Times they are a-changing

After many years of studying to be a doctor, I switched career paths. It's the common story. Parents pressure child to do one thing, and child undergoes many personal struggles while trying to fulfill their parents dream. That was me, how cliche. I did what i thought my parents wanted me to do, and because I didn't want to be a doctor, it added a lot of unnecessary problems to my life. If your only motivation is "____ wants me to do this" then you need to stop that thing you're doing right at that second (unless that blank is filled with your own name). To tell you the truth, it wasn't only my parent's pressure. I was naturally good at sciences, math, and I have the social skills. I was pretty much the prefect candidate for a plastic surgeon, minus the love for the career. The money is good, and I can make my own hours which is great if I want to have a family. Nonetheless, those factors didn't matter. The only factor that did, is that I did not love it. I took a deep hard look into the mirror, and tried to figure out what I wanted to do. The answer was clear as summer's day. I knew my answer all along, I just needed the courage to say it out loud. I needed the strength to say that for once in my life, I was going to do what I needed to do to be happy. I needed to tell myself, that maybe I don't have it all figured out but, that's okay. I will figure it out. It might not be today, or tomorrow, or even next year but it will come to me eventually. After I admitted this to myself, I knew my parents were next. How would I explain my ditching a well-executed plan of my future and leaving it for something so shaky? It was a risk. At dinner one night, the words practically swarmed out of my mouth. "Dad and mom, I don't want to be a doctor. I want to go into fashion and business. I'm not sure what yet. I just know I want to combine both." My parents gave me a look that made me believe they were experiencing their version of hell. A while after the shock sunk in, I discussed that the fashion industry might be the cruelest, least accepting, and one of the hardest industries to break into but, I must do this. It's what I love and what I look for to make me happy. The way I sink in awe after seeing the Alexander McQueen "Oyster" dress is not the same way I look at a new roll of medical tape.
So what is my philosophy?
Do what you love.
It's your life.
I may not be able to live up to my parent's expectations of me, but I am able and required to live up to my own abilities. 
With an iced coffee, some amazing friends, and a magic trick called hope, my goals and dreams can be achieved. 
Come on, have a little faith.

me vs. me

Let me start off with a letter I came across the other day. It goes as follows: "

YOU.

You. Yes, you. I am writing this for you.

I know you are reading this. And I want you to know I am writing this for you. No one else will understand. No one else knows. They think that this is for them. But it’s not. I am writing this for you.

I want you to know, life…it’s hard. Every day can be a challenge. It can be a challenge to get up in the morning. To get yourself out of bed. To put on that smile. But I want you to know, that smile is what keeps me going some days. You need to remember, even through the tough times, you are amazing. You really are.

You should be happy. You are gorgeous.

I know that the weather might not be perfect. You might have to turn your back to the wind or feel the cold nipping at your nose. But you know what, at least you are there to feel it. At least you can enjoy the sun’s warm rays on your face. Or that cold February wind biting at your cheeks. You know what that means?

You are alive.

Everything will be okay."

Do i seriously need to add to that? Let me put it this way, let's all be happy and thankful for what we have. Let's learn to love things or learn to change things. Lets not complain. Instead of whining, let's take that energy and create something positive for us to grow into. With that said, adieu.

Rush Hour

We all have that "generic" friend. I don't mean generic in a bad way, I mean that we all have that one friend that blames their relationship problems on the outside world. For example, a close friend usually comes up to me and says, "Clinton* doesn't reciprocate the feelings I feel for him.. Why does this always happen to me?" If you haven't heard a friend complain about the world not being "fair" to them, then I'm sorry to break the news but, you re most probably THAT friend. It's okay, we can fix that. So taking Clinton and my best friend of many years, Martha* and their relationship under the microscope. Martha feels that after 2 dates shes ready to marry Clinton. She is picking out color swatches for their hypothetical child's baby room. (She wanted to pick coral for a boy, is she crazy?!) I think we all know the answer to the problem of why Clinton doesn't feel the same. You can't expect someone to be madly in love with you after 2 dates. Even if those dates are the two most amazing dates of your life, that still doesn't mean you are ready for marriage yet. I thin Martha needs to slow down. From the time that Martha told me this issue she had with Clinton, I began to wonder why we always rush things. Two days ago I took a walk with a good friend of mine. I'm usually so busy and I never have the time to slow things down. (I'm even typing this extremely fast). That was truly the first time I didn't feel rushed. Maybe it was just the good company? But ever since then, I just took things at a steadier pace. To my shock, I got all the things I wanted to do, done, and my body wasn't panicking like it usually does at the end of the day. My philosophy of this entry? Calm down. Go slow. Don't rush things. Life is too good to speed through it. Take life day by day.

"Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold.  But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow."


Till next time, THEbathtubphilosopher.

*Indicates name change to protect my friends and loved ones from social embarrassment, or to lessen the pain for when they try to physically abuse me from using their relationships and secrets in my blog entry. (You know who you are, winky face.)

All-You-Can-Defeat

I've been really busy lately. I know I say that a lot but many things have changed for me in the past months. I'm a recent graduate, for starters. I got a new job a month ago, and I'm involved in many outside projects. Take those factors, my new relationships mixed with my old and we have a hell of a chaos theory going on. I'm overwhelmed, and even though I do my best to accomplish things everyday, I feel like more is piling up on my plate. My life (and really anyone) can be somewhat compared to an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet. You look around and you see what you think looks good. You get strategic and figure out with foods will mesh nicely with your taste pallet. Sometimes you might actually take a small sample to the side, just to test how it is. You're one on one with the buffet. You have a small (or fairly large- Come on we're in AMERICA) plate and you want to try it all but you know you won't have room. You have to choose. My life is like the plate or a stomach. If you didn't follow through with my whole analogy, it's okay. Let me sum it up for you: I want to try to do everything but i know there isn't enough time or energy to spread on all endeavors. I know everyone can relate to this. Either you feel the world is expecting something from you, or someone significant is expecting everything from you. We all feel like our lives are pulling us in different directions. When obligations, responsibilities, tasks, bills, and all forms of non-relaxing activities pull us, we are bound to snap. What's important is that we have the power of resilience. We need to mold back into our original characters. I heard a quote recently that said, "Once you start working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest". That quote inspired me to mold back into shape as fast as I can. No one accomplishes their dreams and goals by sitting down on a sofa. Defeat the urge to just give up. Don't be afraid to accomplish great things. Live life and love. 

More Than A Helping Wallet

Well, for some this is normal, and for some this isn't. I live with my parents. The circumstance fit. Well, I am going away for the year and both my parents are healthy and able to travel, and enjoy life. During my year away they decided that they would go to Haiti and volunteer for two months together. When they first told me about their plans, I was shocked. We donated to the Red Cross by sending a few texts, we helped out in food drives, but I couldn't help but think- that's not enough. My parents' unselfish motives has made me re-think a lot of what I'm doing lately. With Japan's devastating natural disasters, Haiti's earthquake, and so many more horrible things that don't even make the news I cant help but think maybe a helping wallet isn't enough. Over the past 3 years I looked into ways to help my own community, and to make life in New York City a little more comfortable. After surprisingly little research( #TGFG Thank God For Google) i found websites that connected me with local volunteer companies. I've found cool projects such as painting a the walls in an orphanage and creating a better feeling for the kids who live in the home. There are so many people out there that we can all help. Please lend more than a helping wallet. Get inspired.
(PS- I'd love to hear feedback from all my posts! What do you think? Feel? Notice? Rebuttals? Send me a holler at THEbathtubphilosopher@gmail.com )

