So 2021 has 52 Weeks. Based on my Calendar, Week 1 is only composed of 2 days, which is January 1 and 2, Friday and Saturday. Of course, you may argue with me that a week starts on a Monday. I swear, I want Monday to be the start of the week, but for this blog, Sunday will be the start.
52 Weeks of Trouble is just my personal newsletter. What happened to me that week? What did I eat? Did I travel? What articles and books I read?
So here’s a sneak peak of my WEEK 1
January 1, 2021
New Year’s Eve
2018 
2019 
2020
This NYE is the most unique NYE in my 31 years of existence. For the first time, I did not spend the NYE at home because of the pandemic. As much as I want holidays to be the same every year, it can’t happen. Last NYE, we celebrated it without my grandfather because he died 2 months before. In 2018, it was different because it’s also the end of my mom’s chemo and we celebrated it with a good quality wine. Although I do not expect next NYE to be the same, I just wish and pray that my family will be spared from this Pandemic.
Meditation
Today, I started my 15-minute a day meditation habit. Nothing special. No fancy mediation room. No fancy music. Just my minimalist meditation app called OAK and a 15-minute session of sitting still while watching my crazy mind do its course. I have a terrible love-hate relationship with meditation, but this year, I have no reason to hate it. I also did some smudging of the house using Sage and Palo Santo. I am not sure if it is true that the smoke pushes away negative ions, but I live for the aroma. It relaxes me. I have yet to research the scientific side of it.
New Blog Post
I recently posted something on this blog and posted it on Facebook. I always find it difficult to post something via Facebook because I am afraid that people will judge my writing skills and find my content cringeworthy. But I did post it anyway. I hope it inspired people.
Virgo’s Health
So a few days before NY, I got myself a Siamese cat and called him Virgo (because I am a Virgo and so is he). So we celebrated the holidays with him. He was a very affectionate and a handsome kitten. Today, he looked a bit weird and as a newbie furparent, I got really worried. His left eye wont open because of a discharge. I hope he’ll be ok soon.
January 2, 2021
Today was another long day. I went back to the gym for the “first workout of the year” and I felt really strong even though I had a short holiday hiatus and extreme unconscious binge eating Christmas and NY food. Virgo looked better today. I thought his eyes were just irritated because he was really mischievous.
Day 2 of meditation went well, too. I was able to relax and smile at the traumas in front of me. This day is one of the days where meditation is easy. There are days that meditation is a punishment. Or maybe I was just doing it wrong.
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Some things I consumed:
We Can Be Heroes
This is a really nice film to start the New Year. Nothing fancy. No amazing story line. But It is generally a feel good movie that you should watch.
Less is Now
This documentary by Matt D’ Avela about the “The Minimalists” is also a good movie to start the year right. It’s about minimalism and how we should not buy the things that will definitely not give us joy. This is very relevant in my life now because last year, due to the pandemic, I became an impulsive buyer. I definitely did not manage my resources well. Good job, Matt!
Start Up
For week 1, we started a Korean Drama called Start Up. It is a good series about family, entrepreneurship and pursuing your passions. I cannot give my take about this because we just watched the first 2 episodes this week. I am going to give my “opinion” about this after watching it. If you have watched is, should I continue it? Is it worth my time?
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
I started this book last year, but failed to finish it. This January, I am planning to read it. This book is one of the most popular books on stoicism, a philosophy on controlling emotions. It is also focused on the topics about looking one’s experiences as neither good nor bad.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
This is my personal follow-up on the documentary Less is More, because this book was recommended in the film. I started it and the topics I have read so far focused on the art of saying NO. I will write about these two books after I finished them.
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That’s it for the week 1 of 52 Weeks of Trouble. See you next week!
