Author: Codrin PO

Some guy who writes about what comes to mind, but mostly about epilepsy and his private life.
Dealing with epilepsy

Realizing what epilepsy is to you

Codrin PO

One year later, when everything was forgotten and I moved past what happened that New Year’s Eve, I had another seizure. In fact, two more seizures coming three weeks apart: one in February just after my birthday and one in March. All I remember is that I woke up with my mom and my sister hovering over me.

I was then officially diagnosed with grand mal epilepsy aka generalized tonic-clonic seizures. It seemed that the EEGs showed that I have something “different” in the left-side of the brain waves. No one explained what that meant exactly.

I realized what epilepsy is to me after I was prescribed Phenobarbital and had to set up a routine for taking them. It was a game-changer for a 15-year old high school kid.

Note: Epilepsy occurs when 2 or more seizures occur unprovoked by any immediately identifiable cause. In order to be diagnosed with epilepsy, these seizures must occur more than 24 hours apart.

Dealing with epilepsy

First contact with epilepsy

Codrin PO

I was 14 when I have my first seizure. I was my first ever party. It was New Year’s Eve 1999.

After “partying” all night, with a sip of champagne at midnight (and just that), I woke up at around 5.30 am with all my friends curling up around me and my mother and sister there to take me to the hospital.

The pediatrician (I was a kid after all) told my mother that it was a simple tetany seizure induced by alcohol (that little sip of champagne). She sent me home after giving up half of pill of Phenobarbital. I don’t remember the dosage. It took me three days to wake up after that Phenobarbital.

That was my first ever contact with epilepsy, even if I didn’t knew it then.

Blog · Career counseling · Old blog

Irrelevant professional experience

Codrin PO

I moved a lot between the private and the public sector, going from research to policy and consulting. This made my CV to look like it was bombarded.

After applying to a few research jobs and a discussion with a recruiter friend, I drew one conclusion: your CV doesn’t really matter.

By this, I mean that no recruiter (in a broad sense) will read your CV if you do not have those 2, 5 or more years of experience precisely in the field that he/she is looking for. For example, for a research job, if you didn’t work just in research, you don’t stand a chance. Continue reading “Irrelevant professional experience” →

Blog · Old blog

Not everyone makes a difference

Codrin PO2 Comments

I heard time and time again saying that they want to make a difference in life, to leave something behind them when they die.

But thinking a little on the matter reveals this: not everyone is meant to do that. We are not all Einstein(s), Marie Curie, James Hetfield, Frank Lloyd Wright, Elon Musk and so on. The list is pretty long and can go on and on.

Not everyone is meant to do great things in life. We can go on with our small life and routines work-home-work and have fun in the week-ends.

But everyone leaves a print on the way they work. Even if your impact is little, only by educating your children or helping someone with money once, you are making a difference. You don’t necessarily need to know that you are doing this.

I wrote an article a few years ago about helping someone in need. You can find it HERE.

You can impact someone’s life without waiting for credits. Without even feeling good or bad about. You can just do it.

A small difference is still a difference.

Blog · Not too personal · Old blog

Humanity`s motivator

Codrin PO

In the past few days, I`ve been working on a project and I couldn`t figure out one thing, one small thing that I did before tens of times. I tried to get motivated, listening to the music which usually picks me up. I also tried several other methods.

I love patterns. I enjoy finding them and I used them in my work before. Identifying them is easy enough if you are not looking for something in particular. You will simply notice them. READ MORE IF YOU WANT TO FIND THE ANSWER