Resolutions update: January

photo by organizingthesoup

At the beginning of the year, I posted my resolutions for 2009. I figured that I would post my progress on a monthly basis. How did I do?

Be more patient with those around me: this one has been a difficult. Right now, I have not yet found a place in San Francisco so being back at my mom's is somewhat frustrating. Everything I have is in a storage unit and I feel like a squatter. I have been living out of a suitcase for the past 6 weeks and I am so over it. I feel out of place. I know that I haven't been as patient with them as I would have liked but I feel like that part of my life is in limbo. However, I am hoping that my living situation will change soon... will update more on this later.

Be more active in keeping in touch with family and friends: Social sites like Facebook, Myspace and even email have helped me a lot with this one. I have been able to keep in touch with friends and family & have even gotten back in touch with people that I lost touch with. I will continue to work on making these bonds stronger. Also in January, I met a couple of friends for lunch on different days and it reminded me as to why I wanted to come back to the Bay Area.

Read a book a month:Fail! I started reading The History of Love by Nicole Krauss which I think was recommended by D. I like the premise of the book but I just can't get into it. I will probably go back to it at a later time. All of my books are in storage so I am going to hit up Barnes & Noble sometime this week and see what I can get. Any recommendations?

Not buying any more make-up unless they are essentials i.e. foundation, moisturizer, etc.: I am SO impressed that I have not gone to a MAC counter or wandered through the beauty section of the department store. Even going into Walgreens, I avoided the beauty section. I went to the Benefit Beauty bar to get my brows done (a total necessity - say no to bushy, unruly brows) and they were trying to get my to buy two products to get a deluxe sample kit. I was strong and said NO!

Drink more water and less diet soda: I also did really good with this one. Part of it was because for 2/3 of the month I was sick and was drinking so much water and tea. But as I posted on this week's TILT, using my Sigg bottle has really helped with the water intake.

Prepare a budget and actually follow through with it: I did get started on a budget. However, since I am in limbo as to what my monthly bills will be, I sort of am stuck. I did reactivate my account with Mint so I will be tracking my expenses that way. I realized that I had bought Quicken for Mac but I find it a bit tedious to use. My expenses are pretty straight forward. I just need to actually keep track of them.

Try to be more open to new people and places: Didn't do too good on this one as I was sick for most of the month and didn't feel like going out. I did try two new restaurants. Does that count?

Once I get my new place, invite more people over than when I did when I lived in the Valley: in limbo as I don't have an apartment yet.

Take better care of me: I actually did pretty good on this item. I have been doing most of my grocery shopping at Trader Joe's & Whole Foods. The food there is a lot healthier and they have plenty of choices so that I don't get bored with their food. My insurance will start 2/1/09 and I plan on making an appointment with a doctor (need to find one in the area) and have a check up. I still have a lingering, annoying cough and I want to make sure that I don't have some sort of virus or that maybe they can give me something for it. I have my smoking cough back and I haven't smoked in ages. Not fun!

Not spending so much on frivolous items: I rocked this one this month! I think what I spent my $$ on this month was groceries, gas, bridge toll, parking and miscellaneous household items that I needed. I want to replace the camera that I broke while I was in Mexico but it isn't a necessity right now. It is more of a want rather than a need. I am going to hold off for a bit. Also, my Peets/Starbucks/Jamba Juice habit has been reduced to one a week. I use to go to Starbucks once or twice a day so cutting it down to once a week is pretty good for me.

I think I did ok for the first month. There are some things that I couldn't work on but I am pretty pleased with how I started 2009.

Start your day the right way

Photo by cornsilk

From You Are Remarkable

we are always rushing rushing rushing & forgetting to feel the world beneath our feet, the blood in our veins. maybe if we could all. just. stop & let ourselves breathe we could smile more & have hearts that pump pump pump to a new beat.

morning routine:
1) wake up.
2) lay in your bed & look at the ceiling.
3) say: hello world, hello day.
4) lay & listen to your breathing.
feel the blood coursing through your veins.
notice your skin waking up with you.
3) stand & stretch.
side to side.
touch your toes.
touch the earth.
touch the sky.
4) look in the mirror.
say hello to yourself.
smile.
give yourself one compliment.

TILT 1.29.09

I think that this is my first TILT for 2009. Shame on me! I need to continue to do this weekly as I was in 2008.

Feeling better ~ after being sick for almost 3 weeks, I am finally back to feeling like myself. The cold or flu that was going around really stayed with me. I was taking mostly over the counter medicines since I didn't have medical insurance. Since I started a new job, my insurance doesn't kick in until February 1st. But I am going to make an appointment because I still have a bit of cough and want to make sure that my lungs are ok.

Working in SF ~ Finally! Now although things aren't exactly as I expected, I am still very happy with the choices that I have made.

