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| And bring on the next year! |
I know I haven't spent time on my blog this month due to final exams, traveling, and work. I figured I should get at least two posts in this month before the year concludes. Since this generation seems to be obsessed with a numbered list, I'm going to present you with my top ten moments and accomplishments for the year 2013.
10. Driver's License
To many people, this has been done since they were 16. Unfortunately for me, my parents have always had interesting views about letting their children learn to drive. Something about insurance rates, but whatever. Thanks to T.K., I was able to finally get this done. To be honest, I'd rather have my parents let me go in debt for university in exchange for getting the driver's license early than letting them put $10,000 towards my college education.
9. Better Priorities
As a senior at BYU, what is the most important thing to be doing right now? No, it's not dating or marriage. No matter how much the Church leadership emphasizes on this point, the most important thing at this time for me is to figure out my next step once I graduate. The transition between graduation to professional life or further schooling is definitely not the time to add more complexities in my life. I'm not saying having personal relationships is bad, but there's a time and place for everything and I choose to focus on what I have and what I need to get done.
8. Worked 20+-hour Days Without Going Insane
Granted, my job is fairly easy during The Holidays. The only challenge is watching TV and stay awake. Based on last year's attempt at this feat, I couldn't stand it by hour 14. This year wasn't as bad as last year. It could be that I was extremely tired and just didn't mind what I was doing by that point. But really, I think I just got better at finding relevant things to do during the slow phase of my shifts.
The reason I work that much is because I support myself for the most part. My parents have supported me for my first two years and some of university tuition. I didn't want to be dependent and they didn't want to continue the trend, so it was a win-win situation. It is somewhat humorous to hear professors telling me that it's not a good idea to work as many hours as I do and go to school. Well, bills ain't gonna pay themselves...
In addition, having good coworkers matter. I don't think this would have been an easy feat in a hostile environment.
7. Better Communication With Family
Okay, they may not all be fine and dandy conversations, but I've definitely had more contact with them this year than I did the past few years. Every family's got issues. The key is to overcome them and be better people. This is a work in progress in many people's cases. Just being able to start a conversation with any of my extended family is considered a win in my book. Sometimes, I think people forget why they stopped talking to each other in the first place.
6. Starting The Last Year of MLS
I've finished my penultimate semester of coursework. With one more semester and a six-month internship to go, I'm very close to my bachelor's degree. It's been a long road, especially when I dedicated part of that to mission service. Combine it with two minors and a degree that requires 4-4.5 years to complete, I think I've done very well for myself. It always could be better, but I'm glad I chose the path I took.
The program, while course materials aren't necessarily intensely difficult, has the tendency to fire hydrant you with information and test you on it weekly. I don't think I've been kept on my toes that much my entire university experience. It also gives me a glimpse to what medical school could be like when (or maybe if) I get there. Fortunately, much of the stuff we learn is applicable to any health profession.
5. Going To The Gym At Least Twice A Week
Ever since my junior year, I started going to the gym. As courseworks intensified, I find myself needing outlets for my stress. Then, I discovered I could use the BYU gym for free since I'm a student. I'm not the only one with this mentality. Many fellow MLS classmates do the exact same thing. So, it becomes somewhat amusing due to the fact everyone's schedule is similar in my program.
I'm nowhere near super buff. However, I'm getting the toned department down over time.
4. Financial Plans & Saving Money
One of the perks of being as old as I am and still in university is receiving the Pell Grant. For the first time since I started BYU, I was actually saving more money because I don't have to dish out tuition. This is extremely helpful as I embark on an internship which will drive up my expenses.
Instead of having a budget, I've also taken down statistics and tracked my spending to figure out where I should allocate my money better in the future. Thanks to the wonders of technology, I am actually enjoying calculating the statistics.
3. Discovering Habit RPG
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| And voila! Oh, this is not mine by the way... |
For some people, this seems like the most ridiculously nerdy thing ever. For me, it is actually entertaining and forces me to do all the things I plan on doing or need to do daily. I have to thank Ammon for showing this to me.
If you enjoy RPGs and are an honest person when it comes to this kind of game, it'll definitely help you develop good habits.
I probably could live without it, but I know there is less incentive for me to keep up with everything at the moment without it. Sad, I know, but I'll get to that point one day.
2. The Adventures of IX and Pinecone
Not to discredit any of my former roommates, but I feel I've grown the most with my friends who lived through the treacherous Miller at IX and the new haven at the Pinecone. I think the biggest things are overlapping interests and willingness to communicate. As you all may have observed in my posts in the past, I esteem them quite highly. Sure, we are all imperfect people, but it's the experience and situations we live through that potentially make us better people.
It's also heartwarming to see my roommates become better people overtime as well. Life has been very good to me to not have strange roommates, but I am blessed to have the ones I've had during this time period and grateful for the opportunity to be able at the point that I can participate in choosing who comes to live with us.
1. See The Good In The World
Besides the fact this is the cheesy tagline used by BYUtv, it holds an important message. Yes, I understand that bad things happen in the world and many injustice occur right before our eyes. But honestly, focusing on them don't make the world a better place. Actually, forget the world...focusing on the negative doesn't make your life better either.
I recognize that bad things happen, but I also know that at the end of the day I am judged by what I've done and how I reacted to situations by the Savior. Even if you are an atheist or of different religion, I hope you know that the only way to combat the bad is starting with ourselves. I don't think it's possible to stir the masses in the right direction when you yourself are blinded by the hatred for the bad instead of passion for the good.
I am grateful for the support of my friends and family. I am glad to have awesome mentors/professors here at BYU. Life also could not have been good without the cool people at work. This is my shout out to you guys. Hope you all have a Happy Holidays and enjoy your New Year's. This next one is probably gonna fly by as well.
