Mood: Meh 
Vaping: Vozol 12000 Puffs Cool Mint
Weather: 28°C, Clear
Location: Mont Fleuri, Mahe, Seychelles
Last month I’ve practically replaced my 9pm “journal entry” time for “movie night” with my twin sister. We have watched so many movies and we do this almost daily so it’s been quite a bit!
MIOT held a “mental wellness camp” form the 29th September to 5th October and I saw the advert on Instagram as a sponsored post. They encouraged both children and adults to participate and their focus was on Autism, ADHD and Addiction. They were offering a free 30-min consultation for everyone. I didn’t take a screenshot of the advert, but I did click on the ad and it redirected me to a form on their website. So I filled it up and they finally called me last Friday for a 1pm appointment yesterday. They called me yesterday morning, telling me to come by at 12pm instead. So I figure they didn’t have many people yesterday. I arrived at the Espace Building where their clinic is at around 12:10pm.
The lady patient who went in before me exited at 12:46pm so I entered a minute after. I met with Dr. Kurinjinathan and he started by asking me why I was there. I told him that I have struggled with mental health for a long time now and that I always considered it to be just “social anxiety” but I did read about autism a few years ago and would sometimes wonder if I might actually be autistic in some way. Because it wasn’t just social anxiety (although that would be the only thing right now that makes my life very difficult) but it’s a little bit more than that. I then proceeded to tell him that I saw the advert and that I’ve been doing more reading about autism and was curious to know if he could try to figure out whether or not I might be on the spectrum.
He asked me about my family history, what school was like as a child, if I attended university, if I’m in a relationship or married, and a few other things in which he expected me to describe in detail. He told me that when I was 24 years old and started experiencing severe social anxiety, it was possibly because I was more aware then that there was a struggle with social interactions and of the reactions of others due to this. After a lot of talking from my side, he told me to look up “Asperger’s Syndrome” and “decide” if it aligns with a lot of my experiences and what people have told me over the years. It used to be called “high-functioning autism”. He also feels that my “eye contact” is good, cognitive abilities are “very good” that I’m able to speak clearly and use language very well. I did read about it and apparently now Aspergers is just the informal term while “Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1” is the current official term. When I was handed my medical report, the diagnosis was “Asperger’s Syndrome” and I’m told to book an appointment after 2 months through “telemedicine” whatever that means.
I was prescribed Escitalopram, which honestly was the first time ever that I’ve come across this drug. I still don’t know how it’s pronounced exactly, is the “c” silent? It’s part of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) class of drugs. I was able to get some at Euro Medical Pharmacy at Eden Island. I was prescribed 2 months so I got 2 boxes for only SCR 170 (US$11.33). I haven’t started taking it just yet, I just want to read more about it first. Apparently it may affect my libido, but since my libido is already underground due to perimenopause or menopause, I shouldn’t worry too much about that part!
I’ll elaborate on each part of “Asperger’s” in my next entry right after this post. Other things I’ve been doing to keep myself busy lately have been Coursera – I’m trying to work on more learning and I’ve completed yet another certificate. I now have a total of 5 Coursera certificates. The stuff is quite enlightening as long as you are actually paying attention. To date, I feel the Google Project Management certificate I did was the most challenging. I’m working on completing a few specializations and professional certificates. It will take time because I’m doing many of them at the same time. I’d feel too bored if I were to focus on just one at a time.
I’m also looking into getting into crafts. I just don’t know which one I should do just yet. It will have to be something whereby the materials are easy to obtain here in Seychelles or easy to import. Then there’s also the subject of storing the finished items. I did try crocheting a few years ago but I just couldn’t get myself to work it out. I was following the Youtube tutorials but mine wasn’t turning out to be as good as the one on the video. I was building something alright, but the pattern didn’t look consistent. I sometimes wonder if I should try again. Crochet is such a beautiful art, and if I can somehow do it well I’d be able to make stuff that I can actually use, such as floor mats, scarves, blankets and even clothes! I was making a blanket for Thylvethter so I am disappointed in myself that I wasn’t able to complete it. I think for this reason alone, I should try again! I just need to figure out the best yarn for a blanket or at least the easiest yarn to work with.
My postcards collection has finally been organized. I have also packaged my FDCs. My aim is to put as many as possible up for sale and also buy vintage ones to put them up for sale. I have thousands so I just find it overwhelming enough just to start! I’ve also been working on some websites that I want to start. So hopefully I’ll have about 11 websites to start with and grow from there if I can successfully monetize them.
I’m almost done with the 100 envelopes savings challenge. I started it on the 24th of February this year and I actually forgot about it for a few months (LOL!). I took it up again in August, and I’ve been taking it as seriously as possible so I can finish it soon. It’s amazing how difficult it is to complete! I’ve only been able to take from my discretionary income. Was I tempted to purchase the all-new iPhone 16 pro max? Absolutely! But I’ve made a conscious decision to hold on to the 13 pro max for as long as possible, well, at least until the iPhone 17 pro max is released.
