Focusing on Positivity...

"I don't know why I keep focusing on the negativity of something/someone, and ignore the positivity."
- I said this during a solemn and thoughtful Ben-ny lesson before my flight back home.



Undeniably, the brain works in an unexplainable way, because words and concepts "haunt" me incessantly at unexpected times.

For the past 2 weeks, I have been 10000 miles across the globe from where I study/work...but I've been analyzing what has been said and trying to understand my mind better...digging lessons to learn and identifying concepts to modify/improve.

Re-evaluation of my mind in progress.

~~~~~

A recent incident with creAmy stunned me: we bought next-day tickets for Rapunzel, but we wanted to watch it on the day itself.



We approached the ticket office and the one guy who was there refused to prepone our show slot...he even told us to purchase new tickets if we wanted to watch it then.

I focused on his uncooperativeness and his inflexibility - there were clearly empty seats in the theatre, why wouldn't he change our movie slots?!

I choze to be passive, walked away with a frown, and refuzed to beg...

On the other hand, creAmy remained positive...and kept asking time and again...she had to walk away with me when I went off. But creAmy requested to return and ask yet again - just one more time.

She went ahead...and to my surprize, we did watch Rapunzel...through an unspoken and unreported arrangement~!!! ;P

~~~~~

creAmy waz actively thinking of new solutions for our itinerary when we needed them...and she pursued incessantly and actively with felxibility. She focused on her optimism and the positivity within the ticket office guy even when he kept shaking his head~!! Kudos to creAmy'z dedication to make things work the way she wants~!!!

Epiphany: This is a summary of graduate school - of what a Ph.D. journey is about.

Optimism
Flexibility
Dedication
Proactivity
Incessant Pursuing
Creating Novel Solutions
Focusing on Positivity throughout all the above~!!!

Now that I've revisited the recipe, I have to materialize it by strengthening each of these components of my Hopkinsy Ph.D. journey.

enN...thAnkz Ben and creAmy~!!!!!! ; )


Focusing on Positivity...
illZ.

hAppy thAnkzgiving froM singApore~!!!

hAppy thAnkzgiving froM singApore~!!!

a seAson of giving thAnkz to whoeveR you are grAteful for...

~~~~~

thAnkzgiving iz a huGe holidAy in USA....and thiZ yeAr, i am not in the USA so, insteAd of hAving turkey....i hAd hokkieN mee and orh luaK - whicH iz a zillioN timeZ tAstier~!!!

the evenT i mizZ out most will be the overnighT blAck fridAy retAil therApy witH hAng-ni-mah @ arundeL millZ...

wilL be @ ben'Z thAnkzgiving pArty if i waz in mAryland...but i wouldn't hAve the heArt to be smilinG alot anywAyz.

glAd to be bAck hoMe in singApore @ thiZ point in tiMe.

hAi...



~~~~~

i do thAnk all thoze who cAre for me genuinelY and stAy witH me in all aspectZ...dezpiTe how i am beinG me.

and i thAnk for the chAncez giveN by alL and myseLf to stAy aliVe in thiZ humAn worLd, for noW.


doeZ the turduckeN tAzte good?
illZ...


P.S.: i thinK turduckeN iz a crueL disH...

reuniTed witH my geN beN fAmily~~~

afteR i heArd someone sAy time fliezzZ....i suddenlY sAng the firsT liNe of thiZ sonG...theN we alL sAng thiZ song whiLe crossinG the hortpArk bridGe...LOL~!!! :P



and off to sT. jAmez poweR stAtion for an AWESOME tiMe:





...i drAnk, sAng, screAmed, shouTed, dAnced, and crAzied my negAtivity awAy~!!!!!! wooT~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~~~~~

lovelY congrAtz to mR. and mrZ. Pek~!!!! hahAaa....geN beN fAmily'z 1sT eveR mArriage~!!!! ;P


yuM sAy~!!!!! <3
illZ~~~

cAn muzic sAve my mortAl souL???

somehoW, i'Ve beeN repeAting thiZ sonG and recitinG certAin linez from itz lyricZ in my mind:



"americAn pie" bY mAdonna.


