Writing for a better tomorrow

I recently have been reading up on this series in "The Atlantic" about writing skills in schools across the nation and the consensus is not good. In an effort to increase writing by various methods, including memoir exercises and creative assignment, it showed that these ways were less effective than simple writing essays and learn grammar fundamentals. Indeed, my own writing ability can be called into question on occasion, as rampant misuse of grammar and creation of my own words have defied standard writing convention. For too long have I used the excuse that because I am an engineer it is okay for me to not write as well or as concise as my English/Creative Arts brethren, but alas that is just lazy thinking.

I want to really start putting an effort into this blog as a way of keeping my skills as fresh as possible and also to gain more speed and clarity of thinking into my words and phrasing. If you look at my previous posts, they are not anywhere close to Shakespeare and it is kind of embarrassing as even in the age of spell check there are posts that lacked proper editing. It is my belief that as I write more on this blog hopefully it will engage the best parts of my creative brain and make it easier to put my thoughts down on paper and electronically.   

Some things to focus on as I write more.

1. Writing and typing faster
2. Have a set goal and thesis
3. Create concise and coherent paragraphs
4. Increase writing stamina
5. Use more descriptive words and phrases

As a future thinker, I want to be able to work without any restrictions, especially regarding my own skill sets. I need to be able to do anything that is asked of me and be able to accomplish those goals to the best of my ability.
 

Working hard for the money

If it was easy then it would be done already, such is the case of life. I have been thinking a lot recently about how to make some extra money on the side, hopefully it can help offset the massive student loans that I am currently trying to pay off. The search hasn't been easy at all, all of the potential things that I can do requires a lot of initial time and commitment, sounds familiar right? I am trying different ideas in the hopes that I can figure out a way to generate an extra 1k a money tax free. The goal is well defined but the way I get there is a bit murky at best.

Some crazy ideas
1. Start a small tutoring business based on time management
2. Tutor math and science at local schools
3. Blog everyday and have a huge following (this means you)
4. Write a science fiction novel and publish it on amazon or as an e-book
5. Get good at singing and be a wedding singer
6. Start an archery learning class
7. Pan-handle
8. Donate blood
9. Be a test subject for hungry graduate students
10. Take out all my savings, fly to Vegas and bet it on on red

Now, I don't know how practical any of this is especially number 9, as I know those people will do anything to get a paper out. When I start to look into it more and realize the difficultly of legitimate ways to make money, it was very discouraging. I guess that's why it took so many years for me to find a job. It all takes a effort and a willingness to accomplish the goals that I set out to do, but I ask myself is it worth the extra time and stress?

  

Why Growth Unleashed?

   I've been thinking a lot about growth recently and how I could sustain it in my life. I have been on a tear lately in terms of learning and doing new things with my life. I enrolled in college and have been taking a bunch of classes just for the purpose of doing something new with my life. This leads me to wonder about how I can create a system for myself that feeds upon new ideas and goals in life.

   What I want to do is give myself the gift of knowledge. I often wonder about the times that I wasted as a child and thought about what I could accomplish had I not wasted that time playing video games. It could've amounted to 10,000 hours for the entirety of my childhood, which in Malcolm Gladwell's book, defines as the time it takes to master a skill set. Well I mastered some skills but on a whole, I wished those skills included a keen financial sense and also a mastery of the written/spoken language. These soft skills have had a tremendous impact on my life not only as a way to gain new skills but also as way to move upward. I am only now starting to discover how powerful and influental it can be. For example in engineering, most of the people there have specific targeted hard skills such as a heavy math and science background, but what gets lost in translation is that most of the key essential skills to move forward or upward is the ability to present oneself.

   An engineer with an decent ability to speak and write to others is rarity, often he or she is invaluable to a company, in general, with a growth potential to lead. Here is where I come in, I have a chance to become greater than what I am and all I need to do is to prove that I have the ability to grow and can take on new challenges. I see it as the only way that I can withstand any layoffs and downturns in the economy. I must prove to myself and others that I am not a one trick pony and can only do a certain limited amount of tasks. 

