Creature Discomforts

From the folks at Aardman Animations (Wallace and Gromit, those talking Chevron cars, Shaun the Sheep, Angry Kid... the list goes on...) teamed up with Leonard Cheshire Disability in the UK to create Creature Discomforts whose aim is to change our attitudes towards those with disabilities. For those who aren't already familiar with the original Creature Comforts (there's a UK and a US version), the characters in Creature Discomforts are voiced by those who experience these barriers every day.

Be sure you read "Behind the Characters" to get personal insight on things most everybody else take for granted.

Visit www.creaturediscomforts.org for more information.

Boxing Day

When I was growing up in Hong Kong, we had boxing day. I never understood what it was. I still don't. But now with the internet, we can look everything up (taken with a grain of salt, of course). Whatever the definition, it seems the common thread was to give to those of "lower class". I'm not one to perpetuate social classes but there's no denying they exist. In any case, I was thinking about the kids and the presents they've received. They were all great but of course, what the kids were fighting over to play with was the gingerbread head where you squeeze it and the eyes bug out:












which I believe comes out to about 33 cents a head. But still they wanted more. Of course, they're kids. My husband and I are trying to instill in them what Christmas is about but it's hard when you are bombarded with ads on TV, in the mail, etc. I thought about how we are such a consumer-oriented society and there's this need to buy, buy, buy... when in fact, we probably only need a small percentage of what we buy (I'm guilty too). That there may be an overabundance in one home and not enough in others.

What I thought we could do is to donate at least one of the presents to others. But right off the bat, I thought of a couple of things:

• Perpetuates the social classes - that those who "have" get their presents first and the "have-nots" have to wait the next day
• Getting a bunch of "unwanted" gifts - unwanted isn't the right word but gifts that the receiver did not want, like tube socks*, so maybe "too practical" would work? I don't know...
• The giver may be hurt if their present was the one that was picked.
  

Anyway, someone, somewhere could use the gift - whatever it is. Even if it is practical - someone out there could probably use some tube socks. Maybe if they're donated to a homeless shelter? I would love to hear comments or criticisms - it's just something I thought of this morning and I haven't had my coffee yet.

When you're a kid, it's hard to look past the tangible gifts. Sure, I love getting presents just like everyone else but what I treasure most is time spent with my family and friends, no matter how crazy they are. I hope everyone had a good holiday and wish everyone a Happy New Year!


*Incidentally, my mom gave me 500 tablets of 1000mg Vitamin C as part of my Christmas present this year. Being practical is great and all but it makes for some unusual presents. Okay Ma! I'll take the vitamins already! Quit nagging! And thanks Ma. :)

Dusting off the blog...

Merry Christmas from Texas - yeehaw!

So, I know it's been a while since I've written - much to update! To start off, my first semester is OVER. Yay! I'll have more to say about how the semester went but let me quickly talk about other things:

• The boys are now 4 years old and can sing "Joy to the World" forever... least it seems that way
• Mo is halfway done with 1st grade (when did she become a big girl?)
• The house is not done BUT they have installed some of the window frames and are in the process of welding the last of the frames - should be updating the house blog sometime this week; or more realistically, by the end of the year
• Sad news: I have to get my tonsils out - boo! That's not the sad part; the surgery's on new year's eve. So I'll be welcoming the new year with an enthusiastic UUGGHHHHHHHHH. Hopefully, when it's all said and done, I'll be able to talk without coughing out a lung. And it should help with this alleged snoring that I have.

So, let's see, what was my first semester of OT school like? To be honest, the material isn't hard but more abstract - at least it was for me. My background is more analytical so it took me a bit to shift my thinking. With OT, while you still need to think analytically, there's quite a bit of psychology involved.

I think I could name a thousand things that I've learned about OT and about myself this semester. Of course, since I'm on holiday mode, I'm not able to recall much. The main challenge is prioritizing and time management - at least it was for me. Yes, I was stressed but I didn't have time to panic - does that make sense? Being stressed kept me going and moving forward but I knew that if I panicked, I would just freeze and that doesn't really help anyway. I did finally feel my shoulders relax once grades were posted.

