2009 Goals

I'm not big on setting New Resolutions. I do, however, make a practice of setting goals at the beginning of each year.
A resolution is a vow to change--which is a good thing to desire--but it doesn't necessarily focus on the steps needed to take in order to keep that vow.
I could say, "In 2009, I'm going to be a better employee."
That's a good resolution to have. (Especially for Christians. We should be the best workers!)
But HOW are you going to be a better worker? Chances are, if you don't have a plan, then you will end up forgetting your resolution and again adding it to your list for 2010.
On the otherhand, a goal offers a more defined target at which to aim.

Instead of vowing to be a better employee, I could say, "I will not be late to work or have any unexcused absences in 2009." See, much more clear-cut and, therefore, easier to achieve.

Steven's '09 Goals




• Lower body fat percentage by 3%
  
• Read 15 books
  
• Learn 500 new Cebuano words
  
• Complete through Lesson 40 in my Cebuano "textbook"
  
• Perfect attendance at work
  
• Complete 50 push-ups in 2 minutes
  
• Complete 50 sit-ups in 2 minutes
  
• Visit Philippines
  
• Enroll at Oregon State University
  
• Perfect my pizza crust
  
• Move into a more spacious apartment
  
• Make the RISK Championship belt
  
• Take Aisha camping
  
• Go fishing once again with Travis

The Lima Bean

Unfortunately, at this present time, I have a lima bean lodged somewhere in my nasal cavity.

I'm not sure exactly how this came to be. One moment I was taking a quick bite of my lunch; the next moment I was coughing and felt the vegetable rapidly travelling up my nose.

While I wish this event had been avoided, there is not need to worry; this is not an unfamiliar experience for me. I once also managed to lodge a macaroni noodle deep in my nose and was able to recover. I trust I will have the same success this time around. The difference is that the macaroni incident occurred when I was around 4 years old, where the lima bean happened at 29.

The Countdown

I never would have thought I would spend an entire year apart from my wife. I left the Philippines for America in order to earn money for us, to be able to meet our needs financially. My heart was set on only 3-6 months of separation. I was prepared for that. Having it turn into twice the amount of time has been extremely difficult.

We are almost through it though. Aisha's coming to America very soon!
How much longer, you ask?

You can monitor it here: Aisha's Arrival.

Another Day, Another Dollar

It's quite discouraging to be tired of my job after only having worked there 2 1/2 months. The day started out pretty well with my monthly review with my supervisor. She gave me a stellar review, which was really nice. It's nice to know my hard-work is paying off.

I'm glad that my supervisor sees my hard work. I've always been a "good" worker, I think. But I've honestly never been able to do my very best all of the time. It's human nature to want to take shortcuts at times, or do the minimum
With this job I've beem learning how to work my hardest for the Lord. I want to honor him in all that I do there. That is a new attitude for me and I'm really grateful that God has given me such a desire.
We as Christians should be the hardest of workers, really.

"Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically." Romans 12:11
"Commit your actions to the Lord and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3

The hardest part about working my very hardest is that there are times when I just don't feel very motivated to be there at all. Today was one of those days. I've been praying for encouragement from the Lord though.
I felt really down all day....no reason really. I just felt so depressed. Maybe because I'm so dissatisfied with my job. It really is so boring and more than that, I really don't like the attitude of my team leader. She's incredibly condescending. She talks to everyone like they are 3 year olds.

Anyway, I don't want to dwell on it so much. I think I'll cook myself some dinner and relax a bit.

You've Got Mail

Opening my email inbox to find a plethora of new mail is one of the small things in life by which I find great joy--excluding junk mail, of course. Tonight I came home from a rather tiring day of work and an evening Spanish class to find 8 new emails! Nice, eh?
The most exciting part though was that amongst those emails was one from Uncle Sam--the government of the U.S. of A.

I double clicked and held my breath, scared that the last 6 months of waiting would be for naught. But why be afraid, really? Hasn't God always taken care of my needs? Hasn't He always been in control and given me His best? Even if our petition for Aisha's visa ended up being rejected, wouldn't God still complete His will for our lives, a will to prosper us? Yes.

Finally, the email loaded(slow computer, huh?).......

Petition Status: Approved!!!!

Aisha, get ready for your interview. :)

A Year in a Post

If you were to look at my daily planner, and more specifically my “To Do” list, you would notice that every single day I have had “post to blog” as one of my items. Procrastination at its worse.

The past year has brought about some pretty major changes. I now wish I hadn’t waited so long to blog again. It would have been really nice to have told you all about it while the events were still fresh in my mind. Since I failed to do just that, here is my year in one run-on sentence:

I in the last year I resigned from my job, visited the Philippines for 2 months, was stung by a sea urchin, proposed to Aisha, came back to America for 6 weeks & packed my belongings, moved to the Philippines, got married, got a dog, ingested an amoeba, learned a new language, discovered the greatest donut known to man, cut my curly hair, got eyeglasses, packed my belongings & moved back to Oregon, enrolled in college once again.

So, there you have it. It’s good to be blogging again.

I'm Heartbroken

I know I said I was done blogging--and I still may be--but I needed to share my grief with somebody. My favorite band, Nickel Creek, is no longer.

Dearest Listener,

After seven years of extensive touring in support of three records (seventeen years as a band), we've decided to take a break of indefinite length at the end of 2007 to preserve the environment we've sought so hard to create and to pursue other interests. It has been a pleasure to write, record, and perform for you through the years and we'd like to heartily thank you for your invaluable contribution to our musical lives.

Yours,

Nickel Creek
(Sean, Sara, and Chris)