Share your hobbies with us!

[Jared_K]

I’d like to hear from all of you about what hobbies you’re into. @seoulsearch I‘m curious what you enjoy doing when you’re not being awesome online.

If you feel up to it, give us your favorite story(s) with each hobby if you have one!

Also, tell us about any hobbies you used to do, or you’ve always wanted to try but haven't got around to yet.

I’ve been playing piano since I was ten years old. So 26 years. I taught myself and I play by ear. Play a song you like on your phone, give me 30 minutes to study and practice, and I can play that song fairly well. I’ve done a few recitals, I’ve recently won over my nextdoor neighbors (which is great since I don’t have to worry about noise complaints ), I’ve gone to elderly homes and played classic and gospel songs, I just went to a coffee shop yesterday and played, and the barista asked if they could record while I play, and I got an applause when I left. It keeps me calm and brings me joy, and the “wow“ factor never gets old. I love making people smile with my music. My church has been asking me to play with them and I’m still considering it.

I’ve taken martial arts for years. Several different styles. Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, MMA, Boxing, etc. There was a class for children and my martial arts instructor confided in me that he was about to let one of the students go because he was struggling to follow the instructions. I told my instructor at 15 years old, “No you can’t do that! His mother brought him here to learn discipline, and if you give up on him now, he’s going to grow up thinking that everyone else will give up on him too. You have to be patient with him and help him grow.” A few weeks later, my instructor and I had a contest. We split the children up, and that child was put on my team. He had a tendency to turn directly around and mow down the line of children who were behind him, so I hyped the kids up, made sure that child went around the kids instead of through them after he was done, and each child was to perform a kata twice and whoever got through their line first wins. Well, my team won!

Recently these last 4-5 years I’ve taken up nutrition and gym-related exercise. Couldn’t recommend it enough! Eating healthy improves your mood, mental health, reduces inflammation, gives you extra energy every day, regulates your body, I could go on forever. Currently in the process of going through body recomposition, and the transformation so far has been very impressive. We all need exercise in our lives, even if it’s walking 30 minutes 5 days a week. Keep your body strong and your future self will thank you for it.

I’m a bit of a foodie. I‘m always willing to try new things. I love sushi, Indian cuisine, dim sum, chinese, Mexican, american, Italian, you name it. I don’t fear vegetables, I embrace them. Haha.

I love watching movies and some TV shows. Not a big fan of drama but I enjoy comedies, horror movies, inspirational films, action-adventure, thrillers, science fiction, the occasional documentaries, and I don’t shy away from animated films either. My favorite style of film is stop-motion animation because of the amount of effort that goes into it. Some of my favorite movies are Back to the Future trilogy, the Harry Potter series, The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies, Terminator 1-2, The Titanic, the Avatar movies. Some of my favorite TV shows are Everybody Loves Raymond, Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, House M.D. Some of my favorite comedians are John Pinette, Ben Bailey and Bill Cosby.

I used to play video games a lot and I still do sometimes, mainly just relaxing ones now. I used to be more focused on action and keeping my reflexes sharp but lately I’ve hung up my virtual swords and grabbed my farming tools and live the simple life. Create, build and grow rather than destroy.

I‘ve recently taken up hiking too, no fantastic stories to mention yet, but beautiful landscapes.

Hobbies I used to do? Sports. Mainly soccer, baseball and football. Car accident changed a lot of things.

Hobbies I want to get into but haven’t yet?

- Cooking (Just need a little extra cash until I perfect it) and I can cook a little bit but I want to do more

- Dancing (haven’t had a dance partner or made the time to take lessons)

- Travel (just haven’t really had a chance to do so yet). I’d like to visit Italy, France, England and Japan just to name a few.

- Learning new languages.

- Something a little farther from realistic expectations is I would love to learn how to fly planes. Maybe someday.

 

[Lynx]

I’d like to hear from all of you about what hobbies you’re into. @seoulsearch I‘m curious what you enjoy doing when you’re not being awesome online.

If you feel up to it, give us your favorite story(s) with each hobby if you have one!

Also, tell us about any hobbies you used to do, or you’ve always wanted to try but haven't got around to yet.

I’ve been playing piano since I was ten years old. So 26 years. I taught myself and I play by ear. Play a song you like on your phone, give me 30 minutes to study and practice, and I can play that song fairly well. I’ve done a few recitals, I’ve recently won over my nextdoor neighbors (which is great since I don’t have to worry about noise complaints ), I’ve gone to elderly homes and played classic and gospel songs, I just went to a coffee shop yesterday and played, and the barista asked if they could record while I play, and I got an applause when I left. It keeps me calm and brings me joy, and the “wow“ factor never gets old. I love making people smile with my music. My church has been asking me to play with them and I’m still considering it.

I’ve taken martial arts for years. Several different styles. Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, MMA, Boxing, etc. There was a class for children and my martial arts instructor confided in me that he was about to let one of the students go because he was struggling to follow the instructions. I told my instructor at 15 years old, “No you can’t do that! His mother brought him here to learn discipline, and if you give up on him now, he’s going to grow up thinking that everyone else will give up on him too. You have to be patient with him and help him grow.” A few weeks later, my instructor and I had a contest. We split the children up, and that child was put on my team. He had a tendency to turn directly around and mow down the line of children who were behind him, so I hyped the kids up, made sure that child went around the kids instead of through them after he was done, and each child was to perform a kata twice and whoever got through their line first wins. Well, my team won!

Recently these last 4-5 years I’ve taken up nutrition and gym-related exercise. Couldn’t recommend it enough! Eating healthy improves your mood, mental health, reduces inflammation, gives you extra energy every day, regulates your body, I could go on forever. Currently in the process of going through body recomposition, and the transformation so far has been very impressive. We all need exercise in our lives, even if it’s walking 30 minutes 5 days a week. Keep your body strong and your future self will thank you for it.

I’m a bit of a foodie. I‘m always willing to try new things. I love sushi, Indian cuisine, dim sum, chinese, Mexican, american, Italian, you name it. I don’t fear vegetables, I embrace them. Haha.

