Life Is Precious, Fragile, & Short

I'm noticing that, more and more, I'm not getting less and less attention to this blog.  Just as well--we live in a world of instant gratification.  I've lived just long enough to understand that it wasn't always this way, but I'm still young enough to not curse it and just shrug my shoulders and say, "It is what it is".  Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are cornering the market on public sharing.

I still refuse to participate in this instant social media world.  I like my (relative) anonymity.  And I like that I'm not obsessively checking my phone or iPad, wasting time.  Because time is precious.  And we all need to realize this.

A couple of years ago, a relative died from a heart attack--at the age of 42.  This relative's immediate family lived overseas for a long time, and I rarely saw them, so we weren't close.  However, his death was still tragic..and unexpected.  42 is only 6 1/2 years away for me (gulp!).  Then a few days ago, I learned that a family friend, someone who I knew as a casual acquaintance, but his mother was very close to mine, died suddenly while taking a shower--at the age of 54.

Lesson to take away from all this--those 2 men could be any of us.  We never know when the breath we take will be our last, or maybe worse, we never know the moment anyone we love will be called home. What to do?  Well, some people are still looking for the fountain of youth.  The fast pace of this world allows us to be bombarded with messages of "buy this" or "exercise like crazy" to prolong your youth, so that you might live longer.  Who knows if that'll work?  We hear of healthy people having fatal strokes or heart attacks, too.  I'm all for taking care of your skin and body, but not for the purpose of prolonging youth, and not for the purpose of staving off death.  No one can do that.  Just God.

I'm into eating healthy and working out, but not because I believe I can stave off death this way.  It's because, as long as I live (however long that may be), I want to be in the best shape and mood to enjoy it.  Also, have a better attitude.  I'm so guilty of saying, "I got this, great.  Now I want that".  Prime example is Coachella.  I was so bummed about missing out on it this year.  I tortured myself with extensively looking at photos online, but that's not what I should've done.  I should've been happy for my friends who did get to go, then reminded myself of what fun concerts I did go to (like Lady Gaga at Staples Center, when I sat thisclose to Gwen Stefani).  Besides, if I'm lucky enough to be alive, then there's always next year or other music festivals.

Even if going to Coachella 2015 does not come to fruition, and I'm still alive, I'll still have many things to be grateful for.  And even if I'm not alive, if I'm in Heaven with God, I'm sure I'll be happy.  Who knows?  Maybe life up there will be much happier and more fun than life on this earth.  We won't know unless we experience it for ourselves.  It's not like the angels can tweet about it.

13-Year-Old Boy in Georgia Commits Suicide After Being Bullied

I stayed up late in order to work on a job-related issue that has been a PITA for me lately.  Tired, I was just about ready to go to bed, but I came across the title of this article:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/05/17616979-georgia-middle-schooler-commits-suicide-after-bullying-being-called-snitch-dad-says?lite

I had to read it, so I did.  It moved me.  After I finished reading it, I thought that maybe I should be crying.  I did feel a little heat in my eyes, but no tears came out.  Then I realized I was too angry to cry.  I don't know the boy, but I picture him as a kid with a pure heart.  One sentence in this article stands out to me, a statement made by his father: "'He came home one time and had some peanut butter pies he had made for school. When he walked through the door he had some pie left, and he had it all over him. Someone had jumped on him and smeared it all over him.'" 

Why did it stand out to me?  Because I was this kid.  It's painful to admit this, but I was bullied in grade school and high school.  I was smaller and quieter than the other kids.  I was called names; spit balls landed on my desk; I ran as fast as I could to reserve the shady table at lunch (this was LA in the spring) for me and my friends (we were all labeled as "nerds", but we didn't care), but it wouldn't matter cuz the "jocks" would follow and edge us out, forcing us to again eat at a table under the sun.  And yet, I would bring candy or buy the most highly-coveted item on my high school cafeteria's menu, chili cheese fries, hoping that the other, more popular kids would be drawn to me and like me.  But it lasted only a moment.  They would get what they wanted and flit back to their groups.  Devin, I'll bet that's the reason you brought the peanut butter pies to school. You wanted to go to culinary school, and you wanted to be liked. So you baked the pies in hopes that the other kids would recognize your talent AND pay attention to you. Instead, they smeared your hard work all over you because YOU DID THE RIGHT THING. A teacher is alive today cuz of you, but you're not alive, and it's so unfair. 

