When education gets in the way of your learning

The following is the longer version of my article that was published in Point Loma Nazarene University's publication. Because my own blog is not constrained to a 500 word limit, I wanted to publish the original version and original title. As always, thoughts and rebuttals are always appreciated. :)

Quote of the Day 12/09/13

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."              [Nelson Mandela]

A post worth sharing

This link was shared with me today and I couldn't help but share it on my blog. I love the writer's open and honest remarks on what really matters in love and ultimately marriage. The post below is taken from the writter's blog. It is some serious food for thought.

Quote of the Day 12/4/13

“Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them.” ― Marvin J. Ashton

My biggest weakness (and it might be yours too)

A typical question they love to ask in interviews goes something like this: “What is your biggest weakness?” or “what are areas of improvement in yourself?” It’s kinda a trick question. Your interviewer is not only checking to see if you think too much of yourself but also if there are any red flags you might let slip in the pressure of the moment. After going through my share of interviews, I have learned how to genuinely and gracefully this question. While I won’t reveal my interview tips and tricks, I will tell gladly tell you one thing I recognize to my weakness multiple weaknesses…I want to do way too much. I commit to too much. I care too much. And I want to fix everyone’s problems.

Let me put out a disclaimer and say this is not me trying to say gosh I’m such a bad person because I care about way too many people so compliment me and tell me its okay.

I in no way will ever compare myself to Mother Teresa and I can’t even compare myself to my own mother. This is a post about a weakness, and I really don’t want your sympathy. I want to learn from my mistakes and share them with you in the hopes that you do not make the same ones too.

When bad things happen to people I love and care about, all their worries, fears, and stresses are added to my own list of worries, fears, and stresses. I have yet to be a mother, but I sure do become a mother when bad things happen to good people. I so badly want to fix the broken and heal the hurting. I begin to worry for other people’s exams, doctors’ visits, relationships, family drama, unemployment and credit card issues. I want people to call me in the middle of the night when they can’t sleep or are crying or are contemplating anorexia episodes. I want to be there for them, day or night.

On top of that, sometimes I make too many commitments. I think I can do it all and in my mind, I can perfectly plan everything out and put each activity and person into a time slot and think I can go and accomplish everything… all’s in a day’s work right?

I also like responsibility. In fact, I crave responsibility. I’ve written about it many times and I’ll say it again; I like being an adult and I like the real world. Bring it on, reality.

And then reality comes and hits me real hard.

kairos.

Today's sunrise

This morning I woke up to watch the sun rise over the Gulf of Mexico and as I watched the rays begin to pierce the gray clouds, bringing to light the crystal blue water and ivory sandy beach, I couldn’t help but think of how all is truly made beautiful in due time.

The natural world we live in parallels the lives we live. There is a season and time for everything. We can't pick strawberries in January and we don't wear Ugg boots in August. (Although California girls seem to have made an excuse for this one.) There are things we reserve for a particular timing and season. We decorate Christmas trees during the Christmas season and we sing happy birthday on an actual birth date. We reserve extravagant celebrations for significant events. We wear black to a funeral and don’t wear white to someone’s wedding. We eat dessert after dinner and don’t drink coffee after brushing our teeth. While adhering too much to formality and rules can run the risk of making things just a formality, I think we can all acknowledge that saving certain traditions and rules makes those moments those moments. The reason they are wonderful are because they are saved and experienced in their own due time.

Something borrowed.

I am currently in the decision making process of what to write/how to make time to work so while I am away, I thought I would share this post that I stumbled across a few days ago. 

These are two beautifully written letters between Miss Right and Mr. Right. I love how honest and true and vulnerable both writers are and they encompass how many are feeling, especially as a twenty-something. I think that it is fair to say that a lot of us have reached a point that we are ready to open up our lives to share with someone else. In all honestly, despite many unknowns and variables, I am at a place where I am at peace and filled with joy. I know who I am and no matter where I go, I know the purpose and path to follow. That being said, "two are better than one" and I know I am not the only one in consensus in that statement. 

If you are at a point where you are praying and seeking to enter into a new stage of life, I think you will really be touched by these letters. I hope they touch you as much as they touched me!

Dining in San Diego, Part 1

I really like food. 

Good Food. (And it’s a good thing that I really really really like to work out… or this would be a serious problem.)