I love watching movies and some TV shows. Not a big fan of drama but I enjoy comedies, horror movies, inspirational films, action-adventure, thrillers, science fiction, the occasional documentaries, and I don’t shy away from animated films either. My favorite style of film is stop-motion animation because of the amount of effort that goes into it. Some of my favorite movies are Back to the Future trilogy, the Harry Potter series, The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies, Terminator 1-2, The Titanic, the Avatar movies. Some of my favorite TV shows are Everybody Loves Raymond, Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, House M.D. Some of my favorite comedians are John Pinette, Ben Bailey and Bill Cosby.

I used to play video games a lot and I still do sometimes, mainly just relaxing ones now. I used to be more focused on action and keeping my reflexes sharp but lately I’ve hung up my virtual swords and grabbed my farming tools and live the simple life. Create, build and grow rather than destroy.

I‘ve recently taken up hiking too, no fantastic stories to mention yet, but beautiful landscapes.

Hobbies I used to do? Sports. Mainly soccer, baseball and football. Car accident changed a lot of things.

Hobbies I want to get into but haven’t yet?

- Cooking (Just need a little extra cash until I perfect it) and I can cook a little bit but I want to do more

- Dancing (haven’t had a dance partner or made the time to take lessons)

- Travel (just haven’t really had a chance to do so yet). I’d like to visit Italy, France, England and Japan just to name a few.

- Learning new languages.

- Something a little farther from realistic expectations is I would love to learn how to fly planes. Maybe someday.

Howdy Jared and welcome to the forum.

We have a few hobby threads around here. They crop up every now and then.

I am also a music nerd and a foodie. There are only two kinds of food I don't like. Food that bites first and food that is an imitation of what it is supposed to be. Fast food burgers and cauliflower crust pizza are on that second list.

My music collection is all christian, but it is more than 11,000 tracks and it includes banjo bluegrass, rap, Southern gospel, heavy metal, jamaican, black choir, college choirs, country...

I like to run old records and cassettes, record the audio in a computer, then chop them up into tracks and save them. I've gotten more than 2,000 tracks from old records alone.

I also like to use a digital audio workstation, reaper specifically, along with some virtual instruments and effects to make some soundtracks for songs I like to sing. That way I can sing what I want at church without making the piano player learn yet another song.

I should note that I am not nearly good enough to play in real time on stage at church. I'm just barely good enough to play what I want in a soundtrack, with a lot of cheating like slowing down the tempo when I play and speeding it back up for playback, and quantizing a lot.

 

[tourist]

My hobby, or pastime is reading, mostly fiction. Also, I spend a good amount of time on Christian Chat, mostly in the Singles Forum, spending time in conversation with the peeps.

 

[seoulsearch]

I’d like to hear from all of you about what hobbies you’re into. @seoulsearch I‘m curious what you enjoy doing when you’re not being awesome online.

If you feel up to it, give us your favorite story(s) with each hobby if you have one!

Also, tell us about any hobbies you used to do, or you’ve always wanted to try but haven't got around to yet.

I’ve been playing piano since I was ten years old. So 26 years. I taught myself and I play by ear. Play a song you like on your phone, give me 30 minutes to study and practice, and I can play that song fairly well. I’ve done a few recitals, I’ve recently won over my nextdoor neighbors (which is great since I don’t have to worry about noise complaints ), I’ve gone to elderly homes and played classic and gospel songs, I just went to a coffee shop yesterday and played, and the barista asked if they could record while I play, and I got an applause when I left. It keeps me calm and brings me joy, and the “wow“ factor never gets old. I love making people smile with my music. My church has been asking me to play with them and I’m still considering it.

I’ve taken martial arts for years. Several different styles. Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, MMA, Boxing, etc. There was a class for children and my martial arts instructor confided in me that he was about to let one of the students go because he was struggling to follow the instructions. I told my instructor at 15 years old, “No you can’t do that! His mother brought him here to learn discipline, and if you give up on him now, he’s going to grow up thinking that everyone else will give up on him too. You have to be patient with him and help him grow.” A few weeks later, my instructor and I had a contest. We split the children up, and that child was put on my team. He had a tendency to turn directly around and mow down the line of children who were behind him, so I hyped the kids up, made sure that child went around the kids instead of through them after he was done, and each child was to perform a kata twice and whoever got through their line first wins. Well, my team won!

Recently these last 4-5 years I’ve taken up nutrition and gym-related exercise. Couldn’t recommend it enough! Eating healthy improves your mood, mental health, reduces inflammation, gives you extra energy every day, regulates your body, I could go on forever. Currently in the process of going through body recomposition, and the transformation so far has been very impressive. We all need exercise in our lives, even if it’s walking 30 minutes 5 days a week. Keep your body strong and your future self will thank you for it.

I’m a bit of a foodie. I‘m always willing to try new things. I love sushi, Indian cuisine, dim sum, chinese, Mexican, american, Italian, you name it. I don’t fear vegetables, I embrace them. Haha.

I love watching movies and some TV shows. Not a big fan of drama but I enjoy comedies, horror movies, inspirational films, action-adventure, thrillers, science fiction, the occasional documentaries, and I don’t shy away from animated films either. My favorite style of film is stop-motion animation because of the amount of effort that goes into it. Some of my favorite movies are Back to the Future trilogy, the Harry Potter series, The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies, Terminator 1-2, The Titanic, the Avatar movies. Some of my favorite TV shows are Everybody Loves Raymond, Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, House M.D. Some of my favorite comedians are John Pinette, Ben Bailey and Bill Cosby.

I used to play video games a lot and I still do sometimes, mainly just relaxing ones now. I used to be more focused on action and keeping my reflexes sharp but lately I’ve hung up my virtual swords and grabbed my farming tools and live the simple life. Create, build and grow rather than destroy.

I‘ve recently taken up hiking too, no fantastic stories to mention yet, but beautiful landscapes.

