Mid-year Update: My 2017 Goals

Hello friends, we are getting a little personal today! I'm reflecting on some of my goals this year and update you on how I'm doing so far. While I try to be SMART (as in my professional life) with most of the goals, some goals are new, so I don't have anything specific in mind or anything to measure up to. This is a longer and chattier post, so grab yourself some coffee, tea or wine! I hope you'll find this interesting and inspire you to work toward your goals!

SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.

Images (clockwise) via: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Speaking of not being SMART, that's definitely the case with money and career for me this year. I want to save as much as possible for a down-payment, which feels like it's never going to happen with the unbelievable prices in So Cal. Currently, a certain percentage of my paycheck directly deposits to a savings account at a different bank from my checking account, which really helps me to save. I've also increased it by a few percentages in the last few months.

In terms of career, I love the amount of travel and project management I'm doing for my job. But I don't know what the next step for me is. I also know that I want to go back to school, part-time or full-time. But what do I want to study? A lot of people knew what they want to do when they went to college, whereas I figured out what I don't want to do during those years. Even now, I have a long list of what I don't want to do, but still -- What do I want to do? So having a few ideas this year would be good!




My health and fitness goals this year are very SMART and I'm happy to report I've achieved or on track for most of them!

• Bring lunch to work at least 3 times/week
• Only eat fast food once a week
• Work out for 15-20min at least 3 times/week

I try to go out for lunch only once or twice a week. This is not only to save money, but also to eat healthier with homemade food. We started working from home twice a week, which really helps me to achieve the first goal. I've also been really good with the second goal, except during work trips.

I couldn't be any happier with how far I've come in terms of the third goal. Although I'm not overweight by any means, I wasn't feeling 100% confident with how I look. I wear a lot of flowy/loose fitting tops and dresses. While I'm definitely into the bohemian vibes, they also help me hide my problem areas: arms, stomach and thighs.

Photo Credit: Tone It Up website

I've been following the Tone It Up girls for 3 years and done their workout occasionally, but it wasn't until this year that I finally decided to make a change, set and stick to a workout schedule. I've never had any workout schedule before. I know this goal is so basic, but it's a starting point for me and I've kept up with it since Week 1. When the girls launched this year's Bikini Series, I decided to take it to the next level and purchased the bundle (comes with their membership!). I've been loving a lot of their recipes and kept up with their Daily Workout even during work trips! Yes, I now work out (almost) every day for 15-20min! I bring my resistance bands with me during work trips and borrow (because I don't like to work out in the gym) the 5-lb dumbbells in hotels to work out in my room. I also started to add their protein from Target to my smoothies recently. They are definitely pricey, but so good! This one is my current favorite:

To be honest, I've been avoiding the scales for the last two years and try to erase that number from my mind whenever I see it at the doctor's. When the Bikini Series started, there's a worksheet to take different body measurements so that you can see the changes after program. I felt self-conscious and didn't believe I would see a change. Turns out I couldn't be any more wrong and I really wish I had documented those numbers! I look and feel more toned (especially those problem area) and confident. I bought a few cute workout clothes to reward and motivate myself to keep up with the Daily Workout into the fall and holiday season. I'll continue to work toward that flat stomach or who knows, even abs one day! ;)

PS: This post from POPSUGAR does a good job explaining everything about Tone It Up, if you've never heard about them before, or feel lost with what I'm saying above.


One of the things I found fascinating and really wanted to learn more this year is Gemology. I also talk about it in the next category, I try to "buy less, buy better" this year. I want to invest in fine jewelry and classic styles that will last me a lifetime, rather than costume jewelry that will tarnish after months. However, I will still allow very special costume jewelry pieces.

One of the places my mom and I purchase jewelry from is Costco -- great quality for the price! One day, I was drawn to this pair of Tanzanite earrings, which I knew nothing about. After some Google-ing, turns out it's only found in Tanzania in a very small mining area and 1000 times more rare than diamond (read more here)! It's also a December birthstone, which got me to look into the birthstones. My birthstone (for June) is pearl, a staple for anyone's jewelry collection. So far, I've read The Pearl Book and looked at my pearl earrings from Costco with some of the things in the book. I'll be reading Pearl Buying Guide next, which has more colored pictures. BTW: I'm planning on writing another mid-year update post on the books I've read so far and the ones on my to-read list.

Another thing I really wanted to start this year is a blog, to put my creative energies into. I finally started in March and it has been such an interesting journey so far. While I've taken a few breaks due to traveling, I've learned so much about writing, creating content and most importantly, time management. So far, I've written 28 posts (including this one) and some of my favorites include: Get to Know Me, my Alexander McQueen handbag reveal (another handbag reveal coming soon :P), taking you to a TJ Maxx shopping event, showing you my hometown Yantai, China and of course, these Skinny Margarita Recipes! Moving forward, I want to keep up with the two posts/week on Tuesday and Friday, but have a set time during the day that they are up by. In addition to the current fashion, beauty, shopping and healthy food/drinks posts, I also want to write more personal posts like this one :). I would love to hear your feedback on my blog so far and anything else you would like to see in the future!

And my last goal in this category is to network (either networking events or just catch up with an old colleague) at least once a month. Unfortunately, I've only done so in February and March and met an old colleague for lunch in June. So I'll continue to work on this for the rest of the year.


I've seen a few TED talks on Minimalism this year and the quote from The Minimalists (at the beginning of the post) really stuck with me. While I still love shopping and a good sale, I'm a lot pickier with my purchases. I envision what my ideal closet/handbag collection looks like and evaluate if this piece will fit. And yes, that classic Chanel Jumbo flap is definitely one of them!

I've been traveling a lot for work and fun this year. I had never been to the East Coast. While New York and Boston are still on my wishlist, I've been to Connecticut, Pittsburgh, PA, Washington D.C. this year. I've also been to Texas a few times, Albuquerque, NM and visited my hometown Yantai, China! A tropical vacation is always on my wishlist. Instead of Hawaii, maybe a cruise to Mexico later this year? I love how traveling broadens my horizon and gives me new perspectives.

Inspired by the quote, I also made more efforts to see my friends who are not local this year! :)

Well, that is a long one! Thanks so much for stopping by and have a nice day! :)