St. Patricks Day

THE RESOLUTION: Cook/bake

CHALLENGE  ACCOMPLISHMENT # 2

THE RESOLUTION: Random Kindness

CHALLENGE  ACCOMPLISHMENT # 5

This St. Patricks day story will sound nothing like what you would expect to hear on this particular alcohol infused mayhem creating holiday. This year my contribution will extend beyond embellishing myself on overpriced alcohol and the potentially embarrassing behaviour that accompanies that condition. In fact, this two part resolution is quite a bit sweeter, definitely more memorable and immortalized in a pair of short films now featured on my YouTube Channel: KN Extraordinary Life. (Click the links at the end of this entry.)

Part I

Early in the afternoon after another Sunday swimming session, I laid out all the kitchen tools and ingredients required by the recipe in preparation for my first cupcake making attempt. My trusty partner in crime, April, would not only be supervising (cooking + Karina = danger) but also documenting the endeavor. Thankfully, these cupcakes were a much simpler undertaking to the full turkey dinner I prepared in the first cooking challenge. After mixing all the ingredients and using a beater to get the batter creamy smooth, all I had to do was pour into the colourful little paper molds and stick in the oven. Of course I had to go and complicate things by getting these bite-sized molds instead of the regular sized ones that fit comfortable in the muffin pan. I was worried about the sensitive little paper flaps simple folding down (I would end up with more of a pancake than cupcake) so I places two mini cupcakes per muffin tray hole.  In retrospect, I truly do have no clue what I’m doing when it comes to cooking. I clearly overfilled each paper mold and when it expanded in the oven, each pair of cupcakes completely fused together  at the top. I tried really hard to turn that into some kind of new and ingenious invention on the video. . . not sure it’s going to catch though.  :P

Switching tactics (on April’s advice) I finally stood facing more than 50 bitsy, fluffly, warm, and absolutely delicious cupcakes on the baking sheets. Decorating allowed to me get little creative and I went with the theme of the day, designing four leaf clovers with green tinted icing and topped them all with crunchy green sprinkles. (Though I still managed to complete screw up one of the batches by applying the decorative frosting before allowing the cupcakes to cool. The frosting melted off of the cupcakes and on to the sheet. :{)

Part II

Once we were decked out in our green gear, April (with the video camera in hand) and I (with the dozens of of freshly baked cupcakes) all set out for a night of random and delicious kindnesses. Slainte’s Pub in Hamilton is famous for its all-day celebrations and even sets up an enormous outdoor tent section in the large parking lot next door during the day. This year was no disappointment either. The sun was barely setting over downtown but hundreds of revelers were already gathered inside and out of the establishment. Some had clearly been there much longer than others. 

With my tray in hand, I easily made my way past the bouncers and into the crowd filling the two story pub. There was a couple of possibilities now: I could get mobbed by hungry drunks or I would be looked at as ‘that crazy lady carrying a tray-full of cupcakes’. I’d have to say that first impressions sadly pointed to the second option. I began offering them to anyone who took interest but they were still wary. The number one query I received by far question what kind of drugs I had laced the cupcakes with! Funny, it never occurred to me that someone might have that reaction, but then again, I guess I’ve never been offered random food in a bar before. I wish I had been more prepared for questions like “Do I have to do anything to get one?” The video could have been much more interesting. Finally though, the tale of free cupcakes picked up and all kinds of personalities approached. We even managed to get some actually Irish guys on film . . . though we are still not sure what they said. 

All in all the challenge was an absolute success. Praise for my kindness and the actual cupcakes came from everyone from the partiers to the bouncers, from the DJ and bartenders to even the cops guarding the organized chaos. I even got to be honorary DJ and got free beer.

Happy St. Patricks’ Day!

*An enormous thank you goes out to April Beresford for filming and producing these short videos!

Part I - Baking

Video is not up loading  directly to blog so click on this link to go directly to the YouTube account and watch the video.
http://youtu.be/IAL-5NQFeYw


Part II - Kindness

One woman. One year. 46 down. 123 to go. 

