A Life Purpose

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon-instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.
-- Dale Carnegie

I stumbled upon this quotation and it really made me think... There are so many opportunities in life that I should take advantage of, instead of being so restricted and confined. I've been told that I need to "live a little". When I was told this, I was quite sensative about it but now I understand why that specific person said that to me. I think I'm not a person who's often willing to take chances, because I overthink everything and only focus on the negative outcomes, as oppose to the positives ones. I don't want to spend my entire life dreaming about the amazing things I could be doing, instead, I want to go OUT THERE and do amazing things myself! My last goal in life is to be discontent and regretful of the things I could've done... When I'm elderly I want to look back on my life and be satisfied and pleased that I admired Earth's beauty, met my challenges, dared to be adventurous, played games, sang songs, and loved & be loved in return. Although I want to take chances and be happy, I also want to be willing to overcome my sorrows and confront my tragedies. Even though I will surely encounter people that don't want to take the same path as me in life and instead choose to take a different route, I shouldn't let them bring me down. I have turn to learn to make decisions for my well-being and because I want to, as oppose to always focusing on pleasing others. In conclusion, life is what you make of it and will always be that way. We are (I am certainly) too young to understand what the purpose of life is. There have been many, many, many philosophers and great intellects over time that have come up with their own definition as to "the purpose of life". But I don't think you can discover the purpose of life by simply relying on someone else's answers... in order to find the right answer you must look deep within you and... simply ask yourself.

By the way, I made some pretty massive vanilla sugar cookies today! I wasn't really in the mood to create something fancy since I have exams coming up... on Monday! Luckily, these turned out great. In case you were wondering, I found the recipe on Joy the Baker which is where I spend the majority of the time (that should be spent studying) drooling at her marvelous baked goods!

Gratitude

I can't believe it!! Freshman year is coming to an end quicker then I could've ever imagined it would. Like every other year, I have regrets. However, I also have many wonderful memories to take with me as I move on in life. Although there are some things that I regret about this year and some decisions that I made... there is no point worrying and wasting so much energy on something unchangable and as insignificant. Instead of looking back, I should be looking forward. I think one of my biggest problems is when it comes to be optimistic as oppose to pessimistic. I am quite the worry wort and tend to get worked up over the littlest things that are just not worth it! I remember my English H teacher this year, Ms. Conway, telling our class about how every morning as she walks down her staircase she counts her blessings. For example, "I'm thankful to have such caring friends" or "I am thankful to not be living in the middle of a war zone". Anyway, since this year is almost over, it has struck me how many things, including the great education that I get at T.A.S. are taken for granted. That's why I've taken what she said into consideration and am planning on counting my blessings everynight before I go to bed. Hopefully this will enable me to be more thankful about EVERYTHING and EVERYONE in my life and not take as many things for granted because I know how fortunate I am.

Before we get to go off for summer vacation we first have to get through exams, which brings upon a lot of stress, frustration, hair-pulling, and tears. That's why I decided to make you some cupcakes... the best study food out there (it's been scientifically proven!) Frosting, sprinkles, and all that good stuff:)

Summertime= berryfull.

Summer is the perfect time to have berries. In yogurt. Cereal. Shortbread. Granola. Ice-cream. Pie. Speaking of pie... berry cobbler pie bars! That's what I decided to make this weekend. It took me ages to decide, since there are so many great recipes on Joy the Baker's website, but I managed to narrow it down. When it came to choosing on which berries to use I was stumped. Sadly, they don't sell rasberries or blackberries in Taiwan. But, to my GREAT SURPRISE, I found frozen rasberries at G&G Delhi and knew I had to use them! Perhaps one of the best things about this dish is the sour creammmm. I love it. Don't get me wrong, this dish was extremly tangy from the lemon zest and berries, but it was also creamy- thanks to the sour cream.

I was planning on taking a hike today with my Mom, like I usually do on Sundays, but it's raining cats and dogs outside. Plus, I just feel like relaxing at home. I woke up really late today at 11:30, which isn't like me at all! I think the combination of the rain, waking up late, and exams coming up are making me feel lethargic and dozy. Maybe today would be a good day to catch up on all of the rest that I missed during the school week. Well, I'm going to go help my Mom make some rye bread nowwwww! Then it's off to some exam study planning. Oh joy.

