my research project has officially come to an end. i.e. i'm going to have to virtually start from ground zero.
here's a little bit of beauty for a depressing day: breathtaking alessandra ferri, with sting playing bach's prelude very simply and beautifully. her dancing really starts midway thru the video.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
i got my TA evals back, from the time I TA-ed for neuroanatomy for med students. reviews were good. i got quite a few comments, but the first comment was,
"Very perky and informative".
grrr...
i told a friend of mine and she said that at least it's better than saying, "very pissy and uninformative". true, perhaps it's all relative...
ta-ing was fun, albeit a little stressful and totally irrelevant to anything i'm doing in lab. is neuroanatomy going to help me at all in the wards? i don't think so unless an attending asks me, "quick! point to the diencephalon"
maybe i'll TA again.
"Very perky and informative".
grrr...
i told a friend of mine and she said that at least it's better than saying, "very pissy and uninformative". true, perhaps it's all relative...
ta-ing was fun, albeit a little stressful and totally irrelevant to anything i'm doing in lab. is neuroanatomy going to help me at all in the wards? i don't think so unless an attending asks me, "quick! point to the diencephalon"
maybe i'll TA again.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
it's weird, have they changed the producers on project runway? i've disagreed more with the judges this season more than the previous seasons. anyways, my two favorite designs from tonight's episodes are below - from michael, and jeffrey. neither of them made the final three. i also don't know why they keep on letting angela through. i suppose she makes good tv, she is so off the wall (a short mini bubble skirt with rosettes?!?).
the show is getting addictingly good. next week, someone gets kicked off the show. who is it?? my guess is keith - he has a knack for not following the rules.
the show is getting addictingly good. next week, someone gets kicked off the show. who is it?? my guess is keith - he has a knack for not following the rules.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
wow, our weather is on msnbc. it has been hot, looking forward to 99 degrees on saturday. there is a palpable difference between below 100 (90's) and above 100.
missing sf ballet, after jen went to see them at the lincoln center.
went to ballet class again. i never regret going now, and it feels so refreshing after sitting in a lab chair all day.
caught up with two friends today that i haven't talked to in a while. two heartwarming moments.
pascal molat, sf ballet
missing sf ballet, after jen went to see them at the lincoln center.
went to ballet class again. i never regret going now, and it feels so refreshing after sitting in a lab chair all day.
caught up with two friends today that i haven't talked to in a while. two heartwarming moments.
pascal molat, sf ballet
Monday, July 24, 2006
quals are well under way! today was the first day i got home early to study for quals. i'm proud of myself so far - getting a good start on studying. hopefully i won't burn out early.
my grandma came into town, along with my aunts and my cousins. it was a nice summer night out, catching up with them and watching video footage of the second generation of twins - my cousin's twin babies. they are so adorable. jen and i are quickly being replaced by very cute replacements. ^^
my grandma came into town, along with my aunts and my cousins. it was a nice summer night out, catching up with them and watching video footage of the second generation of twins - my cousin's twin babies. they are so adorable. jen and i are quickly being replaced by very cute replacements. ^^
Sunday, July 23, 2006
miss korea
forgive me as i indulge in a little bit of korean nationalism shine thru. it was fun, a few friends and i watched the miss universe competition. it's only fun when you're in a big group of people. ^^ anyways, miss korea didn't make the top 20, but we all looked her up online and my friend found her cyworld (korea's version of friendster, but admittedly much cooler) page! i thought she was particularly gorgeous this year - not too sexed up or not too much about her measurements, but a pure natural beauty. judge for yourself - she apparently got a job as an anchor broadcaster so will be on korean tv everywhere. her website also said that she ranked 23rd overall in the competition.
she graduated from yonsei university, which is like the yale (or stanford, hehe) of korea. my mom also graduated from there as well. brains and beauty! oh and her name is kim joo-hee. ^^
kim joo-hee
with miss japan, on the right, who got first runner up. she's okinawan!
with miss china, on the left. kim joo-hee is on the right.
she's next to miss bolivia, whom my friends and i liked the most. miss bolivia had a bad evening gown tho, so i think that's why she was taken out. she was beautiful.
