Daily Show Hottie

Although I'm ready to offer my uterus to Jon Stewart (Hear you me. Come Nov 27, when I will attend a Daily Show taping), I may take it back and give it to this guy. After all, pretty looking guys who HAPPEN to be freaking fighter pilots are hard to come by on the Daily Show.

That was my Prof on Colbert

Was watching Colbert Report last night and found out that one of my professors from UCLA, Jared Diamond, was on. It's not a stellar interview, but hell, I know that guy. One degree of separation from Stephen Colbert!

867-5309

Amazing Story
-----------

Plumbers fight for famous phone number

LINCOLN, R.I. - One-hit wonder Tommy Tutone made the phone number 867-5309 famous in the band's 1982 hit single, which uses the digits over and over in its catchy refrain.

Now, a Rhode Island company and a national firm are battling over the right to use the number, which doesn't reach the "Jenny" that Tutone sings about, but could find callers a decent plumber.

Two years ago, Gem Plumbing & Heating of Lincoln, R.I., trademarked the phone number in the early 1980s hit, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Gem acquired the number in Rhode Island when its original owner, Brown University, gave up 867-5309 after growing weary of the constant prank calls.

Gem's number works in the 401 area code in Rhode Island and the 617 area code in southern Massachusetts.

But Florida-based Clockwork Home Services, also a plumbing company, uses a toll-free version of 867-5309 in New England. They argue a company can only trademark a vanity number, like 1-800-FLOWERS.

Gem won round one in its legal fight over the number when a federal judge in Boston recently barred Clockwork from using the number in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, effective this week. But Clockwork's lawyers said they would fight on.

Tommy "Tutone" Heath told The Boston Globe that he'd prefer if neither company used the number.

"It's ridiculous," said Heath. "If I wanted to get into it, I could probably take the number away from both of them."

I met Watson!

I met Nobel Laureate Dr James D. Watson! Yes, THE WATSON OF WATSON AND CRICK. I had been warned of his visit ahead of time. So I ditched work to go hang out and just hover around waiting for the sighting. Raghu ushered us into his office, where Watson had been spending his day. There, he shared all these stories about other VERY famous scientists and other odd thoughts. The man is known for his outspokenness.

So sweet of Raghu to have us meet him.

Being the nerd that I am, I brought two of his books for him to sign. It wasn't that I was greedy. I just couldn't decide which was the better book. The first one, "The Double Helix" is more traditional. The other, "Genes, Girls, and Gamow" was less scientific and more about his stories after the discovery. Yeah, I got them signed. I'm happy for that, but it wasn't my original goal. I wanted an autographed Bobblehead. How sweet that would have been.

Why Ed is Awesome: Reason 2435

I was chatting Ed last night.


hum on duckie: like you said, you were born in the wrong century
hum on duckie: i mean decade
hum on duckie: century would be bad
oddlyhayden: yeah, i hated the turn of the century
oddlyhayden: i wouldn't have liked it
hum on duckie: what's wrong with working in horrid conditions and being paid shit?
hum on duckie: its like doing research


Oh SNAP!

Colbert's got his own K POP video

So terrible, but so true. Love the last line. "Rain, I'm gonna be all over you like egg on a bowl of beebimbop"

Daily show clip

An Office joke on the Daily Show

Forward to about ~1:45

Michael Moore makes UCLA look bad

Michael Moore's face is plastered all over the web today because he is being investigated by the US Treasury. In the picture, he's smugly wearing a UCLA cap. This makes my school look bad. USC is the school that's normally associated with criminals. Not UCLA. I hate the association.

But I'm not an ambiturner

Most of you know my handicap with directions.

Now, apparently, I share a common trait with Derek Zoolander of Zoolander fame.

I went sailing after work today. It was a light wind day, so I took the boat out on my own again just for some practice. As it turns out, I dont know how to tack (turning left or right heading upwind). I would get decent momentum, but end up stuck in the middle of the water when my boat is facing directly into the wind. I would change directions a bit and try it again.
This happened a few times before I would give up.

So to turn, I would jibe (meaning turning left or right heading downwind). I would do a full turn so it'd end up going the right direction

Here's in illustration of what happens.


I'm so lame.

Sailing

I took the boat out on my own yesterday. I didn't do too well, but I didnt capsize. So in all, a learning experience. Yay!

This is why I need to make anti-aging polar bears

I can't believe there is an article about this. Found this on Drudge Report

-------------------------------------

Knut Steadily Getting Less Cute

It's a tragic fact of life. Celebrity polar bear cub Knut, now almost five months old, is gradually mutating from a fluffy porridge-lapping cub into a heavy bruiser with a penchant for meat off the bone. But the visitors are still flocking to see him.

Knut is looking more like an adult every day.
Knut's days of extreme cuteness are numbered now that he has acquired a markedly longer snout and weighs a chubby 17 kilograms (37 pounds), twice as much as when he first appeared before an adoring public five weeks ago.

"His teeth are sharper and he's stronger, he still gets porridge but we now feed him beef on the bone occasionally," the zoo's bear expert Heiner Klös told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "He's calmed down a bit, he doesn't potter around as much as he used to and he's happy to sit on his own more often. But he still wanders back to his keeper to tank up on security."

Knut's faithful handler Thomas Dörflein has taken to wearing long-sleeved shirts or pullovers and gloves to protect himself when he handles Knut. But the polar bear cub immediately obeys when Dörflein has had enough and tells him to stop biting him with the stern command "Aus!"

Klös said it's impossible to predict when Knut will be able to sleep on his own without a keeper by his side, or when he will be too dangerous to handle closely. "At the moment handling him is no problem and we don't have a timetable in that regard."

Even though he's getting bigger every day, the crowds are still pouring in to see him. More than 25,000 people visited the zoo at the weekend.

Meanwhile, the extensive range of Knut merchandise was increased last week with the launch of a porcelain Knut by venerable Berlin-based china manufacturer Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur Berlin.

Procrastination Entry: Bands that I wished I can see live

Once again, I've resumed my normal position in front of my laptop. Of course, I have work to do. But am i doing it? Partially. For me, any attempt at workis always coupled to regularly interrupting procrastination.

So what kind of procrastinating have I done so far, you ask? Well. I've already checked my email 5 times in the past hour. Yes, all 4 accounts! My usual gossip blogs have not updated since I've last checked. Plus, Matt Drudge has nothing interesting posted either. I did one set of crunches on my newly inflated exercise ball. After that, I decided that my purple AE tshirt doesn't look too good with my khaki skirt, but is amazing with my denim skirt. Plus, I really need some new flats because ragged old running shoes aren't too flattering with a cute tshirt, mini skirt ensemble.

Now that all these avenues of time-wasting have been exhausted, I'm ready to talk to you, my loyal readers. Yes, all three of you.

I'm going to share with you several bands that I would like to see live, but probably won't get the chance to. (Don't you feel lucky!)

1) Garbage

Garbage had some success in the mid-late 90s with songs such as Special, When I Grow Up, and Stupid Girl. Despite commercial success with their first two albums (Garbage and Version 2.0), their other two albums fail to reach much of an audience. Their albums are generally of the same vein - highly produced, guitar-driven rock songs largely powered by the awesomely haunting voice of its lead singer, Shirley Manson. The exception lies in their third album, Beautiful Garbage, which mixed it up a bit. Still the same emotionally tumultous, angst-ridden lyrics, but with a slightly more pop sound. Their last album, Bleed Like Me, marks a return their tried-and-true roots.

