I’ve really been enjoying wearing athletic wear while working out. It all started when I came across Fabletics a few weeks ago and was intrigued enough to give it a try. I thought one outfit would be enough, but as it turns out, I’m a little hooked. I used to work out in a t-shirt and some sort of loose pants, yoga pants, or basketball shorts, but now that I have leggings and sports bras and other such workout gear, I’m having a lot of fun. In fact, I’ve already ordered a third Fabletics outfit (read about my first outfit here – review for the second one coming soon). After all, I don’t want to be wearing the same outfit every time I work out! And just look at the cool designs they have. The cost of my new clothes has been very reasonable and they’re all very soft, stretchy, and super comfy. I like how they fit and feel. This is one great subscription I didn’t think I’d use as much as I have!
365great Day 327: Fabletics
365great Day 326: travel buddies
I really enjoy traveling solo. You get to experience things in ways that nobody else would. It makes you more open to what will happen. And funny enough, it makes you more likely to find travel buddies to spend your time with. When you travel with someone (or a group), it’s too easy to stay within the safe confines of those social interactions. While you may speak to strangers in passing, you rarely strike up an in-depth conversation the way you could if you were alone. It’s like bringing a bubble with you when you travel, always keeping things at arms-length. Whenever I travel alone, however, the barriers break down far easier and I find myself suddenly having dinner with three guys I met the day before, or being followed around a castle by a couple of locals, or on a moped with some random stranger. It makes things infinitely more fun when I can explore a city with my new travel buddies, whether it’s just for a few hours or for a few days. It’s a great way to enjoy a new city.
365great Day 325: 0% financing
I’m a fan of getting financing if there’s no interest. Lately I’ve been taking advantage of these sorts of deals a lot, from my laptop to our blinds to the washer dryer set. For anyone who can manage their money well, why not? It frees up my money to do other things in the mean time and I can feel more secure in case some emergency comes up. In fact, the only time I’d be willing to pay interest is on a home mortgage; every other financing option I’ve taken advantage of is only worth it if they’re promoting a period of no interest. When I was getting my car, that was my one non-negotiable when it came time to hash out the details. It’s insane to me some of the interest rates out there – you often end up paying off more in interest than the item itself ever cost! Why in the world pay double or more for something? It’s almost never worth it, so I stick to paying in full if there’s no 0% interest option. Financing is only great if it doesn’t cost me more! 😛
365great Day 324: massages
I’ve all but forgotten the days when I used to be so ticklish that I couldn’t get a massage without stifling laughter the entire time. Thankfully, I got past that phase and am no longer so sensitive to touch. These days I enjoy massages so much I’d get one every day if I could. I especially want some extra ones now since my muscles are sore from doing power yoga earlier in the week. Nothing feels better than getting some tightness kneaded out of my body. I love relaxing to a massage and I always fall asleep during them, so I end up getting a nice nap out of it too. After this long night of trying to order blinds, I sure need another massage even though I just got one last night. It’d be great if I could get my next one this week! I need it.
365great Day 323: vessel sinks
I’m a huge fan of sinks that sit atop the counter. I think it’s a really cool design and it happens to be easier to use too. I definitely don’t splash nearly as much when I use them and I don’t have to bend down super low. It’s a lot more comfortable and they look so good, so what’s not to like? For some reason they feel more professional and luxurious to me too, whether they actually are or not. Maybe that’s because I’ve almost always seen them at places that are well-designed, like hotels, spas, and other facilities meant to be a tranquil environment. At some point in the future, I’m totally getting them for my home so I can smile each time I use the sink. It’s a little thing that makes me feel great.
365great Day 322: sushi
Sushi comes in so many cool shapes, colors, and combinations of flavors. I used to always get a classic California roll, which is tame enough for anyone. Lately I’ve started to explore more and had my first ones with raw fish (usually salmon). I still prefer pieces with cooked seafood like tempura shrimp or crab meat, but I’m willing to try a bit of raw meat too. I’m particularly fond of the softness of the rice contrasted against the chewiness of the seaweed with the added crunch of cucumber. Avocado adds delicious flavor and the meat offers a bit more heftiness to the meal. The bite-size pieces are perfect for chowing down and the visual presentation is always something to appreciate. Not only does sushi taste good, it looks good too! They have some really cool designs out there that make eating this dish entertaining. It’s great when your food offers more than just something to fill your belly.