she posts that her hairdresser burnt her on her cheek with a curling iron! eek. she looks pretty calm about it tho, i'm sure a lot of other girls may have been really upset.
she took a picture of herself the day after the miss universe competition - on her website, she posts that she ate ramen, bread, and chocolate and when she woke up this was what she looked like - she claims she looks bloated. hehe. she looks so relieved.
forgive me as i indulge in a little bit of korean nationalism shine thru. it was fun, a few friends and i watched the miss universe competition. it's only fun when you're in a big group of people. ^^ anyways, miss korea didn't make the top 20, but we all looked her up online and my friend found her cyworld (korea's version of friendster, but admittedly much cooler) page! i thought she was particularly gorgeous this year - not too sexed up or not too much about her measurements, but a pure natural beauty. judge for yourself - she apparently got a job as an anchor broadcaster so will be on korean tv everywhere. her website also said that she ranked 23rd overall in the competition.
she graduated from yonsei university, which is like the yale (or stanford, hehe) of korea. my mom also graduated from there as well. brains and beauty! oh and her name is kim joo-hee. ^^
kim joo-hee
with miss japan, on the right, who got first runner up. she's okinawan!
with miss china, on the left. kim joo-hee is on the right.
she's next to miss bolivia, whom my friends and i liked the most. miss bolivia had a bad evening gown tho, so i think that's why she was taken out. she was beautiful.
she posts that her hairdresser burnt her on her cheek with a curling iron! eek. she looks pretty calm about it tho, i'm sure a lot of other girls may have been really upset.
she took a picture of herself the day after the miss universe competition - on her website, she posts that she ate ramen, bread, and chocolate and when she woke up this was what she looked like - she claims she looks bloated. hehe. she looks so relieved.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
an interesting ny times articles about a stanford professor, ben barres, who came and talked to our neuroscience ethics class. it was a small discussion session, a very frank discussion about his personal history including his childhood with a very feminine twin sister, a complex upbringing with personal conflict, and ultimately a sex change from being born a woman, to a man. here's a clip of his interview in the ny times:
"[Barres:] It is very much harder for women to be successful [in science], to get jobs, to get grants, especially big grants... Right now, what’s fundamentally missing and absolutely vital is that women get better child care support. This is such an obvious no-brainer. If you just do this with a small amount of resources, you could explode the number of women scientists.
Q. Why isn’t there more support for scientists who have children?
A. The male leadership is not doing it, but women are not demanding it. I think if women would just start demanding fairness, they might get it. But they might buy in a little bit to all this brainwashing. They are less self-confident. And when women speak out, men just see them as asking for undeserved benefits."
allegedly, the word around campus at stanford was that ben barres was actually, ironically, a misogynist. this statement really bothered me - when tenured professorship tracts are so hard to come by, who's going to hire someone who demands additional support for child care? it would never happen. i know people are paying attention because barres has experienced "both" genders, yet i don't think it's fair.
one part of his interview i liked: he actually spoke about this during our class discussion. he said he notices that he's less interrupted more at conferences. and another professor at stanford, who also had a sex change but from a man to a woman, says that after her sex change, she's interrupted more at conferences and feels like her work is taken less seriously. i was so shocked by this observation.
"Q. You write that as a man, you can complete a sentence without being interrupted. Are you treated differently in other ways?
A. It’s when people don’t know that I was a woman that I can really see the difference. Even in just stupid things. You go into a department store and people are more likely to wait on you."
barres does do good science though. his thrombospondin work in glia is going to be huge, me thinks.
article here
"[Barres:] It is very much harder for women to be successful [in science], to get jobs, to get grants, especially big grants... Right now, what’s fundamentally missing and absolutely vital is that women get better child care support. This is such an obvious no-brainer. If you just do this with a small amount of resources, you could explode the number of women scientists.
Q. Why isn’t there more support for scientists who have children?
A. The male leadership is not doing it, but women are not demanding it. I think if women would just start demanding fairness, they might get it. But they might buy in a little bit to all this brainwashing. They are less self-confident. And when women speak out, men just see them as asking for undeserved benefits."
allegedly, the word around campus at stanford was that ben barres was actually, ironically, a misogynist. this statement really bothered me - when tenured professorship tracts are so hard to come by, who's going to hire someone who demands additional support for child care? it would never happen. i know people are paying attention because barres has experienced "both" genders, yet i don't think it's fair.
one part of his interview i liked: he actually spoke about this during our class discussion. he said he notices that he's less interrupted more at conferences. and another professor at stanford, who also had a sex change but from a man to a woman, says that after her sex change, she's interrupted more at conferences and feels like her work is taken less seriously. i was so shocked by this observation.
