Risk

One of my favorite things to discuss with people is young adulthood and the challenges that come with it. It’s a topic that really resonates with both older and younger generations for different reasons; the older generation members like to hear what younger generation plan to do in terms of career and living situations, and the younger generation members enjoy comparing and contrasting their plans with others in their peer groups. One thing that I noticed is that the older generations love giving advice to us in terms of what to do now so we can be better set up for the future. Two of these points which stand out to me are to travel whenever and wherever you can, and to not be scared to take a risk, whether the risk involves career, location, etc. Judging solely from what I’ve seen, we have no problems taking the advice to travel, seeing how travel is fun and awesome. However, the second point seems to be more of a hit or miss in terms of us heeding the advice.

I’ve seen a number of people get too comfortable with their situations when they blatantly need to be changed. And I’m not speaking from just an outsider’s perspective; these said individuals know their situations need to be changed, but they refuse to pull the trigger due to their acclimation with their situations. Don’t get me wrong, I fall into this as well. There really is comfort in routine, and if you do something long enough, you can get used to anything, regardless of if it’s the best situation for you. But if you KNOW that you need to change something, why is it so hard to take steps to make that change?

I’m sure there are multiple answers to that question, but I’d say that one of the big reasons is risk. There’s risk in doing anything new. You could succeed, you could fail. The fact that you don’t know for certain is the biggest factor, and an unknown enemy is a hell of a lot scarier than the known one. But one thing I think our generation forgets is the aspect of time. Young adulthood is the exact time where you’re SUPPOSED to be taking risks, the time where taking risks and making mistakes is accepted. Sure, the risk may not work in your favor. But the earlier you take the chance and fail, the easier it is to rebound. And, it only gets harder to make the changes the longer you wait, so why not take the risks now? Who knows, it could end up being the best thing you’ve done.

Travel Review – New Orleans

I honestly don’t know where to begin to describe the wonder of New Orleans. I could begin with the obvious: the amazing and sometimes fatty Cajun and Creole delicacies. I could begin with the sweet sounds of jazz, the many bars, the multitude of shops, or the artistic works, all of which permeate the French Quarter. I could even begin with something a little more subtle and gush about the beauty of the city outside of the main tourist sites, mainly the surrounding swamp lands. The problem is that I know for a fact I couldn’t do its features justice, let alone contain them in my short blog post structure that I try to follow. But I think I may have a solution. I’ll try to cover them all by covering the following: its culture.

Never have I been to a city that has so much culture. You can’t walk around without being embraced by the smell of spices, seafood, or incense from the many voodoo shops. The fleur-de-lis, the city’s more or less official insignia, can be seen on almost any street in some form or fashion. Most importantly, there seems to be a sense of pride you can feel as you walk around its tourist and non-tourist parts. The locals are more than aware of this fact, and they do their best to uphold its pride and give you the sense of that storied southern culture and hospitality. And honestly, the people are just a lot slower and laid back down there, and it’s more than apparent after living in a fast paced city like Los Angeles. I will say, however, that pedestrian rules are more suggestions as opposed to a requirements in other cities. You can pretty much cross the street where you want, whenever you want, provided that there’s an opening. Nonetheless, the following is something that I honestly hate to say, but it’s just one of those places that you can only truly appreciate if you’ve been there.

This culture was apparent in all of the things that me and my travel buddy managed to accomplish. We ate in the many restaurants and saw the many sites in the French Quarter, drank in the bars on Bourbon Street, visited Algier’s Point (one of the most beautiful neighborhoods I’ve had the pleasure to visit), took part in a swamp tour where we got to see genuine swamp lands, and even drove to Baton Rouge for good measure. And the people we managed to meet along the way were just awesome. This trip was a success. Simple as that.

So should people take the time to visit this place?

Hell. Yes.

June Ramblings

I realized I haven’t made a general update post for a couple of months now, and I don’t have a focused topic to talk about, so I’ll use this month’s post to make a general update post. I like these types of posts, and even prefer them at times over topic-based posts due to them allowing a little more freedom and unstructured writing. Let’s get started.

I finally started developing my first website, and I’m proud to say that it’s for a noble cause. The site is for a client who is setting up a sanctuary for both wildlife and people in need of a place of healing and shelter from abuse, abandonment, and neglect. The site is still in construction, and may not render itself properly on different web browsers (and mobile phones) due to various reasons that I’m working out, but if you would kindly go to http://www.livingwithharmony.org, you can take a look at it to get the general feel of it. I’m quite proud of it so far, and it’ll be in construction well into the next couple of months and more.

