First day of the last year

Monday was the first day of class once more. It was good to see everyone again (even though it really hadn't been that long, just felt like it). Back to routines (of staying up way too late and rushing out the door in the mornings - ha!)

I have half days on Mondays so it's not too bad. Then I don't have class again until Wednesday afternoon which at least allows me some time to catch up. We also had our adviser meet and greet. It's hard to imagine that just one year ago, I was in the same position has the new class.

Yesterday was also my birthday. There was a time (mid to late 20's) that I avoided any celebration. Nowadays, I'm just grateful and more appreciative to have lived through another year. Last night, we (kids included) went out for dinner and had some sushi. Everything was delicious. My daughter loves tobiko so we got her a couple of pieces too. Now gimme some cake! :)

Speaking of cake and sushi(like the segue? No? too bad), I'm not quite sure how I feel about this:



[via Cake Wreaks]

Yikes!

11 more days until school starts?! I'm not ready!

OK I did get my books and register. But that's about it.

What about all my grand plans about purging and packing and finishing my sewing and... ad nauseum... I did manage to finish the cushion cover for my mom last week.

I am looking forward to vacation this weekend and next. I need a break from working. Last one was back in February and that was for a wedding.

I am looking forward to this semester; it'll primarily focus on adults and more of the psychosocial aspect of OT. Or at least that's what I think it is based on the books.

Just think, one year ago I started OT school. I really believe time exponential speeds up as one ages.

Oh, and I found two references to occupational therapy. One was when I was catching up on movies and finally watched Auntie Mame, after she becomes a widow and encouraged to write a memoir, she states:

"...[T]his is some kind of conspiracy. Some trumped up occupational therapy, like leathercraft, or hooking rugs."

(BTW, she does write the book and it becomes a hit)

There are several references to occupational therapy in a puppy training booklet by Dr. Ian Dunbar entitled BEFORE You Get Your Puppy but they all essentially state the same thing:

Natural inquisitiveness prompts the lonely pup to dig, bark, and escape in his quest for some form of occupational therapy to pass the day in solitary confinement.

See? OT is everywhere!

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.

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 :)

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...