Hobbies I used to do? Sports. Mainly soccer, baseball and football. Car accident changed a lot of things.

Hobbies I want to get into but haven’t yet?

- Cooking (Just need a little extra cash until I perfect it) and I can cook a little bit but I want to do more

- Dancing (haven’t had a dance partner or made the time to take lessons)

- Travel (just haven’t really had a chance to do so yet). I’d like to visit Italy, France, England and Japan just to name a few.

- Learning new languages.

- Something a little farther from realistic expectations is I would love to learn how to fly planes. Maybe someday.

Hi @Jared_K,

Thanks very much for the mention -- I'm honored to be asked. However, I feel like I'm going to be a bit of a disappointment compared to your vast number of achievements! WOW!!! I'm so sorry about your car accident but it certainly looks like it hasn't slowed you down!

One thing is for sure, you are a MOTIVATOR among motivators, completely in your own league. All those famous self-help gurus had better move out of the way, and quickly, because @Jared_K is coming through and God is going to use him to get people to MOVE!!!

I'm also glad to see that you are one of the sensible people who know there were only 2 Terminator movies. The piano playing is awesome, because it really helps others. Reminds of me David playing music for Saul when he was in a troubled state of mind.

Your post reminds of me of different phases in my life when God opened doors and I wanted to try EVERYTHING. But over time, I learned just for myself (others are built differently,) I can only concentrate on a few things at a time. I have to be picky about where I spend my time and resources. I'll never be a master in any area but I do try to be at least a little better in some things rather than scattering my energy on too many things.

In the past, I was very into sewing. If I was ever wearing a dress, it was because I had made it. One of my best projects was when a co-worker was pregnant and didn't have money for maternity clothes. I had some extra fabric and asked God how I could adjust a pattern for her. I took a pattern for sweat pants and instead made them into khakis (to make them work-appropriate,) but with an elastic waist to "grow" with her and her baby. I added pockets and made them look like regular dress pants -- and she said they were some comfy that it was like wearing pajamas. I had some other fabric I really loved (mint green satin,) but God told me to make a dress for a co-worker instead. She was so excited, she showed everyone in her family. My skills were only mid-level, but I tried my best to make simple patterns into something creative and functional.

These days, my eyes can't take the fine, close up work very well (it gives me headaches,) so I'm trying to shift into other things. My family will still send me home with a stack of their clothes that need to be hemmed (taken up,) repaired, or adjusted if it's not above my skill level. (I had to turn down completely replacing a zipper in a pair of jeans. I can install a zipper from scratch, but trying to replace one without ruining the already-finished item wasn't something I was sure I could do.) I met a lady who's a quilter -- I don't know anything about quilting, but some of the basics are very similar. She has arthritis so some of the prep work is harder for her. She'll give me a stack of things she needs cut, and I can work on it at home in my spare time and send them back when I'm done. I love little things like this! I'm built for a lot of simple, repetitive work, and it's highly motivating to me if it's helpful to someone else's work.

As you can see in my avatar, another hobby is (trying to) grow plants. I've tried for years in various environments and have always had a black thumb -- which is embarrassing, because I've had family members who were professional farmers! But after over a decade of trying, I'm finally having some successes. My current avatar is one of my last strawberries of the season -- which clearly tried to identify as both a donut AND a heart. I can only have a container garden, and find this keeps me from taking on too much.

I'm also trying to get back into making bracelets like this:

I'm sure most women remember the humble string friendship bracelets from school, but I like a lot of the crazier patterns that start out with 32 strings -- and you tie, and you tie, and you tie the knots until they turn into something like this. It completely scrambles my brain, but I like the challenge. Oddly, I don't really wear them myself, but love giving them away. They're inexpensive and just take (for me at least,) a lot of concentration and time!

As is usual with my posts, this is turning into a novel, so I thing I'm going to end this one and start another.

Aren't you so glad you asked about my hobbies?

Seriously, I'm very honored that you asked, and am grateful for the opportunity to share.

Now on to Part 2 in the very boring, very ordinary day of the Life of Seoulsearch!!

 

[seoulsearch]

Part 2, Continued!


I spend a lot of time reading (mostly articles rather than books, because I like to cover a lot of different topics,) listening to educational videos/podcasts while exercising, and writing. Nothing ever comes to me naturally. I always tell my Mom that I am the black sheep of the family -- my family members are genius-level smart who are self-taught in languages, home renovation, repairs (like washing machines and other appliances,) stone setting, and tons of other things.

As for me?? Heck no!! God made me so that with anything, I have to start from the ground up, find any source I can to learn from (and I can't learn from just books, I have to see it demonstrated -- YouTube was truly a God-send for me!), then practice, redo, re-step, and REPEAT -- or else I lose it. And if enough time goes by, I lose what I learn and have to relearn it all over again (I've often wondered if I have a learning disorder, but I've never been diagnosed.)

I often feel like Gideon -- the least and lowest of my tribe -- most definitely the runt of the litter!! But this is something I love about God. Sometimes, He specifically picks runts to do things in ways others never thought of before.

People often comment on my writing, which I greatly appreciate -- but God had me writing letters from the time I could form full sentences -- and it eventually replaced any time I used to spend on TV and movies. I try to hand-write letters on a regular basis to keep myself in practice. I get most of my thread ideas from conversations and reading, and I brainstorm many of them with my keep-in-touch group first ("What do you think of this wording?" "Am I going too far?" "Does this come across clearly?" "Will these poll answers work?") For the most part, it's "work" that I love, and it's come in handy in different ways throughout my life. When I used to write inmates, I asked God to please help me push what's possible in writing to the max and into overdrive, in order to help people feel that they aren't so lonely and are participating in something meaningful. Even if it's just for a moment, I had the goal of trying to carry people outside of their everyday life through writing. But I have to practice constantly, which is what I try to do here on CC.