I got the chance to see them two summers ago at San Diego's Street Scene. It was amazing. I'd love to see them again, but I don't think it's happening. The band are on hiatus. Shirley's also recording a solo album.

2) Save Ferris

Again, another 90s band. Again, with a female lead singer. Save Ferris was a pretty popular Ska band headed up by Monique Powell. They're probably best known for Goodbye and their cover of Come On Eileen. With an energetic sound and even better vocals, Save Ferris produced two albums. Both albums are tons of fun to listen and sing to. For crying out loud, they have an entire song dedicated to spam! Of course, one of the real gems is the very low-key Let Me In.

I know people who have seen them play at a KROQ show at the Santa Anita Racetracks back at home. I personally have not. Unfortunately, the band has broken up. I think Monique has some side projects still, but I'm not too sure.

3)Travis

Travis was the next IT band from the UK. That was until they were usurped a year later by Coldplay. Regardless, they have some really mellow songs, somewhere between Blur (minus song 2), Wilco, and Snow Patrol. Well written and well played. They have three albums, I think. I only have one of them, but I've listened to the other two and they're pretty much the same sound, and still good.

I don't know where they are right now. So I'm not sure if I'll ever get to see them.

4) The Wallflowers
Most people know them by their one big hit, One Headlight. I also know them by their second album, Bringing Down the Horse, and their third one (Which I can't remember the name to). I actually own their first album, which sucked. My friend was supposed to get me Bringing Down the Horse, but bought the wrong one. Oh yeah, a small claim to fame? Jakob Dylan, the hot son of Bob Dylan, head the band and he actually sounds good. Surprise, surprise!

Again, I dont know their status right now. They haven't had an album out in a while. Perhaps indefinite hiatus also?

Sailing

I just got my solo rating today. THis means I can go out sailing on my own on a light wind day.

Civilization

I bought Civilization III before returning from spring break, and have been playing it on and off ever since. Generally, I love games where there aren't quests or goals. You just move on your own pace. Games like SimCity, SimHotel, Lemonade Tycoon are generally games that I enjoy. (For whatever reason, I actually dont like The Sims. I think it's lame trying to recreate a good life for a stupid character on the computer. I rather expend that effort on making me have a life.)

Anyhow, the point of this post is to talk about how difficult Civilization is. I have yet to obtain any victory. I run into the tendency of overextending myself or not establishing my cities at places with resources.

My neighbors also hate me. They always declare war on me and I end up losing militarily. If I beef up my military, it'll drain my poor treasury. I can spend more time finding a good starting location, but that would mean other people are already taking up the land while I'm still roaming.

Long story short, The game is really hard for me right now. Perhaps I should consider a lower difficulty setting, but that would mean being lame. I'll try it a couple more times. After that, I'll start resorting to online resources.

Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME!

Wow. What happened in Virginia Tech is tragedy. This video has set a new low in exploiting national tragedies, almost as much as the constant invoking of 9/11 by the current administration.

McCain Interviews

McCain was just on the Daily Show. Some really good exchanges. Part II is especially good.

Creme Brulee

I finally used my creme brulee set that I received as a gift two years ago. Iused the insta-mix version and it's not sweet enough. The caramelized sugar makes it much better than it really is. I will try to make it from stratch next time and try to perfect it.

I, Rotaton

Since January, I've been rotating in Raghu Kalluri's lab. It's been a very busy three months and I felt that I got a lot done and have learned a lot of new techniques. For one, I know how to work with mice now.

Overall, I love that lab. The people are fun and very helpful. It's a big lab, with about 20 people and I have honestly asked every single person for help with something at one time of another.

The thing that drew me to Raghu's lab was his enthusiasm. Even I have to admit, science can be boring, but Raghu is a great salesman. He pitches his science so well that you would believe in it. He's already convinced 5 people in my year (including me) to try his lab out, and already has new rotation students from the incoming class next year lined up. His enthusiasm for science is an important consideration because I know that I often lose sight of the promises ahead when bogged by failures. I also find comfort in his spastic mind. To be able to integrate so many different fields (cancer biology, stem cell, kidney and liver fibrosis) takes a certain ingenuity. I definitely find myself lacking in those areas and hope that I can develop these qualities while I am still a graduate student.

Also, doing translational research is a goal of mine. However, I hate reading most papers on diseases because they rarely tell a neat little story. This is generally not a fault of the researchers, but a fault of the complex nature of diseases. Generally, I find basic research more satisfying because more often than not, it answers how and why. Yet, I recognize the drawback of just doing basic research. It sucks to have to constantly justify the "relevance" of your work. This is why I hope to use take a basic research approach towards clinical problems. Raghu's lab is more clinically focused. His approach to clinical problems isin line with how I would like to work.

While this is a pro, it is simultaneously a drawback. I am afraid that after being in the lab for a while, I start becoming laxer in my standards to basic research. Yes, even I think meticulous papers are boring to read, but I appreciate them for their rigor. I hate handwaving and in disease models, there's A LOT of that. I don't want to lose that constant drive to know.

In considering his lab for a thesis lab, I think there is great potential. My project, as it is conceived right now, is clinically oriented (cancer or kidney disease). The topic will be geared towards understanding a particular mechanism in disease biology and will aim to address issues about the general biology, instead of small details. In other words, if all things go well, I would like to contribute to a paradigm. The projects itself are exciting...

I started my new rotation today with Jeannie Lee at MGH.

In fall semester, I began second guessing my commitment to translational research because I am not too excited over it and I miss thinking about basic research. I decided that I will do my third rotation in a lab less concerned with disease, but more focused on a generally interesting phenomenon. Plus, I miss RNA. I originally had wanted to work on microRNAs, but that didn't work out. So I looked elsewhere.

Luckily, I meet with Jeannie and found her research to be completely fascinating. Jeannie studies dosage compensation in mammals. Females have two X chromosomes, but males have one. There is a problem in dosage of these chromosomes. For example, having two copies of a tumor gene, one in each X chromosome can potentially wreak havoc. Alternatively, if a gene in the X chromosome is very important, having only 1 copy of it may be very bad for males. This problem is resolved in mammals by essentially shutting down one X chromosome in females, so both sexes have one working X chromosome essentially. The way this is regulated will probably not of interest to those of you who read this, so I'll skip over the boring stuff. In short, the Lee lab is one of the pioneers in this field and the mechanism of how this happens is super awesome.

Jeannie's papers are SUPER meticulous. Yes, it is a pain to read, but by the end of the paper, it's so well argued that it's hard not to buy the model. I love that! That sort of scientific rigor is what I strive for.

Today was my first day in the Lee lab and people have been very nice already. I'll be looking at some really interesting things. However, I must admit that I was a bit surprised at the topic that was chosen. I can't talk about it because it's confidential info, but I definitely did NOT expect studying this. Nonetheless, the project so contained that it won't blossom into a thesis project. I also look forward to working at MGH. It's closer to home and the walk back home will be very scenic! Now that it's coupled to sailing, oh the possibilities are endless!

