I start every new year with a list of resolutions.  Really, they don't change much from year to year; they're just little improvements that I would like to make in my life.  Come February, I have a vague recollection of what they were, but by that time life has other priorities.  At the end of year, I look at my accomplishments and think about what I would like for the next year.  The process is quite fun, but I decided to try something different this year.

I'm a little tired of talking about the things I'm planning to do.  This year, I decided to just do them.  And the key word there is "decide."  I decided that I will go to the gym regularly (after years of talking about it) and make plans with my friends more often (instead of saying I will).  Cooking dinner at home, rather than ordering take-out became a priority as well. A month and a half into the new year, I notice that my resolutions have stuck. 

So what's the difference?  The decision.  I chose one or two things that will be done at day - going to the gym, finishing a book, calling a friend, going to the grocery store, writing a blog post.  There's no bartering, arguing or putting things off.  In the mornings I pack my gym clothes because I decide to work out that day.  After work, I no longer think of excuses not to go; I have already spent the day knowing it will end with a trip to the gym.   I just don't give myself the opportunity to thin of the reasons why I don't want to do these things.  Because I have the follow-through, I no longer have remorse about what "I should have done."  Of course, there are never enough hours in the day; I would like to accomplish so much more than I do.  At the end of the day however, when my energy wanes and I just want to sit on the couch,  I have done what I set out to do.

And that's a good feeling.

Last week we experienced our biggest snow storm of the season.  We knew it was coming - schools were closed a day in advance, the sidewalks were salted the night before.  I was really excited about the prospect of a huge storm.  Like a kid, I still get very excited about snowstorms.  Though as an adult living in NYC, I don't get any snow days.  The subway always runs, even when the roads are impassible.

I took advantage of the commute and brought my camera.  Walking the blocks to and from the subway, I was able to capture the moments as the snow fell.  Families were out with their sleds. Few cars braved Seventh Avenue in Park Slope, which is normally heavily trafficked. By the next morning, the snow had stopped and we were back to business as usual.  I'm so glad I captured that day.  I have my own memories and am able to share what I saw with people (perhaps a bit saner than myself) who stayed warm and snug that day.

You can see one of them on the Ditmas Park blog.  You can find the whole set here.

We've seen a lot of snow recently.  Don't get me wrong, I love the snow - the way it coats all surfaces with a clean, white layer.  I love the sound of snow - a sort of white noise as it falls almost silently.  My only complaint is that with all this precipitation I don't get any snow days.  New York doesn't stop due to inclement weather.  The subway always run (except for the times it doesn't, which never is totally random).  Needing a little boost in my step, I've been thinking of Latin music.  It reminds me of vacation, of warmer weather and a care-free attitude.  With that in mind, I compiled my favorite Latin songs, and here they are:

1. Los Aterciopelados – El Album
2. Cabas – Mi Bombon
3. Sonaros de Verdad – A Buena Vista
4. Bebe – Malo
5. Elis Regina e Tom Jobim – Águas de Março
6. Rodrigo y Gabriela - Buster Voodoo
7. Cafe Tacuba - El Padre
8. Luciana Souza - Muita Bobeira
9. Manu Chao - Me Llaman Calle
10. Jeremias - Yo Solo Se Que Solo No Se Nada
11. Orquesta Riviera - Asi Es La Humanidad
12. Shakira y Alejandro Sanz - La Tortura
13. Carlos Vives - La Fuerza Del Amor
14. Maná - Oye Mi Amor
15. Juanes - Lo Que Me Gusta A Mi
16. Elvis Crespo - El Regalito
17. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Mais Que Nada
18. Babasónicos – Carismatico
19. Julieta Venegas - A Tu Lado
20. Miranda! – Don
21. Caetano Veloso - Cucurrucú Paloma

Now as I prepare to trudge through the snow filled streets and head to work, I'll be a little bit warmer.