This past semester was a good dive into the world of OT. The primary focus of the Spring semester is pediatrics - exciting! It's too early for me to decide what population I want to work with when I finally finish. I originally thought that I would want to work with adults/geriatrics but then again, I haven't entirely dismissed pediatrics either so I'm looking forward to it.

Happy Blog Action Day!

I was 10 when my family moved to the States - to the suburbs. We had lived in Hong Kong so you can imagine the contrast. The neighborhood that we moved into was still new so there were plenty of open fields. We would ride our bikes and play in the fields - I remember playing T-ball quite a bit. In any case, I look at my own kids and wish they could do the same. Sure, we take them to the park but it's not the same really playing in the dirt, climbing trees, etc. The old neighborhood is all built up now and I really wish for the kids to have free reign of wherever they play. I'm looking forward to moving into the new house; it's an average size lot but it's right next to a spring and it's all overgrown with plenty of space for the kids to explore. (That's the view from the living room.)

There's a trend now to build McMansions closer to the easements, which I don't get. You're then left with a 2 ft strip of lawn you have to mow - for what? A dog run? It seems to be unusable space to me. So you water, mow, fertilize the lawn for what? I just don't get it. Actually I do: it's not the outside that shrunk, it's the inside that got bigger. And don't get me started on that.

It would be hypocritical of me to stand in the way of someone's dream of building their own home. But I would ask of them to consider what you sacrifice in pursuit of more square footage.

P.S. Happy Birthday AC!

T - 7 days... until midterms

So next week is midterms - the sheer volume of readings is beyond measurable. However, because my classmates are on top of it, we've been taking turns outlining the various chapters in all the books. I love my classmates! I haven't freaked out yet but I feel it coming on. Of course, it doesn't help that I'm typing this up when instead I should be reading.

Also, the house is starting to take its form!

I've also been thinking that I need to cut back my hours at work. Part of me wants at least more than one day of "unscheduled" activities (i.e., no classes, no work, just whatever; right now I have Fridays off from school but then again I work Friday nights.) But the other part of me wants to keep the hours - y'know, cuz I love the challenge. I have to admit: it's pure ego. School, work, family, building a new house - that's right, baby - bring it on!! OK, I exaggerate - I'm not the one actually building the house but the impending move does scare me.

I have been working out more - helps me clear my thoughts and also think about how to tackle the day. It's purely cardio though: jogging, treadmill, elliptical. I need to start lifting weights but I have to concentrate more on what I have to do next (what set am I on? how many times did I lift this already? shoot, I lost count) that I usually opt for the cardio.

One of the things I have been thinking more about is this blog. I mentioned in a previous post I think that in order to become a successful OT, I need to OT-ize myself and work on my own challenges. So far, the exercise has been great but I think I need to broaden my view. So I decided to COPM myself. Well, not exactly the official COPM but basically, of all the areas of my concern, focus on the top 5:

1. Lose weight
2. De-clutter
   
3. Stay on top of reading assignments
   
4. Update my calendar on a daily basis
5. Limit my "leisure" reading
   

OK, so how I go about this...

1. Lose weight
• Reason: I need to do this not only for my health but also to set a good example for my kids. I am already a clumsy person. To be clumsy + carrying extra weight = not comfortable moving.
• Method: No junk food. Drink more water. I don't drink soda anymore but I do love juice so I need to limit that. Exercise - more weights.
  
• Goal: BMI 18.5-24.9, current BMI: too high
  
2. De-clutter
• Reason: I am a pack rat. I can't help it. I think it's genetic.
• Method: Spend at least 30-60 mins everyday to clean/purge.
• Goal: Kind of vague right now since I don't know exactly when the house will be done. I want to be packed and ready to move by end of the year though (if not sooner)
  
3. Stay on top of reading assignments
• Reason: Like most people, I procrastinate.
• Method: Like the cleaning, spend at least 30-60 mins everyday to read.
• Goal: Stay current with the class readings.
  