Being my own Pheonix

I took a short break from my hectic blogger lifestyle. It's been hard to write and keep up with a blog. Some may think that it takes 5 minutes a day, and that's all but in reality its so much more than that. You must make sure your readers keep coming back, do much research, and have interesting topics. I had a few posts in mind but nothing worth putting on the blog. I've found one. Lately, there has been a few problems in my life which I thought I couldn't bear, I couldn't withstand the challenge, and there were indeed some mornings that I just wanted to lay in bed all day. I'm not saying that this is only me, surely every single person goes through hardships and struggles in their lives. Everyone handles stress and barriers in their lives in different ways. I had an epiphany one day. It was Sunday, and like my usual neat-freak self, i went to organize my DVD collection. There were some from about 10 years ago. One DVD in particular happened to catch my eye. What was it? Harry Potter. So? She saw Harry Potter DVD? Shall we celebrate? (That's what you're probably thinking) But my connection between my problems and Harry Potter goes deeper. One of my most memorable scenes is when Harry goes into Dumbledore's (the headmaster of Hogwarts) office, and when Dumbledore shows him The Pheonix. This is where I say my oohs and aahs. The Pheonix, my favorite mythological creature. A little background information: The Pheonix is a bird that can live 500 - 1000 years old. When the great bird dies, it disintegrates into ashes and when you're leas expecting it 2 minutes later it is re-born from its own ashes into a new Pheonix. Maybe now you start to see my light at the end of the tunnel. Some people say movies can't teach you anything but I learned that when you're at that moment when you feel like the world couldn't be more unreasonable, and when you're about to give in that towel, you rise from your own ashes. With my problems under my metaphoric wings, I'll have to learn to be my own Pheonix, and rise again.

Innovation: Blogger style

I took a breather from blogging for about two weeks to get my chaotic life in order. It was great. I got to see some new things, be with people I haven't seen for a while, and most of all explore. My next few blog posts will be about things and people I have learned about in the last two weeks. So, what do I do in the mornings? I wake up, eat breakfast, get on that damn blackberry and ooze off into the web, searching and reading my favorite blogs. Between Gawker, Sartorialist, Justjared, NYT, and Omiru I found something I like a lot. The blog is called ablogaboutmedia.wordpress.com. I heard it through the grapevine. Although its recent but up and coming, I enjoyed the short mini reviews about recent television shows, and movies. He (or she) (It?) had a grasp for writing short, amusing, but concise stories. With a new post everyday it was refreshing and was effective in helping me plan what to do with my free time. Give it a look. Give me your feedback. Maybe I can score an interview? We'll see.
THEbathtubphilosopher@blogspot.com

Socially Stealing

In one of the many classes I take, we learn about business ethics. Now, in order to know business ethics we studied the common ethics or morals which are taught in societies around the world. We all know the commandment, "Thou shalt not steal" and most of us abide by the commandment. We know stealing is wrong, and it shouldn't be done (in an Utopia society). When my professor brought up the different types of stealing I was puzzled. There are different types of stealing? What's so difficult to understand? Turns out there is a stealing category of stealing knowledge. Example: In a given high school, three students are applying to a select ivy league college. Only two out of three students from that particular high school can get accepted. They all maintain the same extra circulars with the same GPA, and come from the same ethnicity. There is nothing setting them apart from one another besides the SAT. Comes down to SAT time and the three applicants take the SAT together. One of the three cheat off someone else's paper, and get a much higher mark ergo getting one of the two spots in the college. That is considered stealing knowledge. "Cheater" clearly stole another one of the applicants spots. Think about it: this is wrong, plain and simple. It sounds like clear cheating. Now take it in retrospect: if you were a bystander in this SAT and you clearly saw the cheater "stealing" answers. Would you say something? After all, if you don't say something you are just as guilty as the cheater. If you say something, you are considered a rat and in social settings today, a rat is not a great association and an adjective people want adjacent to their names. What would you do? Would you resist your urges and your morals and shut up? Would you speak out on behalf of the person the cheater is cheating off of? Do you not consider this cheating? I want to hear from you. Don't be shy. THEbathtubphilosopher@gmail.com

