I got to thinking about Americans who are overworked. This is an increasing problem in the United States. Employees in every field are overworked. How do you know if you overworked, or just simply working hard? Or is there a difference? I think there is. Being overworked is staying up until midnight every night to hit the daily grind again at 5 AM. Working hard is giving your all, making a difference, and working efficiently. At a certain point, you have to say: “Screw it. I’m done until tomorrow.” Some nights you might need to be overworked, but I suggest to keep the American dream alive, while still sleeping and having a life on your weekends. You earned your weekends by working hard!

I got to thinking about those who will never meet their potential. Most of the world thinks these people are the creatives of the world. Is this true? Are we just dreamers without real goals? Just because creatives don’t take the conventional way, doesn’t mean they lack ambition and goals. In fact, I’d argue it’s the opposite. It’s damn hard to be a creative. You must have a thick skin and let the rejections brush off your shoulder without notice. Not everyone can do this. Maybe our path to success is windier, maybe our dreams aren’t conventional, but creatives work hard, and should be recognized for it. We’ll meet our potential. Don’t you worry. And you know what? We’ll meet our potential with grace, money, and the feeling of getting what we’ve always wanted. There’s no success better than that.

I got to thinking about being duped. Should you trust everyone who promises you something, whether large or small? How do you get your trust back when they let you down? How do you know when you’re being duped? And what can you do about it? I’ve been duped. I won’t go into details, but I can say that it’s aggravating, disheartening, and utterly rude. Even though I wouldn’t call myself a people person, I would never have the audacity to deceive someone as I’ve been deceived. I’d like to think my trust in people will come back soon. I’ll let you know. End of rant.

I went to Thailand this summer. While I didn’t get to see Bangkok or Chiang Mai, I did see Phuket and Khao Lak. Khao Lak is a city on the Indian ocean side (I crossed off another ocean) that was greatly affected by the 2004 tsunami. In fact, Khao Lak had to be mostly rebuilt. We stayed at the beautiful Le Meridien Khao Lak property, in a villa no less! Thanks, #SPG!

I found the people of Thailand to be warm and genuine. Their food is delicious and the weather is divine. My brother and I went during off-season, but it was still a wonderful, albeit rain-soaked, experience. Here are some of my Khao Lak tips:

Go on an elephant trek!: Make sure the company you use treats the elephants with respect and love. Not all companies do.

Khao Lak town: Make time to visit Khao Lak town. There are some good restaurants (and a McDonald’s if you’re not feeling too adventurous). Explore everything the town has to offer. Odd fact: lots of eyeglass companies (like Pearl Vision equivalents). We couldn’t figure out why…

My favorite part of Thailand, though, was the wonderful beaches and people. Please go! It’s a great country.

I got to thinking about fitting in. Do you fit in with others? Have you always? Or never? Creative people don’t always fit in, or feel like they can fit in. After years of feeling like I didn’t fit in, I’ve come to understand something: you don’t have to fit in. It’s okay to be a loner; introversion is how we creatives get out our emotions. The best thing to do is write about it. Write it all down. Paint it. Act it out. Just do something creative. That’s fitting in, too.

I got to thinking about the UN campaign, HeForShe. Emma Watson spoke on gender inequality at the United Nations a few weeks ago. It was an inspiring speech, an eloquent speech. I never considered myself to be a feminist, but Ms. Watson brought up an interesting point: inadvertent feminism. I am an inadvertent feminist. I believe in gender equality; I believe that women should be paid as much as men. Really, though, why aren’t they? It doesn’t make sense. Why are women treated differently? HeForShe is starting a conversation; everyone is invited to participate, including men. And that’s what’s inspiring. We all need to be involved. We can all be feminists. We can all make change. #HeForShe. Here’s the video, watch it!

I got to thinking about Greek life. I was in a sorority. And I’m not your “typical” sorority girl. You know why? It doesn’t exist. You cannot assume that just because someone was in a sorority or fraternity that they fit a certain mold: vapid, constantly drunk, rapist, materialistic, dumb. Those are degrading stereotypes, and frankly, NOT true. Let’s try this: don’t mock someone for their Greek status. Being Greek has given me a lot: friends, confidence, something to do on Friday nights, sisterhood… and I wouldn’t change anything for the world. I know that being Greek isn’t for everyone, just like math club or drama club isn’t for everyone, but if you’re lucky enough to join Greek life, give it a chance. It’ll change your world. And there’s nothing more priceless than that.

DZLAM 🙂

I got to thinking about disappointment. There’s always going to be disappointment in life. I’ve always been one of those people who tries to hide from disappointment. I love the ABC Family show, Greek. In it, the character of Cappie says: “The first rule of avoiding disappointment… lower your expectations.” Is he right? Should we set our expectations lower in order to avoid something we don’t want? Should we carry out this pessimistic attitude in order to not be upset in the long-run? I’d like to believe we should. I usually do. But I also think that hope is what gets us through the day. We can avoid disappointment. But when we’re faced with it… we have to rid our pessimism and pick up the pieces. That’s when we’ve truly won. Take that, pessimism.

I got to thinking about people-pleasing. How often do you seek others’ approval? Do you think it matters what other people think? Don’t think for a second that this is attainable. You cannot please everyone. That would take all your strength. Just try to please yourself. At the end of the day, you have to do what’s best for you. And that doesn’t make you selfish; you’re doing what’ll make you happy. And that’s the goal.

I got to thinking about Cambodia. I was lucky enough to visit this beautiful, friendly country this summer. I truly think it’s a hidden gem that deserves a greater reputation than merely housing the world’s most beautiful, still-active temple: Angkor Wat. The Khmer people of Cambodia are accommodating, genuine, and truly happy, despite not having the wonderful luxuries we Westerners take for granted on a daily basis. Our tuk-tuk driver was diligent, eager, and so deserving of an extra tip. One thing about Cambodia: everything is in the USD, so it isn’t as cheap as Thailand or Vietnam. If you decide to visit this beautiful country, there are must-sees:

Angkor Archaeological Complex: All the temples are part of this complex. You must buy a pass. There is a one-day pass for $20, three-day pass for $40, or seven-day for $60. We chose the three-day, since we only had two days.

Angkor Wat: What a beautiful sight. Make sure to go before the sun rises, about forty-five minutes prior to sunrise. There’s nothing like it. The sun shines behind Angkor Wat to showcase a beautiful, old, and immaculate temple. Make sure to take lots of pictures. Internet photos don’t do this place justice. There’s too much beauty. You just have to see it for yourself.

Ta Prohm: This is the temple where Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider was filmed. You’ll see the tree that’s growing among the temple, rising high into the sky. It’s fascinating.

Bayon: This is the temple with the faces. That’s how I describe it. It’s not quite as impressive as Angkor Wat or Ta Prohm (but seemingly much busier), but it’s a must-see.

The smaller temples: We loved the smaller temples in the Angkor Archaeological Complex. We visited: Ta Som, Ta Nei, Prei, Preah Kahn (not so small, but less famous), and Neak Pean. Here, you can explore without the crowds. But beware of people giving “tours.” They do offer helpful temple information, but demand tips in return.

Angkor National Museum: This is a skip. We weren’t that impressed with it. It’s a high-priced museum without air-conditioning. And in the summer, there’s nothing more wonderful than air-conditioning in Cambodia. There isn’t that much to see; you’d be better off spending more time at the temples and reading about the Khmer people (fascinating people) on Wikipedia.

Cuisine Wat Damnak: MUST EAT HERE! It is AMAZING food! They offer a rotating tasting menu. I tried beef tongue here! It was fabulous.