No, Nope, Nay, Not Gonna Happen

I've been reading this great book by Sally McGhee called "Take Back Your Life." It's all about getting your life organized and focused so that you can increase productivity and get things done. In one of the sections, McGhee mentions the importance of saying no. It's something that is crucial to discern when to say so that insanity does not set in.

We live in a world where there are so many things vying for our attention. There is always something, always an event, always a task, always a project, always always always! Because of this, it becomes very important to say no to some of these items, otherwise, life would begin to feel like one distraction after another.

For me this is difficult because of this desire to make everyone "happy." I feel the need to say yes to anyone and everyone who requests me to do something for them. But in reality, I do not have to say yes to everyone and even if I say no, it is not going to be the end of the world.

So, in an attempt to make my life a bit easier, I have decided to say no more often and to think more deeply about when I say yes and my commitments. It might be hard at first, but I think I'll get the hang of it.

I guess I'll start right now. No! Nope! Nay! Not Gonna Happen!

All good things seem to come to an end sooner or later. Today is the final day at the Long Beach Peninsula beach house. I've enjoyed myself over the last couple of days just taking life slow and chilling with my family. I has been quite a long time since we've all spent this much time together. And I think it came at just the right time too. Our lives are slowly going in different directions and so our reunions become less and less. I really treaure these times.

Over the weekend, I've been thinking quite a bit about contentment. In my life, I realize I am happiest when I am content with just being me, when I don't have to pretend to be someone else, and I am not envious of someone else. Too much of my life has been wasted with envy, when my attention is fixed on things that other people have, instead of enjoying what I have.

God has blessed me tremendously with gifts, talents, resources, limitations, challenges, relationships, and potential unique to me. And I'm not about to waste that.

What about you? What is it about you that you need to capitalize on? You are unique and have things to offer the world that only you can. That's pretty spiffy.

A Lazy Day

Beach houses are a splendid thing. The whole purpose of them is to relax, slow down, and take a break from the normal demands of the world. They foster a sense of purpose and contentment in rest that is hard to find in the ryhthms of life at home. I like them a lot.

Today, I've been enjoying the luxaries of chatting with my family, reading, napping, snacking, and enjoying a georgeous view of Pacific Ocean.

Long Beach Peninsula

It's 2009 vacation time! I am on Long Beach Peninsula with my family. My parents rented a beach house. I just sat down and my oh my, this place is amazing. Time to enjoy my life...

Brain Freeze

Have you ever forgot something so basic it was embarrassing? I had one of those moments yesterday. While sitting inside of a bakery in downtown Blaine, I blanked out on how to write the first character of my Chinese name, 戴. I guess it's not such a big deal, but for someone who has studied Chinese for a couple of years now, writing my name is something that I take great pride in. But I guess memory lapses like that do happen every now and then. I'll just have to keep my characters sharp by doing more practice!

Actually, more practice may be on the way. I just met a bunch of new Chinese friends at a nearby Chinese restaurant. They have Bible study on Wednesdays, so I'll definitely be going to that. They even have contacts all around China and might be able to help me get a job in the future.

Amazing Weekend

This is not a long post, but I did want to write a couple of lines about my Memorial Day Weekend. It was almost like being vacation; that's how good it was. This is the gist of it: canoeing on Lake Whatcom, a bbq, cards and a bonfire, the Ski to Sea parade, a picnic, church, another bbq, church again, a bbq with my parents on the farm, Folk Life in Seattle (multiple bands), filmed a short movie, sailing on Lake Whatcom, soccer/rugby/football, dinner with my parents and friends at the Yellow Sub, and finally a surprise party for Tim Dean. It was incredible. That's all I gotta say.

Job Hunting

I've been looking for a job for the past couple of weeks. I haven't found anything yet, but I've already applied to more than a dozen places. Well, I'm on the hunt again. Today I'll be first running by campus to print off a couple of resumes. Then I'll be checking out three On Rice locations, a Thai restaurant in need of pianists and servers, Barkley Starbucks, to check on my application, and Pacific Self Storage, to see about some yard work. It's getting late. I gotta get out the door.

Sarah, Ben, and Jon

I'm having the time of my life right now playing music. No, I don't have any shows lined up yet and I haven't lead worship for a good number of weeks. I've just been amping up the practice time.

In January, I started making late night visits to the WWU practice rooms (midnight or later). Back then, my day started late and ended even later. I'd throw in couple of hours a week, trying to be as consistent as I could. Some nights I was so tired that I played half-asleep, eyes closed, wanting nothing more than slumber. That seems so long ago now. I was just beginning to write, which is one of those things that I've always wanted to do, but never sure I had talent for it. I'm definitely developing this skill.

Over the last six weeks, I've added more time by playing the grand at my church. My practice time is going up too. Last week I rocked out for 10 hours, which is a breakthrough in my concentration level. I've not practiced this much since my days playing classical at Skagit Valley College. I'm seeing results; my strength, endurance, and dexterity is improving by leaps and bounds. I'm writing more difficult material, incorporating more octaves and runs, developing my own style, learning challenging scales, and soloing better. It feels so good!

My listening is becoming an integral part of practicing too. I listen to Sarah Bareilles, Jon Mclaughlin, Ben Folds, The Hush Sound, Francesca Battestelli, Holly Conlan, and a couple of others. These are the artists that I really love. They're (for the most part) all piano driven. I can imitate all of them very closely, but I'm developing my own unique style, hoping to stand apart. I'm so excited for my first show and the opportunity to share my love for music with friends. Let me know if you wanna come and I'll tell you when the date is!