The month in review: May 2019

These posts should just be called Aggressive Positivity Reviews because that’s what I’m using them for. It’s easy to get lost in the days and miss all the joys and privileges that our first-world lives afford us.

You’ll see that a lot of the good things are not ‘big’ events. But that’s the secret! If you train yourself to take joy in the small things you’ll find happiness anywhere. There’s no restriction how and when you should feel happy, so why limit it to only the ‘big’ stuff?

Spending Summary

I found out this month I was accepted into my dream Master’s program so I’m very pumped :D. I also took on a few online learning courses to brush up on some knowledge and other fun stuff I just want to learn.

The sharp increase in education costs and a bunch of end-of-year parties for my students pushed up my costs for this month. My lunches were much healthier (and much more expensive) plus I replaced a few worn-out work clothes.

Last month I was projecting a monthly budget of $600. Hahahahahaha! With the lifestyle change, I would probably set aside $1,500 now each month to take care of living expenses, the cost of my Master degree, taxes, and savings for trips. Hmm, time to really think about how to increase my earnings.

Personal High Lights

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• Beijing outing with colleagues to buy 6 purses for his family back home lol
• The long weekend gave me the chance to catch up on life and work 😀
• Blog reached over 3,000 views 🙂
• Done with AP exams! Woohoo!
• I’m getting much better at fasting until lunch. Now to work on reducing carbs and processed sugars.
• Teaching days are done! Quiet exam/marking time until the end of this year.
• My post was featured on Rockstar Finance!!! OMG, WHAT??? When I first saw the view spike I legit thought it was a thousand spam bots haha
• The stock markets are slowing down a tiny bit! Yes! Stocks on sale!
• One kid told me I inspired her to get earrings hahaha. I’ve got 2 in each ear and planning on another couple to come next year 🙂 Wait ’til she finds out my goal is to get full sleeve tattoos in the future.
• Finished a couple of books yay!
• Reduced my rice intake by 70% This is a huge deal because telling a Chinese person to eat less rice is like suggesting someone breathing less.
• Accidentally stumbled my way into a conference on AI and the future of technology.
• Watch the drama students’ final performances. So much talent.
• 2 pizza parties, one with the AP kids and one with the Cooking Club kids :))))
• Dumpling making party with another teacher’s class for fun
• Staff potluck and getting our principal a gift.
• I can run and do squats again! Knee recovery is well on its way 🙂
• GOT INTO THE MASTERS PROGRAM OF MY CHOICE! (Goodbye 80% savings rate lmao)
• Staff BBQ was super fun!

Reflection

The April showers ended but May still had some life surprises to throw my way. I’ve definitely realized that I need to put exercise back into my routine or at least a daily walk because at certain points my anxiety was constant. Towards the end of May the May Flowers part really came through. I got accepted into the Master’s programme of my choice and had the chance to speak to senior educators. I have more free time again and been using it to set a 5-year self/career improvement plan. It will definitely change, but having a rough guide has really helped my general on-going existential crisis haha.

For a while there I was still feeling very down in the dumps second-guessing my job change. However, I was reviewing my photos from my trip to Vietnam and perspective slapped me hard in the face. Anybody earning a full-time, professional, salary in Canada is living a life of unfathomable luxury. If you have the time and money, take a trip through the less touristy parts of anywhere in Asia and you’ll feel like all your problems are insignificant. The pictures were a good reminder of how incredibly lucky I am.