Happy 2014!! I’ve been in a reflective mood as I tend to be during this time of the year, and I’ve been diligently jotting down New Year’s resolutions as they cross my mind. The list had become quite extensive, which is typical for my overambitious self. -After much consideration, though, I was able to come up with a much truncated version. While it tends to be forgotten or ignored come April, I’m really going to make a conscious effort to stick to my goals this year. As for the ones that didn’t make it to the final list this year, no worries. I simply moved them to my list of “inspirations” rather than resolutions. Can you tell I am a list maker with a type A personality? 😉
1. Be more spontaneous. Embrace change. I’m such a creature of habit with an old soul. I go to bed at 10pm sharp every night and wake up at 4:30am every morning. Even the slightest deviation from my everyday routine and the schedule I set for myself makes me nervous. However, Tim is the polar opposite. He wishes we could live for the moment especially since we don’t have any children yet. Looking back on the year, we really didn’t take any vacations or do things out of the norm. We stuck to our usual schedule with much predictability.
However, I got a rude wake up call last week when Tim had a sudden seizure. He’s fainted in front of me due to his heart condition, but this was nothing like anything I had witnessed before. It made me, more than ever, want to live in the moment as I have no control over the future. I honestly don’t know where to start with this one, but I’m going to work really hard on “going with the flow.” If Tim wants to watch a late night movie and eat popcorn, gosh darn it, I shall be his partner in crime ;).
2. Call my family more often. With all the technology out there (iPhone, FaceTime, apps like KakaoTalk) that lets me talk to my parents in Korea for free, I really have no excuse.
3. Experiment more with Asian spices. As you may know already, I’m very conservative with the use of salt and am always looking to flavor dishes with various herbs and spices instead. Apart from Korean spices, the flavors of other Asian countries are rarely explored in my kitchen. My spice cabinet is more than ready for this new adventure thanks to our friends at Season with Spice!
4. Pray more for others. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but my prayers this past year were totally self-focused. Specifically, I prayed ceaselessly for God to bless us with a baby. This holiday season was especially hard for me as I couldn’t face the fact that my one prayer was unanswered. I know that it’s about His perfect timing, not mine, but I still struggle with it. In the meanwhile, my prayers for others took a backseat. I want to be less self-absorbed and more compassionate and in tune with the needs of others this year.
5. Practice more yoga. I’ve been falling more in love with yoga with every practice. After I finish my dietetic internship and graduate school (yay, December ’14!), I plan on going through yoga instructor training. However, this is wayy in the future so I won’t plan that far in advance. Note to self…be more spontaneous. For right now, I’m going to focus on mastering one pose at a time. Yoga makes me feel empowered and strong.
6. Continue to improve my food photography and styling skills. I had the opportunity to shoot several photos for a project (and get paid! what? yup..I’m still in disbelief), and I had a blast! I want to continue to study and practice…experiment with various angles, lighting, props, etc.
Speaking of photography, I would also like to take more pictures of nature and people. Taking pictures of moving objects is so different from my usual motionless subjects. My friend and mentor, Joyce Kang, is a phenomenal photographer, and I have a feeling I’ll be picking her brain a bit more this coming year. That is, if she has time for me ;). Be sure to check out her DSLR tutorials and tips along with much inspiration on her website.
7. Make cooking videos. At this year’s FNCE, I had the privilege of sitting in on a session titled “The Power of Visual Food Storytelling to Promote Healthier Eating” led by Regan Jones and Holley Grainger. I left feeling motivated to jump onto the next trend – video. I’m so awkward in front of the camera, but there are many ways to get around this. Perhaps I can have my voice recorded and then played in the background as I film my hands. When I feel more comfortable, I can add an intro and so on. The key is to take a leap of faith and dive in head first just like I did with this whole blogging thing. Who knows what doors may open up? This will be a fun collaboration between the Hungryman and me. I sure can’t do this one on my own.
I look forward to the new year and wait in anticipation of what God has in store for me and my family. Last but not least, I can’t thank you guys enough for following MJ and Hungryman and for your constant support and encouragement. Our adventures shall continue, and we sincerely hope to continue growing our blog and building even more friendships!
Love these “inspirations”, Min! I don’t like to call them resolutions either, something about that word scares me, like its a far bigger commitment. I don’t like committing to something I can’t achieve. I like to call them goals since goals seem more achievable 🙂 I love yoga too! Last year I was going to try to get my certification in Pilates, but I focused more on my blog instead. Good luck and have a wonderful New Year!
I’ve tried pilates a handful of times, and I really enjoyed it! You’d make an excellent instructor! Will you be pursuing it this year? Happy New Year to you as well!
Happy New Year!! I love your thoughts on 2014, especially the embrace change and being spontaneous– those are two things I’m focusing on too.
Happy New Year to you too, Alisha!
