Ever wish things could be different in your life?  Change is possible, if you set some realistic goals and work towards achieving them.  In my last post, I reflected on my achievements in 2018.  I’m still thinking about my goals for next year but in the meantime, I thought I would write about the importance of setting goals. 

Why set goals?

•          They give you focus and motivation
•          They give you something to work towards
•          They are a tool for self-improvement
•          You get a real sense of achievement and inner-fulfilment that comes from attaining a goal

Who should set goals?
Everyone!  Age is no barrier.  Setting goals is not just for young people!   When I was at university studying towards my BA 20 years ago(!), there was an elderly person in one of my English literature classes who had obviously made it a goal to attend university and obtain a degree (or at least complete a paper).  As I have mentioned previously, I am currently participating in the YMCA 10k Summer Series.  Some of the elderly runners are still doing marathons and half marathons (not to mention making it a goal to participate in the 10k series!).  Very inspiring stuff.

When to set goals
Any time! A lot of people like making new year’s resolutions, whereas I prefer to think of them as goals I am working towards.  Whether you choose to set your goals at the beginning of the year or at any other time, remember that you can revise your goals at any time.  If you realise that you’ve set the bar is too high and your goal is unattainable, lower it.  If you have already achieved a goal, set a new one!  Don’t forget that it’s perfectly fine to set a goal for the following year (or even later).  When I started the YMCA 10k summer series in September, I set a goal to run the course in a time of under one hour by the end of the series in April 2019.

How to set goals

•          Have a think about what you’d like to achieve in different areas of your life, such as career, study, finances, health and relationships
•          For each goal you want to achieve, identify some concrete steps that you need to take in order to get there.  By breaking your goal down in this way, it becomes less daunting!

Tips for goal-setting

•          Don’t set too many goals.  You’ll lose focus if you spread yourself too thin and end up being disheartened if you can’t achieve everything
•          Make your goals realistic.  This year, I wanted to lose weight, but I knew I had a long road ahead of me because I needed to lose over 30 kg.  When I joined a new gym in July, my goal was to be 70 kg by Christmas, not 60 kg (my goal weight).  I managed to achieve this – I am 68.3 kg at present.  I can continue working towards my goal weight next year
•          Remember that you might achieve your goals.  Don’t be disheartened if you don’t achieve all of them. If you don’t achieve a goal, have a think about why you didn’t.  You might need to re-adjust the goal or give yourself a bit longer to achieve it.  On the same token, you may even achieve a goal that wasn’t on your list!  One side-effect of my weight loss was the change in my body composition and increase in overall muscle mass.  This wasn’t something I specifically sought to achieve this year- it was something I was intending on working towards next year
•          You might need to work towards some goals over a number of years.  For example, as I discussed in my gardening blog, I would like to make the garden more organic but this goal will take quite a bit of time
•          Remember to look back on your achievements to see how far you have come.  I chose to do this at the end of the year but you can do this any time.  Anything that you didn’t manage to achieve can always be added to next year’s goals!

As we progress rapidly through December, now is a good time to take stock and reflect on the year that has been.  It has perhaps been my best one since 2010, when I had my first psychotic episode.  I worked very hard this year and managed to get myself to a good place in many areas of my life.

1.       Mental health – I had a psychosis in February but by April, I managed to pick myself back up again.  When I recovered, an idea came to me.  Taking meds all the time didn’t work for me because of the toll it took on my physical health, so I moved away from that and only take them when relapses occur.  But instead of only taking meds when I’m sick, what if I took them periodically while I’m well, as a pre-emptive measure to prevent the onset of a psychosis?  In June, I took my meds for two weeks and will do the same again in December, when the YMCA takes a break from the 10k series which I am participating in every week (more about this below and also in a separate post in future).  At the moment, it is too soon to say definitively whether this method is effective, but I haven’t had a relapse since February last year, which was ten months ago.  It seems promising though and I will provide an update on this some time next year.