Anyhow I can't wait to see how this pans out. As I was winding down in Raghu's lab, I started to feel very attached to it. Things were going well and I woudl have been happy just to stick around. But part of me wanted to try something else, just to make sure. As I was winding down, I thought that I may be very bias in the new rotation. Today's meeting with Jeannie has reinvigorated me to think differently. It's like like "Kalluri Lab who?" but more that I feel more open now to give the Lee lab its fair chance.

I know that I will end up picking either Raghu or Jeannie's lab. If all things were equal and if it fell strictly on the science, it will be a tough choice because the labs are so different, and they appeal to different sides of what I want to become. Oh this is exciting!

Small News

Several things about my life that I want to touch upon

1) For some reason, Boston totally skipped over spring. Today was a sunny 86 degree day. I wished there was spring, but you can't win all the time.

2) I signed up for Sailing Class today. I'm super excited! I can't wait to just spend a couple hours every week out in the waters and just enjoying the sun and the beautiful cityscape of Boston. I promise there will be pictures

Fountains of Wayne

After 7 years of being a fan, I finally got to see one of my favorites bands, Fountains of Wayne, live.

The band is coming out with a new album and did a very nice mix of both old and new songs. They played at Paradise Rock Club, a really intimate venue of maybe 500 people. We took seats at on the of side levels to get a good view.

I loved all the older songs and was glad that the new songs didn't disappointed. Of course, the crowd pleaser is Stacey's Mom. Since we were sitting up in the stands, It was hard to just get up and dance to it. So much of a good show is being able to enjoy the music and rock out with it. I felt totally constrainted. Even though I knew most of the words to the older songs, being able to partake in the music is definitely makes a difference in the overall experience.

I'm surprised at the allocation of songs. Yes, there's a fair amount from the new album, and those were good. There's also a lot of songs from their third album, Welcome Interstate Manager. What's surprising is that they many songs from my favorite album of theirs, Utopian Parkway, but skipped over Red Dragon Tattoo (which is where my SN is loosely based on.) That was a bit of a downer.

Overall, wonderful show. Wished I can rock out with them.

Irony

After many days of dreariness and miserableness, the day was finally nice again.

I definitely know that spring is coming since my allergies have arrived already.

Sucks to not be able to enjoy the beauty outdoors when I'm sneezing and sniffling all the time.

Sad Panda.

I love this bear more than I love any human baby

I want to prance around in shorts, tank, and flipflops

This is not just my Californian side whining.

I am so freaking tired of rain. We're being pounded by a fierce spring nor'easter. It's a lot of rain and a lot of wind. To some degree, it doesn't even matter if you have an umbrella. It's gonna flip. Or the wind will get you. Umbrellas are absolutely obselete.

I am so done with wearing a huge jacket all the time. It's practically the end of APRIL! I all I want is to walk around in a hooded sweatshirt at best. I want the sun to shine and the day be nice so I can walk home from work. I want to walk across Harvard Bridge and enjoy the beautiful Boston skyline with little white sail boats bobbing along the Charles!

Ugh, but no. It's miserable.

Holding Loose, Ain't Letting Go

Had a pretty eventful night last night.

First, went to a concert at the Avalon. It had John McLoughlin, Matt Wertz, and Steven Kellogg and the Sixers. Each of these bands were pretty good.

J.M. was a solo act with a piano. It's pretty cool to hear him play the piano, since it's so uncommon. He was very talented and at times, super intense.

M.W. is probably my favorite act, mostly because I had some "training", that is to say, I've listened to some of his stuff and really liked it. My favorite song by far is 5:19. Definitely digging it.

SKn6 actually was a very fun act to see. Although I heard some of their stuff before hand, I thought it was great that they actually put a nice spin on their songs. Live shows need to feature something that's not found on an album, and SKn6 definitely put on a good show. All the songs had this country-folk tinge, which was not that apparent on the album. Overall, the lead singer (SK) had a fun stage personality. Oh yeah, super cool that his bandmates were had good solos too! The guitarist can shred! (Actually, I'm not sure what "shredding" means, but I'm sure it's something that means "good on guitar")

After the concert, I met up with some classmates to head out dancing at Gypsy Bar. Actually a really fun place. The DJ has ADD. He plays about a quarter of every song, but he segues into the next song really well. I find it really nice because you just listen to the best first part of the song and not get tired of it. Plus, great mix of songs!

That's my night.

I better get to work now. I have a paper to write up. Mus stop procrastinating.

Red Eyes

I seriously need to stop doing this Red-eye flight thing. Why don't I ever learn?

Shellshocked by Walmart

So I finally went to my first Walmart. I'm supporting the devil. It was a weird experience.

I can't believe how much stuff they had there. They have EVERYTHING. There's no need to go anywhere else. Seriously At the same time, the merchandise was pretty crappy looking. It gave off this weird vibe. It's practically the disgusting overweight cross of Costco and Target.

A few things struck me as weird

1) Jay Chow CDs
It's no surprise to see Spanish albums and cds, but to see Chinese cds being sold at Walmart is just weird. They had a full rack for that.

2) Book section
I can't believe how skewed the book selection was. It's only one aisle. One side is devoted to magazines. On the other side of the aisle, the following genres were represented in equal parts
1) Paperback Romance Novels
2) Teen books
3) Various bibles for various stages of your life
4) Horror and Suspense Thrillers
5) Various bible for various stages of your life in Spanish
6) Bestsellers (definitely NOT your NYT bestseller)

They can have all the DVDs in the world, but when it comes to books, it's a very limited and narrow selection. There weren't even popular books like from Mitch Albom. There was Barack, one weight loss book, and one chick lit (The Nanny Diaries), but seriously, they didn't have any of the normal staples of a book store (ie anything in international relations, politics, Dr. Phil self help, cookbooks, more chick lit)

In summary, Walmart is this weird universe unto itself. I miss Target.

I'm bummed for Cecelia

Ever since working in the Martinson Lab, I've been following PhD comics. It speaks volumes of truth about grad student life (constant scavenging for free food, procrastination, fear of boss looming over your shoulders, avoidance of real work)


Of course, I've been cheering for the local female nerd, Cecilia. I was so excited to see that Cecelia has met a good man in this new story arc, for it suggests that I may have hope. Unfortunately, things have changed......

There Goes My Retirement

Last summer, I thought it would be awesome to start a Roth IRA account to save for retirement. I made enough to have money that I can save and I wanted to let this money grow more aggressively. This was all great, until I did my taxes

While preparing my taxes, I found out that the stipend I received was not considered "compensation". You can only contribute to an IRA if you had "compensation". What is considered compensation? Anything with a W-2 form.

If I didn't take the money out, I would be penalize 6% on the amount that over the contribution limit for every year that it is lying in the account. In my case, that would be everything I put in, which is a couple of hundred dollars. Now, If I take it out, I would be penalized still, but to a lesser extent.

So, now, my retirement plan is shot. I have to take it all out.

I think it's unfair. Everything rested on such a technicality of a W-2 form. I'm getting taxed on my stipend, but I can't put it whatever is leftover towards retirement. That just doesn't make sense to me. Who the hell cares what I do with my money, especially after it's already taxed!

The deadline is creeping up and I'm scrambling to get everything done in a timely fashion. I hope it all works out.

