So as all but one person knows, I ended up going home Tuesday night for my uncle's funeral. I have only know him for 7 years but it was quite drastic to receive the call from my parents that he had passed away of cancer and its hideous complications. The funeral was on yesterday. I thought that I would not shed a tear because I didnt know him all that well but I found myself caught up in the moment when they finally began to wheel the body out of the church and as the funeral home played the final card "The Last Look" I like to call it, I found myself only able to glance at his soulless body one more time before I had to rush outside and take a few minutes to possibly relive and remember every moment I had with him or at least remember him. Ultimately this makes perhaps the 4th funeral of someone family related that I have had to attend in my oh so short lifetime (1st was my Great Grandfather, 2nd was my Mother, 3rd was an extremely close extended family member, 4th, was Uncle). It leaves me wondering that I should really spend more time with people for we never know when they could go away.
t
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Now playing: Bill Withers - Lovely Day
via FoxyTunes
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Back In Action
Well the Summer has started and research has had to be done. Simply put on Monday (after taking part as Parade Official at Portsmouth's 124th Memorial Day parade for the Youth Advisory Commission) I packed and came to VCU quickly.
Tuesday began with the introduction of other people and the taking part in a luncheon to meet others and get acquainted with the other participants in the Honors Undergraduate Summer Research Program. It was quite interesting to find out about the many Art program participants. It was an interesting event. Immediately after it finished I quickly ran off to the Welcome Center to turn in my employment papers to be a Student Ambassadors (we get paid like 8 dollars for the tours over the summer :) ). I had to go to the Harris Hall to see the new Office of Undergraduate Admissions. After that finished I went off with one of my friends, Haris, to eat lunch at Qdoba then we met with Adeeb, and then went to their apartment.
Wednesday began with the arrival at my lab at around 1:30PM. In the morning, I spent time unpacking my room and watching the price is right. It was quite interesting seeing the show with Drew Carrey and remembering all of the sound effects from the show, I cant believe that I remembered them all. I also met with all of my roommates people. I feel a bit bad because I can not remember their names for I can not remember their names at all. During the research session I was able to get caught up on lab happenings. There are several projects going on in the lab such as a proposal for research and malaria, there is also another malaria project, another cell transporter exploration, and furthermore even more other research on schizophrenia. The only other extensive part that was covered was a bit if reading research proposals, seeing several different biology professors, and reading a proposal for a masters degree program. All in all it was an interesting day that allowed me to see the various things that can be done in a lab apart from on hands research.
Thursday involved more of the lab research. However, it started off with me plunging through a detailed paper on vesicular monoamine transporter 1 in humans that could be linked towards causing schizophrenia. The paper was only six pages but it took me about 2 hours to read through and interpret. In the meantime several professors kept coming buy to put the finishing touches on the proposal and get it sent and submitted. Needless to say, Dr. Stewart came in immediately and we went through and played around with the BLAST (NCBI) and other Geneview programs on the site in an effort to discover just where these point mutations that the paper sited occurred. It was an interesting process for we were able to collaborate with other professors in the school and get a few issues worked out on. The final thing that we now need to do is to discover the knockout regions for replicating and recombinating the piece of DNA that we believe is related to a certain part of the original gene.
Lab research has been quite interesting, I am still getting used to all of the techniques and such.
----------------
Now playing: The Cheetah Girls - Fuego
via FoxyTunes
Tuesday began with the introduction of other people and the taking part in a luncheon to meet others and get acquainted with the other participants in the Honors Undergraduate Summer Research Program. It was quite interesting to find out about the many Art program participants. It was an interesting event. Immediately after it finished I quickly ran off to the Welcome Center to turn in my employment papers to be a Student Ambassadors (we get paid like 8 dollars for the tours over the summer :) ). I had to go to the Harris Hall to see the new Office of Undergraduate Admissions. After that finished I went off with one of my friends, Haris, to eat lunch at Qdoba then we met with Adeeb, and then went to their apartment.
Wednesday began with the arrival at my lab at around 1:30PM. In the morning, I spent time unpacking my room and watching the price is right. It was quite interesting seeing the show with Drew Carrey and remembering all of the sound effects from the show, I cant believe that I remembered them all. I also met with all of my roommates people. I feel a bit bad because I can not remember their names for I can not remember their names at all. During the research session I was able to get caught up on lab happenings. There are several projects going on in the lab such as a proposal for research and malaria, there is also another malaria project, another cell transporter exploration, and furthermore even more other research on schizophrenia. The only other extensive part that was covered was a bit if reading research proposals, seeing several different biology professors, and reading a proposal for a masters degree program. All in all it was an interesting day that allowed me to see the various things that can be done in a lab apart from on hands research.