2.       Weight loss journey – I managed to lose 25 kg over the past five months without fad dieting or exercising excessively.  As you might recall me mentioning in a previous post, the community gym I joined at the start of the year simply wasn’t working for me, so in July I re-joined Les Mills and started training at the Howick branch.  It was the best decision I’ve ever made.  I see a trainer called Alice every week for motivation and support.  Her brother Dan also helped me for a few weeks when Alice was on holiday earlier in the year.  When I first started training at Les Mills back in July, I was 93.3 kg.  At my last weigh-in yesterday, I am now 68.3 kg.  I would still like to make further progress but am happy that I am out of the danger zone for diabetes.  My blood sugar levels are very well controlled now that I have lost weight.  The interesting thing is that although I am considerably heavier than my previous goal weight, my body composition (ie body fat percentage) has improved.  I am now at 22% body fat, whereas I used to be a trim 60 kg but at 27-29% body fat.  I am very pleased with this development and am keen to make even further progress with Alice’s help next year.

3.       YMCA 10k summer series – In parallel with wanting to lose weight this year, I also really wanted to compete in the YMCA’s 10k summer series in the Auckland Domain, which kicked off in September when daylight savings began and runs until April, when daylight savings ends.  So far, I have managed to compete in every weekly race, inspite of the weather (and there have been some horrible days).  To date, my PB for the course is 1 hour 4 mins 9 seconds.  I hope to bring my time below an hour by the end of the series in April.  Normally I exercise first thing in the morning, but there is something really nice about running at twilight.  There is also something about the Domain.  It’s a special place for me.  I used to run there a lot while I was at university, so it holds a lot of good memories.  I can lose myself in the run and it makes me forget all my problems.

4.       Garden – I had a very full winter garden this year and my summer garden looks like it could well be the biggest yet.  I also entered the Yates Spring Veggie Growing Challenge, blogging about the garden nearly every day.  On top of managing the garden and fitting in my training, this was challenging but incredibly rewarding.  To read more about my gardening achievements in 2018, please click here.

​What is in store for me in 2019?  I will cover my goals for next year in a separate post soon.

Recently, I wrote a blog post about how to save money while gardening.  I thought that it might be a good idea to write a more general post about ways that we can save money on a day-to-day basis.  In my opinion, economising is important no matter how much (or little) money we have for many reasons:

o   It helps us manage our funds more effectively so they go further
o   It enables us to use the money we save for other essential and non-essential items
o   It might allow us to put aside some money (or extra money) as savings for the future
o   Saving money or getting a bargain makes us feel good!
o   It sets a good example to our children and instils a healthy attitude to money from a young age

Grow your own fruit and veggies
Those of you who are familiar with In the Circle will know how much I love gardening.  I have devoted an entire media channel to the subject of gardening under the umbrella of Anita’s Garden.  Having a garden can help you to save money.   Fruit and veggies are expensive.  By growing your own, you’ll save a fortune.  You’ll also have access to the freshest, tastiest goods around at the convenience of your door step.  Gardening gives you a form of free exercise and it will encourage you to be outdoors and make the most of good (or bad) weather.

Don’t forget that you can also save a bundle while gardening!  To read more about economising in the garden, you can read my blog post here.

Advertising in brochures and catalogues
Many shops put out a brochure or catalogue from time to time, advertising specials.  Some supermarkets release a brochure advertising weekly specials.  Don’t be one of those people who has a “no junk mail” or “no circulars” sign on your mailbox.  You could be missing out on valuable information which will save you money!

Reduced to clear goods at the supermarket
Some supermarkets reduce fresh foods such as bread, meat, fish and dairy products a day or two before they are due to expire.  Stocking up on these items while you are doing your supermarket shopping will reduce your grocery bill dramatically.  As with purchasing any edible item at the supermarket (be it fresh or processed), it’s advisable to check the freshness of the product before buying the item.

Fuel
Check and save supermarket dockets as they sometimes entitle you to a discount on fuel.   Consider using public transport, which also saves you on parking costs.

Weekly phone deals
Fortunately, the cost of having a mobile phone has decreased over the years because everyone has one these days.  Keep an eye out for special deals on additional data and calling minutes.  Vodafone run a scheme called Fantastic Fridays.  Sometimes, you can even “purchase” off-peak data free!

Contact lenses
I used to purchase contact lenses from the optometrist.  Then I discovered a site called Smart Buy Glasses. I order what I need from this site and it saves me a fortune.

Coupon websites
Take advantage of coupon websites such as Grabone, Groupon and Treat Me.  These sites offer deals and discounts on dining, entertainment, services and goods.  I recently bought a bunch of vouchers to Event Cinemas for just $10 each.  The normal price of admission to the local cinema costs $18.50.  Ouch!

