Pre-Med life at UCLA

Some cool stuff to Know at UCLA

2011-11-14T12:36:00.001-08:00

If you have the non-premier meal plan, you can get an extra swipe after 10pm for your late-night cravings after dinner. :D
There's a planetarium on the Math building roof-top that gives free shows on Wednesdays -- check their website to see the schedule.
If you need to get to north campus from the dorms, don't take Bruin Walk. Walk down Charles E. Young drive (parallel to Sunset blvd) instead!
Seriously, brunch (on Saturdays and Sundays in the dining halls) is delicious! Fluffy waffles with your choice of toppings, french toast, scrambled eggs, omelets made custom for you, etc etc... Delicious!
If you're visiting an amusement park, buy tickets from CTO -- you get student discounts!
The cleanest ladies restrooms on campus are in the Engineering buildings.
You can take the elevator all the way to the roof in Knudsen for a great view of UCLA.
Eating on campus instead of the dorms? You can get a sack lunch in the mornings or you can trade a meal-plan swipe for a food voucher (see front desk in the dorms).
Kerckhoff Coffee house gives out free coffee during finals week.
You get a free 1 year subscription to amazon prime!
Watch out for campus police -- they are ruthless in giving out tickets for jaywalking.

How to pull an all-nighter

2011-10-18T16:45:00.001-07:00

My credentials: I aced all my UCLA PhySci and NeuroSci exams and assignments in which I pulled all-nighters.

Rule #1: You should never pull an all-nighter. Avoid it at ALL costs.

Rule #2: IF you screw up badly and have to resort to an all-nighter, this post is for you.

First of all, you must anticipate pulling an all-nighter. If you know that you have an exam next week and you have 10-15 lectures you still have to master, you better start now because chances are, you're going to procrastinate this week and you'll have 5-7 lectures left to master AND must review all the previous chapters you studied on the day and night before the exam.

#1) Eat healthy and get lots of rest/sleep well TWO nights before the exam. That way, you can study all day and all night before the exam. I think the fact of knowing that the exam is one day away makes people very diligent in studying hardcore the day and night before. Don't eat junk food 2 days before the exam because you need to bring out your best on the day/night before and during the exam. When you're studying the day before the exam, my bets are that you are going to be munching on unhealthy snacks all day/night, and you're going to be consuming plenty of caffeine.

#2) On the night before the exam, when you see that there is no way you're going to get through all the chapters you still have to study AND all the chapters you have to review, you need to stop studying for 15 minutes and create a plan that will allow you to maximize the good use of the time that you have left. This plan should be the following:

For the lectures you haven't even looked at yet, don't pay attention to the last lecture. Chances are, the professor rushed through it and it has stuff that won't be on the exam. If you think there are useful things on it, pay attention to the useful things. (Note: A good student goes to lecture and notes which topics the professor spent lots of time on and which things the professor simply brushed over. I put a star with a circle around it next to the things the prof spent lots of time on, a star next to the topics the prof spent a medium amount of time on, and a squiggly red line next to the stuff the professor just brushed on).
Also for the lectures you haven't studied, skim through your notes.
For the first few bits of the first lecture, everything is probably just introductory and review, so don't review that.
For the lectures in between that you have studied, review all of them, but spend less time on the topics that you KNOW you'll do well on (but make sure you KNOW - not THINK - that you'll do well on them, or else that will just be a waste of time).
If your TAs or professors give you study questions, you better have answered them already and KNOW the concepts and answers. If they gave you answers to the questions, but you haven't looked at the questions or answers, read them and KNOW them. Sometimes, these questions will be about the stuff you haven't studied or reviewed on your own yet, so they could be very helpful in helping you learn a bit about the topics in the lectures you haven't studied.

#3) 1 hour before you have to leave to go to the exam, stop studying. Get dressed, take a 20 minute nap, and drink caffeine if you've been on it all night. It's crucial to keep your caffeine high up if you've been on it all night or else your brain is going to shut down during the test -- you won't be able to think right or focus.

#4) If you think you have time, take 15 minute study breaks throughout the night. My 15 minute study breaks usually consisted of naps or rest.

#5) After the exam, go home and sleep. And shower if you had no time to shower the day/night before. And tell yourself that you're never going to do that again.

Rule #3 At all costs, DO NOT pull an all-nighter for an exam if you have another exam immediately following the first exam or is on the day after the first exam because you're definitely going to screw yourself over for the 2nd exam if you haven't studied for it. If you do have a 2nd exam immediately after the first exam, you better have already studied for the 2nd exam.

Hope this helps! :D

Blog Post suggestions

2011-09-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

I'm accepting blog post suggestions for the next few blog posts I'll be writing!

So, email me if there's any topic in particular you'd like me to blog about. Email me at premedlife@yahoo.com

Some topics I have in mind:

How to pull an all-nighter successfully

How to ace finals that are scheduled to be on the same day or consecutive days

How to get great letters of recommendation

Hidden treasures/great resources at UCLA!

You can also suggest a topic that is not pre-med-related, but just for fun.

Email me suggestions and I'll try to cover all of them! :)

This is random... but LOL I think this is funny and clever. It's an Obama spoof on Whatever You Like by TI :D

Hi again! Updates!

2011-09-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hello again, everyone!

It's been almost one year since I have written my previous blog post, and I'm glad to be back to give you all an update and hopefully get this blog going again.

I've been on a roller coaster ride with trying to figure out my life. Last year in September, I took the MCAT. My scores were as follows:

Verbal Reasoning: 11

Physical Science: 10

Biological Science: 12

Writing: R

Total score: 33 R -- A pretty darn awesome and competitive score! To see how your scores stack up against the competition, you can do one of the following:

Look at the links on the right side of my page and click on "Are your scores competitive?"

Or, to search the entire web for similar resources, type "Are your scores competitive?" in the Custom Search search box near the top of my blog.

Some people have asked me how did I study and what do I recommend?

Honestly, I think it just depends on what type of learner you are. Some students study well in a structured, well organized setting where there is a lecturer -- in those cases, I recommend taking an MCAT Preparation course to study. UCLA has a Kaplan Center in Westwood. Also, the Berkeley Review is a very good one, and they hold classes at UCLA as well.

I, on the other hand, ordered an entire set of Kaplan Review books and studied my behind off for the entire summer. I spent almost 8 hours a day studying the materials in the books. Then, on the last month of my studying, all I did were practice problems (I also bought a set of Exam Crackers 1001 questions for each subject). Aside from that, I purchased real past AAMC MCAT exams from the AAMC website and did one like once a week in the last month to see where I was at and to make sure that I was progressing as I wanted.

Good luck! I would write more today, but I've got tons of studying to do!

Almost nostalgia.

2010-09-17T21:15:00.001-07:00

I got my finger and toe nails done today. =D

I'm going to miss home! I'm going back to LA this Sunday... I'm looking forward to it, and I'm looking forward to the new school year! But, at the same time, thinking of the family bonding time I had this summer is going to make going back bitter sweet.

*sigh*

Just now, my dad came into my room and showed me old pictures he had of me and my sister that he always keeps in his wallet. :'( :'( He has pictures of me and my sis at different ages... and we were looking through them. Ahhh! I'm going to miss this evening family bonding thing!

Re the pictures:
There was one when I was a babyyyy and I was bald.

Then there was one of when I graduated kindergarten (or was it preschool?.. I have to ask). I had a bowl hair cut and straight hair.

There was another picture that was some years down the line of when I was in middle school -- my hair was short, frizzy, curly (puberty turned my hair curly!).

Hehe...

And now, my hair is still curly -- I just know how to make it neat now. Lol. It's much longer now too, in comparison with the middle school pic (though my hair is still relatively short compared to girls with long hair).

It doesn't feel like I've been alive for 21 years. Time really does fly. I honestly don't know how I got through my primary and secondary education -- back then, it seemed like it would take so long to get to "big-girl age."

Don't scare me like that!

2010-08-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

After exercising/running then eating, I felt pain on my lower right abdomen. I swear I thought it was appendicitis. The fact that the exercise and eating and no stretching afterward could have been the causative factor didn't cross my mind because… well I was thinking it was appendicitis. So I went on Google, and I convinced myself that I had appendicitis, and the pain was in its early stages and will be really bad in a few hours.

I thought, "Well, if it's appendicitis, I'm going to end up going to the ER so I should shower now and get all primped up. I should be clean before going to the ER because I have that sweaty exercise smell. What if the doctor is hot?" So I showered, bearing with the pain. I mean, I could walk and everything, but that made the pain hurt a little more. When I had to bend over in the shower to use the loofa on my feet, my right lower tummy hurt.

I was just thinking, "Okay, this MUST be appendicitis, omg — if I have it, I'll have to cancel the test I will be taking in about a week…. I should hurry up and shower so I can dry my hair before the pain gets really bad so that I don't end up in the ER with disheveled, after-shower hair and everyone might look at me funny."

Then I was hoping hoping hoping it wasn't appendicitis. I lied on my bed and stretched my tummy — to the left, right and what not. Then the pain went away and now I'm perfectly fine.

Whew!

I don't like it when I misdiagnose myself and freak out over nothing! I think it's a downside of reading about so many disorders, diseases, and other conditions. I end up thinking one swollen lymph node near my neck means I've got lymphoma despite the fact that my roommate is just recovering from a viral infection and could have infected me (this really happened, btw, and I freaked out and did a ton of research and called the emergency nurse hotline at my university…).

I need to stop doing this. Someone, please slap me on the wrist. Thanks.

Mcat & being physci, neurosci

2010-08-24T09:24:00.001-07:00

The great part about being a physiological science major and neuroscience minor is that you dont have to freak out about the following topics on the mcat bio section:

Eukaryotic cells

Enzymes

Nerve cells/neural tissue

Muscle cells/contractile mechanisms & processes

Other specialized cell types

Endocrine system: hormones & their action mechanisms

Nervous system: structure, function, sensory reception & processing

Circulatory system

Lymphatic system

Immune system: innate & adaptive systems

Digestive & excretory systems

Muscle system: function, structure, nervous control

Skeletal system

Respiratory system: structure, function, breathing mechanisms

Skin system: thermo, osmo regulation, structure, function

Reproductive system

embryogenesis

And a bunch of other things

MCAT - 2 weeks

2010-08-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

Just 2 weeks left until the MCAT.

Anxiety is already building up. *sigh*

Oh yeah. Time to start hyperventilating. Yikes.

I've never really been so nervous about a test before. I'm so exhausted from studying. Even my voice is weak at the end of everyday -- no energy. I'm tired. I've been studying at least 8hrs everyday for the last few weeks. *sigh*

So much pressure. :'(

I plan on taking the last few days before the MCAT off just to get energized....

RantFoo!!

2010-08-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

THE best place to RANT and let anything off your chest. Haha. I <3 this website.

My friend co-founded it, and it's new, still in beta, and it needs to grow, so sign up and RANT about ANYTHING!

I honestly find it to be a good stress reliever. Give it a try, folks! I'm sure you'll love it. =P

www.rantfoo.com

MCAT, Finals, Iced Americano

2010-07-27T18:51:00.001-07:00

Hey yall. :p

I recently registered for the 8am MCAT on September 2nd. $230! Gotta book a hotel room near the testing center so that I'm not tired during the test from driving and sitting in traffic. :D

Finals this week. Really busy.

Just got the Iced Americano from Coffee Bean for the first time. Decided to try something different. Has 5 shots total, which is completely fine with me, but what is NOT fine with me is the fact that it tastes like TAR. DISGUSTING!!! So, I mixed it with a powder coffee mix and added a little soy milk. Now it's got the taste AND the caffeine. :)

later.

Myth Debunked!

2010-07-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

I know there's word going around that I can't cook. But folks, let me just say this. I CAN cook if I put my mind to it. =P

The first time I cooked here in my new apartment, I gave myself food poisoning and the vomit didn't stop. But, hey, I've improved, and I say that it's simply a myth that I cannot cook. :)

It's funny though, because when I talk to my parents and they ask me what I'm going to make, they call me a while later asking me if I was able to cook it. Lol. I think they just fear for my safety, but I mean, I would be concerned too! :)

Anyway, despite this burnt chicken I tried to make for my sister,

here is some PROOF, that I CAN cook. Enjoy. :)

Caprese Sandwiches. My sister said they are DELICIOUS.

Chicken Parmesan with pasta. I swear, the chicken was sooooo goooood and full of flavor, and NOT dry. :)

Hot wings and Veggies.

French toast. :D My sister and my roommate both said it's SO GOOD & insanely delicious. In fact, my sister requested that I make it a second time. :P

Gotta admit, living in the apartments really forces you to learn how to cook. Ah, apartment cooking. NOT bad at all! :D

Pictures shown in class!

2010-07-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

For my phySci class this summer, we get TWO extra credit points if we send my prof good pictures AND if he shows them in class (he's a photographer on the side). We take like 1 or 2 "mental health" breaks during the 2.25hr lecture and they last about 5 min. each, during which he shows us his photography, gives us photography taking tips and discusses the art of photography, and a subtly funny joke at the end. He asks students to send him photos and if he chooses yours to show during a mental health break, you get 2 extra credit points. I submitted 4 photos that were taken from my old blackberry's camera, lol. All 4 of them were shown today! :D :D

Apartment stuff - Shopping!

2010-06-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

Sooo I'm living in an apartment for the first time ever this summer so I've been on a shopping spree. So far, I've bought:

Dinnerware, dish rack, dish soap, dish sponges
Tupperware
Cookware & scooping things
Slippers for kitchen & bathroom
BRITA filters
Casserole dishes
Foil and sandwich bags
Pot holders and kitchen towels
Mixing bowl
Paper towels
Bathroom tissues
Handsoap
Trashcan & trashbags
Tumblers
Disinfecting wipes
Shampoo/Conditioner/Body wash
Tongs, Knives, can opener
Cutting board
Air Freshener (Febreeze! Smells sooo good!)
Salt & Pepper, & Lemon pepper
Big plastic storage bin to put everything in

Things I still have to buy:

Strainer for pasta
Printer paper
Food

:D

BTW, a 2-person studio @ Gayley Towers for 6 weeks, summer 2010, is $1425, in case you're wondering. :)

RIP Coach John Wooden

2010-06-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

The BEST coach ever.

A man of FAITH, CLASS, HUMILITY, SPORTSMANSHIP, and CANDOR. Created a GREAT LEGACY.

He lived a fulfilling life, being an inspiration to and a good role model for not just the sports community & academia, but society in general.

RIP Coach John Wooden, and God bless you!

"He taught the team game and had only three hard-and-fast rules — no profanity, tardiness or criticizing fellow teammates" - AP

"Learn as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow" - John Wooden

Caffeine

2010-05-29T14:07:00.001-07:00

This speaks for itself. There must have been at least 24 shots of espresso in those 6 cups. :o)

2010-05-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hey, yall.

Yes yes, I'm still alive and I have NOT fallen off the face of the earth. :P

Just been suuuuper busy and too tired to blog:

-full load of classes
-work averaging like 10hrs/week
-research 6+hrs/week
-other stuff

So yeah. :p

Later. :)

Undergrad Student Research at UCLA

2010-04-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

So I got an email requesting (I LOVE requests, by the way so feel free to ask) that I write a post about student research at UCLA.

Basically, you can do research in a faculty's lab for units. This is a great way to get to know a faculty member that can eventually write you a really good letter of recommendation.

At UCLA, there are the 99 and the 199 research courses.

99 courses can be taken for 1 or 2 units depending on how many hours per week you put into it
(3hrs/1 unit... max 2 units). These units do NOT count towards your quarterly units in determining whether you're enrolled full time or half time (you must be enrolled in at least 12 units ASIDE from your 99 units for that quarter to be considered full time).

How do you get a 99 position?
I got lucky by getting a position in a faculty's lab that is in the same department as where I already work at. My supervisors spoke very well of me when the faculty member arrived and so she did want me in her lab.

But, for most other people, the standard approach is as follows:
1) Prepare a Curriculum vitae (this is like a resume but geared specifically towards academics).
2) Research labs at UCLA that do research on something you might be interested in. Visit the UCLA Undergraduate Research Center website for a list of research positions available and for more info on CVs and cover letters.
3) Once you find a lab you're interested in, look up the faculty member and read a little about them and their research. You want to sound informed and VERY interested in being a part of their lab especially when you write your cover letter for the email you send them.
4) Write your cover letter (email) briefly introducing yourself and talk about your interest in their lab and why you are interested. Be sure to include your CV as an attachment.
5) Wait for a reply.

What to expect next?
They will invite you to an interview, which will then be followed by an acceptance or a rejection. If you are "rejected" don't worry. It's not the end of the world, and there's a reason for everything. Contracts for your units are due by the end of 2nd week, so I recommend beginning your search for a research position at the END OF THE PREVIOUS QUARTER. Or, start from the very beginning of the quarter at the latest, and apply for SEVERAL positions at once. You'll be fine. :)

If you are accepted, what should you expect?
Fill out a contract on MyUCLA and be sure to turn it in to the SRP office before the Friday of 2nd week.
Usually, your faculty member will inundate you with literature (research/scientific papers and reviews to read about what they're researching) so that you can familiarize yourself with more of the topic. Depending on the lab, you'll usually get training for what you do. You will have your own little research project to do in the lab and it could last for one term or carry on to the next quarter depending on your project.
I recommend staying for more than one term to learn more about your project and the research being done in the lab. Also, you'll get to know the faculty better and you'll get a better LOR.

************
Being in a 99 research position can eventually lead you to doing a 199 research project. This is something you'll have to discuss with your departmental counselor because these units may count as an elective for your major if the research project fits. This course involves conducting your own research which will culminate in a thesis at the end of the quarter.

:)

I'm back!

2010-04-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

Ah, I missed blogging so much! This time, I held off from Tweeting as well. I recall that last year, I tweeted more often in order to satisfy my blogging cravings during Lent.

Anyway, I hope your Lent was satisfying and very enlightening. Easter Sunday is coming up, and what can I say? It's the hallmark of Christianity -- the resurrection of our Lord and Savior! Have a good, one, folks. :)

I'm really excited about Spring quarter, although there are a few classes that are going to be a lot more difficult than I thought more than usual (granted, all UCLA classes I've taken have been a lot more difficult than I've thought...).... I have a ton of research articles to read per week.

And did I mention I'm doing research in a lab as well. Pretty darn exciting!

Gotta keep this post short or else I'll find another way to keep myself from reading the papers.

Lent 2010

2010-02-17T17:42:00.000-08:00

Hello.

I will be gone for a few weeks. Blogging is one of the things I'm giving up for lent.

I hope this Lenten season will be enlightening and humbling for you.

V-Day!

2010-02-14T22:27:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

I probably don't share the same sentiments about Vday as many of you out there, but I can briefly explain....

It's wonderful that Vday is set aside to remind us all of our loved ones, but most people tend to forget that it shouldn't just be on Vday that you show love to others. It should be EVERYDAY. This doesn't mean you go out and buy a bouquet of flowers for her everyday... but a gesture of love (no matter how small) given daily goes a lot further than a big bang on Vday. With that said, Vday is not a bad thing, but just don't forget that love for one other should be shown everyday. :)

Vday started off great with church in the morning and being with our beloved Lord & Savior. The homily was essentially about being poor vs being rich. God doesn't desire poverty for His people. Poverty around the world is not a good thing. All those suffering in Haiti who were further struck down with the earthquake deserve compassion and all the help they can get. But what does it mean when God says "Blessed are you who are poor for the Kingdom of God is yours?"

Today's Gospel reminds us what wealth can do to us. Material wealth can cause us to lose realization of the fact that we need God in our lives. Material wealth can lead us to think that we accomplished our wealth on our own. And when we lose sight of God's role in our lives, we are distancing ourselves away from Him. But those who are "poor" are humble and always recognize the fact that we cannot truly Live without God in our lives, no matter how much material wealth we have. ^_^

Anyway,
My friend, S, had invited me to go see an opera. First we went out for sushi (He suggested I try the eel, so I tried it for the first time ever! ahhhhh alsdjflasjflasaaahhhhh it was good, but it was psychologically difficult for me to put the first piece into my mouth, let alone a second piece... so I stopped after the first piece), then we went to see an opera!

The opera was called "Giasone" by Francesco Cavalli. It was in Italian, but there were translations above the stage. "Giasone" is like a comedic take on the story of Jason, the Golden Fleece, and Medea. It was pretty funny and really good! And it was 3 hours long. Oh, and then something happened backstage and the emergency crew had to come in and take someone away on a gurney. The news was that the person was okay, and the show continued after.

Overall, the day was really fun and was full of firsts (I ate eel and saw an opera for the first time). And thanks for paying for everything, S. :D :D

Aaaaand I've been super super productive with my studying despite all this. I can't believe I'm actually ahead of my study schedule! Yessss!

Pre-Med Q&A forum!

2010-01-31T18:41:00.000-08:00

Dear all,

I've created a forum for all the questions you email me and ask me about. I found it inconvenient to continue to leave them in this "comment" format.

So, please register & post your Q's on my Q&A forum!

http://premedlifeqa.proboards.com/

I just created it today, so I'm still playing around with it. BUT it is fully functional.

I'm also working on transferring questions that I've already received on this blog into the forum. :)

-mc

Catch up!

2010-01-21T17:07:00.000-08:00

Dearest blog and faithful readers and random others who chanced upon my blog,

I truly MUST apologize for not having kept this blog up to date in almost 20 days! I've been busy with classes and work and being sick. I received a few emails asking about my next blog post, and that prompted me to set aside some time this afternoon to blog a bit. =D

It's been raining all week, which is horrible. My umbrella broke, so I bought a new one the day before yesterday. Umbrellas at Ackerman cost $16 each, just FYI!

