I think I've found a possible career that has both a certain amount of freedom in dictating when I work, and still earns some money.
Professional share-trading.
Of course, there'll be some start-up cost in actually learning, and getting myself afloat, but hey, the ends justify the means.
Good things that happened today:
- Got to translate a little bit more of Gundam Unicorn! Even if it's just the first page and at a glacial rate, I'm one of the few non-Japanese native speakers who are reading it!
- Got some ideas about learning share-trading, and how much it would cost me for the education. Hopefully, I can hit up the folks for some money to help pay for the tuition costs.
- Managed to do more than just ten minutes of study today. I finally finished the first lecture of Pharm-biotech! Now to do the rest ...
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Catch-up
Yes, I know, I know. I forgot to do an entry yesterday, so I think that I'll do today's and yesterday's.
A bit more progress on the JET front - I think I've found one of my two references (and the university one too!) after a bit of a dilemma. Not too many of the lecturers like me, so it'd be hard finding a good reference at university, but I think I have found one.
I found out that in the upcoming Biotech precinct visit on Thursday, we should avoid parking on a certain street ... it also seems that a particular group known as the Finks Motorcycle Club have set up shop near there, and they apparently don't like people parking along that street.
Good things:
Monday
- No Toastmasters meeting, so I unexpectedly had a Monday evening off instead of being at Toastmasters. Nothing wrong with Toastmasters, but unexpected free time is always fun.
Tuesday
- Had a helluva lotta fun at the salsa lesson today
- Ate out afterwards with the fellas. Male bonding is very important in a man's life!
A bit more progress on the JET front - I think I've found one of my two references (and the university one too!) after a bit of a dilemma. Not too many of the lecturers like me, so it'd be hard finding a good reference at university, but I think I have found one.
I found out that in the upcoming Biotech precinct visit on Thursday, we should avoid parking on a certain street ... it also seems that a particular group known as the Finks Motorcycle Club have set up shop near there, and they apparently don't like people parking along that street.
Good things:
Monday
- No Toastmasters meeting, so I unexpectedly had a Monday evening off instead of being at Toastmasters. Nothing wrong with Toastmasters, but unexpected free time is always fun.
Tuesday
- Had a helluva lotta fun at the salsa lesson today
- Ate out afterwards with the fellas. Male bonding is very important in a man's life!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Career worries again
Again, I've been confronted by the grim spectre of 'What Next?' today, while in conversation with my dad I wonder what I should do next. What I really should and want to do next is remove myself from the narrow and corrupting influence my parents have on me. Extremely controlling, they want me to do something they approve of, which may not necessarily be what I want to do. What I'd really like to do: be a writer.
Unfortunately the pay is pretty crappy for most writers, unless you have a New York Times bestseller and/or your book gets optioned and turned into a movie, like the Harry Potter series. Although I'm more of a gamer than a writer, I suppose it'd be more interesting to write for games, more specifically role-playing games. I love my hobby as a DM on some of the NWN servers (something I should do more often -_- ). Of course, to get into some of these creative writing courses requires that I submit a portfolio. It's too late this year, so I wonder what to do ...
Perhaps what I'll do is wait and see if I get into pharmacy at Charles Darwin. If I do, cool, I'll do it and if I get admitted into JET while I'm at it, I'll take some time off to teach in Japan. If not, then I'll spend a year off reassessing my life, working, and again, if I get into JET, I'll again go to Japan, and if I still want to be a writer, then I'll get started working on a portfolio.
Good things that happened today:
- My brother paid me back for getting Six Sacred Stones. For some reason, he gave me back the whole $30 that I paid for the book. Free money is never unappreciated ^_^
- Laid to rest my fears that I'll do crap on the bioinformatics test tomorrow. Hopefully it should be a bit simpler to do, as long as the teacher doesn't try to get me to do a lot of complicated stuff.
Unfortunately the pay is pretty crappy for most writers, unless you have a New York Times bestseller and/or your book gets optioned and turned into a movie, like the Harry Potter series. Although I'm more of a gamer than a writer, I suppose it'd be more interesting to write for games, more specifically role-playing games. I love my hobby as a DM on some of the NWN servers (something I should do more often -_- ). Of course, to get into some of these creative writing courses requires that I submit a portfolio. It's too late this year, so I wonder what to do ...
