Rise & Shine!
Whew! I finally landed on my personal theme for 2012. It took me a little longer than normal to find the right slogan/phrase/theme. I suppose, that’s because this year, it has to align with both my personal and business goals, seeing that I am now an entrepreneur and business owner.
For those of you who have been following On The Bright Side since my days in Japan, you’ll know that this is something that I’ve done for awhile – choose a theme for the year in lieu of creating a list of resolutions. What I like very much about this process is that a theme is more motivating than a list of promises, which can easily be broken. Who wants to start the year off a failure? Instead, a theme of the year is something to strive for, live up to and ultimately, achieve.
My theme for 2012 is: RISE & SHINE!
I love this! While 2011 was THE REINVENTION OF SHANNA B, with the adjustment of being in the US after 8 years abroad, 2012 serves as a serious wake up call. Sort of a make or brake situation! In growing my business, I want to rise to the top. I want Beaming Bohemian to be a success. Not only do I want to feel accomplished, but I want my work to stand out from the rest and be a shining example for other to follow. So that’s why I feel RISE & SHINE well fits my goals for this year.
Previous personal themes have been:
2011 – The Reinvention of Shanna B.
2010 – Rise to the occasion
2009 – Knock it outta da park
2008 – Live the dream
2007 – Get Ready, Get Set, Go! (With the subtheme of “Graceful goodbyes and enthusiastic beginnings” – I was leaving Japan in July that year)
2006 – Better and Stronger
2005 – Step up the Pep
How about you? Do you set New Year Resolutions or have you tried choosing a personal theme to keep you on track all year? What goals do you have for 2012?
Happy Holidays!
Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season and merry celebrations. As I was going through some of my boxes a few weekends ago (I still have not unpacked them all!), I came across some old cookbooks and Food & Wine Magazines I’ve saved for their stellar recipes. As many of you know, I love to bake during the holidays and serve as the family head chef for the big dinners. One of my absolute favorite recipes is from a December 1992 F&W Magazine article on holiday parties. So here’s my small gift to you this year, the ultimate, the delicious, the amazing:
CAPPUCCINO BROWNIES
Makes 80 bite-sized brownies
2 pounds milk chocolate chips or chopped milk chocolate
1/4 cup instant coffee granules
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
8 eggs
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1. Preheat over to 375°. Lightly grease four 8-inch square foil cake pans.
2. Place the chocolate and coffee in a double boiler over simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate melts.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Gradually beat in the sugar, scraping down the sides as necessary. Beat in the eggs, two at a time, beating until the mixture is pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon and salt, then carefully beat in the the melted chocolate and coffee mixture until combined. Beat in the flour; you may have to finish this by hand.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 35 minutes, until puffed, cracked and slightly resistant to the touch. Let cool on a rack, then cover and refrigerate overnight. To serve, cut each cold brownie square in 20 pieces.
Seriously – these are the BEST brownies I have ever had! I hope you enjoy making them and more so, eating them! They go great with coffee! ;p And if you really want to kick it up a notch, you can top each brownie with a dollop of chocolate frosting and a chocolate-covered espresso bean. Divine! Happy Holidays everyone!
Fostering Furballs
When I was a little girl, and old enough to walk home from school by myself or with my neighbor (remember those days?), I made sure to pass this one, white house. On the porch would sit an older woman and it seemed she always had kittens in a box. Of course, my memory may be recalling just one day, but I feel like I passed by her house often and on purpose to see those kittens.
I would often ask my dad if I could bring one home, and the answer would inevitably be, “No.” We brought home our Golden Retriever, Farrah the Christmas I was in third grade, and while I loved her and was satisfied with a dog as a pet, the idea of a kitten/cat was always appealing. What little girl doesn’t find kittens adorably cute?
There was one time a stray kitten showed up on our doorstep. It was a rainy day and I decided to make a bed for the animal and give it some milk out in our outdoor/patio laundry room. My dad came home from work, and while he was reading the paper and my mother was preparing dinner in the kitchen, the kitten had come out of hiding and comfort and planted itself on the back door steps. There was a loud “meow.” My father folded down one corner of the paper, looked at me and asked, “Did you feed that cat?” I confessed. It took a few days for the cat to go away and find some other neighbor to feed it, but I was quite disappointed that I couldn’t keep it.
Our family dog was put down when I was 19 years old. And since then, I have never had a pet in my life. Several of my friends have dogs and/or cats, and I sort of have an auntie relationship with their pets. The Nelson family has Tank, who I knew when he was a puppy, and who loves to play when I visit and for some reason, remembers my command for “speak.” My friend Sarah has two cats, both of whom know me well. Ella loves me more than Taluhla, but they both know me as a frequent visitor and friend.
When I moved in with my friend Michelle at the end of August, I was happy to become a second mommy to Bailey and Belle. They are both senior cats, but appear rather delighted to have me around. When I arrived, it was well into kitten season. Michelle is a volunteer for the Humane Society and from May through about November, takes in foster kittens. Her role is to provide a comfortable home and to socialize them with humans and other animals well so that when they are adopted, they will easily adapt to their new owners and be good pets to have. I have enjoyed being a part of this process since I moved in. You have to admit, itty bitty kitties are pretty darn adorable!
