0 SpLiT iT iN tWo...

Hey, well...

Today (technically tomorrow) we split the year in half.

How exciting is that?

If you are like me, you've promised yourself at some point to try your utmost to write the best 'YOU' on the sheets of 2011. And I'm prety sure most of us can already fill a serie of an encyclopedia with the happenings of this year... (the good and the 'lesson filled').

Cheers to half a year well spent! (And courage, hope and strenght for the other half to go)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE!!! And you only live it once. So make each day count. Here's the pen my dear, start writing the second half of 2011.

Thought to share some cheery graphics with simple and beautiful advice, truths and thoughts on life...

ENJOY!

1 Skyrocketing and decelerating blues

Extra Creamy Cappuccino with cinnamon and sugar?? I need to be honest, I actually would have loved a tablespoon of peanut butter with that...AND (oozing) chocolate chips (packed) cookies topped with vanilla ice-cream and caramel!

Need I say more???
Wiiiilld cravings, horrible bloating, annoying breast pain and swelling, dangerous mood swings and a series of other (not so uncommon) symptoms accompany women’s most dreaded time of the month; PMS!
Oh how I hate those (aprox.) two weeks... But hey, we can’t totally avoid it, so there’s nothing left for me but to live and deal with it. So, if you’re so kind, pass me a hazelnut packed chocolate bar, a bottle of  fine wine and please, be patient and understanding...I’m going through PMS lane!

I must say that I had fun though doing my short research for this post...  The findings were totally satisfactory.

One of my most interesting findings so far?...the IMS!

Yap, the male version of the PMS.  (no joke!)
While PMS stands for premenstrual syndrome, IMS stands for irritable Men (or Male) Syndrome. They could have used the PMS abbreviation and just change the “menstrual” part in it; but ofcourse, that would be a tad bit confusing to hear your man say “Baby bear with me, I’m going through PMS”. Uhm,...yea (and Sy gets a mental image of it).

Irritable men Syndrome or Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS) is the term used to describe the mood swings in men caused by high stress cortisol* levels and low testosterone* levels (High estrogen levels can also be the cause). Wiki describes it as a state of hypersensitivity, anxiety, frustration and anger that occurs in males and is associated with biochemical changes, hormonal fluctuation, stress and loss of male identity.
Just as it is the case with us women, some men choose to act this syndrome out while others keep it in and become depressed.

*(Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is most commonly known as the “stress” hormone because of its role in the body’s physiological response to physical and emotional stress.
Testosterone is a male steroid hormone produced in the testicles and responsible for the development of secondary sex characteristics.
Estrogen is a steroid hormone, produced mainly in the ovaries, that stimulates estrus and the development of female secondary sexual characteristics.)

NOTE: Just to make things clear, men DO have estrogen and women do have testosterone. A good balance between the estrogen and testosterone level in men is important for a healthy libido, mood improvement, a healthier heart and strengthening of the bones.

Doctors say that IMS is mainly caused by andropause (which is the male version of the menopause... and not penopause) and aging. The higher the estrogen and the lower the testosterone, the greater the likelihood of irritability in men.
Men who experience IMS complain of symptoms like

·         Anger

·         Mood swings

·         Impatience

·         Depression

·         Sarcasm

·         Stomach Cramps

·         Anxiousness

·         Hot flashes

·         Tension

·         Lack of libido

·         Hostility

·         Back- and headaches

·         Being argumentative

·         Unloving

·         Frustration

·         Being withdrawn

·         Demanding

·         Defensiveness

·         Sadness and

·         Dissatisfaction

I tell you, this search sure was interesting. And the amount of information gathered was more than I could blog about in just one time. As for my male followers who want to know just HOW irritable you really are, here’s a quiz to help you figure it out:

http://www.theirritablemale.com/quiz.htm

(Sigh)Too bad men don’t have this whole thing on a monthly basis, accompanied with cramps and a week of bleeding. But I guess that’s also something that can’t be changed (too bad). I now, go deal with my June edition of PMS. For the time being it’s comfortable enough to know that men at least have the mood fluctuation too somehow.

(By the way, for the men wanting to track their wife, girlfriend, mother, sister or friends cycle to know when to be extra careful or when things can get intense AND for the women who die of curiosity... check this out http://www.pmsbuddy.com/ . They count almost 42,000 people tracking their or other’s PMS, you could be the next!.)

0 The Victory

Promise made is a debt unpaid.  ~Robert Service

The day before yesterday, when I was drowning in my anguish about the exam, I made a promise; that I will inform you in due time about the results.
By now, most of my actual followers know the result already... HA-HA you guys couldn’t handle to just wait huh? Impatient!!!

