Gandhi's 52 in 2014: May Update

Woe is me!

I have severely dropped off my planned resolution train in the last few months. Although there are a number of tasks on which I am lagging behind, the ones that truly get to me are the ones related to health and fitness. Gone are the regular walks/runs I went on during January. And I have yet to kick start the tasks pertaining to Travels!

The money challenge this month has been moot, primarily cause I used that money to fund the wife's 30th birthday gifts, all thirty of them! Hopefully I can get back on track starting in June.

On a positive note I am sticking to the tasks pertaining to my photography challenge as well exploring new restaurants in Singapore. Outings with friends and conversations with family back home have also been on the rise. So if nothing else, I'm definitely becoming more out-going and getting in touch with my loved ones.

Almost coming to the six month mark. Guess things need to get into overdrive for results to start showing on some of the lagging fronts. Let's hope I have a better update come June end.  

Gandhi's 52 in 2014 Challenge - Week 5

Firstly, I've got to apologise for the miss on last week's update on the task. Returning from the holiday in Vietnam we were so exhausted that logging my weekly progress was the last thing on my mind! Hopefully this doesn't repeat in the future.

Additionally it would appear that the holiday was a little too good since I ended up gaining a significant amount of weight on the trip and am considerably behind my target (Damn!!!). The holiday also has me off my weekly walking and kilometres target. Bottom line, on the health and fitness front I am really in the RED! To track these misses I am now tracking the tasks with the colour RED and will do so till I am able to make amends and come back on the required weekly target.

Achievements wise I did make some progress on a few tasks. Despite all the negative impact the holiday had on my health objectives, it did provide me with multiple photo-walks and as a result I have over 2000 pictures that I will be sorting and processing. The flickr set for that photo walk should be up by the end of the coming week. The holiday also helped me score some journal entries, one each day! My total journal entries till date are quite impressive and the ones from the trip also have great polaroid pictures accompanying the hand-written entries.

Last week I also celebrated my birthday (February 5th) and since I was turning the big 30, the wife helped me with one of the items on my 52 in 2014 list, viz. the Mac Mini. Woohoo!!! So with that I have my first official item crossed off the list which also means that I have been able to kick start my task to give my self $10 for every completed task.

Although I haven't seen any of the movies on the list, I did indulge in some new series and will be updating that list soon to reflect the additions.

The first month of the challenge officially ended last weekend but let me recap the progress in this week's post. Overall I am in the RED on the health and fitness front, but seem to be making decent progress on all other fronts. Guess I know what needs to be the priority for the next few weeks.

Until next week!

Link to the list

Gandhi's 52 in 2014 Challenge - Week 3

Another week, another update on my 52 in 2014 challenge. This week onwards instead of adding the list in the post, I'll simply provide the link to the page (within this blog as well) where I keep the list updated. Saving space you see!

The post is a tad earlier than usual (well just a day earlier really!) cause I'm flying out to Vietnam with the wife for a week long holiday! As you'll see from the updates below, obviously the excitement of the impending holiday has been a small factor in some of the slips this week.

Kinda lagging on a lot of tasks this week. Was able to only for a walk once in the entire week so am going to have to catch up on the target in the next few weeks. Unfortunately am also on holiday next week so that means I'll have to catch up on a whole lot of walks!!! Ah well, it shall have to be done.

Also was unable to complete my 5 journal entries for the week (only managed 2). Aaargh, and this despite the fact that I had SO much to vent about and talk this week. Next week's holiday should provide for some truly memorable and picturesque journal entries though.

On a bright side, the weight loss task saw a positive turn this week with the excess baggage dropping another 0.6 kgs (it's not much, but it's still something!)

Also had another great evening out with friends (second one this month) mid-week (Thursday to be precise) with drinks, food and sheesha at Istanbul Cafe. Although it's also a new restaurant that I've tried, I'm not really chalking it up against my task to dine at 12 new restaurants. 

