In pursuit of doing more
I got my 10 blood/donation plasma milestone present. A lovely drinking bottle.
I’d like to say if you are able to donate plasma. please do so.
In the process, they pump blood out and use a centrifuge to extract the plasma from the blood. Then, the blood is put back into your system.
This makes plasma a less laborious process compared to donating blood. You can donate more and you won’t be as tired. Just remember to drink plenty of water.
Doing more
Last week we touched on feeling inadequacy, making you do more. The advice I was given to my friend was that you shouldn’t view yourself as a project.
The problem with viewing oneself as a project is that you always think there is something that needs improvement.
Of course, it’s important to sharpen the saw. Physical, mental, spiritual and relationships need constant maintenance and improvement — like you would with a garden.
But the constant improvement loop that comes with a project that can never be perfect can result in burnout.
So, what’s the remedy? Balance as always.
Being a hypocrite
I just said to take it easy but there are some more things I want to add.
I want to learn golf. Why? Mainly for work (because it seems everyone at the top plays golf), and to do when you get older — so it’s a good idea to start.
I want to learn to fly… again. Many years ago when I was living in Christchurch, I was learning how to fly microlights. This time, I want to commit to a private pilot’s license. This will cost $25,000, but this is a skill that you can never be taken away from me.
Sad news
A friend who I grew very close with here in Palmerston North is leaving to go back to Auckland.
This guy, I could talk about nearly everything with — love, sex, being Sri Lankan, insecurities, you name it.
I don’t have many friends I could do that with, who were so available and so close.
I wish my friend all the best on his move and hope to stay in touch as well.
Also, what am I up to?
Here are some books that I’m reading:
“The Case Against the Sexual Revolution” by Louise Perry — as the title suggests, is an argument against liberal feminism and the commodification of sex.
“White Fragility” by Robin DeAngelo — discusses white privilege and that talking about racism leads to resistance and defensiveness, which makes the situation worse.
I want to make a book (or media) club about things I have watched or read that I think warrant discussion or are at least thought-provoking.
Movies that I watched that I think are thought-provoking:
“Official Secrets” directed by Gavin Hood is about the whistleblower, Katherine Gunn’s ordeal dealing with the British Government while doing the right thing.
“22nd July” directed by Paul Greengrass goes through the events of the 2011 Norway Attack undertaken by Anders Behring Breivik.
Things I am working on writing on:
About technical debt and why it is important for your non-technical team to know about it.
An article about “Should’ve gone to Specsavers”.
Learning Rust.
Using Playwright for automated end-to-end testing.
Projects I’m working on:
Creating an application to share training programmes.
An optometry resource centre.
Let me know if you like the updates rather than an essay every week.
Stay focused and talk soon,
Shivan