Meter Maid

CHALLENGE  ACCOMPLISHMENT # 4

THE RESOLUTION: Random Kindnesses

It was a particularly busy day downtown and parking enforcement agents were out scouting for their next victim. I’m not sure what motivated me exactly, but the spirit of ThirteenSquared was shining bright that day. Perhaps being the end of the month and having recently done my ‘challenge completed’ updates (I noticed a clear bias towards certain resolutions and a sad neglect towards others) I was spurred into action. I turned off my usual route home and instead walked down one of the many streets lined with parking meters. I began looking at every meter I passed and casually dropped a quarter into those whose time had run out, hopefully buying the owners enough time to return to their vehicle before the ‘ticket man’ caught up to me. It was a simply kindness that will probably go unnoticed by anyone who did not receive a ticket today, but that is what altruism is supposed to be about. 

Merriam-Webster defines Altruism as: Unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others. 

One woman. One year. 33 down. 136 to go.

ThirteenSquared joins Manifesting Magic 2013

When I started ThirteenSquared, a resolution inspired blog meant to help me achieve the many goals I set for myself through a public accountability system, I never believed it would actually change my life and inspire countless others to do the same. Not only have I made enormous alterations in my own life plus contributions to my friends and community, now I have a chance to share my ideas and motivate people to enact positive changes of their own in a live workshop format. 

I am beyond excited to announce that I have been invited to the very first  Manifesting Magic Forest Festival happening this summer in Canada’s capital - Ottawa, Ontario. The three day festival of music, art and healing is bringing eclectic international talent in what promises to be one of the years most celebrated events. Activities will range from live music, meditation workshops, fire-spinning, aerial silk climbing, live art, a variety of performance arts and healing workshops including mine: Keeping Promises. My workshop will be based on my own original thoughts, creative ideas and the work I’ve accomplished through ThirteenSquared. 

Please check out http://www.manifestingmagicottawa.com for all the details, dates and the full talent line up.

The Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/451209281623929/

My own journey began with thirteen simple resolutions which I recognized as attainable ambitions. One of the major problems in securing success begins with the goals we set being unreasonable or vague. For example, “This year I’m  going to get healthy.” The second, is that we neglect to define what it means to successfully reach that goal. Following the above example, an excellent goal may have been to reduce your BMI by a specific percentage. Same goes for the the usual resolutions: work more/less, drink less, travel, learn something new... In order to make my own goals quantifiable I added a second ‘13’ variable. All this means is that I defined the successful completion of each resolution as having executed and documented each activity (goal) thirteen times. The last major issue that gets omitted is setting a deadline. Mine is easy because it started as a New Years resolution, therefore I have the length of the year 2013 to complete and blog about all 169 (13X13) resolutions.

Resolutions exist because we can acknowledge that there are things we want change and improve about ourselves and our lives. Once a year we celebrate these promises, though rarely do we actually conquer the obstacles and excuses that so easily defeat us. There is no limit to the dreams we can strive for and the payoff can be greater than the sacrifice. You know yourself better than anyone else, but we can always learn more through others by opening up. I accept that I need to be accountable in a very public way in order to garner the pressure I need to perform at the top of my game. This is made all the more intense because I am generally a more private and introverted individual when I’m in my own comfortable environment. Once you determine what drives you,  all you need is a plan and create a support network. ThirteenSquared has been that for me and now I am offering that support back to you. 

Attending this workshop or simply becoming involved with ThirteenSquared is the first small step you can make to taking your dreams by force, creating a real life change for even just one small idea that has been sitting at the bottom of your to-do list for too long now but has simply not happened yet, for whatever reason. I am thrilled to share my stories, my ideas and my energy with you (as much as I am nervous and adrenalized about being a presenter - truly keeping in the ThirteenSquared spirit of pushing boundaries and stepping outside of my comfort zone). I hope to see you at Manifesting Magic this June and don’t forget to subscribe to http://thirteensquared13.blogspot.ca for all the latest stories and adventures. 

You can also reach me at karinasextraordinarylife@gmail.com with any and all comments, questions and suggestions. I would especially love to hear from anyone attending. Send me your own resolutions in advance and I’ll be sure to set about getting your own dreams blazing into the future. 

And of course, check out everything magic at http://manifestingmagicottawa.com/

You must be the change you wish to see in the world. 

