Year 2008

Happy new year!!! It's been such a long and somewhat a year filled with challenges for me but hey, here I am! I made it! I'm still alive! hahaha! Yeah, that's how I feel! According to the Japanese calendar, The years 2006-2008 were the "bad" years for me where back luck and misfortunes are waiting to pounce on me. Whether or not that's true, it certainly has come true for me. 2007 was the main "bad" year and that's when I came down with Bell's Palsy! The year 2008 started out with my face paralyzed, my panic attacks getting worse and my health overall, just going down the drain. My social life was at an all-time low and my relationship was in shambles. However at the beginning of 2008, I remember telling myself that I just need to make it through 2008 and to take things one day at a time. I decided to concentrate on several things during the year.

1. Don't start anything new with the exception of my clothing business in virtual reality.
2. Eat macrobiotic as much as possible and to learn how to heal my body with foods.
3. Yoga
4. Meditation
5.Think positive
6.Fix my relationship
7.Get back in touch with key friends

So did I actually do all of the above? You know, actually I did! I didn't do yoga as much as I'd wanted to but I was so busy doing everything else. I did learn how to incorporate yoga into my life in small 10-minute increments throughout the day. I also learned how to control my panic attacks through breathing techniques and meditation. Positive thinking also helped. I also got a dog and although it was hard at first, I can't imagine life without a dog now. My relationship is the best it has ever been and I am back in touch with a few friends dear to my heart. I have learned so much about eating good food for health this year as well.

I think I'll jot down some of my highlights of the past year.

My relationship has gotten much better. It's never perfect, but it seems that the longer we're together, the more I see what a wonderful man my partner is. I really love him. Our sex has never been better. Without going into details, he satisfies me in all ways. Now if we had sex more often, I would be happier, but hey one does have to work during the week.

We got a dog. I never believed that a dog could add so much to the quality of your life. I love him so much I can't believe how much! Taking care of him takes lots of time and energy. But for some reason, I don't hate doing all that for my dog. It actually makes me happy. Strange no? The training, the cleaning, the taking it for a walk, paying attention to him, etc. All of it, no problem because I love him so much!The thing though is that my partner loves him as much as I do and it's as if we have a child together. Sounds really stupid, but really it feels that way.

I started researching a lot about natural healing and how using food can actually help your body heal. Of course the more research you do, the more confusing things gets. It seems my body responds favorably to low carb eating. Lots of people won't agree that it's a healthy way of eating, but for me, it seems to improve my blood work dramatically. The thing though, is that I sort of tweak my low-carb diet. It's not all about eating meat because I don't really like meat. I add fish and soy to my diet and beans. I also eat sugary sweets once a week as that's my weak point. I guess that's my vice, like smoking. I also have miso soup in the mornings and if I eat rice, I usually have brown or white with whole grains in them. I eat fresh fruits but keep it to 2-3 servings a day. I eat lots of vegetables and I pickle my own too with sea salt and splenda. I do take honey everyday with my herbal tea. So you see, it's a mish mash of eating good carbs that don't spike your blood sugar and whole grains as well as healthful foods like raw honey, organic vegetables and fruits and stuff like that. My body does look best when I stick to a strict low carb diet. so those who say low carb diets don't work are lying. They absolutely do work! Seriously they do! And they are NOT difficult! I've been trying to focus on what I put into my body. When I do this, I notice that I can actually taste the food I'm eating. I also seem to prefer simpler foods when I do that. I notice the subtle tastes of fresh, whole foods without all the seasonings. Very interesting.

My panic attacks have gotten much better as the year progressed. I still feel the occasional attack coming and I do feel sick now and then. But I seem to be able to manage the situation better than before. After all the visits to the hospital and various doctors that tell me nothing is wrong, I figure I have to take things into my own hands. Try to make these aches and pains go away holistically instead.

This year, I took my mother and sister to Thailand separately. Those were definitely my highlights. I must admit I did enjoy the trip with my sister much more just because my mother gave me a lot of stress on this trip. I think she stressed me out so much more on this trip than any other before. She seems to be getting crankier and nit picky about everything. I guess it's just her age or something. I got to know my sister much better through this trip and that was definitely a good thing.

This year I found out who my friends really were. I have a handful of wonderful people that I call my friends. I love them to pieces and appreciate them for being who they are.

So that's basically the past year for me. I read a lot of books, I learned a lot about women's fashion, I worked hard in my own way, learned how to manage my time better, and discovered a few new foods along the way.

Not a bad year at all!