My classes this quarter start either at 8am or 9am, and it's been difficult for me to get up in time to get ready by 7:25am (or 8:25am) to get to Bruin Cafe to get my iced vanilla late with soy milk and an extra shot (the line and wait gets really long by 7:31am or 8:31). :(

For some reason, rainy weather is totally conducive to studying! I suppose it's great that this is a rainy week because I've already got midterms next week (2 back to back on Thursday).

Oh, but I was really tired and almost disoriented today. I set my alarm clock at 6:35AM, but I didn't hear it until 7am..... -_- And of course, I was late to Bruin Cafe, so I went and got breakfast at Covel instead. At my 8am discussion (a 2 hr discussion is long....), I was dozing off. THAT is what happens when I don't have my iced vanilla late with soy milk and an extra shot in the mornings! Ahhhgggghjh!!!! K so...

So then my other class started at 3:30pm today, and I was rushing to get ready for it. When I got there, I realized it was 2:57..... I was way too early. What was I thinking? I could have taken a nap. For my 3:30pm class, I usually leave my room at about 3:10pm.... *sigh* So I got there, and went through the doors. The first thing I saw was a funky looking professor. First I thought "Oh, he probably hasn't noticed he's 7 minutes over" but then I realized I was way too early.

THEN, in my 3:30pm class (PhySci 167), I fell asleep (good thing I was sitting behind someone...) and I didn't wake up until the guy next to me tapped me to hand me a sheet of paper. I looked at the time and 35 minutes had gone by. WOW. NO WAY! NO WAY! OMG, I am never ever going to miss a morning without my extra shot of caffeine ever again this quarter. EVER!!!!!!!
The scary part is that ALL of my finals this quarter start at 8am..... I truly truly truly truly hope that I don't mess up and oversleep (Yes, even when I sleep early, I tend to miss my alarm).

I remember back in high school, every time we had an assignment, I'd take a short nap around 9pm with the intention of waking up around 10 or 11pm to finish the assignment. 80% of the time, I overslept and didn't wake up until the next morning. That left me with having to do the assignment in between classes. Several times I had wondered "Wow, how will I wake up in the mornings in college?"

=D

Ohhh by the way, I was planning on posting up a few pictures, but alas, I don't have the usb cable that connects my phone to my computer! :(

Now I must go and ingrain sugar structures into my memory. Yep, that's right! Oh biochem... *sigh* Last week, we had to memorize the structures and pKas of all 20 amino acids. This week, it's the sugars. By next week, we have to know glycolysis and ALL it's intermediates (names & structures)... and it goes on and on. :D

Bye bye

Happy New Year............

2010-01-04T01:27:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone!! Any New Year's resolutions? ^_^

This feeling I have is bittersweet. I'm sad that December 09 had to go by so quickly. I hadn't seen my grandparents and two of my favorite cousins in 5 years, and we had a mini family reunion (which was incredibly awesome, by the way).

It was so much fun being together with family! My sister and I took many many pictures (and I'm posting them up on Facebook) to capture all the good times we were having with everyone. We didn't have to do anything extravagant to have fun. Simply being with the people we love made that time so worth it and so fun. =D =D

Our flight from LAX took over 16 hours and our flight back took just over 12hours. Lots of sitting, that's for sure! And, ohhh the jet lag! Our first night there, I was up at 3:41AM. But that wasn't too bad because all 9 days before Christmas, we were up and ready by 4am to attend the "early morning" masses, "Misa de gallo." The "early morning" masses served to usher in the birth of Jesus and it was great.

On Christmas, groups of people in the neighborhood came over in batches to celebrate with us! We had to cook a lot of food to have enough for everyone, and it was so fun because this isn't really something you see here often.

Another thing I haven't seen here in the US is that the young and old alike come caroling for a Christmas gift (usually money). The kids were pretty funny because they came caroling at our house every night!

I can't adequately describe how thankful I am to have been able to spend Christmas in the Philippines with the people I love. It was so much fun being around close relatives. It's so different here because we don't really have any close relatives nearby..... But there, we're surrounded by LOVE all the time, even from our family in Europe (because they call us all the time :) ). sigh

Being in the Philippines also made me appreciate even further the luxuries that we are so spoiled with in the US. The neighbors don't have a ready supply of water. They have to carry big buckets to the water source and bring it back to their homes. And the neighbors don't have the luxury of being able to eat or buy whatever they want for food. It's so sad. I'd really like to do something to help when I have the means to.

Anyway, I can go on and on about my vacation there, but I can't. :D :D I'd also like to post up some pictures on here, but we have over 500 pictures and it's late and I really want some sleep. I'm slowly fixing the jet lag problem. ^_^

Oh, btw, tomorrow is the first day of classes! Ahhh noooo.....! sigh :D

Winter Break!!

2009-12-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

I finished my last F09 final just a short while ago. All my finals this quarter pretty much took up the entire 3 hours that each was allotted.

My brain is so fried that I can't really think about anything too complex right now.
Guess what?!?!!!

I won't be blogging for the next 3 weeks because this Friday, my family and I have a plane to catch! Oh yeah, a 14hr+ plane ride. =)

I'm sooo happy and so excited to visit my grandparents and cousins and everyone!! We all are. *sigh* And we'll be spending Christmas there too. :)

A vacation is totally called for =P.

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!!!

And...........

Thanks, p, for teaching me how to make tacos.

And

Thanks, t, for going out on a cold, wet day to buy me food.

=)

-mc

What do you think of this?

2009-11-24T13:35:00.001-08:00

I'd like some feedback on this.

These are my classes for Winter quarter, plus a tentative schedule for research and autism. (10hrs/week each).

I have to keep in mind that Chem 153A is a very difficult class. And PhySci 111A is also a very difficult (6 units) class....

I really don't want to spend so many hours on SRP, so if anything, I'll cut down on that (although nothing is official with that yet).

Oh so comment here or email me feedback!
clare_661@yahoo.com

Thanks ^_^

Fee hikes protest @ UCLA.

2009-11-19T09:24:00.001-08:00

I woke up to the sounds of the protest and helicopters early this morning.

Check out this YouTube video.

And this news article from the LA Times.

Other links of interest for more info:

UCLA Newsroom

Daily Bruin w/a live stream of the Regents meeting.

A Christmas Carol & Chicken Fajitas & Bowling!

2009-11-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

My friend, P, had invited me to go out and see a movie on Wednesday (Veteran's Day), so we briefly discussed what we should watch. Since "Men Who Stare at Goats" seems like it's not my type of movie, he suggested A Christmas Carol (2009). That's definitely my type of movie, and I'm so glad we went to see it! I've never read A Christmas Carol, I but I knew the gist of it. A stingy old man was haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. The stingy old man became a generous man who had a whole new take on life. :) :) It's a great story with a wonderful lesson for all ages. I give the movie 5/5 stars =P I highly highly recommend it! Parts of it might creep out kids like big, black scary looking horses, but other than that, it's fine, and the graphics are pretty good! In the beginning, I couldn't tell if the movie was animated or not. ^_^

P also invited me for dinner. He has an apartment and kitchen, and I learned how to make chicken fajitas! All I did was cut the vegetables, and he did most of the work, but umm... I like to say that I helped with half of the cooking. =P Mmmmm soooo good! I can't wait to make chicken fajitas at home! Hey, P, thanks for inviting me!

I took some pictures.

Lovely veggies that I cut up.

Veggies with chicken.

The final product. It was delicious =D

I also learned how to play that rockband game Lol. I did ok on the "easy" bass and guitar modes. I tried the "medium" guitar mode and I failed so much that P couldn't save me. Then I tried the "medium" bass mode and I still failed, but not as much, so P was able to save me with the "star power" feature. Lol.

I bowled for the first time ever today. Needless to say, I'm a gutter baller =P I went with T and his friend J. J & I were on the same team against T (because he's a superstar bowler lol...). And umm.... They were both really good. I did manage to get one strike, though! =D This was our last score.

You can see a 64 next to my name, lol.

I can't remember who's strike this was.

So I'm done with fun for the next few weeks. Finals are quickly coming up and I'd like to do very well in them. =P

That's the flexor digitorum superficialis.

2009-11-14T01:42:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, I had my first up close encounter with a cadaver. It was decapitated, but it wasn't so bad. The fingers, drained of all humanity and feeling so rubbery and cold, were perhaps the creepiest part of all (but thinking about and seeing a torso without a head almost gives me the chills).

In case you're curious, the flexor digitorum superficialis is a muscle in the anterior compartment of the forearm. It functions to flex the wrist and the middle phalanges of digits 2-5. It originates from the medial epicondyle, the coronoid process of the ulna, and the radial shaft, and it is inserted in the middle phalynx of digits 2-5.

Needless to say, Phy Sci 107 has been pretty cool so far, but it's insanely difficult. I feel like I need duct tape to retain everything. So much material in such little time.

Oh, have I mentioned yet that an iced vanilla late with soy milk and an extra shot in the mornings keeps me awake and non-tired (what's another word for non-tired?) throughout the day. Last Thursday, I didn't have time to pick one up from Bruin Cafe and I was in a daze for most of my 8am lecture. And same goes for my 2pm lecture that day. NOT good! Look at these notes:

Tuesday, 2pm lecture, when I had coffee in the morning and I was awake in class:

Thursday, 2pm lecture, when I did not have coffee in the morning and I was dozing off:

Grey's Anatomy Nightmare

2009-11-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

Even though I've stopped watching Grey's Anatomy, for some reason I had a nightmare about it last night.

STOP reading if you're squeamish.

I was watching it all happen a few feet from me, but it was as though I wasn't really there -- more like an invisible standbyer. Izzy was there with an axe that cut deep into her head midsagitally, blood oozing. I would have thought someone with an axe to their head would have been dead, but she was standing and alive with another axe in her hand. Someone came up and she began to brutally attack the person with the axe in her hand. I started crying, begging for whoever was with me to change the channel. It didn't make sense because there was no channel to change. I was actually there.

I could hear the slashes and the screams of pain from the victim. I could hear the axe cutting deep into to the flesh, and blood spattering onto the walls. My eyes were closed and I covered my ears with my hands and began to sing a "lalalala" tune to drown out the sounds of the gore, but the screams drowned me out. Then all of a sudden, the screams and slashing stopped... the victim was dead with blood everywhere.

:'( :'( :'( I haven't seen a Grey's Anatomy episode since last season!

My first MMORPG experience

2009-10-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

So.....

The last few days, I've been sort of hooked. Just about 3 days ago, my roommate "introduced" me to a Youtube show called "The Guild" -- 3 seasons with over 20 episodes so far. It's a show about this group of gamers and some of it is really funny. Sort of pokes fun at gamers who really do live a virtual life as avatars... oh my... Each episode has a cliff hanger ending so you want to see the next episode just to know the outcome.. and it goes on from there. Um, I watched all 3 seasons of episodes in a matter of 2 days. The good part is that I'm not letting it affect my study schedule. I only watch the episodes during my study breaks. :-p

Last night, my roommate was playing some sort of game and I felt so out of the loop on these things, not that it mattered.... ^_^ But, my curiousity got to me and I was recommended 2 games for people like me: Mabinogi or Perfect World. I chose Perfect World to start just because the Google images search showed that Perfect World is prettier than the other one. =P

Here's a picture of my avatar, lost in some green area. I didn't know where to go or what to do... then I exited the game because it was frustrating.

I am NOT a gamer. I know nothing about games, controls, commands, game lingo etc... so I had a very difficult time downloading the game and starting... Then when the game started, I didn't know what on earth to do with my avatar. It was just standing there and then running wherever I clicked.... I didn't know what all the buttons were for so I became confused very quickly and I wanted to give up. My roommate helped me understand a few things, but I'm still very lost.... :'( So, I've quit the game for now. That's not to say I'll try again during a study break though =p

I was told that playing an MMORPG would take my life away:
"It was nice knowing you."
"Oh no!"

Lol and my roommate warned me about gaming. But, the way I see it is that this game is too complicated for me and I won't follow through with it. My sister and others know that I have a problem with complex internet and technology things and games... so getting addicted isn't a big issue for me because it's not going to happen. =P

Oh, The Guild made a music video called "Do you wanna date my avatar." The tune is catchy, but the lyrics are a bit funny because it's almost pathetic how people can take gaming so seriously and lose sight of reality. :)

11:30pm last night...

2009-10-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

At that time, I had been sitting at my desk, slowly working through the Chem 14CL practice midterm that Professor Henary had given us a week earlier. It was an odd feeling that I had... I had never felt so calm about a chemistry (let alone an organic chemistry) exam before. The calm confounded me because I was fairly aware that I had not yet mastered the material enough to do "great" on the exam, or so I thought....

It was getting late, and I hadn't yet showered. I was beginning to lose focus on the chemistry material in front of me because I had been working on it almost all day yesterday after class, and I was getting tired. A break from studying was calling my name, and I was made aware of that when I began expressing my concerns about the exam. My roommate then came up behind me and showed me a crossword puzzle from yesterday's newspaper. The lower left hand corner was difficult to solve so I tried to help her, thinking it would be a nice break. She stepped out to get dinner from Rendezvous, and I proceeded to look over the crossword clues.

As my eyes glazed over the paper, I immediately solved a clue, and I was happy because of it. My reticular activating system kicked into gear and all of a sudden, my brain was no longer tired and I wasn't longing for sleep. This puzzle was interesting. The determination-filled part of myself wanted to solve as many of those clues as possible. The first one I got was "Eyre's creator." Easy. I thought to myself, "Bronte, of course."

The next clue was "Hunter's wear. Hmm. "Camo. It's got to be camo."
In the midst of my deep thinking, I accidentally broke the cap of my roommate's pink pen. She said it was a faulty cap, but I still felt bad. Luckily, I solved a few of the clues to make up for it. =P

I showered after I couldn't solve any more clues.... and the clock was ticking. 12:30 came and went. I contemplated on whether sleep should be an option or not that night. I decided it shouldn't be an option considering the fact that I had an 8am midterm that morning. "I might not get up in time," I reasoned. As the night went on, I could no longer resist sleep. I needed it. I could no longer focus without it. My roommate was also staying up to study for her morning midterm. It was handy that we both stayed up so that we could wake each other up, or more often, keep each other awake.

7:17am, I walked out the door for the 8am test that awaited me in CS50. As I stepped out of the building, rays of morning sunshine struck my eyes as I felt the morning chill getting to me through my pull-over. "It's cold now, but it'll be hot later after the exam...." I paused for a moment and squinted at the green grass in front of me and the sky right above it, soaking in the nice feeling that came with a fresh morning. I continued to squint when I looked down at the steps as I walked down the stairs, being careful not to trip as I was still "waking up" from being awake and couped up in my room all night.

I made it to Bruin Cafe. "Great. No long lines because I'm early." I ordered my usual iced vanilla late with soy milk and an extra shot. I read somewhere that caffeine increases metabolism. Is this true? I haven't done any research on it, but whatever. An extrashot per day isn't so bad. It's just one. My semi-usual English tea scone came with my coffee. I stood at the front of the coffee/tea counter, munching on my scone as I waited for the workers to finish preparing my coffee. The guy next to me had a handful of yellow duplicate papers that looked like they came from a chemistry lab notebook.

"Chem CL?" I asked. He answered, and I was right. I was pleased that I guessed right, although there probably wasn't too much to be pleased about. Who else would be carrying around a handful of chem lab notebook duplicate copies at 7:21am in the morning?

After receiving my coffee, I walked out of Bruin Cafe and I noticed 2 squirrels lingering near a table right outside the door I exited from. They were so cute. Still feeling pleased, I stopped, took a piece of my scone, and tossed it to the squirrels. The bigger one got to it first and proceeded to devour it, leaving none for the smaller one. I tossed another piece, this time specifically aiming for the smaller squirrel. "Oh yes!" I was successful in my aim.

When I got to CS50, I decided not to take out my notes to study further. No use studying at this point. I was fairly confident in my abilities now. After all, I had studied almost all night. I would have slept more if I wasn't afraid I wouldn't be able to get up. "Oh well."

A guy came in and made himself comfortable near me, spacing himself so there was one seat in between us. He took out a familiar yellow, notebook paper dupilicate and studied it. I looked down at my newspaper, trying to solve the crossword puzzle. With my peripheral vision, I noticed that he picked his nose several times and rubbed his fingers together to remove whatever substance he managed to get stuck on his finger. I didn't want to stare.... But I sort of stared using my peripheral vision. I shouldn't have because it disgusted me. But I couldn't help it. He finally stopped....

He noticed I was looking at my calculator now. He had a different calculator and he wanted to look at mine. "Whoa, I don't want you touching my calculator, mister..." I thought to myself. I politely held my calculator up to his face so that he could see the buttons on it. That satisfied him enough, and he didn't persist on holding it for himself. Whew.

Needless to say, the exam was long. Every minute was certainly necessary. Walking out of the exam, I didn't feel bad, or concerned. I hope my feelings about it are correct. I discussed the exam with my lab partner as we walked to the corner of Westwood and Strathmore. That made me feel even more at ease about the exam. Again, I felt a calm come over me. =)

Now, I sit here, waiting for my 11am lab. Earlier I had wondered whether to take a nap or write this post while listening to music. I chose the latter. I've been listening to 4 songs on repeat since I began writing this post. They're so chill, so relaxing, so cool. Mm hmm.

In case you're interested (or just curious), here are the 4 songs:

"One Evening" -- Feist
"Ashbury" -- Shine
"Soulful music" -- Shine
"My moon my man" -- Feist

I highly recommend them. Oh yes, indeed.

NaNoWriMo 2009!

2009-10-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right. November is "National Novel Writing Month."

Earlier today, I was reading a blog that I follow called "Mothers in Medicine" and there's a post on there about NaNoWriMo. I decided to check it out, and I was so elated and happy and excited and I still am!!!

Last year, I told myself I wanted to write a novel. I wrote about 2 paragraphs but after that, I sort of just stopped writing it. I became too busy and I'm still busy. But I figured that I can set aside a little bit of time here and there to write a novel this November!

Basically, you have to write a 50,000 word (or more) novel by the end of November. To sign up for the challenge, go to http://www.nanowrimo.org/. I signed up today!!! Before November ends, you must submit your 50,000 word novel to the website. For successfully completing the challenge of writing a novel in one month, you get a cool badge that you can put on your blog or Facebook or whatever.

Lol. It sounds so fun!!! Why not write a novel for the heck of it? I know I've said many times that I don't like to write, but let me qualify that.... I don't like to write for my classes. =P Writing for fun is... fun!

Anyway, take the challenge and write a novel in a month this November! Yes yes, one month is a little short for writing a novel, but that's why December is National Novel Finishing Month =P

My NaNoWriMo user page: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/530266

Can you post your schedule? Yes, I can.

2009-10-15T23:50:00.000-07:00

A commenter recently asked if I could post up my schedule this quarter to give curious folks (e.g. potential life sci majors) an idea. Here it is:

You can now see why I haven't blogged in like.. 10 days. To give you an idea of a general day with that schedule:

I wake up around 7am. I usually just stop by Bruin Cafe and get an iced vanilla late with soy milk and an extra shot, sometimes a pastry that I can eat while walking on my way to work or class in the mornings.

On a typical day, I don't have much time to eat lunch unless I finish lab early on some days. By the time I get home at the end of the day, I'm too tired to get anything to eat but since food is a necessity to keep me functioning, I force myself to get dinner. Lol....

If I'm thinking correctly and in my right mind, I study in between my classes whenever I can, but on the average, I don't do that unless there is at least a one hour gap in between. I like to study in the evenings (but when I'm tired, I have to take a little nap in order for me to function and think properly) so that's what I do. I take study breaks in between by reading the news, watching a tv show episode here and there, or umm... playing Farmville. =P Speaking of Farmville, check out my cottage and my Halloween decor =P
Yes, that's right. I have at least 6 mail boxes and some bunny topiaries. ^_^

I usually get all my work and reading done so I'm happy about that. My goal has been to get to bed by 12am on the weekdays only because I can't afford to go into a busy day having had very little sleep and then think that I'll be able to study after a long day. Sleep is such a must! =D

Anyway, that's how my typical day is.

Here are pictures I took within the last few days.

This is pretty. I took it as I was walking to work on Monday.

A walkway area in the Gonda research building. They have one of these on every floor. It's actually much prettier when you're there in person and when it's sunnier outside. ^_^

I went home on Friday and the Amtrak bus I rode on was a little different and it looked cooler.

It rained all day yesterday. This is what it looked like out my window in the morning.

It's not you. It's me.

2009-10-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this because of a few recent encounters with others that prompted me to, after having assessed my reactions to those situations, give myself a little pat on the back. =P

One of the things I didn't tell you all after the Lenten season earlier this year was that I wanted to become more introspective....

It's easy to blame others, and it's easy to point out the faults in others. But, often times, we fail to look at ourselves and examine how we react to others' faults or others' beliefs.

I met a law student a while back and our views on morality certainly clashed very much. But no matter how much we debated, we got nowhere because he was as steadfast in his views as I was with mine so we had to learn to agree to disagree. I know for a fact that I believe his views are wrong because I believe my views are right, but I can't just impose my beliefs on someone. I have to learn to live with the fact that they believe differently.

Even with simpler matters, like people I know who have a habit of cussing.... It's difficult to change a person's habit to conform to what I want. But, in all honesty, I can't be around profanity users so I ask them politely to at least not cuss when they talk to me (and it's all worked out fine so far). For those who, in the past, did not make an effort to not cuss when around me, I simply chose to not be around them. Simple as that. Not a big deal.

