Hey guys! I know I haven’t posted for a long time now. I don’t really have an excuse other than not having any motivation to do anything productive in the past few months. As you may know (or not know), I turned another year older this July! Usually, I do a birthday post that talks about the year that was and my goals for the next year, but I never got around to that this time.

As it is technically still my birth month, I thought of coming back to this blog with a belated birthday update!

#KetoTransformation

Honestly, things are looking up lately because I feel better about myself. This is mainly from embarking on the Keto journey. I’ve already lost around 30 pounds (around 14 kilos) within 5 months (officially, today). I still get surprised at the physical changes I see when I look in the mirror, or at a photo of myself! For many years, I didn’t want my photo taken because I hated how I looked. My self-esteem was really low. People were always teasing me about being fat, and I did not imagine that reality would ever change.

A couple of months into my diet, I still got judgmental stares from people who didn’t understand why I choose to “suffer” and sacrifice food (and alcohol), which I used to love a lot. But what they don’t realize is that I’m OK letting those things go because I really believe that for me, Keto really works. And I’m not planning on gaining those lost pounds back!  Now, they’re shocked at the results!

Taking on this “way of living” has turned things around for me, and I’ll continue this until I hit 130 pounds, and even beyond that. I’m also starting to do intermittent fasting because my weight has plateaued for a while now and I just want to bring that down as soon as possible! Long story short, I’m still Keto strong!

“Frugal” Minimalism

I can do better at being a minimalist. To be honest, I’ll give myself failing marks at this department. I’m still buying things I don’t need, and I’ve stopped being deliberate about my choices in general.  I joined a group on Facebook called “Frugal Minimalists” and I’m learning a lot from the members of that group, especially with saving money and being frugal, on top of being minimalists. Here are the 5 major changes that I’ll be doing differently from now on:

• Stop eating out. Consistently prepare my own meals.
• Stop using Grab/car to/from work .
• Track my daily expenses.
• Get rid of more things that I don’t need.
• Invest savings.

It’s a long journey but I’ll be updating about this on the blog more often!

Pursuing passion relentlessly

I am not getting any younger so I can no longer be putting off the things I want to do or achieve in my life. There’s so many things I want to do, too many in fact that I’m always at a loss where to start. There’s Japanese proficiency, blogging, photography, games and books I need to finish – and maybe a side gig that would also help me earn extra. I know I need to do better at prioritizing what I really want to accomplish first. And then there’s the problem of just wanting to take it easy instead. Failing marks at this department as well, but I’ll again, try to do better this year – starting with this blog!

TL;DR

My 2018 theme is self-improvement. I’ve been floating around at the lowest point of my life for quite a while and making these changes have been essential in keeping my physical and even my mental health in tack. I’m not out of the slump yet but I’m getting there. 🙂