"Q. You write that as a man, you can complete a sentence without being interrupted. Are you treated differently in other ways?
A. It’s when people don’t know that I was a woman that I can really see the difference. Even in just stupid things. You go into a department store and people are more likely to wait on you."
barres does do good science though. his thrombospondin work in glia is going to be huge, me thinks.
article here
Monday, July 17, 2006
"When I am constantly running down there is no time for being. When there is no time for being there is no time for listening. I will never understand the silent dying of the green pie-apple tree if I do not slow down and listen to what the Spirit is telling me, telling me of the death of trees, the death of planets, of people, and what all these deaths mean in the light of love of the Creator who brought them all into being; who brought me into being; and you..." -Madeleine L'Engle
Friday, July 14, 2006
?
"What’s noteworthy about the New York decision [to ban gay marriage], however, is that it became the second ruling by a state high court to assert a startling rationale for prohibiting same-sex marriage — that straight couples may be less stable parents than their gay counterparts and consequently require the benefits of marriage to assist them."
i had to read this twice. does this make sense?? their rationale is horrible - seriously!
"What’s noteworthy about the New York decision [to ban gay marriage], however, is that it became the second ruling by a state high court to assert a startling rationale for prohibiting same-sex marriage — that straight couples may be less stable parents than their gay counterparts and consequently require the benefits of marriage to assist them."
i had to read this twice. does this make sense?? their rationale is horrible - seriously!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
the runway
my favorite look on the runway:
Made completely with coffee filters, in a challenge that asked them to make a design based on stuff in their shared apartments. The designer was Michael - keep an eye on him! He's going to be interesting to watch. Even tho he didn't win, this was my favorite due to design and innovation.
my favorite look on the runway:
Made completely with coffee filters, in a challenge that asked them to make a design based on stuff in their shared apartments. The designer was Michael - keep an eye on him! He's going to be interesting to watch. Even tho he didn't win, this was my favorite due to design and innovation.
giselle
we did this pose today in ballet class. minus yuri possohkov. this is lucia lacarra, in a beautiful quintessential giselle pose (actually, there are a ton of characteristic giselle poses - more than a pose, it's more about the transcendent forgiveness that stands out the most and makes a pose quintessentially "giselle"). she's protecting him from the "wilis" (or ghosts of women who have been jilted in love), who want to kill him. it was hard doing this pose while keeping my eyes down, on the ground. definitely nothing for your eyes to hold onto.
quintessential giselle poses: the transcendent forgiveness in these poses seems so ethereal, even in the facial expressions. perhaps to forgive is really divine.
a beautiful picture of darcey bussell as giselle, a picture that rk took while she was in london. look at her perfect foot!
julie kent as giselle, in the same pose - a slightly better quality picture file.
alessandra ferri, well known as possibly the quintessential giselle
nina ananiashvili, looking like she's floating, petitioning for albrecht's release
alessandra ferri
i can't find a good picture of the ultimate quintessential giselle penchee - if anyone finds it, let me know~
we did this pose today in ballet class. minus yuri possohkov. this is lucia lacarra, in a beautiful quintessential giselle pose (actually, there are a ton of characteristic giselle poses - more than a pose, it's more about the transcendent forgiveness that stands out the most and makes a pose quintessentially "giselle"). she's protecting him from the "wilis" (or ghosts of women who have been jilted in love), who want to kill him. it was hard doing this pose while keeping my eyes down, on the ground. definitely nothing for your eyes to hold onto.
quintessential giselle poses: the transcendent forgiveness in these poses seems so ethereal, even in the facial expressions. perhaps to forgive is really divine.
a beautiful picture of darcey bussell as giselle, a picture that rk took while she was in london. look at her perfect foot!
julie kent as giselle, in the same pose - a slightly better quality picture file.
