You are the fruit that I hope to grow

Ever have someone who has these hopes and/or dreams of which they want you to achieve?

For a lot of people, the first two people to come to mind might be their parents. I’m not sure to say that I’m lucky in that my parents never had a specific plan for what I was to do.

Funny enough, that wasn’t who said the quote in the title. I had just joined a club that was close to being shut down. I had recently started to get involved, talking about ideas that I had for the future to promote the club and that’s when I started to attract the club president’s attention (he was graduating next semester). He started frequently telling me all of these hopes for the new members to grow the club and make it bigger than it had ever been, for it to flourish.

In any other situation, I might be excited because it did sound interesting. Yet, I had that feeling of dread, as though I know that I wouldn’t be able to achieve those big dreams of his.

When I say “join”, I meant that I had recently become one of their executive members, which meant that I had gotten my very first managing position. Upon reading the bylaws, which was required when running to be an executive, I found that there was a lot that I needed to do:

• Social media advertising (don’t know means),
• Updating members electronically (can’t type a normal email), and
• Manage the club’s website (this is the only thing I can improvise on)

… Can I do this?! Will I be able to grow a tree successfully? Or will it wither back into the whole I buried it in?

Those were the questions that popped in my head when I got the position (and they like to come back every once in a while). Several months later, I find myself taking an online marketing course and occasionally updating the website, slowly adapting to the drastic changes in my life.

Many of my friends who’ve heard about it are always eager to hear how it’s going and always seem more than happy to lend a hand or another head every once in a while. As a result, I’m finding ways and people to help me grow the tree and even spread its roots a little further.

That’s not to say that I’m perfectly adapted – I’m finding myself using it as a means of distraction from homework (get away from me, monkey!) – but I’m getting better at it. Sorry, ex-prez. It might be a while before you see my tree blossom, but with everyone’s help

Real and Fake

What’s the difference between what’s real and what’s fake? What’s meant to last and what’s meant to decay? What’s driven by the mind and not just the heart?

After talking with a philosopher/motivational-speaker friend of mine, these were some of the questions that popped in my head as we talked about what it is that we wanted to do during and after university.

As he described, something fake is not meant to last; you might work hard and long to get there, but once you do, you’ll realize that it wasn’t what you wanted to do. Unfortunately, a good portion of the world thinks like this, giving up on trying anything else after having spent so much time to get where they are now.

Something real, however, is something that lasts. Just like something that would be fake, you would hard and long to get to it, but once you get there you want to continue or strive even further.

Something fake is something of which you wake up to, only to wish going back to bed or to not do it all. Something real is something of which you wake up and become energized just by the thought of spending another day doing.

Bare in mind, when we were talking about this, we were talking about lifelong careers, not necessarily our current states, but that’s not to say that it’s not possible to apply that kind of thinking for it. However, it’s important to be aware of goals that become fake and goals that become real.

There’s something in the Wifi…

Looking at my phone and thinking about how upset I would be without wifi, I suddenly found myself thinking – how did I survive high school without Wifi? Did everyone in school have data? Back in my day (couldn’t resist), the wifi was restricted for staff while the students either went without or used their data.

Luckily, it’s not like the Whoniverse, where a superintelligence is hungry for consciousnesses and is pirating them when they connect to specific wireless networks. But that’s not to say that the network is completely safe or that there isn’t something that is targeting individuals at such an influential age.

But what is about wifi that makes is so addicting when you’re first introduced to it? It could be that it connects you to the rest of the world or that it means that you could play those games that require a constant connection. For adolescents, the former (connecting to the rest of the world) would probably be the main reason for really wanting wifi at school, according to all of those child psych classes I took (individuals around those ages tend to be influenced by others and seek somewhere to fit in).

What was the point of this posting? I have no idea, but I know that I found myself looking (rather desperately) for a network while walking around the outskirts of downtown Montreal and Jean Drapeau (I found out that there is barely any cell service and no wifi). Now, excuse while I silently freak out about having lost connection to the cafe’s network.

 

 

(internal scream, hair gets pulled out)

 

Breathing underwater (+ Ranting)

The number one stressor in any level of school – PROCRASTINATION… and it’s always a constant battle.

Since CEGEP (College in Quebec), I usually tend to have a productive start of the semester, planning the parts of my assignments, doing bit by bit and getting it done well before the due date. *sigh* unfortunately, it all goes downhill around the midterms.

I swear it’s either that we have hidden assignments that the teachers bring to our attention at that point or they all plan to have additional assignments during the same timespan.

