Running on Empty

Hi,

My workplace is completely decked out with holiday lights, clearly it’s all festive vibes right now! But my brain and body are stuck in get it done mode. It’s my plain setting of just keep on working and checking things off my list. While everyone else is enjoying holiday activities, I’m busy trying to figure out the plans for my next two work trips.

First, I have a meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Of course, the universe decided this trip had to happen right in the middle of it when the city is going into a total lockdown for some huge ASEAN meeting. Ugh. My main job now is to find a way around this big headache. I’m choosing to be a public transport traveler, which means I'll be dragging my suitcase in and out of trains. I need to bring back the fun, strong version of myself from when I was younger! I’m looking in the mirror and asking, "Am I too old for this baggage battle?" Guess I'll find out! Time for a big energy boost, or maybe just a very strong coffee.😂

Guess I found the perfect way to 'see' KL. Looking at the inside of my hotel room. 

Thanks, total lockdown! 😑

Right after KL, I have to finish getting ready for my November trip. I’m going to be a speaker at a research colloquium in a mobility event. I’m tired of the old, boring presentations that focus on findings only. Guess I will ditch those kind. This time, I just want to share about how my research ideas have changed and grown over the years. I hope it’s not too boring and will get people excited to listen and who knows, work with me in the future.

All these big, exciting things should keep me super busy already. But the main issue is that my body feels like it has a low battery warning. My mind and body aren't cooperating when I need to do all this hard thinking and planning. It’s a classic problem, great plans, zero energy. Still, I just have to keep going until it’s all done. Maybe that little holiday feeling will finally kick in and help me cross the finish line!

But hey, I've already mastered this endless grind. I'll just think of this challenging travel and exciting presentation as my own personal adventure to-do-list. Time to power up with some holiday cheer (and maybe an extra shot of espresso) and prove that this exhausted engine still has the power to win the race.