September 18, 2020

For the longest time, I have pondered about writing a blog. I attempted back in 2014 and again in 2016, but it remained on one entry each year! Since then, I have often thought about it, written many in my head, but never really gotten around to type it out! Until now!

I hope this becomes the first of many blog entries about past experiences, both some distant and some more recent ones. My stories will reflect general opinions on things here and there, all meant to be inspirational towards tolerance, inclusion, diversity, and social justice.

I have just turned 37 years old, and I am one year out of graduate school – in the 12 months since I submitted my dissertation, I have gone through an array of emotions: post-graduation-stress disorder! This means I ate a lot of chocolate and stayed in bed and listened to audiobooks most of the time! If I had not had a ‘slightly grotesque’ obsession with my Apple Watch and closing my daily rings, I don’t think I would have made it out of bed as often as I did!

My dear friends in Los Angeles were kind to offer me a research/consultant position – part-time and temporary – but I earned enough to pay essential bills, and not least, it gave me a sense of purpose!

I have then been lucky to teach a course each quarter, and two summer session courses since January 2020, which has likewise contributed to maintaining some sense of mental stability (somewhat – it comes and goes!).

Additionally, a pandemic (Covid-19) has paralyzed the world. This has brought out new boundaries for stupidity, rarely seen before. It has also generated opportunities for others to live healthier and spend more time with family and friends for better or worse. While this is a devastating event, it is important, and encouraging, to see that many people are able to look at it with an optimistic mindset. They are making a lot of lemonade, so to speak. Only the future will tell what the consequences will be for all of us.

For me, it has been necessary for me to generate a sense of structure – certain things I do at certain hours, which is another reason why I have insisted on teaching synchronously, which additionally offers a bit of social interaction with my students!

I work out every day, for at least 30 min (min requirement with Apple Watch!), usually at 11 AM or 4 PM. I wish I could magically turn into one of those early risers, do my workout, and just ready for the day! Let us see what the future brings! It is a goal of mine, so perhaps with the pressure of blog-readers, I might finally be able to do it!

Anyhow, if you are interested in what I have been through in life, then stay tuned for future blogs. The next one will be a brief timeline of what I have done from birth until today - to give you a sense of what stories you may be able to expect one day.

Without further ado, I will wrap up and get started on my next blog entry.

Thank you for reading,

XX,

Cat

PS. Today marks the day of the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. While her death could turn out to be a real tragedy, her life and her achievements are of great inspiration to me. She has deserved to rest in peace. We sure will miss her.