Meanwhile, I'm going to try and look at a tax-deferred account for my school, but I could imagine running up to th same problem.

I knew I've condemned myself to poverty by going to graduate school, but I always thought it'll only affect the next six years. Funny how I've screwed over my retirement too.

Recommended Music

I'm getting a bit bored with the constant overplay of Panic! At The Disco on my playlist.

So I've found some new(er) music. So far, the only new found music that I'm rocking is Mika's Life in Cartoon Motion. I love the sound. It's fresh and retro at the same time. For whatever, it invokes this cross of Beatles (Across the universe), Scissor Sisters, Imogen Heap, and Postal Service. I love the range of sounds from this album.

Young Love isn't panning out as much as I'd like it to. Yes, it is very reminiscient of Panic! at first with "Find A New Way", but none of the other songs are close to being good.

Oh yeah, Shout out to Dave for the awesome music he's been hooking me up with. I've enjoyed every song he's given to me. Keep them coming.

Tapas

Went to Tascos in Brighton for Tapas. There were 5 of us. We each ordered 2 dishes and shared it. Even though the portions are small, we were all really full by the end. Good eats and good company makes a good Friday night.

John Bolton Interview Reprisal

More awesomeness

Anti-aging animals...Now in Polar bear flavor

So, I've already unveiled my plan for an anti-aging panda puppy. Post 8/31/06 Now after seeing this video, I am thrilled to announce a follow-up. The ANTI AGING POLAR BEAR.




Just think of the possibilities!

Why I will have Jon Stewart's babies, reason 2061

Work and Snow

1) I have a lot to do with work and such

2) It's snowing soooo hard right now.

Sum Effect? I will be inside and won't get to frolick in the snow on St. Patty's Day.

SUPER SAD PANDA

March Madness

I'm actually in a pool at work, I'll be updating my progress.

Beware the Ides of March

Cute email from my friend, Sharon.

Hi Syl,
Happy Ides of March!!! I hope your day is wonderful and not full of trouble and death as it was for Macbeth. (maybe if he has a spine and stood up to his wife, it wouldn't have been half as bad)

Love,
Sharon

Painful Discussion

Elaine Elion has always been someone that I've feared.

Not because she's a tough professor, a ball buster of sorts. That, I can deal with. She's the opposite.

My first impression of her (and only one prior to today) came from beginning of the last semester. It was an organizational meeting and she was the course head. The course itself was designed to critically read and discuss papers. Of course, being newly admitted students, we had no idea what to expect. We had a lot of questions and was a bit intimidated by the format. We went to the meeting hoping that it will provide some clarification as to what's expected of us, logistical details, etc.

Man were we wrong. Personally, I only learned one helpful thing during that meeting -- Elaine Elion cannot do anything because she doesn't have an assistant. Since the class basically comprised of reading 2-3 papers per section, one student had asked if she can just xerox all of those papers into a handy little packet for all of us. It took Elaine 10 minutes to explain to us that she can't do it...because she doesn't have an assistant. Now, half an hour after class, we all receive an email. Apparently, one of our classmates had printed out the papers and made the copies for us. It's already ready for pick-up at the BBS administration office.

So today was my second encounter with Elaine. For the discussion, we were assigned two papers to read about telomerase. These are classic papers. One showed that overexpression of telomerase was required to immortalized cells and create tumors. The other had knocked out telomerase and showed that it wasn't required for cell line immortalization and tumor formation. On the outset, these papers are supposed to generate a lot of discussion. It's rare to find papers that take such pointed approaches and have such diabolically different results. Based on these papers, we're supposed to argue if telomerase makes a good target for cancer therapy.

So Elaine lead the discussion, and the activity level was dominant negative! (har har, bio pun completely intended) It was so quite. Now, my group is normally pretty active. This time, we were so quiet.

A good discussion leader will asked thought-provoking questions, that are open-ended. This way, others in the group will talk and there will be some verbal volleying. Elaine, on the other hand, asked VERY pointed questions, but in a very passive-aggressive manner.

Worst of all, there are moments where I think she has literally fallen asleep. There would be these pauses that are just way too long. Completely awkward silences. Ones where the sound of breathing may be too disruptive.

I can't deal with people like Elaine.

Coming Weekend FUN!

Tomorrow is the second recruitment weekend for the BBS program. I'm acting as a day host to two people and I'm so looking forward to all the free meals.

Tomorrow night, we're taking the recruits out for dinner. On Friday, I get a second dinner at the Top of the Hub at the Prudential Center. It's a restaurant located on the top floor of the tallest building in Boston. It's the tall building to the right in this picture.

On Saturday, there will be a reception at the Museum of Fine Arts. I am super excited for this, since last year, I went to the first recruitment weekend, which had its reception at the Harvard Natural History Museum.

To add to the excitement of all this broohaha, Holly is in town. I miss her so much. I don't know what we'll be doing, but she's coming to the MFA with me!

Following all these packed awesomeness is the Cell Biology Retreat. We'll be spending Monday and Tuesday at Cape Cod. While it's supposed to be a chance to learn more about the department, it's really another way to get myself fed well for two days and catch up on some HW.

With schedules like this, it's hard to be bored and aimless.

Restaurant Week II

Just came back from a wonderful dinner at Lineage in Brookline.

I had fried Maine Shrimp, Sirloin, and a chocolate tart. It was wonderful. The food isn't exactly fanciful, but it was still very good. Luckily, the portions are just right. I am so full from it. I love going to different places!

I had originally organized the dinner for about 12 people. However, about half backed out. While it was a pain to call and changed the reservations, it was nice to have a dinner with 6 people. It seemed to be the perfect size for a dinner party. Everyone can hear everyone else. In a table of 12, there would too many conversations to keep track of and often, there will be separation between the two ends of the table.

Boston Restaurant Week!

This is why I love Boston.

Every year, the expensive restaurants of Boston get together on one week to serve a 3-course prix fixe meal for $30.07. It may sound steep, but normally, that's the price of a single entree.

Being the piggie that I am, there's no way I'm passing up this opportunity. Last night, Adrienne and I went over to Upstairs at the Square with her coworker and roommate. I was told that this is one of those places that you go when your parents visit because they'll be around to pay for it. Definitely a great place to try. The portions were perfect, but of course, it was so delicious, I wanted more.

On Wednesday, about 12 of my classmates and I will be heading over to Lineage in Brookline for another dinner. Another well known place. We'll see how it goes.

With snowboarding, impulse shopping, a plane ticket home for spring break, and all this food, I am so broke this month. Worth EVERY penny, though.

Snowboarding!

No pictures, but I did go snowboarding today. This is my second time and there is definite improvement from my first time about 3 years ago. This time, I managed to get down this beginner slope without falling at all. This is in contrast to the first time, where I just got a great upper body workout because I was so busy pushing myself up after falling.

So, I'm getting comfortable with snowboard, but I still need to work on it. The problem is that I'm doing well the toe side in stance. It started with just not fearing falling on my stomach. I can't do heel side in at all. For whatever reason, I can't seem to adjust my body weight on my heels as I can on my toes (naturally). Obviously, since I can't do one of the stances, I can't interchange between them with ease.