4. Update my calendar on a daily basis
• Reason: To stay sane.
• Method: Um, update my calendar everyday...
• Goal: Sanity
  
5. Limit my "leisure" reading to 30 mins a day
• Reason: It's part of my escape. Seems though, I "escape" a bit too long when I have other obligations I need to attend to.
• Method: Quickly skim the headings in google reader, just reading a few. I think I may have to set a timer for this one.
• Goal: Get other things done.

I was hesitant posting this mainly because I've tried losing weight before and obviously haven't stuck it out long enough to make it work. I hope that posting this makes me more accountable to it though. On one hand, I am afraid to commit to this (and to the world) but on the other, I know I need to. I'll post my progress as I go; if I get brave, I may take pictures but I can't promise that.

Here it goes...

A bit of happy

Hope this starts off your week with a bit of happy:

What week is it? I've lost track... Oh wait, Week 4

I feel like I've been going on crisis management - just barely keeping up, putting out fires, only completing the assignments that are due and putting readings off. But I know I'm not the only one so in that, I find solace.

I've been thinking how as a hope-to-be future OT, how I can improve myself. After all, how can I promote wellness if I don't consider myself to be "well"? It's the weight; I've put on quite a bit ever since the kids were born. I didn't have a weight problem as a kid so this whole getting older, metabolism slowing down is hard to get used to. Anyway, I have been going running at least x3 a week. I've gotten to the point where I look forward to it; it's a part of the day where I take time and just evaluate where I am, what I need to do, etc.

We had gobs of projects due this past week for our Tools class. In a nerdy kind of way, I enjoyed it. I don't often get the excuse to watercolor (which I used to create my personal mandala). I really wish I had the right brush to do that background. I did that with a brush that was similar to a lipstick brush. I changed that green border to black just to make it bolder but right now I'm too lazy to take another picture. Oh well, it's done. One day, I may go back and explain what the different things mean.

One of the things I had to complete was my pithy quote, which I took out of The Healing Heart. I decided to decorate my quote with a bit of knitting; it was fun to have that diversion even though it was just a wee bit. So I dedicate this to Karen:

(Sorry about the quality of the pic; I used my camera phone.)

Now that those projects are out of the way, I feel less stressed. Even though I still have 2 (or is it 3) group projects to go.

Week 2

This has been a FAST week! I'm sure the Labor Day holiday had something to do with it. Now that we're into our second week, we're well into the nitty, gritty work stuff. We've got a group presentation due in one week, another group project due in two weeks, a quick research project also in another two weeks and Fieldwork I starts soon. I need bigger boxes in my calendar...

One thing I wish I was better at was reading. I'm a pretty slow reader. Let me rephrase that: if I read for leisure and I find the story interesting, I can read pretty quickly. But when I read to study, I often find myself slowing down so I can absorb every detail. One things I'm horrible with are names and dates (I'm surprised I ever passed history). To help me with that, I'll take notes but rarely do I go back to them. These notes are written so it'll make sense to me and are really more for me to be more involved while reading. Just the act of writing it helps me remember. I guess most people in this case would highlight or underline in their book. Maybe I'll make a small arrow to the side but I never liked highlighting. But that's just me and maybe that's why I'm a bit slow in this aspect.

There was an article I read on ZenHabits [via Lifehacker] on how to learn more and study less. In a way, I suppose, it's what I've been doing - making it make sense from the beginning. The author explains that time spent studying does not equal learning. He calls it "holistic learning" - to seek the bigger picture and connect the facts together. It's worth the read.

With that, I've got GOBS of reading to do. For tonight's selection, I'll be reading from this book, this one, this one, this one, this one, and this one. I best be getting started.

Sunday morning...