Perhaps what I'll do is wait and see if I get into pharmacy at Charles Darwin. If I do, cool, I'll do it and if I get admitted into JET while I'm at it, I'll take some time off to teach in Japan. If not, then I'll spend a year off reassessing my life, working, and again, if I get into JET, I'll again go to Japan, and if I still want to be a writer, then I'll get started working on a portfolio.
Good things that happened today:
- My brother paid me back for getting Six Sacred Stones. For some reason, he gave me back the whole $30 that I paid for the book. Free money is never unappreciated ^_^
- Laid to rest my fears that I'll do crap on the bioinformatics test tomorrow. Hopefully it should be a bit simpler to do, as long as the teacher doesn't try to get me to do a lot of complicated stuff.
Interesting sports
I'm at work today ... and somehow I'm glad that I'll be taking time off soon. It's incredibly mind-numbing stuff, some of the time. I'm glad that I'm beginning to learn to adapt more and more to finding ways to combat the boredom.
I was taking a break from my cardio workout at the gym, and saw this most odd sport. Canoe water polo! It's like water polo, only you're paddling around in canoes. I watched them grab the ball and throw it to each other, and contesting each other by cutting each other off with their canoes. It's like driving in Adelaide, only it's concentrated into a small pool, the people are more aggressive and it's much more amusing. I didn't see any pool-rage yet. It's only a matter of time before someone miscalculates their paddle swing and smacks some other poor sod in the face.
Good things that happened today:
- Weighed myself to find that I am now ~80kg! I've lost 2kg since last week. 70kg here I come!
- Burned even more calories than before at the gym doing cardio. Since it's interval training, I should have more of a burn (hopefully)
- Got my academic transcripts photocopied and certified. Now all that's left on my JET application checklist is to get those references.
I was taking a break from my cardio workout at the gym, and saw this most odd sport. Canoe water polo! It's like water polo, only you're paddling around in canoes. I watched them grab the ball and throw it to each other, and contesting each other by cutting each other off with their canoes. It's like driving in Adelaide, only it's concentrated into a small pool, the people are more aggressive and it's much more amusing. I didn't see any pool-rage yet. It's only a matter of time before someone miscalculates their paddle swing and smacks some other poor sod in the face.
Good things that happened today:
- Weighed myself to find that I am now ~80kg! I've lost 2kg since last week. 70kg here I come!
- Burned even more calories than before at the gym doing cardio. Since it's interval training, I should have more of a burn (hopefully)
- Got my academic transcripts photocopied and certified. Now all that's left on my JET application checklist is to get those references.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Exams incoming!
Only one week left ... and then lectures are over and it's SWOTVAC time.
I really gotta get a move on and get off my arse if I want an easy SWOTVAC instead of frantic revision and noting like last semester.
Good things that happened today:
- Got my academic transcript in. Now, all I have to do is write my application, fill out the forms and get the references.
- Matthew Reilly's latest effort, Six Sacred Stones, came out. As soon as I saw it, I snapped it up. And da~mn is it a good read.
I really gotta get a move on and get off my arse if I want an easy SWOTVAC instead of frantic revision and noting like last semester.
Good things that happened today:
- Got my academic transcript in. Now, all I have to do is write my application, fill out the forms and get the references.
- Matthew Reilly's latest effort, Six Sacred Stones, came out. As soon as I saw it, I snapped it up. And da~mn is it a good read.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Good things
I've blogged more than twice in one month! Shock horror!
The main reason is so I can keep a 'good things' diary, in my journey to become a more positive person, and lift my energy. If I concentrate on good things, then I figure more good things will come into my life by virtue of the law of attraction.
Good things that happened today:
- One of the lecturers was sick, so only had two hours of lessons today, skipping the lessons the sick lecturer was supposed to do, and going straight to the next two lessons in place of it.
- I didn't think that I'd be able to make it to the gym today (had to get into uni around the time I normally go to the gym), but due to the above point of having an extra two hours free, I ended up making it to the gym. I think I worked up a bigger sweat today than I did yesterday.
- My dad gave me $20 earlier today because I had trouble doing a cash-out from one of the shop EFTPOS units. Free money is never unappreciated ^_^
The main reason is so I can keep a 'good things' diary, in my journey to become a more positive person, and lift my energy. If I concentrate on good things, then I figure more good things will come into my life by virtue of the law of attraction.