Sarah & Vinnie ~ I may have talked about them in the past but they are a local morning show in San Francisco. I used to listen to them when I was in high school and one of the DJs left the show and I stopped listening. Well, now they are back together and they are hilarious. It makes my morning commute more enjoyable and I laugh all the time. Check them out at Radio Alice. You can also download their podcast on iTunes. They have a Secret Show which is brilliant!

Water ~ oh how awesome is water! I have been filling up my Sigg bottle about 3 to 4 times a day. My skin is doing so much better and I am actually doing ok without drinking as much caffeine. H2O is good! The bottle holds 33 oz so I am at least drinking 99 ozs a day.

Getting to know you

Karen from Makeup & Beauty Blog wanted to share more about herself with her readers and asked us to do the same. Here are my answers to her questionnaire:

1. Tell me about yourself and why you love makeup.
My name is Marisol and I was born in Mexico City 29 years ago. When I was 10, my family and I moved to California and I have been living here ever since.

My addiction to make-up started when I was in high school. I use to wear that dark red/black lipstick from Wet & Wild. Now, I am a pretty white looking Mexican chick so you can imagine how bad this looked on me. But I didn't care. I remember my mom telling me that I looked ridiculous but trying to be a rebel I wore it even more. Now that I see pictures of that time, I cringe. My first try at department make-up was Clinique. I just wore foundation, concealer, mascara and maybe some lipgloss. In my early 20's, I went with my friend to the MAC counter and I have been hooked ever since.

2. What do you do for a living?
I have been in the banking industry since 1996. I have worked in all different aspects of banking and now I am an auditor for a financial institution in San Francisco.

To be honest, it's a job that pays the bills. I never pictured myself in such a boring environment and hope to be able to find something more challenging and fun soon.

3. Tell me about your family.
I am one of 100 people in my family and that is just on my mom's side. How do I come up with the 100? Starting with my mom's parents, her 13 brothers & sisters, their spouses, their kids and their kids' spouses, nieces and nephews.... whew! I am the oldest of two and my sister is 3.5 years younger than me.


4. What are a couple things you like to do in your spare time?
I like to watch TV, read chick fiction, go wine tasting, listen to music, go on road trips, explore the internetz, hang out with friends and discovering new restaurants.


5. Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I am pretty shy when people first meet me but once you get to know me, I can be pretty funny and outgoing.
I have an irrational fear of cats.
I am addicted to my iPhone.
I dislike the hot weather. My ideal temperature is low to mid 70s.
And I like dirty martinis.

Full of Hope

I have been trying to figure how to express how I felt about our new President Barack Obama but I think I have talked about it here & here. I found two pictures that express how I felt on Tuesday.

Photo by Loving Earth (is still catching up)

Photo by Lisa sParks'

Self Tag

Taken from Fabulously Broke in the City

SELF TAG
4 Things I'm Passionate About

* My family
* Being true to myself
* Wine tasting
* Being a good friend

4 Words or Phrases I Use Often

* Whatever!
* Craptacular
* Oh...Em...Gee!
* And good ole Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!

4 Things I Want to Do Before I Die

* Learn how to cook a decent meal
* Visit the Eiiffel Tower at night
* Find the career that makes me feel challenged, motivated and happy
* Sky dive

4 Things I Have Learned From the Past

* Mean people suck
* There will be ignorant people in life but you just have to learn to deal with them
* A true friend is there with you no matter what
* Life is too short

4 Places I Want to See or Visit

* Greece
* Spain
* New Zealand/Australia
* Manhattan, New York


4 Favorite Restaurants

* Cha Cha Cha's in SF on Haight Street
* Mom's Kitchen
* Guymas in Tiburon
* Sol Food in San Rafael


4 Things that Happened Yesterday

* Went apartment hunting in SF. No luck finding a place.
* Had lunch and yummy sangria a Cha Cha Cha's
* Went to Ghiradelli Square and walked around.
* Spent the day having fun with family

Make it work!

To quote Tim Gunn, this year for me will be the year to Make It Work!

2009 will be the year which I will dedicate to me. Making things better for me. All the things I have procrastinated on and saved for tomorrow will be no more. There are different areas that I want to focus on that may seem simple but when it has not been a priority, it is difficult to accomplish some of these things.

Photo by Still Life with Roses

School: I have attended school off & on since I left high school. I have gone to a state school, city college and a private school. I stopped going in the summer of 2005 because I simply didn't want to continue going. I had a lot going on during that time and I didn't make finishing my degree a priority. I spoke to a counselor at the school and they said I have 24 units left to get my BS in Business Management. Since I work in the financial industry field, I figured that perhaps it would be better for me if I got a degree in Finance so I asked the counselor that if I wanted to switch my major if I could. He told me that if I wanted to switch to Finance, I would need 33 units to get that degree. I have to review the catalog to see what the differences in the courses are but I think I may go for Finance. Once I decide, I will start with the online classes in February and hope that before 2010 I will have my degree.