- Mahatma Ghandi 

Backyard Ventures

CHALLENGE  ACCOMPLISHMENT # 4

THE RESOLUTION: Food from around the world

Not all challenges require effort and planning. Some of them are strategically fun and enjoyable. A few even manage to serve as rewards!

With Spring weather in full force, the blazing sunshine and cool breeze finally lured me off my computer chair. Despite living in the downtown dump of a large city in the “armpit” of Ontario, I am shockingly well connected to forest and waterfront trails that run around Lake Ontario and through the Niagara Escarpment all the way to Niagara Falls. It has been quite rewarding discovering these paths to the not-so-hidden natural gems around my city and I always invite April along as entertainment and moral support (walking alone gets boring). On one particular late afternoon I took to the escarpment paths headed east so we could tackle several set stairs connecting downtown to the Hamilton “mountain” for the extra fitness boost I clearly need. (They are gruesome, steep, muscle exhausting stairs which I could barely catch my breath on... meanwhile spunky seniors were doing laps around me.)

14 Posts in 14 Days

CHALLENGE  ACCOMPLISHMENT # 3

THE RESOLUTION:  Challenge by You

14 Posts in 14 Days

It was a well deserved long weekend from ThirteenSquared after recently conquering a reader challenge submitted my by sister Maite. Apart from having a blog submission every single day, the last week of April and first week of May saw record breaking numbers on the inspiration counter. In addition to that, ThirteenSquared and the YouTube account KN Extraordinary Life have expanded viewership to more than 35 countries in 5 continents.        

*That is so, so cool! :)

A Disney Reunion 2012 - with Maite

Top Ten Countries

Canada

United States

Spain

Germany

Russia

United Kingdom

Netherlands

Australia

France

Guatemala

Puzzling

Louve, Paris - 1000 Pieces

Lijang, China - 500 Pieces

CHALLENGE  

ACCOMPLISHMENT 

# 48, 50, 56, 58 & 70

THE RESOLUTION: 

Arts and Crafts


I imagined that this particular resolution, thirteen arts and crafts creations, would have been quite a bit

Growing Up

 THE RESOLUTION: Designated Driver  is now,

THE RESOLUTION: Travel Stories

I designed ThirteenSquared not only as an occasion to create positive change and opportunity for myself but also as a way to give back to my friends, family, community, and the world at large. One of first resolutions I committed to, required that I put myself in the role of “designated driver” thirteen times in the duration of this project. 

One very important trait you need to understand about me is that I am competitive to my very core and I will always achieve what I set my mind to, as long there is someone else holding me to it. (I attribute this as the number one reason why this accountability blog has been so successful.) Admitting defeat is a horrible and painful thing for me, so I’m not going to! Instead, I am analyzing the current challenges I am facing, as well as my long term goals as a writer. Truthfully, I didn’t even know I wanted to be a writer of any sort until a few months ago. I never thought I would have the opportunity. I was too scared of everything to even try. Until now...

This blog has evolved so quickly and is already well beyond my initial expectations. Each new entry forces me to search deeper within myself and after 4 months and more than 70 challenges conquered, I realize how much I’ve learned about myself throughout this process.  In the past when someone asked me, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ the answer always eluded me. Now I have suddenly acquired a sense of clarity and direction that I never had before. My consciousness actually has an answer. A real goal with tangible obstacles that I can finally and decisively overcome. 

Traveling and writing. That’s my answer. 

So as a purposeful alternative to the designated driver resolution, I will be developing thirteen original and real travel stories. ThirteenSquared has already provided the perfect framework for what I can expect as a future freelance writer in one of the most competitive industries in the world. After all, who doesn’t want to get paid to travel the world?

Hosting Nishant

CHALLENGE  ACCOMPLISHMENT # 3

THE RESOLUTION: Random Acts of Kindness

Couchsurfers are the same kind of weird :P

I became a couch surfer before I even knew such a thing actually existed. Staying with locals as I traveled around the world is about much more than a free nights sleep on a couch somewhere. It is more than that home-cooked meal you’ve been yearning for. It’s more than the proper shower you so desperately need. Couch surfing is how you get to touch the heart and soul of a place you know nothing about. 