Good things that happened today:
- One of the lecturers was sick, so only had two hours of lessons today, skipping the lessons the sick lecturer was supposed to do, and going straight to the next two lessons in place of it.
- I didn't think that I'd be able to make it to the gym today (had to get into uni around the time I normally go to the gym), but due to the above point of having an extra two hours free, I ended up making it to the gym. I think I worked up a bigger sweat today than I did yesterday.
- My dad gave me $20 earlier today because I had trouble doing a cash-out from one of the shop EFTPOS units. Free money is never unappreciated ^_^
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Moments in life
Do you ever have any of those moments where you're just cruising along through life, and then the moment seems to just freeze, and the moment seems crystallised. And then it's at times like that that you think to yourself 'This is enjoying life, and its simple pleasures.'
I get that moment a lot, particularly when I'm driving. I think it's mainly because my car is the symbol of my freedom. When I'm in it, I can go whereever I want, free as the wind. I had one of these moments a couple of weeks ago. I was driving down to my friend's place, in the late afternoon. A particular song was playing - Days by FLOW - and then it just crystallised for me: I enjoy things like this. Cruising along, feeling the wind on my face and through my hair.
I think it's a sign that I enjoy my life, and have at least, some satisfaction with it.
Good things that happened today:
- I picked up the Japanese novels I ordered online from my friend's place (he receives stuff for me), and had a quick look through. It should be interesting going through them with my Japanese teacher. I wonder how much kanji I'll pick up.
- My iPod Classic came in. Despite what some people may say about iPods, I'm still loving it. I don't know why, but somehow I figured that someday I'd have an iPod, so in a way that prophecy seems to have been fulfilled.
- Last episode of Summer Heights High. Damn it was poignant. I'm glad that Jonah got his revenge in the end though, tagging everything throughout the entire school. I'm sure that the school will have a good reputation with a huge, hand-drawn penis on its rooftop.
- Despite resistance to the contrary, I managed to make it to the gym again and work out, working up a good hot sweat. 15% body fat here I come!
I get that moment a lot, particularly when I'm driving. I think it's mainly because my car is the symbol of my freedom. When I'm in it, I can go whereever I want, free as the wind. I had one of these moments a couple of weeks ago. I was driving down to my friend's place, in the late afternoon. A particular song was playing - Days by FLOW - and then it just crystallised for me: I enjoy things like this. Cruising along, feeling the wind on my face and through my hair.
I think it's a sign that I enjoy my life, and have at least, some satisfaction with it.
Good things that happened today:
- I picked up the Japanese novels I ordered online from my friend's place (he receives stuff for me), and had a quick look through. It should be interesting going through them with my Japanese teacher. I wonder how much kanji I'll pick up.
- My iPod Classic came in. Despite what some people may say about iPods, I'm still loving it. I don't know why, but somehow I figured that someday I'd have an iPod, so in a way that prophecy seems to have been fulfilled.
- Last episode of Summer Heights High. Damn it was poignant. I'm glad that Jonah got his revenge in the end though, tagging everything throughout the entire school. I'm sure that the school will have a good reputation with a huge, hand-drawn penis on its rooftop.
- Despite resistance to the contrary, I managed to make it to the gym again and work out, working up a good hot sweat. 15% body fat here I come!
A day in the Ideal Life of the Tran man
8:30am
I wake up, in a high-rise apartment, to the soft, ambient sounds of city traffic. I shuffle into the nearby bathroom and brush my teeth. I take a shower, using quality product to make sure that I look and smell good (a player's gotta take care of himself, after all). I then shave and trim my goatee (for those of you who know me personally, yes, I like the goatee and will keep it). Emerge from the bathroom feeling clean and great.
9:15am
I enter the kitchen and make myself breakfast and lunch. Great, wholesome healthy food. It's also a joy to cook in that kitchen, having everything that I need. I sit down and read the paper while having my breakfast.
9:40am
I leave for the gym and work out there for an hour. Depending on what day it is, I either do weights or cardio work. After my workout, I return to my apartment for a post-workout shake.
11:00am
I leave my apartment and take my laptop with me, settling down at a nearby coffee shop and connecting into their wireless internet to communicate with peers and friends, and work my trade: writing.