I used to love travel but have growing problems with motion sickness and claustrophobia -- definitely not ideal for a jet-setting life! But I'd been praying for years that on my vacations, I could to help my friends in other states who own businesses, and God has been so gracious in allowing me to do that. I have one friend who runs a Christian non-profit -- she was so overwhelmed with all the receipts she had to sort out. I would love to be able to fly out and help her with this a few times a year if I could. I know it sounds weird, but I would find a huge box of receipts that needed to be sorted out as being kind of like the miller's daughter in Rumpelstiltskin -- it would be like trying to spin straw into gold! But I actually like simple organizing tasks like this, especially if it's helping out a friend.

And, having long-time friends who are also single and working hard to save money is also changing the game. A friend recently asked if I'd consider going to Japan in a few years... I would LOVE to see Japan, but I'm praying a lot about how I could work around what I know are my own limitations.

Lastly... I've been debating and actually praying about whether I should even mention the interest that's been taking up most of my time, because I know it's controversial.

Somewhere around the summer of 2022, I can still remember God waking me up and telling me, "You need to learn about (finances.)" My parents always instilled the basics of saving, distinguishing between needs and wants (and letting most of the wants go,) having an emergency fund, etc. For years, a family member had been trying to teach me about the stock market, and even though I tried and tried, I just couldn't get a grasp on it. Now I feel like God's pretty much thrown me into the deep end (with learning, but not actually carrying out everything I learn,) and it is a constant study.

And now I know why. Several of the people I love are getting to a point where these things have become very important to them. I know God is telling me, "I want you to be able to keep up with these conversations." My calling is such that God always has me learning new "languages" (aspects of life) to be able to have meaningful talks with people about the things that are important to them, because this opens the door to spiritual conversations.

For instance, there's a very popular ETF (exchange traded fund) that people are talking about, but from the basics of what God's taught me, I understand the general gist of what the fund managers are trying to do -- and also why it's failing.

Right now I'm in the middle of trying to learn about a trade called the Iron Condor because someone I know is very interested in it -- and it has so many mechanics that I literally have to draw myself kindergarten-level diagrams to try to keep up!!! It might be easy for some people (as it seems to be for this person,) but it SURE isn't easy for me.

Even though I have NO plans to actually utilize this myself -- I know God is telling me to stay in the running when I hear it brought up in conversations.

I've seen a lot of posts here on CC over the years saying that the stock market is evil, and will say it's all for the love of money (which is the "root of all kinds of evil", as the Bible tells us.) And I fully believe we all have to go where God is leading. If God is telling someone to stay away, then most definitely, don't go there.

But as for me, I'm at a point where a time is coming where I might have to be financially responsible for others, and my friends are asking me where they should invest their IRA's, 401K's...

And I know God is saying that this is one way in which He is calling me to help -- to do the research they don't have time to do.

So... I'm basically a full-time student in my free time.

It's not a very exciting life, but I am thankful that it has been a very blessed one.

Thank you so much for asking!

 

[Jared_K]

Howdy Jared and welcome to the forum.

We have a few hobby threads around here. They crop up every now and then.

I am also a music nerd and a foodie. There are only two kinds of food I don't like. Food that bites first and food that is an imitation of what it is supposed to be. Fast food burgers and cauliflower crust pizza are on that second list.

My music collection is all christian, but it is more than 11,000 tracks and it includes banjo bluegrass, rap, Southern gospel, heavy metal, jamaican, black choir, college choirs, country...

I like to run old records and cassettes, record the audio in a computer, then chop them up into tracks and save them. I've gotten more than 2,000 tracks from old records alone.

I also like to use a digital audio workstation, reaper specifically, along with some virtual instruments and effects to make some soundtracks for songs I like to sing. That way I can sing what I want at church without making the piano player learn yet another song.

I should note that I am not nearly good enough to play in real time on stage at church. I'm just barely good enough to play what I want in a soundtrack, with a lot of cheating like slowing down the tempo when I play and speeding it back up for playback, and quantizing a lot.

A fellow musician! I love it. Sounds like you're a musical wizard on the workstation with a great taste in music!

My hobby, or pastime is reading, mostly fiction. Also, I spend a good amount of time on Christian Chat, mostly in the Singles Forum, spending time in conversation with the peeps.

Reading is something I enjoy doing but I’ve also heard it can strain the eyes. I‘m thinking about starting a Kindle collection where I can make the letters bigger. And a social butterfly! We all need to stay connected and I’m glad you’re here.

Hi @Jared_K,

Thanks very much for the mention -- I'm honored to be asked. However, I feel like I'm going to be a bit of a disappointment compared to your vast number of achievements! WOW!!! I'm so sorry about your car accident but it certainly looks like it hasn't slowed you down!

Seriously, I'm very honored that you asked, and am grateful for the opportunity to share.

Now on to Part 2 in the very boring, very ordinary day of the Life of Seoulsearch!!

I appreciate all the flattery and such kind words, but I assure you I’m just your average Joe who believes wholeheartedly in the Lord and also happens to have a lot on his mind. As you can tell. Haha. I’ve been hearing a lot this last year about motivating and inspiring. Though I’ve never really thought of myself that way. Perhaps I’ve accidentally discovered a new hobby...

And yes…I am glad I asked. I love learning about others, which could also be considered a hobby of mine.

Wow, your story as a seamstress had me tearing up. What a lovely thing to do for people in need! It warms my heart. You remind me of myself—You find joy and fulfillment in helping others and you’re talented with your hands. Sewing, quilt prep, bracelet making, gardening, writing, typing up well-thought out threads online leading to thought-provoking messages—and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. You also hold yourself accountable. It can be a little stressful sometimes wondering if you said or did the right thing, but holding yourself accountable shows a high degree of emotional intelligence. I can see you have empathy and compassion for others, especially those in need. You excel in support, which is a rare and valuable trait to have these days.

