Five-Toed Sloth In The City

Now that the non holiday season has kicked in, I find myself wondering what to do. I know I should be responsible and earn and save some money while I have spare time...yet while half-heartedly researching various employment alternatives, I find myself and my inner Hippie first and foremost called...drawn...lured back to The Land: back to basics, crisp mountain air, early mornings, yoga and plant foods only.

The city just does nothing for me except transform me into a five toed SLOTH....because I'm constantly tiiiiiired (think: energy totally sapped by electromagnetic radiation) and uninspired...I just don't feel like doing anything productive! I also don't appreciate the heat or muggy stickiness of Summer here which in this age of global warming is often annoyingly interspersed with wintry blasts of gusty chills or sudden downpours of heavy rain.

Maybe I just need to give myself a good smack and hold myself to Discipline but then I find myself justifying this particular rural stint with it being "value adding" to my future career prospects...What to do? What to do? argh. Isn't it nice to have the luxury of choice? For that I am truly grateful!!! Maybe I should just enjoy the luxury of not having to work for the relatively short time it is available...although this would mean not being able to travel, this is probably being more realistic as I would likely need to head straight into training with a mentor after I'm done with the studies.

I guess I can always go travelling overseas repeatedly in smaller trips when I've earnt some decent money and strengthened my physical constitution, rather than do the whole lengthy backpacker odyssey through umpteen countries which will no doubt be skimming the surface and very tiring....and plus the dollar looks like it will be very crappy for some time yet and I don't know how long I could last physically without decent sleep!

Sorry, just talking to myself.

My Favourite Kind of Day: The ME VEG Day...

Also Known As, The "I have no agenda day" :-)

It's a completely free whatever I want to do day, and if I want to sit all day in my pjs in bed so be it! :) LOL so indulgent!!!

I NEED these kinds of days every now and then...Or rather I find I go through a busy stretch I get so exhausted-crash- and can't do anything else. Hence it's other name: "the write-off unproductive day" :-P

I've been pretty busy lately - although I rarely remember what I actually got up to unless I check my blog! lol

In any case when asked the specifics, I have no idea what I do all the time but I never seem to have "spare time"...and I generally always know what I'm doing for the month ahead...

Since I found out every hour you rest before midnight is doubly effective than those post, I've been trying really hard to get to bed early ie 1030pm to get into a good sleeping routine before term starts but I've been failing miserably. I just don't see how it's possible when you get home on average say 630-7pm...you cook from scratch, eat, clean up, shower-it's already 1030pm! Physically, I also think it's really hard to sleep early when you're a natural night owl.

Once school kicks in I'll need to squeeze in study on top of that and then get up early every day: a regular civilised sleeping routine with a decent number of hours is just not possible when you have so many assessments every single week! No wonder I'm always totally and completely plastered and dysfunctional during semester...

Obviously somewhere along the line I'm highly inefficient (probably the cooking from scratch and cleaning without the dishwasher part) or maybe the procrastinating-daydreaming part. I guess the other thing is I need to improve my discipline cos somehow I always find time to blog!!!! (The girl deserves a SMACK.) Although honestly by blog dumping each day it helps empty my mind and the day's stresses so that I can actually sleep so maybe that time waster can't afford to be eradicated either...

I guess I try to cram a lot or EVERYTHING in- I need to cut down or cut out something!

This semester I'm also taking on 2 extra things the most interesting of which is medical qigong- I guess that means I'll have to ditch the yoga...I'm not prepared to eat frozen tv dinners yet but maybe I'll just have to simplify meals to peanut butter on toast or something when I'm really busy.

Long Range Goal: My Own Business before 35!

So...I donated the whole weekend and this gorgeous sunny perfect beach Sunday to...crashing my first professional seminar! *how exciting*

How ignorant was I! Basically like lawyers, doctors and pharmacists, it only just hit me that I'll be having to do continuing education for the rest of my practising career!!! And if I do end up practising the likelihood is...Bye, Bye Saturdays!

So anyway, although the seminar was...advanced, it was really good just....to refocus...visualise... and remember my long term aspirations. Having so many interests etc, it's easy to often get distracted and allow yourself to get pulled in all different directions scattering your energies.

Furthermore, when the going gets tough(which it often does) or you remember all the things (especially lifestyle) you sacrifice to be a full time student at this age, it's easy to just wanna say "too hard" and go for...easier alternatives.

Anyway I realised within my future career there are several real possibilities for me- all quite different....
1. practitioner
2. health writer
3. medical researcher
4. academia and teaching

and some more novelty possibilities...
*i could go lateral and learn other alternative therapies or even just western herbs and become a eastern/western herbs expert
*I could partially live out my exciting world of 007 fantasy and be an illegal drug buster by working in airport customs etc by helping identify herbs...actually it sounds more exciting than it probably would be on the average day :P

in the end it also depends whether I choose to do one or both modalities and if there is a particular field of medicine I will specialise in and build my reputation on.