But when is it and when is it not appropriate to blame others for the way I feel?

If my lab partner has an annoying habit of being a control freak, is it right for me to say that he's at fault for putting me in a bad mood in lab? No. Not at all. It's not right to say that he was the cause of my bad mood. It's absolutely my responsibility and my fault for allowing myself to be put in a bad mood. Note that in this way, I don't point fingers at anyone but myself for the way I feel and the way I react. I can't change my lab partner's personality, and I sure can't change his habits... (This is not to say that a control-freak-attitude doesn't need fixing. I'm merely saying that I won't let it put me in a bad mood because I think my life is too short for that. :) )

What I can change is how I deal with who he is in order to prevent my own lab experience from being a negative one. Perhaps a little compromise? Some nice talking in an adult manner? Sure, he'll compromise, but he's not going to be perfect at it and he'll continue to have his control freak lapses, and I'm not perfect either, which is why even after I ask the first time, it's worth it to try again, or at least to continue to forgive and to find another compromise that might work better (In the case of being around profanity users, a solution meant separating myself from them). This takes patience, forgiveness, and some innovative thinking to figure out how I can work with him. After all, I'm stuck with him for 10 weeks, so I've got to make the best of it, right (unless I want a completely new lab partner, which isn't possible here)?

I think the most important thing here, though, is to fully acknowledge that it's my problem that I'm letting my partner's nature affect my happiness (what if my lab partner had an annoying stutter and he spit whenever he talked? Still my problem). Therefore, I have to learn to deal with it... for 10 weeks... & find a solution, or at least find a compromise ("Hey, I should do that titration because you did the other one and I want to learn how to do it too :) " or "You keep spitting on me *lol*...").

Jesus went through much worse than this and didn't complain once.

This is sort of like the Parable of the Talents. You make do with what you have, whether you've got a good lot, or a bad lot, or a lot, or just very little. :)

I really don't mean to brag, but I think the reason why I've been having more peace of mind is because I'm getting better at dealing with every negative external and internal thing that I've come across. But, it's not as though I'm always at peace because I do have my lapses. My lapses, however, occur less often now than before. Want to know my secret? :) I ask, "What would Jesus do?" Really. And I also talk about my feelings to lovely, open ears. It's hard to do what's right vs what I want to do in the heat of the moment... but I know that I can control myself if I want to. It's not as though my "heat-of-the-moment" moments bring out an animalistic frenzy. Nope, I'm fully aware of my actions, so I'm responsible for them all. Now, I'm not saying that what works for me will work for others. But, I do think that including God in the solution is essential.

Oh, one of the other things that prompted me to write this post was the result I got from a personality survey I took.
My sister had this "Personality Patterns" app on her Facebook page, and so I took it. Here it is. You don't have to have a Facebook, but if you don't have one, you'll have to sign up on the website to see your results. If you take the quiz directly through facebook, you don't have to sign up. :)

I got a nice message from a friend complimenting me on the accuracy of the results of my quiz. *Grinning* I really really don't mean to brag, but, *ahem*, ya know.... ^_^ =P j/k. A lot of me needs fixing and I'm still working on being a better Christian and Catholic...

***PS**** My real lab partner is not a control freak, nor does he spit and stutter, lol. It was merely an example.

Here were my results:
Top 3:
1) Scrupulous
2) Responsible
3) Conscientious

Top 10:

Scrupulous

You are an honest, fair person. You don't lie or cheat to get ahead. You treat others with respect and hope for the same in return.

You do not feel that you are above the rules that everyone else follows; you are definitely not willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead.

Responsible

You fulfill your obligations and responsibilities, are true to your word, and generally obey the rules. While the majority of those who have a high score on the "responsible" trait enjoy traveling, they are usually very happy to return home — and don’t mind staying put for a while.

You're opposed to making hasty decisions, you don't insist that you're above the rules, nor do you feel compelled to color outside the lines.

Conscientious

You feel it's important to work according to a plan and finish every task, to do things correctly and thoroughly.

You are not the kind of person who abandons a project before finishing it, or slacks off when you've lost interest.

Cautious

You very rarely make a move without first considering the pros and cons and, therefore, rarely do anything foolish or extravagant.

You are not rash; you almost never act before you think and, therefore, rarely end up doing things you later regret.

Buttoned-Down

You like to know that everything is in its place; it's somehow empowering to know that the world around you is neat and organized. For you, schedules and timelines are great ways to stay on track, and mowing down the items on your "to do" list is a source of happiness.

You do not believe that a clean, orderly desk is the sign of a person who doesn't have enough to do; you don't thrive on a sense of personal anarchy.

Assertive

You behave in a confident and forceful manner, take charge of the situation, raise your hand in class, stand up for what you think is right, and lead others. Among those who have a high score on the "assertive" trait, many have jobs in which they are valued for their organizational skills as well as their talent for supervising others.

You are not interested in fading into the woodwork, leaving everything to fate, taking more time than necessary to accomplish a task, or avoiding confrontation.

Understanding

You are willing to take the time to find out what's going on with other people, especially if they're in distress. You're a good listener, you don't criticize, and you offer unbiased, respectful, honest advice when it's requested. With a high score on the "understanding" trait, it is likely that you are enthusiastic about charitable work, helping others, and making the world a better place.

You don't feel the need to impose your standards on others or say things that, even though true, cause pain.

Efficient

You are very well organized, even a bit anal. You like to stick to your plans and finish on deadline, wasting as little time as possible in the process.

You are not comfortable when things do not go according to plan, nor are you a procrastinator. You don't waste time when you can be getting down to business.

Focused

You know how to lock in on what's important. You quickly prepare yourself for a task, you don't procrastinate, and you don't let up until the job is done to your satisfaction.

You are the opposite of scattered. You don't procrastinate before starting a task, and you almost never lose track of what you're doing.

Organized

You like to think a task through before you embark on it. If it's the slightest bit complicated, you make a list (even if it's only in your mind) and methodically work your way through it. When you have a goal in mind, you're not satisfied until you reach it.

You are not one of those people who ignore the details, and you don't understand how anyone can get anything accomplished without thoughtful planning ahead of time.

Physci 107 & O-chem lab

2009-09-30T00:04:00.000-07:00

I love Physci 107 =D It covers exactly what I'm interested in. AND the labs are awesome. My first lab was on Monday and yes, yes 'tis true, there were human brains!!!! REAL human brains. We get to study real humans in this lab so it's pretty cool. The only downside is that I come out of there smelling like embalming fluid/highly concentrated formaldehyde, but I suppose that doesn't really matter because the labs are so cool. =p I really wanted to take pictures, but I couldn't.

Ever since that incident occured a few years ago about a UCLA employee who took human body parts, the place has been on "lock down" meaning they're super strict about who can enter the labs.... We have to show our IDs and it's made sure that we're on the roster before we can go in. Also, the lab is on the 2nd floor in Boelter. "What's so special about the 2nd floor?" you ask? Well well well. I found it interesting because I never knew this.... But.....
From the math sciences building/common ground area, you are on the 5th floor when you enter Boelter. So you have to go 3 floors down and it's a little creepy, lol...

I got into Chem 14Cl, the chem lab that I really wanted to get into this quarter, so I was able to drop my back-up class Physci 135. =D

When I took Bl, my lab partner did most of the pipetting because I'm so clumsy with all of it, and folks, today proved that I haven't gotten any better at being un-clumsy (is that a word?). LUCKILY, I have a decent lab partner.

A few MC moments that occured in lab today:
-Mistook pH4 solution with the pH7 & so we had to restart the pH meter calibration.
-I did an m1v1=m2v2 calculation wrong by forgetting to convert my units. No wonder adding 0.13 mL of HCl seemed so tiny.
-My buret full of standardized HCl solution dropped from the stand because I didn't clamp it tight enough.
-I dropped the uncapped ph4 solution bottle on the floor but I cleaned it up quickly so my TA wouldn't see. =P

More of my idiosyncrasies happened, but again, I'm glad I have a decent lab partner who helps to keep me sane. ^_^

UCLA Living Quarters 09, Pics

2009-09-25T18:21:00.001-07:00

I live in a double-shared (I share the bathroom area with the suitemates next door) this year (just like in Canyon Point last year) at Delta Terrace and I'm liking it so far. It's very similar to Canyon Point so there's not much of a change... lol.

My side of the room. Bed, desk, & drawer. My roommate has the other side.

View of lovely Canyon Point (where I lived last year) from our 2nd floor window.

Our closets with a view of the entrance.

Bathroom area.

Our B2 Lounge! The screens can be rolled up... the windows are big and tall and it makes the room more aesthetically appeasing :)

Earlier this week, I got to see my friend Tony's apartment. Here are pictures of his studio at Gayley Towers. Seeing his apartment makes me want to live in one only because there's a kitchen (even though I can't cook all that well). =D

View of kitchen from the sofa. The Simpsons are cool. I used to the watch the show every day with my sister back in the day.

View of eating area from the sofa. You can hop out the window into the backyard, just fyi.

The entrance.

And Tony knows how to make some awesome steak. I actually liked mine and ate most of it... something I don't normally do unless I'm eating meat from a restaurant, because when I make meat, it's dry and rubbery, lol.

F09 Move-In Weekend

2009-09-22T11:31:00.001-07:00

So much time has elapsed between now and the last time I posted that I don't even know where or how to begin this post.... I don't even know what this post should be about! After contemplating about this dilemma for a while, I decided that I need to post more often so as to focus my posts on particular events rather to delve shallowly on a culmination of several events. *sigh*

I drove to Santa Barbara with my sister on Friday. It was my first time driving a long distance without parental supervision. =P Needless to say, I'm an awesome driver but a horrible singer. My poor sister had to put up with my singing for the back and for drive (almost 7hrs). =D
Oh! We also rode 2 bikes around the UCSB campus. It is so SCARY. No joke. The bike path is nice, but you have to know where to make the proper turns and watch out for crazy bikers who go really fast. =P I haven't been on a bike for quite some time so I ended up hitting a wall.... Yes.. a wall...

There is almost never ever ever any traffic at Fillmore, but eastbound traffic wasn't moving for quite some time. Here's why:

Regarding the actual move in:

When I think about the UCSB move in experience compared with the UCLA move in experience, I literally laugh out loud... or more like... chuckle. =P

The other day, a welcome message from UCLA's Chancellor Gene Block was sent out. Here's a portion of it:

"My wife, Carol, and I had a chance to "help" students move into Hedrick Hall on Friday. The smoothness of "move-in" was impressive. The logistics of moving thousands of students into the residence halls over a few days are enormously complicated. The fact that it goes so well confirms what we already know: UCLA staff are among the best and most dedicated to be found at any institution."

OMG, UCSB move in is such a breeze! There was zero confusion whatsoever with all the cars and people everywhere. Really. Zero confusion... Everything was almost so perfect.
Umm... UCLA move in was difficult... as usual. =) We have to get our own carts and park far away in Lot 7. There weren't enough signs or move-in people to get things as organized as they should have been. *sigh* I moved in Sunday evening so there were not as many students moving in at the time, but it still wasn't so great....

Classes don't start until Thursday! So, I bought some of my books already. I really want to buy a pet fish but I haven't bought one yet.

Stainless steel UCLA refillable water bottles were left on each resident's bed. There was a little warning on the inside of the water bottles:
"WARNING This Product May Contain A Chemical Known To The State Of California To Cause Cancer, Or Birth Defects Or Other Reproductive Harm"

Ami Sushi + Venice Beach Weekend

2009-09-06T21:10:00.000-07:00

My friend just came back from London and she visited me this weekend. She brought her bunny, Norby, along. He is the cutest bunny ever!!!!

But he did try to attack me....

During Session A, my sister visited Venice Beach. I had never been there, but she said it was full of weird people, and she's completely right. My visit to Venice Beach was good, but that place is full of oddities. No kidding. It seems so nice in the movies, but it's really not that great. I took some pictures!

I didn't want to climb on the rocks because I didn't want to slip and hit my head.

And I barely got my feet wet because I don't know how to swim. I stayed insanely close to the edge.... haha.

I went to Ami sushi restaurant for the first time on Saturday for dinner. It was so so so so delicious! I've been living in Westwood for over 2 years now and I've never stepped foot in Ami Sushi, but I've had sushi from other places. Here was dinner:

A crazy roll. I didn't know it was going to be so big!

Steak teriyaki, gyoza, and fried mussels. Mmmmmmmmm!

And...

The best part: Tempura Vanilla ice cream!!!! omg I totally attacked that thing. No joke. =P
If you're ever in Westwood, visit Ami sushi restaurant!

CL, Covel food, Pizza, Fire, Questionnaire.

2009-09-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

It's nice to be here again! I'm midway through a week that includes zero midterms and it feels good after the last 3 weeks of midterms! But hey, guess what? I've got finals next week so I don't have much room to slack off. =P

On some random notes:

The fruitbar and desert area at Covel dining halls. Mmmmmmm. I LOVE watermelons!!!

I've been on the Chem 14CL waitlist for about a month now. I couldn't get into the class during my first or second past and a long while after that but I really really want/need to get in ASAP! Therefore, I checked the class status almost everyday whenever I got on the computer to see if someone dropped. I got on as #2 on the waitlist for one lab.... and now I'm #1 on the waitlist! I know it's not very exciting news for you folks, but it is for me. I hope one more person drops. =P

Last night, my sister and I ordered an extra large pizza from Papa John's. The extra large with 3 toppings was like $9.99 with the promotion code "Bruin1" which you can use at www.papajohns.com. Lol. Mm mm good! Oh, the offer expires on September 20, 2009 so use it soon!

I really don't know how far the Los Angeles fires are from here, but my sister said she could see the glowing red and orange on her way here.... The other day, I read that 2 fire fighters died. I haven't read much of the news since then, but this is so horrible. Just recently, it's been very hot here (but not as hot as my hometown!).... Hmmm I wonder how these fires get started. I hope it wasn't because of some mean-spirited bozos...............

On a lighter note, one of former AP English teachers posted this note on Facebook so I'm going to post it here and answer it. =P

64 Questions You've Probably Never Been Asked:

1. First thing you wash in the shower? My hair.

2. What color is your favorite hoodie? Gray

4. Do you plan outfits? No...

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? Confounded.

6. What's the closest thing to you that's red? Charm on my phone.

7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having? I dreamt that I overslept.....

8. Did you meet anyone new today? Nope

9. What are you craving right now? Watermelon.. mmm.....

10. Do you floss? Yes

11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? Green!

12. Are you emotional? Yes

13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? Nope

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? I do both.

15. Do you like your hair? Sure.

16. Do you like yourself? Lol yep.

17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? Sure.

18. What are you listening to right now? Britt Nicole's song called "Last Christmas".... lol.

19. Were your parents strict? Yes. Yes they were. Lol.

20. Would you go sky diving? I would chicken out. I can't even walk through a dark cave next to the ocean on the beach. Hahaha ummm random.

21. Do you like cottage cheese? It tastes good with fruits... I had it when I was younger. Then I got older and became lactose intolerant.

22. Have you ever met a celebrity? Yep.

23. Do you rent movies often? No.

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in? Hmm....... OH! The glitter that my sister put on my nails. ^_^

25. How many countries have you visited? Like.... 3 (which includes a stopover in some Asian country during a 17hr flight).

26. Have you made a prank phone call? LOL yes, when I was younger --but I'm not very good because I laugh a lot.

27. Ever been on a train? Yep

28. Brown or white eggs? I'm not too sure on the difference. I've never bothered to look it up, but we have white eggs in our fridge.

29.Do you have a cell-phone? Yes

30. Do you use chap stick? Yes I use Chapstick when I have it. But, recently, I've been finding "Softlips," Blistex, and Vaseline in my pockets.

31. Do you own a gun? No

32. Can you use chop sticks? No..... I really struggled with learning how to hold them when my summer roommates (both from China) tried to teach me.

33. Who are you going to be with tonight? My Biostats100A textbook, a pen, and a piece of paper.

34. Are you too forgiving? Yes, very much so.

35. Ever been in love? Nope.

36. What is your best friend(s) doing tomorrow? I don't know.

37. Ever had cream puffs? OMG YES! Beard Papa's are so so so good! I only like the original vanilla cream puff though. :D :D They only taste good when they're chilled, just fyi.

38. Last time you cried? Few days ago when I watched a sad show.

39. What was the last question you asked? "What?"

40. Favorite time of the year? Christmas season!!!

41. Do you have any tattoos? NO

42. Are you sarcastic? Yes, sometimes. But, I'm really bad at it.

43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? Umm what is that? Is that the one where there's a butterfly at some time and any tweak that occurs changes the future? Or something like that...? All I remember is seeing a butterfly on a Simpson's episode when Homer goes back in time. Lol, that was a funny episode.....

44. Ever walked into a wall? Yes....

45. Favorite color? Blue

46. Have you ever slapped someone? Yes, long ago, but not in the face. That would be mean. ^_^

47. Is your hair curly? Yeah like super wavy and frizzy, not super curly.

48. What was the last CD you bought? Wow, I haven't bought a CD in YEARS.... Hmmm.... Oh now I remember. I bought an oldies CD for a friend in March earlier this year.

49. Do looks matter? Umm... at a job interview? Yes. At a wedding? Put-together well would be good at that time, haha. In many contexts, being put together well for the right occasions say something about a person's character. But overall, no, not really...

50. Could you ever forgive a cheater? Yes.

51. Is your phone bill sky high? No

52. Do you like your life right now? Mostly, but I do wish I'd be done with school already. ^_^

53. Do you sleep with the TV on? No

54. Can you handle the truth? Yes

55. Do you have good vision? With my glasses. Lol.

56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? Sure.

57. How often do you talk on the phone? Not that often. I'm more of a texter/IMer, lol.

58. The last person you held hands with? A nice person I was sitting next to at church 2 Sundays ago when we prayed the "Our Father."

59. What are you wearing? Shorts with a black tank top under this weird blue top that is a like a hybrid of a poncho and a cardigan...

60. What is your favorite animal? Puppies. ^_^

61. Where was your profile picture taken? BJ's

62. Can you hula hoop? I was so good at it back in elementary school. I recently tried to hoola hoop and I can't keep it up.....

63. Do you have a job? Yep!

64. What was the most recent thing you bought? Lol... bottled water.

Time for dinner. Bye bye :)

Random III

2009-08-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

This post will contain a bunch of random things..... so, beware:

I've noticed that the girls visiting from China on my floor do NOT wash their hands after using the loo. Gross and unhealthy.
I've noticed that the girls from France on my floor do not wear slippers to the community bathrooms. That is also gross and unhealthy. *shudders*
Last night I went to dinner around 8:30pm. When I came back, my roommate gave me real Chinese food to eat. It looked and tasted very interesting, but I didn't want to say "no" to her because I didn't want to be rude.... I ended up vomiting out my dinner and the Chinese food..... Luckily, I had food to eat that mom made me (my sis brought it from home).

Fish balls and a cluster of pork parts with some yellow and orange colors....

Water chestnut cake and rice with little shrimps.

I've been walking up and down a lot of staircases throughout UCLA recently, but it was only today that I thought of taking pictures of them. Here's one picture.... I'll be sure to take more!

This is a staircase located in the complex that used to be UCLA's old hospital.

Although I had a refrigerator in the last two school years, they've been almost empty... with maybe just a water bottle and an apple or orange inside. I used the microwave more often. This summer, I'm borrowing my sister's mini-fridge, and for the first time in the history of me using a mini-fridge, I filled it up! Take a look!

Many of the girls living on my floor are falling for this guy who lives a few doors down from me. It seems he's desperate for attention, and I think the girls are falling for a.... umm.... I don't know what the right word is. Well he's nice, but even though I know he's straight, I've actually questioned his masculinity. This isn't the only reason why I think that, but when I went with him to the movies, he was curled up and covering his eyes almost as much as I did. Or maybe he's just artsy...? idk.
A nice, random student helped me and my sis carry a big heavy bag to Sproul yesterday. I think his name was James.
Today at work, I saw the observation rooms (but the kids had already left).... You know those windows where you can only see through one side? Sort of like those interrogation rooms where you can look in but you can't look out. Pretty neat! CHS is an old old building and one of the labs that the children go to for our department is in CHS.... The white walls and drab lighting and decor makes the place seem so cold and un-inviting... sort of like how you'd imagine a mental health facility looks like.

End of randomness for now. Must study for midterm. Bye bye!

Pro-communism lady remembers....

2009-08-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

Remember this little incident with a pro-communism lady?

I keep getting e-mails from her, all of which urge me to continue supporting their cause and attend their events. The latest email I got from her caught me off guard because, ladies and gentlemen, it is now clear that she remembers me... very well, and that I'm not just another name on her list serve.... After her hello, this is what she said:

"I remember the very interesting discussion the 3 of us had in front of the Powell Library during your exam week before school ended. We should do it again sometime! I was selling Revolution newspaper in case you don't remember. "

Um, this is making me a little uneasy because she can get all sorts of information about me using my email alone. At the time, I was trying to find a way to remove myself from the discussion mentioned above, and I ended up giving her my e-mail address and paying for the newspaper..... When people hear the word "communist," a negative image immediately pops into their heads. For me, the first thing I think of is... control. I don't know where I'm getting at, but I guess I'm just getting too concerned about something that is probably nothing....
1) What if this gets out of control and I'll end up being associated with communists in the future?
2) If that happens, how will it affect my future?????
3) What if they go after me?! (Okay, dumb question, but still)

So................................ Maybe it's a little funny now that I think about it. Or maybe not. I don't know.

