Merry Christmas

I'm done with school (temporarily).
This semester went by really fast, and it ended beautifully.
The holiday season has officially begun for me. As planned, I wanted this one to be the best, and it looks like it it will be. Things are going well; waiting for interviews, working a little bit on the side, and just finally have a solid opportunity to sit back and relax for a couple of weeks. Loving it.

In conclusion: I am a happy fucker right now. Hope you are, too.
Get ready for Christmas.
Be jolly, be warm, and put some lotion on, so you don't have dry skin like me.

High Octane

Today is the last day of class; feels nice to be done.
But, it means that finals are up in someone's ass now, specifically, mine.

Thursday, December 11th:
1. Genetics
2. Plant Molecular

Friday, December 12th:
3. Molecular & Cell Biology of Bone
4. Regenerative Biology & Medicine

Monday, December 15th:
5. Sensory System

Time to tap on the upshift paddle now...
Coffee, library, books, PDFs, powerpoints, study guides, music, carbs, jaeger bombs, pizzas, driving at 2 in the morning ... fucking love the feeling of getting shit done.

Wednesday, January 7th:
Interview at IU (Inbox notification this morning)

... cool now.

Mom's Birthday

December 1st, Mom's Birthday

I don't remember the last time I was there for my mom's birthday. It's been too long. Being away from home during college, I had always called, but a rush of regret would soon follow, simple because I couldn't be there again.

This year, I'm home. I wanted to be there for her, and I was. I know it might sound quite ridiculous, but it is my first time ever buying a birthday cake for her. Well...it wasn't a birthday cake, for it'd just taste nothing but everydayness and plain sugar, with some colors almost too flambuoyant to be ingested. Instead, I ordered a large tiramisu, with an aroma of brandy and coffee, blended in layers of taste-bud-stimulating sophistication. Haha, ok. Along with it was a bouquet of flowers, whose names I very quickly forgot. Last but not least, a card of course. I wanted to give her a surprise as she seemed unaware of today's significance. As it turned out, she remembered...just never said anything. My mom is this kind of person who gives so much, yet takes so little. Given how things have progressed these recent years in my family, I'm very, very glad that I was able to be there and celebrate it with her, for she has gone through a lot, and nothing can ever hold me back in wanting her to be the happiest woman alive. I wish I could buy more for her, but hopefully in the near future.

It was good. I'm happy. Happy Birthday, mom!

Irish Car Bombs

Definitely did NOT realize that Thanksgiving break starts tomorrow. Thought it starts on Thursday. That means a five-day break, which I'd rather not have. I think it'll be a torture for me more than anything else really. As much as I want a good vacation, I really dislike these mid-sized breaks right before finals. I can already picture myself falling asleep at my desk at home trying to study with a turkey leg in my hand. Dreadful.

I'm a bit burnt out, truthfully speaking, and I don't think this break will help me much.

How does Hawaii sound for winter vacation? Possibility. Thinking about it. Get out of school mid-December, come back early January. Tickets right now are in the mid-600s, but chances are, I probably won't decide until finals are over.

I need to go back to the gym.

Stupidity Is DANGEROUS

Stupidity is dangerous.

Broken

A broken heart scribbling a two-lined poem.
A love card now torn in a broken home.

I love you Dad.
I love you Mom.

... I don't know what to do.

Wrap It Up

Since it's already 2/3 of the way through this semester, it's time for me to adjust, finalize and push a few goals in mind:

Molecular & Cellular Biology of Bone: A
Which means an 80 on the final, and acing the presentation, which should be easy.

Sensory System: A

Plant Molecular: A
84% on the last 2 exams.

Regenerative Biology and Medicine: A
Somewhere close to acing the last 2 exams, which should be...interesting to do.

Genetics: A-
Just do that shit.

Time from now to early December will go by faster than anything I can imagine. I have two exams next Tuesday: Plant and Regenerative. They'll be tough I think. I came and set out to do well, now it's time to really put my mind to it, and get it done.

There will be more hours of lost sleep, but it has become a lifestyle.
Everything else can wait.

Since college graduation and until med school admission, I only have 2 things to do: do well on my MCAT and do well in the first semester of MS. The first is out of the way, and all I need to do is to complete the second, and we'll call it a wrap.

Tropical Storm in My Bedroom

Finally, the weekend is here.
This week has been one of those tumbling hellish ones, and I just don't remember much of anything besides eating KFC outside at 11:30p with Huong and Linda, and making up answers on exams. With the former, I'd be happy doing that over and over again, but the latter, I think I'd like to cut it down a little bit.

For a 3-day total of fewer than 10 hours of sleep, I'm feeling a little weird right now.

Bone ... was ok.
Sensory ... not.
Genetics ... tricky tricky. But, I AM frickin' glad that I reviewed these two sections this morning, because they definitely took up 70% of the test. There were 6 pages. I probably spent 30 minutes on pgs 2-6 and 45 minutes on page 1, on which I chose the exact same answer for an entire column of questions... I was just like...hmm...wtf?...really?...no way...wtf?...makes sense though!...nah...I want to use the restroom...let me just put an A here...I'd like to poll the audience...

