My New Year Resolutions

With the pitfalls mentioned in my previous post in mind I made a list of simple changes that I would like to achieve consistently through the year. To achieve the list I selected a number of domains in my life and tried to select three things that I would like to do to improve in that area. Some of the changes are minimal and some may be gradual, but I think all will improve me.

So here is my list, please don’t make fun of me :-) :

• Work Goals
  • Set up a two achievements per day behavior. I had a successful co-worker and friend when I used to co-op at Tivoli, which used to have a two achievements a day goal, which meant she set a to-do for the morning and one for the afternoon. She use to be surprisingly efficient, but if you look in your days between meetings and calls a lot of important to-dos get left behind, this way you always make time to get two done even if they are small.
  • Establish, actively update and promote an IBM internal blog. I got started on this one earlier, setting up the InfoSphere Security Talk blog, but usually my problem is actively updating the blog… that will be my challenge.
  • Complete status reports on time and keep a work log. Usually I got my manager asking me for status reports and then I don’t remember everything I’ve done.
• Personal & Fitness Goal
  • Lower my Body Fat Percentage to 15% by the end of the year. Right now I’m around 20 to 23% , I need an accurate measurement so I can start tracking my changes.
  • Continue to log my activities and food consumption daily. Pretty self-explanatory.
  • Better Grooming (Shave at least a couple of times daily and dress better for work.) This goal may seem weird, but I hate shaving… I don’t particularly like having a beard, but shaving is a pain, my skin get irritated and and I get ingrown hair, but I would like to increase my customer interaction at work so I should dress more presentable in a constant basis.
• Hobbies and Photography Goals
  • Setup and maintain a website in addition to this blog. I’m hoping to have a place where I can display my photography and to keep it updated monthly.
  • Complete a creative photography challenge book. David du Chemin is the author of the ‘pixalated image’ blog and a number of books, but some of his most interesting work is through PDF book (here) which usually number 10 different challenges for photography enthusiast to improve their skills. I’m hoping to complete one of these and publish it in my future website.
  • Photograph 2 zoos this year. Last year I visited the Austin Zoo with the goal of getting some animal photos for my nephews room (which he got this Christmas), but I ended up getting some pretty cool photographs and I enjoyed it very much. So I’m hoping to visit a couple of more and improve my technique. V already told me she was going with me to the Houston Zoo. Maybe I’ll get to go to the San Antonio Zoo as well.
• Home & Finances Goals
  • Pay off any wedding expenses accrued by the end of the year. For those of you who don’t know this year is my wedding, crazy times… But with any wedding a certain amount of debt is accrued, I’m hoping to get rid of it by the end of the year.
  • Completely Decorate 2 Areas out of the 6 areas of the house. V and I have been going back and forward on decorations for the house and what not, but I’m hoping to completely decorate two out of the Bedrooms, Kitchen/Dinning, Living room, Backyard and garage areas.
  • Bring down debt by 15%. We do not have a lot of debt, but between the cards, cars and house it adds up. I would like to take a chunk of it out by the end of the year.
• Relationship Goals
  • Bi-Weekly Date. I would like to take my bride to a romantic date avery so often and make it kind of like a tradition, so we can have nice us time.
  • Continue and Improve Communications. Now that the wedding is coming up I would like to continue to focus on our relationship. Not that is bad now, but I don’t want to let it slide.
  • Find and/or develop a hobby for both of us. V usually does her running and triathlons and I do my own thing, but I would lie to find something that we both enjoy doing together. Until now that has been going to nice restaurants, which we both enjoy, but I would like to do something more engaging.
• Family Goals
  • I would like to see my immediate family members at least 2 times a year. This difficult since my family is all over the place, but I should make an effort to accomplish this task.
  • Attempt to strengthen family ties and relationships. Aside from my immediate family (and some may argue that), I have not been a good family member. I would like to reconnect with my family and develop new relationships with cousins that I haven’t even met or have not seen in years.
  • Family Photo. My mom has not been able to take a family photo, since 2000… I think it is due for her to get her photo.
• Friends, Social and Volunteering Goals
  • Volunteer once a 1/4 with SHPE.
  • Volunteer once a 1/4 at Church.
  • Strengthen friend ties. I was thinking I can do a monthly get together or social outing. I know I’ve been a bit of a loner lately.

Discada Styled UT Tailgate

Last Saturday I was invited to a University of Texas tailgate. This week the Longhorns were playing the Miners from UT El Paso. I have several co-workers from UTEP and some have mutual feelings for both UTEP and UT. Needless to say it was a good tailgate with plenty of good food and drinks, but one of the items that I’ve never seen in a Miami tailgate was an ‘apparatus’ people from El Paso call a ‘Disco’ (Spanish for disc or record). The disco, looks like an Asian wok, but it has its own stand and gas flame.

A typical ‘Discada’ (a Spanish play on words for something made  in the disco), is made with bacon (fatty meat), chorizo (more fatty meat), beef (not so fatty meat) and for all of you vegetarians out there tomatoes, onions and cilantro. Well, OK vegetarians did not have anything to eat on this tailgate, but that didn't affect me at all :-). Of course, as with any Mexican influenced meal, you eat it in a tortilla. The discada was great, I mean when you add so much fat into something it has to be good… proven by the time it took to be gone, approximately 15 minutes. A good meal when drinking on the Texas heat and screaming for your team at the top of your lungs.

Needless to say the discada will be added to my culinary repertoire when hanging with the boys, but I would skip the stand and use my old faithful wok. Thanks to Jacob and friends for introducing me to another of El Paso’s finest customs, which ranks up there with the Chuco Town Dance…. Also Oliver, who did some pretty fancy cooking on a very small space.

Sadly I did not stay to watch the game, since I had to watch my ‘Canes play… looking back, I should have gone to the game, but that is another entry.