Anyway.....

The other night, my sister and I ordered Chinese food. I know some of you think it's disgusting *ahem* BUT! the chow mein is really good. =D =D I would post the pictures taken with my phone, but they don't do the food any justice.

Both of my roommates are from China so they had a taste of it. They said it was good..... and different. Lol. Um. Okay.

OHH and last week, I also went to BJ's with my sis. She tasted the Pizookie for the first time ever. So so so good!

More randomness, I've been hooked on 2 Facebook games: Farmville; Vampire Wars -- more so Farmville than the other.....

Week 2 & work

2009-08-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

So, this entire week has been superbusy, BUT I'm still on top of things! Wow. It's been 2 weeks now since summer school started and I'm still on schedule (and in some ways, ahead!), so I'm happy about that. :)

I had a good birthday. :) I didn't do much on the day-of since it was in the middle of the week, BUT last weekend, the night before (with my sister) and this weekend will totally make up for that. This will be a good weekend! Oh, and thanks to everyone for all the lovely wishes, serenades, phone calls, voicemails, and messages. :D

I had a midterm today so I've been studying for that. I'm sure I totally rocked that test =) The good thing is that I didn't even pull an all nighter! Ahhh the benefits of staying on schedule and on pace. Lovely, folks. Just lovely. =P
Next week I have another midterm, and also the week after.

On a few random notes:

So when I went to the Dodgers game, I bought a blue Dodgers t-shirt. I wore it the other day. It was a bit funny because I was decked in blue. Monday night, I had colored my nails blue... So I was just blue all over the other day. =D

I just had dinner. The lady who swipes the students in complimented my blue top. Here's how the conversation went as she swiped me in:

Her: I love that blue top! It's so cute!
Me: Why, thank you very much! It was only $10 =D
Her: Really?! Wow well it looks great!
Me: *I started walking away* Thanks.

*After dinner, I passed her again*
Her: I'm telling you, I just really love that top.
Me: *Lol* thanks.
Her: You know, I bought a cropped top for $90 because my daughter forced me into it, but that blue one you have on looks so much better.
Me: Oh really?
Her: Yeah! I need to tell my daughter about that.
Me: *Lol* Okay. Well, have a good weekend! *Walking away....*
Her: Yeah! I talk about that $90 top to my daughter all the time so I'm going to call her today and tell her about your top.
Me: *Haha* Well, it was a good deal. Have a great weekend!
Her: You know I bought my daughter a sunday dress that was 30% off. I should have waited a few weeks for that cropped top.
Me: "Oh yeah..." *Smile on my face... walking away.....* "Have a good weekend!"

That was the short version of the convo, but in the end, I was able to make my way out... :)

At work today, I finally took a picture of my desk. Most the patients come in the mornings before noon so, but I'm usually at work in the afternoons so I can't see too many of the patients. But, in any case, I still get my own little area. =) Don't mind the tape measure. It's my supervisor's. Lol. And, by the way, I love using the label maker to put labels on my stuff!

Cool view from the 6th floor study lounge.

Desert I had yesterday.

Have an awesome weekend, folks!

Cool weekend. Many firsts!

2009-08-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

Dearest blog,

I had a wonderful weekend. Like I said in a previous post, I worked really hard this week. In fact, I had even worked hard on Saturday to finish h/w for this upcoming week! I've been really staying on top of everything which is really good. This is my first time doing that in a long long while! So this weekend was a nice treat for me and it's very convenient that it's only been the 1st week because I know that after this first week, I won't be able to have a breather until after 3 weeks of midterms. :) Oh, and this past week, I had been going to bed before 12am during the weekdays! Wow, an entire week of bed before 12. That's a first (ever since high school maybe....?).

Friday was really cool. Look here. It was the first time I had seen a scary movie in many many many months... like a year or so I think.

Then on Saturday, I studied and didn't do much aside from that. :D

Sunday, today, I didn't feel guilty about not studying at all since I made up for it on Saturday. :) My plan for today was to go out and buy some stuff at the mall, but then Tony invited me to a Dodger's game! His parents had 4 tickets, and there were only 3 of them, so I was the 4th person. It was my very very first baseball/Dodger's game EVER. I took pictures. Enjoy!

Tony's hat that I borrowed.

Somewhere on the field.

My hot dog!

My mess. VS Tony's mess (well I contributed a little bit to his mess too). Apparently, it's very common to just do that in the stadium....?

Weird shirtless guy who kept dancing, desperately trying to get on the big screen thing.

Kid with a funky wig.

A guy who I thought was a female..... but wasn't.

There was also a weird drunk girl sitting behind us, but I didn't get a picture of her, lol.

For the first couple of innings of the game, we were in the sun, and these people made hats out of the food trays. Creative!

Downtown LA from the parking lot.

I also saw the Hollywood sign from the freeway for the first time on our way back. =)

Then after the game, I went to the mall, bought a few things, then went to church. :) Deacon Tom gave a great homily, too! And it was the first time I've been to the UCC since the 08-09 school year ended. :o) Overall, a good weekend breather that will last me for 3 weeks. =)

By the way, I don't care that the Dodgers lost (big time) in the game. =D The game had exciting moments where I actually clapped and cheered (not like crazy though... lol). What matters is that it was my first game ever. =P

Oh, and I had my very first cup of black coffee this week too!

Tata for now.

A treat.

2009-08-08T01:15:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you just have to treat yourself a little, and that's exactly what I did on my Friday night. I allowed myself to watch a movie after having been busy and on top of school, readings, and work this entire week. I think meditation works too, but I've never really tried it.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am now, officially, a part of this nation's workforce. Indeed... I work! First time ever. In my life! It's about time I started getting some experience with this kind of thing -- otherwise my resume will look very empty in the future :) Yep. What more profundity do I need?? =P j/k. Of course, that can't be my sole reason for doing it. I'm also working to get a better idea of another area in medicine: Psychiatry and autism. I'm liking the department so far but it seems like I mostly enjoy working in environments that are with or for children: Peds, Run/Walk, this. Hmm.............

So about the movie..... It was "Orphan." I haven't seen a "scary" movie since last year or so. When my sister and I were much much younger, we used to watch scary movies like this, but not anymore. In Westwood, it was either Harry Potter & HBP, or Orphan. I didn't want to watch HP until I read the book (and I probably never will read it since I stopped reading HP a loooong time ago -- I only got to book 4). So, Orphan it was. I went into the movie knowing that much of the time I'd be covering my eyes -- and that's what happened. Lol....

My roommate's friend, Luke, and I went, but not even 5 minutes into the movie, my roommate's friend from China had to leave because their chaperon wouldn't allow it or something... not sure. When I think that I grew up in a strict and tough-love household, I always have to remind myself that it might be even more so for others.

SPOILER!!!! Sort of. Stop reading if you want to :)

The movie was crazy. There's something really special about the orphan girl (but I won't tell you), and she ends up killing several people. A little boy in the movie also said a few bad words which I didn't like at all. There were a lot of things I didn't like about the movie......
But, overall, the ending was really unexpected so that made the end a bit intense!.... even though my hands were over my eyes for most of the "action." :) Um... Luke kept trying to predict the outcome. But, the movie's ending was so different that he couldn't guess. And you'll never guess either!!! =D
Have you all ever noticed how much of an effect music and sound effects have on movies and shows? Sometimes the sound effects just make me jump or cringe even though nothing actually happens!

Oh and thank you all for the nice comments and emails =)

Luke's French Press

2009-08-05T19:48:00.001-07:00

So Luke recently bought a French press (Coffee and Tea making is an art to him), and he kindly invited me over to have some coffee. Unfortunately, he didn't have a water heater, so he bought one today, and we broke in his new french press!

He showed how the french press works:

Boil some hot water. Click on the picture :D

Add some freshly ground, nice coffee into the "base" or cylindrical glass thing component of the french press. Click on the picture!

Then add hot water and stir a little bit.

Place the lid on top of the cylindrical glass and wait for a few minutes.

I didn't take a picture of this part, but you push down the long metal thing sticking out of the top of the lid when the coffee is ready.

Pour into a cup and enjoy!

I didn't have soy milk, so I drank my coffee black... for the first. time. ever. It was bitter, but there was this odd "good" sensation that came with it.... lol. =D =D

3 of Me

2009-08-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

I was tagged on Facebook....

:D :D

**************
U've been tagged :D... You are supposed to write a note with the 3's of YOU. At the end, choose 20 people to be tagged. You have to tag me so really you just need 19 more people. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. (To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 3''s of Me, tag 20 people - in the right hand corner of the app - then click publish.)

Three names I go by:
MC
Clare
Clara

Three jobs I've had in my life:
Student
Volunteer stuff
Daughter

Three favorite drinks:
Water
Raspberry Iced Tea
Iced coffee

Three TV shows I watch (that are still playing):
Primetime Crime
Grey's Anatomy
Brothers & Sisters

Three of my favorite foods:
I love SEAFOOD!
Paella
Chocolate anything!

Three of my favorite movies:
None.....

Three of my favorite songs (playing on the radio):
I don't have favorites really....

Three places I wanna go:
Outer space
Philippines!
Italy

Three friends I think will respond
Idk.

Three things I'm looking forward to:
Visiting home.
Sleeping.
Right now, finishing summer school :D

Caprese Sandwiches & Pasta w/Pesto Sauce

2009-07-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

Today I made a lot of food. =p I just had this weird urge to cook something up after I went to the grocery store! :o)

After my neighbor gave us a LOT of cheese last week, I decided to make Caprese Sandwiches for the first time ever. What better way to use up 2 big balls of mozzarella cheese?

They turned out great, and today, I added some pastrami to them just for the heck of it. I'll share my recipes!

Furthermore, I made some type of pasta dish also... I don't exactly know what to call it, but basically, it was pasta with pesto sauce. I bought a small container of pesto sauce for the caprese sandwiches and it cost over $5. It expires in the second week of August and I don't want to have to throw it away (because it's so good! and expensive!) so I used it for the pasta. =D

Caprese Sandwiches:

Ingredients:
-One hot dog bun sized french crusty bread (Ciabatta or focaccia will do).
-6 thin slices of roma tomatos with a diamater similar to the width of the bread.
-3 1/8 inch slices of mozarella cheese (or more if you like cheese).
-Pesto sauce that you can buy at a grocery store. Or you can make your own (see the end of this post).
-Optional: Thin slices of pastrami

Instructions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Slice bread in half lengthwise, then spread pesto sauce in the interiors.
-On the bottom half, layer the mozzarella cheese in a linear fashion.
-Add the tomatoes on top of the mozzarella cheese.
-Optional: Add slices of pastrami over the tomatoes. Add more or less according to your preference.
-Put the top half of the bread over the ingredients.
-Cut the sandwich into 3 pieces.
-Place the sandwiches on an oven-safe pan
-Heat in oven until cheese melts (appx. 10-15 minutes).

(Serves 1-3 people depending on how health conscious you are :) )

Pasta w/Pesto Sauce

Ingredients:
-2 cups of pasta (use whatever shape of pasta that your heart desires)
-1/6 cup of olive oil
-1/2 - 1 teaspoon of pepper
-1/2 - 1 teaspoon of salt
-1-2 cups of fresh greens (spinach?)
- 1 medium sized roma tomato
- 2 tablespoons of Pesto Sauce

Instructions:
-Boil a pot of water and add the olive oil, salt, pepper, and pasta. Cook pasta until it's cooked (not too firm, not too soft).
-Drain pasta when it's cooked.
-In a hot pan, cook Pesto Sauce with the roma tomatoes and greens.
-When the greens have been reduced halfway, add the cooked pasta.
-Stir and add salt and pepper to taste.
-Keep stirring until the tomatoes have been reduced (but not so much that they're flat...).

I know the picture doesn't look that great, but it was taken after I had devoured most of the tomatoes and greens.... =P

Pesto Sauce:

2 cups lightly packed fresh basil
2 to 3 cloves garlic
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup to 2/3 cup olive oil
3/4 cup of mayonnaise

Process them all in a food processor until smooth.

=D

How to remove eyelash from eye

2009-07-17T23:45:00.000-07:00

This post could save you some serious eye-poking one day. =p

After washing my face in the shower, an eye lash went into my eye. I didn't panic because I've had eyelashes go into my eyes before, and they all came out very quickly after some quick flushing with water.

This time, however, was different. :o)

So when I felt the eyelash in my eye, it started to tear up. I figured, okay, I'll cry so that the lash will come out. And, it didn't work.

I could feel the lash under my upper lid so I lifted my upper lid and used my finger to try and sweep out the lash. This worked before.... but not this time.

Weird thoughts started running through my head like:
"Omg, what if the lash moves further back and behind my eye?"
"What if this blinds me?"
"What if I can never take this out...."

After the shower, I did all sorts of things like trying to move my eye around in funky patterns so as to usher the lash towards the front of my eye, then I continued to poke under the lid.
I also used an eye drop solution, hoping that that could help wash out the lash. Still no luck. I looked in the mirror, and I could see one end of the lash under my eye lid, and the rest of the lash was farther back. I tried to touch the end of the lash, but..... I ended up pushing it farther back..... So then I just resorted to purposely crying for about 5 minutes.... After that didn't work, I didn't know what to do. I was thinking of waking up my parents.

Then I saw my laptop and scolded myself for not thinking of Googling for a remedy sooner. "Hello, MC?!"

Umm, there were some really odd remedies posted by users. The most ridiculous one said to stick a tweezer into the eye to remove the lash. I wasn't going to do that.... Then I found one that was reasonable, so I tried it... and it worked!

Here it is:

Pinch the bottom of your top eye lid, then pull the eyelid out.
Then, still pinching it, pull down on it as far as you can towards your bottom eyelid.
Let go. Then repeat if it doesn't work the first time.

:D

It really works!

Kindergarten in 1994

2009-07-14T23:38:00.001-07:00

I've been seeing a lot of little kids lately. They're so incredibly cute! I've seen family members' little kids, kids on television (America's Got Talent & some commercials), and I saw some kids at church on Sunday. And my sister is working in the peds unit at RRUCLAMC, so I've been hearing about kids from her too!

This past Sunday, I happened to give the consecrated bread to my former kindergarten teacher, Mrs. L. The kids I've seen lately reminded me of Sunday, Mrs. L, and my good old days in kidergarten back in 1994. She probably doesn't remember me. After all, I was in her class 15 years ago, and she's elderly now. *sigh*

I do remember, though, that when I was in 3rd and 4th grade, I did really well in my classes and I finished all my work ahead of other people, so with my free time, my teachers let me go to Mrs. L's class to help the kids with their projects and activities. =D I remember a lot about my experiences in kindergarten, but there are 2 incidents that I remember particularly well.

1) We had a lot of little contests/quizzes, and Mrs. L always had little bags of popcorn for everyone who could pass the quizzes. I remember bringing home popcorn all the time. I colored well, I recited well, I cut well.... I did a lot of things really well. But, there was one time when we had to be able to jump rope.... I could jump rope just fine if I was the one swinging my own rope. But that one time, other people were swinging the rope, and I had to jump in. I couldn't do it :'( Almost everyone else was able to do it, and they got their popcorn.... I didn't get popcorn that day. I was so sad when I got home that day..... And I still remember that incident.... The good thing is that I practiced and practiced at home, and I was determined to be able to jump into the swinging rope. A few days later, Mrs. L let us do it again so that we could get our popcorn, and lo and behold, I did it!!!! =D

2) It was in the winter time and I was at the station where we had to cut stuff out so that we could paste them onto construction paper in the next station. I had a really runny nose so I kept sniffling. I wanted to finish cutting before I got my tissue so that I didn't run out of time... Apparently, one girl was really annoyed by my sniffling and told me to go and get tissue. I told her that I'll do it after I finished cutting. She was sick too, and she was also sniffling a lot, and mucus was running down her nose as she went to tell Mrs. L on me. It was really funny because Mrs. L told her to stop being mean, and Mrs. L gave her a lesson a hypocrisy. Hehehe.... lol. j/k. We all need a lesson in hypocrisy.

Anyway, my kindergarten memories are nice. It's still so hard to believe that it was all 15 years ago! Wowwww....

Mrs. Flow

2009-07-06T23:20:00.000-07:00

Beginning last year, I started noticing patterns that recurred over and over on a monthly basis. And it all seemed to occur about 1-2 weeks before Mrs. Flow came knocking on my door.

Three of the biggest things I've noticed are excessive cravings, mood swings, and feeling down.

The mood swings and feeling down have really affected a lot of people in my life. In the 1-2 weeks before Mrs. Flow arrives, I become very terse and I keep quiet, and it causes people to think I have a problem with them. And I also get really irritable, so people can say things and I'll react seriously and then I can snap at them. So, I've resorted to trying my best to keep my mouth shut if I feel like snapping. It's all temporary anyway.

Hmm... I think today, the combined amount of time that I spent talking was perhaps less than 5 minutes.

I feel like if I talk to another human being, I'll get really irritated really fast and snap. My symptoms were a lot worse before, but I've been able to control myself more and my irritability isn't as bad now, but there's only so much I can do to control the effects of hormonal changes in my system.

I realized that writing my thoughts (like blogging) helps me to control my irritability, so that's what I'm doing now :D Mm hmm....

Anyway, here's a lesson for ya: When you know someone going through PMS, be patient with them. It's not you. It's not them. It's... Mrs. Flow...

You can read more about PMS here.

F09 Class Enrollment

2009-06-29T23:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I want to lash out at enrollment appointment time policies, but I have to keep reminding myself that they're there for a reason: so that everyone can have a chance as fair as possible for enrolling in classes..... *sigh*

I'm just a few units away from senior status. Senior status = better enrollment time.... Right now I'm a senior with less than 160 units. Seniors with 160+ units get the best enrollment times. Look here.

So, for F09, I was planning on taking PhySci 107, Chem CL, and Physics 6C. I couldn't get into chem cl. By the time I got to enroll, it was closed =( So, I did a lot of research on which other classes I could take, and my only other option was an upper div elective for my major or minor (or both).

I looked and looked... many of the list of available electives had requisites that I haven't taken yet (mostly M101A *Same as PhySci 111A* which I'm taking in W10). Some of the other available electives that I wanted to take were already closed, and others had conflicting times with my schedule. Luckily, there was a class called PhySci 135 Dynamical Systems Modeling. ^_^ The professor had good ratings, the course itself has really good reviews, but apparently, the term paper is difficult... but it still seemed really interesting, plus it counts for both an elective for my major and an elective for my minor. Here's a short description of the course:

PHY SCI 135 Dynamical Systems Modeling of Physiological Processes
Instructor: GARFINKEL, A.
Final Examination Code: 07 - Thursday, December 10, 2009, 11:30am-2:30pm
Description: making and evaluating dynamical models of physiological systems and of dynamical principles inherent in physiological systems. Letter grading. Lecture, four hours; laboratory, two hours.

A former student said the material is "extremely interesting" and gave an example of some of the things that are modeled using mathematical equations (like how an action potential occurs). So, it does sound exciting!

A student can only enroll in 10 units in first pass, so I had to choose which 2 classes to enroll in first (all my classes are 5 units...). I enrolled in Physci 107 because I really have to (it's only offered in Fall and I can't take M101A without it). Then it was either 6C or PhySci135.....

6C has 2 professors, a really good less difficult professor (Niemann -- normally teaches an engineering class), and a really good very difficult professor (Corbin -- normally teaches the "harder" physics series for physical science majors). I decided to enroll in physics during 2nd pass because chances are that Corbin's class won't fill (I just checked, and Niemann's has already filled, but Corbin only has about 65/193 students enrolled so far).

PhySci 135 had like 4 spots left (50 students!) so I enrolled in it and now it's closed =D

I'm excited about next quarter, although I'm a bit worried about Corbin's class because his rating is really good as a professor, but his difficulty rating is also really high. =/ At least his final is on a Friday, which gives me time to study a bit more. Niemann's final is the day right before my PhySci 107 final, so that wouldn't have been good....

Anyway, here are the course descriptions for PhySci 107 and Physcis 6C.

PHYSICS 6C. Physics for Life Sciences Majors: Light, Fluids, Thermodynamics, Modern Physics
Instructor: CORBIN, B.
Final Examination Code: 06 - Friday, December 11, 2009, 8:00am-11:00am
Course Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour; laboratory, two hours. Enforced requisite: course 6B. Not open for credit to students with credit for course 6CH. Geometrical and physical optics, fluid statics and dynamics, thermodynamics. Selected topics from foundations of quantum mechanics; atomics, nuclear and particle physics; relativity; medical detectors; biological applications. P/NP or letter grading.

PHY SCI 107. Systems Anatomy
Instructor: FRISCIA, A.R. / PHELPS, P.E.
Final Examination Code: 15 - Tuesday, December 8, 2009, 3:00pm-6:00pm
Course Description: Lecture, four hours; laboratory, three hours; tutorial, two hours. Requisites: Life Sciences 2, Physics 1A or 6A or 6AH. Students must receive a grade of C- or better to proceed to next course in series. Systems anatomy focused primarily on human anatomy. Topics include cardiorespiratory, reproductive, nervous, and skeletomuscular systems, with introduction to biomechanical principles. Letter grading.

=D =D It's exciting! Hopefully, with my rising status as units go, I can enroll in Chem CL in Winter quarter... *sigh*

I've noticed there have been searches leading to my blog about UCLA course descriptions and schedules. Lol. Here you go: http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/schedule/

My blog's 1 year anniversary!

