Month: August 2024

I seem to have become desensitized to stressful situations around me, or perhaps I’ve just become better at problem-solving, so most issues no longer affect me. Even when multiple things went wrong today, I managed to handle it all without feeling pressured or stressed. While others seemed panicked and concerned, I remained calm, knowing that everything would work itself out and that we would find a solution to the problem. We did. Everything was okay, regardless of how crazy the situation unraveled itself. Now, we learn from the issues and brainstorm on how systems can be improved to prevent chaos from reoccurring. Of course, not all events can be mitigated; some situations occur due to natural causes and can’t be controlled, but those that can should be analyzed and perfected for future reference.

This weekend, I was reminded of the importance of discipline when motivation is lacking. If you can stick to the process, everything else will fall into place. I’ve learned that life can be unpredictable, but adherence to one’s beliefs and hard work are essential for achieving goals. When the urge to pursue those goals diminishes, relying on discipline will keep you on track. Many people falter when it comes to discipline, and as a result, they fail to achieve their goals.

Today, my mom called several times, but her conversation was incoherent. She did manage to recall my name, and she mentioned spending time with someone who doesn’t exist anymore; the hallucinations appear to be more frequent now, which is concerning. When my father realized it was me on the line, he picked up the call and said a quick hello. He handed the phone back to Mom….we exchanged only a few words before the call abruptly hung up for the last time today.

Fun Fact Friday: The Apriori Algorithm is a widely used method in data mining, specifically for association rule learning in unsupervised machine learning. It was initially developed in 1994 by Rakesh Agrawal and Ramakrishnan Srikant. The primary goal of this algorithm is to identify frequent patterns.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the impact one person can have on your life.

Now that a specific person is no longer in my life, I’m struggling to find motivation.

I now realize that seeking external motivation has its drawbacks.

I’m trying to understand why this person had such an influence on me. I know I shouldn’t dwell on it, but it’s been hard to find motivation from within.

I feel like I’ve lost my desire to achieve much.

The yearning for success I once had is gone, and I’m trying to convince myself that this person still cares about me, even though deep down, I know they probably never did.

I went to Gainesville to do a 6-mile run around the University as part of my training for the Honolulu Marathon. It’s the end of Week 3 of training, and I’m really pushing hard to prepare for the race this time. I felt sluggish and slow, feeling the effects of weight gain and aging. There were students milling around, getting ready for the start of the semester. They all looked so young, which made me feel old. Has it really been that long since I first started to attend college? Yes, it has… Twenty-two years, in fact.

Running was much easier back then, yet I recall being primarily sedentary during my first college years. Moving out of town and unfamiliarity with the new city kept me confined to my dorm room and secluded in the University gym, where I would sometimes retreat to running on the treadmill.

I have been dealing with irritation in my right lung for over five days now. It started with pain when taking deep breaths, but now it radiates towards my right shoulder and hurts constantly. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow to figure out what’s going on. I realize how important it is to breathe normally

The rain was pouring down heavily, making it difficult to see through my car windshield as I arrived at my usual Friday evening commute truck stop. I decided to pull over into the parking lot and use my iPhone to check the radar application. It showed a long stretch of highway being hit by the storm, so I chose to wait it out at the nearest Starbucks coffee shop. While I waited, I took the opportunity to review my new syllabus for the Data Science Program, which starts next week. I’m really looking forward to learning something new! Can’t wait to start the class.

Saint Leo University offers an online master’s in creative writing degree. Since I live nearby, I decided to drive out and see the campus this evening. I had been working until 7 pm, so I left my apartment about half an hour after sunset.

As I approached the main street to the campus, my Apple GPS tracker redirected my route to help me avoid blocked accessways and led me through a detour. The detour route took me through a desolate, winding road with limited lighting, so I needed to use my high beams.

I noticed a well-lit building and got a spooky feeling, like the one you get from watching horror movies at night. Curious, I saw that the building was a convent, so I continued towards the campus. When I reached the campus, it was well-lit but deserted at that late hour. I drove into one of the main entrances, made a turn at the roundabout, and headed back home. Maybe I’ll even apply for graduate studies tonight.