Day 23: Energy Vampires

Tonight I went to see James Arthur Ray(http://www.magneticsoil.com/) at the
Westin Bayshore. He talked about many topics which I may write about at a later date. He was very motivating and inspiring.

One topic he talked about was Energy Vampires. Energy Vampires are the people that you know or meet that suck the life out of you. They are bad energy, bad karma and just negative to be around. They have no focus in life and want you to be in the same boat as them. I have met some. One guy was negative about everything. He never had money to do anything. He didn't have the right priorities. We would all go out to eat and he said he was hungry and didn't have money for food. But for some reason he had enough money for a pitcher of beer. At a softball game if the captain did something to him that he didn't agree with, he would focus on it and pout about it. After putting up with him for at least 10 years, I decided that if he is to be negative about everything, I don't think I should hang out with him anymore. I don't have time to baby someone who pouts and is negative about everything. He always has a reason for everything that is going wrong in his life. Of course it is never his fault for anything. I couldn't stand it anymore. The negative energy. All the excuses. If I were to hang out with him more, then I wouldn't be where I am now. I would probably be in his 'negative world'. Sure I have known him for about 10 years. That doesn't mean I have to be his friend. The amount of time I have known him doesn't matter. What matters is if we spend quality time together.

What I need now is to surround myself with positive energy. It should be friends who are motivating and inspiring. They will be able to challenge me to do more. It could be someone who is a mentor. It can be someone who has life experiences. I want to see the full extent of my abilities. I would have never started this blog if I sat in my bubble zone with my negative friends.

Day 16: Friendships

Friendships are about sharing and caring. I know that is REALLY corny but I think it is true. It is about sharing your thoughts and feelings. It is about experiencing 'moments' together. A true friend will be there for you no matter what thru thick and thin.

What is my definition of a true friend?
Someone who respects me for who I am
Someone who has some similar interests
Someone who won't let their significant other get in the way of our friendship
Someone who isn't using me to get to one of my friends
Someone who is willing to share and communicate their ideas, thoughts, feelings and experiences with me
Even as the years pass, as the seasons change and our personalities change, we are still friends for years to come

I have a friend who I have been friends with for 19 years. We have been friends through my many boyfriends and his many girlfriends. Even through various phone number changes for both of us, we still managed to keep in contact. What keeps a friendship last for 19 years? (I make it sound so long. I have been friends with him for 2/3 of my life. I think that is a long time.) I think it is about communication and being there for each other. When he is down and needs someone to talk to, I will be his shoulder to lean on. When I have relationship problems, I can call him. But these days it is more difficult to talk to him because he is married. He will try to talk to me whenever he can.

These days with my positive outlook on life and my bucket list I try to find friends who also have a positive outlook on life. If I find someone who has negative energy, I try to stay away. It will only harm me and bring me down. It took me a long time to get to where I am in my life and I don't need anyone taking that away. It makes me happy when I get my friends thinking about what they want to do on their unofficial bucket list (not written down, but thought about it). I am more than happy to join them in accomplishing their bucket list. I hope they enjoy helping me accomplish my list too!

Day 2: Mandarin lessons and school

My parents know three languages fluently: Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese. I can understand Cantonese but dont speak it that well. I can speak and understand Vietnamese. I can't read or write Cantonese or Vietnamese. I think Mandarin is a good language to learn. Hopefully Mandarin will be able to open more doors and help me with my future endeavours (not sure what they are yet). I am taking beginner Mandarin classes at night school. It's tough. I didn't realize how hard it is learning a new language at such a late age. There are a few people in my class who are about 15 years older than myself. I really admire them because it shows me that no matter what age you are you can accomplish anything. It really inspires me to finish off my bucket list no matter what age I am.

I think going to night school is difficult, I don't know if I would be able to finish my BBA (Bachelors of Business Admin) degree. I started it in 2005. I took 2 out of 20 courses. Then I decided it wasn't something I wanted to finish at that time in my life. I have been thinking about going back to finish my degree. I am not sure if I want to pursue it part time or full time. If I pursue it part time, it will take me a really long time. If I pursue it full time, I don't know if I will be able to work. That means I will have to focus on my schooling for 2 years straight. When I finish my schooling, will I be able to find a job that pays me more than what I make now? I am going to talk to a counsellor / adviser on Thursday and see what my options are. Maybe I waited too long and they don't like students that come back after leaving them for 4 years. Maybe I should've have waited, tuition was cheaper back then.

I didn't have too much of a sense of direction back then. I think since I made my bucket list I have more of a sense of direction. I am more positive, more energetic and more focused. It gives me a sense of accomplishment everytime I cross an item off the list.

Ok...time for bed.