Skilled

*backblip

In keeping with yesterday's backblipped photo, here is another one with a Halloween theme! My dad carved these last year, using stencils that he found online and printed. I'm not sure what the carving on the left is of, but I'm pretty sure the one on the right is of the Cheshire Cat from "Alice in Wonderland".

My dad is very skilled with his hands. Over this summer, he discovered a hobby: home improvement projects. He built a beautiful fence for our house, installed new blinds for the windows, and updated the patio furniture and swing set. He was so excited when he bought new tools for the projects and a big toolbox to hold all his new tools. I caught him admiring his new things one day. He looked like a kid with new Christmas presents. :)

I am happy for him. In the past, he spent a lot of time on the computer and was seldom noticeably happy. In the last 2 months, when he had ideas for a project, he couldn't wait to work on it. When he finished a project, he always looked so satisfied. I am sure that he felt a wonderful sense of accomplishment.

I am very much like my dad. I like to do hands-on work. I've knitted hats and scarves using looms and unravelled sizeable balls of tangled jewellery, but my specialty is organizing. I LOVE to organize my bookshelves the most! Taking all the books out, deciding on a new shelving order, then putting all the books back, etc. (Side note: Does anyone else love the smell of books? The smell of the pages always makes me feel calm...) Organizing is an activity that allows me to achieve flow (the psychology concept). I could spend hours being completely absorbed by the tasks at hand. :)

On a more career-oriented note, I loved working in labs. It was really cool to be a part of something that I once only read about and didn't completely understand and appreciate. Performing experiments and interpreting the results myself expanded my ability to digest and think critically about the material I learn in class immensely. It became so much more than mindless memorization. Working in labs was one of the best experiences of my life. I miss the lab... >.<

PS: I had already written everything and was just checking for spelling mistakes when I accidentally closed the page. DARN IT. Had to re-type everything, and in the process, added some more things. I've now spent more than double the length of time it took to write the original entry... And today's entry is a long one, too! XD