On friendship and determination.
...Sort of. See, I sent an instant message to one of my dearest friends in the world today, and she told me essentially point-blank that I haven't been doing a good job of keeping in touch. And it occurred to me that if one of my best friends in the world says that she's feeling neglected, there is reason for it. And looking back, sure enough, I've been quite bad about keeping in touch with people. Hell, I haven't even updated the LJ for two weeks, much less talked about all the things I need to talk about. So here, then, in true self-serving, internet-exhibitionist fashion, are . Yes, they're late, but who cares?
1. Lose weight. No brainer here, and by far the least important of the three. I was going to do this anyway, and in point of fact have been doing so ever since coming to Korea. So I don't know if it counts, but there it is.
2. Improve my self-image. Another cliche one, but important. I want more confidence, especially related to my body and my interactions with girls.
3. Write more. I want to get back into Alleria. I want to play Adylheim. But mostly, I want to get back in the habit of unleashing creativity. I want to write essays, I want to write short stories, and I want to work on expanding my favorite short story into the novel that it wants to be. I want to develop my skills and learn to write better, have more and better ideas, and generally just be a more creative person.
4. Play the crap out of my guitar. This will require me, obviously, to buy one. But seeing as I've just been paid, I don't think that will really be a problem, and if it means sending a little less money home this month or waiting to send money home until next month, well then so be it, because dammit I want a guitar! And I want to play it, and improve. I can't really see myself in a band, because I am coming so very late to music and have no idea how I'd get started. But I'd sure love to play in one, or at the very least have the ability to do so.
Okay. So those are the general and less important ones, the ones that everyone makes. Now for the real important ones.
5. Thoroughly enjoy my time here in Korea. Another no brainer, but this one is a bit harder to make sure of. I want to avoid falling into a rut of working, drinking and coming home to waste time on the computer. I don't want to be a hermit. Involved in this one is turning around the ridiculousness of my sleep schedule. I can't go to bed at 5am and get up at noon anymore. Also, I have to make sure that I make time to be a stupid tourist, even though I live here. Yeah, it's a bit silly, but after going to school in Oregon for four years and never taking a trip to Crater Lake or truly exploring the mountains, I know that it's possible to miss awesome things like that even when they're right in your backyard. And I don't want to do that again, especially here; it would be truly inexcusable. I'm going to go to Jeju Island. I'm going to go to Lotte World properly, and maybe Everland. I'm going to explore the national parks and the mountains. I'm going to Seoul tower. I'm going to the temples and palaces. If I'm lucky, I'm going to the Mud Festival on the western coast.
I am going to take pictures like mad.
And I am going to share it all with everyone who cares to know. I am going to live my life here to the fullest, in ways that I feel I have rarely, if ever, done. Because that's the person I want to be, and I'm frankly tired of not being him. I'm 26 years old, and what the hell am I waiting for? It's time.
Finally, the most important one of all:
6. I am going to keep in touch with people better and more often. I will email. I will write letters. I will send cards and presents. And by God, I am going to keep up with LJ. Not only for all of you, who want to know what's going on (or don't especially but read anyway), but for me. Because I'm not going to be here forever, and I have a nasty habit of not paying the attention to things that I feel like I should. I misremember things. I miss things, or ignore things. But mostly, I straight up forget. I don't want this time to end up a vague recollection, a blur that I look back on nostalgically because it's the thing to do. I want to remember specifics. I want to remember people and places and experiences, and keeping a record of things is the best way I know to do so. I'm actually hoping to have two different journals, one here on LJ and the other on paper in the book(s) I brought for the purpose. We'll see if that actually happens, but by God, I'm going to keep in touch with you people. I refuse to lose friends or lose touch with people simply because I couldn't be bothered. And after today, I realize that this is a very real possibility. I won't allow it. So brace yourselves for more entries, for emails, and for random phone calls or text messages. Because with Skype I am an electronic communication ninja, and dammitall, I'm going to use my powers!
That is all.
1. Lose weight. No brainer here, and by far the least important of the three. I was going to do this anyway, and in point of fact have been doing so ever since coming to Korea. So I don't know if it counts, but there it is.
2. Improve my self-image. Another cliche one, but important. I want more confidence, especially related to my body and my interactions with girls.
3. Write more. I want to get back into Alleria. I want to play Adylheim. But mostly, I want to get back in the habit of unleashing creativity. I want to write essays, I want to write short stories, and I want to work on expanding my favorite short story into the novel that it wants to be. I want to develop my skills and learn to write better, have more and better ideas, and generally just be a more creative person.
4. Play the crap out of my guitar. This will require me, obviously, to buy one. But seeing as I've just been paid, I don't think that will really be a problem, and if it means sending a little less money home this month or waiting to send money home until next month, well then so be it, because dammit I want a guitar! And I want to play it, and improve. I can't really see myself in a band, because I am coming so very late to music and have no idea how I'd get started. But I'd sure love to play in one, or at the very least have the ability to do so.
Okay. So those are the general and less important ones, the ones that everyone makes. Now for the real important ones.
5. Thoroughly enjoy my time here in Korea. Another no brainer, but this one is a bit harder to make sure of. I want to avoid falling into a rut of working, drinking and coming home to waste time on the computer. I don't want to be a hermit. Involved in this one is turning around the ridiculousness of my sleep schedule. I can't go to bed at 5am and get up at noon anymore. Also, I have to make sure that I make time to be a stupid tourist, even though I live here. Yeah, it's a bit silly, but after going to school in Oregon for four years and never taking a trip to Crater Lake or truly exploring the mountains, I know that it's possible to miss awesome things like that even when they're right in your backyard. And I don't want to do that again, especially here; it would be truly inexcusable. I'm going to go to Jeju Island. I'm going to go to Lotte World properly, and maybe Everland. I'm going to explore the national parks and the mountains. I'm going to Seoul tower. I'm going to the temples and palaces. If I'm lucky, I'm going to the Mud Festival on the western coast.
I am going to take pictures like mad.
And I am going to share it all with everyone who cares to know. I am going to live my life here to the fullest, in ways that I feel I have rarely, if ever, done. Because that's the person I want to be, and I'm frankly tired of not being him. I'm 26 years old, and what the hell am I waiting for? It's time.
Finally, the most important one of all:
6. I am going to keep in touch with people better and more often. I will email. I will write letters. I will send cards and presents. And by God, I am going to keep up with LJ. Not only for all of you, who want to know what's going on (or don't especially but read anyway), but for me. Because I'm not going to be here forever, and I have a nasty habit of not paying the attention to things that I feel like I should. I misremember things. I miss things, or ignore things. But mostly, I straight up forget. I don't want this time to end up a vague recollection, a blur that I look back on nostalgically because it's the thing to do. I want to remember specifics. I want to remember people and places and experiences, and keeping a record of things is the best way I know to do so. I'm actually hoping to have two different journals, one here on LJ and the other on paper in the book(s) I brought for the purpose. We'll see if that actually happens, but by God, I'm going to keep in touch with you people. I refuse to lose friends or lose touch with people simply because I couldn't be bothered. And after today, I realize that this is a very real possibility. I won't allow it. So brace yourselves for more entries, for emails, and for random phone calls or text messages. Because with Skype I am an electronic communication ninja, and dammitall, I'm going to use my powers!
That is all.