Archive for the ‘passions’ Category
Making This Year Challenge A Little More Interesting: An Ultimatum
I’ve made up my decision. Well, after talking to a good friend about it all. I am giving myself an ultimatum and it wasn’t something I thought about ever since talking to him a couple of days ago.
I Learned Something Last Year Reading One of My Favorite Writers
Most people wouldn’t consider Steve Martin much of a writer. I didn’t, until I read 3 of his books last year. The guy is just talented in all ways and I encourage people to give him a shot–as a writer–if you are not fond of his films. While I was reading his non-fiction work about becoming a comedian, the section that stuck out to me was, well actually there were a couple:
Practicing the passion- Steve worked his ass off without the much thought of making money from it. He did multiple stand-ups, changed his act, talk to many people, watched and copy, to an extent, his favorite comedians.
Money wasn’t an issue until he couldn’t pay for his lifestyle- Steve started to make some money from his comedic act, but nothing to sustain a life of partying, women, traveling around the country, and whatever else he wanted to do. He knew he had to do something about it.
He gave himself an ultimatum- Steve was nearing the age of 30 and realized that his passion had to make him money or he had to do something else. He just wasn’t making enough money and had to be real with himself. I believe Steve gave himself 3 years or so to get paid.
Tags: challenge
A Good Day at the Tea Shop…
The smell and taste of Matcha green tea filled my body. I didn’t know a table size of tea at the local tea house was a damn kettle size. I played it off by continuously drinking one cup after another.
There were many people in the tea house, most of them were hippie-like, eccentric young adults doing something on their macs. My night started well, I was making plenty of head-way with my photography website. I was able to make it have the look and feel of a simple design. I just have to spend a couple more hours with it to get it to the level that is presentable.
There were plenty of people coming and going, many talking about boyfriends or guys who acted weird. Some other ladies just talked about whatever, I wasn’t really paying attention to their conversation—it might have been too boring or I was in the flow of improving my website.
I had roughly an hour before I was going to get kicked out of the tea house and my laptop battery only had 9% or about 15 minutes left before I was force to drink all of the tea in the kettle. So I saw an extension cord near a young Asian woman, with her pretty mac that was nicely decorated with an array of colors that I couldn’t make out the design of. I asked her if I could plug in my cord (just thinking about that statement makes me laugh with the sexual innuendo). My cord wasn’t long enough so I had to move to the table right next to her (see, there it goes again).
Instantly, there was chatter.
Tags: being lost, green tea, happiness
December: The Last Month of the Year
I actually wrote this post over a week ago. I need to be better about posting, I’ve gotten use to writing, saving and closing my computer to repeat the same task the next day. I now all I have been writing about lately is about my novel and how difficult it is and all. The next couple of post will be a change a pace–I’m not promising, though…
I’ve been busy lately. It is something I don’t want to explain right now, but life is moving and I’m also doing what I can with the amount of time I have for this year.
Last week felt tremendous, I was able to get rid of my weight set and felt energize because of doing so. I want to continue to get rid of stuff and declutter my apartment, which will in turn declutter my life.
Clueless on What to Write
Tags: business man, writer
November: 2 More Months to Go
It has been a month since I’ve started my challenge of writing my novel. I learned many things about myself and the dedication that I put forward towards this challenge. If I want to do anything, I can do it, it just depends on how bad I want to do something. I don’t need to know how to make the goal happen, that will come with time.
What Did I Learn From my Novel Writing?
However, I did realize that I have many loose ends in my writing. It is something that will take me the rest of the year to make my goal of getting it done by the end of the year. It is okay. I plan to also enter this writing competition and will need to edit a passage of my novel to make it contest ready. This step of editing and reediting is what I will be doing sometime next year with my whole book altogether. I’m looking forward to that moment and will see how I do with this particular task in the coming week.
What Did and Didn’t Get Completed
The Big October Challenge(s)
It has been a long time since I’ve written anything. The last post frighten a couple of people and some thought that I was going to kill myself. But, that is simply not true, besides, I have so much to live for.
I’ve already started this challenge and will post from time to time on the progress I’m making towards both goals.
The year is almost done and still is the best year of my life, so far. I’ve learned many things about myself through various challenges I’ve put myself through, and taken a dream and made it a reality. I’m already thinking of next year and how I want to push myself even more towards my passions, business endeavors, and family and friends.
The Novel Challenge
I still have plenty of plenty of fight in me this year and have started the last quarter of the year off grandly. What I have done and will continue to do for the month of October is to write everyday towards my novel. So far so good, the novel is picking up and now managing to provide content by averaging 1200 words per day.
