The holidays are always an insanely busy time of the year. Everyone is bustling around malls, shops, and boutiques, seeking just the right gift for everyone on their list before Christmas Day. Sales are going on everywhere, items are often sold out when you need them most, and parking lots are always hectic with four different cars wanting the same parking space. It is hard to avoid these over-crowded spaces during this busiest time of the year because even hermits like me are coming out of their shells and going out into the world to spend time with others instead of being tied to a laptop,calculator, textbooks, and Microsoft word.

I’ve finally headed back home for the holidays and I’m enjoying every single second. There hasn’t yet been a boring moment because this break is way too short to allow myself to be “bored”. Even simple things like listening to the rain outside and staring outside my bedroom window to see nature instead of a bus stop and a pub can keep me occupied for 10 minutes or until I zone out and figure out something else to do on my mind. As they always say, simple pleasures are life’s treasures.

This break, I plan to spend lots of time with family and friends, develop a whole lot of recipes for the blog, relax, get some quality sleep while readjusting my non-existant sleeping patterns, get myself ready for an earthquake (necessary when you live in Vancouver), and set tangible intentions for the year to come.

One of my intentions is to stop overthinking and keeping my thought process clean and simple. While scrolling on Pinterest, I saw a picture that read:

THE SIMPLE LIFE

Missing Somebody ———— Call

Wanna meet up —————- Invite

Wanna be understood ——— Explain

Have questions —————– Ask

Don’t like something ———- Say it nicely

Like something —————- Declare it

Want something ————— Ask for it

Stressed ————————- Let go

In this crazy journey we call life, it is so easy to forget the basics and overlook simple solutions in our complex mind-map of a brain. My intention I set for this year is to be more simplistic and straight-forward with my thoughts instead of going in circles and making things way more complicated than they really are. However, I feel that my brain is already so filter-free that I just blurt out inappropriate things at all the wrong times. I’d crack a really lame joke or pun in the middle of a “civilized” conversation with somebody I don’t know too well, and end up laughing at my own joke for like 12 minutes. Knowing the laughing bean I am, I’m one to laugh at my own jokes… hysterically. Even when nobody else is laughing. Yep, I’m that girl. Quite embarrassing really, but usually the other person or people I’m talking to just laugh at my laugh because I’d give out an occasional snort and gasp for air. Or some just don’t appreciate the humour and stare at me in a “…. k” kind of look, but even then, I won’t be able to stop laughing because I find everything funny and somehow I’d find the facial expression of the unamused person funny.

I guess another intention for the year to come is to stop laughing at unamused victims of my jokes… or maybe set higher standards of what’s actually funny so I can stop being the only one laughing at my own jokes. And maybe teach those unamused victims the joys of laughing and the beauty of lame jokes/puns. Or just stop trying to be funny (not tangible), but what’s life without humour and laughs? That would be one heck of a boring life. And if I keep trying, maybe one day I’ll actually be funny so people will laugh with me instead of at me from laughing at my own joke. If you ever see me, laugh at my jokes okay? I’ll really like you.

On another note, when you ever receive a thought like “Wow I really want some chocolate cookies right now” and trying to stick to your health goals of the new year, this recipe is here for you. These cookies are really simple to make with just a few simple ingredients and minimal equipment, making them perfect for when your holiday cookie craving strikes! From start to finish, you will need 30 minutes until a cookie is ready to pop in your mouth to satiate the desire of chocolate cookies (plus an orange twist!) in your brain. Unless you are me and chocolate is pretty much life… then you’d have to find other recipes to switch up the routine!

Happy holidays to everyone and laugh lots!!