The best and worst of 2012
January 1, 2013 § Leave a Comment
Even though it is the first day of 2013, I’m going to review the best and the worst of 2012. 2012 was a difficult year for me so I’m glad that it’s over and I’m looking forward to better experiences this year.
The Worst of 2012
This year I had to let go of a few of my friendships and this was a sad and painful experience. There are some friends that I no longer have anything in common with and our lives have gone in different directions. I had been holding on to these relationships because I don’t take friendship lightly but in the end it was best to let things go.
Another event that was difficult for me in 2012 was that my mom found a tumor in one of her breasts. She had to have immediate surgery followed by radiation treatment. Fortunately, the tumor had not spread and there is no evidence of cancer in other parts of her body. Seeing my mom sick made me realize how much I should treasure the short time that we have with the people we love.
The Best of 2012
By far, the best thing that happened in 2012 was the progress that I’ve made in my studies as a translator. I’ve completed the majority of my courses and I will complete my program by this summer. I also attended seminars and events related to the translation industry and I have a lot of goals/plans for myself. I began volunteering as a translator in 2012 as well and that has allowed me to gain more experience.
I discovered a new hobby by creating memory books. I use a book called Smashbook and it’s been a lot of fun to combine my love of journaling with photos and other memorabilia.
2013
I’ve decided not to make any resolutions for the New Year. I read this blog post and it sums up how I feel about making New Year’s resolutions. I will continue to focus on the career goals/plans that I set for myself last year and I will take things day by day.
Emotions List: Birth
October 11, 2012 § 3 Comments
I found a list of 100 writing prompts on emotions here and I’ve decided to write blog posts on each of these emotions. The first “emotion” on the list is Birth. In my first blog post, I wrote how I tested at 100% introvert on the Myers-Briggs test, which makes me an extreme introvert. Since I am so introverted, I often wonder if I was born an introvert or if I’ve become a more introverted person from life experiences.
My parents often tell me stores about how I was quiet and reserved around strangers even as an infant. I only wanted to be held by my parents and I was uncomfortable around their friends. I even have baby photos of their friends holding me and I always look like I’m about to cry. As a child, I enjoyed one and one activities and I never liked group activities. This meant that going to child birthday parties or large social events was something that I didn’t look forward to doing. As much as I preferred to be around my immediately family, I still needed my own space and moments of solitude.
From elementary through high school I was bullied and I had difficulty forming friendships with others. These experiences had a profound impact on my life and they have a lot to do with how I interact with others even today. Being bullied made me withdraw deeper inside myself because of the hurt and pain that I was going through. I learned to embrace being alone and to trust only myself. Since I had difficulty making friends, I learned that not everyone is going to accept me for the person that I am. I take my time getting to know others and I’m not immediately trusting of everyone.
I believe that my introverted personality started at birth but that I probably became even more introverted because of my life experiences. Regardless of the reasons, I’m learning to accept myself more and more each day.
Do you think you were born an introvert or have life experiences also played a part in shaping your personality?
Daily Writing
April 29, 2012 § 3 Comments
One of my goals for this year is to write every day. I recently learned about the idea of writing “Morning Pages” and I decided to use some of the ideas from this method in my daily writing. I really liked the idea of handwriting three full pages of stream-of-conscious writing however, I did not like the idea of waking up early in the morning to do this type of writing. I’m not a morning person and there is absolutely no way that I’d be able to get up 30-40 minutes earlier than normal just to write. I can barely get out of bed in the mornings as it is.
I decided to write in the evenings right before I go to bed and this method has turned out to be perfect for me. I’m able to clear my mind by writing about everything that’s in my head and it helps me to relax and to sleep better. It’s a quiet and reflective way to end my day and I find that I don’t have trouble filling up three pages with my writing. Some of these thoughts that I’ve written about have led to blog and short story ideas. I feel that this method is helping me make writing a priority in my life which is very important to me.
On Religion
March 7, 2012 § 4 Comments
I wasn’t sure how to answer the question of whether I was religious or not. My initial thought was that I’m probably more spiritual than religious. I spent some time researching the differences between “being spiritual” and “being religious” and I’m not sure that I can identify myself as either one. My experience with religion has been very complex and sometimes it’s difficult for me to talk about it. To be honest, it’s always difficult to talk about how I was raised religiously. I grew up in a strict, Christian home and my parents were very religious. They were legalistic in how they viewed religion and they expected my sibling and I to follow their beliefs. I felt confined and depressed by all the rules and regulations and I felt that I couldn’t do anything or be myself. I felt that I could only express myself in certain ways and I felt that my parent’s religious beliefs were choking my creative and spiritual self. Things were so bad that as a teenager I rebelled against my parent’s religious beliefs and I even ran away from home because I wanted more freedom.
