistic time frame for me to complete my goals. There is too much room for procrastination when tasks are not clearly defined.  The solution?  I've decided to give 101 Things in 100 Days a try - Inspired by other bloggers' lists, I've created my own - let's see how many of these I accomplish in 2.75 years!

Start Date: June 22, 2010
End Date: March 19, 2013 


Italicized = In progress
Bold = Done

o1. Get something I've written published

o2. Take dance lessons

o3. Have a tweet replied by a celebrity on Twitter

o4. Get a cactus for my room

o5. Attempt 31 Days of Love [Refer to 365 Days of Love] (0/31)

o6. Have my letter/comment read on-air on the radio

o7. Organize a tea party with my closest friends

o8. Give someone message pills in a bottle (Refer to A Millionaire's First Love)

o9. Go on a missions trip

1o. Read at least twelve books for fun in a year (0/12)

11. Try African food

12. Read a book on grammar

13. Try a new recipe every month for a year (0/12)

14. Put away half my paycheque into my savings account every month for 1 year to see how much I can save

15. Create a time capsule for myself to open in 5 years

16. Snap a picture a day for a month (0/30)

17. Write an "if anything ever happens to me" letter

18. Learn a new instrument

19. Send my parents on an all-expense paid for vacation

2o. Participate in the Sun Run

21. Watch a Chinese and Korean movie without subtitles (0/2)

22. Send someone a care package

23. Hang a lock at Namsan Tower in Seoul

24. Blog something meaningful everyday for a week

25. Write 10 notes of appreciation to 10 friends (0/10)

26. Watch the sunrise

27. Do the Grouse Grind

28. Travel to Shanghai

29. Go snowboarding

3o. Do a 7 day cleanse

31. Commit to the 60-day Insanity workout

32. Attend 5 live concerts (1/5)

33. Visit my sister when she goes on exchange

34. Throw a surprise party for someone special

35. Go ice skating at Robson Square

36. Make a trip to try beavertails (I am after all Canadian now!)

37. Indulge in cheesecake at Cheesecake Etc.

38. Attempt to take a picture in the middle of the street in Shibuya, Japan

39. Keep a prayer journal

4o. Volunteer for a great cause

41. Eat In-N-Out

42. Visit the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

43. Shop at a flea market

44. Take a train ride

45. See a movie by myself

46. Watch Lord of the Rings

47. Buy a hard drive

48. Learn to make an Indian dish

49. Visit Charlie’s Chocolate Factory

5o. Organize a Tegomass Forums staff reunion with everyone living in Vancouver

51. Create a portfolio

52. See a drive-in movie

53. Host a dinner party

54. Call someone new once a week for 2 months to catch up (0/8)

55. Take pictures at a photobooth

56. Take my driving test

57. Go on a roadtrip

58. Make a daily list of 5 things that make me happy for one month

59. Attend a film festival

6o. Take up ice skating lessons again

61. Go to bed by midnight for a month (0/30)

62. Clean and redecorate my room

63. Put photo frames up on my room wall

64. Cook for my family once a week for 6 months (0/24)

65. Find out my blood type

66. Graduate

67. Don’t complain about anything for one week

68. Take a yoga class

69. Go hiking

7o. Shop at a thrift shop

71. Read all the books I’ve purchased

72. Bake a birthday cake for someone

73. Expand my vocabulary by 100 words

74. Attend a musical

75. Read a book in the park

76. Develop my photos

77. Find a full-time job

78. Drink only water for 2 weeks straight

79. Donate unworn clothing and shoes

8o. Tutor someone

81. Try geo-caching

82. Learn to bake cheesecake

83. Write a letter to my future 28-year old self

84. Review my Mandarin texts

85. Attend 5 local events (0/5)

86. Complete reading 30 Books Everyone Should Read Before Their 30th Birthday list

87. Go jogging at least twice a week for 2 months

88. Go to one Bard on the Beach play once a year (1/2)

89. Reconnect with 3 old friends (0/3)

9o. Balance chequebook at least once a month for a year (0/12)

