Jerusalem, Christmas Trimmings and a New Year

After surviving the end of the world, living through 2012, rejoicing in our Savior's birth and returning to Jerusalem, it's time to take a stab at this neglected blog thing yet again.

So...where do I begin?

At the end of every year, (2009, 2010 and 2011) I tend to look back and reflect on the past lessons I've learned and the new person I've become. Time never ceases to teach me the simple lessons I seem to overlook with ignorance and stubbornness at one point or another. And so, at the end of 2012, there's one thing that time, my fickle friend and bitter enemy, has taught me most of all:

I know absolutely nothing about anything.

I've loved with all that I could and lost more than I wanted; I've grown incredibly close to new friends and created distance between old ones; I've pushed my career further than ever before and lost sight of more important arenas in my life. I've done more and lost more and had no idea what I was doing the whole time. I knew absolutely nothing about my life--and still don't. I just like to pretend that I do.

Point of the story and/or blog post: If you asked me one year ago, "Where is life going to take you this year," I would have failed miserably attempting to answer correctly.

School in the Big Girl World

When the new school year began, I seemed to be get the same remark from both friends and family still pursuing their education: "You're lucky you've graduated and don't have to go to school anymore."

Ask me 6 months ago, and I probably would have thought the same thing. But now that I'm a "big girl" who gets life insurance applications in the mail (seriously not joking) and has a full-time 9-5 job, I'm now on the other side of the fence.

And the one thing I've learned this summer? Life as a big kid in the real world is a lot like school. Here's the top 3 reasons why:

1. Due Dates: Deadlines. They're everywhere. Get used to it, and get used to following them, because work deadlines will be the worst of them all.

2. Lunch Money: Hey, a girl's got to eat. Whether it's putting a few extra bucks on the side to buy lunch everyday for during your lunch break (a.k.a. lunch hour), or it's packing a sack lunch and bringing it with you, it's that one part of your "big girl" day that will make you feel like you're in kindergarden again.

3. Make Time for Other Things: It's very easy to get sucked into a work (or school) schedule. But there are other priorities in your life besides working--make time for friends, make time for family, and make time for yourself. The tricky part is actually finding the time and energy to do so!

School never ends, neither does learning. So study hard to finish up your 4 years to continue the next 40 years in a different kind of school...the work force.

'Tomorrow' Creeped In: One Year Since

Time: fickle friend or bitter enemy?

There's a line from Shakespeare's Macbeth I sadly always enjoy quoting. It doesn't exactly help much either that the play has been lying on my nightstand for the past week, reminding me of the prose hidden inside:

"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in this petty place from day to day."

Oh, the pitter patter of time. To vaguely and loosely translate Shakespeare's elegant verbiage into a marriage of two modern cliches: life is short while time flies.

For the non-Shakespearean buffs unlike myself (although I encourage you to familiarize yourself with his works as much as possible), allow me to provide a bit of background on this line without giving any underlying themes or details from the play away. This line derives from a famous soliloquy found in the tragedy Macbeth. Essentially, it is an introduction to a philosophical reflection on life and death that Macbeth contemplates on. With the realization that nobody can defeat or escape death comes the understanding that days sneak past until that fatal day arrives.

Life is, after all, a "brief candle." Shakespeare's analogy, not mine.

I look back and astounded at how much has happened and how quickly it's all passed since last July. Though so many things have changed, including myself, so many things have still remained the same.

Summer Limbo

I don't know about you, but summer always seems to be my "limbo season."

What's that you ask? Well, for some reason, summer always brings about the biggest changes in my life. Don't get me wrong, I love the season; America's Finest City really shines during the summer months.

Maybe it's the "school's out" mentality we grew up with as children. Perhaps it's the lethargic energy that summer heat seems to suck out of me. Or, it may be that I've had some of the best times and worst times during the summer months.

For whatever reason, summer always feels like "limbo."

After all, you have to either go up or down in limbo. I'm praying for some brighter summer days ahead.

The Mishaps of a Graduation

It's official: I am a college graduate. Who would've thought this day would actually come? Not I, that's for sure.

But because God has a sense of humor and enjoys taking it out on my life, I'm going to share just a few of the lovely details of what went wrong on this "special" day. Don't worry, I did have a very nice, memorable graduation--but it just wouldn't have been complete without a few "awkward" moments that probably wouldn't happen to anyone else but me. Don't fret--it wasn't the first "special" day that has gone array, and knowing me, it certainly won't be the last.

The day that something doesn't go wrong will be the day that will truly be "special." 

So, sit back, relax, make some popcorn, and pray that when you graduate from college these things don't happen to you.

