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I Had Just Picked Two Dead Psychological Practices

Yikes.

I think I might have gotten a bit carried away in my last post, but I still stand by what I say. Anyway, there are always two sides to every coin; and in the interest of pushing this metaphor to the limit, next time, rather than weighing my options, I should just make a wish and toss the coin into a well.

Anyway. I also mentioned that I wrote an essay about Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Psychoanalysis in Treating and Managing Depression - I got a 92.5%! I'm beyond pleased. Like the majority of my essays, it was totally last minute, and I actually ended up doing my research AS I WAS WRITING IT. So I found myself in a situation where - oops! - I had just picked two dead psychological practices. So I had to gracefully mention that while the inventor of CBT no longer agreed with his original findings and that the use of psychoanalysis has died out, their validity has yet to be refuted. Obviously, I said it better than that.

I just finished playing around with iMovie because I'm going to have to make a video for my Nursing Communications course. I plan on filming tomorrow, as well as doing a bunch of other last minute stuff. My final is next Monday, and then after that it's Health Assessment, which will involve a lot of labs, scheduling, and trying to find volunteers to pose as my patients. Should be fun, because I'll be getting right down to business. Then after that (on my birthday month!), I'll be doing Nursing Foundations I. Woohoo! I'm excited for that.

Speaking of my birthday, I am going to watch Cats. Oh, yes. The last showing of Cats in Edmonton will be on Oct 5th, the eve of my 22nd birthday. I can't think of a better way to spend it than by watching Cats, front row and center. So I better get to buying those tickets pronto.

I've been going to the gym quite religiously lately too. It's Week 2 of light weight, and next Monday I'll be doing Medium weight for another two weeks, then Heavy weight for 2 weeks, then I'll start at light all over again. I'm doing a variation of the 14-Day Body Sculpting Workout, and it works really well for me. The variation being that rather than doing their suggested exercises, I use my YMCA's SmartTrain Life Circuit machines which are designed for people who need to get their workouts done in a timely fashion. After my first Heavy cycle, I might do the workout to the letter, but for now the machines and time efficiency work for me.

Let me tell you, I could not go to the gym if my Dad didn't move in with us, because he watches the baby while I'm gone. Which means when he starts work next Tuesday, I'm gonna have to learn to get up at the crack of dawn, or else I'll have to wait until the evening to go to the gym. And we all know it's better to go at the crack of dawn. Which would involve sleeping early. Which is not currently my forte. Well, no time like the present!

We All Need Therapy

There are a lot of things going on in my family that are making me very angry lately. Not my direct family, mind you - my baby and husband are fine. I'm talking about my parents and my siblings. Everything is so wrong and everyone is so immature. I'm watching them dig their own graves, and if I dare give my opinion, they'll just whack me on the back of my head with their metaphorical shovel and bury me along with them in their metaphorical unmarked graves.

Here are a bunch of people who need professional help. I just finished writing an essay titled, "Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Psychoanalysis in Treating and Managing Depression", so I am freshly pumped with all sorts of psychological ideas, methods and diagnoses. One of the main points in my essay was that one of the biggest tragedies in depression is the stigma attached to it, which prevents people from seeking help or even recognizing that they need help.

There's no need for psychoanalysis here. It's all very simple: your stupidity has landed you in a stupid situation in which you are constantly making stupid decisions making the situation EVEN STUPIDER.

On the other hand, my direct family - my real family - is fine. More than fine. Maybe it's like what Bridget Jones said: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one area of your life starts to go okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces". And I suppose if I had to choose which family to feed to the dogs, I would never sacrifice my real family.

Anyway, this is different. This is not one area of my life "starting" to go okay; it's always been okay. And the other area has started falling to pieces long before anyone knew there was anything to lose. And I suppose that was the problem. Never take people for granted.

In the end, I don't think that there's anything that can be done. Certain people are acting stupid, causing other people emotional pain, confusion, and twenty years on the couch. The only thing I can do is let it be and watch the fur fly. Besides, I never bothered every bloodying my hands by getting directly involved in my family's problems. Because it's their problem, not mine. It's when they start trying to make it my problem that I get really angry. So I guess this is what this is all about. They're trying to drag me into their stupid cycle. Heck, they're assuming I'm part of their stupid cycle. And that insults me. It infuriates me.

What if I didn't care? What if I didn't care what they thought? What if I just let them kill themselves? I've got my own life to enjoy, and other people to take care of. Why should I be bothered? Answer: I shouldn't. Nobody appreciates unsolicited advice (least of all me), and giving them a reaction will only reaffirm their actions. It's time to be cold as ice.

This is why I love blogging/journaling. It's so therapeutic. Even if I have to be ambiguous . . .

I Did It, I Finally Did It!

One particularly cool thing that I forgot to mention was that I started taking driver's ed (yet again). And yesterday, a day that will go down in history forever, I passed my road test and got my driver's license!* Yay me, omigod! Yes, I know I'm 21 and it's about bloody time. Why did I wait this long? Basically because I've gotten by just fine without one. Don't get me wrong, it's been inconvenient at times, but I grew up in Hong Kong where everyone takes public transport. Plus I'm used to taking the cab.

So why did I finally decide to get it then? Because my baby is growing very, very fast and has recently outgrown his portable car seat. He now has to use the one that stays in the car permanently, and that of course would make it impossible for me to take him anywhere in a cab. So mommy had to learn how to drive, finally. Speaking of his weight, he's over 22 lbs! Extremely healthy, he's in the 97th percentile for his weight and height. In fact, we saw a little one-year-old girl in a restaurant the other day, and she was walking etc., and she was only 18 lbs! I mean, maybe not only. She looked healthy and probably was perfect. It's just my son is very big :P but my doctor just loves him, she's very impressed with his progress. Also, he's standing! Well, as long as he can find something to hoist himself up onto. All this, and he's only 6 months old! He was sitting perfectly by 5 and a half months and I'm sure he'll be crawling very soon.