Thursday involved more of the lab research. However, it started off with me plunging through a detailed paper on vesicular monoamine transporter 1 in humans that could be linked towards causing schizophrenia. The paper was only six pages but it took me about 2 hours to read through and interpret. In the meantime several professors kept coming buy to put the finishing touches on the proposal and get it sent and submitted. Needless to say, Dr. Stewart came in immediately and we went through and played around with the BLAST (NCBI) and other Geneview programs on the site in an effort to discover just where these point mutations that the paper sited occurred. It was an interesting process for we were able to collaborate with other professors in the school and get a few issues worked out on. The final thing that we now need to do is to discover the knockout regions for replicating and recombinating the piece of DNA that we believe is related to a certain part of the original gene.
Lab research has been quite interesting, I am still getting used to all of the techniques and such.
----------------
Now playing: The Cheetah Girls - Fuego
via FoxyTunes
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Near the End: Round-Up 2
Do not fear for I have not forgotten. Alright so just about everything with last semester has finally come and gone. I believe that this one was going to be about grades. As we know we had a period this year in which we were going to put our feet in the water in an effort to be quite closed about things close to home and with grades. Needless to say, I found this quite pointless and worthless. Although grades are not meant to be competitive (too bad programs are quite competitive and will uphold stiff GPA requirements for applicants), in the normal and personal life, I do not see why we need to maintain an element of concealment. Not to attack those that do, but I just find it a waste of the limited amount of life energy that we have been given, you know? Probably not.
At the end of last semester I was at an 3.83 GPA. At the end of this semester I am now at a 3.759. It is shocked to know that even though people make above average grades that the GPA still lowers as punishment. It is a difficult thing to explain when you tell people that you have a 3 point something on the 4 point oh grading scale for anything below a 4.0 is looked upon as bad. Just think about it, an A is a 4.0 but a B is a 3.0. Once one gets their first B there is no way to get back to 4.0. Sure you can get a 3.9 but that is with extreme diligence and effort.
But in my case, with 11 credits, I earned an A in Chinese, an A in Introductory Chemistry Laboratory 2, a B in Bioinformatics, and a B in Organic Chemistry 1. Next semester I aim to get an A in all of my five classes, but most likely that will not be the case. For next semester I am taking Organic Chemistry 2, Introduction to Computer Programming (Java), Applications of Statistics, Math Structures, and Physics. This comes to a total of 18 credits, which is quite a bunch to take. I hope to be able to manage all of these classes and score A's. With all but one worth 3 credits, a B will really hurt.
That is just about it for grades, the next one will probably deal with people and activities, and the last one will deal with the future plans, or as we called it in Bioinformatics, "Coming Attractions."
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Now playing: Shinji Hosoe - Monolith
via FoxyTunes
At the end of last semester I was at an 3.83 GPA. At the end of this semester I am now at a 3.759. It is shocked to know that even though people make above average grades that the GPA still lowers as punishment. It is a difficult thing to explain when you tell people that you have a 3 point something on the 4 point oh grading scale for anything below a 4.0 is looked upon as bad. Just think about it, an A is a 4.0 but a B is a 3.0. Once one gets their first B there is no way to get back to 4.0. Sure you can get a 3.9 but that is with extreme diligence and effort.
But in my case, with 11 credits, I earned an A in Chinese, an A in Introductory Chemistry Laboratory 2, a B in Bioinformatics, and a B in Organic Chemistry 1. Next semester I aim to get an A in all of my five classes, but most likely that will not be the case. For next semester I am taking Organic Chemistry 2, Introduction to Computer Programming (Java), Applications of Statistics, Math Structures, and Physics. This comes to a total of 18 credits, which is quite a bunch to take. I hope to be able to manage all of these classes and score A's. With all but one worth 3 credits, a B will really hurt.
That is just about it for grades, the next one will probably deal with people and activities, and the last one will deal with the future plans, or as we called it in Bioinformatics, "Coming Attractions."
