What I learned from running

I have never been a runner. I remember when I was in elementary school, we'd be forced to run laps as spring turned to summer. Teachers would always stand by the finish line, watching us with their clipboards on one hand, time-stopper and pen in the other. As we'd cross the finish line one by one. they'd write down our finish time. Almost always - I came second-last (thank goodness for another girl or boy who was either suffering from asthma or was slightly over-weight). I remember dreading running more than anything! I would have rather played soccer. I think I hated running when I was young because I hated the feeling of being out of breath! I felt like my lungs were going to explode.

Fast forward twenty years …
and now I love running.

Who would have thought?
That same feeling- where lungs feel like they're about to burst- is actually very comforting.
It makes me feel alive

So running has taught me that...
1. When you think you can't do it, you actually can when you set your mind to it!
2. When you accomplish running a certain distance, you always want to do better: run longer, run faster. After reaching whatever goal you have, you want to set a bigger goal and work hard towards it.
3. If you want to do well in something, you have to be consistent! Taking a week off running and trying to run the same way as your last run is hard!

Thank you running, you've taught me a lot.

My goal is to eventually run 5K and 10K runs.

Do you run? If so how often and do you have any running routines?

Money & reward

Saving money is hard. Agree? Every time I managed to save some money, there was always a big bill waiting to be paid off: insurance premium, computer purchase, and car maintenance. Now I'm finally able to see my money grow! I do want to save my money for something big, like a house in the future, but there is still my student loan to repay, and it seems like my monthly contribution is only making a small dent. I would ideally like to pay it off within the next 4 years, but that would leave very little room to save money for a house. I wish there was a life-coaching courses in high-school so that I would be smarter about money management. It's great to be able to make money and buy what you want, but trying to save that money for a big goal seems like a difficult journey. In order to remain sane while saving money, I've decided on a compromise: for every 10lb I lose I buy myself something that I really want within reasonable amount. At least I'll be getting fit and rich; though I do worry about falling off the jogging and diet regiment. I try to keep reminding myself that- you never regret after a workout, but do if I miss out. Such is the life of a twenty-something "freelance" worker. How do you manage to save money? Share your tips and help me get richer.

Classic vs. Funky

I often have trouble deciding if I want to take the classic (the safe route of choosing a classic style) versus choosing a funky style I'm momentarily in love with. Knowing myself, I probably will get bored of the funky style; however, I can't stop thinking how great this bag would brighten up my look. But for practical reasons, perhaps classic will always win.



vs.




Or a happy medium…



What do you usually go for? The classic style or the bold, colourful, pattern of the moment?

Goal- in five years

I have a new goal; a very ambitious one.
It is to buy a home/condo in the next 5 years. For this to happen, I will need to save at least $800 a month, put aside in saving as a down-payment. It is very plausible for this to happen; however, my financial situation being unpredictable (pretty much being self-employed), I will need to be prepared for possibly hitting a brick wall from time to time - still- I will make this happen! This is why people get married… seriously putting two income into buying a house does make more sense. But I can do this!