Unordained Donut Week

13 February 2013

Waiting for my mom’s call while nursing a headache left me asleep by nine pm at the sofa. I woke up from the fetal position I was forced to take to fit in the sofa at 1 am. My body clock’s amazing, it’s set at four hours. But because not even sleep can annihilate the headache, I slept on to wake up again at 3am. More headache. I stirred myself a mug of milk and popped an ibuprofen. It’s 4am, no change at all. I stretched myself prostrate in bed with the lights on. I was awake again before it was five. I don’t feel any better but I am going to work. Residual lethargy’s left but it’s a beautiful morning to fawn at. I’ve brought my umbrella with me.

I opened up my mail to our team leader’s assignment for me – collation of data from his published studies for the prevalence of infections since 1998. Wow! That’s plenty. And I planned to catch up on my slide reading today. Another headache’s on play. But I managed on. I’ve taken another paracetamol and it did not take effect. Even if Aaron commented that I was benign again, and even if it seems he meant it as Paul said, I’m chill with it. I revised the WOW Bulletin again according to June and Paul’s instructions for our research associate’s editing. June, Paul and our research associate conducted interviews for summer applicants. Before noon, I was starting with reading the first pdf among the published studies of our team leader. Someone’s demolishing the structures in my brain. I kept quiet. The pain remains but I’ve got to work. Mom said I should see an optometrist. Please no, I don’t want to wear glasses.

I’ve mailed people and got replies before I left for home. People from the mapping project reply promptly. They sent me a template to fill up. I also got my UP Webmail account. Yes! I’ve bugged Melissa enough she’s made me one. Just joking, my NIH employee status made me eligible for applying for an account. I was initially deferred from having an account because I am an alumna already; they only cater to current students. But because I was persistent, I really want to register at research gate, I tried asking Melissa how I could get an institution-linked webmail based on my background.  Tadah! I have my own UP webmail now. I feel more like a professional with all the fuzzy feelings of a four year old who just ate a cookie and had milk before being tucked to bed.

June taught me how to print the newsletter properly. Paul gave me copies of the articles I was to fish data from and was again patient with checking on the summary of expenses I made. Our research associate commented on the newsletter and taught me rules on photo placing in newspaper layouts. He and our female research associate were classmates. They sometimes think alike and sometimes think oppositely. I will never mention to them changes I applied to the newsletter according to their opposing inputs. I will not dare tell them anything that could stir up conflict. Having a lot of people to ask comments from is rad. I get to see how I could manipulate the contents of the newsletter based on their perspectives. Even if at times their suggestions clash, it only proves that people have differences in opinion. It was never placed before me as stark as this. What a revelation!

Just when I could not take the headache any longer and ibuprofen and paracetamol were both futile, I visited Aids. He gave me mefenamic acid. Its effects were immediate. Hurrah for mefenamic acid! Aids, I owe you.

“Donuts taste better when shared with friends,” Micai started when she met up with me at the workplace before she went home. We shared almond besprinkled donuts. :) It must be my donut week. Micai is just so sweet. We both preferred the white chocolate one better than (was it coffee or) caramel as we shared stories of our day. She advised that I play cupid to June and Paul. As if I could. I wish I could. Thanks to Dra. Alice Alma C. Bungay. If not for her decision to give Micai those donuts, we would not share something.

Wonderful people surround me. People who I’m already more than okay with and people who test me and strengthen me. I always have something to learn from each one. Though their approach might be different, the other nurturing and the other challenging, I am grateful for both. The existence of this variety makes my life colorful. It makes me long to see every day the odd houses in my street, one with no eaves at all and the other pretentiously-4d-one-walled-house (only at some angles would you see that it’s actually flat).  Monotony interspersed with variety is to be marveled at.  It makes me want to look up at the stars and beam at the church’s cross that I always see as I walk home.