My right calf and ankle are super sore as a result. I've been on my tippy toes all day. It started cramped and hurting on the first run, but I was reassured that it happens. I kept on going. I can't imagine what sort of pain I would be in tomorrow.

I also kept on stopping by falling forward onto my knees. If i get an epic bruise, I'm gonna blog that.

After a full day of snowboarding. I'm tired out. Even though there are plans to go out to a dance club to celebrate a friend's bday, I just can't imagine standing on my feet any longer. I'm going to take a nice night in and catch up on a movie.

I'm glad I'm actually getting better. I think there's serious potential

Work

I'm working like a madwoman, but results seem promising. I like the lab that I'm in and I like my boss. But I still want to do one more rotation before deciding where to join. This should be really fun.

Blessings

Things were kind of low tonight. Thankfully, it came with a hidden blessing. Thanks everyone who called/im/email me out of the blue/replying to an old email/etc. It made me feel very special.

Wozzeck Connection

One of my favorite operas is Wozzeck. It's NOT a pretty opera like La Boheme or La Traviata, but content-wise, it holds a mirror to modern day society. In short, it's about this soldier in the army that's not too smart. He has a wife, but has trouble making ends meet. The opera is about his downward spiral, as he is a victim of societal constraints. His wife cheats on him with another officer. Unable to handle this, he kills her and falls into madness.

There is a scientist character in this opera. Wozzeck is his volunteer test subject. Basically this guy collects urine. In the end of the opera, he holds up a jar of Wozzeck's urine and scream to the world that it's his big breakthrough.

So what's up with this long story about Wozzeck? Basically I've turned into this Scientist. I'm happy when I'm able to collect mouse urine.

Sad isn't it?

Feeling a bit low about work

Lately, I've been feeling a bit unmotivated with work. It's great that I'm busy with trying to get a few projects off the ground. However, it's been very hectic and has certainly taken a toll on my attitude. I feel rushed to get these projects going. This is bad because I'm quite absent-minded and sloppy. I'm not one of those naturally meticulous people. I'm more of a bumbling fool. It took me a while to learn to not be sloppy in my old lab. However, this is a new lab with all new techniques, which makes it difficult for me to anticipate problems that may creep up. I'm reluctant to go too fast. Especially with these experiments, mistakes are time consuming and costly. To repeat them would be frowned upon.

Last year, I remember thinking how great it would be to just leave work and not have to think about it when I'm at home. I would love to spend my weekends visiting art museums or taking a walk in the park. Now, I realized that I may have relinquished these opportunities for the next six years.

Apologies to those who sent comments

I thought I'm such a loser because no one reads my blog and tags my posts. Of course that's because I didn't know I actually had comments submitted. So I approved all 12 of them that were waiting for me....

I looked again. The last comment submitted was back in october. Man, I'm such a loser.

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year, Everyone!

I decided to make myself a Chinese new year feast. Since I can't eat it alone, I invited Rebecca and her bf's roommates for it.

Here's the menu

Snacks
1. Coconut meat shreds
2. Fried dumplings with peanut and sesame filling
3. New years cake!

Dinner
1. BBQ pork (bought)
2. Chicken (bought)
3. Enoki mushrooms wrapped in beef
4. Greens and oyster sauce
5. Steamed cod with awesome soy sauce
6. Almond Jello!

It was crazy going into Chinatown to get these items. There were so many people there. The BBQ restaurant was jammed pack. I had to wait outside for 20 minutes before I could go in and order. For whatever reason, I wanted to get myself a roast pork suckling even though I never eat much of it. All along the streets were flower vendors trying to pander off a variety of festive florals. Since I fed 6 people, I didn't have any leftovers, except for Jello pudding.

Today, I was very lazy. I did absolutely nothing. I'm so bored that I actually did homework. Normally I'd go out for a walk or something, but I felt a bit sick, so I stayed in.

Anyhow, happy Chinese new year everyone, Health and prosperity to all y'all.

An Evening with Kevin Smith 2

I'm watching "An Evening with Kevin Smith 2" It's so hilarious that I'm hyper-ventilating from the laughter.

Small Updates

Hi,

I haven't updated in a while. So I'd thought I'd give a little update for the 3 of you out there

1) Weather

It is cold, but not unbearable. Unless it's windy, then it's pretty much hell. At this point, you hate the exposed skin on your face.

I'm disappointed that haven't been snow yet. The cold would be worth it if I got snow. It'll be fun if I had snow. But it's just cold.

2) Celtics

Went to a Celtics game last night. Second professional, nationally-televised sport I've seen. The first one was baseball. Sad that the Celtics lost.

3) Lab

I'm doing my second rotation. I'm doing some research on cancer. It is definitely something that I've never thought I'd say. Oh, I'm doing cancer research. It makes me sound way too important.

Ikea Run

Went to Ikea a week ago. I have some new furniture. Better yet, I have a few new plants. It makes my apartment so much more homely. Check it out.



This is my room. Notice the drawers and the orchid plant. I can't believe IKEA sells plants now. I also bought some purple curtains, but I haven't installed the curtain rods yet. Imagine the windows with these dark purple translucent curtains. (it's supposed to match my sheets!)


This is my living room. Notice how I have a legitimate coffee table and rug. The rug was $14.99. Such a great deal. The candles are Rebecca's and I think it adds a really nice touch. Ignore the trash. We're still trying to get things put together.


This is the plant. It was $10 dollars, which was well worth it. Now, my apartment looks less undergrad, and more adult. Definitely the cohesion I needed.

Le Creperie

There's this cute little creperie outside of Harvard Square. I've been there three times, and each time, I am treated to culinary bliss. So far, I've only tried the savory crepes. Soon, I will expand to the dessert crepes. It's definitely one of my favorite places to go to in Boston. I hope to eventually try all of the crepes on the menu.

Strangers with Candy

I'm watching Strangers with Candy. It's HILARIOUS! Everyone needs to watch this movie.


THe plot of the story is this 46y/o ex-junkie-hooker who decides to go back to high school to "pick up her life where she left off" Anyhow, hilarity ensues when the writers satirizes all the sappy teen melodrama that CW can muster up. Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert is in it! Plus, tons of cameos and really really unPC lines.

THe sum result? Wholesome goodness!

Small Wonder

My roommate Adrienne and I were talking on the bus about tv shows we watched as a kid. We stumbled upon "Small Wonder", which was the cornerstone of my day during the summer before 8th grade. I would wake up everyday just in time for that show to come on, singing along to the theme song.

Finding this on youtube warmed my heart.



I think I'll dress up as Vicki for Halloween

Snow!

There's finally snow on the ground. Every time I pass by a pristine patch of snow-covered ground, I'd want to jump in there and go crazy and destroy it.

Watching falling snow is so calming.


I'll try to get a picture of it up soon

Phoenix Landing

Nice to have an 80s night at a bar a block away from home. They played Kylie! :-)

I love Scrubs

Temperature

Google says it's 9 degrees right now. I hate the wind against my face.

Brrr...

Tomorrow will be in the 10s. Ii'm looking forward to more puddles of ice and hating the wind.

Meanwhile, this sort of loving will keep me warm....




Warm with Laughter!