Yerba Mate: How to Use It

Yerba Mate is a tea, and can be used like any other tea. Its most popular form comes in 500 gram (17.6 oz.) bags of loose-leaf tea that is dried and ground. In some places it is available in tea bags, called Mate Cocido, but these do not provide the strength and full benefit of the more traditional methods for drinking it. Yerba Mate (literally, the "Mate Herb") gets its name from the traditional cup (called Mate as well) used to drink it. This cup, originally a dried and decorated gourd, can be made out of almost anything these days. In South America, where Maté was introduced to the world, Maté is still sipped from the Maté cup using a metal or wood decorative straw & filter called a bombilla. The modern Maté drinker can choose any number of ways to extract the beneficial tea from the herb. It can be brewed like normal loose-leaf tea and filtered before pouring into a cup. It can be use in a coffee press, where the herb is infused with hot water, and then the herb is pressed out of the way of the tea. It can be made into a flavorful iced tea to drink on a hot summer day. It can be made like coffee, in a standard automatic coffee maker (make sure you use a large amount of the herb). And, if you have a Maté cup and a bombilla, you can follow in the foot steps of the ancients by sipping Maté the traditional way. How to prepare a traditional Maté infusion To prepare the Maté infusion, the dried minced leaves of the Yerba Maté are placed inside the Maté cup and hot water (approx. 70 C) is added (this is called "cebar el Maté"). The infusion is sucked through a metal pipe called "bombilla," which has a strainer at its lower end to prevent the minced leaves from reaching the mouth. There are as many different techniques to prepare Maté as Maté drinkers, here is a fairly traditional method: Fill the Maté cup with Yerba Maté up to 3/4 of its capacity. A variation that will give you more tea per infusion and a less potent taste is to fill the Maté cup only half way, or even a little less than that. Pour some hot water in until it nearly fills the cup. Don't worry if some of the leaves remain dry, floating on the top. They will eventually absorb water in subsequent infusions. Let it stand a few seconds and replenish with hot water when the previous one is absorbed by the dry Maté leaves. When the water is not absorbed anymore, close the bombilla's "mouthpiece" with your thumb and insert it firmly into the Mat&eacute. Some people add sugar and/or some herbs (like mint, for example). Some replace the water with milk, specially for the children. You drink and replenish the Maté with hot water many times till the liquid comes out with almost no taste. The repetitive extraction with hot water seems to be an efficient way of extracting the beneficial properties of the herb. Enjoy! Although the first taste will be an unusual flavor for newcomers, it is a haunting taste that beckons you back time and time again. It's almost as if the body knows how good Maté is for you and calls out for you to take in more.

December 2009 was a bit if a doozy, so I decided to take a break.  It was time to sit snug, and enjoy the post-holiday season.  It takes a lot for me to rest, I'm always afraid that I'll miss something, certain that I should be doing more rather than less.  But my body started off the new year needing sleep, so I gave in.

And I'm so glad I did.  It's not like I spent the time doing positively nothing.  I just spent the month and a half not pressuring myself to do things:  I did what I wanted, when I wanted.  And it's been glorious. In years past, January and February endlessly plodded along.  This year the days seem to pass a little too quickly.

What I have I been up to?  Oh, lots.  I've actually managed to hold to my New Year's resolutions.  I joined the local YMCA and work out regularly.  Contacts with friends have been strengthened, with a couple of long weekends away.  We're eating healthy and cut down on the booze (not that there was a lot to begin with),  I caught up on my reading lists and those movies I've been meaning to watch.

Not bad all around.  My haitus ended with a spectacular New Year's celebration on Sunday.  We celebrated the Year of the Tiger in Chinatown, something I've never done before.   You can see the photos here.  What a perfect way to start the new year - twice. 

2009 proved to be an interesting year.  It went by in a flash.  As the months passed and I began my new business I felt as though I was making little progress.  I don't know what my expectations were - perhaps because I had no defined goal my expectations were a bit hazy - but I continued to work diligently, feeling like I put in a lot of effort with little pay off. 

Of course now, looking back on those months I realize how much progress I made.  Starting a business isn't easy.  It involves wearing many hats.  I somehow managed the business, logistical and financial aspects while growing creatively.

I found that I'm multi-faceted, talented in many different ways.  Not only did my jewelry collection expand, but I found my voice in embroidery.  My photography, writing and graphic design skills also improved.

All of this came together with such a high note when my photograph was chosen for the cover of the Winter/Holiday issue of the Park Slope Reader.  

The photo was taken during a snowstorm.  Looking out my window, I noticed the roofs all lined up and covered in a perfect white layer.  Knowing that snow never stays this pristine for long, I snapped the photo.  It depicts a scene so quintessential Brooklyn, yet rarely captured. 

Needless to say, I'm thrilled that my photo was chosen.  A year ago, I could never imagined this happening.  It goes to show that sometimes the most growth comes during points of perceived inactivity.  Evergy always creates momentum, even if it's not in the direction we intend. 

If you're not familiar with the Park Slope Reader, you can check it out online.  While you're there, you can also read my article on the importance of shopping locally.