  Now here is the hard part, how do I accomplish this efficiently? Well, for one I can objectively look at my weaknesses and target them one by one. Maybe after that I can create a tree graph and list out some solutions that I can carry out. The big question is, how do I find the time to do all this and maintain sanity....
 
Growth, I want it... now if only I can grow taller as well.

Gypsy told me to jump off a cliff... I said sure!

Well, I went to the San Jose Renaissance Fair and I got my fortune read. I always have been interested in my future, even if it is someones interpretation of it. I've always been fascinated about whether of not they are truly bullshitting people or that they have a real gift. Maybe I am more gullible than most, so I decided to see what I could learn about myself.

Well it is as I feared, I am going to experience much work and stress throughout the next year. I will attain much success but I do risk a burnout in the near future and culminate in making a decision about my career. Not sure how to take that, but it sounds both good and bad.

She also said that the love of my life will arrive in 2-3 years...not quick enough for me. Haha, well time to have some fun right? Also a second love in my late 30s is coming, does that mean one is not enough?

I don't know I believe her, but it is fun to think about how life could be for me. Oh almost forgot that she also said that I should be writer because I have an untapped creative talent. Well I am currently 4 pages deep in my new novel, coming soon in 2015! Hey why not? I always wanted to write and now I have the motivation to do so because a gypsy told me I should. If I become rich and successful it would be all worth it.

 Someone will be my almost lover.....

Call me maybe?

The last couple of months have been one hell of a ride. I never thought that I would grow and challenge myself so much in such a short amount of time. None of this could've have been possible if I had not taken risks and let myself enjoy the ride. I have adopted a new philosophy in life, say yes to almost everything and do almost everything.  True freedom is so liberating, I'm not quite there yet but what I have experienced has been empowering. The ability to do whatever and whenever is something that everyone should have the means to accomplish.

In the past few months, I have audition for a musical, picked up Argentine tango, and started a new job. I have finally enough free time that I am venturing outside of engineering again to get back to learning something new. At my core, I am absolutely afraid of getting complacent in life and therefore I always want to learn something that I've never done before. The only problem is that it is hard to get myself to do new things without someone going with me. It still takes me considerable motivation to start something, hopefully I will eventually get over it.

I want to do everything I can before I die, I want to maximize my time. So, in the next couple of months I am going to start archery, stagecraft, and take voice lessons. I just have to make sure that I don't burn myself out.

Now for the in-flight entertainment.....

The world according to me

It has been almost 11 months since I last published anything on this blog. Where has the time gone? I guess when life is busy it has a tendency to discard the lesser stuff on the side, while the big events take place. A month from now I will have started a new chapter in my life, I see it as an opportunity to take me places that I could only dream. I will finally work in something that can be described as a career in aerospace company.

As I count down the days before I leave LA, it saddens me a little that I will say goodbye to the a city that has raised me up. I do wonder what it is like to start from the ground up in a place that is unfamiliar.
More to come, hopefully not 11 months from now

I believe I can fly

So I've been thinking about starting a career in music for some time now, yeah I know, Steven in music?
But for those who have heard me sing, it is a masterful delight to ones ears. I guess it really started when I took a music class in college and the professor said that I should keep practicing my talent. I thought about doing that a lot but the main question is if I could be successful in a short time or will the time spent practicing pay off for the time I'm losing out on doing other things. I really want to see how far I can take my skills and make it in the music industry. I mean if this guy can make it....

I mean he just had passion and it LAUNCHED 3 albums! I believe I can fly into an Ipod near you.

A long lost loved one..

This blog was supposed to be a window into my creative soul as it were, but yet that window has hardly been opened these past couple of months. I will do as best I can do create shorter and (hopefully) more numerous posts in a vain attempt to keep the dream alive. Man... making money on this thing is tough.