Last updated 5 weeks ago
I guess it's about time I updated. Who for? I still don't know.
I failed again. I'll be in Stockton until April, then somewhere dicking around for 4 months, and beginning rotations in August.
I received more depressing news about financial situations from family back home. Wtf am I still doing here.
I had a blast during my 3 week break in LA, in the Los Feliz area. Hung out with amazing friends that make me laugh, and generally happy. I also took my nieces, Lauren and Leanne, and my brother James to Joshua Tree, for a night of camping. I chose the night of a meteor shower.
A while back, my cousin told me that Lauren and Leanne were happy that Uncle Duy took them bowling for the first time before, and that's why they did pretty well at some birthday party. So I wanted to be that uncle that takes them out to do some stuff to expand their horizons and whatnot.
Joshua Tree is balls hot, and I'm glad I didn't take the youngest kids (7 and 8 years old). They woulda died. The 4 of us that did go went through 22 bottles of water, and 6 bottles of gatorade. I thought it'd be a little bit more scenic, but 3 hours of walking and climbing boulders is enough -- so we went back into town to restock on soda and gatorade, and ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant. (I heard Joshua Tree is known as a good place to rock climb anyway, so next time we're gonna go camping at some place like Yosemite).
The kids had a blast though, and the meteor shower was awesome. I got my brother to admit that his wish had something to do with the cutest girl in his class, Robin, muwahahaha. Actually, I wished for a gf too, lol.
Someone asked me if my parents were mad that I didn't pass, but I said no. It's not like I wanted to fail. They understood my disappointment and sadness too, and were super understanding... which made me want to crawl under a rock. Mainly, I feel guilty, and like a spoiled brat who has a lot of financial things taken care of.
So I'm back in Stockton, and it's pretty hot. I uninstalled my computer games a couple days ago, and it was pretty hard to do. I've developed a bit of a schedule for myself, and I'm gonna try to learn Japanese, Korean, and French in the next 8 months. Just a little bit to get by. Go to the gym again.
Sometimes, I wish I could fast forward time, so I could have interesting stories to tell, and more of a major "update" to give to people. But, I'm just here, still, "studying." Just gotta get it done.
Here's something I came across earlier today:
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A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two bottles of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things-your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend."
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A good friend I did get to catch up with, Seth, told me something that resonated in my heart. He's finally let go of the stubborn idea to only work in Japan, and doing what he wants, and accepting a decent paying job. He's actually working for Marc Jacobs, at one of their boutiques in NY, as a stock manager. He makes enough to get by, but he said he's just happy now that he can help out the family: he can get his dad tickets to the Tennis Open, cause his dad loves tennis, and fly his sister out to NY for her birthday, or fly his mom out.
I want so bad to be able to help out the ones I love financially.
Three weeks ago, when I had a lot of contemplating about my worth, I reached a conclusion about a type of person. This was when I was not sure if I was going to fail out of school, or simply had to stay back another year. I was re-evaluating my actions, and my life, and felt that the only difference between people that do, and don't, is the fact itself.
There are those who want to go to the gym, and do, and those who don't. Everyone has the potential, more or less, but only some act on it. This thought came to me when I was talking to a friend about relationships.
She felt that she made the "right" decision in breaking up with her long-term bf, and that she "always" felt something "off"... and she finally acted on that nagging feeling, and ended things.
Well, granted, she had been talking with a new guy that she did click with, who helped nudge her along the process. But, going back to my point, I had a sort of epiphany and told her that I don't think it is necessary to justify decisions you make into "right" or "wrong" ones.
No relationship will be perfect, and every one will have something they dislike about the other, or about the situation. Only in retrospect, can one say "yea, I felt we never really clicked, and it's a good thing we broke up" or "yea, we had our differences, but we felt that the bond we share is something to work for, and we got married!"
The only difference, I asserted, between couples who are together, and couples who are not, is that the couples who are together, commit to being together. I admit there are different levels of attraction, and some couples find it easier to get along, but the major distinction is whether or not they commit.
(This led me to a couple thoughts on my relationship with God as well, and my current quest to get prayer into my daily routine, and figure out what my beliefs are)
I feel like I fall into the category of the "want-ers", but not the "do-ers." So, I have been away, and I am trying to change up my routine, and spend the next 8 months actually improving my life.
