100th post

I was about to post my AlphabetChallenge post for this week then I noticed that it would be my 100th post.

So instead, I decided to do my 100th post separately and to do something special for you all. I know 100 posts isn't the greatest feat of them all, but my I've been told that with life being so unpredictable, you should celebrate when you can =]

I'm going to take you on highlight for you my lovely readers, 12 of  the posts I've liked most:

1. Woes of a college student was my first post and it really did just take me back to the beginning of my final year in university. By that time I had learned a lot, started balancing even more things, and in my opinion I began accepting more things as 'the realities of adult life' and all that jazz.

2. Does our education system need a change? was a big deal for me because after going into a number of schools and sharing my experiences with other educators and caregivers....this was really the question on my mind. Of course I thought about the fact that this change may be a long time coming, but will may take a longer time to get done. Who knows just how far the ideas have spread and how many people I've got thinking about it since...hopefully I've gotten enough persons thinking so that we can start seeing some changes....even if it's just at the early childhood level.

3. Do it anyway was another favourite of mine. At the time that I heard those Paradoxical Commandments, I was at an odd place, somewhat in between reality and trying to figure out the 'what next' in my life. Interestingly enough it was after really taking in those words that I fully dived into my non-profit organisation - Bloom Foundation for Education; and I love every bit of it!

4. Japan? got me excited to be honest.....but then I guess when I considered living so far away for a year and possibly not getting the chance to launch Bloom, work on grad school stuff and see my family.......I chickened out. Not too surprised at this though because I think at that point I wanted to go mostly for the chance to travel and not necessarily for the opportunity to teach English to others. My feelings will change though eventually, and maybe some other time I'll do this Japan teaching exchange program.

5. Of birthday cakes and bars was of course a favourite of mine because that was the party I planned for my hunni...with his super surprise cake that he totally loved! I still smile knowing that I actually successfully surprised him with it because I was quite worried that he would have found out some way or another (particularly through his younger brothers or my little sister). Happy I made his 21st birthday special...especially since we aren't big fans of our own birthdays but instead, or each others. =]

6. worldAIDSday - Know your status! was my way of spreading the word about some of the events happening in Kingston Jamaica for World AIDS day in 2011. I've always been told that prevention is better than cure, so I think it's important to remind persons to be proactive in protecting themselves, and to go out and get tested for not only AIDS but for other sexually transmitted diseases. On that note....you should go get tested!

7. Childhood memories was a mental throwback for me....I will admit that I had fun jumping on my bed, and I engage in the ever so fun-loving activity every now and again (when Mom is obviously not home). It was nice to recount the various things that helped to make my childhood so darn amazing!

8. Alphabet Challenge marked the beginning of my first blog challenge. The idea is that I post about a different letter each week starting of course at A. After about a month I noticed that 'posting on Mondays' wasn't going to work at all and now I pretty much just post one day during the week.....sadly it has gotten to the point where sometimes I end up posting two letter posts back to back because I'm too busy to make it happen in good time. But I'm working on it....and I've actually got another challenge when this one is finished so look out for it.

9. Blooming excited publicly marked the official beginning of my Bloom Foundation for Education journey. I'm extremely excited to help make a difference in the lives of these kids especially as it relates to their education. Of course the team and I haven't gone all out with the promotion and fundraising just yet, but listen out for us because it's all gonna be happening pretty fast. For those of you who want to know about the foundation, you can get some info on the Facebook page (click here) or you can email us at bloomfoundation4edu@gmail.com for info. Look out for our blog and website coming soon!

10. Surf's up was a post that came from an adventure! I'm a decent swimmer but surfing was never something I considered doing...especially not here in Jamaica. But when my boyfriend and I got the opportunity, we were pretty excited to do it even just for the sake of saying 'I've surfed before.' Life is unpredictable and I guess my advice is to enjoy it!

11. #TeamTal so proud .....this was one pageant journey I enjoyed from the sidelines. From the day Talia told me she was thinking of entering the competition, to even the day after the final coronation. I was glad to see that someone was able to learn from me and my previous pageant journeys. I guess it gave me that additional reminder of the purpose I have: sharing my knowledge and experiences with others so that they too can benefit. I honestly do appreciate that she came to me for help, and from it all I've not only built a friendship...but I also get to work with someone who's equally as passionate about making a difference! =]


12. L: Living by the rules of the Dalai Lama was of course an AlphabetChallenge post (note the format of the headline) but it was also a list of some things we could take into consideration to help make our lives a bit more successful, peaceful and maybe even more purpose-driven. The positivity of it really made me smile and of course got me thinking about my life and how I deal with situations. I've been told that self-improvement is one of the best ways to get closer to your full potential....so it's full speed ahead!


So there's that

Yes I know....12 is a bit of an odd number but when I scanned through the list of posts these were literally the ones that stood out for me. Maybe if I check the list tomorrow some would change but this is it now and I'm pretty happy with the selections.

Hope you all have enjoyed the first 100....there's lots more to come!