December 29, 2007, 11:43pm

1. My neck and shoulder hurt like crazy. I cannot even turn to look at the back when I drive.

2. The skidding was so bad this afternoon. I was turning to the right, braking too hard. The car spun almost 360 degrees. Scary...

3. Had a nightmare... but not like those I had before. The old ones were repetitive. It's always mom's screaming and shouting. But this one is new. Dad was playing with a snake, the very poisonous kind... the cobra. He was showing that he could handle it no problem. But then the snake attacked him and made a hole through his neck.

No blood. It's like comic books that he got a hole in the neck. But he knew he's dying.

Well, I sort of woke up after this but I was not very scared. Well, the nightmare was unpleasant. But this simply cannot be real so this is not scary. How on earth it's possible to get a hole in the neck like that.

The nightmares of screaming etc were more scary because it's real. It did happen before. I don't need those insults anymore.

December 27, 2007, 10:05pm

Stuck all day in my apartment. Snowing nonstop.

Worked on the multiple regression all day... What should I do next?

December 26, 2007, 8:36pm

Time for a review of 2007, and set new goals for 2008.

From last year:
1. Driving -- Get on highway! Have more practice driving in snow
2. Swimming -- Find a class to learn freestyle
3. As in all coursework
4. More research work in the lab
5. I don't want to do teaching. Maybe I'll give a guest lecture or join a discussion panel in class
6. My knees -- Regular exercises in the gym
7. Health -- Make soup
8. Childhood memories -- Put trust in how adversities make me strong
9. Family -- Observe friends how they make a family
10. Maintain good spirit at work -- Time to get up from the fall in those dark three years. No self-pitying or self-blaming anymore
11. Travel -- Scotland

What I did in 2007:
1. I got on the highway. More than that, I drove in San Francisco too. Then drove in the mountains.
2. Didn't do anything about swimming.
3. As accomplished.
4. Well, I did as much research work as I could.
5. Gave two guest lectures and one discussion panel.
6. My knees are OK. They're still working.
7. Sure I make soup almost every week. Though I ate half a box of instant noodles during the finals week.
8. Well, I don't know. I don't have any nigtmare for about 2-3 months already. Not sure what's next.
9. Sometimes looking at other people's families makes me jealous. What then?
10. Sure I got good spirits at work. I love my work. :)
11. Travel: Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Scotland, Oregon, Wyoming, San Francisco!

For 2008:
1. Driving is OK. Got to keep up with it.
2. Want to try yoga. Will look at the rec center schedule and see if I can join some classes.
3. Well, I'll have four courses next spring. If I can get them all passed, that will be great. But I'll still aim for As.
4. Got to get two manuscripts out!
5. Will teach a class in fall, 2008.
6. Will keep up with exercises. Hopefully yoga will help too.
7. Make soup.
8. Let's see what comes next. No nightmare. Good sleep.
9. Figure out what a family means to me.
10. Work hard!
11. Travel: Scotland and Maryland.
12. Dissertation proposal by the end of summer 2008.

December 24, 2007, 5:12pm

Time to send Christmas cards and ecards. Every time I look at the names of friends passed away in the last few years, my heart breaks.

This is when I really want to believe good people go to heaven.

December 24, 2007, 11:40am

Really want to go to Galapagos some day. :)

December 20, 2007, 12:35am



Seriously, this is how they grow up?

Probably this is why my mother treats me like a dog. Probably this is why my friend's advisor treats the subordinates like slaves.

December 19, 2007, 12:12am

Finally got the laundry done. It's been almost three weeks...

Got to get two manuscripts out in the next four weeks.

December 16, 2007, 11:35pm

To do list for the break:

1. Manuscript: Encyclopedia entry
2. Manuscript: Personality and psychological well-being
3. Multilevel modeling analysis
4. HD613 weekly readings
5. Structural equation modeling weekly readings

OK. I have five weeks for these.

December 16, 2007, 10:58pm

My head is spinning... Still in the lab. The first draft for my last assignment is done. Better go home and worry about it tomorrow.

December 16, 2007, 11:02am

Went sort of cross-country skiing. Better say I went falling on snow for hours. :D

Couldn't finish the trail at all because I kept falling. Couldn't go up or down. Could do walking a little bit on level. In the end, I carried the skis back. Very tiring.

Just scenic. Cannot complain about the ache in my arms, back, and knees. It worths everything to get there. :)

This is also my first time driving in the mountain. The driver got very sick and I drove her SUV back. Scary on the icy roads but we're back safe.

This is magical. I did it!

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December 15, 2007, 1:01am

A friend got her PhD. Went to her commencement then the graduation party afterwards.

They were on the platform receiving their diploma. I can actually feel the pain, sweat... and adrenaline. These people got the PhD. How do they do it?

Still one more assignment to go to finish this semester. Will do it right.