These days, I’m skeptical of organized religions in general. Many times I view religion as being dogmatic and controlling. Although there are many principles/teachings that I believe from Christianity, I have a hard time attending church. I don’t know if I want to be a part of a Christian community and I’m not interested in participating in most church activities. I’d rather study, pray, and seek answers on my own and to be open to whatever faith my studies take me on.
I know that my parent’s beliefs are not the beliefs that all Christians share but the experiences from my childhood are something that I can’t let go of.
Translation Blogging
October 19, 2011 § 3 Comments
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about why I blog anonymously and how I want to maintain my privacy. Last week in my translation class, we began discussing the translation profession. One of the ways that many freelance translators seem to market themselves is through their blogs. My professor has an excellent blog on the translation profession and I’ve been discovering other translation blogs as well. I’ve noticed that these bloggers use their real names and discuss their professional lives which makes sense because they are trying to market themselves but this is still something I’m uncomfortable with.
I’ve often thought about doing a separate blog on my journey from studying to be a translator to actually becoming one and I’ve even considered using my real name. However, I’m still uncomfortable with this idea and now I’m wondering if my need for privacy could potentially affect my career. I’m sure there are many translators who don’t blog and this probably isn’t even an issue for them. I’m also sure I could come up with alternative ways to market myself. I just wonder if maybe I need to step outside of my comfort zone and try something different. Thankfully, this isn’t something I need to figure out today but it’s something think about for the future.
Related articles
- Translation and Interpretation (myintrovertedlife.wordpress.com)
- Finding My Passion (myintrovertedlife.wordpress.com)
My Blogging Method
September 23, 2011 § 6 Comments
I started thinking about how I blog and how I decide to post something. I don’t have an elaborate method and it was important to me when I started blogging that I blogged the way that I wanted to. At first, I was a perfectionist with each post and I agonized over every word. Now I just write and then I immediately post the entry. I just have to trust that what I write has meaning. I’ve learned that I’m not a good judge as to whether or not a post I write is good or bad. I mostly write about my life and what’s on my mind at that moment. I write about being extremely introverted and the issues and misunderstandings that happen because of my personality. I also write about work and school which are also important parts of my life.
This year I challenged myself to post something each week but I honestly post when I feel like it. Some weeks I write a lot and some weeks I write nothing at all. I prefer to write my posts during the week. This can be difficult with work and school but it gives me a chance to write about something that is important to me. In the past, I would try to write my blog posts during the weekends but I prefer to use my weekends for my other artistic projects that I’m not able to engage in during the week.
Topics I Won’t Discuss With My Pen Pals
July 10, 2011 § 2 Comments
Image by ♥ Xanda ♥ via Flickr
I was reading on a pen pal forum and someone asked if there were topics that people did not discuss with their pen pals. I think that having pen pals is the same is having a true friendship with a person. Just as there are friends in my circle that I’m closer to than others, there are pen pals that I’m closer to and I’m more open with. Regardless of our closeness, there are still some topics that I usually don’t discuss with pen pals.
I don’t discuss politics whether it is American politics or the political situation of the countries my pen pals live in. First, I’m not into politics at all so I’m not naturally inclined to speak about it. Second, I don’t always understand the politics of the countries that my pen pals live in so I’m not able to speak on things in an intelligent manner. Finally, politics can be a controversial subject and especially when you don’t agree with the way someone else views things. Instead of initiating a conversation about a topic that might cause an argument, there are a ton of others topics that I can think of to discuss with my pen pals.
I’m also cautious about discussing religion. I don’t mind reading about my pen pals’ religious beliefs and I think it is fascinating that there are so many spiritual beliefs around the world. I do draw the line when people start trying to “convert” me to their spiritual beliefs and I rarely discuss my own religious beliefs with my pen pals (unless they ask).
Something that will likely happen after you’ve has been pen palling for awhile is that you will find that you and a particular pen pal will have other pen pals in common. One thing I don’t do is discuss my relationship with one pen pal to another pen pal that we have in common. I also don’t get into conflicts if one of my pen pals starts to have problems with another pen pal that we have in common. I don’t like to be drawn into another person’s conflicts and I think the best way to resolve a problem you’re having with a person is to deal with that person one on one without having others get involved.