The untitled

"Many people are living far below their expectations because they are constantly handing over their individuality to others. Do you want to be a power in this world? Then be yourself." My teacher recited this to us in 9th grade. I like to keep many things I find interesting over the years, and I think i found a decent (half strange) hobby. I collect quotes. So if I come across a quote that I find funny, inspiring, poetic, or prophetic I write it down in a leather book which I carry with me at all times. I write down everything in that book and once I'm done i rip it out and file it away. I was laying in bed and trying to piece together the quote. Random searches in Google or Bing didn't help and I just couldn't solve the puzzle. We all have that certain friend which you call for the most random things... (I once got called and was asked about that tortoise and hare book that we all read in 2nd grade. Strange people out there.) So I called up Becky, my brother's fiance and asked her about this. She obviously had no idea what I was talking about in my rushed voice. All she heard was "quote... blah blah blah... live up to your potential, don't give people things.." Basically, she thinks I'm crazy. I searched and searched and found it in my file. (Side note: this is all procrastination to the piles of work I have to do, and guess what else? I got another manicure today which is an extra dose of procrastination.) I don't even know what the whole motive of this post is. I guess this quote "got" me. It got me in 9th grade and it still does now, several, several, years later. What do you think about this quote? Do you think originality will get you places in this world? Write in and tell me what you think.
THEbathtubphilosopher@gmail.com

International bathtub philosophy

I'm so glad that were reached new countries! Hello America, United Kingdom, Israel, Canada, and France! I started this blog about a week ago and I'm thrilled about what I've accomplished with your help. Like most people the weekend is the satisfying end to the crazy week that past us. Some stay in, some go out, and some go away. This week has been stressful, with work piling up faster than the speed of light, and wanting to keep my viewers updated. I'm part of the NYC sect that stays in Friday nights. Nothing feels better than curling up and reading a new book that I ordered over the Internet 7 weeks before (but missed the delivery date 3 times). Doesn't matter what country, state, or town your in. Go have fun on the weekend! (My procrastination side is obviously getting worse...) I'm interested in hearing what YOU have to say. Send in topics, quotes, pictures, bumper stickers, love stories, or anything you want to send in. (THEbathtubphilosopher@gmail.com)
Carpe Diem, my friends.

Smells Like Success

Jake Sinclair once said,“There are always critics. Out of high school there are people who say you can't go on and play. I came here, I worked my tail off and proved everybody wrong who said I couldn't play here.” I think that is completely and entirely true. Recently, I had a internal dilemma facing my standards in correlation to what some critics said. For years upon years I've wanted to become a doctor. My mind was constantly switching back and forth from OBGYN, cosmetic surgeon, psychologist and cardiologist. Four completely different fields. I did well in sciences, internships, and took all the pre-pre-requisites in order to fully understand the material that was taught to me. Not so long ago, a teacher told me that maybe I should consider switching professions. Me? I was training to be a doctor for years and now someone tells me I shouldn't be a doctor? Her bit of advice: You can come back to college after you have kids and a family. There is nothing in the world I admire more than women who go back to college after they have their families but, that is not what my state-of-the-art master plan consisted of. I undertook so many tasks in order to be here now and someone tells me I can't do it. No. I won't settle for this. The greatest feeling in the world is looking someone in the face after they told you that you couldn't do something, and say, "look, I DID IT." Nothing my friend, feels better. Why would I stop what I'm doing now? My medical knowledge is one of my passions and something that holds a place in my heart. Its that one prized possession which took years to acquire and obtain, and no one will take that away. I'll keep doing my own thing and she can keep doing hers. Moral of the story: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT let other people tell you how to live your life. It's your life do what you want. Be a goat keeper, Santa's helper, lawyer, garbage-person, window-washer, Wall Street big shot or whatever you want, as long as its you being true to you.
THEbathtubphilosopher@gmail.com .

