one of the biggest things I can advocate for (in academia, but also just in life) is to build credibility with yourself. It’s easy to fall into the habit of thinking of yourself as someone who does things last minute or who struggles to start tasks. people will tell you that you just need to build different habits, but I know for me at least the idea of ‘habit’ is sort of abstract and dehumanizing. Credibility is more like ‘I’ve done this before, so I know I can do it, and more importantly I trust myself to do it’. you set an assignment goal for the day and you meet it, and then you feel stronger setting one the next day. You establish a relationship with yourself that’s built on confidence and trust. That in turn starts to erode the barrier of insecurity and perfectionism and makes it easier to start and finish tasks. reframing the narrative as a process of building credibility makes it easier to celebrate each step and recognize how strong your relationship with yourself can become
song of the day: L no theme- hideki taniuchi
stayed in bed until 3 pm recovering from last night. eventually got up to send out some emails and work on my physics problem set. finished my physics pre lecture readings. debating switching professors for my summer research but i'll have to speak with both. i guess today wasn't that productive but i had to distract myself and at least i got something done. i'll save the rest for tomorrow.
song of the day: where are you- 54 ultra
mostly ran errands today which took much longer than anticipated. i had to push the majority of my tasks to tomorrow. despite that my mood was great which is a win in my books. i bought a new planner for 2025 and it has already proven to be useful.
research: assigned tasks to my team. (we are a little behind schedule for our publication). sent out a few emails to the journal.
selfcare: on the last bit of a horror game i've been wanting to play for a while. i might finish it tomorrow. also did a bit of drawing but i don't expect to have much time for that as the new semester is starting.
tomorrow: buying a new notebook. after that i can get started with preparing for the new semester. key goals: make topic list, mind map, set up notes. i'm quite excited to decorate the pages with all the new stickers i got. i also plan to finish my blog article (which is due in a week).
song of the day: me gustas tu- manu chao
very tiring day today, i regret not taking an afternoon nap. but quite productive! i came back from my 8:30 pm lab to find the power out which was quite fun. gone were my plans of crashing right on my bed and i proceeded to drag myself to the library. it is now 10:30 pm and apparently the power is back so i'll crawl up the hill back home once i finish up my chemistry notes!
research: halfway through editing my article. only one body paragraph left to rewrite.
academic: did calculus until my brain exploded. physics was very fun and the fire alarm fortunately did not go off this time. my ta for my 2 hour long calculus tutorial is not so endearingly clueless so needless to say i will not be attending calculus tutorials anymore.
self care: actually didn't do too much today and i am very very tired. but i am in surprisingly good spirits considering everything that has happened today! i really like this "library": it is actually the basement of our math building, nicknamed "the dungeon", but i love the atmosphere. photo attached below!
15/100 days of productivity
wasn’t feeling very well today after running errands and having labs all day. still went to my evening tutorial but sleeping early tonight.
current mood
song of the day: futile devices- sufjan stevens
not the most productive day today.
academics: completed next week's notes and half of next week's readings. spent most of my time revising physics.
selfcare: took a nice hot shower. then the hot water cut out. it was not pleasant.
tomorrow's goal: do last week's practice problems and get started on this week's problem sets so i'm ready before class. also need to prepare for my lab on monday.
notes: i, in fact, did not figure out my program and am still debating transferring.
my breath in clouds
the snow crunching beneath my feet
the sting of cold air on my ears
the moon, full amidst the clouds and fog
brick buildings and warm lighting
colourful stained glass and pure white snow
soft music, I see them sitting atop a snow pile
hushed voices, subtle glances
a moment of tranquility in bustling city life
quietly shared with you
now that i have begun a blog here, i shall introduce myself. admittedly i am not all that good at tech stuff... i've always stayed away from the more computational side of science, so please excuse me if i make any mistakes.
general:
i fall under the trans umbrella. i was born a woman, but i have yet to figure out who i truly wish to be. i hope i do one day, however right now i prefer he/they pronouns: she/her pronouns make me uncomfortable, yet i understand differing beliefs and have no problem if i am referred to as she/her.
i am studying to become a cardiac surgeon: i want to be skilled in surgery, specifically cardiac surgery, and travel the world to provide medical/surgical care to areas lacking access to such care, such as warzones, less developed countries, and rural areas.
i have never been officially diagnosed with anxiety nor depression, at least not on paper. many doctors and therapists have told me i have strong symptoms and i have gotten pills prescribed. you may expect posts about my mental health, as i have no one in my life to talk about them to.
my favourite animals are cats, snakes, and otters. maybe penguins. i like dark green and dark red. my favourite band is the arctic monkeys- i went to their concert last year and enjoyed it immensely.
school:
i am a pre med student pursuing a bachelor's of science in honours anatomy and cell biology. as of now, i am a first year. i am debating between a minors in medical anthropology, biomedical engineering, or if i will even do a minors at all. we shall see.
research:
my interests lay in biomedical engineering. i enjoy learning about the applications, design, and challenges of nanotechnology, specifically tissue engineering. i also enjoy learning about the designs and ideas behind medical technology, however i don't believe myself to be enough of an engineer to pursue it myself. my current project is collaborative: i co-lead a dry lab team on writing a research paper using results from our wet labs, where they are developing a biomimetic bioadhesive. truly fascinating stuff.
hobbies:
sports: badminton, swimming, figure skating, trying to get into fencing and archery
instruments: voice (soprano, alto, tenor), piano, flute, want to learn cello
art: i enjoy oil paints the most, however i am also proficient in basically all other mediums like watercolour, acrylic, charcoal, pastels... i have been challenging myself to do sculptures lately too. i prefer landscape paintings however i also sketch still life and portraits.
other: i enjoy reading and writing. i mostly read nonfiction nowadays (ex. books about fish evolution. seems boring but it is quite fascinating) however i have always held a fondness for "classics". my creative writing style is very descriptive. in every sentence i write, i wish to covey yearning and beauty. it is a shame that i do not get to practice my writing much anymore. i also enjoy baking and cooking. in the future, i want to learn how to ride a motorcycle and buy myself a batcycle (aka. a kawasaki or yamaha fully black bike. they look sick.).
language:
i speak english and mandarin chinese fluently. i am proficient in french. i wish to learn italian and spanish.
i'm not too sure how many facts to include here before i sound like a narcissist. i shall end it here. (i really want a white ball python they are so adorable).
pre med student documenting his life. anatomy & cell biology | biomedical engineering2007 | INTJ
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