Time to Start Something New, Goodbye to SDSU: A Look Back Before Graduation

On my way to my last class at SDSU, I couldn’t help but chuckle and reminisce on my very first freshman class on campus in a neighboring building. Boy, how times have changed. Fresh out of high school, I remember the excitement of waiting in line at Starbucks (the early days of my coffee addiction), walking to class with coffee in hand, thinking I was some big college hot shot ready to conquer the world. I can see it now: nose high up in the air with my oversized sunglasses, pretending I had some clue of what I was doing while imagining I was a Harvard collegiate genius on the sunny streets of San Diego. I dreamed and ignorantly believed that the next four years would be pure perfection, because hey, that’s what college was supposed to be.

I still remember it; I still remember myself back then, who I was and who I thought I was. But that was then and this is now. Four years later, on the foot of my graduation, I realize how much I’ve changed, how much I’ve grown, how things are different, and how some things are exactly the same.

And just as quickly as that first day went by, today will soon be gone, but hopefully not before I can record it on this blog. There are a couple of things I want to share in the few days I have left as I look back on my college experience. So, please allow me to shed some wisdom on what I’ve learned to those who can apply to their own lives, making their college years as close as possible to a freshman’s perception of college “perfection.”  

Keep motorists SAFE, but not with call boxes

San Diego County wants to keep motorists SAFE with an expensive yellow-

brick road of bright-yellow call boxes. Too bad the yellow-brick road doesn't

get traveled on very often anymore, giving legislators a reason to try and close it

down.

The San Diego Service Authority for Free Emergencies, also known as SAFE,

is a government entity that maintains San Diego County's emergency call

boxes through a $1.00 yearly fee on vehicle registrations. Found throughout

the county along highways and in remote areas, the yellow call boxes connect

directly to trained dispatchers to help motorists in times of emergencies.

In 1990, 170,511 call box calls were made by motorists to receive roadside

assistance; in 2010, however, the number of call box calls was a measly 11,625.

Although the number of calls has significantly decreased over the past two

decades, the program still receives approximately $2.6 million each year for its

use. Over the years, the SAFE program has built up to $12.8 million in reserve.

Though the SAFE program plans on removing several emergency call boxes

over the next few years, the estimated cost of maintaining the current call

boxes will significantly increase, specifically the cost to outsource the calls to a

contracted company called TeleTran Tek Services.

In a time of smart-phones and in-vehicle communication systems like On-

Star, the question remains as to whether emergency call boxes are still a

necessity. Spending millions of dollars on a program used less than 12,000

times a year may not be the most practical use of tax-payer dollars, especially

during a recession. Instead of spending the money to maintain a program

that is barely used, that money could go towards fixing county roads or other

transportation services.

Birthday Life Lessons from "The Morning After"

Yes sir, it is my birthday. My age? Oh well...it's the 1st anniversary of my 21st birthday. That will be the new counting method around here from now on, just in case you didn't know.

So yes, today is my birthday. Well, technically yesterday was, since I'm writing this post in the wee hours of what is often called, "the morning after." There's a quote from the British poet, Lord Bryon, that I often like to refer to at times like this: "If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad." This line befits tonight more so than any other. And so, here we are..."the morning after" my 1st anniversary, writing to ensure I don't go completely bonkers.

It's funny. With every new year (and every new birthday, or in my case, anniversary) comes many new realizations about the people in my life and the relationships I hold dear. The people who want to be there, who love you enough to care, will do all they can to ensure that you have your one special princess day. It's a process of humility--torturing yourself and embracing humiliation by participating in the embarrassing birthday rituals to please everyone else around you.

Tortured Facade

Broken in shackles I lay

With no fight to break away

Tortured by these ball and chains

Forced to contemplate and pray.

Saddened by this darkest hour

The wilting of my inner flower

Plagued by the conscience of a coward

With inspiration from a higher power.

Crushed dreams scatter the floor,

Of the life I wished for once before.

Guarding the pathway towards the door

A painful reminder forever more.

Opinions in a Whirlwind

I love opinions; in fact, I think opinions are blessings in disguise and a gift to humankind. They have the power to open people's eyes, enlighten the soul, teach the ignorant, and more importantly, provide insight into the mind and logic of your companion.

However, over the years, I have learned (with a few drops of wisdom shed upon me) that there is a time and place for everything. I'm quite aware that many people in this world have very strong opinions about various different subjects; and over the years, I've also learned that people will not always get along.

Though it may seem like an elementary principle, I think it's an idea that people so easily forget. Man was not meant to get along with everyone or to agree upon everything--think of how boring the world would be. However, man was not meant to be cruel and unreasonable to his brother either, especially over a difference of opinion.