New Years Resolution: Keep on truckin'

It's that time of the year again! I was recently at a holiday party and a co-worker asked me "what is your new years resolution?" which definitely caught me off-guard. I have to say, I'm not one to make resolutions or to stick with them. For me, the motto that fits me best right now would be "keep on truckin'"...For 2011, I'd like to concentrate on my career, be more healthy and learn new things.



I am trying to apply for business school so studying for the GMAT has taken a large chunk of time outside of the office. Classes during the week and tutoring on the side help keep my focused. I hope that I am well-prepared for the second time around. Getting my MBA is a huge goal in my life and I'm working everyday towards it!

Whether I've been taking cooking classes or photography courses, I've come to realize I love to explore new hobbies. For one of my Christmas gifts, my parents decided to give me a gift certificate to I.C.E since I had such an amazing experience with my first cooking class. I'm very excited but I probably will wait a few months to sign up for a class (maybe when the Spring weather comes back around I'll have more motivation). There are so many great hobbies that I can try so 2011 will be full of new experiences.

Lastly, being healthy is something that I most certainly could work on. Although I am a healthy weight, I feel like I should exercise more. I worked hard to keep my cholesterol at a healthy level by cutting out cheeses, fats and other high-cholesterol food. Before I got a cold, I was jogging every weekend and trying to do some sort of physical activity 1-2 times per week. Even walking vs. taking the elevator makes a big difference.

Overall, 2011 will be an exciting year and I can't wait to read my Chinese astrology horoscope because it never lies!

Holiday gifts for the boss

Forbes recently published an article on the best holidays for your boss. I think that giving a good gift can be difficult because you don't want to be considered a suck-up or seem like you are trying to bribe your boss but you also want to show your appreciation. The article mentioned that picking out an item such as a clothing would require you to know his or her size which could be awkward if you under estimate! However, you don't want to give something useless or impersonal. I think most office-related gifts are a big waste of money: a pen from Tiffany, a clock or a paperweight etc.

This year, my co-workers and I pitched in to give a gift card to our boss. The gift card was to a restaurant group with multiple restaurant options. I think this is a good concept because it's not too impersonal but it's something that you know will be used. Another gift mentioned for the well-traveled manager would be something like noise-canceling headphones. Overall I think the holiday season is a great way to show that you are thankful to have a great boss and a great team. At the end of the day, the people you work with make the difference between an enjoyable experience or "just a job so show your appreciation in whatever form you think is appropriate.

Personalized gifts: M&M's with pictures!

Since the holidays are just around the corner, I remembered that I saw a co-worker with personalized M&M's at a meeting a few months ago. She had her favorite football team's logo done on 2 different colored M&M's and had ordered a few bags full of them. I always thought that was a cool idea but I recently went on the website and you can actually add pictures!

This is un-real. The pictures look so clear and done appear to print perfectly. I'd be curious to order them but I think it would be cute for a baby or child. I don't think it's as cute with an adult's face. Maybe I just don't like Meg & Buddy?