Some small things that really stuck out to me was when you said “I love little things like this!” and “After over a decade of trying,” both are very telling. You appreciate the small things in life (which is a major green flag, I might add!), and you have perseverance. No one begins as a painter and makes art like Leonardo DaVinci, but what I’ve learned in life is that after 10,000 attempts, what started out as stick figures is now something people would pay to have on their walls. Colonel Sanders, the KFC guy? He knew he had something special. His mother’s recipe for fried chicken was something he wanted to share with the world. He knocked on the doors of 1,010 restaurants, sharing his chicken, getting no after no after no, but that last restaurant said yes, and he became a huge success. And spinning straw into gold? I can tell you don’t shy away from the busy work. Where some see a burden, you see an opportunity. Organization and embracing repetition seem to be some talents you have. A wise man once told me “Repetition breeds excellence.”

But I digress. I can tell you love to build, create and grow, which brings you fulfillment and joy and I find your efforts admirable and inspiring.

Oh, looks like you uploaded part 2 while I was typing this. I’ve edited things above and added a few more comments just to bundle this up into one message.

I can tell right away that you’re the kind of person I admire most. Hard work and determination is far more inspiring to me than natural talent any day of the week. Champions aren’t born—they’re forged. Someone who puts in the time and the effort to do something truly incredible always ends up further along than someone who is great but puts in the bare minimum. Classic tortoise and hare scenario.

Wilbur in Charlotte’s Web (don’t make a direct comparison please, that’s not what I mean! ) was the runt of the litter, too. But Charlotte, a lowly spider saw something special in Wilbur. She was so inspired by Wilbur that she took precious time out of her life to show the world just how amazing he was. All you need now is to find your Charlotte (so to speak).

I’ve spent a good deal of time researching what it’s like being a tourist in Japan. So long as you take some time to learn their language and be a good person, you’ll fit in. Trust me. They respect and appreciate effort as much as I do. They’re good people deep down.

As far as saving, I can offer you some advice. My grandmother (A wonderful woman who has read the Bible 7+ times) told me at a very young age how to manage my money well, and it’s stuck with me since. Gauge how much your needs are. For the sake of math, let’s say you make 1,000 dollars a month. 750 of those dollars goes to rent, utilities, tithes, whatever your needs are. So you’re stuck with 250 dollars left. Take 125, put it away. The remaining 125 is yours to spend however you please. Say you only spend 25 dollars that month, take the remaining 100 next paycheck and put it in your savings. That way you’re always growing. My personal advice? A savings is equally as important as rent and food. And if it doesn’t help you grow, then it’s not necessary, it’s a distraction. But…sometimes we need our little distractions. And sometimes distractions can be free! We can’t be productive 100% of the time for our own mental health lol.

Anyway, thank you so much for sharing with me. Your efforts are always appreciated.

 

[tourist]

Hi @Jared_K,

Thanks very much for the mention -- I'm honored to be asked. However, I feel like I'm going to be a bit of a disappointment compared to your vast number of achievements! WOW!!! I'm so sorry about your car accident but it certainly looks like it hasn't slowed you down!

One thing is for sure, you are a MOTIVATOR among motivators, completely in your own league. All those famous self-help gurus had better move out of the way, and quickly, because @Jared_K is coming through and God is going to use him to get people to MOVE!!!

I'm also glad to see that you are one of the sensible people who know there were only 2 Terminator movies. The piano playing is awesome, because it really helps others. Reminds of me David playing music for Saul when he was in a troubled state of mind.

Your post reminds of me of different phases in my life when God opened doors and I wanted to try EVERYTHING. But over time, I learned just for myself (others are built differently,) I can only concentrate on a few things at a time. I have to be picky about where I spend my time and resources. I'll never be a master in any area but I do try to be at least a little better in some things rather than scattering my energy on too many things.

In the past, I was very into sewing. If I was ever wearing a dress, it was because I had made it. One of my best projects was when a co-worker was pregnant and didn't have money for maternity clothes. I had some extra fabric and asked God how I could adjust a pattern for her. I took a pattern for sweat pants and instead made them into khakis (to make them work-appropriate,) but with an elastic waist to "grow" with her and her baby. I added pockets and made them look like regular dress pants -- and she said they were some comfy that it was like wearing pajamas. I had some other fabric I really loved (mint green satin,) but God told me to make a dress for a co-worker instead. She was so excited, she showed everyone in her family. My skills were only mid-level, but I tried my best to make simple patterns into something creative and functional.

These days, my eyes can't take the fine, close up work very well (it gives me headaches,) so I'm trying to shift into other things. My family will still send me home with a stack of their clothes that need to be hemmed (taken up,) repaired, or adjusted if it's not above my skill level. (I had to turn down completely replacing a zipper in a pair of jeans. I can install a zipper from scratch, but trying to replace one without ruining the already-finished item wasn't something I was sure I could do.) I met a lady who's a quilter -- I don't know anything about quilting, but some of the basics are very similar. She has arthritis so some of the prep work is harder for her. She'll give me a stack of things she needs cut, and I can work on it at home in my spare time and send them back when I'm done. I love little things like this! I'm built for a lot of simple, repetitive work, and it's highly motivating to me if it's helpful to someone else's work.

As you can see in my avatar, another hobby is (trying to) grow plants. I've tried for years in various environments and have always had a black thumb -- which is embarrassing, because I've had family members who were professional farmers! But after over a decade of trying, I'm finally having some successes. My current avatar is one of my last strawberries of the season -- which clearly tried to identify as both a donut AND a heart. I can only have a container garden, and find this keeps me from taking on too much.

I'm also trying to get back into making bracelets like this:

I'm sure most women remember the humble string friendship bracelets from school, but I like a lot of the crazier patterns that start out with 32 strings -- and you tie, and you tie, and you tie the knots until they turn into something like this. It completely scrambles my brain, but I like the challenge. Oddly, I don't really wear them myself, but love giving them away. They're inexpensive and just take (for me at least,) a lot of concentration and time!

As is usual with my posts, this is turning into a novel, so I thing I'm going to end this one and start another.

Aren't you so glad you asked about my hobbies?

Seriously, I'm very honored that you asked, and am grateful for the opportunity to share.

Now on to Part 2 in the very boring, very ordinary day of the Life of Seoulsearch!!

