2016

I have always been a planner since I was young. I love making to-do lists. My siblings would teased me when they see the glee in my face when I get to tick one of my to-do lists. But a friend of my mother said that is a good sign. She said that a child who likes to makes lists or uses a planner is a sign of goal-oriented person and will turn out to be a successful adult. Wow, I hope that is true because I would like to pass on to Naj and Fynn my love for scheduling, planning and making to-do lists.

Last year, I didn’t have only one planner but two! Hahaha! I couldn’t make up my mind which one to get. I have the Day Keeper and The Kikki.K Well Being Planners. I used the Kikki.K more than the Day Keeper. The Day Keeper was more of my collage/craft book but since I am not really a very craft-y, I hardly used it in the end. I was contemplating in what planner to get for this year. I was thinking of getting the Simplified Planner but it is expensive and requires to be shipped here in Singapore. There are several different options in Kikki.K for planners but I was not sure. I was also seriously thinking of getting a Kate Spade planner. Or out of simplicity, I might just get the 365 Days Planner. But I decided to think of what kind of planner that best suited me. I am very girly. I love being inspired. I love making lists. I like writing down my goals and gratitude lists. Then I realized I know exactly what planner I wanted to get. I used to have that planner that I believe best suited me before which is a gift from my sister on my birthday. I asked my sister to get me the Belle De Jour 2016 Power Planner in Manila, which she gave to me as a gift as a birthday/Christmas gift. Thank you sissy!

One of the great thing about this planner is that this is proudly Pinoy! I have the one in spiral notebook. I believe there is one which is sewn in like a book. The cover is hardbound and I love how pretty the lady in the cover. She looks feminine, empowered and filled with sparkles for the new year.

The first page is where you write your particulars just in case your planner will get lost so the founder would know where to return it. It also had an I AM A CERTIFIED BDJ GIRL on that page. Belle De Jour is French phrase which means “beautiful by day”. Succeeding pages is a letter from the Founder of Belle De Jour, Dar writing to her fellow belles. There is also a page for 2016 Goals with different categories like financial goals, relationship goals, health goals, etc. there is also a page for your Happiness List where you list down movies, mantra, food, music that makes you happy. There is a two pages for your Dream Board. I haven’t filled in mine. I was hoping to put photos and cut-out in it.

There is also a 2016 Checklist with some suggested things to do for an exciting 2016.

There are several more stuff to enjoy in your BDJ planner like the Ikagai page, What’s Your Next Big Idea page, Spend Smart page, Menstrual Tracker, Health Checklist, Beauty Essential Checklist, and Event Calendar for 2016.

Each month starts of with a colourful page of inspirational mantra and bullet points on how to go about it. This one is for the February month.

Then it proceeds with a page of overview of events for the month, a space for what good habit you want to achieve and a free space box.

Then you have the pages for your daily things-to-do. I like that it have these spaces on top for your personal errands list,gratitude lists, etc. It is set by weeks so I think that is great. You can identify your “big rocks” for the week like what is mentioned in Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of a Highly Effective People. Since I am a blogger, I use the free coloured space below to write down the blog post I will published on that day.

There are several pages at the back of the planner for Weekend Plans, Bills Tracker and Cash Flow Tracker.

I am so in love with this planner. This will definitely be my yearly planner for sure. I can’t wait to fill the pages with my schedules, plans, goals and grateful list.

How about you? What is your 2016 Planner?

For those still without a 2016 Planner, get your BDJ planner here.

Goodbye 2015! You have been a challenging year for me. But you made me stronger and taught me a lot of things about life, my strength & capabilities and my weakness. Being a new mom, a wife, a full-time doctor, a blogger and all the other hats that I wear can test my ability to manage my time and priority-setting. You have opened up opportunities for me and new horizons that I never ventured before. Overall, you were a good year that made me a better person and well-equipped to face 2016.

