Re-Dedicating Myself

*If you haven't, please read my previous post (Finding Myself) and then read this, it will make more sense.*

*(Listen to the above video, its what I'm listening to and you will get the feeling of this post way more.) Avenged Sevenfold - Almost Easy

To do a self-assessment is easy.... I took an amiss turn in 2010. Not too far away, however, the direction wasn't improving me as a person. I dedicated myself to working, missing the focus of just being happy and enjoying life. Because of that, it showed through my work. My photography seemed forced (which resulted me in discontinuing my Project 365 on my Flickr page), my writing quantity was little, and I was dubious of where did Kenon go? What choices made me this way?

Kristen, one of my closest friends told me the greatest advice ever:

"As soon as you can leave work at work and have a home life outside of food you will find happiness.... you have to have a line between the two."

Going to the Denver Zoo of Lights (I wrote a poem about it, I don't know the format I want to [if] posting my poetry on here yet) everything changed. At that very moment, I found myself again, my photos became more clear, and my writing quantity/quality skyrocketed. Being able to end 2010 on a good note from change is great, entering 2011 continuing down that path feels so much better!

Depicting through music, as well as obliging to the Kristen's advice, I knew a time for change needed to happen, and quickly. 

I'm ready to re-dedicated myself to my family and my friends, back to the way I should be.

Ate some good Pho with flank (hoisin sauce and sirracha on the side) at Pho Yo this morning!
 

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Finding Myself!

I decided to take a cold turkey break from blogging. Why? I lost motivation. Was it school? Or maybe working with impersonators wanting to be chefs and yet 1st year culinary students have more passion than them. I wasn't feeling it. I didn't believe in myself. If I wrote any material, all of it would have been forced, not organic. On top of that, I blew out my headphones (yes please understand it hurts.) Add salt to the wound, I put my Project 365 on halt (again, lost inspiration.) I knew it was all signs of saying, I need a break! My mind put itself to sleep, whether I cared to close my eyes or not.

That was then........ and now.........

I have close to 20+ poems written (some still in rough draft form), I'm planning my first personal major photography project (titled Nightmare), I'm working on new material as I type this, I have a... (I'll continue that sentence when it's proper to), I'm more focused than ever, and..........

>....... I'M FULLY CHARGED!

"I was married to a state of mind and I divorced it...." - The Roots

- Kenon Thompson

What Am I Up To?

Well to keep this short and simple..... I am currently listening to Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare (literally been on repeat for about 3 hours straight!) I have began writing poetry again and I love it! Right now I have a lot of material still in rough-draft form.

Christmas Break where are you?

How are you all today? Any updates on your material?

Relaxation!

"Oh that's why people sleep so much, it feels so good!" - Me and my friend Angelina.

Finally it feels good to just sit back and not worry "Is there something due today?" "Do I have to finish work or read for class today?" I now understand that sleeping isn't the enemy (I know who would ever think something like that besides me?) I've actually learned that if I let my mind relax, I can produce more. Well I'm loving this relaxation thing for Thanksgiving Break, however, I know things will become busy once the break is over.

SIGH!!!! Well I'll enjoy what I have now and think about then later on.

Suit, Shirt and Tie

"I would wear a suit, shirt and tie everyday, I would be a happy man." - Me


The perception of wearing a suit, tie and shirt must mean "Do you have an interview today?" "Is there something special going on?" Questions that my peers ask me when I go to school on a normal day wearing a shirt and tie. The weather is starting to become much more cooler in the Rocky Mountains, which means I can also wear the complete sophisticated apparel without feeling the bearable insulated heat of wearing multiple layers and the weather is still in the 80s-90s.

What is it about wearing a suit, shirt and tie that catches the attention of those in your prescience?

Personally, I love wearing the ultimate trio with no hesitation or special occasion. One, I feel more of a man (not to say that wearing t-shirt and jeans make me less of a man), the day I wear the trio, it always turns out to be a great day! I have a lot of shirts, ties and I will be purchasing more suits in the near future, in order to build my trio reserve. My closet thanks me for hanging more sophisticated clothes just so it can look better and I thank those who compliment on how I dress when I wear the trio.

The million dollar statement on the one topic everyone seems to have been divided on since the beginning of time. I beg to say that in this situation of mine personally "Neither the man nor the clothes make one another, the man and the clothes are representation of each other."

What Does Success Mean To Me?

For this post I decided to pause listening to Pandora (Michael Bublé station to be exact.) You will understand why later on, trust me.