Rantings aside, constantly fighting procrastination is tiring, but the rewards are high. You get your assignments done ahead of schedule, leaving time to review them or to simply do other things while not feeling guilty. Of course, the behaviour of always doing that has its own name – PRECRASTINATION (because social scientists want nothing left unlabelled).

To make it as an analogy, procrastination is slowly decesending into the Mariana’s Trench to the point where there’s little to no oxygen while precrastination is rising in a hot air balloon to the point where you’re exiting the atmosphere and losing oxygen. From that view, there’s nothing to satisfy us humans, is there?

(Again, away with the ranting) In any case, if, like me, you find yourself drowing in the Mariana’s Trench (not literally), get out as quickly as you can and take a breath. After having spent ~15 minutes outside without a jacket & unplugged in -1C, I felt refreshed to start the next assignment among the many others due in the next 2 weeks.

May the odds be ever in our favour

Differences in Age Difference

Ever notice that someone might look different? Ever notice that someone learns the material in a different way? Or that someone is somehow able to remember everything they read? 

On a daily basis, one might say that others look different because they have a different background. Maybe they are born in another region, with different parents, and who speak another language. Simple, right? 

Not to everyone. 

Among kids, I notice that they don’t think as we do (not yet, anyways). When they see someone who’s taller, wider, skinnier, darker, paler, speaks another language – anyone who’s different, a lot of them will start to ask questions. 

As someone in Sociology, it might be exciting to see kids wanting to understand more of the diversity in the small world around them. But from their point of view, they might not have seen anyone who was that different from them. 

When they do ask such questions, sometimes the adult tells them to take it back & apologize, as though they meant an insult in asking that. 

When I was asked why I was Chinese, I told the child that the answer would be a very long one. However, it is indeed a good question – for someone of whom that doesn’t have any relatives who are actually from China, why am I Chinese? It would make for an interesting sociological study, but for the child, he was told that it’s because my relatives from long ago are from China (close enough, I would think). 

Back in the adult world, those kind of questions are rarely asked, maybe because we’ve all had similar experiences as the child mentioned before. Maybe we don’t ask those questions because we’re afraid to be taken the wrong way or that we would be seen as rude. 

By reflecting, I start to think that a lot of us are expected to know society’s norms and morals by the time we reach adulthood. However, as I quickly learn in University, everybody has different norms and values that they brought from home. What seems normal to one person from China might seem awkward and uncomfortable to another person who was born and raised here in Canada (and the same vice versa). 

To say that we grow to ignore differences is to say that we grow to become blind. Maybe instead, it might be better to say that we accept or overlook the differences to make connections with people of whom have stories that, to us, are dreams that we hope to one day achieve or experience. 

Leaving Breadcrumbs for the future

Ever hear people encourage to make a brand? Or to make as many connections as possible? Or to have a portfolio with various examples of work? 

In today’s world, where making a website is about as easy as making a cheesecake and where we workers are competing with each other in the millions, one might see why building a reputation would be just what might make you hired. 

But not everyone has the courage or the personality type to make those connections or to be as outstanding. 

With technology constantly evolving, so are our online identities. Just like how we can have celebrities whose name are unusual and occasionally fictional, we everyday individuals have made tens, maybe even hundreds of virtual identities by the time we get out of university. 

So, when we do get a job, does that mean that we have to review all of the names/identities/aliases that we had made up until that point? In a recent seminar that I attended, the speakers talked about our online usernames having a significance in what it is what we do or what it is that we’re passionate about. 

Following that train of thought, we would be able to use our odd username/email/aliases to our advantage somehow? Could bob2000 represent how involved one is in the world of technology? Could a meme found on DeviantArt act as an example to turn a bad situation into a good/funny one? Could a tweet represent how blunt one is? 

As of right now, I’ve got more questions than answers. As I try to figure out what to do with my life, I keep finding myself reflecting my choices over the years, about what I chose to say on social media and on the Internet in general. Hopefully, the breadcrumbs that I’ve left won’t leave my potential employers too disoriented. 

Searching for THE ONE… or onesssss

Ever hear of the term “the Chosen One”? Or spend hours looking for that one special thing? Or read a story that talks about two individuals being the perfect match for each other? Ever hear that kids should know what they want to do in the future?

In a time where novels are published almost on a daily basis, we seem to have an idea planted into our heads that we need to find the one. Now, it could be the one true love, the one perfect house, the number one purpose, or the one next specialty in University. To make matters even worse, some of the people in our lives insist that we know what that special one (person, job, place…) at an early point of our lives!