Oh boy Min, what a wonderful list. I am so sorry that Tim had such a scary episode, I am glad he is okay, and I am really awed that you were strong enough to make it into a great lesson on living in the moment. I always need a reminder of this too. You always strike me as a caring and selfless individual, so it amazes me that you say that you feel like you have been self-centered. Can’t wait to see what you cook up with your new Asian spices. Happy new year to you!
Your comments are always so lovely, Katie! Your words really motivate and lifts me up. I’m so glad we connected this year and looking forward to cultivating our friendship this year. Happy New Year to you too ;).
We have some shared goals this year 🙂 Embracing change and practicing photography are high on my list too. Good luck with the goals and best wishes for 2014 generally!
Good luck to you as well, Kari! Perhaps we can somehow keep each other accountable..
Happy New Year! You are a tremendous writer, and I thank you for continuing to entertain and inspire me!
Happy New Year Min! I hope Tim is doing ok now!
Your food photography is already great, i can only imagine how much better you will get at it! Also, VIDEO!!! Sounds exciting, i can’t wait to watch!
Hi, Kym! Tim is doing better now. He has an appointment to see a neurologist soon. The thought of making videos is really intimidating, but I look forward to connecting with the readers on a whole new level ;). Thank you for your support!
These are all great “resolutions” and totally achievable. Thanks for sharing. I hope your husband is feeling better. That is scary and I can see why you want to live more in the moment. I think you should definitely start doing videos. It is scary at first, but once you start, you get more comfortable and it actually becomes fun. I’m so in awe with your yoga skills! Glad to have made a new blogging friend in you too. Happy New Year!
Hi Julie! Happy New Year! I think they are quite achievable as well. Tim is doing much better, and yes, I’m still traumatized.. but hey, it could’ve been a lot worse! I love all your videos and you and Joe make a wonderful team! I showed some of the videos to Tim, and all he could say was “wow.” We may need to pick your brain at some point haha.
Love this post! Very inspiring! And your yoga poses, wow, impressive! I’m more a pilates girl myself but did yoga while I was pregnant and it helped tons! So cool that you were able to do that photoshoot! I’m right on board with you in improving my food photography! 🙂 Yeah for a new year and goals! Praying for Tim!
Thanks, Krista! Your photos are exceptional, and they always make me hungry haha. I can’t wait to see what life has in store for you and your family this year! Happy New Year!
I just stumbled upon your blog and found your recipes and photos lovely :)! And I wish I could do those yoga poses ;). Love your New Year’s Resolutions, I need to do more of your no.1 as well, as like you, I am also a creature of habit ;).
Thank you so much for stopping by! Your blog is very adorable and all the bentos look yummy! Happy New Year 😉
Those are all such great goals to have for the next year Min! I’m sure most of us have very similar ones, especially the food photography!! Good luck to you achieving everything on your list. 🙂
Thank you so much Lisa! Happy New Year to you!
This is my first time visiting your blog, it’s so cute! I can’t believe you can stand like that! Have a great new year !:)
Thank you so much for stopping by, Layla! Hope you have a blessed year as well!
I hope Tim is doing okay..I can relate to being so stickler with my schedule..I hope we both be more adventurous this year. Expect a random email in the Spring sometime that I am coming to Austin 🙂
Hi Dixya! Thank you so much for thinking of Tim. He is doing much better now. Ooh! You must let me know as soon as you get into town! Fun!! 🙂
Hi Min! I’m so sorry to hear about Tim. You must have been so scared and worried! This year I also want to use my time effectively and try to prioritize things (instead of trying to do everything). And omg, that’s you in the living room! I can’t even lift my butt up. LOL. Wow! I need to keep going to the gym that I started in October…and hope to do more exercise too. Let’s keep our resolution! 🙂
Hi Nami! Yes, I’m forever traumatized…I just pray that it won’t ever happen again. Seriously, why is prioritizing so difficult? I always feel like there’s never enough time in a day but I’m def going to going to try to scale back this year. Trust me..it took me a really long time to be able to do a headstand. Now, I love being upside down ;). It’s extremely empowering. As a poor student, I can’t afford a gym membership so I’m a bit jealous hehe. Perhaps this year, we should try to spend a little less time in the kitchen (and eating) and more time exercising. What do you say? ^_^
Min, you’re such an inspiring person… thanks for always making me think after your posts! Your photography skills are amazing, and coincidentally, improving my food photography is also on my resolutions list this year (apart from writing more, writing better, eating healthier + a ton of other things). Congrats on being paid to take food photos, so proud of you! I know how much work goes into taking photos day after day, trying hard to improve composition, lighting etc, so I’m really inspired!! If only I could see you in action taking pictures!
ok dear, i think that was a pretty long comment. just wanted to say hi and tell u I miss you!
love,
felicia