You wrote another fascinating read for sure. I enjoyed every word of it.

 

[lisatanner]

i grew some cactus from seed that has become a hobby.nothing happens quickly in the cactus world so you need the patience of a saint.

 

[Jared_K]

i grew some cactus from seed that has become a hobby.nothing happens quickly in the cactus world so you need the patience of a saint.

Absolutely! Nothing teaches patience like working with plants. I’ve tended a couple of bonsai trees in the past.

 

[ThereRoseaLamb]

Absolutely! Nothing teaches patience like working with plants. I’ve tended a couple of bonsai trees in the past.

I saw hobbies and had to check out this post. The singles let me sneak in now and then. I'm proud of myself since I realized I could grow knockout roses and hostas. Though I trimmed back my mothers roses for her a few days ago and ended with a huge rash on my neck. The doctor today said it's poison ivy!! smh

As to the music, keep going out and sharing the talent God gave you! I traveled for over 20 yrs in Gospel music and I met so many wonderful people, made life long friendships and hopefully led people to the Lord, that was the main goal. Feel free to hope over to the Miscellaneous thread on the post something we can all agree disagree on and give us your opinions on holiday foods! Blessings!

 

[Suze]

My hobby, or pastime is reading, mostly fiction. Also, I spend a good amount of time on Christian Chat, mostly in the Singles Forum, spending time in conversation with the peeps.

I'm a big reader too , mostly fiction / novels etc . Which authors do u enjoy the most ?

 

[Suze]

I’d like to hear from all of you about what hobbies you’re into. @seoulsearch I‘m curious what you enjoy doing when you’re not being awesome online.

If you feel up to it, give us your favorite story(s) with each hobby if you have one!

Also, tell us about any hobbies you used to do, or you’ve always wanted to try but haven't got around to yet.

I’ve been playing piano since I was ten years old. So 26 years. I taught myself and I play by ear. Play a song you like on your phone, give me 30 minutes to study and practice, and I can play that song fairly well. I’ve done a few recitals, I’ve recently won over my nextdoor neighbors (which is great since I don’t have to worry about noise complaints ), I’ve gone to elderly homes and played classic and gospel songs, I just went to a coffee shop yesterday and played, and the barista asked if they could record while I play, and I got an applause when I left. It keeps me calm and brings me joy, and the “wow“ factor never gets old. I love making people smile with my music. My church has been asking me to play with them and I’m still considering it.

I’ve taken martial arts for years. Several different styles. Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, MMA, Boxing, etc. There was a class for children and my martial arts instructor confided in me that he was about to let one of the students go because he was struggling to follow the instructions. I told my instructor at 15 years old, “No you can’t do that! His mother brought him here to learn discipline, and if you give up on him now, he’s going to grow up thinking that everyone else will give up on him too. You have to be patient with him and help him grow.” A few weeks later, my instructor and I had a contest. We split the children up, and that child was put on my team. He had a tendency to turn directly around and mow down the line of children who were behind him, so I hyped the kids up, made sure that child went around the kids instead of through them after he was done, and each child was to perform a kata twice and whoever got through their line first wins. Well, my team won!

Recently these last 4-5 years I’ve taken up nutrition and gym-related exercise. Couldn’t recommend it enough! Eating healthy improves your mood, mental health, reduces inflammation, gives you extra energy every day, regulates your body, I could go on forever. Currently in the process of going through body recomposition, and the transformation so far has been very impressive. We all need exercise in our lives, even if it’s walking 30 minutes 5 days a week. Keep your body strong and your future self will thank you for it.

I’m a bit of a foodie. I‘m always willing to try new things. I love sushi, Indian cuisine, dim sum, chinese, Mexican, american, Italian, you name it. I don’t fear vegetables, I embrace them. Haha.

I love watching movies and some TV shows. Not a big fan of drama but I enjoy comedies, horror movies, inspirational films, action-adventure, thrillers, science fiction, the occasional documentaries, and I don’t shy away from animated films either. My favorite style of film is stop-motion animation because of the amount of effort that goes into it. Some of my favorite movies are Back to the Future trilogy, the Harry Potter series, The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies, Terminator 1-2, The Titanic, the Avatar movies. Some of my favorite TV shows are Everybody Loves Raymond, Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, House M.D. Some of my favorite comedians are John Pinette, Ben Bailey and Bill Cosby.

I used to play video games a lot and I still do sometimes, mainly just relaxing ones now. I used to be more focused on action and keeping my reflexes sharp but lately I’ve hung up my virtual swords and grabbed my farming tools and live the simple life. Create, build and grow rather than destroy.

I‘ve recently taken up hiking too, no fantastic stories to mention yet, but beautiful landscapes.

Hobbies I used to do? Sports. Mainly soccer, baseball and football. Car accident changed a lot of things.

Hobbies I want to get into but haven’t yet?

- Cooking (Just need a little extra cash until I perfect it) and I can cook a little bit but I want to do more

- Dancing (haven’t had a dance partner or made the time to take lessons)

- Travel (just haven’t really had a chance to do so yet). I’d like to visit Italy, France, England and Japan just to name a few.

- Learning new languages.

- Something a little farther from realistic expectations is I would love to learn how to fly planes. Maybe someday.

One thing that I have done every day for decades is listen to music , usually quite loud . At least 4 cd's a day . I have no music talent whatsoever so I'm very jealous of anyone who can sing or play an instrument . 2 years and 9 months ago , hubby and I adopted a fourteen year old cat . We've had cats previous but not for a very long time and we had both forgotten that cats don't like noise , even Beethoven noise , even Nirvana noise it's all just noise to them . We live in a small apartment so there wasn't really anywhere for CJ to escape to from the ' noise ' .
So , we stopped listening to music . It was really really hard for us , we genuinely became a bit miserable without it . I found myself singing my favourite songs in my head a lot , spending a lot of time wandering around shops that were playing music , much longer than I needed to .
Sadly on November 3rd we had to have CJ put to sleep , he had several things wrong with him and he wasn't going to get better . He was definitely in decline and we wanted to spare him any serious suffering so we let him go and he went very peacefully , gently waging his tail to the sound of my voice as I stroked him . We loved him a lot and he showed so much love for us .
Next day we put a cd on and , we enjoyed it but , we didn't get the same joy out of it that we did before we had CJ . We've been playing cd's every day since , enjoying them but , our hearts haven't yet got back into it . I'm sure we will eventually but , things r a bit bittersweet at the moment . I think we would both gladly never listen to another cd if we could have CJ back healthy . That's not gonna happen so , I'm gonna listen to some Warren Zevon . Night night CJ . Miss u .

 

[Lynx]

She never used to like my music loud
But I can turn the stereo way up now
Still it's hard to fill the silent house since she's gone
Oh, Lord, it's hard to see through all these tears
She's so far away and yet she's so near
Until You make Your meaning clear, I'll be strong

- Al Denson

 

[seoulsearch]

A fellow musician! I love it. Sounds like you're a musical wizard on the workstation with a great taste in music!


Reading is something I enjoy doing but I’ve also heard it can strain the eyes. I‘m thinking about starting a Kindle collection where I can make the letters bigger. And a social butterfly! We all need to stay connected and I’m glad you’re here.


I appreciate all the flattery and such kind words, but I assure you I’m just your average Joe who believes wholeheartedly in the Lord and also happens to have a lot on his mind. As you can tell. Haha. I’ve been hearing a lot this last year about motivating and inspiring. Though I’ve never really thought of myself that way. Perhaps I’ve accidentally discovered a new hobby...

And yes…I am glad I asked. I love learning about others, which could also be considered a hobby of mine.

Wow, your story as a seamstress had me tearing up. What a lovely thing to do for people in need! It warms my heart. You remind me of myself—You find joy and fulfillment in helping others and you’re talented with your hands. Sewing, quilt prep, bracelet making, gardening, writing, typing up well-thought out threads online leading to thought-provoking messages—and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. You also hold yourself accountable. It can be a little stressful sometimes wondering if you said or did the right thing, but holding yourself accountable shows a high degree of emotional intelligence. I can see you have empathy and compassion for others, especially those in need. You excel in support, which is a rare and valuable trait to have these days.

Some small things that really stuck out to me was when you said “I love little things like this!” and “After over a decade of trying,” both are very telling. You appreciate the small things in life (which is a major green flag, I might add!), and you have perseverance. No one begins as a painter and makes art like Leonardo DaVinci, but what I’ve learned in life is that after 10,000 attempts, what started out as stick figures is now something people would pay to have on their walls. Colonel Sanders, the KFC guy? He knew he had something special. His mother’s recipe for fried chicken was something he wanted to share with the world. He knocked on the doors of 1,010 restaurants, sharing his chicken, getting no after no after no, but that last restaurant said yes, and he became a huge success. And spinning straw into gold? I can tell you don’t shy away from the busy work. Where some see a burden, you see an opportunity. Organization and embracing repetition seem to be some talents you have. A wise man once told me “Repetition breeds excellence.”

But I digress. I can tell you love to build, create and grow, which brings you fulfillment and joy and I find your efforts admirable and inspiring.

Oh, looks like you uploaded part 2 while I was typing this. I’ve edited things above and added a few more comments just to bundle this up into one message.

I can tell right away that you’re the kind of person I admire most. Hard work and determination is far more inspiring to me than natural talent any day of the week. Champions aren’t born—they’re forged. Someone who puts in the time and the effort to do something truly incredible always ends up further along than someone who is great but puts in the bare minimum. Classic tortoise and hare scenario.

Wilbur in Charlotte’s Web (don’t make a direct comparison please, that’s not what I mean! ) was the runt of the litter, too. But Charlotte, a lowly spider saw something special in Wilbur. She was so inspired by Wilbur that she took precious time out of her life to show the world just how amazing he was. All you need now is to find your Charlotte (so to speak).

I’ve spent a good deal of time researching what it’s like being a tourist in Japan. So long as you take some time to learn their language and be a good person, you’ll fit in. Trust me. They respect and appreciate effort as much as I do. They’re good people deep down.

As far as saving, I can offer you some advice. My grandmother (A wonderful woman who has read the Bible 7+ times) told me at a very young age how to manage my money well, and it’s stuck with me since. Gauge how much your needs are. For the sake of math, let’s say you make 1,000 dollars a month. 750 of those dollars goes to rent, utilities, tithes, whatever your needs are. So you’re stuck with 250 dollars left. Take 125, put it away. The remaining 125 is yours to spend however you please. Say you only spend 25 dollars that month, take the remaining 100 next paycheck and put it in your savings. That way you’re always growing. My personal advice? A savings is equally as important as rent and food. And if it doesn’t help you grow, then it’s not necessary, it’s a distraction. But…sometimes we need our little distractions. And sometimes distractions can be free! We can’t be productive 100% of the time for our own mental health lol.

Anyway, thank you so much for sharing with me. Your efforts are always appreciated.

Something I really appreciate about you is that you recognize that people don't have to be the strongest, fastest, or smartest to make a big difference.

Our culture emphasizes having all the "top" qualities as soon as possible, but I think there's a very fine, lost art to knowing how to coach and encourage people to success -- just like you did with that boy at your martial arts class.

Your example of working with plants fits very well. As any plant enthusiast can relate to, I've had months where I tended a green guest and NOTHING happened -- on the surface. Then suddenly, some new growth or colorful flower would seemingly come out of nowhere... And it was God's way of teaching me that He is busy behind the scenes at all times, even if I couldn't "see" any regular progress.

I think the skill of noticing how, when, and who to praise into their calling is going to be very important in the future, as society grows more and more adept at passing by the weaker, slower, or those deemed as "undesirables."

Because we all know that one of the awesome things about God is, sometimes those are the very people He is seeking.