Tags: it feels good, writing
Appreciation to Esther
Many times, we don’t know what we will learn from somebody else. It could be one aspect of our daily routine that this person sees and politely or not tells you to change. We are in our own world and feel that the world is centered around us. Most of the time we feel that we are the makers of our own destiny and steps in life. BUT, this is a big BUT, this shit isn’t true. We need people to help us and we need to give back and help others, too. At times, we just don’t know the best way, but, for the most part, I feel the best way a person can help out others is to be aware and just say something: this is what this person has done!
This is what this appreciation is all about that this very person gave me. A realization that life is all about helping each other and not asking for anything in return.
I’ve known this person for almost 2 years, I met her through my girlfriend. During the first year of my girlfriend and I’s relationship I didn’t see her much. But since the beginning of this year she and I have been helping each other stay on track with our writing–she more of the keeping me on track than the other way around.
For now, this person is a high school teacher, but wants to be a full-time writer, and in fact, has just finished her first novel. I’ve read a couple of pages, and would like to read the whole novel, but just holding the notebook filled with pages of her work was quite amazing.
Tags: appreciation
A Post Revisited: I Lost the Love…
A poem that still is true today.
I wrote this poem over three years ago. I don’t know who goes back to reread my old stuff. I know it is hard to get past the typos, shitty grammar, and incorrectness of other things I wasn’t aware of back then. However, I’ve edited the post/poem and I hope that you can take it for what it is.
I’ll tell you right now, it isn’t about any girl that I’ve dated or had relations with. Let me know what you think
I Lost the Love
She was very good to me. Never talked back and supported me with all the stupid ideals I had. I thought that I would stay with her the rest of my life. We would help each other through everything– but she turned on me. Or did I loose interest in her?
Tags: life lessons, passion
2nd Quarter Review and What I’m Planning
This post was written 2 months ago and have been busy doing other things. It is funny, though, once you write something down, things start to happen and relatively quickly.
The second quarter has come and past, I’m already into the discovery of my next step in my life. I’m not going to explain what did and didn’t happen, but I’m to say that it was a hard, challenging, and a worthwhile quarter.
For the most part, my story isn’t as different from the next person, but as I talk to more people and get their take on what I’m doing, I am seeing that I’m taking hold of my life, even with being trap in Corporate America. I have learn that I’m my worst enemy and my biggest cheerleader. I have to learn the difference between being motivated by others and motivated by myself. If one is constantly motivated by others, than their life is not theirs, they are being push in the wind, because the action is controlled by reaction.
“It is easy to be motivated by somebody not believing in you; the hard part is to be motivated when no one is around…“
-Me
Tags: goals, year so far
My Writing Teacher Lied to Me!
It’s true…
It all started almost a year ago, this was the time I was in between jobs and had 5 or so weeks off. I did some reading, tons of exercising, and writing here and there. I knew I was preparing myself to become a writer, before I made my declaration at the end of last year. For sure though, I knew I wanted to write fiction. I thought fiction would allow me to dream and become as creative as possible. So I signed up for a 5-week leisure learning fiction writing class.
“I want you guys to remember, that you are writers. Okay. Now repeat after me, I’M A WRITER, I’M A WRITER, I’M A WRITER…”, the writer teacher, who has written one novel said.
I believed everything she said to me: I felt strong, I felt I could write anything (well when I was in that room with 10 or so other people). Everyone came from different backgrounds, but as I looked around the room and noticed the confidence from the other people, who was also saying this bullshit of a mantra - I knew my life was going to be different from this point on!
Ironically speaking, I was listening to Stephen King’s audio book, which he explained the art of writing, during the time of my class. So, it was as if I was getting conflicting information from 2 published authors, one more famous and has written on the subject more than the other. I, being reasonable with myself, listened to both lessons.
Tags: books, fiction writing, Stephen King, writer
Goals for the Rest of the Month…
In a couple of weeks I will be partaking in a shorten work-week schedule. I will get an extra day off, in return I will have to work 4 10-hour work days. It will take me sometime to get used to the longer days, but no time at all to get used to doing more writing, sleeping, working on my side business, or whatever with the off day. So, I have given myself another couple of crazy goals to do before this schedule kicks in at the beginning of next month.
Goals-
- A) Reach 100 pages in novel.
- B) Write 2 more essays for my portfolio.
- C) Finish first short story.
- D) Get Finances in order.
- E) Find the money source of my side business.
- F) Push girlfriend in the direction she wants to go in.
- G) Develop way to learn words.
In More Detail:
