Its Valentines Day

Surprisingly, it seems that I have been pretty oblivious to the fact that it is valentines day. That is not to say that I don't have a nice, free, red, heart-shaped balloon sitting on my desk.

Regardless, I suddenly felt like it was an appropriate time to reflect on my goals. It seems that I have been coasting along of late, possibly taking it easy? I know I am capable of accomplishing so much more. And I will. But I need to set myself feasible goals so that I can get back into the swing of things.

However, before we can talk about goals, we need to talk about purpose - hence this post to re-evaluate my priorities in life, or at least to reaffirm them.

Looking at 3 key principles I wrote down:
- Make a difference
- Always try to explain the rationale behind your actions
- Always listen to concerns on the ground

I have decided to start a diary. =p

Reflections for the New Year

winter break was wonderful. 

and as i have been telling anyone who cares to ask.

winter break was great.

my parents came up.

we went to LA, did touristy things

we went to SF, did touristy things

we went to stanford and i was their tour guide.

then i went on a roadtrip to tahoe with yitao and sharon. 

in my new car.

snowboarded. pain in the ass, literally.

came back early due to inclement weather.

watched movies in SF. 5 of them.

went to six flags.

went to sky high.

ice skated.

that's my eventful holiday for you. plus or minus a bit.

but it was a restful break. it normalized me. (in the sense that it re-tuned my very messed up sleep cycle).

it gave a break from thinking too hard.

so right now. its the 4th of january and the new year has passed a few days back. i'm into the second day of class and i am settling in -- getting into the groove of school again. no real homework yet. but some reading. 

on a rather contemplative note. i am going to set some goals and resolutions as we all traditionally do with the coming of the new year.

I will be basing it on 3 key principles:

1) Growing academically

2) Being worldly

3) Having a meaningful time at Stanford

In terms of academic growth, I'd say that there will be 3 practices I aim to keep this year:

- Don't procrastinate on work

- Work hard in everything I pursue

- Always clarify problems when in doubt

To be more worldly and other than learning about what the school teaches me, I will:

- Read the papers daily

- Read a book of interest/ Learn an important life skill once every 2 weeks

And lastly, but most importantly, I will resolve to have a meaningful time at Stanford by:

- Making more friends and maintaining those meaningful relationships

- Pursue my interest (-shouts- FLYING)

- Find a new passion and commit and work towards it.

I am actually in a very contemplative mood at the moment, but I guess I will add one more resolution to cap the list off. An important one or, rather, two:

- Be disciplined.

- Keep to schedule

I will turn in at midnight.

hi mum

i realize you actually read this. you get to hear my philosophical thoughts. aren't you glad.

a leap of faith

In life, there are always two choices, always.

Some choices are easy, but some are much harder.

Most times it involves a decision between the familiar and the unknown.

And most times, we choose the easier option - to go with the familiar, to stay within our comfort zones - so we need not put in so much effort in committing to that decision. 

Or so that it will be easier to follow through on our so-called 'priorities'.

But once in awhile, there comes a choice which takes us off guard. 

It falls beyond the scope of what we've ever considered in the past.

It forces you to choose between the easy priorities you've always had or to create a new parameter.

In these instances, I take a long time to contemplate the matter.

Deep thoughts, serious thoughts - the rationale, the commitment involved, the implications.

I always hope to make the right decision. 

Some times its not always the easy one.

And some times with incomplete information, you just have to take a leap of faith.

On the same note, its time to make the hard choice of getting back to work. 

Enough of thinking, more of doing. 

9 days till finals. 

9 days of guts out slog. 

It's all good. 

The hardcore workaholic in me is pumped. 

(Or trying to be at least)

Taking that leap of faith again.

life..

It's definitely been awhile since I've blogged. But I guess i can afford myself a break from all that needs to be done; my to-do-list is not short too! It seems thanksgiving is a break much looked forward to -- something I'd be definitely giving thanks for. To catch up on work, to get fit, to move forward in achieving my little goals that will improve life at Stanford, and, maybe, just a little recreation (we could all do with some).

I just planned the week out. Seems pretty packed -- reminiscent of my secondary school and junior college days. But definitely feels good to know that I'm using my time wisely. Hopefully its adequately paced though. I resolve to only go out once this week so that I can focus on getting ahead of work instead of merely keeping up.

Things seem to be falling into a comfortable cadence. I feel the push, but not the shove. Which is good in all respects. I just need to remain as motivated as I was in the first few weeks of school.

Here we go.

pleasure and pain;

after the night of fun. i guess it's time to get back to work. here i come.

on a random note, pleasure and pain mean bring to mind so many things right now. oh the conflict.

just some thoughts.

i should be doing work, but i'm here blogging just because something came to mind.

i was pondering over how some people play the piano really well

and wished i could express myself in a similar way,

and i thought of all the effort i needed to get to that skill level.

slightly daunting, but doable.

but the next moment, i thought of the years of practice and training i've put into sports,

and how i can express myself too.

through sports.

the sheer joy i feel from playing,

the frustration when i do not perform up to expectation,

channeling my emotions into physical exertion.

oh the joy.

i shall end off with a self-made quote:

some people express themselves through music,

i express myself through sports.

some people talk about things,

i like to do things.

some people like socializing,

i like making a difference (hopefully)