 

[pearlspring]

I love spending time with family outside like eating out at a nice restaurant (love many kinds of food: Italian-pasta, bruschetta, special bread with butter, Indian-tandori chicken, chick peas, Korean- Soon Tofu, Jampong, Japanese- Sushi, Miso soup, Chinese- Ma po tofu, eggplant, hot pot chicken and mushroom, hot and sour soup, crab meat soup, congee, Persian- beef or chicken kabob with salad, Greek- chicken souvlaki, and Western- burgers as examples), cafe, going grocery shopping together, going to church together and also, going on walks together. Sadly, we haven't gone anywhere to walk much this summer but when we do, we go to places with trails such as at a hiking trail, park, garden or good destination or like a beach. We also want to go to Japan together like at Tokyo's Disney Land and other places there.

Another thing I love to do is going to my life group and studying/learning the bible together and having discussions with regards to it and spending time together in that way, growing in our relationships/friendships with each other. We also plan to go to a Japanese restaurant near the church after the service later this month. Looking forward to it!

Also, I love joining courses at my church when they start. Love getting to know and meeting more people and making more friends.

Love to do my half hour exercise at home as well.

 

[pearlspring]

Forgot to add to Western- sandwiches, and enjoying when we pray together and for each other in our life group.

 

[Jared_K]

I love spending time with family outside like eating out at a nice restaurant (love many kinds of food: Italian-pasta, bruschetta, special bread with butter, Indian-tandori chicken, chick peas, Korean- Soon Tofu, Jampong, Japanese- Sushi, Miso soup, Chinese- Ma po tofu, eggplant, hot pot chicken and mushroom, hot and sour soup, crab meat soup, congee, Persian- beef or chicken kabob with salad, Greek- chicken souvlaki, and Western- burgers as examples), cafe, going grocery shopping together, going to church together and also, going on walks together. Sadly, we haven't gone anywhere to walk much this summer but when we do, we go to places with trails such as at a hiking trail, park, garden or good destination or like a beach. We also want to go to Japan together like at Tokyo's Disney Land and other places there.

Another thing I love to do is going to my life group and studying/learning the bible together and having discussions with regards to it and spending time together in that way, growing in our relationships/friendships with each other. We also plan to go to a Japanese restaurant near the church after the service later this month. Looking forward to it!

Also, I love joining courses at my church when they start. Love getting to know and meeting more people and making more friends.

Love to do my half hour exercise at home as well.

There’s a ton of good food out there! Looks like I have more adventures to partake. I forgot to mention but I’m also a fan of Mongolian BBQ as well. And Life Group? I‘m not familiar with that. Usually there are just women’s group and men’s group bible studies.

 

[Jared_K]

One thing that I have done every day for decades is listen to music , usually quite loud . At least 4 cd's a day . I have no music talent whatsoever so I'm very jealous of anyone who can sing or play an instrument . 2 years and 9 months ago , hubby and I adopted a fourteen year old cat . We've had cats previous but not for a very long time and we had both forgotten that cats don't like noise , even Beethoven noise , even Nirvana noise it's all just noise to them . We live in a small apartment so there wasn't really anywhere for CJ to escape to from the ' noise ' .
So , we stopped listening to music . It was really really hard for us , we genuinely became a bit miserable without it . I found myself singing my favourite songs in my head a lot , spending a lot of time wandering around shops that were playing music , much longer than I needed to .
Sadly on November 3rd we had to have CJ put to sleep , he had several things wrong with him and he wasn't going to get better . He was definitely in decline and we wanted to spare him any serious suffering so we let him go and he went very peacefully , gently waging his tail to the sound of my voice as I stroked him . We loved him a lot and he showed so much love for us .
Next day we put a cd on and , we enjoyed it but , we didn't get the same joy out of it that we did before we had CJ . We've been playing cd's every day since , enjoying them but , our hearts haven't yet got back into it . I'm sure we will eventually but , things r a bit bittersweet at the moment . I think we would both gladly never listen to another cd if we could have CJ back healthy . That's not gonna happen so , I'm gonna listen to some Warren Zevon . Night night CJ . Miss u .

I‘m sorry for your loss. Losing a pet is like losing a child. When my father passed away, totally avoidable, he just wouldn’t go to the ER, I took care of his dog for 3 years. Lived in my lap. Toothless so I hand-fed him. Very loving and affectionate. Couldn‘t help but get attached. Then one day he passed too and I broke down. Took a year to get over. One day when I have a family I’m already anticipating them wanting a pet, and I’m not sure if I’m emotionally ready for that again, lol.

 

[Jared_K]

I saw hobbies and had to check out this post. The singles let me sneak in now and then. I'm proud of myself since I realized I could grow knockout roses and hostas. Though I trimmed back my mothers roses for her a few days ago and ended with a huge rash on my neck. The doctor today said it's poison ivy!! smh

As to the music, keep going out and sharing the talent God gave you! I traveled for over 20 yrs in Gospel music and I met so many wonderful people, made life long friendships and hopefully led people to the Lord, that was the main goal. Feel free to hope over to the Miscellaneous thread on the post something we can all agree disagree on and give us your opinions on holiday foods! Blessings!

Thank you for the encouragement and you’re always welcome here!

 

[pearlspring]

There’s a ton of good food out there! Looks like I have more adventures to partake. I forgot to mention but I’m also a fan of Mongolian BBQ as well. And Life Group? I‘m not familiar with that. Usually there are just women’s group and men’s group bible studies.

I also forgot to mention, I like Vietnamese food too- Pho noodle soup and their fresh rolls.

A life group is very common here. I hear it all the time! At one church, the life group was just a group that someone opens to a specific group of people of a certain kind and then you would get a certain # of people to join it, and they will meet up like once a week or biweekly to study the bible together and pray together and be there for each other for life. At other churches like mine, they have a life group launch day and people in the same location are on the same table. Then they become a life group and we would study the bible together, have personal discussions about the bible, pray together and go on outings occasionally. Also, at my church, the courses are not men's bible study group and women's bible study group, it's a course of men and women together, but at another church, they have a men's bible study group and women's bible study group.