----------------
Now playing: Shinji Hosoe - Monolith
via FoxyTunes
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Near the End: Round-Up 1
Since my last post there have been quite a few and remarkable changes to happen. These have ranged from poor to exciting. All in all, the end of the semester proved to be quite a challenge and it was attacked head on.
School ended in a fashion that made it seem quite interesting. In Organic Chemistry it seemed like the professor hiked the difficulty up to an unreachable level. Thanks to his altered grading scale though, I must admit that it did make it a bit more bearable. I just do not know anymore. I think that me and chemistry just do not get along. I can do the laboratory assignments and mixing chemicals well; its funny really, I can even ignore the exact instructions and just guesstimate in my pouring of chemicals and still get, if not more, the same results. Who knows, I am not majoring in Chemistry so it really does not matter. I wanted to get a Chemistry Minor but this is becoming a bit more difficult then my own Bioinformatics degree.
Bioinformatics is another class that seemed to throw all its knives at me in one swipe. The work became quite intense with the Final Test 3 and a project, both of which seemed to overlap. Immediately once the test was completed, the project was due. I somehow managed to find a way to study for the Organic Chemistry tests and to do the test and project at the same time. By the time I was done with it, I was nearly about to faint. Needless to say I survived well.
This semester seemed to be more of a challenge of staying determined, keeping a high level of self-esteem, an attack against self-doubt, and the value of hard work and perseverance. Needless to say, I do believe that it will all work out for the better.
There will probably be two more of these created to highlight several things that have happened in the preceding days, which in this case would be the time period of the end of April.
Later days and talk soon.
----------------
Now playing: Will Smith - Just the Two of Us
via FoxyTunes
School ended in a fashion that made it seem quite interesting. In Organic Chemistry it seemed like the professor hiked the difficulty up to an unreachable level. Thanks to his altered grading scale though, I must admit that it did make it a bit more bearable. I just do not know anymore. I think that me and chemistry just do not get along. I can do the laboratory assignments and mixing chemicals well; its funny really, I can even ignore the exact instructions and just guesstimate in my pouring of chemicals and still get, if not more, the same results. Who knows, I am not majoring in Chemistry so it really does not matter. I wanted to get a Chemistry Minor but this is becoming a bit more difficult then my own Bioinformatics degree.
Bioinformatics is another class that seemed to throw all its knives at me in one swipe. The work became quite intense with the Final Test 3 and a project, both of which seemed to overlap. Immediately once the test was completed, the project was due. I somehow managed to find a way to study for the Organic Chemistry tests and to do the test and project at the same time. By the time I was done with it, I was nearly about to faint. Needless to say I survived well.
This semester seemed to be more of a challenge of staying determined, keeping a high level of self-esteem, an attack against self-doubt, and the value of hard work and perseverance. Needless to say, I do believe that it will all work out for the better.
There will probably be two more of these created to highlight several things that have happened in the preceding days, which in this case would be the time period of the end of April.
Later days and talk soon.
----------------
Now playing: Will Smith - Just the Two of Us
via FoxyTunes
Saturday, April 12, 2008
A Week: Ups and Downs
I have discovered this semester that within a weeks time that one's mood can start on an high go through a valley to the lowest depths then rise triumphantly in the end. Unfortunately, this triumphant ending is sadly a misconception for the fear of going through another tumultuous week is always present. It seems to make little to no difference that this can very well happen though when one is in that happy moment.
I wont go into much details but this week has been quite critical. I started out with high hopes for the future on Monday, however by the end of the day I realized that success isn't guaranteed no matter how prepared one can be. Although they can make every effort to study it seems that it all boils down to in the end whether you were correct or incorrect. Regardless, with the help of many people around me throughout the week and a surprising A on my Chinese test, I soon recovered from that critical blow in Organic Chemistry and realized that there is new hope for tomorrow.
Ultimately, coming up in the near future is another attempt to reach the mark and attempt to regain the "phosphorescence of learning" (Emily Dickenson said that in a short story of sorts). I hope that something does turn up in this matter.
I wont go into much details but this week has been quite critical. I started out with high hopes for the future on Monday, however by the end of the day I realized that success isn't guaranteed no matter how prepared one can be. Although they can make every effort to study it seems that it all boils down to in the end whether you were correct or incorrect. Regardless, with the help of many people around me throughout the week and a surprising A on my Chinese test, I soon recovered from that critical blow in Organic Chemistry and realized that there is new hope for tomorrow.
