Author: chungwipff

Writing Update

I’m going to share my update with you in the hopes that you feel camaraderie. Writing can be a lonely experience (albeit a very rewarding one!). I like the solitude and the quiet. It’s actually what I crave right now, after the tornado of politics, media and my husband’s 50th birthday celebrations.

photo-1457369804613-52c61a468e7d

Word Count on my novella:14,176

Goal (approximate): 25,020

Children’s Book: Esther, Mia and the Stars – Spanish translation is done! Scanning of images –   80% complete!

I am strongly considering using Fiverr.com for the Mandarin, Cantonese and French translations.

My mother (I believe) will be very happy to do the Korean translation.

 

 

 

When Labels Are Necessary

photo-1478744919174-118dbd24973e

Labels are important on:

  • chemicals, poisons, toxins,
  • produce, canned foods, cosmetics, prescriptions
  • private documents
  • shipping containers
  • plants at a nursery
  • DVDs, CDs, records
  • clothing
  • contact lens cases (left, right)
  • luggage
  • shelves at a library, store, science lab

But labels do not belong on people.

photo-1469571486292-0ba58a3f068b

When we label each other as “other” (Republican, Democrat, poor, rich, stupid, illegal immigrant, foreigner, smart, crazy, disabled, etc.), we create a chasm which enables us to treat each other inhumanely.

We can each do our part by stopping this practice. Go ahead, try it. I bet it will make you happier.

 

 

What Makes You Tick?

photo-1477973770766-6228305816df

When I use the “chuck it” with my dog, Opal, she runs as fast as lightning. I’ll throw the tennis ball 6 or 7 times and when we’re done, Opal is exhausted and happy. And then she’s mellow for the rest of the day. She is kinder with other dogs and she’s a delight to be around.

When I skip my own workout, I feel sluggish. I don’t have as much energy. When I force myself to work out – despite fatigue – I feel energized and I’m ready to take on my work.

Sometimes, the “magic pill” is just hard work.

What is it for you? Meditation? Yoga? Weight lifting? Set yourself up for success and do it, even if you don’t feel like it.

Thank you (고맙습니다)

 

photo-1473703995546-38d41aa3eabb

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you for all the piano and cello lessons. Music has been a lifelong passion of mine and speaks to me in all facets of my life. I’ve developed a deep appreciation for it and (hope) I’ve passed that on to my daughters. You sacrificed money and time for us and now I’m doing the same.

Thank you for the Tae Kwon Do lessons. It was hard and it must have been difficult for you to watch Jojo, John and me kicking and punching and getting beat up by grown ups in class. When we broke boards, we felt a new found satisfaction in our focus and power.

Thank you for not allowing us to quit, even when we cried.

Thank you for encouraging and allowing us to work in the cornfields of DeKalb, IL. We got cut by the sharp leaves of the stalks. We sweat and walked 12-14 hours a day during “peak.” But we learned the value of hard work and the true value of money.

photo-1459257831348-f0cdd359235f

Thank you for allowing us to ride our bikes all over town and for speaking in Korean in the house and pushing Korean food on us, when we just wanted McDonald’s. We came to appreciate different spices and vegetables and it’s a lot healthier, too.

Thank you for not going easy on us.We learned to handle disappointments, heartache, and pain. I was able to handle difficult bosses, financial stress and cancer because you allowed us to become strong and tough. Thank you.

 

 

 

Nanowrimo

 

photo-1434030216411-0b793f4b4173
Green Chameleon

Whose idea was it to have Nanowrimo in November?

My husband’s birthday is in November – his 50th birthday, so we partied for TWO weekends. And then there’s Thanksgiving. To say it’s been challenging to write is an understatement, what with work, family, and parties…but it’s SUPER FUN!