91. Go on a grad trip

92. Learn to make seaweed soup

93. Back up my computer files & organize into folders

94. Pray for someone consistently for a month, repeat.

95. Keep a Bible reading/devotions journal

96. Surprise 5 people with something nice (0/5)

97. Make a new friend

98. Save $200 every month for 6 months (0/6)

99. Open up a power savings account

1oo. Learn to make Vietnamese shrimp rolls

1o1. Learn to use every single function on my camera

Dear Self, Let's Continue To Improve

I desire to be someone who is capable and intelligent yet sensitive and caring towards the people around me. I want to make God my focus before anything else.  Be a girl after God's own heart, able to feel the things that breaks His as well as those that bring Him joy.  Reliable and dependable are characteristics I'd like to encompass, someone with a good head on her shoulders who is goal-oriented and prioritizes her time well.  One who cares for herself as much as she loves others.  Someone who knows where she stands on matters and can back it up with evidence. I don't want to be a girl who complains about suffering but one who deals with situations and obstacles calmly and gracefully.  Not someone who boasts about her past or plans for the future but one who is humble and recognizes that her strength is from God.

Easy Come, Easy Go

Good things come to those who wait, right? ^^;  Another lengthy lesson in patience is being learned - I have to keep reminding myself not in my time but God's time. I just want to surround myself with my friends when I get back home, think this can be arranged? (;

Before The Morning

Do you wonder why you have to
Feel the things that hurt you
If there's a God
Who loves you where is He now?

Maybe there are things you can't see
And all those things are happening
To bring a better ending
Someday somehow you'll see you'll see

Would you dare would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing
'Cause the pain that you've been feeling
It can't compare to the joy that's coming
So hold on you gotta wait for the light
Press on and just fight the good fight
'Cause the pain that you've been feeling
It's just the dark before the morning

My friend you know how this all ends
You know where you're going
You just don't know how you get there
So say a prayer

And hold on
'Cause there's good for those who love God
But life is not a snapshot 
It might take a little time
But you'll see the bigger picture

Once you feel the weight of glory
All your pain will fade to memory

Sorry for the lack of updates! I came back from my church's 4 day 3 night spring retreat last Monday and have been meaning to talk about my experience. I'll get around to it sometime this week but let me leave you with our theme song, Before the Morning by Josh Wilson.  Have a great week everyone!

23

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday and celebrated with me! :) I seriously have the best friends in the world ♥ The day that marked my 23 years of existence was simply spent bumming around and going out for dinner with the fam bam. Every year I get less excited about my birthday and this year I proposed to spend it just like any other day in the life of Jan. I really liked it actually ^^

In other news, Beky, Resa and I have started a new blog called Mind, Body and Soul. It's basically going to be a progress log of our attempts to get fit and healthier. It's really never too late to shape up! Won't you join and follow us on our journey? ;)


Have a great Victoria day long weekend! :)

Happy May!

Guess what time of the year it is! My favourite month, of course (; I've been waiting and wishing that May would come sooner, and finally it's here! I already know it's going to be a fun and productive month. This week, I have my orientation with Vancouver Observer (I haven't decided what I'm going to be doing for them but probably something PR or writing-related), and I'll be attending my first Korean class at Langara (super excited about this one)! Hopefully as I get busier, I'll have more topics to blog and maybe, vlog about? :) Call me crazy but I have this dream that I'm hoping could happen sometime in the far future, and I've been thinking of ways to practice and develop the skills I need to get to that point. I know it's going to be a slow and timely process; however, I think it'll be worth it. So anyway.. what should my first vlog be about? ^^

P.S. I've jumped on the tumblr bandwagon so add me if you have one! http://janeeeta.tumblr.com

A Special Thank You To YOU

To my faithful readers and friends, thank you so much for following me on my blogging journey - I've finally hit 100 entries! :) It's been a year and a half since I first started Dark Circles Like Mashimaro and although my initial goal was to use this blog to improve my writing skills (I don't think I've achieved this yet- it's still a work in progress!), I've enjoyed sharing my thoughts and experiences with you all. I originally wanted to write more inspiring~ pieces but many of my entries turned out to be boring and uninteresting, and I apologize for that :( From now on, I'll keep working hard and improving as much as I can! But seriously, thank you for reading - even if it was just one entry, it means the world to me :)