CHOO onthis

So I’m 26 now and the whole quarter life crisis thing is so 25 (*FM). During my year of crisis, I moved to New York, went on some blog worthy dates, began to re-focus my professional career, and grew and learned a LOT through some funny [bad, sad, awesome, embarrassing] experiences. I know people always use the metaphor of a book and chapters in your life yaddiyaddiyadda, but with this birthday, I get this overwhelming feeling that I’m about to begin this new curveball, complete plot twist chapter of my life. I hope my gut doesn’t disappoint, because 27, 28, 29…I’m ready for you! (30 - I am completely frightful and nervous at the thought of meeting you, please take your time.)

Here’s a short list of things I’m glad I did/know by 26 and things you should consider doing if you haven’t already and are capable…because you are getting old.

Run at least a 5K but don’t call it a marathon - Running organized races is awesome and the feeling after you cross the finish line is inexplicable. A couple years back, the thought of running more than 1 mile was daunting so I started small and gradually increased the mileage - Disneyland 5K, 10K, 2 halfs, 15Ks with obstacles. This helped build my confidence and after each race, the next step seemed much more doable.

I still haven’t done a legit marathon and will never claim I’ve done one. If you’re running anything less than 26.2 miles, don’t call it a marathon we still have along way to go… maybe before 30? Here is the mileage breakdown:

• 5K- 3.1 miles
• 10K - 6.2 miles
• Half Marathon -13.1 miles
• Marathon - 26.2miles

Seriously, run a race. Right now. Do it. Sign up.

Go on some dates - If you’ve been in relationships for as long as you can remember and you’re newly single, go on a date…even if you’re not into it. You’re probably boring now, and tell the same lame jokes your ex did so go on a date to freshen up. You’re smart, hilarious, and most importantly - awesome. Remind yourself and have someone remind you of this. Oh, and be nice and remind your date of his/her awesomeness too (only if its true).

If you are quick to jump into a relationship like full on BF/GF only after a few conversations on gchat and some texts - slow down! If you know someone is “the one” and want to end up with them anyways - what’s the rush? You get to know a lot about a person when you are in the early stages (and it’s usually the most fun anyways) so go on several dates with your future Mr./Ms. Right.

Live with a roommate - Living with a roommate other than your folks can really teach you a lot…namely, consideration of others and responsibility. You probably do a ton of annoying things like leave crumbs on the kitchen counter, never take out the trash… You will never realize you are being annoying unless you are the one doing this for others. I’m not saying I’m perfect, because everyone gets busy - but at the very least, you’ll be more aware of your actions.

Have a taste in music - Okay, so you listen to the same music you listened to when you were in the 4th grade while all your friends are blasting the cool, new groups. Not everyone’s tastes are the same but better to have a different taste than no taste at all. Music is one of those things that help define a person…so…define yourself.

Travel - This is so generic and everyone recommends travel but please leave the state you were born in. There’s nothing greater than being able to connect with someone whose hometown you’ve been to. There are a ton of Colombians here in NY and I’ve found that they’ve been so happy to hear that I’ve tried Galupa, know what “en globado” means and visited Monserrate, Fusa, Agua. And no, this is not an assumption - someone actually said “I’m so happy you know my country.” If I was hanging with someone in NY and they mentioned they loved Mission Burger (and ordered the Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich) or climbed up Mission Peak…well, respect. Automatically.

That’s it for now.

Endless thank yous to all my friends and family for the love and for the life lessons. I am so ridiculously, undeservedly, blessed by God to have this life. Thank you for reading this entry. Thank you for reading my blog. Thank you for making chooonthis.tumblr.com your home page.