Life Lately

Day 15 of Blogtember: Life lately.

Life has been really busy.  But, I guess, that's nothing new.  I'm starting to remind myself of my former boss/mentor.  When I was working for him, every time I called or knocked on his door to ask a question, I'd first ask whether he was busy.  I remember that his customary response was "always."  Now, that's me.  When people asks me how I'm doing or what I'm up to, my response is always "busy."

But, I do hope that I'm also like my mentor in that even though his response was that he was busy, he never turned me away or asked that I call back.  He was busy, but he always made time to answer any questions or concerns I had, sometimes turning what was supposed to be a simple yes or no answer to a half hour conversation.  His advice to me when I first became a lawyer was to always make time for two things: family and vacation.

It's sometimes difficult to do but, I try to make time for the important events.  I try never to miss birthdays or family gatherings and church.  This past weekend my family went to Lake Arrowhead to celebrate my brother and sister-in-law's 10-year wedding anniversary.  It was a lot of fun, and hanging out with my family always reminds me of how blessed I am to have them around and near.  No family is perfect, and we definitely have our ups and downs, but overall, we're there for each other and always happy to celebrate each other's successes and good tidings.

And, let's see, another thing that's taking up a lot of my time because I don't think I'm busy enough - training for my first half marathon.  It's next month, and I'm really excited.  But, training does take a lot of time, planning, and dedication.  Training is teaching me a lot about patience - even though I've been running for awhile now, I couldn't expect myself to be a fast marathon runner over night.  Not even in a week, or two, or three.  But, with consistent training and determination, I've improved not only on time but I'm building up my stamina one mile at a time.  Again, it's really exciting!  Doing something that you couldn't imagine yourself being able to do feels amazing.  

But, training for a marathon (even a half one) can start taking a toll on your body.  And for someone who doesn't get enough sleep (me), it can be an even bigger toll.  So, I'm forcing myself to go to bed earlier.  I realized that today when I was really short with my client.  I realized that I was just exhausted (even after my weekend off), and it's not only because I have a tendency to overextend myself sometimes - lately with work and training - but I don't allow myself to rest.  By rest I mean sleep.  (Which I hardly got any this past weekend because we stayed up late both nights binging on horror movies - so worth it though.)  However, I paid for it today, dragging my feet and not really performing well on my run.  So, I promised myself that from now on, I need to really make time for sleep.  And with that said, I need to end this post, and go to bed.

Have a good night!

Week in food

Today's Blogtember topic is only photos.  So, I decided to do one with my week in food.  Please excuse the blurry pics, but these are taken from my phone and it doesn't always work well in dark places.  (And I just want to add that those chicken tacos was by far the best chicken tacos I've had in a long, long time.)

   

"you made a difference"

Day 6 of Blogtember: Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.



My life has taken several turns, most of which I don't really want to write about because they are quite heavy and deep, and I wanted to stray from some serious stuff for awhile.  So, I decided to skip this prompt and just move on to some light matters like online shopping (tomorrow's prompt).  Then, during my run earlier at my old high school tracks, I was reminded of a distinct moment in high school that turned my life around for the better.  Although it includes some serious and slightly heavy content, I decided that it's something worth sharing, not for me, but the man who changed my life and to this day, I thank every time I'm reminded of how my life could have been.

The moment was during my junior year of high school.  Up until then, I spent a lot of time trying to be the "bad kid."  The rebel.  The poor, mediocre student.  There were a lot of things going on in my young life, and I was not very happy.  I took it out on random people around me, but most of all, I took it out on myself.

Then, one day, after missing several classes in a row, my counselor said to me: "Your education will be your freedom from this life."  By "this life" he was talking about the things in my life that made me feel trapped and miserable.  He told me that my education will be my key to living the kind of life I wanted, and that with it, I would never have to depend on anyone or anything.  Mr. Higgins words' struck me, and thereafter, I worked extra hard to get my grades up.  I joined clubs at school and even started one of my own.  I did everything I could to make sure I graduated from high school with good enough grades and a number of extracurricular activities to get into college.

