2023 Week 10: The Year's New Habits

In March it is abundantly clear which of my new year's resolutions are sticking around and which are flops. 

My grand plan to follow a fixed routine hasn't really worked out. Well - the 4 work days tend to be the best, routine-wise. I usually do some kind of exercise, eat a good lunch, go to work, come back home, and have a good dinner. After which I relax and read. 

But the fantasy of spending 1 day a week on Fun & Indulgence, 1 day on housework, and 1 day on freelance work? Nah... life isn't quite so neat.

Although I haven't been sticking to my rigorous timetable, I have to say there have been some (quite unexpected) improvements to my routines and habits this year. They are, in no particular order:

1. I've weaned myself off coffee. It's still affecting my mood very badly, but at least I don't get headaches or severe brain fog anymore.

2. I don't put sugar in my tea or coffee anymore. Orwell: "Try drinking tea without sugar for, say, a fortnight and it is very unlikely that you will ever want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again." 'Tis true.

3. I no longer slave over the stove and kitchen sink. This one has helped A TON in improving my mood and overall time management. My eat-at-home staples are now ready-to-eat protein (rotisserie chicken or Gits curry or frozen stuff) + washed salad + rice (this I cook, though you can hardly call it that) or bread.

4. I changed my working hours to afternoons instead of evenings. This means I can have proper lunches and dinners, which is what wars are fought on. 

5. My plantar fasciitis is better. It turns out that PF isn't caused by some physical defect or divine punishment... it's just footwear. Jon got me Skechers and life has gotten so much better.

On a shoe-related note I got these completely waterproof Crocs for our trip and they were too small. SO I BOILED THEM and wore them with 3 pairs of socks, and now they fit.

How the week went

Monday: Jon had reservist all week so he rented a TribeCar bike. It looks like a toy.

The good thing about reservist is that we are both forced to get up early. I had all morning free and it was luxurious! Went cycling & ate lunch & went to work. 

Tuesday: Dicked around at home until far too late, then took a long bus ride (something I thought I miss, but - just no) to yoga class. Did yoga and sat at Chateraise reading. I read The Shortest History of England this week and enjoyed it SO MUCH. I'm afraid I bored Jon to tears with random factoids from British history all week.

Wednesday: Went to Sim Lim Square to run an errand and had a wonderful time eating lunch by myself at Fortune Centre. After that I went to the 7-11 at Hotel Ibis and redeemed a free coffee because women's day (?). My day thus went from 9/10 to 10/10.

Thursday: Met my dad for lunch and a good catch-up. Then I went to Decathlon and bought $85 worth of cold weather gear for Jon because it is apparently 0 degrees in England now and we are flying in 3 weeks. I'm super happy with the haul though. I think it's a lot of thermal efficiency per dollar. Yes, I freely admit that travel planning turns me into the worst gearhead.

Friday: Had freelance work to do so decided to cycle to my favourite "co-working space", McDonald's Bishan Park. Completed it, aided by a mocha frappe and a secretly packed lunch (salad and ham sandwich). Came home and hung out with Jon.

Saturday: Didn't sleep much. Cycled in the morning, feeling manic (actual thought that ran thru my head: "I'm so excited to be alive and I'm not going to let anyone spoil my mood"), then cried several times at lunch. Went to work and felt normal-ish again. 

Sunday: Today was housesitter prep day. We packed all the supplies they could possibly need and made some tutorial videos. Went for an hour-long walk to dinner and my feet didn't hurt. Let's see how they hold up tomorrow.

UK trip update

Things are speeding along on this front. Which kinda explains why I've been so sleep-deprived this week.

We have been nailing things down by booking train rides and accommodation. God, the UK rail system is quite a nightmare. There are a dozen rail operators and you have to buy directly from the operator and often need to download their app to use the e-ticket. Some are horribly glitchy. Looking at you, GWR -we had to use VPN to buy our tickets - Isambard Kingdom Brunel is rolling in his grave.

As booking things requires commitment, we had to (again and again) research each destination and make the painful decision of what to do and what to cut out. 

For example, we originally a week in Cornwall and imagined doing All The Cornwall Things. But in the end we decided to spend 2.5 days at Dartmoor National Park and spend the rest in Penzance doing just the nearby stuff. Goodbye Tintagel and Bodmin Moor...