Since I’m a private person, I don’t always talk about whom I’m dating and I never discuss my sex life. This is something that is personal and I’m actually like this with my circle of friends that aren’t pen pals. I’ve never been the type of woman who feels that I need to talk about every single aspect of my love life and who I may or may not be dating
My Feelings Toward Online Dating
July 6, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Online romance
I have used a few online dating services and have been unsuccessful with meeting anyone online for many reasons. I’ve tried some paid online dating sites such as Eharmony and Match.com as well as few free sites.
When I tried Eharmony, I had to take a personality test in order to sign up and I “failed” the test. Basically, they must not have liked my answer because I got some kind of e-mail telling me they weren’t able to match me with anyone at that time. I waited a year and then I took the personality test again and this time I “passed” and they were able to match me with people. The personality test actually turned me off because I can be really bad at taking them. There were plenty of times when the answer that I would give to a question wasn’t even one of the options, so I just picked the best one which didn’t always reflect my true personality. I believe this is what happened with the Eharmony personality test. Neither of the results, from the two times that I took the test, were an accurate analysis of my personality. Subsequently, I didn’t like any of the people I was matched with and I quit using the site after a few months.
With the other websites that I used, I also had a hard time connecting with people and this mimics my situation in real life. I don’t easily connect with every single person I meet and I never expected that I would magically find a bunch of guys that I would connect with. I’m also an extreme introvert and I was upfront and honest about that aspect of my personality. There are negative connotations associated with being introverted and I feel like many guys may have been turned off with this aspect of my personality.
Another problem I encountered with online dating was that I communicated with a lot of creepy guys. You can meet a creepy person on the street but there seemed to be a lot of desperate guys on these sites. Many wanted me to immediately give them my cell number so we could text offline. They also wanted my personal e-mail to communicate with me without using the dating sites’ e-mail. I never gave any guy any of my personal information that acted like this and I was disturbed by their behavior. They were way too pushy and overbearing which are not qualities that I’m looking for in a potential partner.
I’m also not in a big hurry to be in a relationship. I think because I’m not actively looking to find someone serious, then I’m not really committed to the whole process. There were plenty of times when I never responded to people who may have been potential mates simply because I didn’t have time or I was busy with other things so I may have missed out on opportunities. At this point in my life, I’m happy being single and living life the way I want.
Even though I wasn’t successful with online dating, I feel that people should try it at least once just to see if it’s for them. I do believe that people can make genuine connections with others using these services but it’s just not for me.
Moleskine Book Journal
May 15, 2011 § 1 Comment
I love journals and I try to write in mine everyday. To be honest, I’m obsessed with journals and this is my latest obsession: The Moleskine Book Journal.
I bought this journal to keep track of all the books I’ve read and to keep track of the ones that I plan on reading. It has pages (in alphabetical order) that you can use to write your reflections about the books you’re read.
It comes with this cute bookmark as wells labels you can use to personalize the additional blank pages.
I’m an avid book reader and I hope that I’ll put this journal to good use this summer since I’ll have more time to read.
Why I Hate Mondays
May 15, 2011 § 2 Comments
Image by ToniVC via Flickr
Mondays are the worse day of the week for me. I’m so anxious about them that I begin to feel nervous on Sunday evenings. I even have a hard time falling asleep on Sunday nights. I feel irritated about having to leave the sanctuary of my home and to go back out into the real world. On the weekends, I retreat from work and school (if possible) and I relax. I’m able to recharge my energy levels and I start to feel normal again. Then Monday comes and I’m forced to deal with all the stress of life all over again.
Another aspect of Mondays that I dislike is how all of my co-workers try to outdo each other with their stories of what they did over the weekend. If one person brags about how much they partied and how much they drank, then another person comes along and has to tell an even more exaggerated story about their weekend. It’s ridiculous and a waste of time and energy to listen to these stories. I try to avoid getting pulled into these conversations by telling my co-workers that I have a lot to do.
Mondays are probably the days that I do the least amount of work. I feel low on Mondays and I lack motivation. It’s as if my body and my mind are at war with the reality that another week has started. I wish there was a way that I could relax my mind so I wouldn’t feel so poorly on Monday mornings.
