My one tip for combating stagnancy is to start slowly and let the momentum build. This is especially useful when you are having trouble starting a project; start with something mundane. I have trouble with focusing when reading something very technical, so I start off by writing down what I read. The combined motor action helps me focus more and gets me started. The hardest part to combating stagnancy is getting started. So start off slow and steady.

Life is very much different now; I’m more focused towards research and work. I have a goal, which is to complete my PhD within 3 years. For those unfamiliar, people usually finish in >3 years; so it’s a formidable task.

Living in a different country hasn’t changed my lifestyle too much; just mainly my diet is different. I just play much less basketball now and work more.

And lastly I am a married man now. I’ve actually always treated my better half as my wife anyway but now I have paper proof; so it hasn’t been too different. It is definitely a big step forward and I need to think more about my future now. In the meantime, I have a poster to make for a presentation on Monday. Life in Japan: busy times.

And here I am about to start my new journey. You can argue that everything that has happened shaped the future, rather than having everything planned. But I still feel that I had been destined. Had I not only one last honours option, would I have worked as hard as I did? If I had not been rejected so many times when I applied for work, would I have cherished my CSIRO position as much and worked like I didn’t need to sleep? Had I not made a major snafu just before the start of my position, would I have had the cause and focus to work like there was no tomorrow? And had I not been doing extra work, would I have ever been noticed and been told of the PhD opportunity?

And what if I had never bumped into Dr. Davies my grade 9 and 10 biology teacher? Mathematician? Astronaut? I’ll never know since that wasn’t the plan.

I just finished watching 2001 A Space Odyssey, and as always the first thing I do after seeing a movie is to visit its wikipedia page to read the plot and interpretations of the movie. Even for movies that weren’t meant to be particularly deep, I always read up. The quote by Kubrick was given when asked for an interpretation of 2001. By and large, I totally agree. Since we are all different, we all pursue our own intellectual thoughts.

So the question on my mind is what was this monolithic block? One of the reasons I always read up on a movie is because I’m afraid I missed the point, which Kubrick pointed out. I’m afraid to make connections, which differ from the director/author’s intentions. But just like how Tarantino has his interpretations on the song “Like a virgin” (which perhaps wasn’t the song writer’s original intentions), shouldn’t we all have our interpretations on things? Maybe this is why 2001 is highly acclaimed.

As for what I got out of the movie, I guess it was the special effects. For a film made in 1968, it is pretty spectacular. The “Dawn of man” was particularly boring for me (and I kept thinking back at The Simpsons awesome parody of it) and the lack of dialogue and prolonged cinematic effects didn’t do it for me. I loved the HAL 9000 portion of the movie, and finally understood all The Simpsons references made to it. The only thing gripping about the movie was the monolithic block, and trying to figure out what it is. I’m truly a mystery fan boy, with favourites such as The Maltese Falcon and Chinatown.

The block will remain an enigma, just like the intentions of the movie. My overall interpretation of the movie? Computers will eventually get smart enough and take over us (which it has probably achieved already on my part, since I spend a crazy amount of time in front of a computer).

It happened very randomly; I was walking to get some candy and the next minute I decided to go and give blood (and I didn’t even get to the lolly shop). We actually talked about giving blood over dinner a couple of nights ago and I guess it got to me. I walked to the van and approached the friendly staff, two of which were psychology students studying the blood giving experience for first time donors. Usually people make appointments, but it just so happened that there was one last time spot at 3:30pm, which was the time then.

As I thought I would only be out for a little while getting candy, I didn’t bring a jacket. So while waiting I was suffering the consequences and hence shivering, which could be from a combination of my anxiety and chilliness although at that time I thought it was probably just the weather. I filled in the paperwork and the pre donation questionnaire, which I offered to participate in, and there was a bunch of questions asking about how I was feeling. I have to say I was feeling a little more negative than usual.

Once it was my turn I walked in van. I got pricked for a haemoglobin test and the result was good; I had a reading of 165, which is quite high according to the nurse. My blood pressure was also good; 121 / 71, so physically I wasn’t stressed. Then came the moment of truth. I jumped on the bed and laid out my left arm trying not to think about the needle. I avoided looking at the needle, and in an instant there was a quick sting and that was it; it was in me. I don’t remember much discomfort as I was happily passing out my fluids. It ended in about 10-15 minutes and was given a popper, cheese, crackers and chocolate. I had to wait 15 minutes before they let me go so I used it to fill the post donation questionnaire.

It had the same questions, but this time around when I was filling out the form I felt much more positive. I felt more confident, more at ease and happy. It is somewhat like the feeling you get after finishing an exam. The feelings experienced were quite different before and after the blood donation. There was also a feeling of righteousness and peace. I know giving blood isn’t so much of a big deal but you can’t help feeling like a better person. I have already made an appointment for next time and I know this time round it won’t be as negative.

Nevertheless, here I start another fresh blog. And the first thing I tend to write at the start of every blog/journal I start is, I hope this blog will continue on and that I will enjoy writing in it. I hope I will be able to read back on all the events of my life.