My sister's Liger drawing

So i'm sharing a room with my sister right now. It's 12:20. I'm on the computer looking up tax stuff and she's reading a book. Out of no where she asks me

"Have you seen my liger drawing"

I nearly choked and died. She's way older than me and is working as a pharmacist. Wow.

I ate too much and I have a big zit

I hate too much at Vegas. It is sin city, and gluttony is a sin, but I ate so much that I got stretch marks. I ate so much that laughing hurts - a lot.

I also have terrible skin right now. A lot of zits. There's this one on my nose. It's pretty big. At least 3 mms of a bump. And it's a ripe one. I really want to pop it, but I may have to wait another day.

Back to running a lot more to work off all the buffet eating.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas everyone. I'm enjoying a lovely 60+ degree winter in Los Angeles. Funnily enough, I did not get the barrage of scarfs and gloves as I had anticipated. Thank you Sharon, for adding to my growing scarves collection.

Last night, I had the wonderful pleasure of hanging out with Sharon, Lyndsay, Karina, and Todd (Xi) at Garden cafe to catch up on old times. They're my HS buddies and it's great to see them after not seeing them for so long. Yes, it was a bit lame to hang out at Garden cafe on a Saturday night, but there isn't any better place to just chat. Well, there are the boba places, but Sharon refuses to tip for boba (which I wholeheartedly agree).

Tomorrow, my family is driving up to Vegas for two days. It's going to be some madness. We're aiming to get there by 3pm, check in, and then jump into line for the Bellagio buffet (SCORE!). I'm excited for the food and the shopping.

Okay, it's time to stop being anti-social and hang out with some aunts and uncles. They're over here for dinner.

Pachelbel's Canon in D

It's one of my favorite pieces. I used to be second string violin in 8th grade, but I still learned the first violin's version and played it even though it wasn't for me.

This rant is pretty damn funny! Get to the last bit about Green Day.

http://egotastic.com/video?yt=JdxkVQy7QLM&w=600&h=500&info=Pachelbel%20Rant

Things I've never seen before in my life before moving to Boston

Frozen Puddles.

Beer Ball

Super Awesome Mahjong

Was really bored, so was playing mahjong on Yahoo! Check out this awesome hand that I won! 13-fan! You'll probably ask why I didnt do the highest scoring hand for the game (1 and 9 from each suit + each wind + each dragon). I thought about that, but it wasn't going ot happen because I couldn't pick up the 1 and 9s.

Here's a screen capture of my hand

Next time I'm at the Cask and Flagon, I will pay more attention to the people around me.

This is what John Krasinski (Jim from the Office) said in an interview

"

GMMR: Ok, I can not finish this interview John without asking….I live in Brookline and work in Newton (John’s hometown) - so next time you are home, I think I have to buy you a beer. I mean, it’s only fair. You took your time to answer my questions. You up for it? (ed. I will stop at nothing to meet this boy, or at least get him to call me)

JOHN: I’ll meet you at the Cask and Flagon fah shoa, dude."

I've been there a few times....maybe there's a chance of meeting him!

California

I miss In-N-Out #2 Combo with extra crispy fries. I must have such a combo in my stomach within an hour of arriving in LA.

Update: Also want Pastrami Sandwich from The Hat.

Key Office Quotes

Any single cell living organism has to have a spine.

- Michael Scott

The Office

So I'm sitting at home this weekend and watching a lot of The Office on dvd, both seasons. These DVDs are well worth it. They have commentary on at least half of the episodes (and they're actually funny and somewhat insightful) They have deleted scenes for all the episodes. There are some really funny stuff that you just wish it would make it. The packaging is also pretty cool. If only more shows can have this caliber of bonus material!

On a final note:

Determined
Worker
Intense
Good Worker
Hard Worker
Terrific

One of the best posters ever

Cecily Brown

Saw this at MFA today after class. Her paintings are now one of my favorities. Colors are vivid, the forms ambiguous. It requires both examination upclose and far away. Even when you think you know what you're looking at, you don't. There's constant movement on this static canvas.

The one above is probably my favorite of all in the exhibit today. Although her work often falls into the category of erotica, this painting resonates strongly with my ideals of being in love. It's passionate and innocent. I enjoy how the lovers are distinct and melded together simultaneously.

Early Thanksgiving

Every year, I'm used to having fried chicken at Knott's Berry Farm for Thanksgiving. So really, I dont touch turkey, stuffing, or cranberry sauce at all.

Tonight, I just came back from lunch/dinner at Keith's home. (Keith is Rebecca's boyfriend). His mother had invited our apartment and Keith's apartment for a Thanksgiving dinner. The Food was fantastic. Yams topped with roasted marshmellows were yummy. Of course, my favorite dish is always dessert. Had apple pie and pecan pie. I am stuffed.

Jake Ivory's

Went to Jake Ivory's, a dueling piano bar tonight. Super fun! If anyone from out of town is visiting, I'd definitely go there again. Nothing beats some Tenacious D on piano. You know what song I'm talking about!

Update: Just remembered it was super fun to have All American Reject's "Dirty little secret" mashed with Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, we're going down" played on the piano

MFA and Fashion Show 2006

While LA does have my favorite art museum, The Getty, Boston's Museum of Fine Arts should be able to fill that need to look at paintings and sculptures that I regularly have. It's certainly a rising star in my list of favorite places to visit when I have down time. It's big, modern, and have a pretty good breadth. One of the things I've noticed is that it has devoted more space than other places to non-European art. I look forward to seeing Islamic art because I'm quite fascinated by Islamic calligraphy! There's plenty to see and plenty of talks to attend! I'm super excited!

Last night, my sister, mother, and I also visited the Fashion 2006 exhibit. MFA has invited about 10 Fashion houses to display pieces from their 2006 collections. Being the fashionistas (by way of Project Runway) that we are, it was great fun to see beautiful pieces from haute coulture up close (although some are in the ready to wear collections.)

Of my favorites are the Christian Dior, Christian LaCroix, and Rochas collections.

John Galliano for Christian Dior was inspired by Johnny Depp's The Libertine for this collection. It's full for scarlet red decadence and destructed French Imperial costume. Very much like a glamourization of the violence in the French Revolution. It's provacative and beautiful at the same time. There were plenty of great pieces, but my favorite accent was the pearl necklaces that so many mannequins had. It was a white pearl choker (3 strands) but some beads on the right had been painted red. Strings of red crystals also drip down from it. Together, it mimics the blood coming from a partially severed head!

The Christian LaCroix collection carries a air of Spanish Romanticism. It didn't have the shocking value of Christian Dior, but definitely delicate and young. I cant' remember which piece I liked most, but it was super cool.

Finally,the Rochas collection was inspired by Victorian Chimneys. S black and grey dominated the palette. What I liked most about the collection is the development of this color, slowly shifting the color. It had plenty of great details with tailored mensuits and nice silhouettes. It's feminine, but not in that delicate, virginal way like Christian LaCroix. It's feels more mature.

Anyhow, that was super fun!

Family Time

So my sister and my mom had been staying with me since Monday. Their visit was pretty fun.

Although I could not take time off from school to hang out with them too much, I did have the chance to meet up with them for dinner and walk them around Boston on certain occasions.

