see, shireen. that's what happens when you don't read instructions. carefully. completely. careless mistakes in exams, queuing up in the wrong queues, going to places on the wrong days at the wrong times, missing out on important deadlines and events...

and now, a very stuffed up nose.

i bought a pack of Febs yesterday before my marketing meeting and popped a pill into my mouth. then a few more in between last night and now. and yet, my cold only seemed to get worse. then just 5 to 10 minutes ago, as i was about to pop another Febs pill into my mouth, i decided to read the box out of curiousity, because sometimes, i just like to read things for the sake of it. and i realised that i had been reading the wrong instructions all along. i had only read part of the instructions the first time. the part which was meant for kids under 12 (but of course i thought it was meant for me), and tried to make sure i followed the instructions properly so i wouldn't OD or something. so i had been taking one pill, 3 times a day, making sure to never exceed 4. but guess what? i didn't read the first part of the instructions which was addressed to adults and children over 12 years. "two tablets to be swallowed followed by one or two tablets every four hours until symptoms disappear."

bravo, shireen!

i think i always try to finish and get over things fast. and in doing so, i always try to find the fastest, shortest and easiest way possible. basically, i strongly believe in the principle of parsimony but i think that one can only say that one is practising such a principle if one has completely explored and understood all the possible options and then chosen the shortest, easiest and best one. me? perhaps i'm so impatient that i cut short the exploration and understanding part.

to myself: stop taking shortcuts unless you've explored and understood it all! now, go and sleep!