But do we really need to? Characters like The Doctor from Doctor Who or Flynn Carson from The Librarians are individuals of whom have a loooong and wide background, having a bit of experience in many fields. Surely, it takes a long time to obtain all of those degrees, but they could never decide on one field. The Doctor could be a teacher or a general (an actual doctor is questionable) while Flynn was a Professor and an enthusiastic searcher for relics before he became The Librarian.

In real life, I’ve met people who have several bachelors and are in a completely different profession. For example, one has a background in Fine Arts & Psychology… she’s working at the University! Another example is someone of whom spent a lot of his time in the business field (accountancy, I believe) and is now happily working as an academic adviser. I have yet another third friend of whom is pursuing a second degree while successfully shuffling two teaching jobs!

If you’re the kind to read/watch manga/anime, you might be familiar with the scene where characters within a high school are asked what it is that they want to do in life as a career. Sometimes, I wish that schools in my area had that so we didn’t have to face the same decision later on in life, being forced to spend a lot of hard-earned time and money… but at the same time, making that decision at a later point is a moment where we would have more life experience and maybe more knowledge of the many jobs in the surrounding area.

So, what to do with the quest to find THE ONE? Your choice – you could choose one and go for it; you could do a little of everything like The Doctor or Flynn – the possibilities are endless. Finding the one soul mate is another story, which for some is as complicated as River and The Doctor or as simple as love at first sight. Don’t limit it to one, try two or three – just one is too hard, whereas three is something of which can be worked on and merged together… just needs a little ingenuity

An ulterior motive.. or not

Ever hear of the characters in  a story that manipulates others into doing their bidding? Ever hear of the characters in the stories that always say positive things, never negative? Ever hear of the expression “politeness is mistaken for flirtation”?

In a world where every possibility, every outcome has become a novel/movie/song, every action is taken into question, wondering if the person has an ulterior motive. Maybe it’s different elsewhere, but it seems as though any action, whether good or bad, has a cost and that nothing is free for either parties (those giving and those receiving).

As one of the many volunteers in the MBA ICC, I was given many compliments for doing a good job. I was more than happy to hear that, but I couldn’t help but wonder of the reason for all of those compliments. As a social science student, I know a few things about behaviours and reasons behind them, but I couldn’t find any reasons that would be an ulterior motive.

Then, I started to think of what I had done over the little time that I had been there. To me, they seemed insignificant, minor, but is it all too impossible that they might be viewed differently by others? Could it be that I’m too critical on my actions?

More questions than answers – why not neither? While today is a world where the media shows every possibility, sometimes the result is a simple one. Maybe someone gives a compliment just for the sake of making someone smile; maybe someone adopts a pet from a shelter for companionship; maybe someone gives a compliment to show another’s value from another angle. Maybe… they just do that act of kindness because they want to – no other reason.

Happy 2016! +2016 Resolution

Is it possible to stick to a resolution following New Year’s? Can the resolution change?

Happy 2016, people of the internet. Around this time of the year, maybe even earlier, people make resolutions, which always fascinates me. Most of the time, it’s something along the lines of a certain weight goal (hence why studies have shown a spike in Gym Memberships around this time).

As usual, I wanted to expand my network, so I volunteered for an annual event called the MBA ICC, which is where students from all over the world (Finland, Singapore, US, Sweden, France, are among the many) come in to compete in front of judges who are CEOs of companies with an actual case. It started on January 3rd (yesterday), and it’s been… mind blowing!

On day one, I was with many lead volunteers, learning the ropes of the hotel and testing out the equipments for the evening party (turned out that the karaoke machine needed fixing :C). Day two, I was again doing preparations for future events, whether it was for the volunteers or for the party in the evening.

One thing that I realized today that may have taken a while to notice was that I was given a lot of responsibilities, considering it was my first time volunteering at such an event. On day one, I was grouped with the lead volunteers when I myself was given the label of simply a “volunteer”. Whenever there was a problem, I had to make a decision, and the volunteer coordinator (Miguel) had a lot of confidence in me. 

Obviously, being careful with this new boost in confidence, it may mean that I might want to look at myself in a positive light, rather than constantly or frequently critical of everything (bad habit of Social Scientists).

So, my resolution of 2016? Make a more honest self-portrait. Instead of taking other people’s opinions as facts, get those facts myself. Find my passion and strive in this leap year. Today’s day 3 of a 366 journal – let’s make it a good story.