Hello Everyone! This one’s a lighthearted post. I invite you to read this deviant article from the usually serious ones I write in this site.
Writing is a cathartic hobby that I cannot live without. Here are my musings which I believe you will enjoy reading.
Just had a long hiatus from writing in this site as part of my hobby as well as serious article writing for my students because of a very hectic schedule both in school and out-of-school. The semester is ending and I have to prepare exams for my students as well as perform administrative work that never ends.
Also, I have to fulfill my commitment to three research projects: one on coral reef restoration, another on economic valuation of a mining site, and third on impact assessment of sustainable development projects otherwise called SDPs.
Escape to a Virtual World
I could not do away with writing. Writing is both a hobby and a catharsis—an escape from the world of work and cares of life. I like to live my life partly in the virtual world-a world where you can freely express yourself within bounds. I enjoy both the process and the outcome; much more when people respond to my article and share it around the world.
Writing gets on my nerves and keep my hands, and of course my head, busy typing and thinking, respectively. I easily type what I think and that’s something I’d like to thank my mother who was once a Grade IV teacher.
When I was in the elementary, she usually asks me to type long exams for her students so my typing skills, I believe, is better than average. My latest typing speed in a typing tutor is something like 90 words per minute and I can go faster than that if I’m in the mood. But you cannot type as fast as you really think because thinking requires pausing, pondering things to post just like what I do now.
One-Man Army of Sorts
I had been so stressed out before because of so many things to attend to and so many commitments to fulfill. And I’m once a workaholic who wants to get things done as soon as possible. I have so many interests and skills that appeared to have made my life miserable. But of course it’s a blessing to be endowed with Swiss knife-like, all-purpose capabilities. I can be a one-man army of sorts.
I’m one of those called multi-talented and multi-interested (my own term) individuals. I can run a 10-K in an hour, SCUBA dive, draw, paint, drive, sew, write, shoot, strum the guitar, punch and kick like Bruce Lee (or maybe Chuck Norris?), assemble and troubleshoot computers, troubleshoot motorcycles and four-wheel vehicles, analyze data with sophisticated statistical softwares, but… nah… don’t ask me to cook or sing.
Among those interests stand out my desire to write online about anything that pops up in my mind. As a result, I authored more than six hundred online articles in various websites on various topics under the sun since I got interested in online writing in 2008.
Despite my busy schedule and whenever I have the opportunity like waiting for my turn to be called in the bank, I always find time to jot a few notes that culminate to a 400 or more-word article. I consider this not part of my work, but essentially a hobby that keeps me on the track of life.
Somehow my preoccupations brought with it too much stress which may be one of the reasons that I got seriously sick a three years back. It’s a nosebleeding episode that up to this time haunts me. But I’m thankful it didn’t recur since March of 2013.
Learning from Experience and Wisdom of Solomon
As time passes, so do we learn from our experience. I learned to adapt. My daily reflections while reading my favorite book in the bible, Ecclesiastes (written by Solomon who, Christians believe, was the wisest man who ever lived) gave me important insights useful in dealing with the endless queue of work and so many interests.
This particular verse struck me:
Ecclesiastes 1:18 “For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, the more knowledge, the more grief.”
This verse translated itself into my consciousness as “the more I learn about so many things, the more my mind and actions are preoccupied.” I, therefore, need to focus into something really worthwhile and do things in moderation. I can only do so much with what I have—my two hands and my usually sleepy head at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.
In reality, however, this does not always happen as I desire it would. Recently, I took a liking on Geographic Information System (GIS) modeling as a tool that I can use in mapping the areas where I conduct research. And for the first time, I did produce a good-looking map in one of my research articles two weeks ago.
Well, to be honest, I feel great doing a lot of things. And blogging is cathartic hobby. Writing online helps me survive the stresses of work and domestic concerns.
By the way, did I say I can be a good photographer too?
