Today was my first day working as a process efficiency engineer in Laporte, TX. I couldn't sleep last night thinking about today...I was really antsy, like a little boy waiting on Santa Clause to leave the gifts under the Christmas tree. I don't know why I act that way...but anyway I was there at 7 am, got to be part of the morning safety meeting, met the operators, hung out in the control room for a while and even climbed onto the coldbox to open a valve. This is definitely the dream job of a Chemical Engineer. On top of everything else, I got my own office...so no more sharing bitches! All in all, I had the most amazing time and my boss and office neighbors are just awesome.
In addition to that, today I started with the weight loss challenge which consists of eating healthy and exercising regularly. The weekly goal is to lose 2.5 lbs. A friend of mine also joined in so I'l keep you posted on how things go with it. Well, that's all for tonight. Need to be rested for work tomorrow.
Peace
It's been a long time since I last blogged! I've been so busy trying to wrap up my first assignment at the OSC, while studying for the PCAT in the midst of packing my things to move to my new apartment in Pearland, I haven't had a chance...
Moving on, this is my last week at the OSC... Its amazing how fast time flies by! In two weeks Ill celebrate my first anniversary in Houston, TX. What a wild ride! I've met so many cool people, learned how to adapt to a work environment and how to interact with my coworkers, which can be a hassle sometimes. I'm ready to move on to my next assignment as a hardcore efficiency engineer in Laporte, TX. I cant wait to move, but Ill sure miss everyone in the office and Houston as well...After all, this is my last year in Houston, [if and only if I ace my PCAT test]. My plans for next year are to move to Miami and start my phd in pharmaceutical sciences. Im ready to step down to the bottom of the pyramid again and be a student. I simply enjoy the student life too much. I'll also be around my family more, which is very important at this stage of my life.
In addition to all of these great news, Nahla has been going out to potty and I havent had to worry about cleaning the carpet for a week now. I know it might not seem like a big deal to some, but to me it soooo is!
I also gave Nahla her first haircut and she looks adorable. I love her to death, and couldn't imagine surviving this phase of my life without her!
So, let the countdown begin....t minus 365....Miami 2011!
These past two days have been horrible at work. Yesterday, I left my laptop at home and I noticed when I was in the parking lot of my building, so I had to go back to pick it up. Today, was even more horrible. I had to give the ASU ops a training in control systems, and I had two old timers that were not paying attention and were acting like dickheads. So what do I decide to do to destress??? I dip in snuff under my lip and start to chew it. It was an intense experience. The room started to spin super fast, and I wasn't gloomy anymore. I wanted to defy them and let them know that they were assholes, but then I started to feel sick and the texture of the tobacco in my mouth was so nasty I had to spit everything out. I just wanted to blog this awesome/awkward experience. So in the past year, Ive been to the rodeo, bought myself leather boots/cowboy hat, fired a revolver and chewed some snuff. What can I say? My Puerto Rican ass is turning Texan!
I have crossed the wonderful 610 "bridge" and moved on to greener pastures: Pearland. I have decided to leave the bustling and ramblings of downtown Houston to settle in a more comfortable apartment, to the south of downtown. I strongly believe that moving to this apartment is a big upgrade for me because 1) now I have hardwood floors for my little rascal to pee and poop on, 2) the apartment complex offers more open spaces to walk Nahla, 3) I have a poolview from my balcony which is a super plus ( the only view I have on my current apartment is the rust parking covers of the neighbors, 4) its $350.00 cheaper, and this is very important since I need to save as much money as possible if I am planning on going back to school and 5) I live 5 minutes away from the Pearland Town Center, which has over 50 different retail stores to choose from.
I feel really blessed and thankful to have this opportunity and I think that this decision will bring forth a new atmosphere of change and novelty to my life. I just cant believe that Im moving!!! Can't wait to invite all of my blogger friends to a cookout ha!
Here are some pics that I took today. Enjoy
It's been almost 10 months since I moved to Houston, and I love everything about it. I have friends, a good job, and a great apartment. But there's a price to pay. Now that I got used to the single life in a very different city, I have started looking for potential apartment complexes that are both roomy and cheap. If I could lower my expenses by $350-500 that would allow me to save more money for my grad school plans. Last Sunday I visited the Pearland area, a southern suburb near the downtown, and I fell in love with it. There's a Target, H.E.B, the Pearland Mall, and a bunch of cool restaurants within walking distance. I will probably be apartment hunting this weekend with my new real estate agent, and Ill keep you posted on my final decision. I am grateful to God and my family for helping me choose the apartment at Kirby Place, I know that it was a great choice for that period of time in my life, but I am ready to move on, always forward...
In the past twenty three years, I have met a lot of great people that have helped me grow in many ways. I've also met a lot of assholes. People who make you feel miserable, lonely and full of doubt. I mean, I can understand that people are busy and that sometimes it is hard to get together and hang out, but there are people who simply ignore you and don't care about you enough to even text you to see how you're doing. The issue that I'm having with myself is the fact that I find people like that rather intriguing. i don't know if it is because I'm not like that, or because they play hard to get, but whatever the case may be it irRitates me. It makes me wonder if I really want to live this way. I dont think this is a good vice, since it always makes me feel glum and out of control. i promise I will make the necessary changes to eliminate the assholes from my life. So 'friends' who call me to let me know that the got laid or that they partied til 6 am or that they banged three girls in one night can go to hell. It really pisses me off because I deserve better than this. I have enough good friends to be happy and do not need to have bad company around. I will work this through and in the end will come back VICTORIOUS... I just need to find something that I am good at and focus on perfecting that. It wil boost my Confidence to a new level and will eventually break the curse of being the sidekick of assholes..
My plans for the weekend rarely come to life, but this time something unexpected happened. My family was visiting Disney World for the nth time and everything was "peaches and cream" until the last day. My sister was feeling sick, and all of a sudden she developed a viral infection and we later learned that she also had pneumonia. So for all of you whose eyes got quirky when they read the word "pneumonia" its a very common and dangerous disease where the lungs get filled with mucus and water. The result is shorter breath capacity and due to the inefficient oxygen transport, the person can become weak. On top of that, a viral infection compromises the immune system to work and to spend energy trying to fight the virus, And on top of everything else, my sis is 6 years old. So yeah, you get the picture. I was really worried and all I could think of was my sister. I had a feeling in my gut that I was going to lose her. To make this story short, she got hospitalized for 6 days, and I was getting more stressed as the days went by. So I made a radical move: I packed my bags, notified my boss about the situation and headed to Orlando to lend them a hand. While I was there, she began to recuperate - she started to breathe again without the help of a ventilator and was eating more and cooperating with the nurses. All in all, we had a great time as a family. I didnt know how much I needed to be with them. God works in mysterious ways. If it werent for my sister's disease, I wouldnt have flown to Orlando, spent time with my family and rekindled old friendships with people that moved from PR to Orlando and lost contact with.
Im back in Houston, I love my life, and I consider this place "home". It's too weird to think that THIS IS MY HOME. I guess HOME is wherever I am. I still miss my family, and Im glad that my sister is ok, and I wouldnt change these experiences for the world. I wouldnt change my life, as complex as it is, and as lonely as it can be sometimes, I enjoy spending time with me, myself and I.
