1. Through taking a picture of something I've experienced each day this year, I have learned that it is much easier to document and remember what happens in my life through one or two short sentences each day (which are the captions for my photos) rather than the detailed journal entries I love to write but never have time for. It's also better than the short lists of random words I use to define my day which I write on sticky notes hoping they will jog my memory when I finally have time to write.
3. I always knew I get anxious when I have to call somebody on the phone, but I really don't like sending out emails either! Especially because I've always had bad luck with technology.
4. I came to the sad realization that the older I get, the more I realize that I don't like everyone I meet.
5. I have a very unique life background based on a very unlikely combination of my race and ethnicity, my religion, my experiences growing up in Hawaii, my experiences traveling the United States and parts of the world, the random jobs I've had in dozens of different industries, the eclectic mix of friends, acquaintances and colleagues I have, and I could go on and on. I think a lot of people don't understand me because of it, but I like to think it helps me relate to others better as well.
6. I also realized that I love to exchange stories about life perhaps a little more than most people would be comfortable with. In short: I talk too much :P
7. I do enjoy a good TV show, but no matter how many shows and movies I have on my list of things to watch, I really do think it's the biggest waste of time.
8. I feel guilty for having so many Facebook friends, but I really do love them all! I'm not just a "friend collector" but I am genuinely interested in their lives. And I do go through delete people I don't feel like I would ever talk to again and stuff like that, but I still have so many people I care about that I want to keep in touch with. Because I have lived, worked, and traveled around in so many places I do know a lot of people. I love being able to see where people are at and meet up with them whenever I travel. That's been the most valuable thing about Facebook for me. And after all, it's supposed to be a social network.
9. I am starting to realize that I am a gift giver. That's one of the things that brings me so much joy in my life. I am pretty good at saving my money, but when it comes to Christmas and other celebrations, I love having an excuse to spend money on the people I care about. If I see something that reminds me of a close friend or family member, it takes a lot for me to not make that purchase.
10. My ideal career choice would be something in the travel and tourism industry. I have always had a plan for what education or job I wanted to get somewhere in life, but I never felt very strongly about any particular career path in the past; I would be happy with whatever job I ended up with and I would be able to learn to do my job the best I could. My past career goals were always to achieve more broad, general end. I wanted to be a diplomat to influence education policy somehow. I wanted to work for UNESCO to work with historical places somewhere. I wanted to work for an NGO to help people in need across the world. I could never think of any one particular job that would make me happy in the past. These jobs were all a means to an end. I wanted to be a positive influence in the world and I needed to have a career path, but I didn't think any of these would be so much fun or make me particularly happy in my personal life or anything. I mean, a job is a job. However, the more I study tourism in sociology and the more I want to travel and see the world, the more I am beginning to realize that I would have so much fun with a job that allowed me to do research relating to maps and travel schedules and cultural reports, not to mention the most amazing benefits that come with it all. If I can find a way to fit urban planning and sociology into such a career, that would probably be my dream job.
