HAPPY 2017 MY BEATIFUL READERS!

A new year brings new resolutions.. except, I don’t start resolutions that commence exactly on January 1 because instant change is the WORST! Some people can start fresh in the new year and cut off junk food or go to the gym without missing a day. If this is you I say both congratulations, and you suck.

While adapting quickly to new projects or resolutions can be exciting, it stresses me the eff out.

Recently, a change I’ve been struggling with is the ability to wake up earlier. I’m the person to hit the snooze button at least three times, which leads me to wake up five minutes before I have to be at work, and roll to my desk like a hot morning mess.

This needed to change.

One morning I felt ambitious and woke up at 6AM thinking I can do the 900 things I want to accomplish before 8AM such as yoga, writing, reading, and making a well-balanced breakfast. HA HA. I ended up failing and hating myself (story of my life, TBH).

Instead, I approached it differently.

I eased into it and started with simply waking up earlier. Didn’t mean I had to get out of bed, I just laid there with my eyes open, maybe had a little stretch. After a few days, I actually got up with my alarm to have enough time to brush my hair (you can always tell the type of morning I had from the state of my mane) and throw together a good breakfast. I’m slow and sluggish, but awake nonetheless.

Speaking of breakfast, I had this deliciousness at Caffe Primo in Gwangalli last week. Gimmie all da hash browns and avocados plz.

After a month of rolling myself out of bed earlier and earlier, it’s getting easier to leave my house with my tummy full, hair not looking like a bird’s nest, and bed made before 8AM (ehhhh bed made sometimes, I’m not a perfect human).

The point is, change takes time for you to be comfortable with it.

If you have a new years resolution such as losing weight, becoming vegan, or spending less time on your phone, don’t be too hard on yourself. Start small.

The other change I am going through is taking better care of my skin. I’ve been drinking lots of water and recently been using the Real Fresh Cleansing Stick with Green Tea from Neogen, which I bought for ₩18,000 at Olive Young. Neogen teamed up with Korean beauty expert and co-founder of SoKo Glam, Charlotte Cho and I am in LOOOVE with their cleanser.

Benefits of green tea:

• Reduces inflammation (goodbye redness!).
• Fights signs of aging.
• Gets rid of acne-causing bacteria.

This is great for anyone who travels since this oil cleanser is a stick, not a liquid!

As I try to figure out how to change in the new year, I want to rewind a bit and appreciate the past year.

In 2016…

• I moved to Busan, South Korea.
• I got a job as an English teacher for middle school girls whom I love dearly.
• I stepped on the soil of SEVEN new countries: Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, France, South Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
• I reached 1,000 subscribers on my vlogging channel on YouTube.
• I found out I am going to be an aunt!!!

Damn. A lot happens in a year, huh?

I’m looking forward to another year in South Korea, even though there may be a lot MORE changes happening soon (NOOOOOOOO-AHHHHH!) such as, I might be moving (WAH!). I’ll get into that next month.

Life is unpredictable and change happens whether we like it or not.

The crazy little thing about change is that while it’s scary, it’s necessary for growth. Change can be hurdled at us at 100 mph and you can either let it smack you in the face and knock you down, or you can catch it and embrace where it pulls you.

It’s not about the change itself but what you do with it that makes us stronger.

Enough cliches and cheesy talk.

Want to know what I did to ring in 2017? I mean, it’s the reason why you clicked on this post in the first place before I went on my tangent. Heh heh. Check out my latest vlog below!