2009-06-26T01:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes. 'Tis true! It was on this day last year that I wrote my first blog post. ^_^ Well, technically, it was "yesterday" on June 25th..... :)

I can't believe I've written so much since then! In the past, I've had diaries and journals, and I always thought that I'd write in them as a hobby, but after a month or two, my interests in them faded. I still have a few of my old journals, though, and it's really funny to read them now that I'm older. :-p I had a journal back in middle school, and my journal entries were so... detailed. I wrote about every single detail that happened in my day, including the daily waking up and eating breakfast (so every journal entry started off with me waking up... :-p).

Considering my history of falling out of interest with my journals (I also used to have a Xanga back in high school. I wrote a few posts in it but I ended up deleting the entire thing), never did I think that this blog would have lasted this long (after all, I made my blogger account in 2007 but I didn't begin writing in it until last year). But, I thought wrong :) I've actually enjoyed blogging! Another reason why I didn't think this blog would last is because I utterly despise writing! But I've learned something about myself... I don't despise writing for leisure, or fun, or writing without structure, or writing without a specific task at hand, or writing without a set number of required words.... It's just the writing long papers, having a good thesis, and writing plenty of analysis on a short amount of text that I don't like... English class stuff. :-p

So for my blog's 1 year anniversary, I'm going to post up some of the searches that people have put into search engines to come across my blog. I began to compile this list of searches last week as I was thinking of what to write for this post, and I wish I could have began compiling the list last year! I've missed out on recording all the funky, weird, and funny searches people have used to come across this blog :( Oh well... this list has a few interesting ones :-p Enjoy!

"is ucla neuroscience major full of premeds"

"It might be all gone"

"mcdb vs mimg"

"mc pre med"

"agoravox.com"

"germy handbags and purses"

"ucla pre-med requirements"

"should a pre-med student taken a calclus based physics"

"ucla textbook

"pre med course list ucla"

"pre med ucla"

"pre med life"

"knudsen ucla"

"pre med requirements ucla"

"pre med student schedule first year UCLA"

"UCLA bad for pre med"

"pre med? yahoo answers"

"UCLA suicide"

"ucla chemistry Tentative Course Offerings 2009 14d"

"ucla how to calculate science gpa"

"ucla pre med program"

"calculate science gpa ucla"

"how to calculate BCPM using UCLA classes"
http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/counseling/

"ucla full of pre meds"

"ucla pre med life causes sleepiness"

"crazy ucla pre meds with blankets"

"crazy ucla pre med"

"awesome pre med activities"

"how difficult are the classes at UCLA"

"books needed for ucla pre-med"

"get ready for ucla"

"pre-med ucla hope for"

"chem 14bl ucla"

"ucla bookstore used books"

"ucla impacted class"

"should i take bio at college or ucla"

"ucla mimg hard"

"puppy pre med"
http://clare661.blogspot.com/2009/05/behold-cute-little-puppy.html
http://clare661.blogspot.com/2009/06/im-free.html

"ucla alligator meat" http://clare661.blogspot.com/2009/05/theme-dinner-cajun.html

"awake craniotomy videos" http://clare661.blogspot.com/2008/07/awake-craniotomy-no-room-at-inn.html

"unknown callers ucla" http://clare661.blogspot.com/2008/09/unknown-callers.html

Lol. Okay. The funniest one up there is "crazy ucla pre med." :D
I'd write more but I'm too tired. I'm going to LA like 3 times this weekend so I've got a long weekend ahead! :)

Ciao for now ^_^

Oh, by the way, Michael Jackson died yesterday at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. My sister saw the crowd of people gathered at one of the main entrances.... Hmmm it was certainly very shocking. Totally unexpected. Pray for his family. Another reminder that life is so fleeting, folks. So cherish your lives and the people you live for.

Father's Day, LA trips, Dr. V

2009-06-21T20:17:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day everyone! I hope you all had a good one :D God has blessed me and my sister with a wonderful father, and we're very much thankful. :) What did you get your dad for father's day? I made him a card, and my sister and I bought him a polo t-shirt and had customized text on it. It was pretty cool :D We went out for lunch, then we headed to LA so that my sister could move into Sproul for summer Session A. So, overall, we had a good day today!

My sister got to choose the nice bed and one of the big closets :D :D I think the bottom bunk is the best because you can flop down on it whenever you want, and you can set things on it so easily. Being on the top bunk is kind of difficult. I didn't like it very much after I learned how convenient the bottom bunk could be, haha.

I remember my first day at UCLA like 2 years ago.... I moved in and I knew no one. And I had never ever experienced what college was like before so it was all completely new to me. My roommate hadn't arrived yet and I was getting hungry so I decided to just go and eat on my own. It was such a new experience! And... I ate alone :( But it was okay :D After I had finished eating, I realized that I didn't know where to put my tray (I didn't notice the rotating tray rack near the entrance when I walked in because my thoughts were elsewhere), so I called a friend who was already in summer school and I was told that I should place my tray in an area near the entrance. Lol, now that I look back, it was kind of sad... and funny. :D

Oh, and Sproul Hall is very pretty now! Its renovation finished last year. Prior to today, I had only seen the lounge on the 7th floor at night, and the view is very very pretty! The view during the day time is also very pretty; the rooms are pretty; the bathroom is actually pretty. :D

Anyway.....

So I promised I'd talk about my trip to UCLA last Monday. :D

The drive to LA was ridiculous. Read my previous post.

Have I ever mentioned that finding parking at UCLA is also really difficult? Parking 9 was really full. Luckily, Parking 6 wasn't that bad, so I parked in parking 6.

Then, I walked through UCLA with my mom and sister, and my sister saw where her classes are going to be for the summer. It was fun, lol.
A show was being shot in the grassy area between Powell and Royce Hall. There was a warning sign that said walking through the area meant we could be photographed and such. We walked through it to get to the Shapiro Fountain :D :D :D I think the show was "Heroes" or something like that.

We also took pictures, with the rolling hills of UCLA as our backdrop.
:D

While we were at the hospital, we decided to have lunch since we were going to be there anyway. Guess who I saw? Dr. V! Oh, I don't think I've ever mentioned Dr. V in this blog before, but anyway, he's a resident surgeon who once courted me lol. Funny story, actually.

During my 1st rotation in my internship, I was in the med/surg care unit at the hospital. Dr. V was a 1st year resident (intern). He had just graduated from medical school and he was working in that unit, too. (Dr. V is a really good looking doctor, by the way. I noticed that a lot of the residents at UCLA are really good looking... yea totally random LOL).

Dr. V was always very stressed out and sleep deprived, but he always managed to be cool, calm, and collected (but no doubt, at the end of the day, he looked very worn out). Most of our encounters were kind of funny.

One time, I was sitting at the nurse's station doing something with the anti-biotic forms and the charts. Dr. V stopped by, we said our hellos, and he proceeded to write his orders on the "Doctors order" forms for one of his MANY patients.

As he was writing, he started our conversation:

Dr. V: "So, mc (he didn't call me mc), how are you liking the unit?"

Me: "Dr. V, I'm liking it very much! I think it's great that I started out here since I'm new to the hospital setting."

Dr. V: "It's been really busy for me. Did you see the list of patients?"

Me: "Yea, you've got a ton of them *lol*. Too bad for you. You look really tired."

Dr. V: *smiles, laughs, and looks at me as he finishes up the doctors order form* "you can help me with my patients."

Me: "Cool, I'll take you up on that offer. I'll take that" (the form he just filled out).

Dr. V: *Hands the form to me* "Thanks"

Me: *After I saw the form, I realized I didn't know what to do with it* "Oh oops, hmm nevermind" *I held the form back towards him, grinning* "(lol) I don't know what to do with this.."

Dr. V: *laughs* "It goes in the chart. I'll show you."

And that's how I learned where doctor's orders go after they're written. After that, I proceeded to help him with his patients, although I didn't really help. It was more like I went with him into the patients' rooms and he explained to me what he was doing (but it was really fast-paced).

Eventually, he got my number. I didn't think much of it except that it would be a great opportunity to get to know this doctor. He's been there and done that for all the med school prep, applications, interviews, etc so I thought he'd be a great resource.

During a conversation over tea, I learned a lot about the path to medical school and residency. He went to medical school at UCLA!

Several times he asked me out to dinner, but I was always too chicken to say "no," so I always came up with an excuse. "Sorry, I have a big test tomorrow." or "Sorry, I'm doing laundry and I can't just leave them in there." or "Sorry, I'm going home for the weekend!" One time, I couldn't think of a good answer so I had dinner with him once after my hospital shift because his shift ended at 7pm also -- I really had no excuse for this one since he had asked if I had already eaten, so I agreed to talk over a sandwich in the hospital cafeteria lol.
Aside from that, I always gave excuses that postponed the dinners. I should have just said no, but I felt so bad saying "no." So, gradually, I cut off my communication with him. I didn't want things to go farther than they should have. I didn't want a relationship. It was very flattering that I received his texts and his calls of "Hey how are you doing?" but a relationship was not on my list of priorities. I wanted to be left alone to study, graduate, and get my education over with before meddling in such complicated relationships, so I stopped talking to him. Poor guy. He was really nice and really intelligent. *sigh*

What could have been? Lol. Gosh, I could have married a soon-to-be rich, nice, caring, intelligentsurgeon and I could have lived to be a stay at home wife. hahaha. j/k j/k. But seriously, after his residency, he'll end up making a lot of money. Surgeons in his specialty make an average of over $550,000 a year....... But, what am I saying? I can't marry for money! And, I never will. :) The only thing that was very attractive about Dr. V was that he was such a gentleman, really nice, really intelligent, and he was always very patient (his good looks and soon-to-be high income are just bonuses.. lol j/k.). :D

Anyway, back on track... That was my trip to LA that day.

Soo... yea.

'Til next time!

Have a great evening, folks!

Alleged Cu Robber Jams 405

2009-06-16T23:07:00.000-07:00

Aside from the usual, heavy, morning southbound traffic on Interstate 405 on Tuesday, there was a bit more of chaos added to that. A suspected thief decided to hide out in a storm drain on early Tuesday morning. The storm drain runs beneath one of Los Angeles's busiest freeways, the 405, also known as the San Diego Freeway.

The suspect was an alleged robber at a nearby warehouse. Several sources say that he was after some copper wire. He hid in a storm drain and refused to come out, telling authorities that he had a baby at home and he didn't want to be detained. The standoff lasted for several hours, and it was bad. I know this because I was there, folks. At 8:35 A.M., fire crews, police crews, several under cover cruisers, and ambulances still surrounded the man hole. Several news crews in helicopters hovered above the scene, too.

Initially, southbound traffic was completely closed off. Later, three southbound lanes were opened. Five southbound lanes isn't enough to prevent heavy traffic on the 405 freeway, so you can imagine how horrible the traffic was with only 3 lanes available.

If this robber had been cooperative with the authorities, things wouldn't have gotten as bad as they did. He hid in a storm drain for several hours, causing a nightmare-worthy traffic jam on an already-busy freeway! I can understand that he wouldn't want to go to jail because of his baby, but he should have known better. Sometimes, people are can be really foolish and ignorant. Folks, just be cooperative. It'll make your life easier, and our lives easier. :)

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-405-suspect-search,0,1167182.story?track=rss

So, you might have guessed I drove to LA today. :D Cool stuff. I'll write more about it in a later post.

Cross-posted here.

Suicide

2009-06-13T00:24:00.000-07:00

I just saw a segment on Oprah about a girl who committed suicide, and it reminded me of other people I have personally known who have also taken their own lives. It really hurts me to think of it... I knew these people, and it haunts me because maybe all that they needed was one person to have changed their minds. So, considering such, I feel very compelled to share my thoughts on suicide.

Before I start, I'd like to state a few things:

1) God has lent us our lives.
2) What does not belong to us is not ours to take.
3) Christ was sent to forgive us all.
4) God is always reaching out to us.
5) We have Free Will which means we have the ability to choose take His hand, or to keep Him out of our lives.
6) Not having God in our lives can lead to destruction.
7) "Thou shalt not kill" -- any form of taking a life, whether it be our own or someone else's is murder and is unjustified.

Okay, so here it goes:

There are instances when life can be very tough and we might want out. For some people, "very tough" can mean:

1) Losing a parent
2) Peer pressure
3) Feeling like you have no one to talk to
4) Bottling things up inside
5) Suffering in silence
6) People disagreeing with you all the time
7) Having to take on adult responsibilities when your peers don't have to
8) Feeling defiled and unworthy of your life

Let us take a look at the crucifix. Jesus committed no sin, yet He volunteered His own life for our sakes.

He was taunted
He was pressured
Nobody knew what He was going through.
Many people rejected Him and disagreed with Him.
He suffered in silence.
He was betrayed.
He was spit on.
He was flogged.
He was put to death on a cross and nailed mercilessly even though He committed no sin.

If there is one person who can relate to someone who has gone through very tough times, it's Jesus. Jesus can relate to us all. And He is always there for us. No matter what. He is a shoulder to cry on. He is someone for us to talk to and He knows how we are feeling. We're not alone, and that is a gift that God has given to us. Let us use it and embrace it when we are feeling down, depressed, sad, angry, betrayed, belittled...

The girl on the one of the segments on Oprah was raped and she was on anti-depressants before she took her own life. She has my sympathy. These people need our prayers the most. Healthy people don't need doctors, but sick people do, right? It's just very sad that people will resort to suicide because there is always another option, and that option is to turn to God.

"I'm too unworthy for forgiveness" is what some people might think. This reminds me of Adam's character in Paradise Lost. He doubted God's ability to forgive, so he ate the apple instead of asking God for help. But let us never doubt God's ability to forgive. God is omnipotent, omniscience, and most importantly, He is omnibenevolent. God is Love. He loves us all, and is always willing to forgive if we choose to ask for forgiveness.

Some people may have taken their lives because they were depressed and perhaps their judgments were flawed. This happens and it's very hard to for this to not happen when we are in tough situations. When I'm in a very tough emotional state, I ask God for the strength to do the right things. I think perhaps the best way to prevent depression is to truly come to realize that God forgives, and if we look around us, God has blessed us with beautiful lives and wonderful people. Someone told me once that when they feel depressed, they take a piece of paper and write down all the things they are thankful for, no matter how small or trivial, and it helps him be reminded of this life God has lent to us. God doesn't want us to be depressed. He doesn't want us bottling up our feelings inside. And this is why we can talk to Christ.

Sometimes suicide seems like an easy, but difficult, way out of depression, tough times, difficult choices. But, it's not easy, and it shouldn't be an option. Life on earth is not meant to be paradise. Life on earth involves suffering and sacrifice on our parts. Life on earth means to Love our loved ones and love one another in order to do God's will, and that certainly takes sacrifice. For me, it's really easy to forget that my suffering is nothing compared to the sacrifice God gave for us. To be followers of Jesus is to follow His ways the best ways we can in our human-ness and our knacks for fallibility.... no matter how tough it is.

:)

God loves you, and the people around you love you. Never ever forget that, folks!

I'm Free!

2009-06-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

I'm free for now! I think I did okay in my finals, but they were difficult x_x. Now I'm just waiting on the results.

During finals week, I said I would pet some puppies, and I sure did! I've got a few pictures of them, haha. I've also taken a few other pictures throughout the week, so enjoy!

I made tie-dye shirts after petting the dogs, and I forgot to wear gloves.

Bruinwalk in the morning. There are usually more people when it's not so early.. this was really early.

During the year, our campus is taken over by movie trailers and cameras.

Canyon Point. I shall miss this place! The tree is located in the Octagon.

There's my window! The second to the right on the 3rd floor.

UCLA scenery!

Dickson Plaza

I don't know what to call this, but it's next to the Shapiro Fountain.

Charles E. Young drive. I took it, walking back from a midterm.

Random tree near the Math Sciences Building.

Creepy Smiley face on my tackable wall.

An apple that sat in my shelf after over 2 weeks (and it didn't rot).

Secondly, I just finished packing. I packed all my things in 4 hours today after I finished my last paper. Needless to say, I'd had little sleep. In fact, I didn't sleep at all before my genetics final. I was afraid I wouldn't wake up! Luckily, I was fully awake during the exam but I had a good night's rest after that.

Third, as I was walking today to turn in my paper and get it time stamped, a lady approached me and asked me, "What do you think about Obama adopting Bush's policies on the war and torture?" Many of you know I walk quite fast, and I didn't stopped, but I told her, "I'm sorry but I'm not very politically oriented..." She began yelling after me "You don't have to be politically oriented to have an opinion!!!!" I began laughing to myself... but seriously, how can I give an opinion about Obama and his policies if I don't know about it? I'd rather keep my mouth shut, right? But then I felt bad as I was turning in my paper, so as I walked back past her, I stopped and apologized for not stopping earlier. She apologized for yelling. And then we began talking politics. It was quite an interesting conversation!

She came off as a very nice person (despite her outburst earlier), and it seemed as though she was simply passionate for a cause (anti-torture and anti-war). No, she didn't seem like a maniac. But, I was running late and I had to get myself out of the conversation. She was holding a bunch of newspapers as though she was passing them out, so I asked her for one hoping this could lead me into dismissing myself. She told me they were $1 each then asked me if I could give my email address for their list serve. I told her sure, and I gave her $1. After giving her my $1 and my email address, she revealed that she was a strong believer in Marxisms and communism! I was so shocked! And as I was walking back, I saw the newspaper and... take a look at it!

I was so gullible! Lesson learned: Don't be fooled by nice people! And I need to not be so ignorant about this stuff.

Fourth: The year is over!
It really has gone by so quickly. Run/Walk was a success. I declared my minor. I finished my Care Extender internship. I've gotten to know a few people well. And now... now I will be a 3rd year!!! Ahh, this is crazy. I can't believe I'm halfway through college. Wow. No joke.

Anyway, do you all have plans for the summer? I think my summer will be quite a busy one. I will be studying for the first 7 weeks, and then I will be taking summer classes for the last 6 weeks. :D :D I'm really looking forward to going home. In fact, I'm moving out in less than 2 hours!

By the way, thanks for the nice emails and comments and questions you all have sent me through my blog, and thanks for reading! I think I will be able to update more often in the next few weeks. :)

Have a great summer, folks!

Spring09 Finals & Puppies

2009-06-03T11:03:00.001-07:00

I've been studying for finals (which are next week, starting on Monday) so I haven't been able to post much. Lo siento :D

Just though I'd let ya'll know before you think I've disappeared off the face of the earth!

By the way, I look forward to having a short study break on Friday so that I can pet some puppies in Canyon Point!

It's part of a study-break activity that the RA's and student leaders (I think) put together for 10th week so that students don't drive themselves crazy. There will also be free massages, we can pie our RA's (I don't think I will do that), and a few other things along with petting puppies. :D
I love puppies, by the way. Puppies are so cute! :D

I wish there was a service where we could rent puppies for a day or a week or a month or so.... *sigh* Maybe it already exists! I'll have to look it up :D

Good luck with finals, folks!

Until next time,
MC

PS: Do you know what's cute? Puppies!

Pomerainian poodles

Bolognese puppy

Coton de tulear

Australian Terrier

Theme Dinner -- Cajun

2009-05-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

I've never had Cajun food up until dinner. The Hill had a theme dinner and the theme was... CAJUN!! And because I've never had Cajun food before, I have nothing to compare tonight's food to, but it was good. I went to a theme dinner last year in De Neve (it was some kind of Asian theme) and I thought it was really good. I liked the miso soup and tempura shrimp. :D

Here was tonight's menu:

•Lobster & Shrimp Bisque
•Potage Garbure
•Carmelized Onion Roll
•Past Chu Chu
•Past Chu Chu w/ Mussels & Chicken
•Artichoke Pizza w/ Gruyere Cheese
•Cajun Sausage Po Boy Sandwich
•Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
•Vegan Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
•Blackened Chicken Breast Sandwich
•Cajun Cocktail Sauce
•Catfish Po Boy Sandwich
•Curly Fries
•Fried Alligator
•Sweet Potato Fries
•Crawfish Boil
•Hush Puppies
•Seafood Jambalaya w/ Andouille Sausage
•Shrimp Salad
•Vegetable Jambalaya
•Cajun Red Beans & Rice
•Collard Greens
•Cornbread
•Dirty Rice
•Succotash w/ Mushrooms & OnionsV
•Sweet Potato Cheesecake

I had the shrimp salad, seafood jambalaya w/Andouille sausage, one crawfish, and sweet potato cheesecake. :D

The crawfish looked interesting, so I asked a girl who was getting them how to eat them. She told me you have to take off the head and then remove the shell from the body of the crawfish. She even showed me how to do it. A LOT of crawfish was served. The pictures are blurry because I wasn't holding still. :D

This is what crawfish look like upclose:

A buddy of mine, T, was brave enough to try the fried alligator and he gave it a good review. :D Hmm I guess alligators aren't that bad! I remember watching Wife Swap (or was it Trading Spouses?) and there was a family that ate fried alligators.

Gay Marriage Ban Upheld in California

2009-05-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

**Note** This post is cross posted here.

The California high court ruled to keep the gay marriage ban in place on Tuesday.

Personally, I think marriage should be between one man and one woman. :)

But, why is the state handing out marriage licenses anyway? Marriage is sacred and should be separate from the state, shouldn’t it? I do see, though, that handing out marriage licenses creates some order in our world. For example, to be recognized as married to someone is useful when filing for joint taxes, insurance matters, and other things.

But why can’t gay couples have these same rights? Quite frankly, I don’t care if they have the same legal rights as straight couples do as long as they don’t call their relationship a marriage.