I was happy to leave high school.  I have my days, and I hate to sound cliche-ish, but IT GOT BETTER.  I'm 34 years old, and I believe it'll get even better.  I have exciting things in the works for me.  I can feel it!  God help those who felt it all go downhill at 30!  Life didn't end in high school or even in college or even in graduate school.  Not for me.  Every birthday is a reason to celebrate, even if it's with just a movie at home, even if it's alone.  BTW, Happy Birthday, Dad!  April 5 was Dad's 74th birthday, the 3rd birthday he's had since his stroke.  Every birthday is a blessing cuz we could've lost you 3 birthdays ago, but God decided you needed more time with us.  I promise to try to not forget this.

Please, God, have mercy on Devin.  Please take him straight to Heaven to be with the angels.  Please let his suicide be a lesson to kids everywhere (and grown kids like me) to never underestimate your self-worth.  The problem is your bullies, NOT YOU.  One day, you'll look back on your bullied days and will smile at how far you've come.  Someday, you'll see your bullies get smaller and smaller in your rearview mirror.  Then they'll disappear, and you'll be driving on your road to success.  It gets better.

OK, now I'm getting more tears into my eyes.  I'll say a prayer for Devin when I lie down in a few minutes.  It won't be the last time.

Someone In Your Corner

I've never been a fan of "The Real Housewives of Orange County". I've missed several episodes, but because my favorite show has been canceled ("Ringer"), and I no longer have a show to look forward to on Tuesday nights, I tuned in. I came upon the episode in which the women take a trip to Costa Rica. They're having dinner, and 3 of the 4 other women gang up on Alexis, calling her "phony", Tamra even yelling at her. One of the others, Gretchen, was supposed to be a good friend. Of the few episodes I've seen, Tamra appears to be really mean and nasty. They accused Alexis of being "materialistic", but they all are. All of them are driving around in luxury cars and showcasing their multimillion dollar homes on TV. Look, I understand why people dislike Alexis. However, no one deserves to be ganged up on. I've been her...more than once, and it really sucks. You rack your brain trying to figure out where you went wrong, but then, when you gain strength and confidence, you realize that the bullies have the issue, not you.

Somone in your corner is always a good thing. Sometimes, that someone isn't physically there, but you know they would be if they could. I'm lucky to have such a supportive family, and I know they're always in my corner. Also, I'm Filipina, so I've got a big family! One thing I'm proud to be is that person in the corner. Another awesome Scorpio trait: severe loyalty.

Hello, 2012!

Finally...I'm back! For the last month, I've been trying to post several times, only to find that my entries never went through. I'd have these posts all written out, then when I'd hit "Publish Post", nothing would happen. Oh, well, no use dwelling on that now.

Anyway, Happy 2012, everybody! I have good feelings about leap years. 2008 was a pretty good year for me, and I believe that 2012 will be even better.

I meant to do this on 1/1, but couldn't (read the first paragraph for the explanation), so I'm doing it now. Here are 3 lists that reflect what happened to me in 2011 and what I anticipate will happen in 2012. In honor of the "11" number and the fact that there are "3" lists and that I turned "33" in 2011, each of the lists has 11 items (I can't help it--I'm a numbers junkie!).

Things I (Hope to Have) Left Behind in 2011:

1) worrying about work-related matters outside work hours

2) being overweight

3) worrying about finding Mr. Right

4) willing people to be different than they really are

5) taking rude people's rude comments too personally

6) foolish spending on clothes/shoes/accessories I don't wear/use

7) not getting enough sleep

8) feeling "old" about being in my 30s

9) not exercising enough

10) unnecessary drama

11) focusing on what's wrong in my life

Things I Take From 2011 into 2012:

1) being in good shape

2) wearing all the fabulous shoes and dresses I bought in 2011

3) the thrill of traveling

4) my end-of-year bonus!

5) my renewed zest for dance classes

6) my renewed sense of domesticity

7) taking pride in my job, but realizing that a balance is important

8) memories of the time I spent with my family and friends

9) pride in tackling a huge portion of my student loan debt

10) realizing the importance of staying in touch with old friends

11) a newfound appreciation of champagne

Things I Look Forward to in 2012:

1) drinking more champagne!

