Penata Is Amazing at Studying

My roommate, classmate, and very good friend Penata is perhaps not my exact opposite, but there are significant differences to the way we approach life and work. I'm loud and assertive, while she's quiet and mild-mannered. Many people confuse this with meekness, but they are easily fooled. Penata has a will of steel, and always gets what she sets her mind to getting. It doesn't have to happen immediately -- she's been known to keep her eye on the prize for periods of time that stagger me.

I am Amazing Cheastypants, the Queen of Instant Gratification and Furious Bursts of Productivity.
She is Penata, Supreme Empress of Never Ever Giving Up and Working Steadily to Achieve Her Goals.

In her work habits, she astonishes me. I have been known to churn out 25 page papers in 24 hours. It's not fun, but I do it, and I do it well, so whatever. It works for me. Penata would rather cut off her eyelids than do work the way I do it. For me, it's all about sprinting. Penata, however, has a marathoners mentality. Just chip away at it day by day, and the work will do itself. I am amazed that she has the willpower to read a 25-pound history book on a beautiful spring day, and that she has complete drafts of her papers written days, sometimes weeks, ahead of time. She's a trooper, and I take my hat off to her. Metaphorically, of course. I'm not actually wearing a hat.

So you know what's funny? It's a beautiful day, the windows are open, the ceiling fan whirring overhead, and I'm sitting here working (well, I was, until I got the idea that I should blog). You know what Penata's doing?

She's passed out in the easy chair, book open on her lap, her feet and hands twitching every now and then as she chases rabbits in her sleep. I'll let you know if she starts to snore.