But hey, it’s totally understandable. Having to wait is a virtue only a few have mastered...lol

Most of you know how much I “loved” working on this thesis. And most of you know how much I’ve been through to make it this far. Including totally sleepless nights and completely re-writing the damn thing. In an earlier post (dated March 19 2011) I expressed myself for the first time on this blog about the frustration of making a thesis. But surely I finished the post saying (and I quote) :

“Just a couple of months left to fight this “thesis virus” and by June 2011 I’ll be stronger, wiser, better & GRADUATED.”

The moment I stepped in the meeting room where I had to defend my thesis, I had nothing else in mind but this.

Don’t ask how the conversation went. I can still remember how I was shaking, thinking hard, hoping, fighting and trying to look strong...ALL AT THE SAME TIME. And I can’t recall much, the minutes went by fast, the questions were unexpected and the faces of the 4 people sitting at that table were (at that moment) blank...no approval and or disapproval was to be read on their faces. My heart was beating in my throat, my hands were shaking...and it almost felt like crying from pure nervousness.

And it did go though my head...”What if I didn’t make it?” But the need to finish was much stronger, and continuously it hushed that voice that wanted to doubt.

My mom was the person who has strengthened me the most. She didn’t do much neither did she say much. But the whole morning, only with her attitude and her being, she was mega supportive and calming.
And at the moment I left the only thing she said, “In the name of God, my child”. That was enough to boost me for the last mile...

The moment was unforgettable! And as nervous as I could have been, I’m glad I went through it. All of it has contributed to make me indeed stronger, wiser, better and yes...also GRADUATED.
And I wouldn’t trade the feeling for a dime...

Seems as thou I faced another barrier, I fought a giant...and I came out victorious. Next monster...HERE I COME!!!

As I said in my previous post...THIS WAS IT! And indeed...it marked the reaping of 6 long years of hard work, tears, sweat and perseverance. But I tell you, the fruit sure is sweet!

0 Meltdown...

And here we are...hours away from the final exam. And I must say...it feels like screaming and running away!

I'm a nerve wreck!!! Totally dying from within...
My stomach's turning wildly (and yes I've been to the toilet like a thousand times already tonite), my head repeats parts of the thesis I think are important all the while going through a whole "to do" and "to remember" list, my heart is beating like thunder in a storm and I have cold feet and sweating hands...

And I know...I should be asleep by now! Resting and powering up for tomorrow! I should be fit and fresh right?
But sleep's nowhere to be found... The situation's so terrible that I can't even seem to find the sheep to start the count...
So it seems as thou sleep has been permanently cancelled for the night. Rain delay, default, the unforeseen... You name the reason,diagnose the fault, point out the guilty... I say "ok".

Normally I'm not the type of person to broadcast the news of going to an exam or having huge presentations or tests. The reason why? That's just Sy... (Was, Am and (still) is)
I don't know...it's like, having so many people pending to hear the results freaks me out! It's like feeling as thou I have too many people depending on me! That's why I told no one when I was going for my driver's license, little people know I was participating in a speech contest last year and only a small groupie knew I was applying for a new job. To save myself that "freaking out" part!
But it seems as thou I'll just have to overcome that barrier today. I can't recall at which point exactly I stepped beyond the boundaries of secretiveness and silence, but the WORLD knows Sy's going to defend her thesis today!!!! (DANG)
But I've worked my ass off for this moment...so I just can't freak out now! I've come too far!

So here we go...

Giving it our very best shot!! It's now or never!!
THIS is it...

(P.s. My phone will pro'lly be turned off in the morning. So, if you try calling me and can't seem to come through...don't panic! Send a message, I'll most likely get them when I turn the phone back on. Help me pray for the best! I'll inform you later today of the results....or maybe I'll just leave you in suspense)

Peace out!

Miss Nervosa!
Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel

0 Femme Supreme (LOL)

ZAP!

POW!

ZOINK!

....tic- toc, tic-toc, tic, toc......

KA-BOOM!

Didn’t you ever wish you were one of those figures in a comic book? What if WE were the super hero, the villain or just a powerful professor in a fiction story? What if...what if we had mega mighty, extra cool, super powers?

Maybe you’ve once asked yourself that question. Or perhaps someone once asked you...What if you had a superpower? Which superpower do you wish you’d have?

I’M UNDECISIVE! I can never decide to have just ONE superpower... There’s ohhh-soo-MUCH that I’d like to do, and just one superpower won’t suffice.

I’d like uhm, INVISIBILITY (ability to render the user unseen to the naked eye)!!! Just picture how much you could do,...if you could make yourself temporarily invisible.

Also give me SUPERHUMAN SENSES (ability to see, smell, taste, feel and or hear more than a normal human). Just the thought of it...gives me such an awesome feeling!!!

Uhm add ...MENTAL PROJECTION (ability to project one's consciousness/psyche/emotions into the astral plane, into another, or to make them real). If only I could make some mental things real...hahahah...OMG!

