This is Suz.: 2009/04

These are the drinking playing cards I got at the flea market.

They're excellent.

I'm going to make a game out of it at my birthday party.

So my friend Lilian is almost CEO of Animals Taiwan (just a matter of time Lil, just a matter of time), a non-profit organization that helps stray/abused/abandoned animals in Taiwan. They organize a flea market every 2nd and 4th sundays of the month. Yesterday, I went to volunteer. I'm not a huge animal lover, and growing up I never had any pets around the house because my parents aren't too fond of animals - too much hassle I guess.

This is Lilian

This is my visual merchandising

These are the other 2 slaves

Oh wait, I did have a pair of budgies in middle school. We got them for a science project we had to complete. No, no disecting. We had to observe them, which was quite boring because they didn't do shit, nor did they play with me. I don't know what happened to them. I think we gave them away after we completed the science project. I got a C-.

So yea, Sunday was a lot of fun, a lot of heaving lifting, a lot of yelling and hard-selling, a lot of bargain-defense. The stuff I donated FLEW off the shelves. So much pressure to bring in even better stuff next time, since my repeat customer will be coming in again, haha. My friends dressed me in all these vintage stuff to make me look like a bum, but I am not sharing the photos.

This post is dedicated to Lillian, she is pissed because I always say that I'd write about her but I never do. Attention-whore. Join US! In 2 Sundays!

Wow. I am so blue that I am actually googling about it. I found the below article here. These steps, yay or nay? Please see me in red.

20 Ways to Beat Monday Blues

Monday! Monday! Monday! So full of newness and excitement. Don’t feel the same way? You’re doing it wrong! Here are 20 ways to help you beat the Monday Blues:

Procrastinate feeling blue. Is a gloomy cloud forming above your head? Ignore it - you’ll give your attention to it later, not now. (Nay. Unfortunately feeling blue never procrastinate itself, and it cannot be ignored.)
Wear your best clothes or the cheeriest colour from your wardrobe. You’d be surprise how much your clothes could affect the way you feel about yourself. (Yay. I guess this might work for me. But usually when I wake up on Monday mornings I'm always late, and end up being very scrubbed out.)
Early start - bad things happen when you are late, the tension level is high, you are in a rush, you don’t have time for breakfast, when you arrive at your office, people are shoving work into your face. It may seem like a punishment to wake up earlier on Monday but trust me, when you have enough time to organize yourself, you’ll feel like you can conquer the day easier. (Yay. I agree with this, yet oh so hard to accomplish.)
Treat yourself in the morning - Sit down and eat. Enjoy your food. Monday is Pancake Breakfast day for me, so I actually look forward to Monday mornings. But eat well - although it’s ok to treat yourself, make sure you eat well. I have a good serving of fruits along with my pancakes. Have enough to drink too - your malaise could be a sign of dehydration. (Nay. No time.)
Have a list of why you’re having the blues - you might be surprised that there will be things on the list that you can easily work on to make your Mondays better. My problem used to be a completing work from last week (very difficult to gain momentum after a weekend break) which brings us to the next point: (Nay. I am already blue. I don't want to make a list of it to remind myself why.)
Complete as much work possible on Friday - you’ll have less work to worry about on Monday, which lead to the next point: (Nay. After 4pm on Fridays, I start getting excited about the weekend, and therefore lose focus.)
Have everything laid out the day before - your clothes, files, etc. Saves you a couple of minutes in the morning so that you can concentrate on other, more important things. (Yay. I could try this.)
Plan your day in small gentle steps. Apply micromovements throughout the day. You can use a GTD system or simply divide your day into of 1/2 - 1 hour chunks with a goal for each time unit. (Nay. tried it and it doesn't really work.)
Talk to a friend - it’s most likely he/she is having the blues too. Keep your conversation short. Remember this is about taking comfort in the fact that you aren’t alone in this, not an hour-long bitchfest about XXX from marketing. (Nay. This makes me procrastinate even more.)
Listen to happy songs - a tune can affect your mood. Let cheery, happy songs be the soundtrack to your Monday. (Yay. I like music.)
Dance - just move that body! Jog in place, stretch, do yoga. You’ll feel less lethargic. (Yay. I like to dance.)
Laugh and smile. Recall happy memories or a good joke. If you can’t think of any, do it anyway (fake it till you make it) Some research is saying that even the thought of laughing raises your endorphin (feel-good hormones) levels and a fake laughter provides similar benefits to a real one. (Nay. I work in PR. I hate fake-smiling. It drains the shit out of me.)
Affirmative statements - Today is a great day. I will complete my report today. Stick positive messages around your monitor and take them seriously. (Nay. Because this sounds stupid.)
Choose to feel happy. If you don’t already know, being happy is a choice, so choose happiness! (Nay. If I were happy then I wouldn't be blue. I already chose blue.)
Buy something new for Monday - it doesn’t have to be big or expensive - a pen, a sketchbook, fancy post-it stickers. Monday is like a birthday for me- I get a present for myself nearly every week. I got myself a sticker for $1 today. (Yay. I like this.)
Try something new - you’d be surprise how easy it is to feel energized by doing something you’ve never done before. A new dish, a new song, a new route to work. (Nay. This is very vague.)
Start working. The thing about work is, it’s usually not the work that makes us tired, it’s the thought of starting work that makes us procrastinate and go into a cycle of unproductivity. Quit thinking about starting work and just work instead! (Yay. I agree. It's the thought of it all.)
Take short breaks - too much work can be overwhelming and when this happens, it is easy for you to give up. Remember to take short breaks to recharge. If your schedule allows it, you can also take a 10 minute nap after lunch. (Yay. Been there, done that.)
Plan something special for Monday night - meet a friend for dinner, rent a DVD. The day will be easier when you have something to look forward to. (Nay. Monday nights are hermit nights. No one ever makes plans for Mondays.)
Do not get distracted. Youtube, Facebook, personal emails. Once you allow yourself to get distracted you will be sucked into hours of time-wasting activities. If you don’t have the discipline to limit your distraction to 10 minutes, don’t attempt to do it at all. Reading blogs like this is another time-sucker so now that you’ve reach the bottom of the list, why don’t you get working! :) (Nay. This doesn't work. Technology does not make work faster, it actually makes work slower.)