Career: I haven't really talked about my new job but I am sad to say that it isn't living up to what I was expecting. First, I was told that I would be working in the financial district in downtown SF. On my first day, I was told that I would be working in the South San Francisco office because there was no space for me. One of the main reasons why I wanted to work downtown is because I have friends who work down there and was hoping to reconnect with them by working near them and also to network with people. Now in the office where I am located, I am in a branch with 5 employees. I sit in an office all day long with no one to really talk to. I also have 1.5 hour commute in the mornings due to traffic and the fact that I am not living in SF yet. That will be resolved once I find a place.

My new work place is an international financial institution where although English is spoken, it is not the first language of most of the staff. The financial institution where I work is based out of Hong Kong. 99% of the staff is of Asian descent and speak Chinese. They also speak English but when talking with each other or with some customers, they speak a language which i didn't understand. To be honest, I didn't think this would be such a problem when I took the position but I feel left out. I don't really have anyone to socialize with because whenever the staff is having their own conversations in the lunch room it isn't like I can interject or add something to the conversation. That is what frustrates me.

I have already contacted two recruiters who I had worked with in the past and told them that I am looking for a job. Now that I am in the Bay Area it will be easier to go on interviews than before when I lived in the Central Valley. I guess that is one of the pluses of my new job is that since my boss based in NYC, I can really do what I want as long as I get my work done. I sort of feel bad about already planning on interviewing but I need to be in a place where I don't feel so isolated.

Finances: Even though I work in the financial industry, I don't balance a checkbook or budget my $$. Sort of ironic, isn't it? Well, I found a budgeting spreadsheet and worked on a budget this weekend. I also signed up with Mint.com to track my money and compare it to my budget. I decided that things like Peets/Jamba Juice/Starbucks is not something that I need on a daily basis. Although I don't want to deprive myself of these things, I will only treat myself once a week. Also working on a budget has made me realize how much I spend on things that I don't need and since part of my 2009 resolutions was not to spend items on frivolous things, the extra $$ that I will have will be added to a savings account. Once I get my new place, I will also not be getting cable at home. Most of the shows I watch can be found online for free so I can save some $$ there. I also decided that I won't be going out to lunch as I used to before. Trader Joe's has some great frozen and fresh meals which are pretty healthy & inexpensive. I tried their Organic Red Pepper & Roasted Tomato soup and it was delicious & only 100 calories a serving. Really yummy!

Me: this one is a bit tough to write about. I am the type of person that does more for others than for myself. While that is a great trait to have, I also need to start worrying about me more. I need to be healthier - physically & mentally. In February, I will be eligible for medical coverage through my work so I will be researching new doctors and talk to someone about helping me to lose weight. Perhaps talking to a nutritionist or going back to Weight Watchers. I did lose 30 lbs last year while on WW so perhaps that is the way to go. I want to be healthier and have the body & stamina of a 29 year old. I want to be able to wear cute clothes & shoes and not just whatever I find because it "fits alright".

As far as my mental health goes, I need to be wiser in choosing friends who don't just use me or drain me with their drama. I need to find those people who truly care about me. I have a few friends and I cherish their friendship. However, they are in a much different place than I am i.e. married with children, across the country, much older than me. I need to find people my age who like to do the things I do. Moving to the Central Valley really opened up my eyes to who really considered me a friend and who really didn't. I am no longer friends with the latter. I met some great people at my previous job and I am doing my darnest to keep in touch with them.

Once I get my place, I plan on making it a reflection of me. My last apartment while it was great, it wasn't me. I didn't even finish decorating it because I wasn't 100% happy as to where I was. But now I am and I plan on being Martha Stewart-like. I have been saving articles from Flickr, Apartment Therapy & Casa Sugar so I can get some ideas on how to decorate.

Wow, I feel like I just wrote a novel but this is what I plan to do for myself this year. I want this year to be the best year possible.

City of Blinding Lights

I cannot wait until Tuesday. I think a lot of people have been waiting for this day and I am looking forward to witnessing history. I am going to try to find a way to be able to listen to the inauguration at work. I was thinking of streaming it at work through my iPhone but I get awful reception in my new office. I may have to borrow my mom's FM radio that she has in her room and take it with me to work. At least I can listen to it that way.

I saw this video today and I got chills.


Will you be watching/listening on Tuesday?

I am...

From You Are Remarkable

think of 10 things you’re really good at.
or even that you’re really okay at.
“I AM GREAT AT ____________!”
make a list!
use a thesaurus & replace the word “great” with a synonym.
discover you’re extraordinary.

