A good book is worth more than its face value. People are not worthy of being idolized.
I struggle with managing my emotions and being enslaved by it. I desperately want to be liked. However, upon some reflection, I’ve realized that truly good meaningful work requires focus, stillness, and disregard for what others think. If I want to do something that makes an impact (albeit for a limited time), I need to focus on my work and perform it well.
Today, I went onto Facebook and read a quote from Murakami’s Wind-Up Bird Chronicle regarding spending money on the things money can buy reserving energy for the things money can’t buy. I’m reminded, but can’t find the exact quotes where Murakami discusses what type of people he spends time with. He realized the important people he wanted to spend time with was with his readers. They were the important, not necessarily the friends he would see sometimes. My boss once said, in order to do research well, you have to have a dedicated period where you only focus on honing the craft (no family, no significant other to distract you). Too true.
Thus, I come to the conclusion that within the next two months, I have a lot of things to do:
Prepare for a Sound Body, Sound Mind
1. spend time with family
2. clean clean clean (discard things in closets, recycle, etc.)
3. read read read (follow an author)
4. preparing myself mentally for the road ahead: includes making
5. learn as much as I can about plants, because it might be the last time I’m every working with them.
6. exercise to prepare my body
7. learn to cook (need to master 10 dishes)
8. dress and make yourself presentable everyday for work.
9. Review how I read and wrote critically about the papers
10.apply to scholarships
11. Go through logic textbook and course notes
12. Reconstruct “How to Read a Book” MCAT reading style.
13. Watch “art history videos” all of them– that way you have something to talk about besides science!
tra(iv)els 