2) joining Facebook to stay in touch with friends? (yeah, right...but I will stay in touch)

3) losing a few more pounds

4) a trip to NYC

5) a trip to the Middle East

6) saving more money for future dreams

7) a higher sense of self-esteem

8) more home-cooked meals

9) more time with family

10) becoming a better professional

11) trying a new hairstyle

Remember that entry from November when I was on a search for the perfect party dress from Rebecca Taylor? I found it a couple of weeks later! I leave you all with this photo of me in the dress, which I picked up on sale through the Saks e-commerce site. I'd been searching for it forever and nearly shelled out $400+ for it at full price, but couldn't even do that cuz I couldn't find it in my size. And that's because, after all my efforts and sacrifices, I can finally wear a size 2 again! Here's the dress, paired with a purchase from my East Coast adventure, my Christian Louboutin batik python No Prives:

Also, I wish to welcome my 4 new followers. I'd name you each individually, but for some reason, I can't see your names when I click on my followers page. Anyway, you know who you are, and I say hi to you and "Happy 2012" to all my readers!

Bitching About Being Single

Friday night, and here I am at home. I actually don't mind. I prefer it. There are just too many people out on Friday nights, and I deal with enough traffic jams throughout the week. So what's on TV at 8 pm on Fridays? Sex and the City! I haven't watched an episode in a while, so I tuned in. The episode that was on was titled "Easy Come, Easy Go". In this episode, Miranda and Steve are broken up. However, Steve is still living in Miranda's apartment, even though they are sleeping separately. Another woman leaves a message on Miranda's answering machine, asking Steve out on a date. Miranda bitches to Carrie the next day, saying (I think I got this verbatim, but I'm not sure), "Here's a 34-year-old guy with no money and no place to live, but because he's single, he's a catch". It made me laugh. As much as Miranda and other (real) women I've heard bitch about how hard it is to find a guy in New York, I and other LA women bitch about how hard it is to find guys in our city.

Oh, well. We can't have everything we want all the time. I don't want to end this entry with negativity, so I'm steering it toward some sense of positivity. I don't have the man of my dreams right now. That's all right. I have a great-paying job that affords me the luxury of helping people and treating myself. So how did I treat myself today? Pretty darn good. I did what I wanted to do, and I did it on my own time. I tried on some dresses at the newly-opened Rebecca Taylor shop on Robertson Blvd. Oh, they were so pretty! If I must say so myself, I looked fantastic! The sales associates insisted I model them on the floor, and I noticed a bunch of people on the sidewalk in front of the entrance watching me model them. How I'd love to break out the dress for a special date with that special someone! It'll happen someday. I just need to be patient. I didn't think to take pics of me wearing the dresses, but here are a couple of stock pics I got from saks.com. At full price, I can't have both, so which one do you think I should get? Maybe if I wait until after Thanksgiving, I can luck out and get both on sale...

I made another stop today, too. I pre-paid for an item that'll be ready for me to pick up next Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Want a hint? Look at the labels for this entry ;)

My (Early) Birthday Celebration 2010

My birthday isn't until 10/31, but due to the scheduling of this particular event, I celebrated it early. Because a relative hooked me up big time, I was able to attend this event with some friends from work. The event was last night, and it was a concert at the House of Blues Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, starring R&B singer Jason Derulo. His music has been featured in a couple of episodes of "Gossip Girl". On the show, Jason Derulo's 1st hit, "Whadja Say?" was played during the feuding Thanksgiving dinner scene last year.

Before the concert, we ate at The Stinking Rose, an Italian restaurant that serves food heavy on the garlic, in Beverly Hills. I eat at this place every year for my birthday. It's perfect because it's vampire-themed, and my birthday's on Halloween. Plus I love Twilight! I realize now that I've been there with several different groups. It's sad, kinda, I don't have consistent friends, but I'm also one who grows and evolves all the time, and sometimes that involves new friends. I was so nervous I barely touched my 40-clove garlic chicken and mashed potatoes or the yummy garlic bread. However, I did get my leftovers to go and drain my glass of Sauvignon Blanc. And the serving staff gave me a free garlic ice cream for my birthday. It's not as gross as it sounds. In fact, I really like it.

