Life is Beautiful

"Go out and try new things. Make up your mind about things you found hard to decide on before." (my second fortune last Chinese New Year, along with this one.)

a few years back, i decided to come up with my life goals. things i wanted to do, places i wanted to see, people i wanted to meet...it's basically similar to New Year Resolutions - on steroids. it began as just a crazy idea to fill my idle time and still my wandering mind, but then i realized that life is short, time is gold, i should strike while the iron is hot, and most importantly, i had better stop using these clichés if i wanted to actually live long enough to complete my "checklist."

anyways, so far, i've already accomplished a few of these goals - teach preschool (check), learn photography (check), learn how to drive (check), go to the gym regularly (um...check *cough*), grow three more inches (check - do the added inches around my waist count?)

500 Miles, 500 Miles...

three weeks ago, my community's Music Min announced that they were going to give free guitar lessons every other saturday. i've been planning to learn guitar for years already (yeah, just planning, though. hehe.). although a lot of my family members could teach me (my lolo, my papa, all my uncles, my cousins...), they didn't have the time. so i was stuck to learn on my own - something i did not relish at all. when i shared this to my cellgroup, my leader gave me a set of picks to jumpstart my guitar project. of course, the poor picks gathered dust in my drawer for two years. by the time i finally opened the pack, the print on each pick was embedded on the plastic like temporary tattoos (well, at least now i know where each pick goes).

so, when the opportunity to learn basic guitar presented itself, i quickly grabbed it.

there were four of us who attended that meeting and two of them already know the basics. they said they wanted a refresher course. i said i wanted refreshments. looks like we're all on the same track then...

we're meeting again this coming saturday. i can't wait! (but my fingers can! do i still have fingers???)

i'm currently learning to play 500 Miles by Peter, Paul, and Mary (my papa's suggestion). after a few hours of strumming, digging my fingers onto the strings, memorizing the chords, and trying to feel my numb fingers, i finally realized that learning the guitar is not as easy as i thought it would be. *sigh* goodbye smooth hands....

Working in The Vineyard

last month, my leader asked me if i wanted to head the Publications Ministry along with a brother. it took me a week of praying and calming my nerves to answer her question.

basically, the ministry is in charge of our newsletter, The Vineyard. it's been a while (12 years!) since i was last involved in a publication (i was a features writer in our high school paper). i had no qualms about contributing an article or two but to actually head the ministry was another thing.

i was pretty nervous when i gave her my answer. she smiled and told me i made the right decision. i was tempted to ask her if she made the right decision of picking me. well, she'd soon learn the consequences so might as well surprise her...hahaha!

the more i thought about this thing i was getting myself into, the more excited i got. as i was driving home that night, my mind was working in overdrive...what the paper should look like, which articles to include, what photos to publish, if i should do the comics (a childhood dream of mine, actually)...soon, i was obsessing over it. hm, not a good thing. i need more sleep as it is!

our official meeting will be next sunday and i can't wait to bombard, er, share my ideas. *maniacal laugh*

Sieze the Day!

i just love Dead Poets Society. everytime i watch that movie, i'm tempted to stand on my dresser table, pound my chest, and exclaim, "Oh Captain, my Captain!" of course, my mama would probably kill me if i broke the table. or worse, trash her arrangement of knickknacks and whatnots. so, i usually end up cheering for the students who bravely stood on their tables in an act of rebellion and sheer admiration for their mentor (now, is there any teacher who wouldn't want that???).

so, armed with that motivation and my three years experience as a preschool teacher, i decided to finally kick my heels and get...

a summer job.

yeah, you read right. due to some, uh, financial setbacks and such, i am obligating myself to look for another source of income this summer.

for two years, i've been teaching our Summer Playgroup class. three times a week, three hours a session. fulfilling and enjoyable, definitely, but financially rewarding? ah, next question please. with my (expensive) thesis course coming up next term, i am desparate.

teach summer class and loan the money? or get a summer job and earn the money??

it was a no brainer.

i can't say what job i'm applying for right now (no, not showbiz) because it's not final yet. but wish me luck, friends! :)