Max and I went out to the park after I was done with my shift. Looks like they painted all the playground equipment over the summer. Now they are all red, yellow, and blue - I love it! No more sad chipped baby blue with hints of orange and brown. Not until these layers flake off anyway. Quick snap of him trying to conquer the rocketship. (Note: the light pole tilting in the background is due to my cameraphone)



I had my textbooks with me in the car so I was going to read while he played but it was more fun playing, of course. So that's what we did. I did manage to get him to get in the jogging stroller so that I can get some decent exercise.

The other 2 kids were with my mom (her suggestion, not mine, and who can pass up unsolicited babysitting?). It was nice to hang out just with Max. We could actually talk without him feeling like he has to yell for attention. Though our conversation consisted of him telling me that we were going to go to Africa using the submarine (that yellow thing behind rocketship, no not the giraffe, the other yellow thing)

So no OT work done today but we went to Africa so the day was not a total loss :)

Brain by Brain

I cannot emphasize how I am so glad I am done with neuro A&P! Not sure if this would have helped much but at least it would have provided a much needed mental break:



On a less silly note, one of the things I am interested in is memory - mainly because mine sucks. WNYC's Radio Lab had a segment earlier this summer on Memory and Forgetting that is very entertaining and informative (and how often can that be claimed?) If you enjoyed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, they present a possibility that erasing memories *could* work. Crazy! Check it out!

and... B R E A T H E

1 week of OT school down, 14* more until end of the semester...

which if I had thought about that after the first day, maybe I wouldn't have panicked as much. The first day is usually going over the syllabus, setting expectations in the class - but couple that with trying to understand the structure of the program itself, getting used to the school computer systems - well it can understandably be overwhelming. After going through the schedules for the year (which I am so grateful that all the professors have planned out for the duration of the semester) and listing all the projects / readings / assignments /etc., the schedule is more digestible. See? when I just say 14 weeks left, it's not so bad. Lesson to learn: if there's anything overwhelming to the point you don't even know where to start, break it down to more manageable chunks. This way, when you meet your mini-goals, you can at least see some progress. Works for many things: school planning, projects, laundry (though I'm not quite sure about the laundry, at least for us...)

So one of the objectives this semester is setting up the foundation of OT: its history, frameworks, etc. One thing I've noticed is there is a lot of mention of "Reflection". Reflect on this, Reflect on that. I am not that comfortable thinking that way. Well, I am - but had never been obligated to commit my thoughts down on paper. I think that may also be part of the reason why I never journaled very much; I have this need to perFECT my thoughts. Not that my thoughts are PERfect - from far it. It's more like I'll jot something down and it would be fine - for that day. But if I come back to it weeks or even years and I disagree with what I wrote down at that time, I want to delete it. I need to just let it go, at the very least witness my own ever evolving thought process - however scatter-brained it may be.

On the kid front, they have been coping. My daughter is very excited that she gets go to the after school program they have because her friend from last year (who is not in her class this year and she is sad about that) is also in the same program. In fact, last year she kept begging to join because it sounded so much fun. All I could think of was I am working nights from home so I can spend more time with the kids and she would rather hang out at school longer. shEEsh! Actually, I am glad she feels confident in herself to go off on her own. Even when she started preschool, she never had separation anxiety. At the time, it made me kind of sad that she would leave my side so easily. But the boys - OH THE BOYS! - they have a hard time letting go. They started preschool last year and it would almost always take me 20-30 mins to leave the classroom. I think it's harder with twins: with one, you can distract long enough to sneak away but with two, it's like they serve as each other's lookout. Oh, and they can each grab a leg. They'll be starting school next week so we'll see how that goes.

My daughter had come home one day this week with a dollar that her friend had given to her. I asked her what is was for. She said she helped her friend with her math - took me a while to figure out that my daughter got paid for doing her friend's homework. Is it wrong to feel a bit proud? I did tell her to give the dollar back, you know, cuz it's the right thing to do. At least wait until 2nd grade. :D

So other than working this weekend, I'll be reading the various chapters from the vast array of books. I can't wait to read that APA Publication Manual!! Just kidding of course - I mean, I do have to read that Manual but I am looking forward to the OT textbooks themselves. Not that I'm anti-proper use of parenthesis or anything. Maybe I should start blogging in APA style? nah - I like my liberal use of run-on sentences and dashes for no-apparent-reason.