"welL i knoW thAt you'Re in love witH hiM cuZ i sAw you dAncing in the gyM..."

"the churcH bellZ alL were brokeN..."

"drinkinG whizkY and rYe...singinG thiZ wouLd be the dAy thAt i die..."


"cAn muzic sAve my mortAl souL???"
illZ.

cAn't i stoP coughinG?!

JFK Terminal 5 = free WiFi~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sittinG on the flooR beside a rotAting dooR thougH...

sigH...thiZ is a journeY of sAdnezz....considerinG i splurGed a hundred on 6 drinkZ @ an airporT bAr......"bAr avioN"? buT i needed thAt splurginG...

retAil alcohoLic therApy...

BUT i wilL meeT my fAmily sooN....cAn't wAit to plAy witH my 8-montH-old niece eZ....BUT i'M coughinG and feelinG reAlly sicK.....argH.....totAlly deservinG a FML. cAn;t find a phArmacy in the airport sellinG dAyquil/nyquiL or hAnd moizturizeR...

11/15/10 = a dArk bLue dAy.


;(
illZ~

cookinG therApy

seriouzlY, i am runninG out of tiMe.

i hAve wondered why there are only 24hrZ everydAy?!

my cooL journAl cluB presentAtion'z on mondAy...and the weekeNd iz filLed with bAllroom dAncing competitioN (so i hAd to skiP ben'Z houZe pArty)...theN i hAve one weeK to wrAp up experimentZ etc etc in cAze my plAne crashes and i never returN to the lAb (who knowz righT?!)....driving tesT iz nexT wed...

i'M dyinG for luggAge spAce siNce zikziK unexpectedlY ordeRed quiTe a numbeR of itemZ...my initiAl luggAge plAn wAz wrecKed. originAlly, i thoughT one luggAge iz to helP dAddy and rr-C brinG bAck some itemZ....theN the otheR will be sufficienT for my own clothez and currenT giftZ.....buT witH the additioN of so mAny thingZ, i hoPe i hAve enougH spAce...no mAtter whAt thingZ wilL be fiNe~!! ;)

the contingencY iz to returN withouT bringinG my clotheZ...and juZ buy a new wArdrobe bAck home....but thAt costs $$$$$.

eitheR wAy, whY izn'T there a genuiNe shrinkinG guN...whicH wAz how rr-C and me becAme lAmely connected~

hmM...i looK forwArd to thiZ triP bAck hoMe bcuZ chriZ and zhiYu are gettinG mArried~!!! whicH iz whY i prepoNed my februAry cnY triP to novembeR~

~~~~~

anywAyz, i reheArzed dAncing witH melindA tiL 12 yezterdAy....wAz reAding a pAper afteR settlinG dowN in my rooM...theN webcAmed witH zikziK tiL 4 thiZ morninG...woke @ 1015, and reAlly wannA cooK.

cookinG iz therApeutic...it'Z fuN, and at the end of it....i get to enjoY my owN cookinG~!!!

cookinG therApy and retail therApy are the besT therApiez~!!!! hmM...of courze there'Z alcohoL therApy too LOL~

welL....thougH i knoW hoW much it meAnz to beN for the whoLe lAb to luncH togetheR....i luncHed witH the lAb yezterdAy...therefoRe, i choZe to cooK and luncH in the littLe world of my owN...

reAched lAb @ 1115...i guezZ i wAz prettY efficienT....cookinG + preppinG and reAching lAb froM wheN i lefT my bed tooK 1 hr:



stripPed chickeN drumsticK meAt stir-fried witH teriyAki sAuce...sprinkLed witH sesAme seedZ and miXed in witH chunkY firM tofu + sesAme oiL steAmed rice...restinG on a bed of lettuce to balAnce out my deliciouZ luncH~


loNe tiMe iz appreciAted by myseLf~
illZ.