Quarterlife Crisis... Part II

I think it's a good thing that I'm having this quarterlife crisis. I've gone through a range of emotions (anger, frustration, discontentment, sadness), but after having an epiphany, I'm starting to have more hope and be more motivated. My discontentment at where I am is driving me to move forward. However, I know I somehow have to keep this motivation longer than it usually lasts. Usually, I get excited and motivated about something, but not long into it, the motivation dies out and I go back to being my normal self. This time, I really need to focus.


I've decided to be a hermit and try to not go out that often for a while. I'm going to test out how much more productive I can be if I don't go out on the weekends and be online less. (*sigh* We'll see if I can resist the temptations). Sorry in advance to my friends, but it's time for me to be a bit selfish and focus on working on myself.


The other day I was on someone's photography site and saw a quote that hit me real hard. It said, "While most are dreaming of success, winners wake up and work hard to achieve it". I realized that is so true. Being success requires hard work and sacrifices, so it's about time I work at it.


My friend had sent me a link to this youtube video about this guy giving a talk. He owned his family's wine business and quit to do his own thing because he was 1% unhappy with what he was doing. I wish I had that kind of courage. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhqZ0RU95d4

Quarterlife Crisis

While I am literally approaching a quarter of a century this year, I am mentally experiencing a quarterlife crisis at the moment. A lot of people know of mid-life crisis, but not everyone is familiar with quarterlife crisis. At quarterlifecrisis.com, it's defined as a period of anxiety, uncertainty, and inner turmoil that often accompanies the transition to adulthood.  One definition written in urbandictionary.com is that it usually occurs sometime in your twenties, a few years out of school and still feel as though you're waiting for your life to begin. I feel exactly like that. Although I'm out of college and have a job, I feel like I still haven't gone anywhere and that I'm still "waiting for my life to begin"


A majority of my friends and classmates have already begun a different chapter in their life. They have started their careers in engineering, accounting, etc., they are in long-term relationships and getting engaged, they have their own place, and a lot of people from high school already are married and have families. As for me, I feel like I've been stagnant. I've been the same as where I was three years ago, except there are a few years of admin experience that I can put on my resume. I currently hate my job, and don't think it can get me that much farther in life.


I feel like there's so much more that Andrea has to offer than being an admin assistant, however, I don't know what that thing is yet. There are so many things that I like to do, but I don't know what my "calling" is. I love fashion, but dislike patternmaking and sewing. I only like to see the end result of what I've created. I like photography, but I'm not financially able to just drop $2000+ on nice cameras and lenses. I like art, but I'm not that good in drawing. I like Photoshop, but I don't have a degree in graphics.


Although I'm not exactly sure what I can do to be happy with my life, I decided I need to step it up a notch. I need to be less lazy and do more productive things.  Recently, I posted as my status/tagline, "If I'm not where I want to be, it must mean I'm not trying hard enough". I do believe this because, if you don't work hard to get what you want, perhaps you really don't want it that bad. They say that we're always our own worst critic. In a way, it's a good thing. We push ourselves to do better, which moves us forward. 


Up until now, I've been quite lazy and not very proactive about moving myself forward. There was an excerpt in the book Quarterlife Crisis that I thought described exactly what I was feeling. Scott, a 27 year old wrote, "I've commited myself to exploring other options that interest me, but I'm having a hard time actually thinking of a career that souns applealing. There is one that I've been meaning to explore, but sometimes I'd rather just watch TV or play guitar or go out with my friends. So, maybe I'm not really meant to do that, either. When is something going to fall from the sky and hit me on the head, knock me out, and when I wake up I see clearly the road that lies ahead? Am I behind the curve? When will I know?"