Completed re-watching all 8 seasons of That 70s show this week as well. Bittersweet feeling when you watch the final episode of any series you've enjoyed watching. Although I must admit the final season was a tad lacklustre and was all over the place with plot lines and stories. I can see why it didn't get renewed for a ninth season.

Also watched another critically acclaimed flick - There Will Be Blood. A tad different than most movies I usually watch, but then that's what this challenge is all about, experiencing new things!

All in all not a completely bad week, but I'll need to really work hard in the coming weeks to catch up on some of the slips of this week and the potential ones of the next week owing to the holiday. 

Till next week!

Link To The List.

Gandhi's 52 in 2014 Challenge - Week 2

Hello folks! Here's the status as of week 2 of Gandhi's 52 in 2014 challenge. 

Progress on all fronts as per the weekly quotas were manageable to achieve this week. Finally finished reading my first book of the year and was also able to write a short review. You can read it here.

However it wasn't all that great since I also had my first miss on a target this week. This one is for Task #29. Also had a reverse movement on the weight loss task. Need to ensure that I focus on this one a little harder!

Thanks for all the motivation folks!



Green = Completed
Orange = In Progress
Blue = Not Started 

Health/Well Being

1. Reach my target weight of 85 kg. Need to lose 20 Kg (1/20).
2. Log a 500 km cumulative walking distance on RunKeeper (23/500)
3. Sign up and run a 5K event.
4. Go for a morning walk at least 3 times a week (6/156)

Travel/Treks

5. Go to Hong Kong/Macau.
6. Go to Cameron Highlands.
7. Go on a cycling trip to Pulau Ubin with the wife.
8. Go for a trek to Bukit Timah with the wife.
9. Go for a trek to MacRitchie Reservoir Park.
10. Visit LegoLand in Johor Bahru
11. Visit 5 new attractions in Singapore (0/5)

Finances

12. Spend no more than $5 for lunch for an entire week. Have at least 12 such weeks in the year (0/12).
13. Complete the 52 Week Money Challenge (2/52).
14. Complete the Monthly Money Challenge (0/12).
15. Pay myself $10 for every task completed in this challenge. (0/52)
16. Pay all my Credit Card Debt

Family & Friends

17. Go on intimate date nights with the wife more often. One every month at least (1/12)
18. Get a professional couple photograph taken of the wife and I.
19. Host at least one movie marathon at home.
20. Call/Skype with family back home at least once a week (2/52)
21. Go out with friends at least once a month (1/12)
    

Hobbies & Interests

22. Go for a photo walk every month (0/12).
23. Submit my photos to a contest.

Reading

24. Read 24 books (1/24).
25. Complete the following books before buying any new ones
26. 1. A Dance With Dragons
    2. Shantaram
    3. The Wolf Of Wall Street
    4. Matterhorn
    5. Last Train to Istanbul
    6. Trojan Horse
    7. Dongri To Dubai
27. Read at least 6 Non-Fiction books (0/6).

Blogging

27. Write at least 2 blog posts each month (2/24).
28. Additionally blog weekly about the progress of “Gandhi’s 52 Things In 2014 Challenge” (2/52)

Self Improvement

29. Journal 5 times a week (7/260).
30. Take a selfie every-week (2/52). 
     - Link to Flickr Set
    
    
31. Create a time-lapse of selfie images. Participate in a 52 week photo challenge (1/52).
    - Link to Facebook Group
    - Link to Flickr Set
32. Go a week without eating any junk food. Have at least 6 such weeks (1/6).
33. Go to bed before 11:00 PM for a week.
34. Don’t stay in the same role at work by the end of the year.