When strangers invite you into their home, they open the doors to the spirit of a culture.  There is no more gratifying a way to discover the values and customs of every new city, every country, than to spend a single day living in their shoes. 

I’ve been so fortunate to be welcomed into all kinds of homes around the world. Whether it was the old man on the bus in Costa Rica, the girl on the train in Italy, or the new generation Indonesian students in Yogyakarta using Internet tools such as Couchsurfing.org to connect with travelers like myself, the kindness done unto me is unforgettable. 

From Resolutions to Lifestyle Changes

CHALLENGE  ACCOMPLISHMENT # 8

THE RESOLUTION: Swim 

April16th

It’s finally happening.

I am turning these challenges into a lifestyle. Isn’t that the reason we all make resolutions to begin with? Getting started is always the hardest part of motivating change. It is very interesting that swimming has been the challenge I have completed most consistently, although there have certainly been many factors contributing to my success. For instance, up until today, I have never gone swimming alone. From day one I have had a good group for social support and accountability. We all push one another but allow the activity to have its social and fun aspects. 

I am continuing to increase my lap numbers since I began counting just a few sessions back. Because I was on my own today, it is the first time I have really timed how much of my time is actually spent swimming. I still take my breaks between laps of course, but I limit myself to two or three breaths at each edge of the pool. Every six to eight laps I take a longer break of 30 seconds or so. 

Today I accomplished my goal: 40 laps. Each lap is 25 meters and I averaged about a minute per lap (breaks included). That is one kilometer in 40 minutes! Of course now my competitive spirit is kicking in and the drive to swim is exhilarated. How fast will I swim 1 kilometer a month from now? Six months? How long would it take to swim 1500 meters? Two kilometers?

One woman. One year. 62 down. 107 to go.

At the village

I teach them stuff

 CHALLENGE  ACCOMPLISHMENT # 22

THE RESOLUTION: Meaningful Get Togethers 

I warm-heartedly refer to my cousin Gaby's blended Guatemalan/Dominican/Canadian family as "the village".  Truly, they are are some of my favourite people in the world and their ability to combine strong family values with a never-grow-up attitude is inspirational.

Not to mention the cooking in this house!!! And there is always hip-shaking music on... always.

Unfortunately and confusingly, it has been years since I've spent some "family time" with their blossoming little people. It's amazing to me. THEY are amazing. And fun. So this coming together was very special and getting to know these bright little minds is indeed a highlight in this Meaningful Get Togethers resolution.

The only additional thing I could ever ask for here is that we stop letting so much time pass between our visits.

Swimming - A Challengers Review Part II

 CHALLENGE  ACCOMPLISHMENT # 5

THE RESOLUTION: Swim

March 17th

While crowds began lining up at Irish pubs at 10am this St. Patrick’s Day, I dedicated myself to successfully triumphing over 3 ThirteenSquared challenges from different resolution lists. THREE of them! The first of which had me racing for the pool early enough on a Sunday morning for the 5th swimming session for ThirteenSquared. 

Then an afternoon experience of baking cupcakes and an evening spent distributing more than 50 of my own little creations (topped with green four leaf clovers :) This experience has been immortalized by the tireless April Joy Beresford in these short YouTube Films and each will soon have its own story coming to you exclusively at ThirteenSquared13.blogspot.com. For now, please enjoy these:

Part I: Baking Challenge: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAL-5NQFeYw

Part II: Random Kindness Challenge: 

http://youtu.be/aI5MbW1l77I

Fashionably Late

If there is no mountain too high then there is certainly not a cut off for the bare minimum in resolutions standards. Sometimes you have to create these challenge accountabilities just because otherwise, there is truly no (0/nada/zilch) motivation for the task to ever get done at all. 