Hamlet and I

Like Hamlet, I am too the great procrastinator. I feel like there is no better time to get a pedicure, read the New York Times blog, google my recent curiosities then when I have work piling up. Why do I do this? I know I have 2 huge presentations tomorrow, a wedding tonight, construction going on in my house, and a friends play which I must attend. I still do no work in advance. Why is this? I'm a fairly organized person. Under the clutter, shoes, and netflix mail-in DVDs I can easily find my calender with a perfectly labeled schedule detailing what I have to do and when. Just the other day, I went to my favorite "quiet place" where I usually go alone and I get a lot of work done (under pressure, obviously). So there I go, gathering all the books I need for my research and so on, and I grab a magazine, or two, make it five. I KNEW if I pick up that magazine in no means will I be paying attention to the actual work I need to do. Just at that second Psychology Today seemed more appealing then planning a lesson on how to get 17 year old kids to understand and appreciate feminism. I am the great procrastinator but I also am the great predictor. Guess what I didn't do? Correct a lesson plan. Guess what I figured out? Who was best dressed this year and why people become such die hard rock and roll fans (courtesy Vogue and Psychology Today). So when I had a second to breathe (more like inhale) I googled why people procrastinate (this google search was a procrastination in itself- I could of made 3 phone calls!) and this is what I found out. People can actually be chronic procrastinators, and people do see it as a lifestyle. In America we don't call people out on their excuses and apparently Americans in charge are too nice. Procrastinators are usually made from authoritarian parents (parents who are too strict didn't let kids actually do things for themselves). There's a lot more interesting facts and numbers about procrastinators (for more info click link: Psychology Today Article on Procrastination). So what did the bathtub philosopher learn? I'll get back to you on that one.
THEbathtubphilosopher@gmail.com .

Pricey Prada

My friend once told me that "a good friend is like a Prada bag". I pondered about this for a while. Being a person who enjoys and reviews the fashion world and its supplements, I analyzed this (I should be the bathtub analyzer too!). A Prada bag, BIG or small, black or hot pink, has a standard. When you visualize a lady (or a man these days) with a Prada bag, you probably imagine someone of high class or society. This so called vision of a high class lady has her own standards, and so do I. I have expectations for my friends, co-workers, and family members. They have to possess characteristics for us to be able to maintain a friendship or relationship. A prada bag ain't cheap. Let's  face it, most of American cannot afford to own a Prada bag. Now, youre probably wondering about my analogy now. is a friend cheap or expensive? A friendship or relationship is expensive indeed but not in monetary value terms but in time value. it takes time to maintain a friendship . between the engagement parties, Christmas swarees, bar mitzvahs, and book club, a relationship is more like an investment. Like most, I'm a busy bot. After work, household responsibilities, research, and Weeds season 5, I barely have time to take off my shoes , let alone go off to a party to celebrate some one's turtles birthday (YES, this happens). As a human, I make sacrifices, and i make time. Friends? Expensive? VERY. Just like a Prada bag is a necessity in the high class lady's closet, a friendship is a necessity to me. And so to end my article i will leave off saying, Prada bag is pricey but friends are priceless.
THEbathtubphilosopher@gmail.com .

Bossy Pants

Today's philosophy is brought to you by a controlling project partner. We've all had it, whether you're in school, college, or responsible for a teamwork project. At least once in your life we've suffered through dealing with the person who likes to control everything. Recently, I've had a project with a person I don't like very much (actually to put it in realistic terms- I despise this person). I've been the "good person" to work with and did my fair share of work. We've done research together and separately. We've puts bits and pieces together and got some hard core work done. When it was time to put it all together and present our work, she decided she didn't like the final work. Normally, I'm okay with this. Even though we did go through hours working together to create something we were both equally happy with, it's perfectly fine. Go ahead and change a few minor changes. She didn't just do that, she changed most of the parts I worked on. What am I supposed to do? It's the night before the presentation, and I thought we were all set. So, what did I do? I did what my title says. Idolize up the green bathtub with lukewarm water and jumped in. My normal self would be raging with anger, screaming and biting my head off. Then I thought, what would that do? How would that help anything? It would just annoy the people in the household. Call g her and screaming at her would further our not-so-pleasant relationship (something I truly didn't want in the workplace). We were destined to work together in the near future and doing anything compulsive now could just make everything more uncomfortable. So, just sat there and shut up. For someone with a big mouth, it's not everyday I have the restraint to shut it. I didn't say anything and I let it go. I did my part and it's not in my hands anymore. I didn't let my anger get the best of me (plus i had 2 more seasons of Weeds left to go and it would be a shame to watch it angry). Since this is my first post and I'm not sure how to end this, just send your comments, questions, or an article suggestion to THEbathtubphilosopher@gmail.com . Goodnight.