Dining deals
The website First Table is worth checking out if you like dining out.  Bookings made through the website allow diners to receive 50% off food for early dining.

Savings can also be made on the spot.  Some restaurants offer lunch specials.  Our favourite local Indian restaurant has a $12 lunch special, which includes a curry, rice, naan and soft drink.  An absolute bargain!

The Entertainment Book
If you enjoy eating out (or going out more generally), you’ll love the Entertainment Book.  This handy book is full of discount coupons for dining, entertainment, professional services and travel.  The Entertainment Book comes out every year and coupons are valid for an entire year.  Proceeds go to charity, so it’s for a good cause, too.

Sales
Most stores have sales from time to time.  Save money on appliances, electronics, clothing, shoes and much more by shopping during sales.  Sign up for emails from your favourite stores so you receive alerts and know when sales or specials are on.

Barter, negotiate, and haggle over prices
Did you know that you can haggle over prices in New Zealand, not just in Asia?  I discovered this a few years ago when I needed to update my laptop and camera at JB Hi Fi a few years ago.  I naively thought that in New Zealand, the price tag signalled the end price but it appears that I was wrong!  It never hurts to ask if there is a “better price”.  All the sales assistant can say is no.

Loyalty cards
These days it seems as though every store has a loyalty card.  It sometimes feels like a hassle to join yet another loyalty programme but you may be missing out on an excellent way to save money and receive incentives.  Start by getting a supermarket loyalty card and go from there.

Support students
Some universities and training institutes offer services by students at reduced rates.  The local MIT offers hairdressing at a salon, dining at cafes and restaurants, barista made coffee, a bakery, a florist and a plant nursery all at heavily discounted rates.  Besides, you’ll be supporting students of today, professionals of tomorrow.

Subscriptions to newspapers and magazines
Cancel your subscription to a hard copy version of the newspaper and magazines.  Most newspapers and magazines allow you to read articles for free, or at least a limited number of articles such as the New York Times.  Alternatively, get an electronic subscription.  A subscription to the electronic version might have a reduced subscription rate, such as the New York Times.  Not only will this save you money, but it’s also much better for the environment.

Exercise subsidy
The cost of a gym membership can be crippling.  The Exercise Association of New Zealand offer heavily subsidised gym memberships to members of the community who have not had a gym membership in the past twelve months.  I used this scheme to purchase a gym membership to my local gym, which you can read about in this post.  I received my gym membership for half of the normal price, making an annual membership an absolute bargain.

Shop from China
I was always a little dubious about purchasing goods direct from China on websites such as AliExpress.  That is, until I started selling plants in my little nursery and needed to purchase lots of plastic plant labels.  The cost of sourcing them within New Zealand was just too high and I actually found a better product from China on the AliExpress site.  Shopping from China makes sense.  After all, most stores in New Zealand import their goods from China.  You might as well cut out the middleman and buy direct!

Holidays
Consider taking your holidays off-peak when prices are lower.  You might want to think about taking the family on a cruise as it’s all inclusive and generally works out cheaper than paying for accommodating and dining. You can read my blog post on cruise holidays here.

If all else fails, you can always have a staycation.  There are lots of things you can do in your own city. Go sightseeing.  Be a tourist in your own town or city.  Visit museums, parks, beaches and galleries.   Go to the community swimming pool.  Ours is free.  Alternatively, simply stay at home.  Turn your garden into a summer sanctuary.  Make your home a place you never want to leave!

Review: ****

This is a very light-hearted drama about a girl’s struggles with her insecurities.  One day, she bumps her head at the gym and mistakenly wakes up believing that she is beautiful and thin.
 
Starring: Amy Schumer, Adrian Martinez, Rory Scovel, Michelle Williams, Lauren Hutton, Busy Philipps, Aidy Bryant, Naomi Campbell
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Plot: The film begins by introducing the main character, Renee Bennett (Amy Schumer), a 20-something young girl who lives in New York and works in IT in a grungy basement in Chinatown, the back office of a leading cosmetics retailer, Lily Le Claire with her colleague Mason (Adrian Martinez).

Renee suffers from a low self-esteem stemming from poor body image.  This isn’t helped by a sales assistant in a clothing store informing her that larger sizes are available online when Renee goes clothes shopping. 

