Where are you going?

It has been ages since I wrote my last blog, but I never really know what to write about, and the people who read this usually know anything I have to say anyways. But I figured I would write a new blog anyways because it's good just to get your random thoughts out there. I've been thinking about what I want to do with my life, and I'm not the type of person to think into the future, but it's getting to that point in time where I'm gonna start looking for the path that will eventually lead me to where ever I'm supposed to be going. I still want to do music marketing, or rather, I'd like to major in that, but I'm not sure if that's what I really want/am supposed to do. I love love love music, it's an enormous part of my life, and as of now I feel that whatever I end up doing, music will impact it. I would love to be a talent scout of sorts; look for, and bring to light singers and bands. I also love working with kids and helping others, and I want to volunteer at a daycare, or with veterans (past and recent). I don't know  what all that will lead to, but I'm just thinking right now. I think everyone has a purpose in life, but we get to choose how we find our purpose and the path we take to get there. At this point I'm trying to figure out not where I'm going, but how I'm going to get there. Life is a big journey that's eventually going to end and I think people focus too much on the end and not enough on everything we do to get to the end. I'm not saying live only in the moment, but I am saying that people should live in the present while remaining conscious of the possible future.

Live, Laugh, and Love

The Reason

So as ya'll know, I got a tattoo over spring break of a lion's paw with the leo symbol in the middle. I know I've said I got it because I'm a leo and I'm kind of in to the whole astrology and horoscope thing but it really isn't just that. It has more to do with the symbolism and traits associated with the leo symbol that I am, in most cases, proud to have. I wanted to be able to give a more direct answer for when people asked why I got what I did so I googled characteristics of leos

Traits associated with leos (The Good):

Spontaneously creative

Extrovert

Generous

Warmhearted

Enthusiastic

Broad-minded

Faithful

Loving

Ambitious

Strong Willed

Independent

Born Leader

Loyal

Protective

Passionate

Wise

(The Bad, or not so good):

Arrogance

Egotistical

Bad Temper

Self-Centered

Lust for power

"Unlimited Sexual Lust" (quoted from a website...didn't know that)

Pompous 

Patronizing

Bossy

Moody 

Vain

Assertive

Leos are also said to be good with children, dislike doing things safely, living ordinary boring lives, and small minded and mean spirited people. (All of which I think are true)

I know I don't posses all these traits, but there are quite a few (both good and bad) that I agree with or have been told I am. I hope that the good outweighs the bad, but at the same time I know you can't have one without the other. So the real reason I got the tattoo that I did, was because it was much easier to get the symbol than it would have been to have all the traits listed down my back. I'm proud to be associated with the (good) traits of a leo and hope that I embody them well.

My Philosophy on Life

So today while eating dinner with Monica and Amy, we were talking about random ass things (as per usual) and the topic of my fall came up and how I had gotten right back on my scooter (in my room and yet they still freaked out about it) just a day or two after I came back to UTSA. Amy asked if I was scared to get back on, and I said no. She seemed kind of surprised by this. So I asked her if she would have been scared and her and Monica both nodded and well yea, you should have waited at least a few weeks or a month or so before getting back on. That just seemed ridiculous to me and I told them that. Monica said you were only in the hospital for two days (meant sarcastically) and I said yea...and? It's not like I'm gonna not ever ride my scooter, sure I'll be nervous to go down the hill and I'll be a bit more cautious but that's it. For some reason they thought that was odd. Again I would like to point out that I had only ridden it in my room and that was after getting a lecture from Amy about being safe and not getting on and blah blah blah.

Tonight Amy is trying (keyword trying) to study for a politics test. A test that if she fails she will end up failing the class for the time being. Hearing her struggle and getting frustrated at Nick, who's trying to help, reminded me of another night where she confided in me that she sometimes thought of dropping out because she thought college was supposed to be easy and that she wasn't smart enough but more on this further down.

All of this has got me thinking about how I perceive life and events that go on around me. With the scooter conversation for example, I see the situation as this; yes I fell, yes it was bad, yes for the first week or so I needed to take it easy and I did. But my injury wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been and all things considered, I came away relatively unscathed. Why should I be scared to ride my scooter again? I realized my mistakes from last time (trying to go as fast as possible on a scooter with a barely there break= not a good idea) and now I can get back on and not make the same mistake twice. If I were to let minor things like this greatly affect me, I would be a hypochondriac living in a bubble inside a padded room. I believe the reason people make mistakes is to learn from them and use them later in life. (I also believe God gave me a strong head because he knew I would knock it a lot, which has certainly been true lol) I'm not saying that I'm fearless or reckless, but I do tend to act and speak before thinking which can sometimes get me in trouble. The only way to bounce back is to do just that and take what has happened and use it to your advantage whether good or bad. I say I don't regret anything, and it's still true. At the same time I don't focus too much on the past or future, I think that we're alive in the present and therefore we should pay attention to what's happening now. We should use the past as a reference guide, not dwell on how things could or should have been, and the future should be open and without limitations. I think people who try to predict the future are running in a never ending race. No one knows for sure what is in store for us in the future. Somewhere this second something could happen that would completely alter any thoughts or ideas we had about what is to come.

After Amy told me about struggling with college and the realization that it wasn't going to be easy, the only thing I could think of was Duh! Anyone who goes into college expecting it to be easy and not take much effort needs a reality check. Even the smartest person should expect to be challenged and to do work beyond what they are used to. This way if the work load is difficult, it won't come as a shock, and rather than shutting down and giving up, that student can take a deep breath and try their best. And if the work is easy, then the student will be even more relieved. It is naive to think that you won't be challenged in college, hell that is the point of college, to achieve a degree or degrees through hard work in challenging classes. Sure it can be a bit of a shock to realize that what got you through HS can't get you through college, but after that it's time to buck up and figure out what you need to do in order to achieve whatever goals you have set for yourself. I'm all for having fun and extracurricular activities and even a bit of slacking off in some situations as I'm sure ya'll know, but at the same time more focus should be placed on academics until graduation.

I know there is much more I could add to this, and I'm sure there will be a part 2 sometime in the near future, but for now I can't seem to come up with anything more. Please leave comments with your opinion :)

My Trip To NY

This March I was fortunate enough to be able to go New York for a chorus competition. It was amazing and so much fun. First of all everything was at least two stories, even the payless. I walked with my roommates and we went in a ton of places, but my favorite was definitely Hardrock Cafe. I don't think I've ever seen so much celeb memorabilia in one place. I also saw two shows, the Drowsy Chaperon and the Blue Man group. I loved the Blue Man group it was so cool. We also got to go to Rockefeller center and do Top of the Rock which takes you to the very top of the building. Advice for tourists go with a group or buddy. We got to ride the subway once and i was surprised that the station wasn't packed. that was because they were all on the subway it was packed. i was able to see the famous time square and had some of the best hot coco ever. China town was fun and you can get really good deals if you know how to bargain with the people. the only weird part was having random people say "you like you like" "you should buy looks good on you". We even had a party on a boat with some of the other schools in the competition and we went around the statue of liberty. it was beautiful. i hope I'm able to go there again some time.
By the way all five choirs that came from my school got at least 3rd or better.