2
Feb
2007 was yet another hectic year for me, so I decided that 2008 was the year I needed to review my life, education and other goals. January has seen me reorganise my life (and time) sooner than I thought possible. I am now in a position to review the degrees available, make a decision and commit to a degree, but first I will need to sort out some loose ends.
Loose Ends
It is important the deck is cleared of loose ends and unnecessary things, before I set sail for the shores of academic success. Essentially I need my ship free of distractions. It is my aim to complete the following qualifications before starting my chosen degree;
Finally I will need to choose the degree I wish to study for.
Open University Options
The Open University (OU) distance learning is a good way for me to study, so it seems sensible to narrow my search to OU courses. Some of the courses I have completed might well count towards the following degree qualifications;
The Plan
To complete the SCJP this year, and finish the Web Applications course sometime in 2009.
26
Jan
Toward the end of last year I knew it was time to review my goals and refocus my efforts. Why? well the last few years have seen many changes in my life, including a lifestyle becoming so hectic that I was almost tripping over myself to get things done. Needless to say the quality of my life deteriorated because of that. So 2008 is the year to work out how much time I have, decide how much time I need for myself and how much I am willing to give to volunteering and my studies.
In order to achieve what I really want (what I really really want … LOL). I decided to pause the degree I am studying for and enjoy myself a bit, in the process I have the time to sort out my life and try out different ways of using my time. This also gives me time to review the degree I am studying towards so I end up with a degree I feel happy with, rather than one I just achieved for the sake of it.
So far I am happy to report that within only a few weeks of trying out a new way of using my time, I have found a way of limiting what I do which gives me enough time to enjoy myself, do my study and volunteer in a sustainable way.
So the next decision is, can I resume my studies this year, and what degree should I aim for. It seems obvious that I need to change degree I am studying towards, but which one?
12
Jan
I’m in the middle of reading some MySpace blogs, and a thought arose about how we can explore ourselves as people. So how many ways can I think of at the moment, lets see;
- Face your fears, maybe start with the small ones to get into practice.
- Discover your likes and dislikes, and go into both a bit more deeply
- Blogs, find peoples blogs (like MySpace) that you like, and look at thoughts and feelings that arise, maybe commenting what you find against the blog you read. You may like to look at some different blogs that are available.
- Try understanding people, maybe pick one you don’t like and one you do, and see where it leads
- Go boldly into the unknown (maybe facing fears), do something different once in a while.
- Change your life and routines. Maybe there are negative routines you could stop, or new positive routines that will be useful. I find that it’s good to always keep an eye on your self and your life and make changes anytime they are appropriate. There is no need to wait and make new years resolutions.
- Engage more with the community, go along to events.
- Volunteer to help others. It’s amazing what you learn about your self.
For now that’s all I can think of. I would love to hear your thoughts, so why not sign up and post some comments against this blog article.
Copyright Russell Smithers
5
Jan
Each moment of each day, the winds blow or go
The winds caress or lack of, relentlessly influences our world
Sometimes calm seas allow rest and reflection
Other times the wildness of change stirs us to action
Kept on our toes are those who embrace the sailor’s journey
Ever watchful and willing to act as the moment requires
The artful sailor experiences much on the journey
And at the destination the fruits of the journey manifest
The sailor appreciates the destination the more for the effort to arrive
Than for the sake of being at the destination
After all
Too long at the destination
The sailor is restless and leaves for another journey
Another destination, another cycle of mixed experiences
Cycles within cycles
Winds and stillness
Ying and yang
The wise sailor knows, all is within and expressed to the world
—
Copyright Russell Smithers
4
Jan
We have the power to do whatever we want.
All we have to do is take action and create it.
Taking action may require us to confront ourselves,
or, we may celebrate who we are, because we can.
Pleasure or Pain can gain, but just one creates imbalance.
Push through your barriers or embrace your joy.
In any case, take action by using your power to transform.
Do you really want to stagnate?
No, then go forth and live.
Yes, what, you want to stagnate? Err, why?
Copyright Russell Smithers
2
Jan
Today I see my life as a constant source of entertainment, each moment filled with colours textures, sounds and moods. Dancing together in constant flux influencing each other in a constant movement through clock time.
Copyright Russell Smithers
1
Jan
I let go of the past and focus on the now.
Like a surfer riding the crest of a wave,
I let the future take care of itself.
Copyright Russell Smithers
31
Dec
Earlier today I was mentioning to a friend how I remember certain things, and so I thought I would share a brief list of things I remember. I may even order them by date and add some extra details when I have time.
- The half pence coin
- Pound notes
- Polo’s were 7 pence
- Berlin Wall coming down
- Black and White Television and getting our first Colour TV
- The birth of home computing
- Before Mobile phones
- Sundays without shop opening
29
Dec
The following are lists of the blogs I have made on MySpace in 2007. There a few missing mostly a few without category’s which no one needs to waste their time reading. I excluded the Life and News category’s because to be honest it’s not worth reading them.
I also have to apologise about the layout of the following lists, they are not as nice as I would like, but it’s the best I could do in a reasonable amount of time.
Life
Writing and Poetry
Movies, TV, Celebrities
Dreams and the Supernatural
Web, HTML, Tech
Religion and Philosophy
Games
School, College, Greek