2:00pm
I take a break from work and leave the coffee shop to go somewhere else for lunch. Again, something light and healthy, like a nice club sandwich. Spot a girl checking me out, and walk over and start a conversation with her. Spend lunch talking to her and making a new friend.
3:30pm
Shopping for appropriate ingredients to make for dinner.
4:30pm
Return home and begin cooking a healthy, gourmet dinner. Some friends are coming over for dinner, so I cook for a group.
6:50pm
Friends arrive, and we have an amiable dinner-chat. After dinner, we hang out and talk for a bit, before friends leave for other things.
8:20pm
Entertainment time - either play some videogames, watch tv/movie, or something else to amuse myself for a little while.
10:00pm
Sit down and meditate for a while, before preparing to go to bed.
In writing this, I suppose what I really want from life is freedom to do what I want. The freedom to work when I want, where I want. The freedom to live life the way I want to live life.
Good things diary:
- Went to my first salsa lesson today. It was a lot of fun, and my friends were pretty glad that I got them to come with me. We're all definitely going to come back.
- Hamming it up after the salsa lesson at my friend's place. We must have looked a gay sight, practicing what we learned together in my friend's apartment. It would have been quite funny had someone walked past and overheard my friend saying to me 'all right, stick your arse out ... yeah, like that ... now just swing your hips ...' XD
- A couple of Japanese novels that I ordered online arrived, so I just have to pick them up from my friend's place and then I can start reading through them with my Japanese teacher.
- Managed to get my hands on some notes that I had lost, borrowing off a friend. Now I just have to photocopy them and then I'll be able to replace the missing notes that I lost.
I wake up, in a high-rise apartment, to the soft, ambient sounds of city traffic. I shuffle into the nearby bathroom and brush my teeth. I take a shower, using quality product to make sure that I look and smell good (a player's gotta take care of himself, after all). I then shave and trim my goatee (for those of you who know me personally, yes, I like the goatee and will keep it). Emerge from the bathroom feeling clean and great.
9:15am
I enter the kitchen and make myself breakfast and lunch. Great, wholesome healthy food. It's also a joy to cook in that kitchen, having everything that I need. I sit down and read the paper while having my breakfast.
9:40am
I leave for the gym and work out there for an hour. Depending on what day it is, I either do weights or cardio work. After my workout, I return to my apartment for a post-workout shake.
11:00am
I leave my apartment and take my laptop with me, settling down at a nearby coffee shop and connecting into their wireless internet to communicate with peers and friends, and work my trade: writing.
2:00pm
I take a break from work and leave the coffee shop to go somewhere else for lunch. Again, something light and healthy, like a nice club sandwich. Spot a girl checking me out, and walk over and start a conversation with her. Spend lunch talking to her and making a new friend.
3:30pm
Shopping for appropriate ingredients to make for dinner.
4:30pm
Return home and begin cooking a healthy, gourmet dinner. Some friends are coming over for dinner, so I cook for a group.
6:50pm
Friends arrive, and we have an amiable dinner-chat. After dinner, we hang out and talk for a bit, before friends leave for other things.
8:20pm
Entertainment time - either play some videogames, watch tv/movie, or something else to amuse myself for a little while.
10:00pm
Sit down and meditate for a while, before preparing to go to bed.
In writing this, I suppose what I really want from life is freedom to do what I want. The freedom to work when I want, where I want. The freedom to live life the way I want to live life.
Good things diary:
- Went to my first salsa lesson today. It was a lot of fun, and my friends were pretty glad that I got them to come with me. We're all definitely going to come back.
- Hamming it up after the salsa lesson at my friend's place. We must have looked a gay sight, practicing what we learned together in my friend's apartment. It would have been quite funny had someone walked past and overheard my friend saying to me 'all right, stick your arse out ... yeah, like that ... now just swing your hips ...' XD
- A couple of Japanese novels that I ordered online arrived, so I just have to pick them up from my friend's place and then I can start reading through them with my Japanese teacher.
- Managed to get my hands on some notes that I had lost, borrowing off a friend. Now I just have to photocopy them and then I'll be able to replace the missing notes that I lost.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Stop Press
I was going to write about my ideal day, but unfortunately something has jarred me off course.
I was in a car accident.
And this time I was the 'instigator,' as unhappy as I am to admit it.