Just for fun: check out the anatomical socks and t-shirts. ALMOST makes me want to take A&P again. Well, no it doesn't but it's still neat. [via boing boing]

*No, I didn't count the weeks. I am using a teacher's planner that just so happens to list the week by numbers so when I looked at my calendar, I knew it right away. It also lists how many days into the school year we've been in. Makes me wonder - are teachers also counting down the school year as much as the students? Probably so.

Last day of summer

Well my birthday's over. My parents threw a surprise party for me. Just a small gathering but it was just funny how my mom did it:

[Mom calls on phone @ 11:30am Saturday morning]
Me (groggy, because I just fell asleep): Hello?
Mom : Happy Birthday! Oh, can you come fix my computer? Pleeeeassseeeee?
Me: Ugh, can't you just use Dad's?
Mom: No, I really need it - pleassseeeeeee? Come by at 2:15 or 2:30. C (my husband) has to come over and get something out of the attic anyway - just come with him
Me: No, I really need some sleep - I've only gotten 3 hrs sleep and I still need to work later tonight.
Mom: PPPLEEEAASSSEEEEEEE PLEEEASSSEEE I really need it to work PLEEASSSSEEEEE
Me: [*grunt*hack*wheeze*]
Mom: Pleeeasssssseeeeeeeee.....?
Me: I'll think about it.. *snore*
..
By this point, I was suspecting something but not certain because a) my mom never whines b) if she really needed her computer to work, why would I have to wait at a specific time and c) my parents can get into the attic themselves, why all of a sudden needing help?

Anyway, I didn't think much of it after that so I dragged myself out of bed, got ready while C got the kids ready and we went over there. And SURPRISE! Party for me! I know she probably wanted it on the actual day of my birthday; I just wish I was more awake for it.

So, the day is over and cake was eaten - yum! mocha cake! And now it's Sunday - The Last Day of Summer Vacation. My daughter and I are a bit sad since we both go back to school on Monday. We are both definitely lazy morning people. I'm only going to work a couple hours Sunday, rest of the shift I took off as vacation. Both of us girls have got to force ourselves to go to sleep early again.... and wake up early. Although we both know this, we have failed miserably. Well I shouldn't say that she failed because she is The Child and I am The Parent and what I say goes and I have the bad habit of doing stuff at night (cleaning, reading, watching TV) which she picked up.

Bottom Line: OT School - excited!! Waking up early - boo!!

You say it's your BIRTHday!

Well it's my birthday too - yeah! [continue Beatles head bopping]

So, I decided to splurge on myself for my birthday and bought a spanking new laptop:[img: NewSonyVAIOThatWeighsLessThanABowlingBall.jpg]

It's not Gamer-ready (or Battle-ready or whatever) but it's plenty for me. Besides, it beats what I used to have:
[img: MeInMyBestTweed.jpg]

Anyway, I won't go into detail about how much of a Royal Pain in the Patootie the sales guy was - mainly when it came to his persuasion of my needing an extended warranty because he has "literally sold thousands" (his words, not mine) and knows what he's talking about. I just don't care for the hard sell. It doesn't work on me. In fact, it was such a turn-off that I was close to just forgetting the whole thing and going somewhere else. But I didn't want him to ruin my happy day.

So that was Thursday.

Here's how Friday went:
8:30-2:00 : Orientation for OT School [insert angel's choir here] [insert reason why there's an angel's choir is because I am stunned that I actually am starting OT School]

2:00-2:30 : Got cellphone swapped because the backspace key didn't work. Never realized before how dependent I am on backspace. Have determined fingers are "fluffy".

3:00-4:30 : Treated daughter and self with manicure/pedicures. (It's our twice a year treat.)

4:30-5:00 : Finally leave nail salon after s-l-o-w-l-y putting on carseat buckles on daughter. Have decided that next time, will NOT get manicure and thereby curing all hand/finger immobility via new manicure. In meantime, will master "jazz-hands" technique of buckling child restraints.

