Random Tuesdays 03/25/2014

Harvard University Campus in Cambridge, MA in 2006

Clap along if you feel like Happiness is the truth

I've diagnosed myself with post-thesis depression. I'm supposed to be writing my second thesis right now, but I'm still mourning for the first one. It was not ready when I parted with it and I'm not happy with my grade. I should be I guess, since it's good enough for PhD studies, but yet, I'm not. I'm a bit of perfectionist, I guess. 

I'm also at loss what I should do next when it comes to my academic career. I will obviously continue working as a consultant as long as I'm in this country. As for the academic stuff, I've done my dissertation proposal and the professor said he will second it. But I'm not happy with my proposal and I'm not even sure if I want to write the dissertation anymore. The topic itself is interesting, I'm just not sure I want to spend the next 4 to 6 years writing something that in the end might make no difference whatsoever. My MA thesis made no difference. I want to make a difference.

My MBA thesis might make a difference and hence maybe I'm just in the wrong field. Business is not, however, as interesting as History. PhD in Marketing is not something I'm aiming for :)

I have until April 15th to submit my dissertation proposal. I guess I have some serious thinking to do. Biggest question I need to answer is which career path makes me happy? I honestly don't know.

Meanwhile, I will celebrate things that do make me happy, like my family, friends and dancing to good tunes :) 

Hope everyone is having a very happy Thursday! :)

Random Tuesdays 03/18/2014

Waiting in line for the Children of Bodom concert in Montreal, QC in 2005.

Random Tuesdays 03/11/2014

Our student organization had an anniversary party last month and here's a photo of the celebrations.

If you look closely, you'll see one of my Random Tuesdays photos on the wall :)

University of Helsinki, Finland in 2014

Online friends (and NOA2)

I'm not ashamed to admit that I have never met some of my Facebook friends. Although these "online friends" constitute a very small minority of the friends I have on Facebook and some of them have somewhat restricted access to my profile, they're still my friends. Most of these people I have been online friends with long before Facebook even existed, which means I've "known" some of them for over 15 years. That is quite the long time. I got to know them through a newsgroup, back in the day when people still usually wrote their opinions in their own names. 

The other day I found out one of these friends had passed way, from cancer. I never met him and he lived on the other side of the world, but I'm still sad. One of our group members wrote: "Some of us know each other personally, some just through the group but it doesn't matter. We were (and are) a misfit family." It is extremely sad to lose a member of that family. He was a wonderful, fun-loving person, only a few years older than me. I know he fought for quite some time and I hope he is at peace now.

from weheartit.com

When there's bad news, there's often some good news to balance things out.

Our I-130 petition for spousal visa was approved and our immigration process is going forward!

Take care everyone!

Random Tuesdays 03/04/2014

Downtown area of husband's hometown in Northern Nebraska, 2011.

Happening place ;)