January Favorites

Read: I finished 6 books this month. I know I’m surprised that I read that much when I was stressed with interview prep half of the month. I guess reading has became my coping mechanisms on stressful time, a vehicle to calm my mind before bed. I enjoyed all of them, except Writers & Lovers which I found it plain. The midnight Library is a creative plot to make me think if I’d change anything in the course of my life. Eleonor & Park reminds me of first love (that is actually to my hubby 30 years ago!). The moment of lift is mind blowing in the sense that there are many girls that live in another world. People we meet on Vacation is a sweet romantic novel that made me smile. Principles is MY favorite this month. It’s quite dense but so much widow in it, I will definitely re-read in the future.

Watch: I didn’t watch much this month and the two movies I watched were recommended by hubby. They are very different but both I enjoyed a lot.

Listen: meditation session by Tara Brach. I’ve tried so many meditation coaches. As I advance in the practice, I appreciate Tara’s voice and guidance more than when I first try her few months back. She’s really the expert. I now NEED 20 min of meditation early in the morning before I want to talk to anybody.

Things: I got Oura ring gen 3 and passed gen 2 to hubby. More than a year after using it, I still learn a lot of insights in a daily basis. Can’t imagine without it.

Similarly I love using CGM to learn more about my body. For 1 week in January, I challenged to eat low carb vegan meals. It was not easy and I’ve had more than enough chia pudding which I still don’t like. But I did learn that it is possible to NOT rely on animal products to keep blood sugar stable. I’ll share more about new insights from CGM.

Eat: my favorite new meal this month is low carb “oatmeal” made with almond/coconut flour, frozen cauliflower, protein powder, coconut cream and topped with almond butter and coconut chips. This bowl keeps me satisfied and full for hours.

Favorite routines: I am loving my new morning and evening routines.

Evening: I try to finish dinner before 6pm and get all sort it out to prepare for sleep before 6:30pm so by 6:30pm I can start my reading time. This is also the time I put my phone away in the bathroom for charging overnight. I read until 8pm when the girls go to bed, I moved from my reading couch to bed with my book, and closes it whenever I feel sleepy enough, usually before 8:30pm, most likely 8:15pm. I don’t touch my phone until next morning. Even if I wake up in the middle of the night (which is everyday) I don’t bring my phone to bed as I used to do, which kept me awake for the rest of the night. If I wake up before 5am like 3 or 4am, I’ll try to get back to sleep, and usually I do manage. Even if I wake up 4:45am, I’ll just lay there and rest until 5am. If I wake up past 5am, then I’ll get up. I don’t use an alarm.

Morning: I get up at 5am, prepare my morning mate and read blog (almost the only time I do). Then I’ll go to bathroom, and meditate for 20 min or more depending how close to 6am it is as girls usually come to me between 6 to 6:20am. Then we just cuddle for 10-15min, review photos from Timehop, plan our day and start the day with a lot of love!

What are you January favorites?