Then, we headed out to the Sunset Strip for the concert. We sat on the balcony, perfect for watching the show while getting to sit when you're tired. We danced, sang along, and screamed (and drank again, of course). I haven't had so much fun in a long time. There's something so liberating for me about being at a concert. I get into it and really don't care about what other people think. Jason Derulo is quite a performer. He sang all his hits, danced beautifully, and even did a tribute number to the late great Michael Jackson with his rendition of "Billie Jean". As pictures of the show were prohibited, I will post only the picture of me with the promo poster, taken in the ladies' room (tee-hee). I didn't end up wearing the Leifsdottir dress, as I felt it was too formal for a club. However, I did rock my new-again Paper Denim & Cloth Ripper jeans and Ya-Ya halter top.

Ay! My High-Heel Wearing Days Are Catching Up with Me!

One telltale sign you're getting older: aches and pains. You think of stuff you used to do for hours on end without consequences, but then things change. For me, "stuff" included wearing high heels. It's now to the point where 5" heels are actually very comfy for me. This is supposed to be good, right? Stilettos are sexy, after all.

No, it's not good. I'm now suffering the consequences of my behavior. One day a couple of weeks ago, I woke up with a huge pain in my right foot. It lingered for a while, the pain waxing and waning. I decided to ask my friend JA about it. He's a physical therapist and athletic trainer. He rubbed on the bottom of my foot, and I felt like smacking him! This used to feel good whenever it was done at the nail salon, but it didn't this time. Then he asked me to move my ankles, and boy did that hurt! Then he said something I knew all along, and it suddenly made sense. He said, "The gastroc inserts right here. You probably have a sprain in there". He pointed to the back of my leg, right where my Achilles tendon was.




picture of the gastrocnemius muscle to the right taken from wikipedia.com


JA was referring to the gastrocnemius muscle, that big beefy one in the back of your leg. The gastroc's job is to bend your foot so that your toes are on the ground, but your heel comes off it. What is that you do that causes this to happen? Put on a pair of high heels. The higher your heel, the more your gastroc has to work. And if you're wearing them for hours and hours, your gastroc works overtime and revolts by becoming inflamed. And if you're wearing heels day after day for hours at a time, you may get to a point where this position becomes comfy for you, more so than standing with your entire foot on the ground. It's not a good thing. That means you've got major contractions, and when you do need to have your foot on the ground, you'll find it hard to put it there because the tibialis anterior muscle, responsible for bringing the back of your foot onto the ground, is so overpowered by the gastrocnemius. This is what happened to me. Due to the nature of my work, I wear sneakers, but that was getting painful for me. Even though I was actually spending more time in flat shoes than heels, the heel-above-the-ground position is not mechanically correct, so the ratio of time spent in heels to time spent with the entire foot on the ground should be REALLY small. So even wearing heels for a few hours each weekend can become a real problem.

I knew all that. I just didn't think I'd have to worry about it so early in my
life. Sigh...

calf stretches, pic taken from the Mayo Clinic website








Does that mean I'll stop wearing heels? Hell no! At least not right now. Maybe in a couple of decades. I'll just be sure to not wear them anywhere where I won't have a chance to sit and kick off my shoes after a half hour. And of course, I'll do my calf stretches.

I've Decided It's Not OK...

...to accept behavior that makes me feel bad about myself. I decided, today, that I would cut myself off from a "friend" who had hurt me quite a few times. I had trusted him with quite a bit, and since it's so hard for me to trust people, I considered him and I to be very close, and I didn't want to let go of our friendship. He stood me up a few times, and each time, he would tell me it wasn't a big deal and that I was expecting too much from him. He did other things, but I won't write about them here. He didn't return many of my texts or calls, but he would occasionally come to see me, and I'd forgive him, only to re-start the cycle. It's hard to explain, but he has kind of this hold over me. In the beginning of our friendship, he made me feel good about myself. But then he became controlling and aloof. Today, I texted him to tell him that I had something very important to tell him, and he didn't text or call me back. Driving home from work in the rain, it hit me. Another friend, in whom I confided by telling her of my situation with this "friend", told me that it's all about us being free. He's free to not take my calls, and I'm free to either feel hurt or not. I decided that I was free to not feel hurt, but I chose to do so for several months before today.

It's not OK anymore. I will stop taking his texts or calls (on the few occasions he answers them), and if he wants to talk about it, I will tell him I want nothing to do with him anymore. I'm sick and tired of feeling hurt and hearing his b.s. My life was not better by him being in it, so what am I really losing by losing him?!

