Showing posts with label lists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lists. Show all posts

Saturday, March 31, 2012

The Benefits of Unemployment


I recently started working again, after just over 3 months of unemployment. Over the last 3 months I have run the gamut of emotions over the situation from elation to despondency to dreaming to excitement to fear to insecurity to security to worry to hope to peace and so on.  I have also had a lot of time to think about what kind of work I would like to do and how I would like to do it.  Considering that we spend the majority of our waking hours at work, we’d best believe that what we’re doing is important and derive some satisfaction from it.

In the interim, I decided to come up with some benefits of being unemployed, to remind myself to be content and make the most of my situation.

This is my list so far..
  • you can enjoy early mornings without having to rush off, clutching bag, keys, half eaten breakfast and hairbrush..
  • early morning bike rides where it doesn’t matter if you get lost and have to dodge piles of fruit and vegetables while keeping an eye out for big trucks
  • you discover new interests such as short animated films e.g.  "Invention of Love" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTdzCAGH3lU 
  • there is more time to explore in a meandering, unhurried way
  • there is more time to dream, ponder, take photos and write
  • there is plenty of time to connect with people and arrange spontaneous visits
  • being the only unemployed person you know means spending great deals of time alone which leads to many fascinating conversations with strangers and fortunately, a few new friends along the way!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

On My Mind: A List

I love when you find a shirt that has a list of cool things..

I love lists.  I love the simplicity and brevity of points on a list and I love the way each point can represent so much.  (Might I add, I am not talking about grocery lists or to do lists, although they’re also fun to make).  I mean lists of favourite books or best spoonerisms or travel destinations.  Imagine my delight at finding sites like www.listverse.com or www.listography.com where you can read or create lists for any topic you can dream of!

Whether informative or serious or funny (personal best), lists make me happy.

And so, this is a list of my current preoccupations:
  • drinking cappuccinos in air conditioned coffee shops
  • delicious fried rice from the Russian Market
  • learning Khmer
  • Engrish eg. "The place where a fresh smell always lives" (on my notebook)
  • culinary delights (post of their own)
  • cute stationary
  • sustainable development and social justice
  • missing friends and family in South Africa
  • taking photos on the “toy camera”setting
  • making friends
  • writing
  • wondering (and hoping) if I’ll ever earn money from writing, photographing, travelling and spending time with people
  • finding a job
  • taking off on a bicycle without wobbling
  • mentally editing other people’s websites/blogs
  • daydreaming
  • Pinterest
  • breakfast wraps
  • checking for comments on my blog