I love looking back at the highlights of my 2015 before venturing into the fresh new pages of 2016. Here we go:

NEW BLOG LOOK

For 2015, one of my new year resolution is that I will have a blog makeover and that I will be more consistent in blogging. I ask help from Martine De Luna and Patricia Alix-Villa in improving my blog. Martine gave my blog a clear direction while Patricia gave me a fantastic blog design that resonates with my blog manifesto. Like wonderful (blog) fairy godmothers, they worked their magic in my blog and soon after, I have consistent blogger invites, collaborations and sponsorships. It kept me busy, happy and satisfied. I am really an authentic blogger now! Hahaha! I gained a lot of new blogger friends, created great relationships with brands and discovered new restaurants/boutiques/spas/salons/brands. But I also realised that I don’t want to blog because I want to be famous or use it as my sole source of income rather it is my outlet for inspiration and creativity. I am extremely proud of what Little Miss Honey blog has come about this year. I hope for more collaborations, more invites, more opportunities and more inspirations from me to you & from you to me.

2. NAJ’s BAPTISM

I was happy that Naj this year became a member of the Catholic Church. My religion and faith are very important to me. I want Naj also to be part of something that I strongly believe in. I would love to raise him to be a good Catholic boy and have a close relationship with God.

3. NAJ TURNED ONE YEAR OLD

Wow, I can’t believe I have a one-year old son! Time does fly so fast. He was just this teeny-weeny fragile baby that I use to carry with my K’Tan carrier and now he is this self-efficient toddler who can run faster than me, climb chairs to get what he wants, dance, say a few words and give you the cutest smile that will melt anyone’s heart. We celebrated his birthday in Kuala Lumpur . It was a simple but fun travel birthday for our 1-year-old adventurer.

4. BABY #2

We did planned for Baby #2 this year. We hoped that I would get pregnant by the end of the 2015 but Baby #2 came a few months earlier than we expected. But hey, it was such a beautiful surprise! We were ecstatic! I am currently 7 months pregnant now and I will be giving birth soon this year. We are having another boy! We will name him Howell Fynn. We are so excited to meet him. I am grateful for this gift of life God has showered into my family. Please keep praying for both my health & my baby’s health and also, a safe delivery.

5. MALAYSIA TRIP

We went to two places in Malaysia this year : to Kuala Lumpur for Naj’s 1st year birthday and to Malacca for babymoon. I think travelling is the best teacher. It teaches you of new cultures and new discoveries. You also learn more about yourself and your travel partner along the trip. Few of my best realisations often happen in my travels.

In Kuala Lumpur, we got a taste of the urban vibe of the city that is very similar to Manila. We got to have a quick trip to the windy Genting Highlands and visited the entrancing Batu Caves. Of course we got to see the beautiful Petronas Towers.

In Malacca, we were able to see the rich culture & colourful ambience of the place. We enjoyed taking lots of photos, walking around the streets, eating lots of satay, eating coconut ice cream and learn more about the Peranakan culture. Too bad, we weren’t able to try their famous Gula Melaka Chendol.

6. OLD & NEW FRIENDS

I also realised that I am grateful that I kept a wonderful group of friends that I have been friends since I was in Grade 1, friends in high school in Saudi Arabia, friends in medical school and friends I met in my clinic in Singapore (some have left the clinic already but we still keep in touch). I also gained new friends this year which gave my life more color and happiness – blogger friends, new doctors colleagues, new sisters in Christ, etc. Friendships should be nurtured and valued. Friends should not be taken for granted nor used. Keep people in your life that will give you inspiration, support and love. Avoid toxic people as much as possible.

7. RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

One of the most rewarding aspect of my 2015 was my relationship with God. I promised that 2015 is the year I will try to cultivate a more personal relationship with God. No lukewarmness or being a “cafeteria Catholic“. I have to say it is getting better and better everyday. Like any relationship, it takes time. But I am happy that it is in the right track. I am putting all my trust, my obstacles in life, my plans, my fears all up to Him this year.

So there is it, my 2015. So 2015, I am letting go of the past; letting go of the things that we don’t have control of or we cannot change; letting go of dreams that is not for us. This 2016, I am opening my world to new adventures and new challenges; opening my heart to a different type of love; opening my mind to a whole new way of thinking. 2016, I welcome you. Be gentle to me. Be kind to me. I am ready!

I can’t wait for what 2016 will bring for me. I am excited to make my new resolutions tomorrow. I may have not mentioned to you that New Year is my favourite holiday. So tell me, what do you expect for 2016?

MY 2016 PLANNER: BELLE DE JOUR POWER PLANNER

GOODBYE 2015! HELLO 2016!