I got the opportunity to meet up with a girlfriend today after work. I hadn't needed a drink in so long, and the minute I sat down, I ordered a caipirinha. It was so good! It was a mini-celebration for me. Before, when I did think about cutting off this "friend", I'd erase the thought quickly, thinking that I still want him in my life. But that thought didn't come to me this time. Cutting him off just seemed so right. This time, there was no alternative. It actually felt quite liberating. Half the battle has been won. I just need a bit of willpower to not take his calls and tell myself, should I encounter a moment of weakness, that I don't need him.

The Early Days of My 30s....

So it's Day #34 of the 4th decade of my life (ages 0-9 count as decade #1). What's happened to me since Day #1? Hmm...where to start? What I will warn you about, though, is that what actually happened is far more exciting than the way it looks when written.

Of course, the topic turns to my hair again! I decided that I have evolved, and I wanted my look to reflect that, so I "went for it". I had my trustworthy hairdresser lop off about another foot (and about 5 lb) of hair on Day #9, and I had him touch up my red highlights to "as bold as I can go without looking like those girls who work at Hot Topic" (for my foreign reader[s]...really I can think of only one...hi, P!...Hot Topic is a chain store found in several American malls that caters to the Gothic punk population, which includes people who dye their hair all sorts of weird colors, including cherry red). So the photo above is the result of that. I knew it was much redder (is that even a word?) than before, but I had no idea how red it was until this photo (taken indoors, at night in a dark restaurant) was taken. It was taken at my 30th birthday dinner at The Stinking Rose, a popular Italian restaurant in LA (there's another location in San Francisco), inside the ladies' restroom. Currently, my hair has grown back to halfway down my back again (my hair grows like weeds!). For all you fashion plates out there, the dress is by Milly.

What else?

On Day #30, I decided to go to a party where I would risk knowing nobody all alone. It turned out that I knew 2 people, but I barely talked to them and actually met some nice single, successful guys. We'll see if anything pans out on that front.

Today, I went to lunch with some co-workers who helped me to have some good laughs and joked about how exciting my life is when I complained it's not...I guess they're actually right...all drama, all the time, with me. Oh, and...I finally wore my yellow Christian Louboutins that night! Too bad you can't seem them in the photo =(

It's HEEEEEEERE!!!

As of 9:46 am today, I am in my 30s.

As I actually spent the whole workday without seeing even one patient, I had a lot of time to sit at my desk, write, and THINK. Here's what the minutes before the big moment looked like:

9:42 am: 4 more minutes left of my 20s!
9:44 am: 2 more minutes!!
9:45 am: Getting out my cell phone to call my dad to share the big moment
9:46 am: The one patient I was scheduled to see barges into my office to announce that he can no longer keep his appointment. We talk for 1 minute, and I'm temporarily distracted.

After the big moment:
9:47 am: Called my dad at home. No answer. Called my older sister, S. No answer. Visited some coworkers to give them the big news...I have entered my 30s. "Happy Birthday" was sung by one. Another tells me it's all downhill from here.
10:03 am: Called my very good friend, M. No answer, so I left her a voicemail message. Texted another friend, T.
10:06 am: T. texts back. Then he calls. We talk.
12:00 pm: Go to lunch for chili dogs and fries with 3 coworkers. Thanks for lunch, J!

Sometime after this, as I'm sitting at my desk, a coworker brings his 2 adorable little daughters to visit me. I am mentally reminded that I am still childless, and as I watch the 1-year-old waddle, I am reminded of how much I want one of my own.

Went home, picked up a cool free gift at a store on the way.

Passed out candy to trick-or-treaters. Ate delivered Pizza Hut stuffed crust pizza (bad, bad!). Still have a whole bag and a half full of chocolate candies left. Please, kids, come to the door! Do not allow me to be tempted! Not after I've done so well with shedding 20 lb in the last year (which was extremely hard for me to do)!

After that, not much else happened.

Oh, yeah. Since today was Halloween, I did wear a costume. OK, not a "real" one, but I threw stuff of my own together, and I did buy a few things, but it's all stuff I'm gonna use after today. I was Little Red Riding Hood. I wore my red Rachel Pally dress, a pair of red Christian Louboutin slingback pumps, a red wool hooded sweater from Target, and brought a picnic basket that I picked up at Big Lots. I didn't think anyone would "get it", but pretty much everyone did. Already making a mental note of what to do next year...

