Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Looking back 2014......

Before the year started, I already know this year is going to be fast, so in order to make it worth it, I planned to try as many new things as possible, and accomplish as many achievements. Here are 14 things I would consider I tried and/or achieved this year.  
 
1. 100 Happy Days: It was fun doing 100 happy days from May to September this year. Happiness is not given by someone or something, we have to find and create on our own. Appreciate all the little things around us,  and you understand the smallest thing can bring you a lot of happiness.
2. 100 Lessons: It was a great experience doing 100 lessons after 100 happy days. There were a lot of lessons from classes, experiences, and daily life. The lessons will never end. We can continue to learn until we die.
3. Started GirlTalk: I did not know GirlTalk would be such a hit in this blog. Thanks for everyone who have read them. I have a lot more to post for next year, so I can't wait to see the reactions.
  
4. Learned Reconnecting with Friends Means Get Know Them Over Again: Since I missed my friends in Ashland so much, I visited Ashland several times this year. I realized after reconnecting with them, I felt to get know them all over again. During the reconnecting process, we understood each other better and we bonded even more.
5. First Night Out: This summer, I had my first official bar experience. I actually took a shot, danced, and stayed up late. Before that, I go to a bar without drinking and dancing and leave early. It was fantastic to get crazy sometimes.
6. First Wine Testing: Addition to first real bar experience, I went winery for the first time. It was beautiful!! I do not understand wine well, but the wine was delicious.
7. First Professional Picture: I always wanted a professional picture taken by a professional photographer. This dream come true this year. I hope next year I can become the real professional.
 
8. First Apartment: I have lived in a dorm before, but living apartment was completely different. There were more space and actually had a kitchen and living room. I managed to cook for myself and take care my living.
9. Started Graduate School: It was a big step in my time. Making this decision struggled me and there were also struggles during the semester. There were number of times I doubt I made the right decision or not; however, I felt glad that I made the decision. I learned a lot and became more mature. I lookforward for my future classes and wish for success.
 
10. Worked with Real Life Client for School: This experience was completely new to me. I am lucky that the school offer students to work real life clients during our classes, so the classes would substitute for work experience. If I worked with real life clients before I go to real world, I would be in better shape.
11. Memorized a Speech and Overcame the Fear of Public Speaking: I thought memorize the entire speech and speak in front of people without any notes would be impossible, but I made the impossible possible. I learned you never know your potential until you actually reach the point. Thanks for my team for the help.
12. Experienced Real Halloween/Officially Curved a Pumpkin: I do have experience going to Trick-or-Treating and answering the door, but I never really curved a pumpkin nor went to a halloween dance. I was not a big halloween person, so I did not consider doing more halloween stuff. Until I did curve a pumpkin and went to a halloween party, I finally realized the REAL halloween is a lot of fun. This is why American like Halloween that much.
13. First Opera Experience: I liked music since I was young, so I was really looking forward to watch musical in NYC. The opera was amazing!! I plan to watch more operas next year. I'd like to learn more about the story and music.
14. First Snorkeling: After hesitating and being scared for a while, I did it. I was nervous at first, but later I get used to water and started to enjoying it. The little fish was so pretty. Besides, I did not like the water was salty, I wish I can do it again.
 


Sunday, December 21, 2014

Post 100 Lessons

The first semester of graduate school is over now. It was definitely a tough semester. A term in graduate school is MUCH HARD than undergraduate. (I will do a post about it on the other day) From first day of graduate school to last day, I did "100 lessons," which means "one lesson a day." This is what I learned from what I learned.

From May to August, I did "100 Happy Days." It was a great experience. You can read my reflection here. Finding little happiness out of the ordinary life was a nice way to build my optimism. Because 100 happy days was a lot of fun, I decided to do a "100 Lessons" because when I graduate college, the principal told us to "never stop learning and be happy." Since graduate school was starting, so it was a perfect timing to do it . I will learn at least one lesson each day during first semester to make my graduate school life filled with a lot of grain of salt.

I thought 100 lessons will be harder than 100 happy days, but I WAS WRONG. Unfortunately/Fortunately, there are more lessons than happiness in life. Even after 100 lessons, I still learning more and more lessons as time goes by. I'd like to continue share lessons to everyone.

Remember:
Every moment in life is either "a lesson" or "happiness."
There are WAY MORE lessons than happiness in life
Find happiness in the lessons and connect happiness with lessons
The world is filled with knowledge and reasons to be happy
Live everyday like the last day on earth
Because there could be no tomorrow
Life is short, sweet, and experiencing
Be happy everyday and learn as much as you can in this limited time on earth