I’ve set a goal for myself to write a “novella,” (7,500 to 40,000 words)  instead of a novel (60,000 to 100,000 words). I wanted to set myself up for success, afterall!  So I targeted 25,000 words and averaged it the number of days in November. Here is my excel sheet to monitor daily progress:

Nov goal actual  balance
1 834 300 534
2 1668 368 1300
3 2502 2218 284
4 3336 3327 9
5 4170 3870 300
6 5004 3870 1134
7 5838 4401 1437
8 6672 6014 658
9 7506 6440 1066
10 8340 7603 737
11 9174 on the road, wrote in word
12 10008 9122 886
13 10842 10682 160
14 11676 11201 475
15 12510
16 13344

As you can see, I have to write at least 475  more words tonight. So here I go! I hope you are enjoying the process and making progress. Once in awhile, I have to remind myself to HAVE FUN and not stress about the word count or listen to Monkey Mind! 

 

Just keep writing!

Filters

photo-1458872590620-5056e3311cad-1

When you are in the presence of a person who speaks his mind freely, spontaneously and thoroughly (often inappropriately) we say, “He has no filter.”

This is often a problem in the classroom when there are 34 students and the teacher has numerous goals she wants to achieve. The outspoken person not only takes up valuable time uttering words that have little to no value, but it can distract other students and take them off-task.

It often causes drama.

That student can filter his words, but it requires self-awareness and self-discipline.

We can ALL filter our minds. We are in control of what we choose to read. We are all, each, in control of who we socialize with and, to some degree, who we engage with at work. You can choose to read the news and get upset or, you can choose to opt out.

But how will I stay informed? How will I continue to participate in my world?

To which I ask, “Are you truly engaging and participating in the world when you read what inflames you and then complain about it?” How about doing some volunteer work? How about starting a rights group? How about writing letters to your state representatives?

There will things you see or hear that you do not like. This is when space is helpful.

Filter your world carefully and you will see a change for the better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 1,400 Mile Journey

 

photo-1463526402855-c5b2a04ec314

“Most sea turtles undergo long migrations, some as far as 1400 miles, between their feeding grounds and the beaches where they nest.”*

 

I thought of animals like the sea turtle who complete Herculean tasks as a part of just living. Since I started Nanowrimo and set a daily word count goal for myself, I’ve realized how it’s so important to stick to your daily goals in order to reach your End Goal. If I skip one day, not too big a deal, but if I fail to meet my goals two, three or more days, I’ve now got quite the task in front of me and it only adds to my anxiety.

Your good great health is built on a long string of days doing the right thing: eating well and exercising. If you skip too many days, you’re no longer healthy or fit and it’s just that much more difficult to reach your goal.

If you give 50% effort during several days of work per week (or month), the quality of your work (in general) suffers. You no longer have the respect of your peers, your boss(es) or your clients. Most importantly, you no longer have self-respect.

An off day is OK. But be sure to jump up and start your long journey right again the next day and catch up!

Each day is precious.

 

 

 

*http://www.defenders.org/sea-turtles/basic-facts

Wayfaring Writer

I’m still writing, just haven’t blogged about it. Thought I’d share the progress (and I want to hear from you, too!)

I am an entire day behind on Nanowrimo. As I wrote last night, I have been busy planning and executing my husband’s 50th birthday and it was WELL WORTH IT! 

My children’s book is also progressing nicely, my teacher/friend is halfway through the Spanish translation. Yippeee! Somehow, it looks more real when I see progress that someone else has added to it.

When I realized I am not on pace with my Nanowrimo schedule (approximately 900 words/day), I started to feel a bit bad/sad/panicky. And then I was reading The Book of Joy and Desmond Tutu said something that gave me pause: sometimes, our ambition wrecks our happiness.

All the spiritual leaders I know have spoken about this. It’s FINE and GREAT to have ambition, as long as it doesn’t stress you out and cause you negative feelings. I don’t want to give up my goals, but I also don’t want to feel bad when I don’t reach my goals. I’ve always used stress to motivate myself (so my husband tells me).  What to do? 

Work towards them and remain flexible for a bend in the road. Continue working happily. Continue working through obstacles happily. Work around them and just remain equanimous.

journey