I never forgot Mr. Higgins' words.  I carried them with me throughout college, especially during times when I thought it would be easier to just fail or drop out.  His words stayed with me during the dismal days of law school.  But, I believe his words did more than just encourage me to graduate from high school, and pursue higher learning.  His words became my guiding light whenever I was tempted to go astray.

I haven't seen or spoken to Mr. Higgins since my high school graduation.  And although I gave him a card then with a long letter thanking him for everything he had done for me - for all the lunches he missed listening to me whine and cry in his office - I still wish I could let him know now that he really made a difference in my life.  I think sometimes teachers and counselors are not appreciated enough.  There are really amazing ones out there, and they do make a difference in their students' lives.  That's why I love Glee.  I know, I'm back there again with that show, but I do love it because it's not only a show about the students but also about the teachers and counselors who touch the students' lives.  It shows how we're a cause and effect on each other.  Teachers and students learning from one another.

Anyhow, I know I've said this before, but I will say it again and again: I was blessed with really amazing teachers and counselors.  Mr. Higgins was one of them.  I want to thank him wherever he is, and say: you made a difference.

 

The time I could've died because of pizza

Day 4 of Blogtember: A story about a time you were very afraid.

It was a hot Sunday afternoon.  My family and I just returned from a camping trip, and stopped by Pizza Hut on the way to my dad's.  It was one of those take-out only stores, and so, after we ordered our pizza, we waited in the car.  Everyone was feeling lethargic and hungry and in so need of a shower.  Needless to say, we were all quite cranky.

After 15 or so minutes, my dad told me to check on the pizza.  I grudgingly stepped out of the car into the scorching heat, and dragged my feet to the store.  When I got to the door, I realized it was locked.  I peered through the glass and didn't see anyone inside.  So, I knocked.  I knew the store could not have closed in the last 15 minutes.  They couldn't.  We didn't have our pizza yet!  After I knocked a few more times, I saw the cashier who took our order get up from underneath the counter.  Then, I watched her walk to the door.  She opened it, and told me to come in.

"Is our pizza ready?" I asked.

"Come in," she said again.  "Please."

I sensed that something was wrong.

"Just come in," she said for the third time.

"I just want our pizza," was my response.

Then, I saw a shadow appear behind the counter.  I could tell it was of a tall man, who was undoubtedly holding a shotgun pointed towards the cashier and me.

"Get your (bleep) (bleep) in here, you (bleep)!" the tall shadow yelled.

"Please come in," the cashier said to me.

"No," I said, without taking my eyes off the shotgun.

The man was no more than 20 feet away, but he was a blur to me.  The gun was another story.  I thought, if I went inside, I could die.  He could shoot me, and I could die.  But if I refused, he could still shoot me, and he was close enough not to miss.

The shadow continued to yell obscenities and threats.  He was going to shoot if I didn't come in.

"No," I told the cashier, who pleaded with me to just listen to the orders behind her.

Then, as the man with the shotgun continued to threaten me, the brave cashier pushed me and ran out of the store.  Everything after that was a blur.  I don't know how I got from standing outside that Pizza Hut door to the front seat of our car, but I did.  And when I finally realized where I was, I just kept touching my arms and face to make sure I was really there, safe in the car, and not dead.  Then, I started hearing annoyed voices asking me what was going on and where was the pizza.  I didn't think I could feel so grateful for being barraged with complaints by my cranky brothers and tired dad.

I later learned that the cashier had spotted a police car driving by, so she pushed me out of the way, ran out of the store and waved for the police to stop.  The police interviewed me afterwards, but I never saw the man's face.  He was just a shadow with a big shotgun.

The whole incident couldn't have lasted more than five minutes, but I was really afraid.  On the bright side, no one got hurt (the man ran out through the back of the store without shooting anyone), and we got free pizza.    

A useful advice + a short confessional

Day 3 of Blogtember: Pass on some useful advice or information you learned and always remembered. 

Hi, my name is Mae, and I'm a Felicity fanatic.

Please don't judge me by this, but the thing that came to mind when I thought about writing this post was Felicity.  The TV show.  I think I've said it here before (or at least alluded to it) that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that show.  In the present tense.  It doesn't matter that it ended eleven years ago.  I own the DVDs for all four seasons (and have watched it more times than I want to admit).  And now with Netflix, I don't even need to be at home to watch it.  