One day, she attends a fitness class at Soul Cycle and hits her head.  She blacks out from concussion and wakes up, believing that she is beautiful. Renee annoys her best friends Viv (Aidy Bryant) and Jane (Busy Philipps) by being so obsessed with her image and her belief that it has changed, as this is only the case in Renee’s mind.  Everyone one else sees her as they always have.

Renee has the confidence to apply to the headquarters of Lily Le Claire for a position as receptionist.  She is successful in her application and starts working on the front desk.  Renee impresses Avery Le Claire (Michelle Williams) and her grandmother (Lauren Hutton) with her knowledge of how to pitch a bargain line to be sold at Target and appeal to working class women.  Renee even catches the eye of playboy Grant (Tom Hopper), Avery’s sister.

Renee has the confidence to give her phone number to Ethan (Rory Scovel), a man who is waiting in line behind her at the dry cleaners, and they start dating.  On their first date, she enters into a bikini contest.  While she does not win, she puts on an incredible performance and a man at the bar tells Ethan how lucky he is to be with her as she is such a lot of fun to be around. Ethan tells Renee that he likes her because “you’re so yourself”. 

While Renee is on a business trip to Boston, she hits her head again and wakes up realising with horror that she has reverted to her former self.  She is devastated.  She breaks up with Ethan, only to later apologise to him.  He takes her back and makes it clear that he loves her exactly as she is.  She also reconciles with Viv and Jane, who accept her apology for being so self-obsessed and vain.

In a speech advertising the bargain line of Lily Le Claire, Renee has a realisation that her appearance did not change at all during the course of the film.  She tells the audience that true beauty and confidence come from within, not from the cosmetics they use.

Address: Unit B1, 9 Gooch Place, Howick
Phone: 09 535 2222
Price: $
Style: Chinese
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Yesterday, mum and I dined at a Chinese restaurant in Howick called San Hou.  For a long time, we had been searching for an authentic Chinese dining experience and didn’t care if the restaurant wasn’t fancy.  We finally managed to find what we were looking for.

The menu is very extensive and to me, was a little confusing.  This was quickly sorted by chatting to the waitress, who helped us decide what to order. She said that basically any of the noodle dishes could be done exactly as we liked, which was a nice thing to hear!  There were so many choices though – beef, chicken, pork or fish?  Seafood? What kind of noodle? Rice? Crispy? Egg?   Or maybe you prefer rice? Soup or dry? You could visit this restaurant so many times and probably still not scratch the surface of what they have to offer.

After much deliberation, we decided on some vegetarian spring rolls ($6), vegetarian steamed buns ($6) and vegetarian dumplings ($8) to begin, followed by chicken rice noodles ($12).  The spring rolls were small, crunchy and very tasty.  The steamed buns were superb.  The texture was light and slightly chewy, and the filling contained some lovely vegetables, delicately cooked.  The dumplings were quite unusual and I was apprehensive to try them at first: green almost ravioli like in appearance but delicious.  I need not have worried.  They were superb, like all the starters.

The main dish, the chicken rice noodles, was divine.  The flavour of the dish could be tasted throughout.  The chicken was well cooked and there was also some bok choy, which was lovely.  At first, after ordering rice noodles I wondered if I had made a mistake and if I should have ordered egg noodles. I need not have worried.  The rice noodles were lovely and perhaps a little lighter in texture than egg noodle dishes I have tried at other restaurants.  In any event, there is always next time.  We will definitely be back for more samplings.

1 Queen Street, Auckland City
Review: *****
Price: $$ (average)
Style: Fast food/burger joint

Today, mum and I had lunch at Lord of the Fries in Auckland City.  This restaurant is in fact a caravan with limited seating on picnic tables outdoors.  The amazing thing about Lord of the Fries is that it is 100% vegan, yet does not compromise on taste.  It serves up a delicious range of burgers, fries (the name of the restaurant takes after its fries, for which the restaurant is most famous and what it first started serving), hot dogs and sides such as onion rings.

Neither of us is vegan, but I had read some good reviews for Lord of the Fries, so we decided to add it onto our list of restaurants to dine at.  We enjoyed the morning at Mission Bay.  I took a long walk along the waterfront and we had coffee at the Coffee Club, then returned to the city to have lunch.

