Hello World

Wow, more than two months.

LOTS of things have happened in my few months here, and I am still in one piece :). That's a good news.

Doing PhD at MIT is MUCH more intensive than my Master days last year. The pressure is higher (esp. now that I am funded by the professor), the deadlines are tighter, the work is much much more, the stress is maddening, the meeting is endless, my sleep requirement is getting less and less (now a 4-hour sleep is enough, compared to the usual 6-hour). I get too used to sleep less now that I always wake up after 4-5 hours of sleep even in weekend when I really want to sleep longer.

At the same time, there's a fun factor of being here. And you start learning to appreciate simple things in love, for example:

1) a half-hour nap on a Sunday afternoon is a TOTAL bliss, and it will actually enhance your efficiency and 'workability,' seriously =). This happened on the last day of Spring break. My other two team mates just came back from their respective holidays (Florida and Austria) so we arranged to meet on Sunday, 2 pm. I didn't sleep enough the previous night, but I still went straight to office after mass (it ended at 11-ish, including the coffee & donut session =P). I felt so lethargic so I decided to go back to my room at 1 pm after finishing one report. I had a short nap and was already back in office just in time for the meeting. Trust me, that half-hour was a total bliss (I woke up wondering what made me feel SO happy and refreshed---it's the nap). I was ready to work long-hour again afterwards, just like an Energizer bunny.

2) having a freshly washed hair in the morning can lift up your mood :). I used to wash my hair every evening. One day, I reached my room at 7 am (yes, pulled an all-nighter in office) so I just brushed my teeth, washing my face and feet, and went straight to bed. I woke up just in time to do the final editing of the report :), take a shower, and dash to class. So I washed my hair that 'morning', went to class with my semi-wet hair let down (it almost never happens): spreading a gentle waft of Dove's cucumber and green tea scent---it simply made my day!!

So now I wash my hair in the morning and go to school (sometimes) letting my hair down---enjoying the breeze playing around with my hair, and (especially) the scent. Then I reached my office and have my ponytail again (I can't work with my hair down).

I have this very fine type of hair: they ALWAYS fall back into place after any kinds of turbulence... within seconds. Haha it's the envy of some of my friends so sometimes I do it on purpose by creating a self-made turbulence, shake my head gently a few times (kayak iklan sampo tapi ini beneran) and they are as good as newly washed and combed hair :).

I never knew before how much I like my hair :)