So far my passion is still herbs but the money making aspect will require me to love acupuncture too...I also love writing- so I wouldn't mind being a freelance writer for different health publications...

But then I also love breaking new ground with new ideas and new discoveries...so perhaps break-through medical research in herbs?! (but I don't think I'd enjoy writing formal theses or research papers)

Or maybe I'd be better in helping the set up or administration of a herbal research centre or forecasted integrated hospital...LOL so ambitious haven't even graduated and thinking of top dog jobs that don't even exist yet already?!! haha...

Hmmm....so many possibilities- I'm excited! I think I need a goal focused photo to stick on my wall or something to help keep me steadily on track...cos knowing my impulsive nature I could also do a 180 degree turnaround overnight and drop everything if I have some amazing lighthouse moment...

In any case I cannot know the future, the past is irrelevant and all that matters is the present. And for now that means I need to keep kicking myself in the butt to study hard and stay healthy so I can actually do that!

Dots on Blogs

Ever since I discovered Feedjit and stuck it on my site a day or so ago I'm addicted to looking for new "dots"(country flags) from exotic locations....I know, S-A-D.

But this world comprises all types...LOL, and I just happen to get happy from the cheapest thrills ;)

Problem is I don't really know that many people in that many different exotic locations and for some reason some dots just don't show- M aren't you in Boston, MA? How do you visit- By stealth?!! Is there some intriguing conspiracy theory/geeky explanation for why dots don't show? being Scorpio Sun/Mercury with Moon in Saggit, I am stereotypically fascinated with the unknown and fancy myself a bit of a Sherlock Holmes X 007 (minus the slick coordination and cool bravery! hehe) IF I was going to be a TV character. Actually in reality, I'm more like Leela from Futurama. Cool but Daggy Daggy but Cool haha.

Anyhow, as per usual, I digress.

The dot fascination is a bit like an evolved version of my childhood hobby of collecting postage stamps- I like to "collect" dots from exotic locations!

Just like as a kid I wanted all the stamps we got from exotic locations so bad I actually FOUGHT with my sister over them(this coming from the world's most passive doesn't talk kid), now my addiction dictates that I want new exotic locations dots so bad that I'm tempted to 'cheat' and request my don't-read-blog friends who travel to "visit" from each new country they arrive in!

LOL that's why addictions are the work of the devil...they totally incite us to skew our usually straight moral compasses haha

I'm also tempted to break and give my blog address to overseas penpals (which I generally don't do until they've come to the staggering conclusion that wow, the chick is actually wholely and completely SANE- it comes across more in person, I promise :p)

Sheesh all that moral degradation just for instant gratification of a couple more flags...

I should just be patient. Surely people from exotic locations will randomly surf in soon enough? I wonder how many years it will take to collect ALL the countries in the world?!!!Unfortunately I don't think it's possible in my lifetime...the last thing starving populations need is the internet! (My preferred charity if you feel so inclined, cheers.)

Lucky I love writing and always have an endless stream of blabber waiting to come out- at least in writing. Maybe I can aim for 80% of the world's countries or maybe, I should just join Postcrossing to get a similar fix...

The Eternal Butterfly...

Sometimes I just really annoy myself. When I left for my trip- my place was orderly, spotless! Now I've been back two weeks it resembles something of a bomb shelter and I just feel completely passive to rectifying the situation...because I'm in HOLIDAY MODE I just don't feel like partaking in anything that resembles responsible daily grind...

I wish I had been born with a little more innate discipline but no, ever the hedonist, I'm always ready to fly out the door as soon as the next bit of fun and excitement comes knocking...in this way I flit from here to there and can easily never get anything of substance achieved- I guess you could say, in some ways I'm the 'rolling stone which gathers no moss' or the 'jack of all trades master of none'. I really admire people who can hone their interests and skills to really excel and become expert in one thing.

People sometimes view my profile and remark- Wow you have a lot of interests! That's the thing. Most people get interested in something transiently and then the phase passes and they never need to revisit that interest again. I on the otherhand with my voracious appetite for knowledge, new ideas, new experiences etc etc I just keep collecting and adding and hence when I get to holidays when I actually have time to engage with these interests I find that my portfolio of interests is just way too large and unmanageable and I end up getting completely exhausted with my energy all dissipated. Although I love diversity and variety, I also really like to pursue interests in a little depth, so there is a little dissatisfaction when you have so many different interests because there never will be enough time!

I realise in life not only do you need to prioritise your priorities but similarly you need to prioritise your leisure! I wish I was better at doing that "everything in moderation" thing - now that I finally have that leeway to enjoy myself I'm like the starving orphan who doesn't exercise any restraint and devours the entire plate in one minute and then suffers from indigestion...