I have a few friends but don't feel bad for me.

It’s a process. My last two months in this semi-new place have been a process. During my time here I have been asked quite a number of times in many different ways, “How is Australia treating you?” Well, to put it simply, it’s a process. I remember on the plane ride over here I had so many thoughts, expectations, and plans for my “new” life that I forgot to leave room for reality. So 60 some-odd days later I am now being hit with the stark realization that I don’t have as many  friends as I thought I would; I’m not living in the city nor do I even have a place of my own; my photography business is not thriving the way it was before; and school is a bit much to handle even along side my part-time job. As cool as it would be to say that I moved back to Sydney and landed a nice job that allows me to live a rich life in the city, I cannot. However,  I don’t want anyone to feel bad for me. There is nothing to feel bad for. Yes, I don’t have many friends but the few that I do are worth more than their weight in gold . My photography business is not doing so well but maybe this is the time God set aside for me to focus less on money and more on morals. School and work may be overwhelming but when is ever not? I need to suck it up and remember that this is what I wanted. This is what I prayed countless days for. You see, to anyone - myself included - who tries to rush a process you will find yourself nowhere but at the end of your line with nothing to show for it. You will have sped so far ahead that you forgot to pick up the precious gems along the way. Things take time.

[vimeo 17030412 w=500 h=281]

“I can’t say it enough times: Stay true to your vision. Remember why you do it… What you do, who you are – that’s your art. That’s all you have.”


Flight of Passage – This short is about  doing what you love.  Of course everyone in life has a different way of doing such but this film just reminds us to stick in there when times get difficult 

Director: James Gardner.

Story teller: Steve Mason

Skateboarder: Ben Nordberg

(Source: http://www.showusyourclips.com/)

14. YES! How wonderful is it to hear that we can finally be accepted for who we are and forgo all the things we are not. Over the last couple of months I have actually been questioning who I was because I sincerely thought there was something wrong with me. I found myself enjoying a quiet night in more than venturing off to all the parties occurring around campus. I love sitting by myself and simply watching people, and I especially find myself talking a lot less than I did in the beginning of my college career.

It was not until I watched this episode of Ted Talks did I realize that all these new actions are not the side affects of being abnormal but the actual opposite. It’s  okay to want to be alone and to not go to functions simply because everyone else is attending, and no matter how many times your friend calls you a loser for it, IT IS OKAY to sit down in the amphitheater in the middle of campus and enjoy your own company. However, in this new positive revelation there I found a downside. If I, for so long thought that there was something off about my personality, how many others have also thought the same about themselves? And how much of those people have not come to the realization that it’s alright to be who you really want to be?

During these last few months of discovery I have also had the pleasure of talking with a few people that - some may be introverts or extroverts - think the same way I do. I have had conversations with ethnic study students, accounting students, advertising students, a guy who drives his church’s van to pick people up, a young man who recently started his own production company and all the way to a journalist turned financial life adviser and they all basically say the same thing: No matter what the world tells you, it’s okay to be who you are. To me society is the one that has it all wrong - not to say that being an extravert is bad but that it’s okay to be reserved too. Not everyone thinks best in groups or enjoys being in a public setting. Like  Susan Cain said, maybe we introverts generate our best thoughts, ideas, creations, and personalities while we are alone. Who is anyone else to tell us otherwise?

Which brings me to another point. From birth we are exposed to a world that says do what you want as long as it’s something that will generate money. The first parts of a school to get cut are the arts and music programs while math and reading are left in their safe corners. What else is a child to think if the one thing he or she is good at is  stripped away and they are pushed to participate in something that brings no joy? It is then when we get to college, any notion of a dream we once had is so far mutilated that we are forced to believe that journalism is dead, painting will land you a spot underneath the bridge and  sociology will turn you into a tree-hugging nut! Sadly enough, majority of the people think that all the “successful” jobs are ones that deal in business, medicine, and law. However, I have seen and heard about far too many people that end up in that corner office on the 55th floor only to find out they regret all the steps that got them there. Again, I am not saying that the this certain status quo is at fault but I just want to the world to know white collar jobs are in no way the only road that leads to the right. If you love driving taxi cabs, go for it; if you like to play the harmonica, find a band that’s missing a member; wanna make sculptures out of recyclables? do it!**

Stop categorizing life as risks vs safety -it will get you nowhere. Think of it as what will ultimately fulfill your passion vs what won’t.

** Following your dreams won’t be easy or medium, it will be hard. Don’t give up on them.

(Source: http://video.ted.com/)