I've been thinking a lot lately. (Yeah, when is that not what I do? Haha.)

I went facebook-creeping today and looked up some old classmates from elementary and middle/high school. Yes, you read those two categories correctly.

It made me a little nostalgic about remembering how these people were back then and my shared experiences, if any, with them. Now they're all in the real world, working, and some are married. (Thank God they don't have children yet! I'm not ready for all of that clogging up my news feed...)

Anyway, it got me thinking about the friendships I've made and kept up over the years. I don't think I'd trade them for anything. These are bonds I'll keep for life, hopefully!

The nature of my friendships from high school are unique, especially because I came from an all-girls Catholic high school, which to some people may sound frightening and archaic, but again, it was a great experience overall, and I definitely would not trade it for anything. It is a great sisterhood and an enduring network. Yay Sacred Heart schools. (Sure, our class got along a little less than most years, but I chalk that up to us having dynamic personalities that either coagulated well or didn't at all.)

I talk to my elementary school friends much less now than I did when I was in high school or the early undergrad years, but I still know that they are there for me. I see them occasionally when I am home. Probably more now that I'm moving back home soon.

And my college friends...where to start? Lots of great and amazing people. The characteristic of these friendships is that we are all pretty highly educated, if not all well-rounded, but these friendships are quite transient and more prone to change for many reasons. It still remains to be seen which ones will endure, but I have a feeling that I can count on at least a few.

So, friends. Friends are great.

If you haven't seen or heard of this song before, no worries. I haven't caught up on my Kpop as I should have, as a loyal fan, but I've been watching and rewatching this video so many times in the last week, even if it is "old". (2011) Of course, if you don't know anything about Kpop, your excuse is better than mine.

I can't get over how catchy the song is, how cute IU (the singer) is, the clothes (I want that sweater!) or the fact she uses a TARDIS-like contraption in the music video.

Since this video has no subtitles, the song is basically about this girl who is waiting for the love of her life to wake up, but she travels forward in time to the day when he is supposed to awaken because she is impatient. Unfortunately, as soon as she goes, he wakes up. She never knew she just missed him until she meets him later, and he remembers her.

Where am I going?

Is this where I am supposed to be going?

What am I going to do once I graduate?

Is this what I am supposed to be doing once I graduate? (or)
What if I don't like what I'm doing for the next two years?

Where is my life going to take me?

These and a few other variations on such questions have been going through my mind lately. It seems like deja vu, as I went through some sort of questioning crisis like this last year when I was but a wee senior in undergraduate. But now, the panic is missing. In its place is more of an apprehension about the future and the choices I have made to get here.

Did I make the right ones? Choices, I mean.

With my impending move from the circle of people to whom I've grown close over the last few years, the transition will not be easy. Although by all logic, going back home is the best option, financially and for stability, it still feels a bit like going backwards for me. It's a complex situation - on one hand, I do not want to leave what I have here, but on the other, I don't want to go back to the same city where I spent 18 years of my life. Of course, it will not be the exact same; I will have a new job, one that I loved last time when I was an intern, and I'm sure I will not have problems making new friends and getting in touch with old ones, but I know it will not be the same. The change is what scares me because in a way, I feel like I am losing a support network, one that is bigger here and more readily available. (I've always been a little resistant to change, except for when I went to college, because I was so over being at home and ready to be independent and make my own choices, every day.) 

I guess what I am pre-mourning is how this change is going to affect my relationships. They are important to me but never quite as stable as family, so I worry about them the most.

On the other hand, I also am a bit apprehensive about my future career. Is accounting really what I want to do? For now, I say yes. That is something I have to figure out in the next couple of years. If it happens that I feel called to be something or somewhere else, I am sure I can find a way to fulfill that calling. (I just happened to think that perhaps I am more suited to a softer business major, like marketing or consulting, but that remains to be seen. Perhaps I can use those skills at another time. Jobs don't worry me as much because they will always be there in the business world.)

For now, I'll trust that I am exactly where I need to be, and if I am not, that the good Lord will lead me there in due time.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/02/25/172896675/cheesecake-factory-ibm-team-up-to-crack-the-code-of-customer-bliss

^ A.k.a. What do we do with all this data, and how can we improve our service? (I found this article interesting because we learned about data management and information systems last semester, so it's interesting to see a practical use for it in real life.)

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/02/26/172969363/how-the-food-industry-manipulates-taste-buds-with-salt-sugar-fat

^ Everyone knows that salt, sugar, and fat all make up the deadly triumvirate that is affecting our nation by directly contributing to the rising obesity epidemic. What is new is that even the CEOs of the major food companies mentioned in the article don't agree on what to do, mostly because they are pretty much held hostage by Wall Street. It's a difficult situation, though, because some foods just taste better with the salt and sugar added. (See the Kellogg example.) I also found interesting that a major player who was not a fan of government regulation actually suggested that regulation should be implemented for the greater good. Hmm.

And also that McDonald's has specific names for the shapes of their McNuggets. Who knew? (Boot, ball, bow-tie/bone, bell.)

101 Practical Fasting Ideas for Lent, Redux

The link above is geared toward a Catholic audience, but many of the practices listed can be done by any Christian who needs some inspiration about what to do for this Lent. I normally don't have trouble coming up with an idea, but this list helped me think of a few more things that I could do for the next forty days to improve myself during Lent and prepare for Easter.

Usually, giving up something, like a bad habit or eating sweets, is the most popular practice. It falls under the category of "fasting." However, there are two other categories of Lenten practices, almsgiving and prayer, that are not thought of as often but are just as legitimate. Don't feel bad if you haven't heard of these two categories; I wasn't aware of them either until a few years ago when the Catholic campus ministry at my university started giving out cards at Ash Wednesday Mass that featured five different suggestions for Lenten practices under each of the three categories.  

So, for Lent 2013, I am doing the following three practices:

1. Giving up Starbucks.
2. Attending Daily Mass on the days I don't have class. (Thursdays this quarter, Tuesdays the next)
3. Listening only to classical/instrumental music.

Now that I've put this on the internet, there's some greater degree of accountability...or at least I'd like to think so! 40 days and 40 nights...let's go!