OK, not exactly the most exciting 30th birthday celebration on the planet, but I'm grateful for what did happen, and I look forward to this next decade of my life, which I know will bring me great happiness.

Less Than 11 Hours to Go...

I'm now within my last 11 hours of my 20s...I'll now say goodbye to:

1) caring too much about what people who don't know me think (I"ll care even more deeply what people who do know me think)
2) not knowing if I've chosen the right career
3) foolish spending
4) pursuing relationships with "boys" (meaning men in their 30s who act like boys)
5) not knowing my self-worth
6) not taking care of myself financially, emotionally, spiritually, physically (I've now accepted that my metabolism ain't what she used to be)...
7) acting like an immature brat when things don't go my way
8) irresponsibility

I'm sure I'll think of more later on.

"On the Verge of Turning the Big 3-0..."

So...here it is...almost time to say good-bye to my 20s. It's bittersweet. On the one hand, I'm kind of sad. When Harper's Bazaar does their monthly "Trends at Every Age" (or whatever it's called) section, I no longer have Lindsay Lohan or Mischa Barton to emulate. Starting on the 31st of this month (yes, my birthday's on Halloween!), Harper's Bazaar says I should start thinking of Cameron Diaz and Cate Blanchett as my fashion idols. I can certainly see Cameron as someone I'd like to emulate 'cuz she does California casual so well (which is a very youthful style), but Cate Blanchett?! She's a great actress, but OMG...she seems far beyond 30s to me ! And now that I'm reaching the same decade as she, I'm supposed to start looking like her?! And for those of you who, like me, can't believe she's in her 30s, I just looked on imdb.com (which is considered a pretty reliable source on celebrity facts), and it says her DOB is 5/14/69, so that makes her 39 years old...so, for a few months, both she and I will be "in our 30s" at the same time.

So...what's gonna be the good part about turning 30?! Being wiser, I'd assume. I vowed to give up a large portion of my consumerism. No, I'm not going to stop spending or even buying designer items. I'll definitely do that, but I'm going to really think about what I'm buying. Having to completely clean out my closet a few months ago (due to some plumbing problem, which resulted in the plumbers having to break my closet wall open), I realized just how much crap I have. Stuff I've worn once, and some stuff I've never even worn! So I got rid of a lot of it, and now I just have some classic pieces that I plan to keep for a very long time, maybe well into my 90s or even to pass onto my daughters (if I have any...but I'd be very happy with a son as well...I just wanna be a mom so bad!...but that's another entry for another time). This includes some pretty cocktail dresses, a few pairs of Louboutins and Manolos, as well as a couple of Birkin bags. And in my 30s, I plan to make bigger, better investments...like buy a new car and my own house (I'd be so proud of myself if these actually happened!). But I'll start with investing in a classic piece that is sure to be a wise one...to be revealed on my actual birthday...

"He Who Does Not Know How to Look Back at Where He Came From Will Never Reach His Destination"

Who can guess the name of the person to whom the above quote is credited?

Haven't figured out the answer? If not, then you need to refer back to your Philippine history lessons...(major hint!...but if you still don't figure it out, it's OK...I'll eventually post the answer in the comments section)...

Anyway...I thought this quote was very suited to this entry for 2 reasons: 1) I am a proud Filipina-American and 2) Yesterday, I was involved with something that had to do with a big portion of my past. I spent 9 years of my life attending the same private parochial school, from the time I was in kindergarten until the 8th grade. It was literally down the street from my parents' house, and since my mom was very active with the school and church, I was there pretty much all the time as a kid. Since the school was celebrating its 50th anniversary yesterday with a special Mass, I was asked to give a speech at the beginning of the Mass, and I was asked to include a sentence about how attending that particular school helped me to go on to get my Master's degree and a (relatively) successful career. OK, so to do what I do, all the science behind it came from my graduate program, so, at first, I thought it was a bit of a stretch. However...there is the (major) component of dealing with people. That's something that I needed to learn long before I was even old enough to attend graduate school. Isn't the golden rule to treat others the way you want to be treated, and that even if other people are being jerks, you need to be the bigger person and let it go? That was definitely something I learned long before I earned my Master's, yet it's the most important part of my job...

...As a fun little thing to add, since I like to post pictures with blog entries, here's a little look back at my past (my kindergarten photo). My family says I look pretty much the same, which is quite flattering, since this photo was taken about 25 years ago!