Don't ruin the future!

Children are the future, they say, and I cannot agree more. Children hold the very power to make or break the future, not just theirs in the long run, but also our own in the short run, say 20 odd years from now. I don't think I'll be dead yet so I'd really like to enjoy my not so distant future especially at my golden ages.

I recently visited a semi-privatised high school in KL and the experience I had with these teenagers...let's just say, I felt the need to blog about this the very instant I drove out of the school premises. I have been visiting a good 20-30 schools in this past 2 months, not to mention my 2 years of teaching PE before this, and never had I met such rude and disrespectful 16 year olds - all 368 of them. And this was a reputable school, a so-called "Sekolah Harapan" (Hopeful School).

At the start of our event, I did my usual sharing of knowledge about exercise and burning calories and strength training, and I kid you not, for every question I threw at these kids, I was met with a resounding "NOOO!". It was their favourite answer for everything!

"Guys are you ready for an awesome workout?" "NOOO!"
"Guys any of you are athletes or play sports?" "NOOO!"

Everything! The negativity alone was enough to tick me off. Then we proceeded with the activity. We had asked some of them to carry some picket boards bearing motivational phrases on them to cheer them on. Not 10 seconds into their training run and these kids started throwing these boards around and whacking each other with them! I was apalled! We also had these smartphones on loan to them to try out an app and before we started running one of them already caused a problem with one of the units. When I asked him "What happened, what did you do?" (In a nice polite way of course, not implying anything to him) and he replied "Hang kei maaa, not my fault also!" ("The phone froze, not my fault also"). I tried fixing the app for him and while I did this he said to me "Samsung of course laaaa, not iPhone also!"...

There was absolutely ZERO respect for these equipment that were on loan to them! That wasn't the end. There's more. During the activity, I was counting out the number of push ups for a group of kids, and one of  them had the nerve to swear at me for every count. His words were so crude so I started counting from zero again. And again. And again until I was pleased.

I don't know about you guys but we were a private company visiting their school for the first time to provide them a FREE training session and the way I was brought up, we treated visitors with respect and politeness. Not with disrespect for another person's private property and negativity.

Oh, I should also mention, that for the FIRST time in the past 2 months, the school celebrated the LAST team with roaring applause and laughter. They were SO glad to be the losers, that completely shot my blood past boiling point!

Parents, I am but a humble 27 year old who is single and have not had children. I do not know what it is like to raise a child. But I have BEEN a child, and a teenager and now a working adult. So forgive me for saying this but dear parents, just what sort of attitude are you guys condoning for your kids? To celebrate negativity? To treat others with disrespect? To have no drive and determination to be the winner? Why?

Please teach your children to be respectful and positive men and women. These are the very ones who will be running the country not too long from now. Your children are a reflection of your parenting, whether you like it or not. They are what you taught them to be.

Today is about me.

In the past couple of weeks I feel like my life has been given new meaning. I have been working on a new project with a new company I now work part time for, and we've been visiting schools. The gist of it is we design programs to encourage kids to run and be active. For every session I was given a mic, I went up on stage, I provided information, I made them cheer, I jumped, I ran, I yelled, and I inspired. You may wonder how I know if I had inspired those school kids. I know. It was blatantly obvious. The way they laughed, the way they cheered, the way they lined up to take pictures with me. I saw the photos they posted up on Instagram. There's even a #karen now. It may just be that they liked me because I was a girl decked top to toe in Nike apparel. It may just be because I represented Nike, a brand that is not their school. Whatever. I made an impact. It was satisfying.

It's funny how kids will want anything to do with an outside glamorous brand and nothing to do with their school. I am the same Teacher Karen that taught the same kind of kids in the school I was with before. Yet just putting on some branded clothes and slap on a cordless mic and suddenly I'm way better than I was before to these kids. Funny.

That's just one part of my life that has changed. I have also been doing many things for myself lately. I have been putting my mind into a project with a corporate company that's about to launch next week. Everything from dealing with security forms, to invoicing, to creating my own letterhead, even interviewing my first new assistant, are all new to me. And I did it. It's an amazing feeling knowing that everything is under my own control. I have the final say. Everything starts and ends with me. I can make or break this deal. Some people may find this a bit daunting, but I am relishing every bit of it. I feel like my dream is beginning to unfold. I am finally about to step into the arena, representing nobody else, but me.

I may have become a narcissist, but I have never been more proud of myself. I feel alive. I wake up every morning with a strong purpose. My life right now, is about me. Everything else can take second place right now.

*cue* Defying gravity.

:)

And it's gonna be March

Time really does fly.

Recently I made a decision to quit a job I have been doing for over a year for a new job....for less money. Why? Several reasons. The old job was getting a bit tiresome and I wasn't sure if my knowledge and skills were appreciated or made an impact on anyone's lives. It was also a little regimented, in that, I have to work my vacations around school holidays and I always had to find a replacement last minute if I am unwell, which is both a chore and loses me money. The new job is exciting, it's something I've never dabbled in before, and it will pay me a consistent basic salary. Which is good, except that it's very little in comparison to what I was getting before.

