Fridays and Updates

Sipping a cup of tea while listening to a soothing music while checking my social media accounts while blogging. Ahhh, this is my kind of Friday. Something that is just relaxing.

It's been three weeks since my last post here and I have to tell you, those three weeks seemed like three months. It felt like a really, really long time and I'm just happy I am once again back in this little corner of mine. Here's just a short update on what's going on with my life lately:

My life these days consists mainly of....work. Yes, work it is. That 8-5 thing, or sometimes even up to 6 or 7. But I'm not complaining. Life is good. The 3rd day of March was the day I transferred to Plant Pathology lab. It was kind of a bittersweet moment because I know that I'm going to miss the people that I worked with in the Biochem lab but I am also excited and a bit nervous to finally be able to work with the people in Plant Path. Lucky for me, the adjustment went easy. As days went by, I get more and more comfortable working with my new lab mates. Two weeks ago, we even had a bonding activity outside the lab - an overnight swimming.

Speaking of swimming, my housemate and I make it a point to practice swimming once a week. We would go to a pool in downtown after work and swim for about two or three hours. In this area, the owners fill their pools with warm water. Warm water is definitely what I need after a hard day's work. Sometime in April, I also plan to enroll in a swimming class to fulfill my dream of becoming the next Michael Phelps... Haha just kidding! Actually I just want to master the different swimming strokes and develop a strong endurance.

I'm also doing some jogging/walking in the campus. Though I am not really a runner, it still feels good to go out there and exercise and breathe in fresh air. I used to jog either in the afternoon/evening after work or early morning of Saturday. Tomorrow me and lab mates are going to jog at 5:30 in the morning. It's quite early than my usual schedule but it's okay. And we're also planning to do biking.

I'll be welcoming Saturday with a very early morning jog so yeah, I guess I'd better sleep now.

Good night!

Note To Self

A reminder that even though I'm confused with my dreams, at the end of the day God is still in control of my life.

Matthew 6:25-34

New International Version (NIV)

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 6:27 Or single cubit to your height

Have a blessed Sunday everyone!

Quarter Life Crisis (for the nth time)

There are good days but there are also bad days. As much as I wanted to make this blog a collection of happy thoughts, sometimes I just need to let out what I truly feel. I thought I was done with quarter life crisis. But last night, it hit me again. It hit me hard, I tell you.

My life is full of uncertainty. I thought by the time one reaches his late twenties, he has already figured out what he's going to do with his life - pursuing a promising career and building a family. My main goal is pretty simple: to have an impact in our society. But the roads leading to that are the ones that make me confuse. Until now I'm still not sure which one to choose. Either to 1) live and explore and study PhD in a place that I haven't been to or to 2) study medicine and become an inspiring and best doctor I could ever be.

It's hard to pursue both and there are conditions that I've set-up. If ever I become a scientist, I don't want to do research just for the sake of publication. I don't want to spend years and years of research just so I can publish in Nature or other top notch publications. I want to do research that can help people and improve their lives. And if ever I become a doctor, I don't want to treat people just for the sake of having a high income. I want to treat people because I want to help them. I've been in their shoes before, I know what it feels to be sick, and I'm just thankful for my doctors. And I want to do the same to others.

When the time comes that I have finally decided which one to pursue, I have to stand on my own and not rely on my parents for financial support. I don't want to burden them and exhaust all the money they worked all their lives at the expense of fulfilling my dream.

Another goal is, of course, to have a family of my own. I'm not getting any younger. Time is kind of running out. But sad to say I still haven't found that person who will love me and who is deserving of my love. You might say there are lots of fish in the sea but I don't want to settle for less. I want to be with the one God has destined for me. I want someone who is fears and loves God, responsible, hardworking, kind, and who respects me. An added bonus is if he has "good genes" to contribute for our future offsprings.

I'm still hoping that one day I'll be able to pursue my dreams and have a happy family...to face the mirror and smile and tell myself, "You finally did it!"