5:00-5:30 : Drove to parents' house with "jazz-hands". Managed to only smear 1 nail.

6:00-6:30 : Visited daughter's 1st grade teacher for next year. Stunned that summer has come and gone so quickly. Quietly mourn the loss of lazy summer mornings.

6:50 : Returned home. Start work.

And here I sit. Still. Because I only have 4 more hours until I'm done with my shift.

Yup.

So.. why am I doing this?

I've asked myself what I'd focus on this blog. I've had blogs/journals/diaries in the past but was never satisfied; in a way, I felt kind of pretentious - who else would care about what I have to say? In a way, it was just a place to collect my thoughts.. but they are so haphazard, at least to me. Eventually, the perfectionist in me would take over and scrap the whole thing.

What's so different this time? I don't know really. And honestly, I don't know exactly is going to spill out of my head. What I do know is that I love science and I love art. I am by no means an expert in either one of those subjects. If anything, I'm more of a groupie. I discovered occupational therapy after my kids were born (all premature) and now that they're older, I've decided to take a step towards making it a career. This field, at least my impression of it, marries both science and art so perfectly that I can't believe I didn't declare this as my major in the first place. Oh, I know why - because I had no idea it existed. I would have been one of those people that thought the "occupation" part had something to do with working in the HR department.

Simply put, I want to record my experiences. Chances are, the focus will primarily will be kids, house, OT school because that's probably all I'm going to have time for. I am sure I'll stumble and whine and curse... but I'll try my best to keep that to a minimum. After all, this is more of a personal journal and no where close to a professional one.

One week from now, I'll start OT school. It's a bit overwhelming with everything going on! Luckily, my work allows me to work from home and just on weekends. Granted, I work the midnight shift so what that means come Mondays, there is a strong possibility that I will be perceived as bi*chy. But I promise I will be much nicer Tuesdays.

T-7 days and counting...

Pre-reqs are done!

This past Friday was the last of the pre-reqs (neuro A&P). I AM DONE! But it's only just the beginning. Now I'll actually start the MOT program - wow! This has been a long time coming; honestly, it really doesn't feel real. Have you ever planned for something so long that by the time you actually complete it, it's more like, "wha? there's actually a next part to this?" College was that way, but not really. It seemed more like an extension of high school. And also, undergrad was work. I mean chore-like work. Like laundry (which the bane of my existence and will probably be a running theme in this blog). This is due to the fact that at the time I was picking out my major, I didn't really consider what I actually want to do. Daily. For the rest of my working life. See? I didn't look at it that way. I thought any job will do. Anyway, I'll talk about that some other time.

OT School, on the other hand, is something I look forward to because I actually want to do this. Wow - what a concept! From what I've been reading out in the intertubes, OT students really love school. That is such a foreign concept to me. You mean, it's not about finishing whatever it is and getting a job and realizing the grown-up world is not all that it's cracked up to be. OK, need to get away from that topic again.

So we'll have orientation in a couple of weeks and the following Monday will be the start of school. I am ScaredCrazyOutOfMyMindWhatAmIThinkingMaybeIShouldWaitAndStartNextYear ... and if I can just harness that nervous energy and just focus on school, I think I should be OK. Who needs Red Bull? Pshaw!

House Update: C, the kids, and my parents (and me) went out there after Dim Sum-day^TM today. The mason has put up part of the wall in the master's bedroom. They should be delivering the steel for the columns on Tuesday. Should be updating the house blog sometime next week.

Kids Update: They're glad I'm done with this class. Next thing that came out of their mouths were "Can we go swimming NOW?" Of course, I said no because it was evening by that point and they spouted off something like It's not fair/We never get to go/I'm going to live with Mama and Papa (my parents). To which I responded that's fine and that's just less laundry for me and then I can donate all their old toys. To which they said NOOOOOOOoooooooooooo!! Haha - I'm mean.