Yep.

LOL. Talk about 'speak-of-the-devel'-type moments. I was just looking through all my blog posts of 2010, and I came across this one, which is actually pretty hilarious to me, reading it minutes after posting my most recent post. It's funny when you re-hear advice after actually going through them in a much more real way. My old Taiwan chef's advice post-working-at-DANIEL carries a lot more weight and truth now than it did pre-working-at-DANIEL. Hahahaaha....

Anyways, here's the blurb to re-iterate THE lesson of 2010.

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Talking to my chef was really good. He told me, "It's okay if you don't always do well all the time. Just take things slow. Make sure you have a plan of what you have to do before you actually start anything, otherwise you won't succeed. Remember to keep a happy attitude at class or work. Be more joyful. This way, your work won't feel like such a burden. And as for the hours you have to put in every day and the strain that it might put on your friends and family -- you get used to it. You and your family. It'll all be okay in the end. Don't worry so much! Don't be so nervous. Just stay happy and remember to take things slow. You're in no rush for anything. Put your mind to it, and I know you'll succeed.

"Also, most importantly, don't be afraid of suffering or hardships."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Just don't be afraid of it!"

And finally, it made sense to me. Why should I be so afraid of going through hardships? As I think about class, work, life..., I guess I realize that hardships are and will be part of the whole package. God tells us to endure hardship, to rejoice in suffering (Heb 12:7, Rom 5:3), and for a good reason. It does build discipline, character, perseverance -- all things that are good to have. So for me, the (constructive) criticism I receive or mistakes I make will only help me learn what it takes and how to get to that point where I can be a better chef, student, person... Without making those mistakes, how would I ever learn and improve?