Plan for this year

The last couple of days I've been in hiding. I am ok really. Through all the ups and downs, I still believe I made the right decision in taking time off. Now that I get a year to myself, I've finally decide to utilize this time to do the things that I love.

1. Blog / Write - I always wanted to blog more but never had time. This year, I have the perfect opportunity to blog about whatever I want and add real content to this site.

2. Read - I am a real compulsive reader and there are lots of books on my reading list. I am also going to re-read my medical textbooks. If I set up a schedule every day I should be able to get lots of reading done this year.

3. Photography - J and I are planning to get a nicer SLR camera and selling the old one we have. I did a lot of smudge cleanup yesterday using Adobe Photoshop. Examples include ant and sunset picture above and icon on main page with little guy being crushed by stethoscope. Ain't that a good use for my stethoscope :p

4. Vector art - I want to learn how to make vector art using Photoshop Illustrator. Once I get the hang of it, I could submit my work to Shutterstock.

5. Write music - Still have to do some heavy editing using Overture and replay and re-record the pieces. I have the keyboard set up and everything.

6. Travel - J and I are setting aside some fund for traveling. Really excited. Will elaborate on this later.

In a way, I hope this year I get to do all the things I've always wanted to do. Medicine is a lifelong commitment and requires a lot of sacrifice, no doubt about it. In this profession, we keep telling ourselves ok 4 more years to go, 3 more years, 2 more years. Well, sometimes, you just can't keep putting things off. I am doing this for myself and I have no regrets or apologies. I know my parents may not understand but that's ok with me. For the longest time, I felt that I needed their approval in order to be happy. Now, I finally realized what I want. This is my life and this is what I want. Yes, I chose to go into medicine, and I thought choosing medicine meant giving up art. Now I know I will always be an artist. That doesn't mean I can't be a good physician, or vice versa. I need to find a balance between art and medicine. That's what I want to do for myself this year.