Anyways... ...gas price has been dropping like crazy lately. 93 is only $2.80 something. I wonder how much lower it can still go, cuz I'm kinda thinking buying a couple of huge containers, fill'em and stock'em up. Actually, no, I might get my house blown up.

One thing for sure though, work officially starts today. Given how much sleep I got in the past few days, I'm not looking forward to it.

This blog has nothing to do with tropical storms nor with my bedroom. They were just the first things that came to mind when I was filling the "Title" box.

It's A Package Deal

To start off, here are some recent updates:

1. Buzzed my hair
2. Got a part-time job
3. Signing a gym membership
4. Overwhelmed with non-overlapping secondary application essays
5. Missing the OR, thus more cardiothoracic surgeries with Dr. K

Um...in trying to live a more productive life, I have developed the following:

Mondays & Wednesdays:

• 8:00 - 8:30am: Get up and breakfast
• 9:00 - 12:00pm: Library
• 12:00 - 2:45pm: Classes
• 3:00 - 3:30pm: Lunch
• 3:30 - 7:30pm: Work
• 7:30pm and after: HW/apps

Tuesdays:

• 8:00 - 8:30am: Get up and breakfast
• 9:00 - 10:30am: Library
• 10:30 - 1:15pm: Classes
• 1:15 - 1:45pm: Lunch
• 1:45 - 4:30pm: HW/apps
• 4:30 - 5:45pm: Class
• 6:30 - 7:30pm: Gym
• 8:30pm and after: HW/apps

Thursdays:

• 8:00 - 8:30am: Get up and breakfast
• 9:00 - 10:30am: Library
• 10:30 - 1:15pm: Classes
• 1:15 - 1:45pm: Lunch
• 1:45 - 4:30pm: HW/apps/OR
• 4:30 - 5:45pm: Class
• 6:00 - 7:00pm: Gym
• 7:00 - midnight: Work

Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays:

• 8:00am - 3:00pm: HW/apps/recording
• 3:30 - 4:30pm: Gym
• 5:00 - 11:00pm: Work
• 11:00pm and after: Out (except for Sundays)

It's time for some good body-tuning, some good money-making, along with some standard good grades.

[Bring me the package]

Mo Money Mo Songs

So tonight, September 25th, I recorded 2 more songs.

1. Lonely Christmas by Eason Chan
2. Coup de Coeur by Richard Clayderman

Honestly, they took me about an hour, during which I almost got pissed at myself. For every wrong key that I press on accident, the process starts over again. See, normally if I just play for leisure, I'd be fine. It must be some sort of stage fright, or recorder fright that shorts my CNS every time.

Speaking of CNS, it reminded a word that I learned yesterday: Hyperalgesia, which means an increased response to a nervous stimulus (Primary hyperalgesia: found in the PNS, whereas Secondary is found in the CNS). I just think the word is funny.

Hyper-Al-GEE-sia.

And goodnight.

Too Much Play/I Hate Genetics

So, since school started, I've taken four exams so far. Basically the first round of exams is over except for one class. NOW I have some idea how graduate school exams are like. Hmm...I haven't done horribly, given 2 As, a B, and an unknown score (which I don't think is too brilliant, because I just had to pee soooooooo badly), but one thing I'm pretty certain is that I need to study harder, or let's make it I need to study. The truth is, yea, I think I need to work a little harder.

One of my classes is Regenerative Biology and Medine. It is my FAVORITE class, yet probably the hardest one too. Our professor is the one who wrote our textbook. Let's just say that he knows his stuff VERY WELL. It's a very interesting class and I look forward to it every time. BUT, his tests... Here is the grading system, whoever gets the highest score, an 85% of THAT is an A. So, it's like a curve on top of another curve, which for most of the time is a very sweet deal. HOWEVER, THIS YEAR, IN MY CLASS, ON THE FIRST EXAM, someone got a 100! So the first curve is gone! Leaving us with an 85 as an A, as opposed to 70 something. Isn't that crazy? This is the 2nd 100 since he started teaching this program, which I'd say is probably around 10 years??? maybe??? So yea... The class average on this test was a 68, and the lowest was a 40. 40 to 100, just what kind of ridiculous range is THAT?! Fortunately, I did fine. But, again, I need to work a little harder.

I just haven't been productive lately. Need to change that asap.

P.S. I hate genetics. I love the professor, but boy do I not like it.

Next Steps

Ok, I probably could've done a little better on that Neuro test, but I think if I get somewhere around a 75 (out of 100), I'll get an A. So, hopefully not too much sweat on this one.

... ... ...

Looking back to this past summer, it was probably the most boring yet busiest summer I've ever spent. I studied, ate, slept and went to Starbucks, at where I met some really nice people. The only things I bought this summer were a couple stacks of notecards, gas, coffee and some potato chips... I actually had a daily schedule, and much to my surprise, I did not follow it. Come on, life's gotta be a liiiittle juicier that. Instead, I found myself writing/recording music, about every other day, and little did I know, my first-ever recording of an improvisation was produced. I was able to give it a name, a rather boring one actually -- "Summer Impromptu". I will put it up as an audio file when I get a chance. I was also able to catch up with "I Love Money", and hit up the nightlife once in a little while. Overall, this summer was calming yet nerve-wracking, busy, focused, weight-gaining, and in the end, fruitful.

