Pursuit of a Hobby, Pursuit of Happiness

Allison Anne G. Atis

In today’s complex and fast-paced society, we tend to focus on the things that we have to do and somehow forget to give ourselves a break from all those tiring and nerve-racking loads. The escalating change in technology and the information age also gives us quite a hard time coping with the demands of the society. The apparent symptom of this kind of living is stress. Stress affects us mentally, physically and emotionally. We fight stress by taking different medications to lessen its level, but they are not without their side effects. In one study, there is one thing that can help avoid one’s stressful life – get a hobby.

Hobbies can be a way to relieve ourselves from our stressful and hectic schedules. According to one of the sites that I’ve come across, “The reasons are that hobbies allow us the ability to unleash our creativity, boost our self esteem, engage in an activity we are passionate about and give us a sense of pleasure and accomplishment.”

Hobbies unleash our creativity. "Creativity is exciting, energizing, grounding, and timeless. When we create, time stops and space expands; it is then, in that place of thought and action, that we express our truest selves." This is a quote from Ilene Segalove and Paul Bob Velick's book, "List Your Creative Self”. It evidently expresses the concept of creativity and its importance.

Hobbies boost our self-esteem. Anything that boosts self esteem can help us individually and as a society. Having good self esteem allows us to try new things and enables us to make better decisions.

Hobbies engage us in an activity we are passionate about because the activity tends to divert our attention to a more productive function and reduces stress and worries.

Hobbies give us a sense of pleasure and accomplishment. As I’ve mentioned, we tend to just focus on doing the things that we have to do or we are required to do for us to be able to obtain our needs, that’s why we need to do activities that give us pleasure and a sense of accomplishment to break the ice. One can also improve his/her current skills and learn new ideas through our hobbies.

A hobby is something you enjoy and feel relaxed or happy when doing it. If a hobby becomes an obsession then you spend too much time on it to a point where you no longer can keep up with school work and your grades are slipping, you need to figure out if you are addicted or obsessed to that particular thing because that is a different scenario knowing for a fact that there is a fine line between a hobby and an obsession. But nonetheless, just keep it balanced and every thing will be A-okay!

I can say that hobbies are good for us. hobbies can do wonders for our minds, our bodies, and our souls. So why not join the fun. Dive into a hobby and have a blast! =)

MY FRIEND’S USUAL UNUSUALNESS

Veni. Vidi. Vici.
Mariel Ratani C. Balitao

“Do you know what it’s like when it’s wrong but it feels so right? Dada dada dadada.” says Paris Hilton on her song Nothing in this World. Is there really pleasure on doing something wrong? What about doing something that people doesn’t usually do, unusual huh? Maybe there’s something usual in doing something odd.

Everyone spends their leeway by doing things that make them happy and satisfied. But some people are not so into the stereo-types. They hate doing what others usually do. I remember an episode of a magazine show that featured a man named Mang Rolando. He collects soft drinks bottle. He just enjoys seeing how each soft drink brand packaging evolves through the years. Then I remembered another collection, clowns by Master Showman German Moreno. Whatever it is that has clown on it, regardless of the price, he’ll have it. And mind you, he got different pieces from all over the globe.

I ‘ve known R.A. (just his initials) since I entered college. R.A. collects anything, as in anything he finds nice, he will get it. But R.A. seems to have a different definition of nice. He get things from public places, and takes it as a remembrance. One time, we were passing an LRT station when we saw a poster of Bong Revilla’s Resiklo. Minutes later, R.A. revealed something from his bag. He got the poster. Great! We are always surprised by how R.A. gets things from different places. He is so unpredictable. A jeepney’s fare matrix, restaurant menus, tiles from PUP Bulwagan Balagtas’ floor, bus seat covers, utensils and bowls from food chains, signboards, stands, and many others. “No, I’m no klepto! They won’t care if they lost those things anyway.” R.A. would always insist on that.

Kleptomania, by definition, is the re-current urge to steal, typically without regard for need of profit. Technically, R.A. is a klepto. He finds pleasure in getting things that he doesn’t buy. Those things he gets are not available in the market. “That’s why I collect it, it can not be bought”. R.A. has a point there. Where in the hell could we buy bus seat covers in retail? Jeepney fare matrix? Or those signboards? For whatever reason, R.A. feels content when he does “get”; not steal, these things.

When asked whether he feels guilty at times, R.A. says yes. He believes somehow that it’s wrong, but not so wrong.. Maybe one day, R.A. will grow tired of adding up things to his collections. He said he’ll find a more lucrative and conducive past time soon. And I’ll be more than happy to see my friend divert his attention to other things, with R.A.’s unpredictable nature, nothings impossible.