I don't know what lies ahead, but I know I need to stop doing so many unproductive things. Up until now, all I do was go on facebook at night, chat, or watch TV, and go out on the weekends. It was relaxing, but otherwise, didn't seems to benefit me in any way. Therefore, I am going to try to discipline myself more:


-Limit myself only to one hour of facebook at home on the weekdays
-Chat less. Being online serves as a big distraction.
-Do something more productive the rest of the time like chores, read, exercise, etc.
-Get into the habit of sleeping six hours again. See how that will work out.
-Don't always give in on the weekends to going out and not doing anything else.

Goal update

So I've been slacking on my blog posting. I'll try to catch up soon. I guess I will do a goal update as a it's been a little over three months since I've made my resolutions. (All the meanwhile, I can think of what to write in my next post)


I previously posted that I had two main goals:

-Try to be healthier

>Drink at least eight cups of water a day - Somewhat check. I think I drink about six cups a day.

>Eat salad at least once a week for lunch --> Salad Mondays. - Check. Yep, do that on Mondays, and sometimes on Fridays too.

>Eat more fruits - No. Haven't been on top of that.

>Try to get at least seven hours of sleep each night. - Somewhat check. I try to sleep before 12, and limit my 3-4 hours of sleep nights.

>Go swimming or hiking every so often - I haven't gone swimming or hiking for a while, but I have bought a small elliptical and try to exercise three times a week.

-Be more productive and less lazy

>Read a book for at least 3-5 hours each week - Check. I get that done when I visit my grandma at the nursing home.

>Blog at least twice a month - Check. Almost didn't meet the quota for March, but I'll try to catch up on the blogging.

>Get off my butt to do chores to get the room neat and clean - Err... not quite. The room is still a mess, and there's always at least one load of laundry that needs to get done. Need to work on that.


-New goal: Keep my plants alive. 
Yes, I bought plants. Hard to imagine the plants would be survive under my care, but decided to take a chance. It was hard to say no to $1 for 3 plants. Gave one away, and bought a basil plant. So far, so good I think. (At least it doesn't look like it's wilting away).

Lay Me Down

So, I usually don't care for reggae music much. However, for some odd reason, this song caught my attention when I heard it on the radio. Maybe because it's a catchy and happy song --something I need in my work life right now.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGYxiIspEBc
Dirty Heads feat. Rome (Sublime) - Lay Me Down


[Rome]
Ho ohh woah ho ho no ohhh
hoo ooh oh
oh oooh ooh


well this is how it starts two lovers in the dark
on the run from the one that they call Sheriff Sparks
six guns by the side and bullets 'round their waist
two shots to the sky send the sign for the chase.
the safe is nearly empty and they were nearly free
but were seen by the good eye of the mean Billy Queen
and he screamed at the top of his lungs "they're on the run"
Mister two outsiders grab your horses and your guns


i said i wish that we could stay here
but i fear our time is come
we could ride out in the darkness
chasing the rising sun
we gotta pack our bags this instant
we're headin' southbound til the next town
and if we arrive there so safely
baby you could lay me down
lay me downnn
lay me downhahownn
lay me downnnnnn


[Duddy B]
well its the story of the two, always on the move
they got nothing left to lose 'cept their guns and their wounds
now they're crossing borders sheriff's posse on their tail
they'd rather die together than be stuck up in a cell
they drank up all the whiskey and they partied every night
like it could be the last, the bounty said to 'shoot on sight'
they're chasing in the summer, knew it came with a price they wouldn't stop running til they found the paradise
but the sheriff finally found them with his eyes seeing red
so the lovers had to shoot him down and fill him full of lead
they were finally free to find a place to lay their head
and when he finally did he looked at her and he said


[Rome]
i said i think that we can stay here
cuz i feel our time has come
and we can walk down to the ocean
and sit with the rising sun
so unpack your bags this instant
no more running from town to town
and now that we've arrived so safely
baby you can lay me down
lay me downnn
lay me downhahownn
lay me downnnnnnnnnn


