Time to face reality

Aging is no joke.

I only have 2 years to enjoy my 20's.

And my metabolism does not function the same way it did when I was in my teenage years. 

This year, I had months studying for my board exam. And sometimes, when you feel like you've been punishing yourself and straining yourself for studying so hard from morning till evening.. You want to reward yourself with some great food. Milkshakes. Frappes. Eggs Benedict. Pasta. Pizza. Philadelphia sandwich. Gelato. Tacos. Cake.

I passed the board exam. Which is great! But now turns out I have to focus on one thing I've end up neglecting. Despite my regular yoga classes, it wasn't enough.. 

Apparently my "broken" Wii, says I gained about 10 pounds this year. And people have been commenting on how I've gained weight too. And it's quite consistent. Normally, my weight doesn't bother me. But when I feel uncomfortable and randomly catching myself holding my tummy as if I had a baby inside, then it means it's not a good sign.

The new year hasn't started yet. but I don't want to procrastinate this one. I'm already cutting back my carb intake and making sure I burn some calories everyday. No need to wait for 2016. I'm starting it now. 

The goal by mid-2016 is 125 lbs.

And the end of 2016 is 120 lbs. 

And maybe some abs? Haha. Or at least lessens the jelly in my tummy. Blah. I feel so bloated. It's so uncomfy. 

Hayayayayayay.

But at least I've started to get back to getting a life now. Watching Arrow series consumed my life. 

Now I'm back to getting Physical and mental. Tonight imma get back to my thesis. 

The pleasure of a meeting ends in the pain of a separation.

Tame, love, bid goodbye…

It will take the Little Prince a year of travelling to understand his feelings towards the rose. To understand that the pleasure of a meeting ends in the pain of a separation. To tame another being is to accept that, some day, that being will disappear. It is the “danger of early disappearance” of his rose that plunges the Little Prince into melancholy and prompts him to let the snake bite him so that he can return to her on planet B612.

(source: http://www.thelittleprince.com/work/themes)

“You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” 

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

I haven't been blogging or working on my thesis for the past weeks. For what reason? I don't know exactly... laziness? I've been exhausting all the means of distraction that came along my way. TV Series, My birthday, Vacation, Dating.. The last being the worst of all distraction. I even forgot to communicate with my online community.. and even stopped attending yoga classes. As the year comes to an end, I'm just waiting to turn a new leaf again. I guess the "new" year is psychological. New year resolutions have been a bad habit of procrastination. Why wait for the New Year to change a habit and not start now? As St. Augustine would have put it ... "Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet."... Oh, what a distraction the past weeks have been. But I think I have no regrets. The pleasure of a meeting ends in the pain of a separation. I read an article that mocks the cliche of uttering words "What would I do without you? ... and the answer actually was .. "things that I had to do " ...

“So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near--

"Ah," said the fox, "I shall cry."

"It is your own fault," said the little prince. "I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you . . ."

"Yes, that is so," said the fox.

"But now you are going to cry!" said the little prince.

"Yes, that is so," said the fox.

"Then it has done you no good at all!"

"It has done me good," said the fox, "because of the color of the wheat fields.” 

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Revised Academic Calendar and Revised Thesis Timeline

My original plan was to finish the data gathering for the first term of the school year and be able to write the paper and defend my thesis by second term.

I was able to create an instrument and gather quantitative data within the timeline but looks like qualitative phase will take a while.

I'll just have to revise my thesis timeline.

DECEMBER 2015 - update paper with revisions, create qualitative interview questions, try to conduct qualitative interviews

JANUARY 2016 - FINISH qualitative interviews

FEBRUARY 2016 - Write paper. 

Hmm .. On another note, if I'm able to write my paper February & March, I can actually reach the April schedule for thesis Defense. 

Hmm.. We'll see then. 

Best birthday week ever.

 
      

 

Quantitative Phase

So I've already pilot tested my instrument and already distributed my survey to scholars.

