My blog’s about a year old. I started it mainly to address the fact that I have no idea what I want to do with my life (the essence of a quarter-life crisis.) I figured it could be my outlet and my own little home on the internet. It’s time to look back and see what I did in the last year.
My first thought is NOTHING. But that’s not true. That’s the depressed and boring Jules talking. I actually got a lot done last year, despite the fact that I was dazed and confused.
What I did in 2011:
1) EAT – When you’re in crisis mode you eat. This is true, I am living proof. My blog is filled with restaurant posts. I did a lot of eating last year. While my blog is by no means a food blog, eating in a restaurant marries my two loves – photography and food.
2) TAKE PHOTOS – I’ve always had a curiosity for photography. In my crisis year, I bought an SLR and took a photography class. Early this year, I took a photography workshop that took my curiosity one step further. Now I have better command of my camera. Far from an expert but practice will get me there. (On a related note, I learned I’m not as good a photographer as I thought I was. Which is okay, just goes to show I have a looong way to go.)
3) GO BACK TO SCHOOL – I have a love/hate relationship with my graduate school. I almost loathe telling people I go there. I could go on and on and on about how the academics annoy me and the egos are almost too much to bear. However, I went back to school to make the friends and the networks that I lost by going to university in the States. So that’s the goal I’m keeping in mind. I Forget learning (seriously), school keeps my social life active and that’s pretty much what I was going for anyway. (Hey, at least I’m honest)
4) TRAVEL – Last year I was blessed enough to travel a bunch of times in the year. In 2011, I finally got to behold the beautiful Taj Mahal and walk the streets of New Delhi when I traveled to India for the first time. I bonded with my cousins in San Francisco and hung out in LA with one of my best friends Therese. I saw my good friend Alex get married in Miami and explored South Beach with my favorite Marine, Tim. I took photos of the red light district in Pattaya and then went shopping in Bangkok. To cap off my 2011, I window shopped to my heart’s content in Hong Kong with my family.
5) DATED – While I never consciously said, “Today I will go on a date,” it happened anyway.. over coffee, over dinner, over lunch. So got to hang out and get to know a few guys. Now they are all just friends.
6) APPLIED FOR A JOB – Though I didn’t blog about it, I still did it. No comment on this except that it was a good experience and I learned a lot about myself.
6a) DECIDED BEING AN EMPLOYEE WASN’T FOR ME – Entrepreneurship runs in my blood. I’m a boss at heart, I think. Haha.
7) BLOGGED – I like to write pala. I’m just lazy to write. I never thought of myself as a writer..but I’m surprised to realize words come easier to me than to most.
8) GAVE ADVICE – Apparently, I’m good at giving advice. This is kinda ironic because.. “ME?! The confused one… giving you advice?! Are you sure?!” Haha. I don’t know what about me screams “hey I know what I’m doing” but I guess I speak a lot of sense, as per some of my heartbroken and equally confused friends have told me. I can analyze other people’s situations but not my own. I should learn to follow my own advice.
9) MODEL – Okay, I only did this twice. I wasn’t very active in modeling anymore in 2011. First was a fashion spread for a magazine and second was for David’s Salon. It was my first time to be in a magazine. I didn’t get paid but it was worth it. I had so much fun and learned a lot. Met great people too. Towards the second half of the year, I did a shoot for David’s Salon which just came out. Worked with a talented photographer and some other models. I was the fattest and most inexperienced model there haha. Woops. Oh well. On the bright side, I got my hair colored for the very first time for the shoot. Having my hair a few shades lighter took “my look” to a new level. I didn’t know what difference a change in hair color could make.
10) LOOK AHEAD, NOT LOOK BEHIND – When you’re going through a quarter-life crisis like I am, you’re in a funk. I can’t wait to get out of the rut I’m stuck in. Thus far I’m learning that I have to take things one at a time, let go of things that are out of my control, stop dwelling on the past/regrets, not be afraid and stay positive.
Here’s to another year!
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