Another life update

It has been about a year since my last post and about two years since my last life update. So here is one from Catherine, who turned 26 last month. Since the pandemic, time has felt like a blur.  I started this blog when I was in high school. Where has the time gone? How am I closer to being 30 than being a teen?

Anyway, I will start from where I left off last time- September 2020. My cat woke me up at 4am while he was playing and I couldn't fall back asleep. I am writing this while sleep deprived...

September-December 2020

This was the most difficult semester I've had in my graduate career. I had to memorize the entire brain to pass the class: every gyri, every sulci, every coronal slice, etc. I probably had memorized a total of about 150 brain areas. All my finals landed on the same day. I slept for an hour since I was studying the entire night, cried in the shower, took my first 4 hour final, took my oral exam (where I had to memorize 120+ brain parts), and then completed a written exam (which I submitted 4am the next day). 

2021

Tattoos:

I got my first tattoo on April 20, 2021. I saw an ad on Instagram for free tattoos. Being the impulsive individual that I am, I made an appointment. It was PAINFUL. The tattooer was an apprentice, I was probably his 10th client. He stuck his needle in so deep and dragged it onto my skin. I watched kdrama to distract myself from the pain, although I nearly fainted. 

Since then, I have gotten a tattoo every 1-2 months. I think I am addicted to tattoos, but they were not as painful as the first ones I have. Maybe I will include a pic of my with my tattoos.

Graduation:

I completed my Master's in Cognitive Neuroscience. It was painful and difficult, especially when I completed this during the pandemic. I cried so much. My days consisted of sleeping at 5:30am and waking up at 2pm (except when waking up for my 9:30am where I just logged into Zoom and then went back to sleep). 

Writing my thesis was even more painful. It was very frustrating and stressful. I don't know how I managed to submit my thesis an hour before the deadline, but I made it. It is published. 

I was very disappointed to not have a commencement because of Covid. I did get a 14 minute Youtube video with the graduates' names in "Star Wars format". 

My family and relatives gave me a at-home graduation celebration. It was very sweet. My aunt let me wear her graduation gown and cap from when she had her Master's. 

Life after graduation:

My parents pressured me to find a job after graduation (let me relax a bit first??). Thankfully, my PI gave me an opportunity to continue working with her over the summer until I find a job. I worked in an fMRI facility and I got to look at live images of the brain. Very Cool. 

My summer consisted of getting more tattoos and applying for jobs. I applied to a total of 100 positions. It is brutal out there. After a lot of interviewing, I finally got a job offer in November: job application #93. I was job searching for three long months.  

First vacation:

The week before my start date of my new job, I went to New Orleans with my partner. It is my first time traveling without family. I really loved it there. The weather was so warm, the food was delicious, and the people were so friendly. Unlike NYC, people say hi to you when you pass each other. 

New Job:

I started my first big girl job aka my first full-time job. It is like an office job. It can be very hectic and stressful at times, but for the most part I do enjoy it. Everyone is very welcoming and supportive. The only downside is that the commute is 1.5-2 hrs, but I WFH every other day so it isn't that bad. 

2022

We are five months into 2022 and to be honest, I don't really have any huge life updates. I've mainly been working and getting more tattoos as usual. 

I nearly forgot, but I got LASIK like two weeks ago. I was almost legally blind, but now I have 20/20 vision. Yay!

My most recent pic with my tattoos. Not shown: back and neck tattoo, the one behind my arm, and the ones on my ankles. Please don't tell my parents, they don't know about most of them especially the ones on my forearms. I also cut my hair last summer! I am living the short hair life now B)

I just realized it has been 10 years since this blog was created. I know no one reads this page except for the one or two people who have randomly stumbled on my blog. This is mainly for future Catherine to look back on. 

When reading my previous entries, I am always reminded that life really does come at you fast. 

New post?

 I swore I had written new post this year but apparently I did not. I can't believe the last post was last year in September and now we are seven months into 2021. Where has the time gone? It feels like the older you get, the faster time flies. I just realized we are almost halfway through July.

Life really does come at you fast. 

Update 2020

It seems like I update this blog every few years now. I am pretty sure no one checks this blog anymore so this post is solely for Future Catherine to read through when she's feeling nostalgic and sentimental (like right now). 

So what happened during the past two years? A LOT has happened, but let's start from where I left off from my last blog post.

2018

I ended my 5-year relationship two months after my last post. It was so abusive and so toxic. I really don't want to talk much about it, but it took a lot of therapy for me to unlearn my toxic traits and repair the damage I have gone through during the past five years. 

Anyways... I graduated! I remember I fell very ill the day before commencement, it was awful. I still went to the ceremony though (going out in public while sick is something that we definitely can't do anymore because...COVID. Oh boy, if 2018 Catherine knew about that).

After graduating, I have taken up the hobby of pole dancing. It's something I've wanted to try for so long, but I knew my ex would never approve. I fell in love with this art after my first class. Pole dancing is so fun and so empowering! I recommend everyone, regardless of their gender, to take at least one class. I still continue to pole dance and I share my progress here. I have met so many wonderful people whom I now call my pole sisters and I have performed in shows. Pole dance really has changed my life. 

