Final Lessons on the Last Day (Part 3 of 3!)

8/11 through 11/11 : Focus and prioritize.
Yes, it's New Year's Eve and I never finished writing this. Maybe I didn't learn as much as I thought I did this year. Having started a full-time job again has taught me a lot about daily social interactions. I haven't done it since June 2009 and my new group of folks is definitely very, very different from my old group of coworkers. Plus, I'm just a pretty different person in terms of my social interactions from two years ago as well. Nowadays, I have the maturity to walk away from people that I feel to be bad influences.

I don't really have resolutions especially reserved for 2012. Every week or month I'll sit down and think, I really should ___________________. And then fill the blank in with stuff like:

• Go play badminton.
• Get rid of the stuff I don't need anymore.
• Streamline my business even more.
• Write my wills.
• Plan a trip somewhere.
• Share more photos!

I read this blog entry from Seth Godin recently and acknowledged that yes, I do just need commitment to whatever I'm doing to see it through.

Prioritize.

Focus.

Completion.

Let's see what 2012 has in store. I'm tempted to guess: same same, but different.

Have a sweet New Year....

More of the Stuff I Learned in 2011 (Part 2 of x)

3/11 : Food discoveries.

1. If you crack an egg on a pizza before baking it, you'll be making one of the most delicious pizzas you'll have. (Until the next egg-topped pizza, anyway.) Thank you for this discovery, Pizza Delfina. My life hasn't been the same since.
2. Quinoa. Wow -- you're so delicious and versatile and easy to make and you're not as bad for me as rice. How? I'm astounded!
3. I don't miss eating meat for its taste as much as I miss it for its convenience (due to popularity and wide availability around here). Same goes for seafood, which is great because I don't need to consult the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Guide Android app before every sushi meal.
4. At the end of the day, my only real food cravings: pizza, deep-fried foods (particularly french fries!), and good chocolate.

4/11 : People will come, and people will go.

Despite my carefree attitude, I occasionally hang on to things much longer than its natural livelihood. It's always hard to admit that your relationships with people -- especially ones that you considered deep and heartfelt -- have changed or deteriorated. And it's no one's fault and it's not necessarily a bad thing. We all need to grow, change, and it's OK for people to leave your life (and you theirs). 

You'll all be OK.

5/11 : I probably won't survive the zombie apocalypse. 

I'm totally caught up on The Walking Dead TV series and love it so much, I'm considering reading the comic books. (Of course, being as cheap and adverse to book-owning as I am, I'd have to see if my library even carries them.) But after watching the series so far, I'm pretty sure that if a similar situation were to exist in the world today, there's a high likelihood I would not survive it, and here's why:

• I don't have a natural killer instinct. I could see it now -- a friend is infected and I have no idea what's going on. In a matter of seconds, I have to decide to shoot them in the head or risk them infecting me. Bam! I'm dead.
• I don't have strong survival instincts. Fight my life to live in a world without any order, running water, and a bunch of zombies trying to kill and eat me? Ugh, no thanks!
• I don't run fast for long.

6/11 : Never make a decision hungry or short on sleep.

Yes, only in 2011 did I realize that most of my bad decisions stem from either lack of sleep or hunger. This is probably why they suggest that you don't shop for groceries when you're hungry. When you're hungry, a bag of Oreos (eww) sounds like a great breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Again, eww. (See aforementioned food additions; Oreos and cookies in general are not on the list.)

7/11 : Sites like Groupon are my money pit.

Inevitably, the crisp photos and quick witted copy draw me into buying a coupon for something totally random that I otherwise would not consider doing / eating / buying. And, inevitably, because I otherwise would not consider it, I forget about my purchase and it expires. 

Hence, money pit.

...to be continued...

My Long Movie Weekend

Listed from worst to best:

• Transformers: Dark of the Moon
• Love, Wedding, Marriage
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• Green Lantern
• Bad Teacher
• The Hangover Part II
• The Art of Getting By
• Super 8

Merry Blue Christmas!

All the best to you and your loved ones. Stay warm! 

(Except for Southern Hemisphere folks -- you, stay cool.)

Fairy Tale Lighting

If I liked using flash more when I shot, this photo would be perfectly exposed because I would have much more control over the back-lighting. The thing is, I love that overexposed back-lighting look. Yes, I know it's technically a flaw, but isn't that life sometimes? The flaw ends up being the very thing that you love about something. Or someone.

11 in '11 : Things I Learned in 2011 (Part 1 of x)

I meant to write a "30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30" post a while ago (read: before I actually turned 30 on 10/23/11), but it never happened. I should seize this opportunity -- as I'm writing -- to get this going before long. GO, MOMENTUM, GO!

So here it is, the first part of "11 in '11":

1/11 : I probably will never have a big wedding.
I suppose for those who know me well, you're first thinking, "Uh, Chung, you're considering marriage???" Why, yes! It's a possibility, like living underwater or Cameron Diaz winning an Oscar for Charlie's Angels: 4. But after seeing the work/time/money/stress that goes into making a big wedding happen, well, I would never inflict that upon myself or Dima (via me being stressed -- he doesn't handle me being stressed well).

In my head, I would just drop off a few postcards to folks with a date, time, and locale and friends and family would arrive and be informed that the free dinner is in celebration of our mutual executive decision to make "it" "official" (no, I don't think I'm using enough "quotation marks" -- why do you ask?). I know, I know: I'm quite the romantic! I imagined the recited vows would actually go something like this:

Verbatim.

2/11 : "Don't let yesterday take up too much of today."
I saw this poster awhile ago and really fell in love with what I interpret to be its core message: regret is a waste of your life. (Sometimes I think it's talking about nostalgia as well.)

I don't think I've ever been big on regret. Are there things I wish I never did? HECK YEAH! But breaking things and being incredibly embarrassed or publicly humiliated? Not the end of the world, apparently. Trust me.

So I forge forward, and so should you. My current life philosophy/motto/belief:

And yes, I can believe in impermanence without reducing myself to pure Hedonism. I don't think responsibility and kindness need to disappear in the face of (quietly impending) doom.

...to be continued....

Superbly Adorable!

I definitely am not exaggerating when when I say that I nearly squee'ed (that's cute-speak for "squealed with delight!") when I saw this darling. Not only is she unabashedly adorable, she's wearing just about the cutest little dress (I have a weakness for polka dots, lemme tell ya), and is full of personality.

A little preview for her parents:

A Doggy Day

Muttville is hosting a Holiday Adoption Event in San Francisco (corner of Polk Street & Bush Street). If you've ever wanted to adopt a doggy or just want to look around and pet one for a few minutes, swing by! They'll be happy to answer your questions and if you're feeling generous, donations are graciously accepted!

Location: 1295 Polk Street, San Francisco CA (corner of Polk & Bush)

12/03 Saturday 12-3PM
12/04 Sunday 12-3PM
12/10 Saturday 12-3PM
12/11 Sunday 12-3PM
12/17 Saturday 12-3PM