My birthday is coming up again in a couple of weeks, and I’m trying to go to Louisiana sometime in July to celebrate it. It’s a state that I’ve never discussed, but there’s something about it that sparked my interest in it within the last couple of weeks. Maybe it’s the culture? Maybe it’s the food? I don’t know, but if it ends up happening, expect a travel post in either late July or August.

It’s almost been 2 years since I’ve started my job, and I can happily say that I’m still not bored with it. It’s weird having responsibility at your job, but it’s very rewarding to have people ask your input about projects and expect you to deliver results. Although I’ll be the first to admit, I feel dumb everyday compared to the people there; I say the phrase “I don’t know” almost on a daily basis. But they trust that I’ll learn what I need to learn in due to time, and it’s cool that people believe in you to do just that.

Anyway, I’m well over my writing limit for the month. Until next time!

Perspective

I was quite saddened to hear about the about the recent incident at UCSB. Having recently visited the campus to visit my cousin, I can say from firsthand experience that it is a great campus, and that the event should not mar the beauty of it or the city itself. This post is not meant to comment on any of the other issues that accompany the incident, but rather something I noticed after watching the final video the person released before he committed his heinous act: an issue of perspective.

Anyone who saw the video can see he was clearly in need of help, and there’s no excuse for following through on the threats he made. What really stood out to me, however, was his reason for doing what he did in the first place: a lack of social and sexual contact with women. I would bet that a majority would agree if somebody saw this as the biggest problem in their life, that somebody lives a pretty good life. Again, those who saw the video can clearly see that there were bigger issues at play for him than a lack of perspective, but it surely didn’t help. The issue is gaining the perspective so that one can see how small these problems are in comparison with the real ones out there. I suppose it’s a matter of exposure to real problems at a younger age or so, but then again, I’m not exactly sure.

What I do know is that it’s disheartening to know that a “problem” like this had to cost lives. May those who were injured get better soon, and may those who lost their lives rest in peace.

Creepypastas

I’ve been known to find random things on the internet that others may or may not find interesting, so I was pleased to add another internet finding to my collection: creepypastas. I pretty much spent my whole April finding and reading different creepypastas, scaring myself to the point where I had problems going to bed. In short, creepypastas are scary internet stories passed around through sites and forums. The word comes from the term “copypastas”, a term coined by internet users for stories copy and pasted (copy/paste…copypasta, get it?) throughout internet forums. The scary stories soon got their own classification of “creepypastas”. Pretty cool, right?

One surefire thing that everyone knows about me is that I’m not much of a reader. I like to tell people that I have a condition where I forget how to read; it makes things easier for me. I read when something catches my interest, but I’m not going to go out and find new books to read. They make my eyes hurt after awhile, and they hurt when you fall asleep and rest your face on them. Sometimes I find it weird that I use a written medium such as a blog to express my thoughts, but heh, everybody needs a release I suppose. I tend to wait for the movie adaptations to come out, and I mock those who read the books beforehand because they ruin the movie for themselves. Have fun complaining about how the movie didn’t match up to your expectations…you pretentious bastards (you know who you are…). But when it comes to stories about fear, my position switches.

After reading a number of creepypastas about video games, a Korean animated comic, and whatever the hell else I read on the internet, I see why people are scared of reading scary stories. Fear is something that manifests itself in it’s own way for each and every person. According to one of my great friends who’s finally graduating in film studies very soon, scary movies are the hardest movies to make; after the climactic reveal of the scary figurehead, fear levels in the audience drop dramatically. The fact that the fear is out of the audience’s head and onto the screen ruins what fear the audience members had pictured for themselves. Reading about fear keeps that climactic reveal off the screen and in your head; the antagonist is as scary as you make it. And there’s nothing in the world scarier than something you personalize for yourself. Who knows what scares you better than you, right?

For all you pretentious bastard readers, I recommend going to the official creepypasta wiki (just Google creepypasta) and read for yourselves. And stop telling me to read more; I’ll get to reading when I damn well please.

Identity

One of the great things about having a roommate is having somebody to listen to your ideas and thoughts. You have somebody to talk to about the mundane things in your life, such as the daily grind or what’s been bothering you as of late. Fairly often, the conversations of my roommate and I can become quite reflective. About a week or two ago, one of our conversations came to the topic of how we would like to be seen by others. I said that I would like to be viewed by others as someone “who would always be OK, regardless of his situation.” It’s a weird way for how someone would want to be described, I understand, but that’s just me. I always want to be that person who’s even keel, that guy who you inherently know will always be fine. If people saw me as that, I couldn’t ask for much more. But in that question lies a more fundamental question: who are you?

