January always seems more promising than it usually is with the ringing in of a new year and our minds full of resolutions to better ourselves. That usually leads to a hangover (thankfully, not me) and feeling overwhelmed by all the things we need and want to do (unfortunately, me.)
January was mostly me being in a funk. The weather (gray days and constant rain) had something to do with it. Plus, I’ve just been constantly tired maybe due to poor food choices and not getting enough sleep. And there was that whole thing of me asking, “What’s the point of all this?” (In the sense of whether or not what I was doing was actually making my life any better. Fortunately, it wasn’t coming from a darker place.)
But I’m happy to say that I am getting pumped up again to get things done. In fact, looking back it’s not like I was wasting away the past month.
As I mentioned during my Looking Forward in 2020 post, my word of the year is VISION.
For my 20 in 2020 goals:
*I started filming my live book reviews.
*I renewed my SCBWI membership.
*I completed another year of StoryStorm.
I cooked Sopas for my Filipino dish a month challenge. Sopas is a a creamy chicken soup full of veggies. The recipe I looked up suggested adding hot dog- and I used Vienna sausages instead- but I would skip that next time.
Even though I’ve made this before, there was still some ordeals. The pot I bought was too small so there was almost a situation of the soup overflowing all over the stove. Plus I had to make a back up batch of the elbow macaroni since there wasn’t enough room. and I think I was using two different recipes- one that served 4 people, the other 8- so some of the ingredients were off.
My roommate had some and he didn’t throw up so that’s a good sign. He is on his way to see a doctor but that was an appointment set up way beforehand.
I served mine with pan de sal, a Filipino bread roll which despite its Spanish translation of “bread of salt”, is actually a bit sweet.
*I bought all the books for my Penguin Classics Filipino Books challenge. I’m glad that they included these five works from Filipino authors. I’ve only read one of the novels– Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal- so I’m looking forward to reading the others.
Have you read any of these books? What other Filipino authors and books would you recommend?
*I received a generous grant from someone who encourages others to pursue their creative dreams. I’m so grateful for this act of kindness show to me.
*I visited a new bookstore- or, at least, a bookstore that has relocated since my last visit.
*I also attended the grand opening of Ledding Library which was definitely a highlight for me.
How was January for you?
Ruth Objects: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Doreen Rappaport
Red Rover: Curiosity on Mars by Richard Ho