I even e-mailed Dr. Mike Linacre to inquire on how I should analyze the results of my IRT analysis in my instrument.

http://www.rasch.org/rmt/rmt83b.htm

I'll get back to RASCH analysis and WINSTEPS tutorial on a later time.

But for now, I need to study now on the statistical analysis I'll be doing for my quantitative data.

I realized I should be doing "Ordinal Regression Analysis" instead of multiple regression analysis because my survey is a Likert Scale.

https://statistics.laerd.com/spss-tutorials/ordinal-regression-using-spss-statistics.php

I'll worry about having access to SPSS on a later time too. I have statistica but I've always gotten used to SPSS.

Well, here goes the quantitative phase of my thesis... And I still have a qualitative phase. People say that my thesis is not a dissertation but I think I just gotten used to a mix method study. One isn't complete without the other.

Lord just let me pass on time.

Thesis Update

On Friday, October 30, 2015, I started distributing my initial survey for pilot testing.


By November 1, 2015, I was able to reach my targeted number of participants (and even growing).

I can't believe I've gathered enough participants over the weekend.

I was actually giving myself a week for data gathering.

And now, I already have the revised survey and it's ready for the distribution once my mentor gives me the go signal.

The power of networking indeed.

I'm so grateful.

I suddenly realized why God gave me chance to work in my university. Even if it was just one school year. The relationships I have created with the Lasallian Scholars have been helpful and the key behind my thesis. Heck, even my whole thesis is about them.

I am still at awe at how many students supported me in answering and spreading the word about my thesis survey.

I can't believe it.

Thank you so much my fans! <3 hehehe

Kidding aside, THANK YOU SO MUCH.. I don't know how I can make it up to you guys.

UnOfficial Cv #DigiWriMo

After releasing my survey to the public for pilot test.. I stared at the google sheets waiting for responses to grow one by one. 2 responses, 5 responses... 10... 15... It's growing !! But then I realized I shouldn't spend my whole day just waiting and staring for people to answer my survey.

I asked myself, what now?

I guess I'm used to myself having "THESIS" in my things to do and it's been in pending status for like forever. And now I'm in the pilot testing stage I just have to wait. But what do I do while waiting? I'm not used to this idle time.

And then I remembered I promised some friends in Twitter network that I will get back to the network. Ergo, good timing #DigiWriMo has "pre-started" and here I go sticking to my word.

Toni Rose Pinero's Unofficial CV

• I'm Toni 
• Philippines.
• Half mermaid 
• Half graduate student.
• Always curious 
• Always asks questions.

Weakness: 

I gave myself a label of a having a disability called "lack of sense of direction". (Not even poor but lack). I thank my iPhone so much and google maps because it has been serving as an assistive technology to my disability. I started calling it a disability because I realized I really feel disabled when I don't have people with me to guide directions. Even if it's just walking around the mall... I feel like I'm in a forest walking in circles.

I talk a lot. It is a reason why I have my personal blog in the first place. I spare people (I try...) from reading my lengthy messages and thoughts by just deciding to write a blog post and pour my thoughts here.

Strengths:

I like to travel. I guess a lot of people do. But it's because new places, meeting new people, learning new things always makes me happy. I guess I get my energy from talking to various people because I talk a lot and that compliments it well. 

Long Term Plans:

I'm currently taking my Masters in Learning and Teaching and it's what I've been doing since 2009... I don't really know what life is like not being a student. 

I'm on my thesis stage and hopefully I will graduate soon when more people get to answer the survey I mentioned at the beginning of the post. 

When I graduate masters, I have no idea what life is like. I think I'm going to feel sad not being able to use the status "student" anymore. I've been used to it since I was three years old.

But being a student is a lifelong status, isn't that right? I'm just not enrolled in a formal education system anymore.

I would like to learn how to swim and cook after graduation. 
<--------------------- I would like to practice my mermaid life. 
And cook to be more domesticated.

I will do those things after I leave the formal education.

I think that's all that I can say for now.