It’s a simple follow-up question really; you can’t answer how you would want to be viewed by others if you don’t know who you are. I thought about the question a lot, and concluded that identity comes with purpose. I believe (with no proof, mind you) that most people’s identities are found through their purpose in life. Some people find their purpose in their careers. Personally, I would hate to define myself by my career, as it’s only one aspect of myself. Others find their purpose in caring for others, which I wouldn’t mind identifying with. In any case, my point is that finding that purpose you can identify with is tough and comes with time, as does most of the things I think about.

In an attempt to bring this full circle, I think how I would like to be viewed by others aligns quite well with my purpose, my purpose being to be able to live comfortably and have the means to provide for others if that need arises. One way I think that people can see me as someone who will always be all right is if I can achieve my purpose. If I’m able to take care of myself and others, I think that’s a pretty good way to show that I’m doing all right. But as with pretty much everything I write about, I’m only scratch the surface of this topic. Take it as more food for thought.

P.S.

Website Update:

My original idea for a food website will have to be reduced. I realize that I don’t have the money to maintain multiple servers for my original food site idea, let alone a domain name. So I’m thinking it’ll just be an example site; a demonstration of what I can do. On a brighter note, I actually started it! That’s something, I suppose. My goal as of right now is to do freelance computer consulting and development, mainly in website design and get paid for it. More updates to come in future posts.

Travel Review – Santa Barbara

There’s something beautiful about beach cities. It could be the allure of the vast, blue ocean, the constantly chilled air, or maybe the laid back vibe that seems to accompany all of them. I mean seriously, who can be stressed at a beach city? And it just so happened that I was overdue for a visit to one. Well, for my first getaway, I went to visit my wonderful cousin at UCSB to accomplish just that. I packed my suitcase, put some Jason Mraz on the phone, and cruised on the 101 freeway while actually enjoying the drive. For those who don’t know me, I hate driving. But how can you not enjoy driving with an ocean view while playing Jason Mraz? The man is smooth, and the roadside ocean view is beautiful.

I arrived to my motel in the early afternoon. The room was quite nice, and it was my first time staying in a motel, so I was more than pleased with it. I proceeded to get some sushi, took a brief nap, and made my way to downtown Santa Barbara. I got there a little before 4 pm, and didn’t leave until around 1 a.m. Yes, I spent 9 hours there. There’s plenty to do there if you visit the bars and clubs and know how to socialize. It’s honestly the most fun I’ve without knowing anybody. There’s nothing like the thrill of talking to people you don’t know in an unknown city. Maybe it’s just me, but I love being in unfamiliar environments and being forced to get out of your comfort zone where no one knows you. It’s quite the rush.

I wake up the next morning, watch some Saturday morning cartoons, and finally make my way over to UCSB where I meet up with my cousin. We spent most of the day touring the campus, where I’m just floored how much better it is than my college campus. Under the right circumstances, you would never have to leave campus seeing as how everything is within walking distance. They have all the standard college stuff, plus amazing scenic views and a marine college where they apply their studies directly on the beach. As you can see, I’m completely jealous. They seem to even encourage drinking there; they have two bars and a place that seems to exclusively sell alcohol. I managed to get a brief tour of their party scene, which looked like it could get quite crazy at times. We ended the night at one of the bars, where I bought my cousin and some of her friends drinks. I know how it is to be a broke college student, so it felt good to be able to do that. That ended the night, and I left the following morning.

I would consider my first getaway a success. Visiting my cousin was awesome, and I recommend Santa Barbara to anybody who has the will to visit for a weekend or so. I would definitely go back, but I have to continue on to new cities. My next travel review may not be for another couple of months, but we’ll see what happens. There’s a chance that I’ll be going to cities where I’ve already been, so I won’t review those. My ultimate goal is Portland, so I look forward to when I can finally go and give a review on it. Expect a regular post next month.

Until then, fellow readers…

Travel Review – Seattle

I’ve waited for about a year to start seeing new places and writing a travel review, and that time is finally here. Like I stated in last month’s post, my first travel review would be of Seattle, Washington, so let’s get to it.

From my short time there exploring Seattle and venturing through the outskirts of it (Tukwila, Tacoma, and Burien), and , I can say that the state of Washington is beautiful. Simple as that. I don’t know if it was the 40 degree drizzly weather, the eternally overcast sky, or the greenery that seems to pervade the state (I’m talking about the nature, not the now legalized marijuana, mind you), but something about it was just really appealing. I’ve always been a fan of those cloudy days where you can just stay inside and just chill, and it seems like they have that sort of vibe for most of the year. It really was something to experience as a LA native.

