Minimizing Inertia while researching

Some of us are late starters and some are very late starters. Sometimes I feel guilty because it takes so long for me start. Then I remember a popular idiom 'better late than never'. No matter how late I start, I always find consolation in the fact that I actually started and as a result there's a higher probability that I'll finish. 

After starting, the problem of procrastination sets in. The trick is to start a regular routine and push yourself to follow it everyday. Even that has problems. For very late starters, discipline may not be easy. Since I know that, I find external push factors in the form of classes to go to in the mornings, a test to study for, a conference to work towards, etcetera. With this strategy, some days are very productive for me, while others are total duds. The bad days should not demotivate you though, since this is a work in progress to minimize the inertia. 

X's and Y's

Someone said ''I don't have x's, I have y's - Y the hell did I do that?" I found the quotation rather interesting, so I posted it on my Facebook page. Someone then commented that I'll soon be at z :) What a cute line of thought. On a more serious note though, the quotation has given me food for thought. If we make our x's into y's then we may be setting ourselves up for more pain. If he / she is an ex, leave it alone, look at the mistakes made in the relationship and try to learn from them. It seems rather unwise to dwell on the reasons for ever having a relationship with that person. I know that sometimes, we may think bitterly about our past relationship, but shouldn't they just be stepping stones to a better, more mature, fun-filled relationship?
As far as I know, life is full of diversity and we ought to explore the variety that has been offered to us. As for my friend who is worried about me finishing the alphabet, I wish he wouldn't see the world through an old, sheltered man's eyes. I wish that he would see me with the same opportunities, desires and abilities as a man. If a man has as many lovers as letters in the alphabet, he is not chastised, but if a woman does, she is seen as not being lady-like. I turn my nose up at that kind of inequality between the sexes. 

Before choosing the one person that I want to spend my life with, shouldn't I be allowed to interview the potential life partners and test drive them for a while first? In the information age, who signs contracts without proof that the product is in good shape and can be used for its intended purpose? Why should relationships be any different? Bad or discarded relationships should help to make us better at relating to each other and lead to better future relationships. Being a student of economics, I'll keep test driving until I find the one that gives the optimal driving experience and steady state growth :).

Paper Woes

Writing a paper can be such a hassle and it seems starting at the end is more sensible than starting at the beginning. I wish I knew this 7 months ago. If I did, I think I would have completed at least 2 first drafts by now. Instead I now have 3 unfinished, worrisome papers. Oh how I wish I could turn back the hands of time.

Do all Phd students go through this? I hope not. I am now determined to start smarter next time - right after I complete these 3 papers.

Food and Doctors in Foreign Lands

Being an overseas student is so much more challenging than I had imagined. The language is a huge barrier, but I have managed to survive without much Japanese for a while now. However, there are a few small things that cause me to think twice about living here.

The first major obstacle was food. My taste buds have been assaulted by the food here. At first, I used to just think 'it's nasty', but these days, I don't worry about it so much any more because I've found what works for me and I'm slowly learning which foods are tolerable. I also cook much more often than I used to do back home.

The second, more pressing issue is finding a good doctor. This one has me scared. First, I got food poisoning within my first two weeks here. At this point I was still nervous about taking even the train. Now I had to find a doctor who I could explain my illness to and get better before dying. Eventually I found the school's clinic and a partially English speaking doctor who understood me. The next time I became ill, my luck had changed. The doctor could not understand sinusitis. He thought I just had a cold and so my sinus kept draining until a friend shared his sinus medication with me :) I then developed a dermatological problem. My acne broke out all over my face with bumps so big and painful. By this time I had found the American embassy's website with a list of English speaking doctors, so I simply picked the one closest to me and went. That didn't turn out so well. He gave me a strange treatment plan that may have hurt me more than helped. So I stopped going and tried to find another way around my acne problem. I'm counting down the days to my vacation so that I will be able to go to a competent dermatologist.

Now it's just my luck that now I have a cavity! A cavity serious enough to be causing me pain :( My first thought was 'I wonder if it can wait until I get back home, so I can visit my usual dentist?' However, the fact that it hurts means that it needs immediate attention. The Japanese seem to have such poor oral hygiene that I'm scared of how the dentists treat patients. I'm scared that he will not fill my cavity properly or that he may not know how to explain things to me if an unexpected situation arises. I'm so scared right now. I never thought of issues like these when I thought about going abroad to study. But even if I did, would that have made a difference in whether or not I go abroad? Maybe not, but perhaps I would have prepared myself a bit more, mentally.