Ultimately, coming up in the near future is another attempt to reach the mark and attempt to regain the "phosphorescence of learning" (Emily Dickenson said that in a short story of sorts). I hope that something does turn up in this matter.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Sunday Confession: Sunday April 6 (14 of 52)
People continue to change and the times continue to change. The silly games that people play are getting old. Everything is becoming taxing, people are getting older but they are not changing for the better. People are in college now and still thrive in the high school mentality. Apparently we are still in an age in which we have hierarchical setups of friends and try to please friends by comparing them to others based on how much they take one out and pay for their food.
It is my claim that this needs to stop and people need to be reexamined. I think the time has passed beyond that which we can continue to keep poshing each other up and examining everyone under the looking glass in an attempt to compare them to each other. This is wrong and downright dirty. Everyone is not the same, in fact, everyone is different. What someone does for you does not need to be done to you by another person. In fact, be glad that there are people willing to talk and at least care and treat you to things just because you are their friend and partner in crime.
It is disgusting to see that people only go to others to seek advice. Even more is it that when they give advice or answer your question, you program the answer as wrong and they have to spend all their precious time to find evidence to support their answer that you shot down in the beginning. It does not make me proud to have to find evidence to support an answer and prove your never accepting the initial as answer as truth self wrong. In fact, it disenchants me that I have to waste my time to do it. If that was the case then next time find the answer yourself.
Ultimately, the times have changed and it is time to move on. People can not remain in their high school and immature mindset moving into their young adult hood years and time in which they will begin to seek to establish themselves with a successful career and possibly a family. Gone are the times when the jokes are cast and everything is laughed at. Gone are the times when you seek friends based on aesthetic things and not on that which they will help you the most with.
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Now playing: The Cheetah Girls - Fuego
via FoxyTunes
It is my claim that this needs to stop and people need to be reexamined. I think the time has passed beyond that which we can continue to keep poshing each other up and examining everyone under the looking glass in an attempt to compare them to each other. This is wrong and downright dirty. Everyone is not the same, in fact, everyone is different. What someone does for you does not need to be done to you by another person. In fact, be glad that there are people willing to talk and at least care and treat you to things just because you are their friend and partner in crime.
It is disgusting to see that people only go to others to seek advice. Even more is it that when they give advice or answer your question, you program the answer as wrong and they have to spend all their precious time to find evidence to support their answer that you shot down in the beginning. It does not make me proud to have to find evidence to support an answer and prove your never accepting the initial as answer as truth self wrong. In fact, it disenchants me that I have to waste my time to do it. If that was the case then next time find the answer yourself.
Ultimately, the times have changed and it is time to move on. People can not remain in their high school and immature mindset moving into their young adult hood years and time in which they will begin to seek to establish themselves with a successful career and possibly a family. Gone are the times when the jokes are cast and everything is laughed at. Gone are the times when you seek friends based on aesthetic things and not on that which they will help you the most with.
----------------
Now playing: The Cheetah Girls - Fuego
via FoxyTunes
Friday, April 4, 2008
The Beginning of the End (1)
Well today was the final day of lecture for Introduction to Chemistry Lab 102. Because of a bit of fated purpose of trying to get all 100's on every class period and attaining at least a 95 in each lab, I can say that I did not attend today's class. And currently, I doubt that I am also going to go to the final Lab Class on this upcoming Monday. It seems that it would be a bit futile knowing that what we do in lab wont really be on the test in that capacity. Sure there will be questions about it, but all of that can be gleamed from just reading the lab instructions and attempting to recognize what is happening before we take the test.
This reminds me that we have only about a few more mere weeks left in class for this semester. This will mark the end of my second year at Virginia Commonwealth University. The beginning of the end of the college career is starting to come to a close. On the four year plan aspect, this marks the crossing of the halfway point and the sprint downwards to the bottom.
I have had a great time in my first part of college and I can say that this will hopefully continue as I go further along.
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Now playing: Rose Royce - Car Wash
via FoxyTunes
This reminds me that we have only about a few more mere weeks left in class for this semester. This will mark the end of my second year at Virginia Commonwealth University. The beginning of the end of the college career is starting to come to a close. On the four year plan aspect, this marks the crossing of the halfway point and the sprint downwards to the bottom.
I have had a great time in my first part of college and I can say that this will hopefully continue as I go further along.
----------------
Now playing: Rose Royce - Car Wash
via FoxyTunes
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