There was so much to choose from, so we pondered over the menu for a little while.  We had a couple of vouchers for burgers and fries from the Entertainment Book.  A quick check with the girl behind the counter revealed that we could use them both, which was good.  We each ordered Spicy burgers ($10 each), one kumara fries ($7.50), one shoestring fries ($6.50) and one onion rings ($8).  To complement the fries, we ordered the Parisienne sauce, which was aioli. 

The burgers contained a vegetable patty, lettuce, vegan cheese, pickles and a delicious spicy jalapeno sauce.  We had ordered a big size, which is suitable for an adult.  They were incredibly filling.  The kumara fries were also lovely.  It had been a long time since I have had kumara fries so it was a welcome treat.  The shoestring fries were perhaps the best I’ve ever tasted.  Both fries went well with the Aioli sauce.  I have only ever had the pleasure of eating onion rings once before in my life, when Burger King put out a vegetarian burger for a limited time while I was at university.  These onion rings were crunchy in texture and absolutely delicious.
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I would whole-heatedly recommend Lord of the Fries to other diners, whether they are vegan, vegetarian or carnivore.  The food was prepared quickly, was delicious and very filling.  The portions are also very generous.  Make sure you go hungry so you have lots of room to try different things from the menu!

Review: ****
Price: $$ (average)
Style: Chinese Vegetarian
Comments: Today, mum and I visited the Chinese Buddhist Temple Fo Guang Shan (16 Stancombe Road, Flat Bush, Auckland).  The Temple and surrounding gardens are very tranquil.  It is a nice peaceful spot to enjoy a quiet moment or even relax with a good book.  There is an information desk with news of upcoming events.

After looking at the bookshop, temple and enjoying the gardens, we had lunch at the Waterdrop café.  The menu is extensive and contains a well-priced range of Chinese vegetarian cuisine.  We settled on having the spring rolls ($5/2 pieces), steamed buns ($6/2 pieces), Sui Mai dumplings ($6/6 pieces) and the fried egg noodles with vegetables and tofu ($18).

All of the dishes were absolutely delicious and tasted quite authentic. We will definitely be back to sample some of the other appealing items on the menu.
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Even if you come here with the goal of having lunch or morning or afternoon tea, make sure you leave enough time to stroll the magnificent grounds.

Review: ****
Price: $$ (average)
Style: Asian/Indian cuisine
Comments:  Mum and I had lunch at Monsoon Poon.  This restaurant is one we try and go to at least once a year, as we really like the style of cuisine and relaxed environment.  We went on a Tuesday for lunch, so the restaurant wasn’t busy or noisy.  We were seated and given menus promptly by a friendly waitress.

As we had been here many times in the past, we didn’t take long to order.  We ordered diet cokes and poppadoms to start.  We then ordered the Lamb Curry with 25 herbs and spices ($23) and the Singapore Fried Noodles ($24), deciding to share both dishes.

We had not tried the lamb curry before and weren’t disappointed.  The pieces of meat were succulent and extremely tasty, as was the sauce.  The noodles, an old favourite, didn’t disappoint either.  It is an enormous dish, so we highly recommend getting one to share, rather than one noodle dish each.  We noticed that the diners at the table next to us did the same thing.
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All in all, we enjoyed a relaxed lunch here and look forward to returning again.

Review: *****
Location: Dining Lane, Sylvia Park shopping centre
Price: $$ (average)
Style: Malaysian cuisine
Comments: Mum and I went here not having the greatest of expectations, based on reading previous reviews.  Diners had complained about portion sizes and the prices being too high.  However, we are both keen on Asian food so couldn’t resist trying out a new eatery in Auckland. 

We were both blown away by the décor and simple tables which made us feel like we were in Asia.  You order at the counter and take away a number, then your food is brought out to you.  We ordered the Chicken and Mushroom Sui Mai ($10), which were dumplings, to start. (see above) 

​Then we each ordered the laksa with chicken and prawns ($18, with the additional extra for the chicken and prawns) for the main.
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We were not disappointed.  The flavours in the laksa were divine.  It was creamy, full of coconut and absolutely delicious.  The dumplings were light in texture and also delicious.
In short, we were very impressed with the taste and style of this new restaurant.  We will be back.