TV & Movies (This list may grow as we go along)

35. Catch-up/ Complete watching the following TV Shows -
36. • Boardwalk Empire
    • Breaking Bad (Currently on Season 2)
    • Californication (Currently on Season 1)
    • Downton Abbey
    • Dexter (Currently On Season 7)
    • White Collar (Currently On Season 4)

35. Re-Watch all episodes of the following TV shows -
36. • That 70s Show (Currently on Season 8)
    • The Practice (Currently on Season 2)
    • The Wonder Years (Currently on Season 2)
    • The West Wing (Currently on Season 2)

35. Watch 12 new movies released in 2014 (1/12)
    - Dedh Ishqiya
    
    
36. Watch the following critically acclaimed movies -

• Apocalypse Now
• Platoon
• Milk
• Frost/Nixon
• The Wrestler
• Raging Bull
• Lawrence Of Arabia
• Amadeus
• Annie Hall
• Fargo
• Taxi Driver
• My Left Foot
• Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels
• Trainspotting
• The King’s Speech
• No Country For Old Men
• Rush
• Traffic
• Full Metal Jacket
• Once Upon A Time In America

Charity

39. Donate Blood.
40. Sell/Donate excess electronics and gadgets

New Experiences

41. Eat at 1 new restaurant every month (1/12).
    PAUL
42. Watch at least 1 musical.
43. Get a Tattoo.
44. Learn to mix a new cocktail every month (0/12)
45. Sketch more often.
46. Cook one new recipe each month (1/12).
    - Fettuccine with Spicy Tomato Sauce
    - Link to Flickr Set
    - Link to Recipe
    
    
47. Learn to play poker
48. Learn to make mulled wine.

Purchases & Collections

49. Get a Mac Mini
50. Build Blu Ray disc collection with one new addition each month (0/12).
51. Upgrade to a new DSLR camera body.

52. Make a new List for 52 Things in 2015 Challenge!

Gandhi's 52 in 2014 Challenge - Week 1

Here it is folks, the very first progress report of "Gandhi's 52 in 2014 Challenge". Glad to report that I did manage to kick start quite a number of the listed items this week. 

Started maintaining Flickr sets as well for posterity and easy reference of the selfie and food challenges. Links can be found against the respective tasks. Plus the week's selfie and other relevant images are also available for viewing at the bottom of the post.

A few changes/modifications to the list -

• Task #4 was slightly modified to accommodate walks both in the evening and in the morning, mainly because I'm not a morning person, yet.
• Added the total weight to be lost for task #1 to better track my progress.
• Added a few more titles for task #38 and #36
• Task #31 has been changed to now include a 52 week Photo Challenge. The Facebook group link and the Flickr set links are next to the task.

Some notable achievements this week - 

• Went a whole week without eating any junk food (WooHoo!!)!
• Cooked a new recipe for lunch based on a recipe sourced from the internet with a few personal touches.

You can check out the details of the progress using the colour legend listed below. Thanks for reading and motivating!!

Green = Completed
Orange = In Progress
Blue = Not Started

Health/Well Being

1. Reach my target weight of 85 kg. Need to lose 20 Kg (1.2/20).
2. Log a 500 km cumulative walking distance on RunKeeper (12/500)
3. Sign up and run a 5K event.
4. Go for a morning walk at least 3 times a week (3/156)

Travel/Treks

5. Go to Hong Kong/Macau.
6. Go to Cameron Highlands.
7. Go on a cycling trip to Pulau Ubin with the wife.
8. Go for a trek to Bukit Timah with the wife.
9. Go for a trek to MacRitchie Reservoir Park.
10. Visit LegoLand in Johor Bahru
11. Visit 5 new attractions in Singapore (0/5).

Finances

12. Spend no more than $5 for lunch for an entire week. Have at least 12 such weeks in the year (0/12).
13. Complete the 52 Week Money Challenge (1/52).
14. Complete the Monthly Money Challenge (0/12).
15. Pay myself $10 for every task completed in this challenge. (0/52)
16. Pay all my Credit Card Debt

Family & Friends

17. Go on intimate date nights with the wife more often. One every month at least (1/12)
18. Get a professional couple photograph taken of the wife and I.
19. Host at least one movie marathon at home.
20. Call/Skype with family back home at least once a week (1/52)
21. Go out with friends at least once a month (1/12)
    
    

Hobbies & Interests

22. Go for a photo walk every month (0/12).
23. Submit my photos to a contest.

Reading

24. Read 24 books (0/24).
25. Complete the following books before buying any new ones
1. A Dance With Dragons
2. Shantaram
3. The Wolf Of Wall Street
4. Matterhorn
5. Last Train to Istanbul
6. Trojan Horse
7. Dongri To Dubai
26. Read at least 6 Non-Fiction books (0/6).