I'm enjoying it so far now. My life has definitely taken on a new spin since I started this new job and it's refreshing. But I think I'll start missing the money though. I kinda wish the new job would pay me a bit more, but I've spoken to the boss and he said no can do, so I guess whatever it lacks in financial gratification will be made up with experience. It's a contract till December only though so I figured I'd give it a shot till the end of the year.

In the meantime I am hoping to get more PT clients during the evenings or mornings. I hope that the new job timetable wouldn't hinder that schedule too much.

I don't know. Feeling a little unsure about this new arrangement, but I guess it's all part of experience no?

2012

It's the 3rd of January, 2013 and like always, I do a recap of the year. That's my tradition. I stopped making resolutions when I realised I never keep resolutions. I do better when I just resolve to progress as an individual and do new things. There, done. :)

Anyway, 2012 was my first year as a fully independent working adult. Of course, when I say "fully" I meant still-living-with-parents-and-occasionally-using-their-credit-cards "fully". heh. Ok, ok, Chandler Bing jokes aside, 2012 was a transitional year. Here's how it looked like.

I carried on being Teacher Karen at a new school. The kids loved me (I think) and I felt what it truly was like to be exhausted from work.
I gained a few more clients, different ones, with different personalities and everything. Always interesting.
I got certified to train pregnant and post partum women. (Go me!)
I started leading my own platoon at Rebel Bootcamp.
I took the whole year off from full marathons and did mostly 10s and 21s.
I kissed someone who makes me very happy and hey, last I checked, he's still with me. :)
I finally found someone who's right by me through all my races ♥
I went on BFM radio 3 times, to talk about different things. I realised I like radio, might be something I'd consider doing in the future.
I finally watched Wicked the musical in Singapore!
I started re-watching old episodes of Friends.
I got a new bike from my brother! And I train more now.
I did another Powerman.
I went to Kuala Terengganu to visit the boyfriend's parents for the first time.
I went to Phuket and Krabi, which was amazing till I got food poisoning on the 2nd last day.
I fell deeply in love =)

Not that big a year, but significant nonetheless. I have bigger plans this year with all the bells and whistles and everything! Watch me defy gravity.

For a sneak peak at what I did in 2011, click on the year.

Life and death.

I attended a funeral service yesterday for a good friend of mine who had just lost his father. I was slightly hesitant at first because the last time I attended a funeral service, I got really affected emotionally and I ended up not being able to sleep the entire night, with shivers of fear going down my spine. Whoa, right? I know.

Anyway, last night I went with some friends and while listening to the eulogies given by this man's family and friends, it occurred to me how little I know about my friend. I couldn't help but feel ashamed, for we've known each other for over 6 years and I couldn't even tell how many siblings he had, and whether he was the eldest, the middle or the youngest in the family. And while the pastor was talking about Death being a destination, and how you should live life well so that when you pass on, your life can be celebrated, I couldn't help but think to myself if I am doing what I can to live my life well. I don't even have a hectic schedule, nor any status or celebrity, yet I couldn't even name the number of siblings my friend had. Who am I?

I think it's so easy to get caught up in the race of life, even for someone like me who is not climbing the corporate ladder. It's just human nature, or should I say Asian nature, to chase wealth and success and keep up with the Joneses. So often I feel the pressure to buy a new car, just because my friend did, or buy a house, just because this person did...I keep thinking "we're the same age! And she's not even living at home any more!" and stuff like that. But there's so much more to life, as clichéd as it may sound. There really is. I don't even know why I have like a gazillion friends, yet I find myself not making any plans on a Friday night. I'd much rather curl up in my bed watching old episodes of Friends. Why? I use to crave social meet ups and hangout spots. But I feel like I am no more interested. And I don't know why.

Hmm...maybe I am rambling a little off topic here. But I think initiative is key. I do not take the initiative to keep in touch with my friends, to visit my relatives, to spend time with people I love and care about. And I'm only friggin' 26 with a lame entry level salary! I'm not even anyone rich and famous!

So coming back home last night, I thought to myself, that I need to take more initiative. I need to step out more, do more, care more. I need to live well and make my time on Earth matter.

Annoyed.

I'm a little upset with myself. I overslept, didn't hear my alarm, and missed an RBC session. That's $$$ down the drain because I didn't hear the damn alarm. This isn't the first time this month, I overslept twice, although I made it JUST in time the past two times, today being the first time I completely miss it. And I don't know why. I've been so good throughout the year. But I know that I have no one else but myself to blame. And I also know that whining about it isn't going to make things any better, and it damn well isn't going to solve anything. So...-end rant-.

To try redeeming myself I went out for a run and started thinking. I need a more sustainable income. I love what I do, and I love the freedom of having my own flexi hours. But whenever I fall sick, or want to go on a holiday or an emergency happens, I am losing out on quite a lot of income and that is not good. I wish I have some sort of sick leave or something.

And so I think it's time I start making some big decisions. I've accumulated an okay amount of savings over the past year. I think it's time I park some of it somewhere where I can generate more money. Otherwise I'll never get rich. Time to start making some real money, Karen.