[Duddy B]
well you're my green eyed girl and i been running around with you
its the afternoon and we got nothing left to do
so wipe the dirt off, take your shirt off
and we should go hit the cantina; we got work off
i said its hot outside let me go swimming in your eyes
we been running for awhile why don't you lay down i'll make you smile
i could never ask for nothing better than this
it's just tequila and the beach, it's quite salty when we kiss


[Rome]
i said i think that we can stay here
cuz i feel our time has come
and we can walk down to the ocean
and sit with the rising sun
so unpack your bags this instant
no more running from town to town
and now that we've arrived so safely
baby you can lay me down
lay me downnn
lay me downhownnn noooo ohhh
lay me downnnnnnnnnn
lay me down

You know you hate your job when....

• you dread Mondays as if it was the end of the world, realize there's a glimmer of light when Fridays come around, and agonize on Sundays and try to absorb every second you have of it left

• you have to drag yourself out of bed to get ready for work

• -you wake up and think about calling in "sick" just to avoid work

• -wouldn't mind some kind of natural disaster advisory (hurricane, flooding, tsunami) or power outage occurring just so that you wouldn't have to go to work

• -you find yourself being a grouchy, bitter, miserable person when you're at work

• -the time at work passes by so slowly that those eight hours feel like forever and a day

• -the only parts of day you look forward to is your lunch and breaks

• -your daily goal at work is to get in, do work, and get out as fast as possible when it hits _:__PM

• -you cringe or give a disgusted look when people ask you about your job. (It's hard to find words to describe the hate, but the look says it all)

• -when you go to your job and feel like you're going to prison for eight hours

• -you dream of the day when you can tell your boss you're calling it quits

American FAIL

The price of everthing is going up each and everyday, except there seems to be one thing that ISN'T going up--America's wages. We are living in a place where our nation's debt is 12 trillion and rising (which equates to 40K per person in the US) and in which our economic future is uncertain. Gas prices are rising, taxes are increasing on everything you can think of that is taxable (liquor, tobacco, roads, property, etc). Yet, despite this, wages aren't increasing. In fact, people are working more for less because companies have to "cut costs". You have it worse if you live in you live somewhere with a high standard of living like San Francisco or Hawaii. In Hawaii, we have lower wages compared to the rest of the US, yet we have one of the most expensive housing here. (Honolulu ranks 6th in America's Most Overvalued Cities with the median home at 605K) How is the average American supposed to keep up with inflation? How are people supposed to save money, buy homes, sustain our families, and live the 'American Dream'? Actually, the 'American Dream' is probably very far-fetched for a lot of people right now because they're having trouble finding jobs, paying their debts, and keeping their homes out of foreclosures.


We're a total mess. While other countries' GDP is starting to pick back up, America's is slower compared to others. Our unemployment is still high. Small businesses aren't able to get loans, but are faced with paying increased unemployment benefits. In turn, it's the average American that lose out. We're over worked and underpaid, because business is "slow" and a lot of  benefits have been cut. In this and age in America, it's supposedly "lucky" to even have a job.


American Dream? Bullshit. More like American FAIL now.

The Tiger is roaring in...

Happy Chinese New Year everyone. So, the year of 'me' (ox) is gone, and the tiger is roaring in instead. Last year was supposedly a bad year for oxen (which it was for me), although it was the year of the ox. (Family changes, employment changes, struggles with relationships).

I find zodiacs and horoscopes interesting, and like to read it from time to time. I think some of the things zodiacs and horoscopes say about my personality are pretty accurate. However,  I just take forecasts and predictions as something fun to read. 

Overall, it says the year of the tiger could bring some luck to me, but at the same time it says be prepared to face challenges. Also, health is stressed this year for people born in the year of the ox. (I guess it's a good thing that I decided to work on being healthier this year).

Take a look at your 2010 zodiac forecast for the year of the tiger:

http://www.moonslipper.com/chinese.html

http://www.proastro.com/?o=&act=&forecastmonth=11&forecastdate=23&forecastyear=1985&x=6&y=6