Photo via {chile}

...fabulous at making a good mojito.
...fantastic at listening to people when they need someone to talk to.
...superb at seeing things outside the box.
...dynamite at finding _______ using Google.
...terrific at cheering someone up.
...super friend to those who want me in their circle of friends.
...wonderful at remembering people's birthdays and making them feel special.
...awesome at enjoying the moment.
...kick ass at making decisions when I know what I want.
...divine at enjoying time with my family

What are you great at?

Pictures from my vacation

I wanted to share some pictures from my vacation to Mexico. Be warned that there are quiet a few. In no particular order:

As a child, I used to run towards the balloons every time I saw them. Seeing them in the street made me remember my childhood.

Me, my sister Marcela, my cousin Nadia and my mom on the tour bus in Puebla.

My mom, my sister and I at my nephew's baptism

With my family before my nephew's baptism

This picture was taken after we were playing a board game. It's a trivia game that I had when I was 9 years old but it had some hard questions. Here my little nephew is celebrating the fact that his team won.

The white stuff on this picture is foam. This was taken on NYE and three of my nieces decided to spray us all with canned foam at midnight. Fun times!

With my cousin Nadia and my sister. The three of us hung out a lot and had a great time the whole two weeks.

We were trying to get a picture of my sister, my cousin and I but check out the fools in the back. I think my cousin Isaac and cousin Nadia had had too much too drink.

My cousin Tamara & I. She is the best! She lives in Spain and she decided to surprise the whole family for Christmas. She shared this with me in September and I was happy and excited to see her.

My nephew Carlos Ivan. He is 6 months old. What a cutie!

At my nephew's baptism with my cousins

This is the letter that my niece wrote to Santa. At the end, she asked for a boyfriend for my sister, my two cousins and I. We all thought it was hilarious!

My sister and my mom. I thought that this was a great picture of them.

My sister playing with my nephew.

My sister and I with our grandpa.

With my cousins and sister drinking tamarind margaritas.Yum!

Some of my cousins, nieces and nephews at the baptism

One year ago today...

Photo by Leviathor

I am having a hard time writing this entry. I am just going to write what I feel. Last year, I was on a plane to my cousin's funeral. It feels like so long ago but also feels like it happened yesterday. I wish I was still in Mexico so that I could be with my family. Today they are all gathered to honor my cousin. It is still surreal to think that he is gone.

While I was in Mexico, the topic of his death came up and I was able to talk to my other cousins who had had the opportunity to know him better than I. They shared stories of hanging out with him and how his biggest flaw was that he loved too much. Now tell me, how can that be a flaw? It was his death that shook me up and made me realize that I needed to do what I wanted to do for myself. To not let my fear of failure take over me. To really give it my all and go for what I want. The past year has been a struggle but I am now at a place where I feel content. Sad to say that it took his death to wake me up.

I will always think of him and remember him for being the big teddy bear that he was. I am sorry that he isn't here and that I wasn't able to share as many memories with him as I would have liked. But I know that he is watching over me and my family & because of that, I feel like I have another angel looking out for me. Today was the first day at my new job in the city where I have always wanted to work. And I couldn't have done it with out him.

Te extrañamos mucho Pepe!

My 2009 Resolutions

Photo by Orrin

✔ Be more patient with those around me
✔ Be more active in keeping in touch with family and friends
✔ Read a book a month
✔ Not buying any more make-up unless they are essentials i.e. foundation, moisturizer, etc.
✔ Drink more water and less diet soda
✔ Prepare a budget and actually follow through with it
✔ Try to be more open to new people and places
✔ Once I get my new place, invite more people over than when I did when I lived in the Valley
✔ Take better care of me
✔ Not spending so much on frivolous items

I will update monthly on my progress on these resolutions. I figure since I am starting brand new that I can make these items into habits and not something that I have to do.

At the airport @ 5:43 AM

Coming back to the Bay Area. It is a bittersweet feeling. I am sad
because I won't get to see my family til probably next December but I
am happy with all the time I got to spend with them. Some of the
highlights:

• Seeing my grandpa and seeing him be strong. At 96, he is doing
great. I hadn't seen him in about 3 years and I am glad that I got the
opportunity to. I sure do miss him.
• Playing board games with my cousins. Silly as it may be, we had a
ton of fun. Playing trivia games we realized that we shouldn't drink
when we are playing.
• Being able to spend Christmas & New Years with loved ones. It had
been a while and it was so worth it.
• Having my 4 year old nephew tell me that I am his favorite aunt.
Weeeee!
• Going to my nephew's baptism.
• Seeing El Internado which is a Spanish soap opera. I am hooked!
• Hanging out with my cousins and seeing how much we have in common
even though it seems like we live in different worlds.
• All the hugs & kisses I received and gave.

I had a blast on this trip and although I am feeling a bit sad at the
moment, my spirit is happy because I know that there are a ton of
people who love me and who appreciate me for me.

Sent from my iPhone