I am what can be called a "Type A", workaholic individual. I love my work and in last two and half years I have consumed countless amounts of alcohol and caffeine to keep working. That has led to some good research work, some good conference presentations and upcoming research ideas.However, that has also led to many mental breakdowns, sleepless nights, exhaustion and questioning my ability to do any good work.

And this is not just me. Many of my incredibly smart and hard working friends and colleagues have been through the same or even going through the same. I am very proud to be in a country that focuses so much on work and achievements but at the same time, looking at myself and my friends, I keep asking the real question "When do I live?" Work is important and I want to work and be productive and contribute a drop of knowledge as long as I live. But while doing it, I realize that all I think about and worry about is work. A very wise colleague of mine once told me, no one cares if you kill yourself over work. There is always someone to replace you. So what you have to do create and maintain your own boundaries.

The real question is, how do I do that? Sometimes I say, what I produce is not really changing the world or saving lives or solving any of the world problems. But then why do I feel this constant need to give 110% and prefer work over my own sanity and life? I am struggling to find answer to this question. I love my family and friends but I can recall numerous times,when I have chosen a deadline over seeing them or talking to them. I am always ON. Even at my own party, I couldn't stop thinking about the enormous amounts of reading and work I had to finish the next day. I think, my work is made me live only in the "office" and not in my own life. I dream about work and forget everything when it's on line. I feel if I fail to succeed at a single deadline, that's the end of my life. This is a terrible situation. I am constantly stressed and worried that I am not ""good enough or working hard enough".

If I succeed in one project, the next one is on the line and I can't enjoy success of my own work. I think this is the outcome of my workaholic nature or my own need to be constantly successful at work. Everything else, doesn't matter. Work-life balance is important but are we creating a situation where it's impossible to have one. I don't know the answer to this question but what I know is something needs to be done. After all, work is a part of life and not the entirety of it.

My friend recently posted a very disturbing article on FB about overtly sexual and violent ads. On the eve of Halloween, I had a very similar conversation with my girls about Sexy Halloween costumes. As a woman and a feminist, I am very disturbed with this trend of constantly sexualizing women everywhere. Why can't we not do that?

Advertising world says, sex sells. But at what cost? Do we want our daughters to feel small, meaningless and hopeless in the ad world where all models are size 0, probably unhealthy and overtly modified on magazine overs? I am all about sensuality and enjoying the creativity and art in intimacy; in and out of bedroom. However, there is a very distinct line between sensuality and outright crass, on your face nudity. If the creative genius can only think about a naked woman, dominated by few men, as means to titillate consumers to buy a pair of jeans; he is not really a creative genius.

Why do we have to show women as helpless, damsels in distress; when we are conquering world? Intimate partner violence is a serious issue and not to be used a method to attract customers for a f**** perfume. And what exactly, such ads are saying? Hey, look if you wear this, you can rape a woman and she would be fine? I am utterly upset and disappointed in this so called creativity.

Why is Halloween, "be a slut" card for women? If it's a fun costume, why don't we see those options for women? Why does she have to be sexy "anything" (put anything, literally). It saddens me that in 21st century, when women are leaders and creators and owners, we still need to show them as Barbie dolls, who need a man? (We don't need a man, we want one :-), choice :-)). It saddens me, that in a world, where we praise Malalas of the worlds, we still want to send message to our daughters "you are inferior sex", in one way or the other.

Here is a suggestion for the ad world, why don't you show, a real woman who wears a pair of jeans and works on the farm?? Or a woman who wears your perfume and hugs her students in Kindergarten? Or a woman, who uses your ketchup and enjoys the fries with her friends?? Because, a real woman does all of this using all these products, for the people she cares about.

And as for Halloween, next year I am dressing up as Hillary Clinton! Because that's a real, tough woman who is far more sexy to me than your "sexy nurse" :-)