365great Day 321: strength
I love feeling strong (and being strong). It’s rewarding when I can surprise people with how strong I am and what I’m capable of. Growing up, I was pretty good at picking up athletic skills. I sprinted well, climbed most things, and learned to swim with little effort. I remember back in 8th or 9th grade when I could do the flexed arm hang for ages. One of my favorite parts of track practice was when we did weights. Cardio has never been my thing. As a voracious reader, I learned to carry 30+ books to the car on a weekly basis. As a good Chinese kid, I always helped my mom carry most of the groceries in the house. My personal challenge was to do it all in one trip, which usually meant a good 5 bags per hand. When I went back to China for a year in 3rd grade, I was able to outrun even the 6th graders. In more recent years I just like the confidence I get when I can do something that people doubt my body is capable of, like carrying my 6-foot something friend pictured here. I’d rather be able to do that than run a marathon, personally. I think it also gives me more confidence to travel alone, since people never think I can hit/punch/kick as hard as I can, so I can surprise them if I needed to defend myself. One thing I love about yoga is that it builds my strength. My favorite pose? Plank! And overall I think your body just feels better when you’re strong, which is a great way to live.
365great Day 320: videos
When changes over time or audio components are key to understanding a point, nothing works better than a video to convey that message. Whether it’s watching the sequence of certain actions or seeing and hearing something happening, they’re able to offer a different experience beyond pure visual or auditory things. Today when I was heading back to the office after a morning in DC, I took a few seconds to get to the edge of the Potomac and see the iced over water for myself. It wasn’t until you got close and actually heard the creaking of the ice as it heaved against itself that you really felt the power of such a large surface being frozen. A video can share that feeling far more readily than just a picture or an audio recording. Likewise, with things like the way people move or how their eyes light up as they laugh – these are experiences best shared with the visual and auditory components synced up as they are in real life. It’s far more powerful that way and I’m glad that’s one way we can share parts of ourselves. It makes for far greater memories recorded.
365great Day 319: good timing
When the pieces of a puzzle fit together well, it’s a beautiful thing. Likewise, when timing works out for whatever stage of life you’re in and whatever you want to do, it’s pretty amazing. It happened to me again today and I am so grateful. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been struggling to feel like I’m good at what I do at work. I was trying to work on improving my cold calling skills, but it was draining my energy and leaving me feeling unsure of myself. My manager and the CEO noticed I was struggling and knew I needed to experience some “wins” so they sat down with me and coached me. I felt much more confident, but was still doing something that I’m not strong in and wasn’t planning on doing long-term. For the time being, I wanted to put forth effort to learn and improve and try to be good at it, but I knew that a year from now I probably wouldn’t want to still be going at it. I felt like I was at the right company, but perhaps the wrong position. For the sake of learning and growth, I felt it was best to push through this tough period and see where it led me.
Then today I was pulled aside to meet with the CEO, my manager, and the marketing manager. As it turns out, they’ve been discussing my skills and positioning within the company and decided to do exactly what I was trying to figure out how to do: pivot. They see I like to write and strategize and socialize and tap into creativity to solve challenges, so they’re going to put that to work as I do more marketing and account management in a tweaked role. I was shocked (in a good way) by this sudden change, but I couldn’t have hoped for a better situation. I mean, I was preparing to read up on other roles I might want to do so I could approach the CEO and my manager with not just the problem (I don’t think my strengths are being utilized), but a proposed solution (areas in the company I think I could contribute more in). Instead, they kind of did that for me! It just so happened that a growing need in marketing was just the sort of thing that I could succeed in. I really love my company for how they noticed these things, thought about what can change, and acted before I got too worn out. I knew there were better ways I could contribute to our goals and now I’m repositioned to do what I’m good at and enjoy more! This also coincides with the start of a new year, a move to the new office (one of the cool rooms pictured), and my pending move to the new condo. So many new beginnings! It’s great timing indeed.
365great Day 318: hot chocolate
When I want a hot drink that’s sweet, I almost always go for hot chocolate. 
I love that rich goodness and it comes in so many varieties that it’s fun to experiment. Hot chocolate is always best with milk for a super creamy texture and better taste. I like to try ones like this s’mores one and others that have chai flavoring or other include marshmallows and whipped cream. I can almost never have more than a small cup though because it’s so strong. Still, it’s an awesome drink to have on a cold day – so soothing and wonderful. They make for a great treat in the winter!