Now let’s talk about Seattle, specifically Downtown Seattle where we spent most of our time. We went to a number of great tourist attractions, such as the Space Needle, Pike’s Market, the Skyview Observatory, Chihuly Garden and Glass, and the EMP museum. It was also awesome to see the CenturyLink arena where the Seahawks play. One thing I noticed about the city that was completely opposite of my expectations was the people in it. They were actually quite friendly. I read somewhere that the people were pretty closed off and to themselves, but I saw nothing of the sort. It could’ve been the fact that it was New Year’s, so everyone was friendly, but my view is completely subjective like the rest of this review. We managed to go a number of bars there, every single one of them being awesome. There’s nothing like having a drink as the countdown is happening. I never thought I’d be able to spend a new year in another state, and it was a great experience.

Overall, I thought it was a worthwhile trip. I would definitely go again sometime, and I even wouldn’t be opposed to living there, even though I’m told that the weather wears at you after awhile, especially as an LA native. But the show must go on. My travels will continue with Santa Barbara (I have to go local sometimes; I’m not made of money!), Portland, Boston sometime later this year, and hopefully some others as well!

Until next time…

Year’s End Reflection 2013

Hello fellow readers. It’s that time again! Another year’s end, another blog post to reflect on it within three paragraphs. I think I’m going to start making these reflection posts an annual thing, seeing as how I now have a previous reflection post from last year on which to look back. When I read the one I wrote last year, I noticed the tone of it was a little darker and more pensive than the one you’re reading now. I was unsure of where everything was going at that time. I had a new job, new place, and recently became single. All three of these things happened within the last couple of months during that year as well, making it a little challenging to handle them all at once. I look back on all of it and am amazed by the fact that given enough time, one can adapt and thrive under new circumstances.

The hardest part of 2013 was simply becoming more comfortable with myself and who I am, seeing as how I spend most of my time with just me these days. Yes, quite egocentric, I know (this is a self- reflection post). But when it’s just you for the majority of your daily grind, you can’t help but focus on you. In that time, you confront and ask yourself those hard questions. You know what questions I’m talking about. And it’s interesting that all of those questions pretty much converge to that all encompassing question: “What exactly am I doing with my life and how can I live it to maximize my happiness?” It’s a question I plan on tackling for the next couple of years. Hopefully in 2014, I can start making some progress on it. So in short, the job’s going well, living in the new place is going well, the people in my life are doing well, and the being comfortable with myself is just getting started.

So what’s in store for 2014? Let’s hope for new experiences, both pleasant and unpleasant. With a combination of both, I’ll be able to know with more certainty how to answer my all encompassing question. In any case, plan for more random blog posts, traveling focused blog posts, and maybe some promotion for the new website I’m creating.

Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year everybody!

Moved In

Let me begin this post by saying this: looking for a place to live is cheese. I have a whole new respect for people and families who are frequent nomads. Maybe it was tough because it was my first time doing it. Maybe it gets easier on subsequent moves. What I do know is that it takes time, negotiating, and a hell of a lot of persistence. I’m talking about using all the apps and websites. I’m talking about going to the city in which you’re trying to live and hitting any and every place you can find. And let me tell you: even desirable cities have less than desirable areas (that’s putting it lightly). And don’t forget that the difficulty of doing this is increased due to ads wanting you to move in immediately, so you’re subject to only what’s available at the time. Keep in mind, alll of this occurs while you arrange to leave your current place. But with the right amount of persistence, it can be done, and we did it.

With all that said, I’m quite happy with our place. It’s in a good area near good places to have fun, and it’s much closer to my job so that I don’t have to deal with 45-60+ commutes going one way. And the price? Well, it’s within reason given the area. I have a feeling it’ll be a good year here.

The next steps would be adjusting to the new area and the increased amount of time I have by myself. The new area adjustment won’t be too bad at all; I’ve been around here for the past year due to my job, so it’s just a matter of time before that happens. The real factor is that it’ll just be me a lot of the time. I don’t mind this fact; anyone who knows me is well aware that I do quite well when it’s just me, sometimes better than with people around. But I will admit that you get used to having people around the house all the time. It is good training for the next place, however, where I’ll be on my own (hopefully) without roommates whatsoever. And by that time, it could be very well a new city (somewhere north, anyone?).

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everybody!