The way I think right

I bought this bag at H.E.B. grocery store by the Market Street in The Woodlands, TX. It's made by the women in developing countries and sold at "fair price" to support them. I just liked the color, fabric, and the size (though now I feel it's a bit too small) of the bag, and felt the happiness that I can buy it. I used and used and used the bag so the shoulder strap finally started to break apart.

Now, if buying these bags really help the fellow women, I should just throw it away and buy a new one so I can do my share of helping more, shouldn't I?

But, the body of the bag is still good enough for everyday use. I don't want to trash it.

The torn fabric of the shoulder strap reminded me of a small tip about productivity.

When you find a small paper clip on the floor of your office, don't pick it up - your wage during doing so is higher than the cost of one small paper clip.

I don't want to live like that. I would rather pick up all the paper clips on the entire floor and make a funny hedgehog out of them.

I patched the strap. Doing so doesn't pay to the women who makes bags, but I feel more connected to them.

So, this is my "paper-clip picking" project. I have a couple more.

My husband wore this cotton shirts out. He gave it to me "to use whatever way you like" - cut into wipe cloth, clean the bathroom, whatever.

So, I patched it.

Now I got a soft, nice spring coat / work shirt.

Next? I'm going to frog my daughter's fit-perfectly-last-year-but-now-it-is-way-too-small socks and reknit pairs for her again. One frogged, two more to go.

Best part is, that my daughter wanted me to do so.

2010

My resolution for 2009 wasn't so ambitious, but a little too much for me. This year, I will concentrate only on ... losing weight.

No, it's not a joke.

As the first step, I signed up for an online (on-cell-phone, more precisely) fitness program. It costs me only 210 yen per month, but it's not free. I think paying money (how little it is) gives me a good motivation not to drop out. I can do yoga or Pilates right here in my living room, right at the moment I got 5 minutes before picking up my daughter. I got no excuse not to do any workout.

For knitting, I decided to make NO plan this year. I'll knit anything I want, at any pace I'm comfortable with. I'll make no promise to anyone, including myself, to make something.

Only exception is to plan and attend once-a-month meeting with Kansai Knitters Meetup Group in Kyoto.

In short, "think small" is my motto for this year. Yes, I want smaller me.