Why would I ask myself this question? Success to many people vary depending on morals, standards, and overall level of happiness. What does success mean to me?

Above is a photo of my Associates Degree (middle), Graduation Medal (left) and School Coin (right). On the right you will see my School Coin. Traditionally every first year student receives one at the beginning of the school year. The coin represents when I entered culinary school (2008-2009), my first year of college; above my headrest (or on my desk when I stayed in the residence halls) is where it rested.The motivation of looking at the medal is indescribable. Long nights of homework (including no sleep at all), six-hour labs for three trimesters (two trimesters of my first year and one trimester of my second year.)

On the left is the medal all Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Majors received this medal at Graduation May 2010. Including one year of free membership with the ACF (American Culinary Federation) organization for graduating from the Culinary Arts program. Of course the big blue part of the photo is the cover for my Associate's Degree!

Success to me means accomplishing all of my goals, working as hard as I can to achieve greatness! My biggest goal is to move to NYC, work in the restaurants among the best in the United States, create and open my own restaurant and win my first Michelin Star (of course I want to win more, however, the first start will be the sweetest.)

The first blog that I began following when I created my blogs is by Brian Dubé "The New York Daily Photo." His blog, his photos and his stories of New York personally, historically and even from the point of view of others he include in his blogs are amazing! It has been without a doubt a confidence booster in my journey on moving to NYC.

One day I was viewing a close friend's Facebook page and she posted a video titled "Secrets to Success." Me being a curious person, I decided to view it. Eric Thomas, motivation speaker (greatest motivational speaker I have ever heard), has also been a major confidence booster for myself. My favorite quote (from him and in my favorite quotes of all time) is when he is telling the story of The Guru and The Young Man...

"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breath, then you'll be successful." 

To answer the question of "What Does Success Mean To Me" is the latter quote which I love so much I have to type it again and make it personal. "When I want to succeed as bad as I want to breath, then I'll be successful."

*Note: The reason why I paused my Pandora earlier is because I listened to the Eric Thomas video "Secrets to Success (Part 1)." Below is the links to both parts of "Secrets to Success by Eric Thomas." I also advise if you have a Youtube account to subscribe to his channel, watch his videos and share them with friends. Some of the best motivation you could ever get.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fsm-QbN9r8 (Secrets To Success: Part I)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftN1xPXFDzI&feature=related (Secrets To Success: Part II)

One Level Above Perfectionist

Tonight while I was at work, I was pondering to myself while still preparing orders "What should my first blog of the night be for my all night blogging?" Then it hit me! As a couple of orders came in and we slowed down for a little bit, I began cleaning up my station and the light bulb turned on.

For those who know me and/or just happen to be around me understand that I am a perfectionist. Everything has to be in its place, areas around me must be cleaned, documents in alphabetical (hence the photo above] and notes (school notes in particular). Technically and by the studies of doctors, therapist and scientist, I would be diagnosed with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Why call it a disorder? Is my need to visually and physically feel that items are in place a disorder? Am I not allowed to believe I deserve only the best of anything I come in contact with? This is not a disorder, no, I just have extremely high standards.

Yep, everything reduces down to standards. What are you willing to settle for? Is okay good enough for you? Is only being content really worth not going the extra mile for better results? Me becoming a perfectionist grew over time. I was a kid at one time, everything may not have been exactly in order, however I knew it was perfect for me. As I grew up more, keeping myself in contempt with those surrounding me was not a member of my standards list.

Attending college is where my perfectionist mindset blossomed from a seed in some soil, into a flower that wanted to grow in multiple soil types and environmental conditions. In an octavo point of view, I desire to be more then just one straight piece of paper.

Average—so far away from her I declared to be; in due time, I always declined her offer when she asked to just stand by me for a few minutes.

Perfectionist—my new best friend, how much I love you. The more and more I got to know you, the more and more you told me "There is always better and together we can grow more then anybody ever imagine." I look at her tonight, she looks at me and she whispered..... "Do you believe you grown personally as a man from the first time we met? Kenon, have I grown from the first time you met me? Have we grown together since the first time we met" I answered to her in sequential order.....

"Yes, I do believe I have grown from the first time we met. I wouldn't be the man that I am tonight if we never met. You, oh you've grown to be such a beauty. Never settling for what others would settle for. Your standards are impeccably incomparable to anyone else. Not only did we grow together, we grew closer together. You trust me enough to know that there is one more level above you that I can meet."

She then re-introduced herself to me as if we never met before.... "Hello Kenon, my name is Meticulous Perfectionist and it is a pleasure to meet you."