Anyway, this post is a prelude to two new posts which I will write later. One concerns a very interesting experience I had with my driving examiner, and another concerns breastfeeding - I mention this mainly so I don't forget to write them. Because they are kick ass stories, albeit controversial. Which I suppose makes them even more kick ass.

So stay tuned!

*Okay, so I technically didn't get my license yet because all the registries were closed when I finished, and it's a weekend. But as soon as they open, I'll get it. Besides, I proved my point; I passed my test, and I can drive. Legally. For real, this time.

I've Always Been Meaning To Do This. These. Things.

It's been too long since my last blog. I hate being lazy, especially since I'm paying for TypePad services every month.

Here's a list of some pretty cool things I've done lately:

1. Bleached my eyebrows
I cannot believe it took me this long to do it. No, they are not blonde, they are a fabulous shade of brown. Ever since I was 15 my hair's usually been brown, or blondish, or reddish or some shade combining any of the above. And since my eyebrows are pretty thin, they've never really looked unnatural. But lately the color's been bothering me, especially since I read how easy it was to do on your own in Kevyn Aucoin's Making Faces years ago. (Of course when he did it, he bleached her eyebrows blonde. But for an Asian model, it worked out pretty well.) Anyway, I would highly recommend it to anyone with naturally dark hair, especially if you're now blonde or a light brunette. A word of caution though: eyebrow hair bleaches as (un)easily as the hair on your head (based on my experience). So just keep an eye on it. I had to leave the bleach on my eyebrows for almost 15 minutes to get it to turn brown. The effect is much softer (although not strikingly different from before) and my faux brunette hair now looks natural :)

2. Bought tennis racquets
I was going to sign both Johnny and I up for tennis lessons over the next two weeks, but since my Dad will be out of town and will be unable to babysit one week, I decided to let him do the lessons on his own. Anyway, I had lessons as a child. Plus, I've been to two Wimbledon games and even got my hat signed by the winners :P Anyway, a long time ago I gave up tennis to pursue dance, and I've missed it ever since. So now, hubby and I are going to play, finally. Johnny's done every racquet sport under the sun except tennis, but he excels in everything else so it should be a breeze for him.

3. Bought Spamalot tickets
That's right, this Friday night, we're watching the Tony-Award Winning, 5 Star, Best Broadway of the Year show, SPAMALOT, YAY!!! I haven't watched a musical in... well, I think my last one was last summer. So not that long ago. Plus, we watched a Shakespeare play for our anniversary as well. Oh yeah, our anniversary was on the 21st, yay us!

4. Taken up Taoism
The Buddhist has moved on! Read The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet; am now reading the Tao Te Ching. I feel so saved.

5. Got a library card
For all those books that I want to read but don't want to buy just yet. Now I can read them, save space in my bookshelf for my real favorites, and have the best of both worlds! Doesn't work for new releases though, unless you're willing to be on a waitlist behind 300 other people.

This is all stuff I've been meaning to do for a long time, and now that I've done it, I'm so thrilled. It's the little dreams that help you make the big ones come true!

If You Know This Song, You're Just as Cheesy as Me

Everybody's always talkin' at me
Everybody's tryin' to get in my head
I wanna listen to my own heart talkin'
I need to count on myself instead

Did you ever
Lose yourself to get what you want
Did you ever
Get on a ride and wanna get off
Did you ever
Push away the ones you should've held close
Did you ever let go
Did you ever not know

I'm not gonna stop
That's who I am
I'll give it all I got
That is my plan
Will I find what I lost
You know you can
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it (Bet on me)
I wanna make it right
That is the way
To turn my life around
Today is the day
Am I the type of guy who means what I say
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it

How will I know if there's a path worth takin'
Should I question every move I make
With all I've lost, my heart is breakin'
I don't wanna make the same mistakes

Did you ever
Doubt your dream will ever come true
Did you ever
Blame the world but never blame you
I will never
Try to live a lie again
I don't wanna win this game if I can't play it my way

I'm not gonna stop
That's who I am (Who I am)
I'll give it all I got
That is my plan (That's my plan)
Will I find what I lost
You know you can (You know you can)
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it (Bet on me)
I wanna make it right
That is the way
To turn my life around
Today is the day
Am I the type of guy who means what I say
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it

Oh, hold up
Give me room to think
Bring it on down
Gotta work on my swing
Gotta do my own thing
Hold up

It's no good at all
To see yourself and not recognize your face
Out on my own
It's such a scary place
Ooh
The answers are all inside of me
All I gotta do
Is believe

I'm not gonna stop
Not gonna stop till I get my shot
That's who I am
That is my plan
Will I end up on top again
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, you can
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it (Bet On Me)
I wanna make it right
That is the way
To turn my life around
Today is the day
Am I the type of guy who means what I say
Bet on it, bet on it, bet on it, bet on it

You can bet on me

* * *

It's a good song, people (if you still like the Backstreet Boys). I don't care much for the movie (ahem, musical) - I'm not even sure if he's singing about his girlfriend or his scholarship, but it's totally the perfect theme song for me right now. Curious? Download: "Bet On It" from High School Musical 2. Shut up, I have tween siblings. Twins, actually. So they would be Twin Tweens. Haha . . .