About two and a half months ago, we got a litter of six very young and ferrel kittens. They had been found in a parking lot and were horribly afraid of humans. They were tiny, maybe just two weeks old (just under a pound). They hid from us and hissed when we tried to pick them up. Slowly but surely, they started to warm up to Michelle and I, realizing that we were the ones providing them food and comfort. Because we already had two other kittens, the whole litter of six became too much to care for, and so we decided to keep two and give the four others to another foster family, leaving us with two older and two younger kitties to care for. We chose “Wolverine” who we named for his coloring and crazy fur, and “Jag” named her distinguishing swirl/circular marks which distinguished her from the other three identical tabby kittens. Wolverine was just super cute and Jag was the first to be at my feet when I opened the door to the kitty room. This was a complete turnaround from the hissing and cowering behaviors she displayed when we first got her. Jag also was very vocal, and with her strong voice, sort of sung her way into my heart.
From the time Jag arrived until now, four of her siblings left, two kitties who were already here were adopted out, Wolverine was sent back for adoption and three orphans joined us for a few weeks so that we could socialize them and prepare them for a new life. All the while, Jag remained petite, grew slowly and sang for her supper every night. During TV show viewings, she was more than happy to cuddle on my lap and even grew to enjoy a kitty “sling” I fashioned so that I could hold her and still have my hands free. In a nutshell, we bonded.
Eventually, “Jag” finally passed the two pound mark and under normal rules, would be ready for adoption. However, this little kitty, who sings so sweet, cuddles so lovingly and looks and me as though I am her mommy, has found a way into my life that I did not expect. The thought of giving her up and putting her up for adoption was absolutely inconceivable. I’ve not had any problems saying farewell to the other kittens. But I could not imagine parting with her. Sometimes, I truly believe, animals choose you. And this little angel has chosen me as her caretaker in life.
“Jag” was officially adopted on November 19th. I have absolutely fallen for this little sweetheart and am so glad she wiggled her way into my life and into my heart. After looking through many possible names, I decided I would call her “Aria” to acknowledge the powerful song which has become her voice. Once I brought her home from her final visit with the Humane Society, I looked at her and said, “You know, from today, you and I are kind of official….” And as she typically does, she looked at me, stretched her body and let out a melodic, “meeeeoooooow.”
Here she is sitting in my office chair. Make no mistake, she runs the show.
Words of Wisdom
As I continue to settle into a life in the US, I have taken the time here and there to go through my boxes. I’ve got just a “few” in my parents’ storage shed. My dad would looove for me to take all of them, but I don’t really have the space yet for my high school and college photo albums, those four boxes of books and another handful of what I know are house decor items and treasures from my life of travel.
I do, however, have a couple of boxes which are labeled “office stuffs” by the Vietnamese crew packing my things in Hanoi. I opened one of them last night in search of by zip-lock bag full of markers, highlighters and a wide variety of pens and pencils. In that box happened to be my old calendars. Yes, I still keep a physical, paper, written calendar. Probably always will. Do you save your calendars? I do because I tend to write a lot of notes in margins, write down birthdays and events, sometimes I’ve even use my calendars as daily diaries and have gone through spurts where I write what the day entailed every day. What I love about saving them is that I can be instantly transported to that moment, that time and capture every memory of that day. I love it.
So in one of my calendars, I found this daily mantra that I made up when I lived in Japan. I re-wrote it at the front of my 2008 calendar, in anticipation of my travel adventures that spring. Here’s the mantra:
Today will be a great day. I will listen, speak and act from the goodness of my heart. I will accept others as they are and treat everyone with kindness and compassion.
I think that’s a pretty good daily goal, and so I’m re-writing this on my current calendar, and on my dandy red notebook so that I may express this sentiment everyday. I’m curious what other words of wisdom and delightful memories my calendars will lend me!
What are your daily mantras, affirmations or goals?
When I grow up…
REMEMBER WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE – Never sell yourself short. Whatever the circumstances, however low you may feel, recall your hopes and plans. Use them as your benchmark: reassess your position and aim high again. – Patrick Lindsay, Now Is The Time
The neighbors on Alderson Street were families with boys. The only other girl was Ellen Robinson, two doors down. But Ellen really liked to play with Barbie. She had the mansion, the pool, the Jeep, and several of Barbie’s companions. I had Barbie and Skipper and a few changes of clothes. I was too much of a tomboy to get all fussy about what Barbie should wear.