It really bothers me when gay activists and people who are pro-gay activism immediately label people who have different beliefs as "unpatriotic" or being "supreme fascists," and "pro inequality." They immediately label others as the bad guys. I wish they would see that their ways are not necessarily what many others think are the right ways.

Why do gays want to step over the territory of holy matrimony? That may have sounded harsh, but I don’t mean for it to. If some kind of bill was drafted that would give gay couples the same rights as married straight couples, I’d be all for it, as long as it’s not marriage. If the same legal rights are what they’re looking for, then they have no reason to bring marriage into the equation. Just draft something that could expand the rights of civil unions or domestic partnerships. I think that’s something more people would be open to.

"It might all be gone tomorrow"

2009-05-21T23:28:00.000-07:00

I survived this week. The midterms were difficult, but they're done now, and I have a paper and 3 finals to study for. *sigh* ^_^

Taking a study break today was a really good idea. It took my mind off of classes for a while, and I got to watch the last 3 episodes of the season of Grey's Anatomy. The last episode had an especially good message. Essentially, be prepared because "it might all be gone tomorrow."

For me, that means showing the people I love and care about that I love and care about them. I talk to them at least once a day. I say good night to them. I don't mind going out of my way for them. Things like that. It doesn't have to be big. The smallest things work just fine. ^_^

Have a good weekend, folks!

Trip to Whole Foods

2009-05-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

**Note** This post is cross posted here.

I've been lagging on posts because this entire week, I've been busy studying for my second round of midterms. :D

I have my LS4 (Genetics) midterm on Monday, my physics midterm on Wednesday, AND I have a big, long literary analysis paper due in approximately 2 weeks (and I have not yet created a good thesis statement, nor have I decided what my topic of analysis should be). So, you can see I've been a tad bit busy. :D

MCmoment:
On a side note, I last Sunday when I drove from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, I didn't realize that I had left my driver's license in my sister's bag, which stayed in Santa Barbara with my sister. :D So, I drove that entire 1hr and 45 minutes along the 101 and the 405 driver's license-less, thinking I actually had it. My sister mailed it to me and I received it today. Random, but it's worth mentioning for the sake of randomness. :D

Trip to Whole Foods:
On Tuesday, I went to Whole Foods after my LS lecture was over with. I used the UCLA Express Shuttle for the first time ever! It was really awesome and the shuttles are nice, clean, and comfortable. :D Plus, I took the shuttle from Dodd Hall to the stop in front of the UCLA medical center, so it saved some time... walking that long distance lol (but it's not really too long of a distance to walk -- probably like a 15 minute walk. On the map, it's from #7 to #10.). From there, the walk to Whole Foods was like 10 minutes.
**Note** I didn't really time myself, so my time estimates are probably on the high side.

Anyway, here are 3 things that I bought that I'd like to share with you:

1) Kettle Brand Tortilla Chips. $2.99
This is insanely delicious! "Organic six grain tortilla chips" haha. So, not only is it tasty, but it's healthy too!

2) 365 Everyday Value Raw Walnut Halves & Pieces. Premium California Grown. $7.99
I really like nuts. I bought it because... I like nuts and it's a big bag. :D Earlier this week, for breakfast I ate some walnuts with a big, refrigerated orange and a Kashi granola bar. Sooo good! :D

3) Kashi Trail Mix TLC (Tasty Little Chewies) Granola Bars $4.99
I'm not too big on granola bars, but I'll eat them if I have them. This one was really good though! Good for breakfast if I'm running a little late. :D :D

I'm not going to keep this up, though. I'm not really the type of person who will walk to Whole Foods on a weekly basis to buy these things when I've got a decent selection of food on the Hill. I just gave it a try this one time, and I figured I can munch on this food this week while studying. ^_^ Plus, I'm on a college student's budget soooo I can definitely do without pricey organic foods. :-p

Speaking of a college student's budget, let’s take a look at my 2008-2009 college budget, shall we?

Fall 2008 (11 weeks)
*Fees, health insurance, other: $2869.96
*Housing: $4319
Winter 2009 (11 weeks)
*Fees, health insurance, other: $2869.96
*Housing: $4319
Spring 2009 (11 weeks)
*Fees, health insurance, other: $2969.96
*Housing: $4319
Summer 2009 (6 weeks)
*Fees, healthy insurance, other: $1467
*Housing: $1601
Books for the entire year
*Books & materials: $1500

Total:$26234.88
*Keep in mind that this total does not include personal and travel expenses.

Of course, the total above will vary a little bit for each student depending on the type of housing and meal plan they have amongst other factors.For a public school, the cost above is relatively cheap compared to private schools or out-of-state schools, but ultimately, the cost of attending a university is very expensive.

Behold Cute Little Puppy!

2009-05-10T20:06:00.001-07:00

I had an awesome mother's day weekend! I hope you all had a good one too. :) I've been blessed with such a wonderful mother, and I'm so thankful. :) :) :)
Also, my sister sent me a nice card she made for mother's day. Thanks, Lay! :D :D

When we arrived home from church this morning, we found a cute little dog standing in the middle of our lawn. It was so cute and amicable! We immediately wanted to keep it, but unfortunately, the dog was clean, which meant that it had an owner. *sigh*

But, with the little time we had with the dog, we took a bunch of pictures with it. :D

Ladies and gentlemen, behold Cute Little Puppy!

Cute Little Puppy didn't like the camera at first.

Then it was okay with pictures.

Cute Little Puppy always ran to us when we called it. Then, it wanted to enter our house every time we opened the door. It sneaked into our house about 3 times and ran around the living room.

We found Cute Little Puppy's true owner, so it is no longer with us. *sigh*

************************

5 minutes later***

My mom just called me telling me they just arrived at home. She said she found a bouquet of flowers on our doorstep. Haha. They're from this guy I stopped talking to over a year ago. Long story. Pretty complicated. I'm a bit shocked he's still sending flowers. He's sent many flowers. haha. I suppose it's a nice gesture. :D And, it makes my mom happy to have them anyway. :D

IVBCF: Galatians!

2009-05-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

A buddy reminded me of dinner today, so I had dinner with him. Lol. He lured me into climbing those stairs that lead up to Rieber by telling me they were serving cheesecake. I haven't had cheesecake since last year, folks! And, lo and behold, there was one slice left, and I took the last slice!! :D :D Yay! I found our conversation a little bit funny, so I'm going to post it. Lol. :D

(5/7/2009 6:28:22 PM) T: hey, have you eaten?
(5/7/2009 6:28:31 PM) Me: Nope
(5/7/2009 6:28:37 PM) T: you should go eat
(5/7/2009 6:28:37 PM) Me: Are you checking up on me?
(5/7/2009 6:28:39 PM) Me: LOL
(5/7/2009 6:28:40 PM) Me: omg.
(5/7/2009 6:28:42 PM) T: hmm, lol
(5/7/2009 6:28:47 PM) Me: YOU'RE NOT MY MOTHER!
(5/7/2009 6:28:49 PM) Me: LOL
(5/7/2009 6:28:50 PM) Me: j/k
(5/7/2009 6:28:52 PM) Me: Thank you though.
(5/7/2009 6:28:58 PM) T: it's funny that you picture me like that
(5/7/2009 6:28:59 PM) T: but
(5/7/2009 6:29:01 PM) Me: You're right. I should go eat.
(5/7/2009 6:29:01 PM) T: you should go
(5/7/2009 6:29:02 PM) T: to rieber
(5/7/2009 6:29:06 PM) Me: I don't picture you like that.
(5/7/2009 6:29:08 PM) Me: Why rieber?
(5/7/2009 6:29:13 PM) T: i'm thankful for that
(5/7/2009 6:29:16 PM) Me: I was kidding about that. lol.
(5/7/2009 6:29:17 PM) T: they have cheesecake on thursdays
(5/7/2009 6:29:21 PM) T: sure you were
(5/7/2009 6:29:22 PM) Me: omg really???
(5/7/2009 6:29:26 PM) T: yeah
(5/7/2009 6:29:27 PM) Me: cheesecake?
(5/7/2009 6:29:28 PM) Me: omg
(5/7/2009 6:29:29 PM) Me: omg
(5/7/2009 6:29:30 PM) T: cheesecake
(5/7/2009 6:29:31 PM) Me: mmmmm
(5/7/2009 6:29:39 PM) T: lol, i almost feel bad telling people the secret
(5/7/2009 6:29:42 PM) Me: maybe i should go to rieber
(5/7/2009 6:29:44 PM) Me: why?
(5/7/2009 6:29:50 PM) T: because they run out
(5/7/2009 6:29:52 PM) T: so if you want it
(5/7/2009 6:29:54 PM) T: you have to go kind of early
(5/7/2009 6:29:56 PM) Me: awwwww
(5/7/2009 6:30:01 PM) Me: is it too late now?
(5/7/2009 6:30:02 PM) T: but the probably still have it
(5/7/2009 6:30:05 PM) Me: have you gone?
(5/7/2009 6:30:11 PM) T: nope
(5/7/2009 6:30:15 PM) Me: are you going?
(5/7/2009 6:30:19 PM) T: probably
(5/7/2009 6:30:23 PM) Me: will you steal some cheesecake for me?
(5/7/2009 6:30:25 PM) Me: lol.
(5/7/2009 6:30:32 PM) T: lol, you should go over there
(5/7/2009 6:30:38 PM) Me: yea I will.
(5/7/2009 6:30:41 PM) Me: I really will this time.
(5/7/2009 6:30:43 PM) T: cuando?
(5/7/2009 6:30:49 PM) Me: hmm....
(5/7/2009 6:30:59 PM) Me: how long do you think it'll take me to eat?
(5/7/2009 6:31:05 PM) T: not too long
(5/7/2009 6:31:08 PM) T: 10 minutes, lol
(5/7/2009 6:31:13 PM) Me: really??
(5/7/2009 6:31:15 PM) T: no
(5/7/2009 6:31:15 PM) Me: I eat that fast?
(5/7/2009 6:31:18 PM) T: more like 20
(5/7/2009 6:31:21 PM) Me: okay
(5/7/2009 6:31:23 PM) Me: then
(5/7/2009 6:31:24 PM) T: that's how long it usually takes me
(5/7/2009 6:31:25 PM) Me: I'm going
(5/7/2009 6:31:29 PM) Me: at 6:40
(5/7/2009 6:31:37 PM) Me: 6"45
(5/7/2009 6:31:41 PM) T: that's when you're leaving or that's when you'll be there?
(5/7/2009 6:31:41 PM) Me: 6:45pm
(5/7/2009 6:31:48 PM) Me: that's when I'll be there.
(5/7/2009 6:31:50 PM) Me: lol.
(5/7/2009 6:31:58 PM) T: lol, ok then, so i'll meet you there?\
(5/7/2009 6:32:06 PM) Me: alrighty then
(5/7/2009 6:32:09 PM) Me: see you at 645
(5/7/2009 6:32:10 PM) Me: :D
(5/7/2009 6:32:17 PM) T: and the mother wins out, lol
(5/7/2009 6:32:30 PM) Me: Lol

Not too long ago, I met another buddy. He invited me to an Intervarsity Bruin Christian Fellowship meeting. It's a meeting where all Christians can go. A lot of UCC members also go to these meetings. And, it's simply a great place to share your faith with the community and learn about the Word, and to grow spiritually. Throughout the week, there are smaller group meetings (Catholic group, Men's group, Women's group, Latino group etc....) and on Thursdays, everyone comes together in that meeting I told you about above.

There are speakers and topics for each meeting. Today, we covered the following:

Galatians 2:11-21

Peter (Cephas) Opposed by Paul

¹¹But when ^AC)">(AC)Cephas came to ^AD)">(AD)Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.

¹²For prior to the coming of certain men from ^AE)">(AE)James, he used to ^AF)">(AF)eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, ^AG)">(AG)fearing the party of the circumcision.

¹³The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even ^AH)">(AH)Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.

¹⁴But when I saw that they ^AI)">(AI)were not straightforward about ^AJ)">(AJ)the truth of the gospel, I said to ^AK)">(AK)Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, ^AL)">(AL)live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

¹⁵"We are ^AM)">(AM)Jews by nature and not ^AN)">(AN)sinners from among the Gentiles;

¹⁶nevertheless knowing that ^AO)">(AO)a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by ^AP)">(AP)faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since ^AQ)">(AQ)by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

¹⁷"But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found ^AR)">(AR)sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? ^AS)">(AS)May it never be!

¹⁸"For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I ^AT)">(AT)prove myself to be a transgressor.

¹⁹"For through the Law I ^AU)">(AU)died to the Law, so that I might live to God.

²⁰"I have been ^AV)">(AV)crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but ^AW)">(AW)Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in ^AX)">(AX)the Son of God, who ^AY)">(AY)loved me and ^AZ)">(AZ)gave Himself up for me.

²¹"I do not nullify the grace of God, for ^BA)">(BA)if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."

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

The main message here is to break down barriers. Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians a few decades after Jesus's death. After Jesus died, Paul went all over the middle east and founded churches. He preached Jesus's teaching to break down the barriers. No longer are we held by the Mosaic Law. The Jews were given laws that exluded all others from knowing God. But, Christ broke down those barriers. Both Jews and Gentiles were given full access to God through Jesus.

But, Paul wrote that letter because Jews began implementing their laws again. Only circumcised people could know God etc... But what does that mean? It means that if that's the case, then Christ's crucifixion meant nothing. If we are going to put up barriers and make salvation exclusive, then Christ died needlessly. Something good to think about, folks. Are we putting up barriers and walls today that make Christ's death irrelevent? Or, are we keeping our focus on Christ?

Just a side note: When Paul talks about the "Law," he is talking about the "Law" given to the Jews in the Old Testament (for example, you've got to be circumcised). This is not to be confused "works" in Catholicism. Many people will use the passage above against Catholics and say that works are not the means to salvation. But, if you look at the context, Paul is talking about the laws given in the Old Testament. Obviously, you cannot get into heaven without being a good person and living for Christ -- and living for Christ is shown in the things you do and also your sincerity.

Regarding the OT laws, Paul is saying that obeying those laws is no longer the means to salvation. No longer do you have to be circumcised to be saved... Those OT laws are not what count anymore. What counts is following Jesus, and Jesus's death on the cross.

Mother's day & anniversary weekend!

2009-05-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

The weekend was pretty cool.

I went home this weekend to celebrate Mother's day. :D Yes, yes. I know. Mother's Day is next weekend, but since my sis can't make it home next weekend, we decided to celebrate it this weekend. :D

The Amtrak bus I rode on had a different interior color scheme! Check it out :D

It's kind of funny that my mom forgot it was my parents' 26th wedding anniversary this weekend also. My dad remembered haha. So, we had 2 occasions to celebrate, which was cool. :D :D Hmm I'm kind of curious what got into my dad though! He woke up at 6am and had completed 2.5 loads of laundry before we had woken up. I think he's been helping out a lot more now that my sis and I aren't home :D

I was almost forced into getting a pedi. It felt so awkward. I felt so mean and selfish getting it! But, everyone was pampered in some way so that alleviated my guilty feeling. ^_^ When my nails were done, I walked up and tripped over a rug. Great job, MC :( So I ruined the wet paint on my toe nails and had to get them done all over again. After that, I was urged to just sit and not walk around until the paint dried completely. *sigh*

Sorry I can't get in to more detail. I've got some reading to do. Ciao. :D

Stop sympathizing with Satan!

2009-04-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

I just got back from my Eng. 143 discussion -- Paradise Lost.

Mr. L warned me before this class began that people would interpret the poem in a way that sympathizes with Satan, sin, and Evil. He couldn't have been more right!

In the discussion, everyone was pointing out how God is not all Good, and Satan is not all Evil. People were likening Satan to God. People were sympathizing with Sin. They were glorifying Satan and interpreting the poem to have meant it that way. Ah, an attack on Christianity! It was sooo difficult to have sat there for 50 minutes, and to listening to all this. I was the lone voice in the crowd. I think that the very fact that we are sympathizing with Satan conveys human folly, because God IS all Good -- it's absolute.

I felt like I was committing blasphemy by letting myself listen to all their relative statements. It was certainly upsetting. No one in the class held the same view as I did.

Most people I choose to be around with are conservative people. Being in a room full of people with liberal thoughts was uncomfortable. I felt out of my comfort zone. The only thing I could feel for them was pity.... pity at not realizing God's absolute Goodness. It's God's very nature to be Good. I don't mean to impose my views on these people, but it's simply illogical to think that God is not absolutely Good.

The moment I stepped out of the classroom, I called my sister to vent to her about what had happened, and venting helped me. Thanks, Lay! :) When I got to my room, I sent Mr. L a quick email to vent about it also. Now, I'm writing this post as another means to vent. Pretty helpful. :)

*sigh*

Nice.

2009-04-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

The other day, 2 girls randomly knocked on our door and offered to vacuum our floor for us. :) It was certainly very nice of them! And, I met a new 6B study buddy. :D

On Monday, I was sitting next to this guy in Eng. 143. When I packed up my things at the end of class, my glasses must have fallen out of my bag, so I left without knowing that I had dropped my glasses. I left earlier than the guy next to me. I decided to roam Royce hall for a little while just so I'd be able to orient myself more if I entered through different doors, then I exited from the from and began walking towards Powell. All of a sudden, he showed up, out of breath, telling me he was looking for me everywhere. Just to give me my glasses! Nice. :)

This morning as I walked down Bruinwalk, a guy passed me on his scooter. When I made my way down, I saw him laying flat on his stomach, his head faced down on the cement. He had fallen forward, and, no kidding, a trail of blood from his nose and mouth was about 2 feet long when I got there and the blood continued to trail down Bruinwalk. An ambulance was called. People were nice to have called the ambulance.

My point here? I just wanted to point out their nice-ness. Isn't it a blessing to have such nice people around? Yet, we take everyone for granted. Hmm....

Knudsen Roof

2009-04-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

As I was heading off to 6B office hours yesterday with a buddy, I noticed that in the elevator, there was a button called "R." I figured that it must have meant "roof," so after office hours (Wallny had some really good cookies by the way!), we decided to see what was on the roof of Knudsen hall.

I, being the overly cautious one, was almost terrified! Being the terrified person that I was, I stayed in the center, not wanting to get anywhere near the edge (despite the fact that there was a wall). Still! I'm paranoid about getting close to the edge of things when I'm up high. I requested for my buddy to take pictures for me, lol.

I remember when I went to the Santa Barbara harbor. Part of the pier had no borders or anything, so someone who inadvertently lost their footing near the edge would have fallen into the water.

Lesson: It's better to be safe than sorry, folks! DON'T go anywhere near the edge, even if there's a wall! :D :D :D

Here are some pictures that were taken with my phone:

"What are all those white tents down there" you ask? Los Angeles Times Festival of Books this weekend! :D They've been putting up the tents the entire week. I'm going to check it out today. :D

Three quarters

2009-04-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all (lol),

You're probably wondering where I have been the last 6 days. I've been busy studying for my midterms. I had my genetics midterm on Monday night, and my Physics & Milton midterms this morning. It's over for now. :D

Despite the lack of sleep I've been getting, I managed to come out of my midterms feeling confident that I did well. :) Umm... genetics is kind of difficult though. We just started getting into genetic mapping and I'm just lost right now. I plan to use this weekend to get myself on track with it.

Today, we received instructions for a big paper due June 1st for Milton's Paradise Lost (Eng. 143 w/professor McEachern). Basically, we have to pick one book from Paradise Lost (PL has 12 books) and write at least 2500 words (about 9 pages) of literary analysis about just that one book. Note that PL is an epic poem, and each book is appx less than 20 pages long, each page with this much text:

As you can see, there's very little text to work with, BUT the material is insanely dense. I hope I don't run out of words to say. VERY close reading is what this paper essentially is. lol.

You might be wondering WHY am I taking an upper div English class? For all you pre-meds out there, most medical schools require that you take 3quarters or 2 semesters of college level English (and no, AP credit does NOT count). I've already taken 2 writing IIs (med schools also want you to take 2 writing IIs). I was looking at the lower div English classes, but I really really wanted to take Milton (Eng. 143), so I decided to jump into it (despite that it's a tough read and most English majors dread taking Milton).

Other things:
I've been pressured to be the director for Run/Walk next year, but I decided not to take it. I was leaning strongly against not taking it when I first put up the poll ^_^ By the way, who said I wouldn't be able to handle it anyway?!?! Psshh.....

Anyway, thanks for the votes, folks. :) I have made up my mind, and next year I'll be focusing on my studies and some research.

***************
Yesterday, I was going to call my sister. She's #6 for my speed dial, which is right above #9 (my speed dial for the UCPD). I accidentally pushed 9. Here's how it went:

Me: *Unknowingly presses 9*
UCPD: UCPD how can I help you?
Me: *Shocked, and immediately hung up*

30 seconds later, after getting calm and thinking about what I just did.

Me: *I called the UCPD back*

*ring*

UCPD: UCPD, how can I help you?

Me: Hi, I called about 30 seconds ago. I actually pushed the wrong number and hung up on you. I just wanted to let you know that calling was just an accident. Nothing's wrong.

UCPD: Oh okay, no problem.

Me: Yea, alrighty.

UCPD: Is everything okay?

Me: Yes, yes everything is okay *laughing*

UCPD: *laughing* alright, have a good night.

FIRSTs

2009-04-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

1. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
Some kind of wine that my mom was tasting. I'm sure it was red wine.

2. What was your FIRST job?
I've never had a paying job!

3. What was your FIRST car?
I don't have one. ^_^

4. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
Becca, regarding some info I needed for Run/Walk donations, haha.

5. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. Cloud. I remember getting like some kind of award in her class almost every month. The other kids began to think I was smart, lol.

6. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
Los Angeles?

7. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them?
My FIRST "best friend" was a girl from pre-school. I think her name was Desiree, but I can't remember. All I know is that I've seen pictures of her and me dressed up in Halloween costumes from back when we were in pre-school. I don't really know who she is, and she was never really my friend to begin with lol.

8. What was your FIRST sport played?
I've never officially played a sport. Recreation-wise, I have no clue.

9. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
I've never had one, lol.

10. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
My roommate. I was already on the other side of campus when I remembered I forgot to bring 4 dodgers tickets (field level, right behind home plate) and a preferred parking pass with me (I had to give them to someone). I had to call her and ask her to bring them to me.

11. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
I've never been to a wedding..... Yea, I know. Never.

12. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
Opened my eyes and put my alarm clock on sleep. :D

13. FIRST tattoo or piercing?
My ears are pierced!

14. FIRST foreign country you went to?
Philippines. :D

15. What was your FIRST run in with the law?
Hmm..... I've never had a run in with the law. I was a good kid, lol.

16. When was your FIRST detention?
I remember in 3rd grade, I thought I did all my homework. So I turned my paper in, but then my teacher called me up and told me that I didn't do the other side of the worksheet. I honestly had no idea there was homework on the other side of the sheet! I told her I didn't know it was there, so instead of having me sit by the fence for 20 minutes during break, it was only 10 minutes. :D

17. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
California

18. Who was the FIRST person to break your heart?
Hmm my heart has never been broken. I've been hurt before, but never anything to the point of getting a broken heart!

19. Who was your FIRST roommate?
In college, Sparkle.

20. Who will be the FIRST to re post this?
I have no idea!

21. FIRST email address?
LOL. Umm.... it was something along the lines of hahalizzywizzy???????? I can't remember, lol. But "lizzy" was in there because I suppose at that time, I watched Lizzy Mcguire. :o)

22. Your FIRST career choice?
Back when I was little, I got a hair dresser toy set for Christmas. I wanted to be a hair dresser. :D

23. FIRST cell phone?
I can't remember exactly, but it was an LG phone.

24. FIRST traumatizing bad grade is school?
I remember getting my first B (i.e. first non-A) EVER. *sigh* I think it was my junior year...?

Hello again!

2009-04-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

So I'm back (as you can tell from my previous post). :-p

Spring quarter is off to a pretty good start. I'm taking an upperdiv English class (Eng. 143-- Milton). I thought it would be great because of the subject matter, and it really is! The only thing is that although I like Milton's prose, poetry, and some of his ideas, I have to be careful. I just read his Areopagitica (a really tough read, by the way), and although it's good, I feel a little bit of resentment at his anti-Catholic views! I keep reminding myself that it's just a class... just a class... and they're just Milton's views... Milton's views....

I understand there was some corruption of the Church during Milton's time (not because of the Church itself, but because of corrupt people), but my resentment comes from the fact that many students hear one thing about Catholicism and that's all they take from it (i.e. "Catholicism was painted negatively pre/per/post Reformation, and it still is today.") Maybe I'm underestimating their mentality. Maybe these students know that Catholicism isn't paganistic and they know that the Pope is NOT the anti-Christ despite Milton's anti-Catholic ideas.

Anyway, just an update, run/walk was a success! :D :D We've had so much positive feedback and I hope it will be as successful for next year. I've been pressured to take next year's run/walk director position, but I'm very reluctant! I'd like to do research for next year, and I'll be taking plenty of upper divs. I'm not sure if I can handle it. Plus, there's always the thought of "What if I'm not a good director? What if run/walk won't be as successful next year as it was this year?!?! What if I don't know how to direct at all?!" I think of this, and I laugh because I'm totally willing to have someone's life on my hands, but I'm chickening out on having run/walk's well-being on my hands. Aye.... I really want to do it, but I'm doubting my abilities even though others have said they *know* I can do it. *sigh*

Here are a few pictures of the event:

Yes, this cute dog ran too! :D

Also, I took some pictures when I arrived at home last week for Easter Sunday:

The weather was really bad.

My sister came last night and she left this afternoon. She had an interview at the hospital :D I'm glad she came, and it was good to see her! Hmm... I think I have an idea now of how my mom feels when she parts with us. I felt sadness when I bid her adieu and hugged her before she got onto the Amtrak. It was a lonely, sad feeling, like I already missed her before she even left. *sigh* But I'm okay again. :D :D She made it back safely, just fyi. :D

"Get Ready for EHR Failures, But Don’t Blame the Software"

2009-04-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting read! I read it today. The government is subsidizing EHR (Electronic Health Records) purchases, and there are plenty of customers. But the article says that in 2007, about "50% of all EHR implementations failed."

The article also presents data that attributes this failure to "poor planning and communication," "rejection by end users," and "overspending."

I couldn't agree more, especially with the first two.

The last 2 years that I have been working at the UCLA medical center, I've come to witness the "rejection by end users."

It's true the UCLA medical center utilizes electronic health records. In fact, the UCLA medical center is one of the leading medical centers in the world that has very well adapted to EHR, but the transition from paper to electronics is not fully complete.

I remember last year when the new Ronald Reagan Medical Center opened its doors and the old hospital closed. I took a tour of the new hospital. I was amazed at the insanely advanced technology! All the rooms in the hospital are private. In the ICUs, each bed has a mini nurse's station right outside the room, equipped with a computer for each nurse. It made charting access to records and information easy. But, I noticed that the charts/binders from the hospital made their way into the new hospital!

To this day, those binders are still stuffed with progress notes, doctor's orders, antibiotic forms, MARs. At the nurse's stations, there are copies of consent forms, radiology orders, etc... It was kind of funny because copies of all these forms were online, but nurses who did not know how to access them using the computer had access to the hard copies.

The good thing is that I see the younger generations using the computers more. The younger doctors and nurses have an easier time using electronic charts and making their way through the EHR system.

One time, a resident doctor showed me how he used his PDA to find information regarding a patient.

It's no doubt that the EHR is revolutionary. Health records of a patient on the 2nd floor can be instantly accessed by staff on the 8th floor or a doctor who is not on the hospital premises. EHR makes life so much more convenient.

There is one drawback that I have seen (but it's not due to the EHR software itself) even if everyone was on board with EHR. A paper and a pen is much more mobile and more easily accessible than a computer. The flaw here is the lack of efficient technology that combines the ease, accessibility, and mobility of a pen and paper, and the electronic aspect of a handy dandy PDA. Let's face it, sometimes it can be annoying to type out long messages on tiny keypads and look through the tiny PDA screen (this is especially true for the older doctors and nurses).

It's difficult to transition into something new, advanced, and complex when you've grown up with pen and paper all your life and most of your medical career. I think that time is crucial to fully and effectively transition to the EHR world. The incoming generation of doctors have the convenience of intertwining their medical education with the use of advanced technology. At the same time, however, a conscious effort must be made to transition from the old to the new. Fully transitioning to the EHR must be advocated for and promoted by current hospital staff, doctors, and nurses. The transition will be slow, but I think that in the end, it will be very very well worth it.

The article outlines 5 crucial steps needed to transition to EHRs. Read the article for more! :D The article says that the "EMR penetration market" is at 10-15%. Wow! That's a pretty low number. The biggest problem keeping these numbers down is the fact that people really do like the "old fashioned way" of doing things. From my own personal experience, I know this to be true! I never like to read the manuals for new electronics I buy, but I have to because I have no one around to tell me how to use it (except my sister, sometimes!).

But, medical professionals have no good excuse today. Training is offered. EHRs are subsidized. All that's left is to get everyone on board and willing to learn how to use it! Come on, folks. I suppose it's a good thing that hospitals are slowly transitioning, older doctors are getting older, and newer doctors are being taught with advanced technology. :)

40 days

2009-02-25T10:26:00.001-08:00

Dear everyone,

Today is Ash Wednesday! Ashes to ashes, dust to dust indeed.

The Lenten season isn't about punishing ourselves or suffering because we're sinners. Rather, it's a season to let Christ into our hearts and to grow spiritually through fasting, giving alms, and praying -- and in this way, we can prepare ourselves for what is to come.

I usually keep to myself what I choose to give up during Lent. But this time, I will share some things with you I'm giving up so that you don't think I've disappeared off the face of the earth *unless we are in contact through means besides the ones listed below* (but I'll only share 2 things):

Facebook
Blogging.

See you all again in 40 days. I hope this time of the year for you is a good time of enlightenment and spiritual growth as we each take on our own crosses with Christ.

Untitled

2009-02-23T17:22:00.000-08:00

So, the weekend at home was pretty good, but I didn't get as much studying done as I wanted to (I knew that going in). But, regardless, the midterm was this morning and it went very well. :)

Anyway, every time my sister and I visit, my mom gets teary-eyed when time comes to depart once more. I'm not surprised though. It's natural for a mother to react that way, although we've gone through many of the same temporary good-byes since 2 summers ago. Just can't get used to it, huh? Hmmm.... I wonder if I'll be the same way. Probably. I mean, even now, when I read a heart-felt letter written to me, I get teary-eyed. :o)

Ah, the gift of a woman! So loving, so nurturing! All while keeping a family together, and being an "optimist to the morbid husband" & a "salutary pessimist to the happy-go-lucky husband" (Chesterton). The "trimmer" in the household. And, she takes in her sorrow, all to herself, all while trying to portray a strong image for everyone else's comfort. Very true of my mom. <3 :) Have you hugged your mom today? Or called her just to say hi or ask what she's up to? Or told her you love her? Do it! :)

The moment we got on the 405 yesterday, it was bumper to bumper. A few miles ahead, there was an accident. It was quite heartbreaking. 4 cars were heavily involved, and people were wheeled into ambulances. Lesson learned: Our lives can change in a blink of an eye. So, what are you going to do about it?

Hmm....

I took this picture yesterday at Frazier park. Look at that low cloud! And it was the only one there. The rest were above the mountain. Quite a pretty site!

Random II

2009-02-19T20:09:00.001-08:00

Hey, all!

Alrighty, so I survived the dreaded LS3 midterm and it went really well :D The questions were really difficult and mostly conceptual like the first midterm. To give you an idea, here's a question I'm paraphrasing from the exam (this is one of the easier questions):
**When studying transcription in yeast, temperature-sensitive mutants are often used b/c those mutants are able to be grown at lower temperatures, & they can be exposed to higher temperatures in order to detect the mutational effects in critical genes. What's most likely observed for a yeast mutant strain that encodes a temperature-sensitive TBP mutant?
--The correct answer was that the higher temperature would affect RNA polymerases I, II, and III, all three of which are used to transcribe rRNA, mRNA, and tRNA respectively. Also, answering this question correctly would somewhat require knowing what TBP is (it's the TATA Box Binding Protein, i.e. it's a transcription factor that specifically binds to the TATA DNA sequence *TATA box is the name of the core promoter sequence in the promoter region of eukaryotic & prokaryotic genes. In eukaryotes, this core promoter sequence is usually located about 25bp upstream of the transcription start site (TSS), but in prokaryotes, it's about 10bp upstream).

Studying really does pay off, you know!

Anyway, my physics midterm is on Monday at 9am (I hope I wake up and don't miss it!), but I'm going home this weekend because I won't be able to go home next weekend.

Next weekend, I'll be at a fundraiser for Run/Walk. Cool stuff! If you haven't donated yet, please do so. It's for a good cause. And if you don't want to donate to my page because you don't like me for some reason *lol j/k*, then donate on the main page! I've raised over $400 so far (but it's not all reflected on my page because a few of the donations went to the main page/a few other donations haven't been included). Alright, I didn't mention the fact that I've raised over $400 to brag. I brought it up because everyone on the committee was asked to raise at least $250, but many haven't made much of an effort to raise even just a little bit. But it's possible to raise even just a little bit. If I can do it, you can too! :)

I turned in my hospital badge today. Bye bye 12-14 week rotations and the lovely children at Mattel. I'll certainly miss my time there. It certainly has been an experience! But, I'm moving on to explore other interests. I've been looking into doing some research, but not for spring quarter. I have to clear enough room on my plate before I commit to something else. I don't want anything to suffer :) So, by the looks of it, I might start either this summer or fall.

Also, I'm making a commitment to change my erratic sleep times. I have to because little sleep & mucho stress are unhealthy. :)

The other day, my professor did a demo at the start of class -- it was just one of many awesome ones! :D :D I took a few pictures :-p These pictures were taken before the TA used the sledge hammer. After he used it, I was too psyched and completely forgot to take a picture. :-p

The professor (Coroniti, who is an awesome professor, btw *I highly recommend taking his classes*) is on a bed of nails with a wooden board over him. A cinder block is on top of him. The TA had a sledge hammer and hit the block full force. The demos are pretty interesting, so, too bad for those who skip the physics lectures :-p

The following pictures are of a few of the UCLA medical plaza buildings adjacent to the main hospital building. The pictures in the daylight were taken on my way to the 200 med plaza building before my shift to sign into the computer. The night shot was taken on my way there again after my shift to sign out. In the 4th picture, you can see part of the main hospital on the left side of the picture, behind the building that takes up most of the picture.

Speaking of the medical plaza, as I was walking today from Dodd onto Hilgard, an elderly couple in a car stopped me and asked me for directions to 100 Medical Plaza. The woman was very eager for directions, whereas her husband looked as though he didn't want to stop and ask (*sigh* typical guy response, right?) Lol. Anyway, I looked at the sheet of paper they had, and the directions were for the old hospital (which is right across the street from the new one). Luckily, I'm quite familiar with the medical plaza area and I was able to give them clear, proper directions. I remember when I first moved here and someone in a car stopped me as I was walking and asked me for directions to a parking structure near Pauley Pavilion. I thought I gave them the right directions, only to find out later that the directions were wrong and misleading. *sigh*

Anyway, have a good weekend, folks!

Dear LS

2009-02-16T00:59:00.000-08:00

Dear LS,

Sometimes, this is what you do to me. Thanks. :)

2nd round of Midterms

2009-02-10T01:23:00.000-08:00

It seems like my posts will be on hiatus again for about 3 weeks. I have a midterm this week, next week, and the week after that, i.e. 3 weeks in a row. And then two weeks after it all, I'll have finals.

But, more than likely, you will get lucky and I'll post something up within the next 3 weeks because I will be either be too tired to keep studying, or because I will give in to the sometimes very compelling bouts of desire to write that randomly welcome themselves at the most inconvenient times. :)

*Just a note of warning: In the next 3 weeks, I might seem out of place, and perhaps a little bit out of this world, or staring off into space. It's because of the studying. Yes, indeed. But, only short spells of it will occur at any given time, if any at all. ^_^

By the way, my last rotation at the hospital just ended. I decided to stop so as to make a little bit of room for other activities of interest, like research. Quite exciting.
At that time, I will be able to share my research stories with you all.

This week, I'll send in my completion form and I must return my hospital ID to the security desk where it will perhaps be confiscated. ^_^

Good luck with all your midterms!

And one last note, for this week's lab (in a few hours!), I'll get to isolate my own DNA and prepare my DNA sample for PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction, i.e. my DNA will be used as a template to amplify a piece of my DNA by in vitro replication). I'll also learn how to design primers for PCR.
So interesting!

Bay Area weekend

2009-02-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

The weekend up north was much more awesome than I had expected. In fact, I'm still amazed, and I had a great time, all thanks to a few awesome people! And by the way, M (K's roommate) and J & her mom were very kind to use their cars for us. Thanks!

It was a fulfilling, educational, and excitement-filled weekend. But, truth be told, despite that the conference was fun, very helpful, eye-opening, and allowed plenty of interaction with doctors, medical students, and adcoms, the trip wouldn't have been truly fulfilling or exciting had I not been with K & F. It's interesting that doing something (simple or exciting or anything in between) can be so enjoyable with family and friends, but it wouldn't mean as much or be as valuable if it was with just people you are acquainted with.

Friday when I arrived, K met me at the Berkeley BART station on Shattuck. Everything was nicely ready for me at her apartment, given the limitations on the things I could bring on flights. <3 <3 I also got to see the financial district, pretty lights and tall buildings with cool structures, a fountain (which I forgot the name of), and the bay water. I also got to see the buses connected to wires that were above traffic. The buses are powered by electricity!! Very cool. Los Angeles needs better public transportation. And yes, I rode on the BART for the first time, and it's very very convenient.

Stanford had very many trees and plenty of green, but it was all too serene, almost like a desolate feeling. The conference itself was informative and helpful! AND I got to see the medical school there. Not only that, but stanford doctors & medstudents, and reps & adcoms from a wide array of med schools across the US were there to answer all kinds of questions pertaining to med school. So useful!

The 3 places where I ate that I remember the names of are:
1) Ann's Kitchen on Telegraph Ave.
2) Cheeseboard on Shattuck Ave.
3) Ghiradelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop at Ghiradelli Square
**My friend, F, paid for all that food. Thank you :) :) <3!!
The food was very good :)

On Sunday, I attended the 7:30am mass with F at the Newman Center on Dwight Way at College Ave, after which he gave me a very informative, awesome tour of the Berkeley campus before breakfast. Also, I thought it was nice that taxis were lined up early in the morning on one of streets I saw right off campus. We would've been late to the mass had the taxis not been there. I don't think we have taxis lined up in the early mornings in Westwood. In fact, I've never seen them that way here, and whenever I've had to use a taxi here, I had to call ahead of time.

Oh, and if you haven't noticed yet, I think the bay area has an awesome public transportation system.

I felt a little sad (and almost teary-eyed) as I was on my way to the airport, but that was expected. I always feel a hint of dolefulness each time I leave people I love and care about, just like when I leave my parents and my sister whenever I see them (even though I see them about 1-2 times per month on average). Indeed, I am quite emotional in that way! In fact, I've been told that I will end up being the kind of mother who cries when her little kindergartner goes off to school for the first time.

The trip was a good, educational, wonderful experience, but overall, the thing that I appreciate the most from the trip was the hospitality of my friends. <3 <3 <3

By the way, I forgot to bring my camera, but I got to take pictures with my friends' cameras. Eventually, I'll get the pictures and I'll share some.

:)

2009-02-05T15:43:00.000-08:00

Phil 7

2009-02-04T19:51:00.000-08:00

Almog is beginning to get very annoying, not because of his way of lecturing, but because of who he is and who he portrays

Caprese Sandwiches & Curry

2009-02-03T13:07:00.001-08:00

I really like Covel food. :-p I never thought I'd say this about dining hall food, but Covel food is really good.

After my LS3 discussion today, I was craving chicken curry for lunch, and they serve it at Rendezvous. I checked the Covel menu online, and it turns out they were serving caprese sandwiches (basil pesto, tomato, mozarella). Soo good!

Basically, I was torn between the caprese or the curry. I decided to go with the caprese. Maybe luck is on my side these days. When I got to Covel, it turns out they were serving curry AND caprese sandwiches!

I almost couldn't believe it :-p

Anyway, I had a good lunch :D

**I'd like to learn how to make chicken curry and caprese sandwiches, so this summer, I will continue to hone my culinary skills with much experimenting. :)

"I only remember you when I'm in need."

2009-02-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

When I wrote this post last week, I suppose I was still a little bit dazed about the entire experience because I left out a lot of details. One of the most important details that I left out was how I woke up to begin with! My sister woke me up. :D :D It's kind of interesting, though, because it was through her observant nature that prompted her to give me a call. Usually when she and I have tests, we text each other in the morning to wish the other person good luck, and we would respond with a thank you. That morning, she texted me, but I didn't respond. She immediately knew that something was out of place, which is why she gave me a call. :D :D Thanks, Lay :D :D <3

***********************************
Fr. Rick's sermon this morning was very nice. Here's today's Gospel. Fr. Rick emphasized the power of the Lord, how even Evil us subject to His commands. That being said, why do we become so anxious, afraid, depressed...? Fr. Rick pointed out devastating effects that the economic crisis is having on many people. One man shot his family and himself because of it. But the point is to not despair, because He will be with us until the end of time. Reach out to Him, and He will take your hand with a firm grip, and He will help you through. Yes, a grip; a firm, steadfast grip. But the only thing that keeps us from Him is our own unwillingness to accept Him (and then keep Him) in our lives.

Several people have come to me with their problems, and I listen. The best I can do for them is to remind them of God's love, and how it is a necessary element in our lives and in our households. They admit they need God's love, and that they want to change their ways and to embrace their Catholic faith. That makes me happy, but when life is more bearable the following week, and the week after, God is forgotten. But it shouldn't be that way. We remember Him only when we need Him, or something wonderful happens to us. But we fail to realize that we need Him always, and He continually blesses us.

The other night, someone gave me the excuse that they have a test. Others have told me that they feel tired. Tired? A test? So what? Are you afraid to walk back home after the 9pm mass? Why not call the CSO or call a taxi? We shun God away when we actually need Him. Don't you think it took a lot of strength and humility to not fall to temptation when Jesus was in the desert? Don't you think Jesus was very tired as He carried His cross and fell 3 times, having been beaten and spit on? Our sleepless nights and diligent studying are nothing.
****

On a few notes of randomness, this weekend was nice, but my sister didn't get to come home. She'll go home next week.

I bought a pair of shoes and a pair of flip flops. Take a look!

Remember the initial hair cut I got? I had it cut again this weekend to fix up the back a little bit. :D

This morning, I also bought a pair of toe socks. I brought them with me ^_^ Note: They actually make my feet and toes bigger than their actual size :-p lol. No wonder they're so warm.

