A Day of Rest, Can I Afford It?

  Wow, I don't even know where to start; I've never been busier and more tired in my life!  I was expecting school to be a shock but this is just crazy!  For the last two weeks, I haven't had hardly a chance to sit down and relax once!  The few times I've taken some time to relax, the whole time I'm thinking to myself, "you should be studying, the test is coming up, you NEED to study!"  So, as it goes, even my "relaxing" time has been full of things to do.  Today, I am hoping to be able to just stay at home, and relax, before Monday rolls around and the chaos starts again.

Last Day of Summer; Last Day of Freedom

  Well, this is it, I'm going to back to school tomorrow; this is officially my last day of summer.  And I am having a bloody good day at that!  I ran around like a chicken with its head cut off on Saturday, cooking, shopping, and just generally getting everything ready for school on Monday.   As much as it would've been easier to do some of the work today, I am glad to be able to fully relax today.  Things are about to get crazy in starting tomorrow.

Bye Bye Summer; September's Here

 

 


  Wow, I can't believe summer is actually over!  I thought it would never end; this has been one of the longest summers of my life!  Now, comes the fall months; the dreaded cold, the long awaited school, and the molding of my future.  It's going to be an interesting year for sure.

What Does the Future Hold for Me?

  

  This is something I often wonder about; what is to become of me?  I have two different conflicting trains of thought on this; first, I'm not getting any younger and each day that passes when I'm not taking affirmative action towards my future, not having it all planned out as it was, is grating on me.  Second, the days are going impossibly slow, every minute seeming like an hour; I just want to settle into my career, start a family, and lay back and watch my life unfold.

Summer 2011; The Good, The Bad, And Everything in Between

  Well, it's not quite over yet, but my summer has more or less come to an end.  In September I will be heading back to school to start my career as a Personal Trainer, I just got a new job, I've loved, lost, found, and loved again.  My mom is moving out and I'm going to be living with a roommate or on my own, went through a few vehicles, a few jobs, reconnected with my cousins; yes it's been quite a summer by anyone's standards.

Maybe It's Not Meant to Be; Maybe No One's Meant for Me

  Love

If you have it,

You don't need anything else...

And if you don't have it,

It doesn't matter much what else you have

These days I haven't been sleeping; the way my relationships are going I guess that's not surprising.  Knowing I will lie awake for hours, I don't even bother trying to get more than four hours sleep anymore; certainly not enough even for me.   Consequently, the lack of sleep isn't helping smooth things over with my loved one's either.  I always thought that eventually in life I would find some people; friends, partners, lovers, for me.  I never was looking for a lot; rather I was hopeful to find someone with whom to spend time with, to talk with everyday.  I always wanted someone, or a few people, who I could be close enough to to call whenever, for whatever reason.  Growing up surrounded by laughing teenagers, by couples, I always thought that there weren't any rules with people you love; apparently, as I have recently found out, there are a abundance.

A New Exciting Start; Finally!

  Well, after a period of my life where I was just drifting along waiting for something to happen, it's finally here.  I've decided since I am out of work anyways right now and not having very much luck that I would go to school.  It's not glamorous, not a prominent university; I am going to a private fitness company to become a certified personal trainer.  I've been wanting to do this with my life for the last few years and every year it feels more right; this is what I was meant to do.
    It's a full time course, 9-5, five days a week for twelve long weeks.  After that I take a separate nutrition course.  It won't be easy, and I must say I am somewhat anxious about it; I haven't been in school for a long time and wasn't the most motivated student when I was.  Of course, I wasn't learning about something I have such a passion for either.  The classes are small, you get lots of support, and even get a free membership to the gym they train you in.  It doesn't start until September, which is coming on way faster then I would like (I don't want the sunshine to go away!).  Nevertheless, I am happy to finally be getting on with my life and working towards a plan for the future.
   I will be living on my own soon, and that means I am going to need extra money.  While I won't get full time work right away, I am told there are plenty of gyms always looking to hire new personal trainers.   It is also about time I learn more about nutrition, yet that won't be this term; one thing at a time.  It is my hope that taking this course will teach me the tricks and strategies I need to finally get into good shape and lose all this weight (I still need to lose a few inches on my waist).  Injury prevention will also be high on my list as it seems I have been riddled with one injury or another over the past four months.  Only now am I starting to get back to my full workouts again, and I am taking things very slowly.
  My life isn't the greatest right now; there's lot's of things I want to change and I still haven't made time yet to have that talk with myself I keep meaning to do.  Nevertheless, I'm still here living it, and have my wonderful cousins to get me through the stressful times and make me laugh.  Gotta love family!
  Even though I haven't started anything yet (not until September 12), my spirits are brightened that I am finally doing something with my life after all these years of first being a kid, and then the teens; finally my life seems to slowly be taking shape.  I can see the light at the end of the road, and the darkness is receding slowly, day by day.

Growing Up; For Better or Worse

   I am spoiled; anyone who knows me would say that. Yet what really is the definition of "spoiled"?  It is so wrong to have nice things in life?  By no means am I well off. I can't afford to buy all the things I want; I certainly can't afford to live wherever I want.  I have to work for a living, same as the vast majority of the population.  There's no way I can afford to just relax everyday and do whatever I want; not for very long in any case.  I work hard at the jobs I have, regardless of if I get to keep them or not; I do sacrifice a few extras in life to save money. Although most people I talk to would say I'm not living in reality, but instead a dream world where my mom pays for everything, I understand what I must do to get by on my own.  The problem is how do I go about doing that?
  It's not that easy to find jobs at the moment and with the economy the way it is; I have had extra bad luck in that area as well recently.  I am continuing to look in the meantime everyday and planning on becoming a certified personal trainer soon which will provide me with a livable income.  It's not going to be easy by any means to live as an independent adult, yet it will be done; for better or for worse.
  I've been told by friends and family many times that the lifestyle I am accustomed to isn't going to be sustainable on only one income.  I buy healthy, but somewhat pricey food, have a bad habit of going out for at least one meal every two days or so; a not-so-good idea when one's trying to save money.  Having a vehicle doesn't make things cheaper, yet for me it's not optional; the transit system simply sucks.
  It's bad enough to live on your own these days; living in Vancouver is even worse.  Everything here, from food to gas, rent to cell phones, is so expensive.  The city really isn't becoming one the average John or Jane can afford to live in.  Rent is ridiculously high, even for a very small bachelor suite.  How does a young person afford to live comfortably on a small income?
  Yet sometimes we don't have a choice in life; rather, we have a choice but really there's only one logical option.  When you are up the river without a paddle, you better damn well get out and swim.  It won't be easy, there will always be things against you, but you have no choice but to swim; the alternative is to drown.
  I am both pessimistic and optimistic about the change that I am going to have to adapt to in the very near future.  On the one hand, I would be happy to stay at home until such a time when I have a good enough job to afford to live by my (fairly high) standards.  Meanwhile, on the other, I feel like this is an opportunity to really be able to mold and shape my life into one I can both enjoy and afford.  I am planning to go get certified to become a personal trainer and hopefully be good enough that I can make a proper living.  The fitness industry is booming right now and apparently there are lots of jobs available if you are certified.
  I know it will come as a complete shock to live by myself, and although I know it, I also know there's no way to fully prepare myself for it.  I might have to make a few changes in my life, and maybe I'm scared about that.  Deep down though, and what makes me optimistic, is that I know the only place I can go from where I currently am is up. And as I see it, the only choice you have in life is to live it; to keep moving forward everyday, being the best person you can be.