Blogging

27. Write at least 2 blog posts each month (1/24).
28. Additionally blog weekly about the progress of “Gandhi’s 52 Things In 2014 Challenge” (2/52)

Self Improvement

29. Journal 5 times a week (5/255).
30. Take a selfie every-week (1/52). 
     - Link to Flickr Set
    
    
31. Create a time-lapse of selfie images. Participate in a 52 week photo challenge (1/52).
    - Link to Facebook Group
    - Link to Flickr Set
    
    
32. Go a week without eating any junk food. Have at least 6 such weeks (1/6).
33. Go to bed before 11:00 PM for a week.
34. Don’t stay in the same role at work by the end of the year.

TV & Movies (This list may grow as we go along)

35. Catch-up/ Complete watching the following TV Shows -
• Boardwalk Empire
• Breaking Bad (Currently on Season 2)
• Californication (Currently on Season 1)
• Downton Abbey
• Dexter (Currently On Season 7)
• White Collar (Currently On Season 4)

35. Re-Watch all episodes of the following TV shows -
• That 70s Show (Currently on Season 6)
• The Practice (Currently on Season 1)
• The Wonder Years (Currently on Season 2)
• The West Wing (Currently on Season 1)

35. Watch 12 new movies released in 2014 (1/12)
    - Dedh Ishqiya
    
    
36. Watch the following critically acclaimed movies -

• Apocalypse Now
• Platoon
• Milk
• Frost/Nixon
• The Wrestler
• Raging Bull
• Lawrence Of Arabia
• Amadeus
• Annie Hall
• Fargo
• Taxi Driver
• My Left Foot
• Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels
• Trainspotting
• The King’s Speech
• No Country For Old Men
• Rush
• Traffic
• Full Metal Jacket
• Once Upon A Time In America

Charity

39. Donate Blood.
40. Sell/Donate excess electronics and gadgets

New Experiences

41. Eat at 1 new restaurant every month (1/12).
    PAUL
    
42. Watch at least 1 musical.
43. Get a Tattoo.
44. Learn to mix a new cocktail every month (0/12)
45. Sketch more often.
46. Cook one new recipe each month (1/12).
    - Fettuccine with Spicy Tomato Sauce
    - Link to Flickr Set
    - Link to Recipe
    
    
47. Learn to play poker
48. Learn to make mulled wine.

Purchases & Collections

49. Get a Mac Mini
50. Build Blu Ray disc collection with one new addition each month (0/12).
51. Upgrade to a new DSLR camera body.
    

52. Make a new List for 52 Things in 2015 Challenge!

Gandhi's 52 Things in 2014 Challenge

In the last post I started the new year with an intent to make some positive constructive changes and improvements to my lifestyle. Although a noble start, it was in no way a concrete plan of what I needed to do during this year to achieve said goals. While scouring the internet searching for inspirations and ideas to implement my goals I stumbled across this gem of a post. 

Basically you list 52 (since there are 52 weeks in a year!) things that you want to do in the new year in a bulleted format and track your progress in achieving said things. Since some of the tasks can be quantified, it's a good idea to set a numeric target to help measure your distance to your goal. The clincher is the fact that you put this list up for the whole world to view and share your progress report (and experiences achieving them) with everyone.

Taking a cue from Lady Kell I decided to publish my own list of 52 things to do in 2014 and intend to share my progress over the course of the year with all my readers.