Okay, I know it seems like I'm digressing but bear with me.  There is a point to this that addresses today's topic.  I promise.  But first, I have the need to give a little background story.

The four years the show aired was the four years I lived with my college/post-college/beginning of law school boyfriend.  Ex, now.  We moved in together a couple of weeks after Felicity first aired, and I moved out five months after the show ended.  And it wasn't an easy relationship - my ex and I.  Living together made it even tougher.  But, Felicity got me through those four years.  (Don't worry, I didn't stay in a bad relationship because of the show.  The timing was just impeccable.)  I never missed an episode - even when I was in law school and hardly watched any television - I watched Felicity.  I lived vicariously through her (yes, I know, she's a fictional character - let's forget that part).  But, I thought she was living my dream, and when times were bad with the ex, I escaped to Felicity's world.  It was my therapy, and a very affordable one.

Okay, now that I'm done with the background story, here's the advice that I got from the show - that stuck with me: "Don’t throw away an opportunity to become a more interesting person out of fear."

That advice was given to Felicity by her counselor, Dr. Pavone (my favorite chain-smoking character).  If you're not familiar with the show, let me offer some context (don't worry, if you want to watch the show, I won't give away what happened after).  So, here it goes: Felicity just got back together with Ben (her soul mate, love of her life, the guy she followed to New York), and was excited about spending the summer with him in Palo Alto (where they are both from).  But, her art history professor offered her an internship to work at a museum in New York (it was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime-kind-of-opportunity), which meant, she wouldn't be with Ben, who had a summer job waiting for him in Palo Alto.  And that's when Dr. Pavone said, "Don't throw away an opportunity to become a more interesting person out of fear."  "Fear?" Felicity asked.  "Of losing Ben," Dr. Pavone answered.

So, that's the advice that stuck with me.  

Because, you see, I had an opportunity to study in Spain for a semester during my senior year of college.  I didn't go.  I'm ashamed to admit, I was afraid to lose my boyfriend.  The same boyfriend I had a "not-so-easy" relationship with.  I won't dwell too much on that, but let's just say, I regretted not going.  I regretted it for a long, long time.  And when times were especially hard with him, I resented him for it.  Yes, that wasn't fair, but I really wanted to go to Spain.  So, when Dr. Pavone gave Felicity that advice, it struck a chord with me.  

Felicity's response was: "That’s not why I turned down the internship. I just, I’m choosing to be with Ben. That’s just what I want to do this summer."

And that's when Dr. Pavone told her: "An opportunity like this internship does not come around very often and if you and Ben are gonna work this out, and I hope you do ‘cause I love that kid, then you’ll be there for each other long after this opportunity has come and gone. That’s what love is about."

I wish someone had told me that.  (Dr. Pavone's advice came a couple years too late for me.)

But that's why after my ex and I broke up, and well, after I took the Bar exam (because I had to do that first), I went to Spain.  I spent a month in Europe, and went to all the places I had always wanted to go to.  At the time I was seeing someone, and again, it was new, we were at this pivotal point in our relationship, and I was scared that if I went away for a month, he'd forget me.  I know, he thought that was silly, too, but I couldn't help it, I was afraid of that.  But, I was also afraid that if I didn't go, and I didn't go on my own (meaning without him - the new guy), I'd regret it.  So, I went.

And, so did he.  But apart.  

And it was the best decision I made.  I don't think, in fact, I know, it had nothing to do with why we're not together right now.  That's a whole other story.

So, don't throw away an opportunity to become a more interesting person out of fear.  It speaks volumes, right?  Take risks.  Live life.  What is meant to be will be.  

Here's a picture of my friend and I in Spain that summer.

Excuse my outfit and tired eyes.

But, we looked, and were, very happy.

And that's what matters, right?

What advice has stuck with you?

Felicity photo via

NYC, here I come!

Day 2 of Blogtember: If you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do?