I've had the best dinners with them. We went to the following places

Legal Seafood - best place for Boston Clam Chowdah
Some Chinese place with a lobster special - not that good but hey, it's Chinese food
Elephant Walk - French and Cambodian food that is awesomeness
Assagio - Italian restaurant that wasn't superb but wasn't atrocious
Mike's Pastry - Most famous pastry place in Little Italy. The Tiramisu is great, but the Neopolitan is questionable. Coffee wasn't all that great (of course by Italian standards)

Anyhow, I'm especially stuffed from last night's Italian food.

Going the Ethnic Route

I went out to have Pho tonight. My friend and I were really missing the selection of ethnic food. Anyhow, even though it's definitely not as good as it is at home, (overpriced and not exceptional), It definite made it super fun and filled this void.

Afterwards, we had time to kill, so we went to a Lollicup. Boba- good! but overpriced once again.

We later joked that if we popped in a Korean soap opera instead of watchign Grey's Anatomy, it would have been so overly asian!

Stupid papers

I'm reading about fly sperm. Why? Because I have to.

YAY, THERE IS A GOD!

Finally heard news that Britney filed for divorce. There is justice.

Can't wait for Britney to get back to her bad self! Hope she doesn't go the "I wish someone will love me" route like Jessica Simpson.

BCMP retreat

Just came back from BCMP retreat. It was at SUCH a nice place in New Hampshire. Everything was free and the staff was really polite and accomodating. The place had one of these crib-style movie theaters lined with Lazy-Boys. I was supposed to share the room with someone, but she never showed.

It's weird to have professors who teach the class in the hot tub with a bunch of your classmates. I meet the PI for a potential rotation there. Anyhow, really fun time!

Death Cab Concert

Just came back from the DCFC concert and it was pretty good. I really liked their set. It surprises me how produced their sound was live. Anyhow, definitely a good time!

Room Decorations

I think I've mentioned before that my room looked very sterile. Just plain white walls, white bed, and white sheets. If the walls were padded, then it'd be more fun, but alas, it's not.

Anyhow, I printed out many of the pictures that I took in my Euro trip and posted them. Now it's a lot more warmer. See for yourself.

Music Updates

A) I'm going to a Death Cab for Cutie concert. I'm super excited

B) Imogen Heap is also heading to town. Thinking of going.

C) New DAMIEN RICE songs posted. "O" was one of the best albums ever because every song puts me on the verge of crying. He's amazing. His songs are making me want to cry again. I love it.

http://www.myspace.com/damienrice

siRNA

I gave a presentation on a paper for one of my classes today. It was a really cool piece that used siRNAs to treat Herpes Simplex Virus 2. For those who don't know, siRNA is the prizing winning discovery for this year's Nobel prize in Medicine and Physiology. Anyhow, I thought I had 15 minutes, but as it turned out, everyone before me took longer than usual. So I had 10 minutes to give this presentation. I did it in 9.

Side note: Merck bought Sirna for $1.1 Billion. Its stock doubled. Note to self: must make use of all the paper reading for investment in Biotech firms.

Broken Coffee pot

I broke my coffee pot today. I had left the coffee maker on all day. So I took the coffee pot to the sick and filled it with really cold water. The bottom cracked.

So I bought a new one. Walgreens had one on sale. Now I have two coffee makers and one coffee pot. They're exactly the same.

PS. I picked the 4-cup one because the 10-cup (although at the same price) would have been encouraging an already bad habit.

Love for $149.95

So I've been looking for tall high heel boots (FMB's for those in the know) for a while since I threw my last pair out. (It was way overworn). At first my budget was $100.00, but there were no hits.

Today, I went to DSW and found a pair that was seemingly perfect in my criteria. Tall, snug, but not too snug such that I can still wear my pants under it. It's a pointed toe, but doesn't look like it could stab someone's eye out. The heel is also pointed, but not stiletto style.

Yeah, it's perfect. Until I took a look at the price. It was $149.95. Technically, I can afford it, since it's payday soon, but I don't want to blow my budget for November before November even starts. Plus, I have other stuff I need to get. Like more long sleeve shirts.

I know these boots can last me some time. Should I keep it?

Oh yeah, there's another pair for $129.95, but it's not as nice. It doesn't fit as perfect, but the two are closely analoguous. Should I get this one instead?

Slow Mo Vid of water balloon

Very cool

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1715504/

Laziest Dinner EVER made by me

I got too lazy to make a proper dinner and too cheap to buy it. So here's what I did

1 can of Tuna - Drained
Lime Juice
Pepper
Salt
Crumbled bleu cheese
Cherry Tomatoes that are shriveling because it's been in the fridge a bit too long.

Hey, it could be worst, I guess

Try uncooked top ramen straight from the packet with a simmer of the MSG on top.

Amen, sister!

P. I have not tried the top ramen thing. Let me know how it went if you have.

Awesomeness

I have this class called Micro 230. In there, we read a lot of papers and critique them. The sick thing is that my new instructor for that course is KEVIN STRUHL. I presented one of his papers in my junior year HHURP journal club. It's gnarly to put a name to a face and personality.

---

In the past, my lab had been criticized for techniques (ie RNase Protection Assays and Nuclear run-on with G-less cassettes) that fell out of favor with the general community since chromatin IP and quantative RT-PCR came onto the scene. One time, I mentioned how I had to do a CsCl spin to isolate DNA and my classmate said "Wait, we're in the same generation, how come I never did it?" Anyhow, together, it made me feel very archaic.

After being owned by the midterm, I still had molecular biology class. The professor, Steve Buratowski (whose work I am decently familiar with since the Martinson Lab was interesting in many of the same things) talked about RNase Protection Assays, Nuclear Run-ons, and G-less cassette analysis for studying transcription. I felt very vindicated that someone still talks about these techniques.

OWNED!

I just had a midterm that made me feel owned. I haven't felt like this spring quarter of sophomore year. This is the first time that I couldn't finish the test. It's not that I didn't know. It just too much time to sort out the markers in the genetic analysis setup. Thankfully, many from the class felt the same way. Hopefully, I did relatively well enough.

Things go up and down

Just an update of the good and the bad of my life so far

The weather
Good: It's not going to rain tomorrow, so I can go jogging
Bad: It's going to be about 37F and maybe up to mid 40s

Health
Good: My cold is finally ebbing. It was pretty miserable earlier the week
Bad: I'm having more headaches from this cold than ever. I dont like it. Plus, it's taken a toll on my exercise.

School
Good: Vanilla experiment for rotation project has finally worked after the third try
Bad: Class commitments are taking all of me until next friday

Food
Good: After 4 consecutive meals of Pizza, I'm finally moving on to other foods
Bad: I'm totally winging the recipes and mostly failing

Fall Foliage and Cold

Boston is getting really pretty lately. The fall foliage is slowly setting in and I have the pleasure of admiring the Charles's riverfront as I commute along the Harvard Bridge each morning and afternoon. I hope this lasts for a while before all the leaves fall.

On a side now, starting to feel the chill now. It's about 50s during the day. It's really not bad, but there are times where I felt that I'm not dressed well enough. Last week, I went on a shopping spree at Old Navy for long sleeve tshirts. I didn't have too many of those, and I figured they're very versatile for hte winter. For some reason, I dont feel like I have enough clothes for the winter. I have enough to last me, but still a girl needs to be fashionable. I'm aching to go shopping, but I'm still recovering from the sprees last weekend. ( also went Target for electric blanket).