What is true happiness?

I have yet had the chance to answer this question. Some people are lucky enough to find it, while others spend their entire lives seeking it and sadly, some fail. Why does it seem like genuine happiness is so difficult to achieve? Is it because the majority of us are looking in the wrong places?
There is a roadblock standing in the way of true happiness and it all starts with the constant need to have something. Once you begin to demand something, you will spend the rest of your life doing so. Each one of us has numerous wishes and desires that we would like to achieve, but it is these very desires that can be quite catastrophic. Only a percentage of the desires that we have will eventually come true, as a result, the one's that we don't fulfill will cause us to be unhappy and dissapointed that we aren't getting what we want. If we are able to control our list of desires and wishes better, then the result will not be as tragic. Happiness is everyone's goal. Or so I think. It is a feeling that you have when you are not feeling... stressed, worried, hateful, envious, depressed, anxious, and the list goes on.
I'm not sure when my time will come to experiences genunine happiness, whether that be at college, when I get my first job, get married, etc. Or maybe I already have experienced it, I'm just unaware of it!
My goal in life is to be happy. Not to be a millionaire or have a dozen vacation houses across the globe. Just to be happy. As long as I have my loving family and close friends, I expect to one day experience true happiness... and I hope you do too! :)

Up

I recently watched Up and (personally speaking) thought it was pretty good! In case you haven't watched it yet, I won't give it away, but I have to say that the little boyscout is adorable!! Anyway, I came across this photo today which I couldn't help but post! :P


He's a real life cartoon character! Haha awwww

Summer 10'

My summer destinations:
Neskowin, Oregon

La Grand, Oregon

Portland, Oregon


My brother, Jiggs, finally came back to Taiwan for the summer and he's gonna be here until August! I'm so excited. You see, he's going to Georgetown, which is located in Washington D.C. so I only get to see him 2-3 times a year. Speaking of summer... I can't believe we're going to be freeeee in about two weeks time!! First we'll have to get through exams. The sad thing is I'm not going to leave Taiwan till mid July and I'll only be going to the U.S. for two weeks. It's going to be a lot different from last summer, when I got to go to England, Wales, and Ireland. I guess I just like traveling to different countries and experiencing different cultures and meeting interesting people... not that there are no "interesting" people in Oregon or anything... The rest of the summer I'm basically going to be chilling and working. I have an internship at the Community Center and I have to study my Mandarin and Russian-what joy! I guess there are positive things to look forward to, such as:
- chilling by the pool and at the beach
- sleeping in till noon
- no deadlines or tests to worry about
- all nighters, movies, and lot's of comfort food
- shopping! (of course)
- exploringgg... going places I've never been before and just being SPONTANEOUS and carefree
- relaxing! :]

Before I head off to bed I thought I'd share with you some pretty interesting yet random facts that I learned today:
- Butterflies smell with their feet.
- The reason honey is so easy to digest is that it’s already been digested by a bee.
- Blueberry juice boosts memory.
- The shrimp's heart is in it's head.
- Ants never sleep.
- The Germans tried to copy Coca Cola and came up with Fanta.
- The avocado has the most calories of any fruit.

And on that note.... tata

Decisions, decisions

I'm faced with a very tough decision: do I want to do 2nd season basketball next year or touch rugby? This year I did in fact do basketball and I even managed to get onto the JV Gold team, but I don't know if I would enjoy playing basketball all four years of high school or be on varsity. You see, I think basketball is fun when you're fooling around with a group of friends, playing a casual game- nothing too serious. When it comes to rugby... I bet people think I'm supposed to be extremly pro because my brothers are so good, but the truth is: I'm not all that great!!! If I chose to try out for rugby next year I could probably train over the summer with my brother (if he was actually willing to help me). Although second season tryouts aren't until late October-mid November, I want to make my decision now so that I can begin focusing on that sport. For example, I'd have to work on my shot for basketball or hand/eye coordination for touch. If only they weren't during the same season! Any thoughts?