I seriously had too much fun with this topic!  I've been thinking about it ever since the Blogtember topics list came out.  There's just so much I would love to do if I could take time off from my current life: run around the green hillsides of Ireland, stroll the cobblestone streets of Oxford, read a book at a cafe in Paris, ride a gondola in Venice, go bike riding in Amsterdam, wine tasting in Tuscany and eat lots of gelato in Rome.  But, as those dreams bounce around in my head, there's one place that my mind (and heart) just keeps going back to - New York City.

I've always wanted to live in Manhattan.  There is something about the energy of the city that speaks to me.  Then, last year, I stayed in Brooklyn for a week and immediately fell in love.  So, if I could take three months off to do anything in the world, I would go to NYC.  Alternate between living in a Manhattan penthouse apartment and a Brooklyn brownstone.  Where I'll write, write, and write.  Both places stimulate my psyche and imagination in different ways, and when I'm there, I just want to soak up everything, and then, describe it to the world.

Then, when I'm not writing, I want to have dinner parties in the rooftop garden of the fabulous apartment I'll be staying at, listen to live music at a cafe, sit quietly at the Met, and read a book in the center of Washington Square Park.

I want to wake up early in the morning and run across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Or around Battery Park.

Or get lost in the crowd in Central Park.

I want to spend afternoons sitting next to a friend and looking at this view.

Or this.

Or under this massive tree.

And some days, I may just want to escape it all, and take the ferry to Staten Island:

So, that's what I would do (and so much more) if I had three months to do anything in the world - I would live in NYC and fall in love every single day.

What would you do?
 

Hello, September!

I can't believe it's September already.  I think I say that every month, but this year is really just breezing by way too fast.  Anyhow, sorry for the short absence, but after my weekend work-marathon, I just felt exhausted - mentally.  So, writing was the last thing I wanted to do at the end of the day.  But, I'll be participating in Jenni's Blogtember challenge, so I'm hoping to get in some good blog time this month.  For those of you who are interested in joining, the link is on the side of my page and below.  Now, here are the daily topics (we have weekends off for this challenge):      

Tuesday, Sept. 3: Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are.

Wednesday, September 4: If you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do? (bonus points for fun photos from Pinterest, but don't forget to cite the source!)

Thursday, September 5: Pass on some useful advice or information you learned and always remembered. 

Friday, September 6: A story about a time you were very afraid.

Monday, September 9: Take this short personality test and respond to your results. (at the end, find the detailed profile of your personality account - click "click to view" under "You" and "self awareness and personal growth." You can even google your type and find more info on it!)

Tuesday, September 10: Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.

Wednesday, September 11: Share links to your favorite online shops, preferably with a few photos of your favorite items in each shop.

Thursday, September 12: Discuss ways that blogging or social media has changed you.

Friday, September 13: A self portrait

Monday, September 16: Write a public love letter to someone in your life. (It doesn't necessarily need to be romantic.)

Tuesday, September 17: A memory you would love to relive.

Wednesday, September 18: Only photos

Thursday, September 19: Creative writing day: write a (very short) fictional story that starts with this sentence: "To say I was dreading the dinner party would be the understatement of the century."

The story does not necessarily need to have a conclusion - you can leave your readers wishing for more!

Friday, September 20: React to this term: comfort. 

Monday, September 23: A "life lately" post. What you're up to, how you're feeling, how you're doing on your goals, etc. Bonus points for great photos!

Tuesday, September 24: Review a book, place, or product.

Wednesday, September 25: Write about a time you screwed up - a mistake you made. 

Thursday, September 26: Go to a coffee shop. Order a favorite drink. Write about what makes you happy and what makes you sad. Or write about anything you'd like! Bonus points for including a photo from the coffee shop. (I recommend downloading Ommwriter and bringing headphones along!) *if you can't make it to a coffee shop, at least leave your usual space and write someplace new.

Friday, September 27: An anonymous letter to your Facebook friends. Be as snarky as you'd like. (but don't include people's real names.) 

Monday, September 30: Share a photo of something old. Maybe something that has personal history for you, that was passed down to you, and that has special meaning to you. Tell us about it and why it's special.

 

Well, I'll see you all on Tuesday!  Hope you are having a wonderful Labor Day weekend!