I think I’d also want PRECOGNITION (ability to perceive the future. It may be expressed in vague dreams while asleep, other times it can be clear and can occur at will. It may also be used as a form of "danger sense" to show the user that they are being threatened and from what direction it is coming from.) But this one I’d only want to a certain extent. I just don’t think it would be so very cool to know EVERYTHING from the future. (And Sy shivers at the thought.)

TELEPATHY is also a superpower I’d like to have. The ability to read the thoughts of, or to mentally communicate with others. I can do sooooo much if I had telepathy... (wink-wink)

Furthermore we add powers such as:

·         Elasticity: Ability to stretch, deform, expand or contract one's body into any form imaginable.

·         Illusion: Ability to alter or deceive the perceptions of another. Can be sensory, a light or sound-based effect, or an alteration of mental perceptions.

·         Teleportation:  Ability to move from one place to another without occupying the space in between.

·         Time manipulation: Ability to affect the flow of time by slowing, accelerating, reversing, or stopping it.
(Especially when you are at work and time just wouldn’t fly. Or when you just don’t want a moment to end)

·         Telekinesis: Ability to manipulate and control objects with the mind, often in ways not visible to the naked eye. (This would simply be OFF THE HOOK!!)

·         Instant learning: Ability to instantly and perfectly learn any subject. (Handy...VERY handy)

·         Invulnerability: Ability to be immune to one or more forms of physical damage.

·         X-ray vision: Ability to see through solid matter

·         Telescopic or microscopic vision: Ability to magnify vision to various levels.

...just to mention a few!

But then again... looking at my own list, knowing there are more I'd like to add and giving it a second thought I think it’s a pretty good thing we do not have the possibility to have superpowers.
 ‘Cause if there would be just a handful of people like me, who wouldn’t have sufficient with just one power, this world would have probably collapsed by now!

I want to have these superpowers...not to do anything outstandingly courageous or to save the day. Most of these superpowers I wish I’d had would have satisfied my own egotistical desires, wants and needs.

But why not just let our imaginations run wild? I know we all go through those moments when we take one deep breath and secretly wish we had the power to manipulate the given moment, person and/or circumstances.
We’ve all been a child and back then we’ve all wished at a certain point to trade places/ be our favorite character in a story and/or cartoon. Maybe because we thought that character was cool, beautiful or...simply because.

Don’t let that inner child die! Even now, you can close your eyes and imagine...YOU, a mere human being...with the incredible power/ability to do something totally WACK!!!  Whatever it is! Nothing's impossible for your imagination!
Be it by a selfish ambition or if you have a bigger dream...like SAVING THE WORLD for instance!

1 Tinted windows...

I wonder if there’s any truth behind that saying... “The eyes are the windows to the soul”.
I mean, do we really have windows? Can people really see through each other’s eyes and get a glance of what really lives inside? Their thought? Attitudes? Emotions? Like when I look through any window...and I see the furniture, I see the people inside, I might see a flamboyant painting on the wall...through a window I can see...INSIDE A BUILDING, inside a room.

So, if this is true, you mean to say that there is more to the eye than blinking, seeing, observing, crying, looking and staring?

Recently I’ve been told something about myself I somehow know is true, but which I didn’t want to admit. The person in question said “You know Sy, I think blah blah blah...as a matter of fact, I KNOW it is like that.” And I indifferently answered: “And how does the wiz kid think to have gotten such untruthful insight?” To which the person answered: “I’ve seen it in your eyes Sy, you can’t hide it. I just KNOW it’s the truth”.
Well at that moment I tried to act as thou I wanted to say “believe what you may, I know the it's the contrary”. But I knew...I knew it for a fact...this person was telling the truth...

You know me; I’ve tried to search for answers!!
What do you see when you really look through someone’s windows? How can you tell if... ? (Sigh)

Physiology apparently says that people can tell certain things depending on the position of your eyes when saying or thinking a certain thing. Like this:

And they believe it’s not something we learn, for even blind people do it. It is more of a cognitive function of the human body.

Psychology states that he eyes are indeed an important medium through which we communicate our wants and needs. And they take babies and infants as an example... The way a baby that is being bottle fed looks directly into the eye of the one that’s feeding him, to mention one example.
And psychologists say that people can show disrespect  or tell that they're willing to fight 'by maintaining a continuous eye contact with someone. But on the other side they can also seduce, coy and show sexual interest.

And then there’s another theory that states that you can notice emotions by observing someone’s pupils during an interaction. Their pupils will dilate as when exposed to poor light. Enlarged pupils indicate powerful emotions, including anger, suspicion, and deep thought. They also imply arousal, excitement, and interest.

I really don’t know...

Yes, I’ve seen things in other people’s eyes sometime. But having people look into yours and point out stuff you don’t want to accept and/ or deal with, is definitely scary.
I say, if the eyes are such transparent windows I guess I’d like to tint mine... Who said I wanted just anyone to look inside anyways? If perhaps I’d want you to take a look someday, I then open the window for you...myself

But don’t you dare to just look through my windows,...at least not yet!