So today, being the day when my internet stopped working, I got an extra push to do serious housework that otherwise can easily be continuously procrastinated for say... another 5 years! (Reflecting to yesterday entry in case you missed it: http://thirteensquared13.blogspot.ca/2013/05/burning-up.html)

CHALLENGE  ACCOMPLISHMENT # 2, 3 & 4

THE RESOLUTION: Fixer Uppers

I dusted off the ol’ sewing machine and tapped into recently acquired  knowledge from the sewing courses I completed at Mohawk College this winter. (Remember: http://thirteensquared13.blogspot.ca/2013/03/cover-story.html) This time the goal was to tackle the growing pile of “broken” clothes that reside in a box under my living room couch. More often than not, the items that end up in that black hole are long-time favourites of mine which have suffered minor but reparable disasters such as lost buttons, tears or happen to be coming apart at the seams. Too many of these occasions reflect my desperate attempt to delay parting with something I love despite the recognition that our time together has come to an end. For example, the way I burn holes into every pair of cheap jeans, right between my legs! (Curse these Latin thighs.) Normally I continue to wear them to the point of appearing ‘trashy,’ but it is only because I love them so much. We got to know each other so well and have finally reached that comfortable stage where they know exactly where to hug my body. Admitting defeat just leads to having to shuffle into a new pair of crusty jeans that don’t understand what it is like to have strong muscular legs two sizes bigger than my waist. Oh and don’t even mention having to go shopping... I truly despise shopping with every fiber of my being. Back to my point though, I placed the jeans into the box with every intention of finding a way to repair these naughty peek-a-boos, so that we may be reunited once more. 

There are now 7 pairs of jeans, all with the same ‘injuries’ in the box, dating back up to 6 years!

 The other popular reason items end up in the box is that they required alterations before being worn. Standing tall at a mere 5’1, it is nearly impossible to find a pair of pants that doesn’t need to be folded over 3 or 4 times so that they don’t drag on the floor. My general method for dealing with the issue resorts to dragging and destroying the excess length with the bottom of my shoes. Eventually I just cut off the string cheese look-alike and I move on with my life. Sometimes I just staple them (although this leads to painful incidents where I happen to step on the open end of a staple). 

Today is the day that will change. Two very lucky items were the recipients of ThirteenSquared’s “Fix it” challenge and now they have the rare chance of returning to normal, wearable circulation.

The first item: A pair of jeans purchased sometime in the last decade, never worn and about six inches too long for my legs. After trying them on, measuring, marking, measuring again and trying them on again, I selected brand new jeans-strength thread to match. I then used my newly acquired machine skills to sew a somewhat straight line around the base of each pant leg. The results are not perfect by any means but I am delighted to actually have a single pair of jeans that are not shredded in some way... until I burn those thigh marks on them, that is. 

The second item, a stylish and cozy vest that converts into a sweater through the removable sleeves, until I popped several buttons at the shoulder. Just in time to see the end of winter I sat in painstaking boredom threading needles and making up some workable way to attach the buttons back on. 

In conclusion, these little repair projects are definitely not my favourite but thanks to ThirteenSquared they have finally been initiated. That is accountability working for you folks. 

One woman. One year. 47 down. 122 to go.

Burning Up

CHALLENGE  ACCOMPLISHMENT # 1

THE RESOLUTION: Fixer Uppers

Todays entry is simple enough really. All it really involved was a trip to my landlords office. But despite its’ simplicity I don’t believe I need to alert you of the life or death distinction that having a working fire extinguisher and a proper alert system may have in your home. That being said, the most critical part of this refers to a single word: “working”. When was the last time you checked any of these aspects in your own environment? 

According to the inspection record on my own extinguisher it has been 5 years since anyone checked the condition or even the expiration of any the extinguishers in my whole building (I checked). I was actually surprise to read on the tags that every extinguisher is actually supposed to checked every month! I’m sure this will appear superfluous until the day you require its services and find yourself facing a not-so-foamy expired extinguisher. You are the only person who could ever enforce this in your own home and I encourage you to not let the years get by without the occasional check... its for your own safety. 

On a side note, it is truly unbelievable that I would not be more concerned with fire safety in my home. The hair salon on the adjunct building to my left has had at least 3 major incidents where action had to taken in the last 5 years. The worst required a two story renovation after the whole building completely suffocated in dark smoke although I never saw any flames. Also, two years ago my apartment neighbour directly on the other side of our joint brick wall suffered a devastating fire which completely consumed the third floor home. Luckily the tenant had moved away recently. Both times I had to evacuate my building as watch firefighters run up and the fire escape leading directly to my door. 

One woman. One year. 61 down. 108 to go.

_____