And this is what I ate just a few minutes ago. Yumm! I never knew Chef Boyardee tasted quite good! PLUS the container says it's a good source of protein :-p

My sister notified us today that her goldfish died. After having it for one week, for some reason it died. Not sure how. RIP, goldfish.

Midterm results

2009-01-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

After a semi-long week of midterms, I think I'll just relax for the weekend (except for some physics problems that I want to work on over the weekend).

I'm going home today, in about 1.5hrs. :D "Why?" you ask? I won't be able to go home next weekend. And after next weekend, I've got another round of midterms, then finals will be quickly approaching.

LS3 midterms seem to take a while to grade, but I got my physics midterm back today. I ought to be counting my blessings because it's not very often that professors allow a missed test to be taken. I would have gotten a zero on the first midterm. But, I was able to take it, and I managed to pull off a good grade. The average was a b/b- 63 (the test was kind of difficult, but fair), and I scored a decent plenty number of points above the average. :D :D :D

Last night, I watched an episode on abc.com of that new Homeland Security show. Folks, I've got plenty of comments and some strong opinions about the CBP. I'd write them now, but I must pack.

Next week, I will go into more detail. :D

Ciao.

I missed the test

2009-01-28T12:45:00.000-08:00

Dear readers,

This sort of thing is something that has never happened to me. My physics midterm was this morning, and I overslept, waking up at 9:45AM. Needless to say, the test was already over.

Despite setting up several precautions before having fallen asleep to make sure I would wake up, I still overslept. Last night, I told myself I would not sleep because I was sure I wouldn't be able to wake up. I should have listened to myself, but the need for sleep was just too strong.

So I figured that if I had to sleep, I better set 3 alarms clocks (which all rang within 5 minutes of each other). And, as an added precaution, my friend arranged to call me at 7am to wake me up.

For some reason, I managed to turn off all my alarm clocks this morning. I do remember my friend calling me at 7am -- but shortly thereafter, I fell back into unconsciousness.

When I woke up, I quickly came to the realization that I, indeed, had missed the test. Lots of things began to run through my mind.
-Should I quickly get dressed and go to the test room even though the test was already over?
-Should I drop the class and enroll in some other class that hasn't had a midterm yet (which would mean filling out some kind of Late StudyList petition)?
-Should I just forget about it and maybe I can still pull off an A- in the class without having taken midterm1 (yea right... no midterm=no A)?
-Which class should I enroll in if I drop the physics class?
-Should I email the professor and ask if it's still possible to get at least an A- in the class without the midterm? Should I ask him if I can take the test still?

After the short rush of adrenaline and panic, I calmed down and came to my senses. I should email the professor, ask him if I can take the test today during his office hours, and if not, whether I can still get a decent grade in the class or not without having taken the midterm.

The professor emailed me back within 10 minutes, and allowed me to take the test today. *HUGE sigh of relief.* I really got lucky this time because many professors don't allow this.

Several people have already asked me what I told him to persuade him to let me take the test.
--Did you tell him you got hurt?
--Did you give a good excuse for sleeping in?
--Did you tell him you forgot?

Truth be told, I gave no excuse. I didn't tell him I forgot. The first two lines of my email went exactly like this:

"Dear Professor,

I missed midterm 1 because I overslept."

So, lesson learned: Don't oversleep. OR don't sleep at all (which probably isn't good for you)
:-p because it's UNCOMMON for professors to let you take a missed test.

Last night, I should have just gone to bed early because I already knew the test material very well. But, I was afraid that if I went to sleep, I wouldn't wake up because I was very tired from the night and day before (for my LS3 midterm). *sigh*

Lights out

2009-01-26T23:38:00.000-08:00

Context: Our LS3 midterm is tomorrow, and everyone is studying for it diligently. *A* calls me around 11:30pm.

*My phone rings*

Me: Hello?

A: Hey, the lights on my street went out and I'm screwed
--"Screw" here is used to mean: (1): to mistreat or exploit through extortion, trickery, or unfair actions ; especially : to deprive of or cheat out of something due or expected (2): to treat so as to bring about injury or loss -- Mirriam-Webster dictionary

Me: *laughing because I thought she said "I screamed"* That happens to me all the time!

A: *In a serious tone* What happens to you all the time?

Me: What you just said. *laughing* Whenever the lights go out, I scream.

A: No, I said I'm screwed. Scream? That's just you. *laughing*

Me: Ohhh. *laughing unknowingly at the joking insult*

A: *laughing*

Me: So? What do you want?

A: I have nothing here. Can you check what time the library closes tonight?

Me: K.

*I hang up.*

By the way, Night Powell closes at 7:30am. The library closes at 11pm, and after 11pm, the library is called "Night Powell" because a Bruin Card is required to enter. Just fyi.

You want this.

2009-01-25T12:32:00.000-08:00

I just arrived from a physics review session. It wasn't very helpful for me (even though my professor is pretty good and funny), but I suppose that's a good sign. I'm sure I've practiced the concepts enough (or quite minimally actually) to be fairly confident for the test. I haven't felt so at ease like this before taking a science class exam since.... high school. :D :D :D

I don't feel like studying much for now simply because I stayed up until 7:30 this morning trying to understand the material for my ls3 midterm. My night also involved plenty of memorizing amino acids and which ones go with which codons. Surprisingly, I was able to wake up at 9:30ish and go to the physics review. :D

There is one new tool I have implemented this quarter that has made studying so much easier for me. "What is it?" you ask? :-p

It's this: Bic America Retractable Ballpoint Pen -- Multicolor, Blue Barrel

It makes it easier for me to draw clear diagrams and keep my notes organized.

You want it. Trust me.

:-p

**By the way, it has 4 colors: black, red, green, blue. :D

For what it's worth...

2009-01-25T00:22:00.001-08:00

...

1) I dislike guns and I'm disgusted at people who shoot them
2) I dislike profanity and I'm disgusted at people who use them so casually
3) I enjoy tutoring physics because it's beneficial for me and others
4) I enjoy letting ice melt in my mouth and chewing on it
5) I'm beginning to understand in more detail how genes are transcribed into RNA, then translated into proteins
6) I need to stop saying "oh my gosh" so often.... It's annoying, but habits are so difficult to break.

**This post was made on a whim. I had a sudden craving to type something random after having been studying for hours on end.

:)
:)

A right wing conservative?

2009-01-23T16:20:00.000-08:00

So I took this quiz. I'm not surprised about the result. According to the quiz, I'm a conservative, and I do agree that I tend to be quite conservative in my views. :)

But despite my obvious agreement with Republican values such as anti-gay marriage and anti-abortion, sometimes I cannot help but laugh at the contradiction there is in the usual Republican platform.

**Pro-life**
How is it that someone who claims to be pro-life concerning abortion be pro-capital punishment? Life is life, isn't it? It's absolutely ridiculous to claim to be morally sound by voicing a pro-life stance while supporting capital punishment.

**Gun ownership**
In this sense, I'm not very "Republican." Many Republicans reference the 2nd Amendment in support of gun ownership: The right to bear and keep arms. I'm not sure if they're just being a bit too ignorant by not taking into account the needs of the people back in the time of the Revolution, or if they just try to shy away from what the 2nd Amendment was actually meant for. During the time of the Revolution, the people actually had a reason to bear arms-- for the militia to be up and ready to go. But do we really need that today? No. In fact, having a gun in a home is quite dangerous. Strict gun control is necessary. It's ironic that many Republicans seem to hold Christian values. Perhaps using a gun for self-defense is a good enough reason for them to shoot someone, but who needs a gun when you've got God by your side?

**Privatizing social security**
The idea of privatizing social security seems fine and dandy if everyone could afford it, but there are so many people in this country who wouldn't be able to. Because so many people now cannot afford it, they would end up on the streets in their older years if social security were to be privatized. Privatizing social security, however, would work if it was implemented in a certain way: i.e. older people now can stick to the current system, and the new generation can start afresh with privatized social security. This way, the older generation that cannot start anew aren't left out.

**School vouchers**
School vouchers are an insanely stupid idea. These school vouchers would mainly be used to send kids off to private schools -- this is usually the case. The fact that Republicans advocate for school vouchers implies that they believe there is something wrong with the public schools. Instead of vouchers, why can't we all work to rebuild public education instead of shying away from the problem? Apparently, those in favor of school vouchers to send their kids off to private schools are definitely alright with leaving the public schools to rot in downtown LA rather than doing something to fix the problem. School vouchers are the easy way out. But, public schools cannot be left behind. There ought to be more competition in public schools, more dedicated faculty, and parents who ingrain the importance of education into their children. I think that nowadays, we have too many parents who aren't fit to be parents -- they're too young, or too irresponsible, too busy, or simply too immature and liberal minded. I suppose rebuilding public education starts with parents raising their children right, but many of these parents can't when they're always working double jobs and aren't home enough for their kids.

**Repealing tax cuts for the wealthy**
Let's face it. The government needs money collected from taxes, and for some people, it's easier to give away a percentage of their income than it is for others. It's easier for me to give away $1000 if I have $10,000, than it is for me to give away $10 if I only have $100. Too many people in this country are not able to live comfortably with their wages, but if this country works towards reforming run-down communities and public schools, more kids would get a decent education and decent jobs, and eventually more and more people will be paying taxes in equal percentages (this obviously isn't going to happen over night, but rather, years). It's nice to have money because it makes life a little easier, but is $100K a year really necessary? As a Catholic, shouldn't I rather be fine with giving some of that money away to help my neighbor who needs a little boost to get on his feet? If giving this money to the government through taxes is a means for me to help my neighbor, then so be it. Contributing to the welfare program is a way for my money reach out to people farther away from me. Of course, welfare would create dependence for some -- but for the most part, many parents out there want something better for their kids. Many parents out there would not want their children to live on welfare, which in itself, isn't much to begin with. I understand that welfare is abused, but I'm the kind of person who usually gives underdogs the benefit of the doubt.
--How about private charities, you ask? That's certainly another option. I'd be okay with giving my money away both to private charities and a national welfare program. That might mean less money for me, but like I said, who needs $100k per year? or $90K? or $80K? or even $70K? Let's not be so greedy, folks. :)

**Immigration**
The Church supports helping undocumented immigrants. It's the right thing to do. And that's that. :)

**Minimum wage**
I'm not too sure about the Republican view for minimum wages, but anyway, here's my take on it. Currently, the federal minimum wage is $6.55 and in July 2009, it will be $7.25. It's ridiculous. Given a person works 40hrs/week at $7.25 per hour. That's $290/week, $1160/month. That's not even enough to pay for rent, food, utilities, insurance, and expenses that may come with raising a family, let alone a mortgage payment if the person wanted to buy a home. The person would have to work another job. Having no federal minimum wage would make matters worse. It opens more doors for cheap labor -- something that corporations and big companies would love because, as you know, it's all about the money, right? If most businesses, corporations, and companies weren't so greedy and weren't looking for every opportunity to make money and cut down on costs, perhaps not having a minimum wage would work out. But, because we're only human, and because greed and money easily tempt and lure humans, there has to be a minimum wage. How to pay for it? Cut down on unnecessary costs, even if it means less income for businesses and corporations.

************************

Hmmm.... I've never told any people I've met here who I voted for in the election, but most were right to assume that I voted based on conservative values.

Anyway, that's my little spiel for the day. My views all point back to morality. I believe social morality is as important as pro-life and preserving marriage for a man and a woman.

Mm hmm. ^_^

2009-01-20T20:16:00.001-08:00

Random post II

2009-01-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

So I hope you all had a good weekend. I sure did! I had plenty of fun with my family. :D :D Also, I had a hair cut today too. It's short again. The last time I had cut my hair was about 5 months ago. There was a new hair cutter lady at the place back home where I usually get my hair cut. The other hair cutters were working on clients and I could have waited, but this new lady was standing there, staring at me, and I felt bad when I was asked whether I would wait for the person who cut my hair last time or if I wanted the vacant lady to do it, so I let the new lady do it. I figured she has bills to pay and the worst that can happen to me is a really bad hair cut. Anyway, I'll let the other person who has more experience fix it when I go back in 2 weeks. :)

Who's excited about watching the inauguration? No matter what your political views are or whether you hate/dislike/disagree with the president (elect) or not, the presidency ought to be respected, ya know. It's certainly quite exciting that the inauguration is tomorrow and the significance of it.

I'd keep writing but I've got a long day tomorrow and I think I need some rest. Lately, I've been feeling light headed and dizzy. It just comes out of no where and I can't get much done. It's happened several times over the weekend and today -- thank goodness it didn't come about while I was driving. The only way for me to get rid of it is to rest my head down (but then it comes back...?). Even when I'm sitting, it comes out of nowhere. I wonder what is causing it. Hmm.....

By the way, I've been looking around for ONE pair of earrings that I can wear everyday... earrings that will compliment usually obscure colors, semi-casual, and totally casual clothing, but I haven't found a pair yet that is as versatile as I'd like it to be. And so, my scouting continues during my downtime.

Hush little baby. + Scammers

2009-01-15T21:48:00.000-08:00

Do you remember this little boy who stopped me on my first day in the peds unit and called me over to him to stay with him two months ago? I bonded with him. He came to know my name, and at times he even called the front desk from his room to ask the secretary where I was because he wanted to see me. He was only like 6 or 7 years old if I remember correctly. Everybody in the unit cared for him deeply, and when he was taken back to PICU, staff from our unit would even go to visit him. He was getting better, but something happened. After multi organ failures, multi organ transplants, and a few more organ failures, he passed away....

When I think about it, one of the things that comforts me about his passing is that he was in an environment that was so patient with him, full of care, love, and attention for him no matter how busy the unit was. Also, God loves these innocent children. :)

On a lighter note, part of my shift today, I cared for an 13 month old. :)

At one point, I had to "brush" the baby's teeth. And it was a bit painful (for me), but I'm getting the hang of it. It was painful because the baby cried like there was no tomorrow. It made me laugh a little bit because the screaming was out of proportion for a simple procedure like "brushing" teeth!

So, I sat the baby up in his crib like this baby below. He was laughing and giggling, trying to reach for my necklace, but his screams began when he saw the little spongy tooth brush. It made me laugh because the baby was crying like in the picture, wide open mouth and everything. His screaming sort of made the process easier because his mouth was wide enough for me to stick the spongy brush in. He took the brush from my hand and tried to bite it and break it apart without success. Cute baby. Plus, he sat wonderfully still, which also facilitated the process. :)

After the toothbrushing, I took him to the comfy couch next to the window so that he didn't have to be in his crib the entire time. It was a bit funny because he cannot stand up on his own. He can pull himself up, but he can't stay up.
This is what a peds room at the hospital looks like. The bed can be replaced by different sized cribs depending on the size of the patient.

Another funny thing is that I held him up to face the cartoon on tv, and he loved it. But, several times when he sat on the sofa, he pulled himself up using the back of the sofa for grip, and so he ended up looking out the window. He ALWAYS cried when he looked out the window. No joke. All I had to do was turn him towards me or some other way so he didn't face the window, and he stopped.
Overall, he was a feisty, and funny little one. As I sat on the sofa next to him, he would "climb" towards me and try to bite my necklace. As I kept him away from my necklace, he laughed hysterically, showing his little undeveloped teeth and making his chubby cheeks more prominent.
I also got to play the peek a boo game with him for a few moments, which was really funny because he laughed whenever I said peek a boo and covered my eyes. Babies are so facinating!

**************************************

I almost fell victim to criminals/scammers. I got an inquiry through facebook -- someone wanted to buy the clicker I had put up for sale through the social networking site. I wanted to make sure it would be okay, so I googled her name, and a link came up that associated the buyer with Santa Monica College, so I figured it was a legit offer.

As e-mails were exchanged (during which I gave my home address and my school address because it was arranged she would give a certified check), I began to be more suspicious. I began to feel uneasy when she said hired shippers would pick up the clicker from my home. So, I used google, and realized it was a scam.

At that point, it was around 3am last night, and a sudden rush of fear came over me because I had just given out my home address. All kinds of questions and scenarios began to run through my head. I wasn't sure what to make of the situation so I expressed my worries to my friend, who happened to have already been asleep (of course, it was 3am) and was sick. He was kind enough to get up and listen to my issues, and I appreciate it. He brought rational thinking into the situation, which was certainly very comforting. The scammer probably had thousands of other replies and was probably abroad anyway, so s/he wouldn't go through all that trouble to do anything rash to someone so far away for nothing.

Lesson: Beware of scammers and criminals! It's good to question and to investigate fishy and doubtful situations.

2009-01-12T20:51:00.002-08:00

Just like almost every morning when I wake up, the first thing I immediately see

Green

2009-01-12T20:51:00.001-08:00

As with almost every morning when I wake up, this morning I caught a glimpse of the lamp on my desk with a nice jade-colored shade. But for the first time since I have been in LA, I saw a little green-ish colored light on part of the edge of my bed post: a ray of sunshine reflected off of the shade onto the bedpost.

After my roommate left, I got up and continued to look at the reflected green light, and my eyes traced the source of light to the window, half covered with the curtain, which in itself was brightly illuminated from the morning sun. I stood at the window for a few moments and looked outside at the trees, the sky, a few clouds, (and a big construction crane farther out in the distance), thinking about the world in general, how complex it is, and the Master behind this creation. I said "Good morning, dear Lord" as I began to smile.

Getting ready in the morning, I thought about what I was going to do today: Go to class, print out some RW handouts, study a bit, try to find a library I've never been to before. But there was something missing.... How would I live as God's servant today?

Fr. Ivan's homily after the Gospel this past Sunday addressed that question. Often, many of us forget about our roles as servants of God, and we only remember Him when emergencies or times of need come about. Fr. Ivan stressed that it's best to be humble, to always remember that we need Him, and to live as Christians all the days of our lives -- not simply when disaster strikes.

The color green (Hope=Christ) that I see every morning is a very good reminder for me. The fact that it's the first thing I see in the mornings reminds me of my role, my duties, and it's certainly a good start to my days, whether sunshine hits the green shade, or whether dark gray clouds dominate outside. *sigh*
:)

Last night, I...

2009-01-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

...did some physics h/w. People who know me know that I've expressed my dislike for physics many times -- even the very simple parts of it. But, I think I'm in denial. Doing it is fun. I know that I'm still in my early stages of my 6a class, but I was looking through some 6b and 6c material last night, and it was very fascinating -- fascinating enough that I couldn't believe I was looking forward to taking 6b and 6c. Yea. Weird.

My roommate and both of my suite mates are gone for the weekend, so I'm quite alone, and it was a tad bit creepy last night because I read some "scary" fiction. I need to remind myself to never do that again. Today, my company has been music.

I'm still sick, so I didn't go to my hospital shift this morning. I'm confident that I will be much better by Thursday, my next shift. Aye, I already miss being in the unit.

I've been looking into taking the MCAT this coming late summer, i.e. September. That would mean studying for the MCAT around late spring/early summer. That would perhaps be a better option than studying for it during the regular school year. Consequently, I did some research on my MCAT prep options. Home study? Classroom courses? TBR seems to be a really really really good and convenient choice, especially because the classes are in the afternoons, and they offer courses right here in Westwood. I think the classes are held somewhere around Bradley hall, which is just about 5 minutes' walk away! Plus, the faculty and the program itself have awesome reviews. Kind of exciting....

Not sure what else to do today except to study for my molecular bio class. The first week alone gave so much info that has to be understood and memorized. I cannot believe my professor is requiring us to memorize the amino acids and their structures.... Maybe it's just me. In class, when he announced we have to know them all, he admitted that even he doesn't know them all off the top of his head. So... why is he making us do it? Because he had to do it back when he was in college. I think many molecular bio classes require this as though it's essential for some kind of right of passage into future related courses. I suppose making an effort to know them now will help in the future in some way or another. The good part is that a set of nice note cards that my sister gave to me last year will finally be put to use! :D

There's not much studying to do for my philosophy 7 class right now. We don't have a book. In fact, all I do in class is take minimal notes and listen. :) Actually, last night, it took me about an hour to get to sleep once I got in bed, not because I couldn't sleep, but because I was "philosophizing." I was thinking about the Nature of Man, the connection between mind/soul and body, the assumptions that must be made when debating whether a dead person is still the same person as when (s)he was alive, etc... and I tried to craft an argument that there is something more to a person than just a body. I had to force myself to go to sleep. x_x

Caught the Cold

2009-01-08T17:22:00.000-08:00

So....

I have a pretty bad cold.

At certain times of the day, I can barely talk because my throat has been so soar. Makes me sound weird ^_^

Having just one class today (despite that it was 2 hours of nonsensical, incredibly unstructured lecturing... or so they say) was very good because I had time to go to the office, do some RW stuff, then get back here by 12pm.

Before I left this morning, I couldn't find my new favorite black hooded sweatshirt. It turns out that I left it at the meeting yesterday, so I had to go and hunt it down after lunch. Luckily, it was placed neatly on a table in the corner of the room where I had left it. :)

I called in sick today and I did not go to the hospital. The environment I work in is full of immunosuppressed children, and something so little to us (even the mildest cold) can be devastating to them.

And because being sick involves a few pretty bad headaches here and there, I took an afternoon nap. Let me just say that I had quite a negative dream. I dreamt that I scored a 26 on the MCAT. I know. Horrible! Aye.....

I've recently considered taking the MCAT at the end of this coming summer, simply because it will be very difficult to prepare for it during the school year, and do well on it while trying to ace all my upper divs. I'm not too sure yet though... We'll see how it goes. :)

By the way, it's been confirmed. I plan to go to SF on Feb. 6th! I bought my tickets a few days ago, so that's all set.

Until next time!