Each week I'll update the progress on my list and also share my experiences meeting my goals. The following Colour format should help with a quick summary of my progress - 

Green - Completed
Orange - In Progress
Blue - Not Started

Health/Well Being

1. Reach my target weight of 85 kg.
2. Log a 500 km cumulative walking distance on Runkeeper.
3. Sign up and run a 5K event.
4. Go for a morning walk at least 3 times a week (0/156)

Travel/Treks

5. Plan a trip to Hong Kong/Macau.
6. Plan a trip to Cameron Highlands.
7. Go on a cycling trip to Pulau Ubin with the wife.
8. Go for a trek to Bukit Timah with the wife.
9. Go for a trek to MacRitchie Reservoir Park.
10. Visit LegoLand in Johor Bahru
11. Visit 5 new attractions in Singapore (0/5).

Finances

12. Spend no more than $5 for lunch for an entire week. Have at least 12 such weeks in the year (0/12).
13. Complete the 52 Week Money Challenge (1/52).
14. Complete the Monthly Money Challenge (0/12).
15. Pay myself $10 for every task completed in this challenge. (0/52)
16. Pay all my Credit Card Debt

Family & Friends

17. Go on intimate date nights with the wife more often. One every month at least (0/12)
18. Get a professional couple photograph taken of the wife and I.
19. Host at least one movie marathon at home.
20. Call/Skype with family back home at least once a week (0/52)
21. Go out with friends at least once a month (0/12)

Hobbies & Interests

22. Go for a photo walk every month (0/12).
23. Submit my photos to a contest.

Reading

24. Read 24 books (0/24).
25. Complete the following books before buying any new ones
1. A Dance With Dragons
2. Shantaram
3. The Wolf Of Wall Street
4. Matterhorn
5. Last Train to Istanbul
6. Trojan Horse
7. Dongri To Dubai
26. Read at least 6 Non-Fiction books (0/6).

Blogging

27. Write at least 2 blog posts each month (1/24).
28. Additionally blog weekly about the progress of “Gandhi’s 52 Things In 2014 Challenge” (1/52)

Self Improvement

29. Journal 5 times a week (2/255).
30. Take a selfie every-week (0/52).
31. Create a time-lapse of selfie images.
32. Go a week without eating any junk food. Have at least 6 such weeks (0/6).
33. Go to bed before 11:00 PM for a week.
34. Don’t stay in the same role at work by the end of the year.

TV & Movies (This list may grow as we go along)

35. Catch-up/ Complete watching the following TV Shows -
1. Boardwalk Empire
2. Breaking Bad
3. Californication
4. Downton Abbey
5. Dexter
6. White Collar
36. Re-Watch all episodes of the following TV shows -
1. That 70s Show
2. The Practice
3. The Wonder Years
37. Watch 12 new movies released in 2014 (0/12)
38. Watch the following critically acclaimed movies -
1. Apocalypse Now
2. Platoon
3. Milk
4. Frost/Nixon
5. The Wrestler
6. Raging Bull
7. Lawrence Of Arabia
8. Amadeus
9. Annie Hall
10. Fargo
11. Taxi Driver
12. My Left Foot
13. Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels
14. Trainspotting
15. The King’s Speech
16. No Country For Old Men
17. Rush

Charity

39. Donate Blood.
40. Sell/Donate excess electronics and gadgets

New Experiences

41. Eat at 1 new restaurant every month (0/12).
42. Watch at least 1 musical.
43. Get a Tattoo.
44. Learn to mix a new cocktail every month (0/12)
45. Sketch more often.
46. Cook one new recipe each month (0/12).
47. Learn to play poker
48. Learn to make mulled wine.

Purchases & Collections

49. Get a Mac Mini
50. Build Blu Ray disc collection with one new addition each month (0/12).
51. Upgrade to a new DSLR camera body.

And Finally…

52. Make a new List for 52 Things in 2015 Challenge!

So there you go. My 52 Things in 2014 Challenge to make me a better person before the next year!