I failed again. I'll be in Stockton until April, then somewhere dicking around for 4 months, and beginning rotations in August.
I received more depressing news about financial situations from family back home. Wtf am I still doing here.
I had a blast during my 3 week break in LA, in the Los Feliz area. Hung out with amazing friends that make me laugh, and generally happy. I also took my nieces, Lauren and Leanne, and my brother James to Joshua Tree, for a night of camping. I chose the night of a meteor shower.
A while back, my cousin told me that Lauren and Leanne were happy that Uncle Duy took them bowling for the first time before, and that's why they did pretty well at some birthday party. So I wanted to be that uncle that takes them out to do some stuff to expand their horizons and whatnot.
Joshua Tree is balls hot, and I'm glad I didn't take the youngest kids (7 and 8 years old). They woulda died. The 4 of us that did go went through 22 bottles of water, and 6 bottles of gatorade. I thought it'd be a little bit more scenic, but 3 hours of walking and climbing boulders is enough -- so we went back into town to restock on soda and gatorade, and ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant. (I heard Joshua Tree is known as a good place to rock climb anyway, so next time we're gonna go camping at some place like Yosemite).
The kids had a blast though, and the meteor shower was awesome. I got my brother to admit that his wish had something to do with the cutest girl in his class, Robin, muwahahaha. Actually, I wished for a gf too, lol.
Someone asked me if my parents were mad that I didn't pass, but I said no. It's not like I wanted to fail. They understood my disappointment and sadness too, and were super understanding... which made me want to crawl under a rock. Mainly, I feel guilty, and like a spoiled brat who has a lot of financial things taken care of.
So I'm back in Stockton, and it's pretty hot. I uninstalled my computer games a couple days ago, and it was pretty hard to do. I've developed a bit of a schedule for myself, and I'm gonna try to learn Japanese, Korean, and French in the next 8 months. Just a little bit to get by. Go to the gym again.
Sometimes, I wish I could fast forward time, so I could have interesting stories to tell, and more of a major "update" to give to people. But, I'm just here, still, "studying." Just gotta get it done.
Here's something I came across earlier today:
------------------------------------------------------------------
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two bottles of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things-your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend."
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A good friend I did get to catch up with, Seth, told me something that resonated in my heart. He's finally let go of the stubborn idea to only work in Japan, and doing what he wants, and accepting a decent paying job. He's actually working for Marc Jacobs, at one of their boutiques in NY, as a stock manager. He makes enough to get by, but he said he's just happy now that he can help out the family: he can get his dad tickets to the Tennis Open, cause his dad loves tennis, and fly his sister out to NY for her birthday, or fly his mom out.
I want so bad to be able to help out the ones I love financially.
Three weeks ago, when I had a lot of contemplating about my worth, I reached a conclusion about a type of person. This was when I was not sure if I was going to fail out of school, or simply had to stay back another year. I was re-evaluating my actions, and my life, and felt that the only difference between people that do, and don't, is the fact itself.
There are those who want to go to the gym, and do, and those who don't. Everyone has the potential, more or less, but only some act on it. This thought came to me when I was talking to a friend about relationships.
She felt that she made the "right" decision in breaking up with her long-term bf, and that she "always" felt something "off"... and she finally acted on that nagging feeling, and ended things.
Well, granted, she had been talking with a new guy that she did click with, who helped nudge her along the process. But, going back to my point, I had a sort of epiphany and told her that I don't think it is necessary to justify decisions you make into "right" or "wrong" ones.
No relationship will be perfect, and every one will have something they dislike about the other, or about the situation. Only in retrospect, can one say "yea, I felt we never really clicked, and it's a good thing we broke up" or "yea, we had our differences, but we felt that the bond we share is something to work for, and we got married!"
The only difference, I asserted, between couples who are together, and couples who are not, is that the couples who are together, commit to being together. I admit there are different levels of attraction, and some couples find it easier to get along, but the major distinction is whether or not they commit.
(This led me to a couple thoughts on my relationship with God as well, and my current quest to get prayer into my daily routine, and figure out what my beliefs are)
I feel like I fall into the category of the "want-ers", but not the "do-ers." So, I have been away, and I am trying to change up my routine, and spend the next 8 months actually improving my life.