With a street full of boys, I often played sports in the street. And yet there were many days I wasn’t allowed to hang with the guys. On those occasions, I took to playing office at my desk. I loved office forms and carbon paper. I madly filled out forms, filed papers in some sensible fashion and enjoyed the sensation that I was “getting something done.” My second favorite game was playing boutique. I would hang my clothes up all over my room and then have to bounce between the roles of customer, shop girl and cashier (complete with a toy cash register but a real cash drawer in the desk drawer). With my love of office forms, came also my love of receipts and price tag stickers and things I could use to make my imaginary adult life a little more real.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I began a lucrative little adventure called Hosting Helpers. It began when I worked a few parties for a senior named Lisa who had her own little biz, Party Partners. (I so wanted to use that name for my business!) She showed me the ropes for hosting events, and how to let the real hosts of the party enjoy themselves. The job entailed preparing the food tables, keeping the house free of empty glasses and thrown away napkins, making sure the chip bowl was full and doing all the dishes at the end of the night. Lisa was graduating and wanted to turn over her business to someone else. My dear friend, Rae Meadows essentially became my partner as we helped host parties all over San Diego. We would wear black pants, tuxedo shirts, complete with red bow tie and cummerbund. We worked weddings, BBQs, office parties, progressive dinners, and any number of holiday parties.
We were a hit. And with every party we hosted, we usually gained another client, simply by displaying my business card. I sent out reminders about the holiday season at the beginning of November, which helped us book up every weekend leading to Christmas. The minimum wage was $3.35 per hour, at the time. We pulled $6.00 per hour plus tips; I loved having the money to buy nice Christmas gifts for my family. Hosting Helpers got me a mention in the school newspaper and helped me develop a love for event planning, which has been at the core of most jobs in my long marketing career.
There was an entrepreneurial spirit in me, even as a young teenager. I secretly believed I could run a multi-national business, just by employing staff to host a party. I had no desire to cater, just a desire to employ well-trained party planners and hosts. I envisioned myself with an executive office at the top of some high rise in an unidentified city (Come to think of it, I don’t remember feeling that it was San Diego – I can still picture the skyline from my vision). Hosting Helpers International never came to be, but what a big, fun dream it was.
Here I am now, well into adulthood, back in my hometown, San Diego and dreaming once again of what my business will look like. With great enthusiasm and anticipation, I launched the Beaming Bohemian website on May 1, 2011. Since that time, I’ve picked up a few clients, continue to chase leads, but more significantly, continue to shape how I want my business to grow. I am heavily in R&D and working to narrow my focus. One aspect I have enjoyed the most is reconnecting with old friends and exploring a variety of options.
Admittedly, launching a new business is a struggle. It is frightening, quite frankly, and it is ridiculously hard work. Beaming Bohemian is quickly becoming the toughest challenge I have ever faced in my life. It turns out that re-establishment is WAY harder than settling into someplace foreign… even if that place is a Hanoi, Vietnam or a Shizuoka, Japan. While abroad, I learned that I am completely comfortable with being in foreign places, adjusting to new ways of life, hearing foreign tongues, adopting strange cultural rituals, and simply soaking up life as it comes.
Feeling like a foreigner in the U.S., in California, in San Diego – which should feel like home, is a hilarious new game I am trying to master. Fact of the matter is, I have never been more uncomfortable in my life. But I know, I really know that out of great discomfort comes great life lessons. At heart, I am still full of adventure, still willing to take huge risks and still full of patience to understand what life is going to throw my way. All the while, I have never forget that little girl inside me, the one with immeasurable creativity and imagination, such high aspirations and totally blind confidence. My desk no longer contains a cash drawer and all those fancy office forms, but it is still the hub for crafting my dreams, working my plan and creating a very lovely life.
Sore Green Thumb
My body is an absolute mess today. I spent all of my Sunday doing yard work at my friend, Michelle’s house. Gardening is something I haven’t enjoyed for a long, long time! Michelle and I whacked, racked, dug, cleared, potted, planted and cleaned. We broke for lunch and a Home Depot run, but the rest of the daylight hours were serious business!
My hands are puffy today, I have a random streak of red sunburn just above my pants line, which is slathered in aloe gel. There’s a few scratches on my arms and I am acutely aware of every single muscle in my body. My joints have been screaming at me, “What the heck did you do that for?”
I’ll tell you what…. I love it. There are few chores which provide as much joy as cleaning up a yard. I love being outside in the sun, sweating from an honest day’s work, cooperating with Mother Nature and setting the stage for what will be a fantastic outdoor living space and a calming oasis of nature and vibrant colors.
I wouldn’t recommend tackling your garden in infrequent spurts, but I do urge you to get out there and get your hands dirty. It feels terrific!
Hi again!
Hello! Thanks for visiting On The Bright Side! As you can see, things are looking a bit different around here. I am in the process of moving all my stories from my iWeb/MobileMe site to this new Word Press platform. While I loose a little on unique design, I gain a lot of functionality and performance.
I’m adding all of my recent entries, since I’ve been back in the US, and will continue to back-post those from Vietnam, my world travels and my five years in Japan. I’ll work to put up photo galleries and some of the great features like a page devoted to my favorite sites, Linkalicious.
Thanks so much for your patience. I’ll post again when the migration is complete. I have a lot of work to do!
Until then, hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend. Happy 4th of July!
Cheers!
You must be logged in to post a comment.