Luckily, I live in the perfect foodie town… San Diego, CA. There is seriously a new restaurant opening every week and some kind of food event every weekend. It's kinda crazy how much San Diego to offer. You can find basically any food or cuisine in this town. The downside? It slims down your wallet and widens your waist.

Since I am a firm believer that moderation is key, I apply this concept to my food and dining out choices. For me, dining (and especially fine dining) is a form of entertainment. It's not just about being hungry, getting full and calling it a night. It starts with admiring and observing a restaurant's interior and ambiance. Discussing food prep and pairing with the servers is a must. I love seeing how chefs combine flavors, taste and texture and I love hearing waiters give their own opinion of the food. Waiters who know the food they serve is not only impressive but demonstrates that the owners and chefs truly care about what they are plating. Knowing about what you are eating and how it was prepared helps you enjoy a meal all the more. When the food arrives, you obviously have to instagram and spam your facebook feed with photos and finally dig in and enjoy the meal. But its not just about the eating part, its the whole experience and for me, it sure is entertaining. Some people pay for overpriced Disneyland tickets, I'd rather pay for an excellent dining experience.

That being said, I am on a personal mission to savor the San Diego food scene. I have a huge mental list of places to go and plates to eat. Thanks to social media, I have already been dying to try many awesome restaurants and some of the food they offer. I have also started covering events for DiningOut SD and I am thrilled for this opportunity! (I may also have to start exercising more....)

Food I have tasted (either at an event or at the actual restaurants): 

Da Capo

The beginning of the end has begun. An exciting “end” that is. Last week I started my final year of undergraduate studies and while very cliché, I can’t help but say that time flies. I remember the very day I made the drive to San Diego. Car packed, heart pounding and student debt pending, all I wanted to do was get there. All that stood between me and PLNU was the traffic jammed 5 freeway.

I remember unloading the car, I remember staring at blank white walls and staring at the ocean out the window. I remember wanting to get the unpacking and paperwork over. I remember the hot weather, the maxi dress I wore and the first time I met my roommate. I remember buying a ridiculous amount of food and top ramen at Target. I remember the painful goodbye to my parents and being shocked by my own reaction. All I had wanted to do was get to San Diego and suddenly all I wanted was for my parents to take me back home with them.

Moving wasn’t anything new to me. There’s nothing much left to shock a girl who has lived in 2 different countries, 3 states and 6 cities. I get the process and adjustment thing. What was different this time around was that I was staying put, in a foreign place with strange people, with lots of expensive books and time consuming assignments and my family couldn’t be there and I have to pay a whole bunch of money for a 8.5 by 11 piece of paper. While I have always been an independent, full time school, full time employee, there was something different about this independence. It wasn’t about location or distance; it was the beginning of a transition.

Skipping forward a few years, its surreal to think that in just 8 months, I go from current student to former student and I am really excited. Like everyone says, it’s a bittersweet feeling. Bitter to leave the people and memories, but sweet to enter a new phase or perhaps da capo? 

__(insert suggestions here)___

In an attempt to name this post appropriately, I found myself on Google quest, searching through dictionaries, posts and blogs. When the dictionaries failed me, I turned to good old trusted Wikipedia. 

Originally this post was titled “content” but then Wikipedia defined bliss as: “Bliss is an emotional state that is characterized by perfect happiness (feelings of enjoyment, pleasure, and satisfaction,” I couldn’t help overlook the words “perfect happiness.” This led me to attempting to figure out what exactly “perfect happiness” means.

This led me on another Google search, to find out what the 1037345836430480 Google users around the world believe perfect happiness is. 

Let’s just say I found answers from one extreme side of the spectrum to the other. Infamous Yahoo! Questions had a user who posted the question “How to acquire perfect happiness?” and which the best answer chosen by the voters was “drugs or brain damage…. Happiness is a mish-mash of emotions, and it is loosely defined by its symptoms.” 

Google provided me with 41 million (to be exact) pages of results and skimming some of the pages, words such as nature, family, good book, house stood out, there were also debates of “god exists” and “no he doesn’t.” 

Even the Wall Street Journal had an opinion on the matter and  put a monetary value in the mix and reported that “the perfect salary for happiness is $75,000.”

Now I don’t know how happiness can be found through money or books or trees but I do know that no matter who you are, where you live and what you do, all you want at the end of the happy is to be happy and you want to be the real kind of happy. 

Perfectly Happy. 

Always Happy. 

Am I right....?