We all have our own fetish. That’s usual. What makes my friend unusual is his plethoric adventurousness in making himself happy. But he’s like any other hobbyist. He does his craft for passion, not for nothingness. If I have a passion for passion, R.A. got the passion for his acquisition. Who knows , R.A. might be in the Guinness years from now. That’s something to be proud of! =)

Time-killers of College Students

by Via Camille C. Bernabe

With the modern generation today, college students tend to spend their leisure time with the latest gadgets on the market. Sonny Versoza, a junior Broadcast Communication student of P.U.P said that texting is his hobby now a days. During his break, he grabs his cellphone and texts so that he will not be bored. At the same time, he listens to music while texting. This is a great time-killer and is soon became a hobby of him. Several college students are also spending their free time by texting and listening to music. Another common hobby to college students is surfing the net. The internet is a useful way of accessing and disseminating informations. If college students don't have anything to do, they sit infront of the computer and start exploring it. They play online games, read the latest news, update their blogs or profiles and even chat with their friends. Having a hobby is good because it entertains and broadens the knowledge of the person in some ways. People like to have something to do in their free time. Texting, listening to music and surfing the net are the three common hobbies of college students. With these activities, students are helped in mainting a time for themselves. Just always remember that the hobby you're engaged in is a good one!

"Are you one of us?"

by Charmagne Marie Gregana

How can you say that you are a hobbyist?

Actually, the term "hobbyist" depends on people's perception of hobby per se. Some people consider themselves hobbyist, simply because they have their hobbies. But there are other people also, like me, who takes the word hobbyist on a much deeper level.

I've asked some friends of their perception on the term "hobbyist". We had a small talk, just to know their opinion regarding the topic. One of them said that a person can say that he's/she's a hobbyist if the hobby that you have is actually habit forming. So to speak, you have your hobbies done regularly, that actually makes it part of your routine. Meaning, those who surf the net regularly, not even missing the chance to open their social network accounts, are hobbyists. However, another friend of mine begged to disagree with her for she thought that a hobby develops due to boredom. For her, you tend to resort doing simple things to make you happy, just to fight the boredom you're feeling. If you are bored, and you resorted to doing things to make you somehow happy even just for a moment, and do that particular 'thing' regularly whenever you get bored, then you are absolutely a hobbyist--on her point of view. Other people also consider a person a hobbyist if that person demonstrates great skills or expertise in a given activity

Hobbyist, as defined in the dictionary, is a person who pursues an activity in their spare time for pleasure and enjoyment. It is such a simple term, yet complex in meaning since people are the ones who give their own definition of what this term is really about.

But in my case, I define a "hobbyist" simply as a person who does things regularly, due to the simple fact that 'that' thing makes you happy. A hobbyist is a person who can't resist doing that 'thing'. You are absolutely a hobbyist if a hobby for you is more than just a hobby...it's a routine that you willingly embrace in your life. You are a hobbyist if you feel unique from others because that hobby is already a part of yourself. That if not for that hobby, you won't be identified by others as "YOU".

So now, the question is..:
"Are you a hobbyist?"

"Can you consider yourself as one?"

And the bigger question hangs:
"ARE YOU ONE OF US?"

Think. =)

hobby... Yes it is!

Ana Janine J. Balois

For some people a hobby is what they do when they do not have something to do. But for other "some people", including me, it is something we do in a regular basis. We do it when we feel like doing it. But --- it's as if we always feel like doing it. Listening to music (which I'm actually fond of), reading, playing sports, computer games, texting, and even some consider eating as their hobbies.

Basically a hobby is a pastime, a spare-time pursuit, or a practice we usually enjoy. The origin of its usage was said uncertain. It was said that hobby came from the popular pastime, falconry, during the middle Ages. Another was from the so-called expression "to ride one's hobby-horse", meaning "to follow a favorite pastime", and in turn, hobby in the modern sense of recreation.

Others have collecting, cooking, gardening, and photography as their hobbies. We think that these people are kind of "geek" about their hobbies, but unconsciously we sometimes have these kinds of hobby, in just a simpler form (like photography using our camera phone... right?).

We all have our own hobbies that depend on our interests. There are hobbies that can even be financially helpful, like photography... but whatever hobby you have, it is important that you are enjoying and feel kind of relaxed while doing it. An activity that gives a different feeling... far from the feelings that our obligations give us.

WARNING FOR HOBBYISTS:
The line between a hobby and an obsession can become blur.

just Hub it all! =)

Before the Hub came to reality, a lot of sites about different hobbies already exist and these can cater to your needs for information about hobbies.

These sites can be of help especially if you want to know more about the different hobbies, the usual and the unusual hobbies, collections and other stuffs that can fulfill one's fancies.

• One for Us: Hobbies
• Different Hobbies
• Information on Crafts and Hobbies
  
• About.com Hobbies and Games
  
• List of Hobbies - Wikipedia
  
• ViaTouch.com Hobbies
  
• Unusual Hobbies
• Collections and Unusual Hobbies
• Hobby Interest
  

Welcome to the Hub!

Every thing.
A place that will live up to your cravings for new stuffs to have, to know and to do.

Every day.
A place that will be available whenever, wherever.

Every way.
A place where you can express yourself uniquely and without any inhibitions.