Tag: 2023

A Goodbye to 2022

There were so many things that happened during the last two weeks of 2022 that there’s a need for me to write an ode to it to close the year.

Unfortunate Incidents

There has been a series of unfortunate before 2022 ended. I will not say that I was half-expecting this kind of send-off from 2022 as it had been a rather shitty year but is

Allergic Reaction

This remains a complete enigma to me up to this day. For reasons unknown, I ended up having an allergic reaction to something in my new flat. It was not as bad as my trachea closing on me but it did get to the point where my hives were bleeding from scratching too much or, wheezing. I don’t think it was that bad but my mother and a friend got mad at me because they said I could have died. (To be f, I wouldn’t have minded if it weren’t for the fact that I have rabbits to take care of).

Sometimes, you just have to live.

Patellar maltracking

It was my first time undergoing an MRI scan last December. As part of my goal to walk more and go to the gym more consistently, I was thinking of enrolling on a gym program. However, the lady said that I should go see a general practitioner or physiotherapist when I mentioned my knee pain.

Going through all the general questions, they couldn’t figure out if it was something with my bone or a meniscus tear due to the hiking I do. It turns out that it’s because my patella is not situated where it should be. The doctor said that it’s a good thing I went in for a checkup otherwise, the likelihood of getting osteoarthritis is higher in the future as opposed to going in for physiotherapy to correct it.

My doctor said that if it doesn’t correct itself, I will have to undergo surgery to correct it which is just perfect.

COVID-19

And then to top it off, it finally happened. I caught COVID-19 a day just after Christmas.

Maybe it was because I went out for one of my closest friends’ birthday or it was a way to humble me because I have been proud of my track record of not getting the virus for the entire pandemic. It happened just as Hong Kong was finally opening up after almost three years of closing itself to the world.

All I can say is that it was not a pleasant experience. It has been almost a decade since I have experienced any significant aches in my body and I forgot how bad it is to be afflicted by fever and a never ceasing migraine. Then, you still have to go through the motions of your everyday life – cleaning, feeding the rabbits, having to keep up to date with your daily diary. It was an unpleasant experience.

Dreams, Dreams and, more Dreams

There is beauty in the New Year. I find it so beautiful because people, especially desperate ones, are given a semblance of a fresh start and hope.

In spite of the bumpy end, I do hope that 2023 will be better and brighter for me and for everyone.

Happy New Year everyone!

Sincerely,

Allison.

🧠 Smartening Up

2023 is fast approaching and while it hasn’t officially arrived, I already have a few changes that I want to implement coming up. The long stretch of immobility was a blessing in that it was a period of reflection although, it was a miserable one. I have written multiple articles on healing and the reflection on the loss that happened. However, I think it is time to shift gears and move to the present and start setting my gaze on the future. The past has its place in that you learn and gain some perspective but one cannot stay in it forever. There is no point in learning when you cannot apply it to your present and future endeavours.

That being said, I have been reflecting on my lists and lists of goals that I have written down since I was 16. I am sad to say that hot damn, most of the goals were half-finished and the effort made was half-assed at best. I noticed something while perusing through the lists: it was too long. If you were anything like me, I matched yearly goals with my age or sometimes, I became too ambitious like listing out 100 goals for 2022 to get me out of my funk.

It took me 10 years to learn that it doesn’t work so I’m going to go and just list three items that I want to accomplish next year.

Non-negotiable Changes

1. Working part-time on my writing

I have been running this blog for almost two years now if I remember correctly. It started out as a public journal and as a place to keep track of the thoughts and musings that came to mind. Now, I want to produce something of value by documenting my progress and sharing things that worked while I’m on the road to getting to a better place.

The first step is to show up for the smallest of things and get the ball rolling from there.

2. Deep Work

It seems that ADHD runs in the family and if I don’t do anything about it, I will be distracted even in my own death bed. As you can see below, I was researching about sheep and whether or not these animals are smart while I was in the midst of writing this article. It turns out that they are pretty intelligent which is fascinating. If you want to learn where my fascination about animals come from, please visit some of the following links from the top of my head:

Finally, who doesn’t enjoy this animal video?

Alan! Alan! Alan!

Anyway, that’s beside the point. I want to be like the big man, Theodore Roosevelt. He is so cool. I want to be as disciplined as the man and any person that I look up to has some kind of time set aside for their pursuits. Also, this builds up on my first change which is working on my writing.

3. Consistency, one day at a time.

As I start whittling away at my goals and just strictly keeping to three things,

I already have three things that I want to accomplish within the first quarter of 2023. December is going to be the preview of what is to come by getting a headstart on these changes.

  • Lifting program – starting in January and I already paid for it. Currently working on a trial with a gym to get started.
  • Complete the virtual race I signed up for (Road to Hana)
  • Focusing on building a lifelong system, one habit at a time – it’s not going to be about sleep because my sleep schedule is inconsistent but, if I get the habit of being more active set in stone, everything else should fall into place.

I have always said tomorrow but if I keep on saying that, I will be dead before tomorrow comes. I know for myself that my biggest hurdle is the next action I need to take. Heck, it would take me 15 minutes or sometimes, even longer, to get started on something. Sometimes, it would take me half a day to get started on the first thing that I need to do for that day. I’m not proud of it but it is my reality so I have to do something about that before it’s too late.

Parting Words

I cannot use the “Oh I’m sad because of a breakup” excuse anymore because it’s been overused and overdue and, I’m extremely content with where I am with my life right now. I’m also talking to someone who’s down to show me how to shoot a gun because it’s an important skill to learn. The likelihood of a zombie apocalypse is inifitesimally low but someone holding you hostage or a grave where you have to defend yourself is not.

At the end of it all, I want to wisen up and toughen up and here is the first step that I’m taking.

Sincerely,

Allison.