I'd just turned onto North-East Road, and spotted my brother at the bus-stop. I figure I'd swing over and give him a lift. It would have turned out great - my brother gets a lift to university, I get a kick out of being a caring big brother. All would have been great.
I hit a 1991 Holden VN Berlina. It got set careening down the road onto the nature-strip on the footpath, and crashed into a tree. Fortunately, the driver wasn't hurt, and the car was damaged, but still largely usable but for the smashed headlight. The damage to 'mah baby' was a large dent around the front-left wheel, and some paintwork that could be polished off later.
The guy in the Berlina was a pretty cool dude about it, and hopefully by this time next week we'll have it all resolved.
Despite that, I should stay positive.
Good things that happened today:
- Only have to write a page on current treatments for HIV and a paragraph on simian HIV for my group Commercialisation of Biotechnology project. Go me, easy stuff.
- Was able to find out more about the JET program, including what to do if you're going to graduate, but can't present an academic transcript and diploma by the end of application time.
- Worked out hard at the gym today, sweating away 35 minutes of hard interval training. I was in a real sweat by the end there. Interval training all the way!
- Finally got some motivation to actually start working on some of my Gundam models that had been sitting away gathering dust - I finally tackled my MG Gundam Mk II v2, building the body and the feet.
I was in a car accident.
And this time I was the 'instigator,' as unhappy as I am to admit it.
I'd just turned onto North-East Road, and spotted my brother at the bus-stop. I figure I'd swing over and give him a lift. It would have turned out great - my brother gets a lift to university, I get a kick out of being a caring big brother. All would have been great.
I hit a 1991 Holden VN Berlina. It got set careening down the road onto the nature-strip on the footpath, and crashed into a tree. Fortunately, the driver wasn't hurt, and the car was damaged, but still largely usable but for the smashed headlight. The damage to 'mah baby' was a large dent around the front-left wheel, and some paintwork that could be polished off later.
The guy in the Berlina was a pretty cool dude about it, and hopefully by this time next week we'll have it all resolved.
Despite that, I should stay positive.
Good things that happened today:
- Only have to write a page on current treatments for HIV and a paragraph on simian HIV for my group Commercialisation of Biotechnology project. Go me, easy stuff.
- Was able to find out more about the JET program, including what to do if you're going to graduate, but can't present an academic transcript and diploma by the end of application time.
- Worked out hard at the gym today, sweating away 35 minutes of hard interval training. I was in a real sweat by the end there. Interval training all the way!
- Finally got some motivation to actually start working on some of my Gundam models that had been sitting away gathering dust - I finally tackled my MG Gundam Mk II v2, building the body and the feet.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The business of Life
With the approaching tail end of my degree coming at me, and nearing ever so closely each day, I have been putting some thought into just WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO DO after graduation. I sure as hell don't want to work in a lab.
So, like my friend asked me, where do I want to be in ten years?
I want to live in a trendy apartment, tastefully decorated. It sports all the niceties of life - big screen TV, home theater system, powerful computer, great modern decor, nice furniture. I am able to dictate what hours I work, and when I work. I have a pretty easygoing, laidback life. I am in excellent physical shape, and earning plenty of money to support myself. I drive a nice car (heck, I already do haha), and have a wonderful support group of friends and family.
I'm doing what I love - helping people, and telling them stories to entertain them and help them escape from their own world into another world, one of wonder and fantasy where anything can happen. With wild, fantastic worlds of battling kingdoms and wars fought with music, or exploring the depths of space. My energy is vibrating at an incredibly high level, and I am like a light in the darkness for other people.
Next time: a day in my ideal life
So, like my friend asked me, where do I want to be in ten years?
I want to live in a trendy apartment, tastefully decorated. It sports all the niceties of life - big screen TV, home theater system, powerful computer, great modern decor, nice furniture. I am able to dictate what hours I work, and when I work. I have a pretty easygoing, laidback life. I am in excellent physical shape, and earning plenty of money to support myself. I drive a nice car (heck, I already do haha), and have a wonderful support group of friends and family.
I'm doing what I love - helping people, and telling them stories to entertain them and help them escape from their own world into another world, one of wonder and fantasy where anything can happen. With wild, fantastic worlds of battling kingdoms and wars fought with music, or exploring the depths of space. My energy is vibrating at an incredibly high level, and I am like a light in the darkness for other people.
Next time: a day in my ideal life
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