Also between you and me, I ordered a pole recently (finally!) and I just received an email that it shipped! IM SO EXCITED!! 

Other than pole dance, I learned Carribean dance. I've always loved listening to dancehall and soca, but I never knew how to dance even though I feel the music in my bones. So basically, I can't stop dancing now.

2019

Only three major things occurred last year: 

1) I have a new partner whom I love with all my heart. This is the first relationship I've ever had that is normal and healthy. We don't argue, the most we have are heated conversations that we always resolve before the day ends. I am so grateful for his patience and understanding whenever my toxicity acts up again.

2) I took on two jobs. Unfortunately, dance classes are extremely expensive in NYC. At that time, I was also working in two different psychology labs (unpaid), so I was actually taking on four jobs. I was tired, but I always had time for dance. I would usually take classes in the evening after work or during my one day off. It was worth it. 

3) I started graduate school! I am in a Cognitive Neuroscience program. I was initially super excited but turns out it was hard as hell. I cried within the second week of grad school because I failed the first quiz. I ultimately dropped that class and am retaking it again this year (2020). I actually started seeing a therapist about graduate school because that class scarred me so much. 

2020

This is probably one of the worst years of my life, as well as pretty much everyone on this planet. So much shit has happened, that it feels like a fever dream. I'm just going to list out the shit that has occurred so far by month, because it feels like every month is some new shit happening and everyone is just bracing for what's about to come next.

January:

- Literally within the first few days of the year, we have the threat of WW3. 

- Kobe Bryant died

- Australia is still on fire

- A respiratory disease called COVID-19 was discovered in China, which became a pandemic that's still going on today. 

February:

- COVID started spreading through other countries. I don't really remember what else happened during this month except that people were very racist towards East Asians (including me) because they think we were the cause of COVID. 

Like seriously what the fuck do I gotta do with this? Anyway, it was the first time I experienced racism directly in years, so yeah experiencing it stung a bit. 

Anti-asian racism and hate crime against Asians quickly increased throughout the next couple of months. 

March:

- COVID arrived to NYC. The city pretty much shut down. It was a very stressful time for everyone. Schools became remote. Dance studios shut down, as did restaurants, markets, salons, etc. I temporarily lost my job. My family (and many other people) were very paranoid because we never had a global pandemic since 1918. 

My relationship became long-distance because we have to social distance now. It actually made our relationship stronger, and I've learned to be even happier spending time by myself. 

April:

- I spent my birthday at home. All the bakeries were closed so my mom decided to bake a cake which did not taste that great tbh :(

- I learned to knit

- I think Kim Jong Un faked his death or something, I'm not sure if it happened in April. Everything is like a blur. 

- Also, I think murder hornets was this month??

May: 

- Finished my first year of graduate school. My grades were average, but at least I passed...

- Protests and riots in response to racial injustice. NYC was placed on curfew for the first time in a very very long time. Protests are still going on today. Black Lives Matter! 

June: 

- Protests continue throughout this month (and still does today). I wanted to protest but I couldn't out of fear of the pandemic. I took my activism online, sent emails, made calls, and spread awareness. I made a linktree full of resources for the movement: https://linktr.ee/asians4blacklives

- My house went under renovations! It took about two months. The basement was completely redone and my brother moved there so he would have a bigger space. We also got new floorboards in the first floor of our house.

- Also, finally saw my partner again!

July:

- I got my job back! I now tutor remotely with 6th and 9th graders. 

- Something about the Bubonic Plague coming back.

- It's also not safe to be in Hong Kong now. The government passed this bill where if you say anything remotely against China, you will be prosecuted. I regret not coming to HK last year. I was about to but I changed my mind last minute because I just started working two jobs and was in the process of applying to grad school. 

August:

- The city is slowly opening up again. I got to see my friends!

- A lot of hurricanes. We had like two in NYC so far.

- Beirut explosion

- Chadwick Boseman passed away a few days ago. His death was one of the first celebrity deaths that I felt strongly about. It was very unexpected because no one knew he had cancer. He made an impact on so many people.

- Second year of grad school started, all my classes are remote (thank god because two of my classes are at 9am). I am retaking the class I dropped last year, and I am just as lost as I was the first time I took this class. 

ANyWAYs,

That's what happened so far this year. There was also this part where the government released papers confirming the existence of UFOs and that we are part of a simulation. However, everyone else was so preoccupied with everything going on in the world that no one really cared (except Twitter?). I don't remember when that happened, all the previous months have felt like a blur. March felt like ages ago albeit it has been six months since NYC has dealt with this pandemic. 

So... yeah. It's 1:31am right now so excuse any grammar mistakes. I am tired and also hungry so imma eat something and then sleep.

Good night! I will update this blog again in a few years (hopefully).

PS: If you're not Future Catherine and you have read through the entire thing, thank you for reading! My instagram is @clitosaurushex. I update my life there now :^)