Work is starting to eat in. I know I picked Harvard BBS because of the huge selection of faculty that I can rotate with, but it's becoming a daunting task. I had a bit of scientific identity crisis. I came in with a preconceived notion of what I would like to try and what I would want to avoid. I'm starting to second guess myself, I don't find myself as enthusiastic with the things I thought I like. I talked to a professor about it and he gave me some pointers. I'm gonna follow up on that and see if it helps at all.

8 sided dice

I just came back from playing Risk 2210AD for about 3 hours. It was very complicated, very long, but can be very fun. I think I just leveled up in terms of nerd-hood!

Tickets!

I just got tickets to the 16th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Informal lecture series. It "honors achievements that first make people LAUGH, and hten make them THINK."

It's gonna be so much fun! Can't wait for academic talk of scientifically irrelevant research!

Peppermint Patty

Trust me. Chocolate fudge syrup + Peppermint Schnapps = AWESOMENESS

The Harvard Club

Just came back from dinnner at the Harvard Club. I feel so entitled and snobby (j/k) Anyhow, it was a really cool event. The gala was organize to facilitate interaction between PhD students and Med Students on both Cambridge and Longwood campus.

While seeing what the old boys club is a very cool experience, two things made the night great. 1) The food wasnt' shabby at all! I had prime rib and it was medium-rare the way I like it. 2) The keynote speaker, George Daley, gave a great speech. Over the last two weeks, I had been bombarded with speeches of how great this institution is, how we are the going to the be the leaders, and how we should be excited about our work and this time in our lives. Well this guy gave a pretty similar speech, but the difference is that instead of just trying to inspire us, he also made us laugh. It's definitely a great departure from all the trite speeches.

Oh yeah, I also got these spiffy business cards that has the my name as well as Harvard written on it. I think I should send it to my family and they will finally believe I am going to school at Harvard. Sweet!

The Harvard Club

Just came back from dinnner at the Harvard Club. I feel so entitled and snobby (j/k) Anyhow, it was a really cool event. The gala was organize to facilitate interaction between PhD students and Med Students on both Cambridge and Longwood campus.

While seeing what the old boys club is a very cool experience, two things made the night great. 1) The food wasnt' shabby at all! I had prime rib and it was medium-rare the way I like it. 2) The keynote speaker, George Daley, gave a great speech. Over the last two weeks, I had been bombarded with speeches of how great this institution is, how we are the going to the be the leaders, and how we should be excited about our work and this time in our lives. Well this guy gave a pretty similar speech, but the difference is that instead of just trying to inspire us, he also made us laugh. It's definitely a great departure from all the trite speeches.

Oh yeah, we also got these spiffy business cards that has the my name

Back from the Retreat

The Retreat at Provincetown was a lot of fun. The weather predictions had been poor so having all the sun at the cape was very much welcomed. For those who don't know, Provincetown is at the very tip of Cape Cod. It's about 3 hours from Boston, and it is super gay friendly. There are more stores for guy's clothes than girls clothes, outnumbered about 5:1. It also has a lot of antique stores and art galleries. The atmosphere is just as you would expect from a East Coast little beach town. Very quaint.

I have some cool pictures. Just thought I'd share them

Outside my room

Along the beach. The people in the pic are some other first-year grad students like me.

Funny signs for the garden! Maybe for my cell cultures too.

Found this in the middle of a Zen Garden store in P-town.

First-years doing "I Will Survive" on Karaoke. Note: Old Guy in the back is one of the directors of our graduate program.

Some Roommate love! Left is Rebecca, Right is Adrienne.

Outside at night. That's a tower, not a light house. There were fireworks too, but those pics didn't come out too well.

So yes, in the end, you can tell we clearly talked a lot about science at this retreat!

BBS Retreat

Tomorrow, I'll be leaving Boston for the weekend. The BBS program has invited all the first years to go on a retreat in Provincetown, MA. Should be exciting.

Update: Here's the link to the place we'll be staying at.

http://www.provincetowninn.com/

More when I get back

Science + Interpretative Dance = . . .

I got to see this after an excruciatingly long poster presentation on the biophysics of integrin conformational change. It almost made those lost moments of my youth worthwhile. Just almost, but not quite.

http://www.cbrinstitute.org/labs/springer/lab_goodies/Turning_on_Integrins.mov

Pub Crawl Success

Hosted Pub Crawl with roommates from Central Sq. to Harvard Square. Nice turn out. Happy about it. My roommates rock!

Boston Adventure

I've been in Boston a few days and it has been great to me. I had orientation yesterday, which was long and brutal, full of boring administrative stuff. However, it was very cool to finally meet all my other colleagues. At night, the program rented out some space at this bar near Fenway Park that had pool and a bowling alley. It's sort of like a D&B, but without all the kids and the arcades.

Today was a free day, which meant some roaming around. I've experienced first hand that Boston is very walkable, but you can get lost easily if you don't know where you're going. That's because many of the streets do not run in a grid. Yes, Boston streets have no civil planning.

Also went to my first Red Sox game. Although the Sox lost terribly to the other Sox, I've noticed that the Boston crowd is really enthusiastic. The atmosphere is definitely more lively than at any of the other three baseball games I've been to.

Here are some pictures from today's adventures

Downtown Boston in the Day


Office Building

Church next to Office Building

Another Church

Harvard Medical School

Inside Fenway Park

Downtown Boston at Night

Ada, I know that you really want to see my apartment, I'll get to those soon!

First day in Boston

A few things

1) Red eye flights suck when it's not a direct flight
My first stop was at Atlanta and it was 2am at LA when I arrived. To make it worst, my insomnia the previous night messed up my circadian cycle. End result: 1hr sleep on plane. On the second leg of the flight, I had ever intention to just sleep straight through. That was until the passenger who sat next to me began to tell me her life story and how she loves her dog. I hope to never become her. Seriously, I didn't have the patience to patronize her.

2) Boston is beautiful
I think I lucked out with the weather today. It was sunny and a brisk low 70s. Driving along the Charles as I exited onto Mass Ave definitely made me love this city already. It feels exciting and lively and very great jogging city!

3) Apartment Location is MONEY!
I'm a block in from Central Square. I have a lot of stores and restaurants at my fingertips. It's lovely to be 2 blocks for a organic co-op market, and 5 minutes from a Shaw's. It's a tad far from campus but the shuttle stop is just a block away. Oh yeah, the apart is smaller than the one I had in LA, but at least I get my own room!

4) Roommates are great.
Finally met Rebecca and re-met Adrienne. Both are super nice. Rebecca put up with me in ikea and getting a bed

5) Sept 1st in Ikea is hellish
Everything is out of stock because that's when EVERYONE is moving in. I missed out on two mattress from Ikea.

6) Bed
I got a pretty sweet bed. It cost a little bit more, but I didnt wanna put up with any more price shopping. It was a bit out of my budget, but the one that was one lower was just crap. At least this one, I definitely like. Best part, I will have it on Sunday!

That's it, peeps, I'll post pictures later.I'm dead tired and functioning on 3hr sleep and 1 cup of coffee at noon. Small victories make me super happy. I'm probably pretty deluded.