got this from joze's blog, interesting. i think i belong to the last category these days. bad. =(

Do you drag yourself through the day feeling drained and exhausted?

Yes, we’re talking about lethargy, that heavy-lidded feeling that threatens to overpower you in the afternoon; that I-don’t-feel-like-working mood when you have a pile of reports to file. So what is it that’s making you want to curl up in bed? Lack of energy could stem from emotional stress, boredom, lack of sleep, and sometimes an upset hormonal cycle. It could also be due to a disruption in melatonin production.

What is melatonin, you ask? Melatonin is a hormone that helps travelers to sleep when they fly across different time zones. It is secreted by the pineal gland and is responsible for incucing sleep at night and governing the lowering of your core body temperature. The pineal gland slows its production of melatonin during daylight hours to keep your alert and increases its production when darkness falls. Melatonin starts to increase at about 9pm and peaks at around 2am. Any disruption to this cycle can affect sleep causing tiredness.

It is normal to feel a lack of energy, or be tired or drowsy sometimes. But if you’re tired even though you are sleeping more, exercising, eating better, and managing stress, you should consult a doctor. If you wake up in the morning rested but rapidly develop fatigue with activity, you may have a ongoing physical condition like an under-active thyroid. On the other hand, if you wake up with a low level of energy and have fatigue that lasts through the day, you may be depressed.

There are a few different types of energy and tiredness. There’s tense tiredness, tense energy, calm tiredness and calm energy. Tense energy is when you are revved up and doing lots of work but you’re not necessarily at your best. Calm tiredness is fatigue without stress, which can actually be pleasant at times such as before bedtime. The optimum is calm energy, or what people call “flow” or “being in the zone”. It is energy without tension, and is a sought-after state because you’re productive and completely focused.

The one to watch out for is tense tiredness. Your mood is low, you’re stressed, and you want something that will comfort you. Your mood is low, you’re stressed, and you want something that will comfort you. For many of us, that translates into chocolate, potato chi[s, and biscuits. It’s a vicious cycle. Your body has no oomph when you top it up with cheap fuel. In fact, you feel more tired and frustrated, and snack even more to feel better.

anyway, random pics.

a performance by MVS at the Children's Charity Association event last month. they were deaf (including the conductor).. but real music produced..

a giraffe balloon that i got from the event. told the volunteers to make one for me! i love giraffe! i wanted an Elmo, but they ran out of red balloons. =(

in the end, i got cookie monster, but gave it to my friend's son..

breadou from my best friend. she bought it for me as a gift, jus random. so sweet! this is a stress "ball" and can be used as mouse pad (though i feel its too thick to be used as that) and it actually has the smell of bread! nice! :D

was browsing for the pics in the folder and i saw this pic. the cutest dog i had ever seen. Lilo.. never got to see it again but well, always fresh in my memories. =)