Currently, (and I apologize for my lack of transitional elements among paragraphs), I need to work on the 11 secondary applications that I've receive so far: Case Western, GWU, Georgetown, Wake Forest, Tufts, Harvard, Temple, U of Illinois, U of Vermont, Brown, and New York Medical College. I will probably get them done in the next week or two. I'm waiting for IU's interview right now and I forgot why I wanted to apply to Vermont. So yea, these should be fun.

Aside from preparing myself to drop another G on the secondaries, I'm pretty sure I'd like to get these now, which brings us to The List:

1. Winter '08 trip to Australia/Hawaii/although a white Xmas in the States would be marvelous as well, since I plan to make it my best Xmas by far.
2. Summer '09 trip to Europe, Korea, Japan, and then China
3. iPhone
4. A Golden Retriever pup
5. Some new pants. I don't know what the hell happened, but all my favorite pants and shorts have huge ripped holes in the back. As much as they are good for ventilation, fall WILL be here soon...or is it already?
6. AC Schnitzer 18" parallels/M parallels for the car
7. E46 angel eyes
8. E46 LED tail lights
9. Window tints
10. Woofers
11. Shutter shades
12. Contact lenses
13. Possibility for a new car? We shall see.
14. ... ... When I think of more, I'll make sure to add more.
15. Last but not least, I think I'd like to get a job.

Yes, indeed, a job would be a good start. HA!

Alright, I'll stop here. Really tired.

Goodnight.

I DID IT!

I DID IT!!!

I FINALLY DID IT!!!

AHHH!!!

W O W, boy do I NOT know how to describe my feelings right now.
I'm overwhelmed by joy.
I laughed, yelled, trembled, jumped, ran, and to tell you the truth, I felt like crying.

I am now, one more step closer to my DREAM.
Hardwork has paid off.

THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I'VE EVER BEEN.

I've waited for this day for a long long longgg time, and ladies and gentlemen, IT IS FINALLY HERE.

Ok, I have a neurobiology exam tomorrow. I will get back to this as soon as I get done with that. I will THEN, reveal how exactly I plan to reward myself, and my next steps towards chasing the DREAM.

Stay tuned.

Parking Ticket

SO DANG IT!

Got a $15 parking ticket, making it my second-ever parking ticket. Not very cool.

Countdown

OK! Today is Monday, September 8th. I have exactly ONE week, seven days that is, until my holy MCAT score comes out. September 15th will either be one of the bestest and brightest days in my life or plummet me down to some sort of dark and low point in life, very dark, very low. I don't think there is anything in between. See, I just have never been superb at taking standardized tests, especially the ones that last a decade long.

Thinking positively as much as possible -- if the parts that were difficult to me, they were probably the same for others, and if the parts that were easy to me, there were still probably too hard for others, I did not feel like throwing up when I walked out unlike the previous time, I had great preparations, and much to my surprise, I did well on nearly all of my practice tests (this too, outstands my previous rounds), and hopefully I'll again surprise the happiest shit out of myself when I see the real score.

So, above are my positive thoughts. There they are. While very uncertain if I should believe in them, I AM VERY certain that I'll be crossing all 20 of my digits for the next 7 days, and if circumstances must require, I'll throw in my eye balls as well.

I actually have a list of rewards in mind. Actually, it's all over my mind, along with the beautiful possiblity of ... ... failure. Oh well, just another mother of my future success, right? Whatev...

Exercise of the Week

THERE!

Just came back from a night out; got my exercise of the week at the RedRoom and Rock Lobster. I've become such a usual clubber at these two places that I'd get free admissions once every other time...just need to figure out how to get free admissions EVERY TIME now.

Whenever I'm there, I couldn't help but to notice the interesting stuff, and tonight was not an exception. Besides clusters of middle-aged men standing in the outskirts of the dance floor, looking rather flamboyant, tipping left to right with jerky legs, the usuals also include embarrasing denials, girls' clothes with shoulder-stretches from hangers, and I guess the most "fascinating" part has to go to these people who sit in their chairs for the entire duration of their stay. Really have no comments on that except for the obvious ones. Oh yea, I kept seeing these what I call "floaters", who constantly cut through the crowd in random patterns, or just circulate around the crowd. I think they totally could've put their cover charge to better use.

... ...

Anyways, i'm quite tired now. It was a good night. It's 4 in the morning, and I'm hungry... Going to bed now. G'night.

Allo Le Monde

Hello*Bonjour*你好*Hallo*Aloha*안녕하세요*Shalom*Ciao*Hola*こんにちは...

...Dear World, this is IT -- the PREMIERE of my own e-turf.
Est. 09.03.08

On this website, you may find (my):

• Exciting news and events,
• Run-throughs of daily activities,
• Boring news and events,
• Songs I play/wrote,
• Medical school updates,
• Future plans,
• [Darkest] Secrets revealed,
• Photos,
• Random blahs and jibberish,
• and more...

This is a good list. I like it.