alessandra ferri, well known as possibly the quintessential giselle
nina ananiashvili, looking like she's floating, petitioning for albrecht's release
alessandra ferri
i can't find a good picture of the ultimate quintessential giselle penchee - if anyone finds it, let me know~
thief
i broke into my car yesterday! specifically, the car radio... needed to find the five digit code b/c i got my car fixed and it disrupted the battery power for a bit. do i see a future in car thievery, in case this whole medical thing doesn't work out?
project runway on tonight!!! i am so ridiculously excited, as I'm sure you are. ^^ my favorite part is the runway. can't wait.
i broke into my car yesterday! specifically, the car radio... needed to find the five digit code b/c i got my car fixed and it disrupted the battery power for a bit. do i see a future in car thievery, in case this whole medical thing doesn't work out?
project runway on tonight!!! i am so ridiculously excited, as I'm sure you are. ^^ my favorite part is the runway. can't wait.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
moving
our lab is moving - after a week after our official move, things are still up in the air, and our lab is the first to really try to get experiments going. i tried to do some experiments today, only to send me running through multiple boxes to dig up basic stuff like pipette tips and kimwipes and PBS. so many things up in the air, like property battles (raging on in the tissue culture room of people being territorial), badly set up labs (like how do two people share one vacuum spigot? also it doesn't make sense that the ethernet ports are at the complete opposite side of the bench than the desk), and malfunctioning wiring. also, i'm in the shared lab where we share with another lab, and their fridge gives off this high pitched noise that is driving me up the wall.
i hope things settle down soon and return to normal. i know it's a period of upset, and battles should be fought and accepted soon.
our old lab: before
after:
our lab is moving - after a week after our official move, things are still up in the air, and our lab is the first to really try to get experiments going. i tried to do some experiments today, only to send me running through multiple boxes to dig up basic stuff like pipette tips and kimwipes and PBS. so many things up in the air, like property battles (raging on in the tissue culture room of people being territorial), badly set up labs (like how do two people share one vacuum spigot? also it doesn't make sense that the ethernet ports are at the complete opposite side of the bench than the desk), and malfunctioning wiring. also, i'm in the shared lab where we share with another lab, and their fridge gives off this high pitched noise that is driving me up the wall.
i hope things settle down soon and return to normal. i know it's a period of upset, and battles should be fought and accepted soon.
our old lab: before
after:
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Friday, July 07, 2006
do maids come into hotel rooms, twice a day? a little weird - they came in here this morning while i was at breakfast, as expected - but as i left for the afternoon, they came in again! they remade my bed that i messed up during my nap, and cleaned out my coffee that i made in preparation for tomorrow, and even left me two cookies. a little eerie! i hope there aren't really two people living in this room, and we're just missing each other. :)
but isn't it weird? i'm so new at this hotel stuff, someone who's an expert, please enlighten me. ooh, the cookies are yummy.
at any rate, my poster session went well! there were a few people who were genuinely interested in my poster, which i'm thankful for. so my time wasn't a complete waste. :) it was tiring tho, presenting my poster multiple times. we had a really fun table at dinner - the keynote speaker chose to sit at our table! :P that was fun. the alcohol was flowing, thanks to pharmaceuticals who were supporting our conference.
but isn't it weird? i'm so new at this hotel stuff, someone who's an expert, please enlighten me. ooh, the cookies are yummy.
at any rate, my poster session went well! there were a few people who were genuinely interested in my poster, which i'm thankful for. so my time wasn't a complete waste. :) it was tiring tho, presenting my poster multiple times. we had a really fun table at dinner - the keynote speaker chose to sit at our table! :P that was fun. the alcohol was flowing, thanks to pharmaceuticals who were supporting our conference.
i'm in colorado! at the "nerd geekfest", as my cousin put it. it's gorgeous here, and the air just feels very crisp (that's also b/c the high here is in the 60's ;). And I get a huge hotel room to myself as well as free internet! Looking forward to the next few days... presenting a poster tomorrow (it arrived well in one piece) and absorbing some good talks.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
"Bonhomie, as our ex-cronies the French call it, should have its limits. Seems as if American voters picked the current president because they thought he'd be a fun hang at a cookout — a jokey neighbor who charred a mean burger and is good at playing Frisbee with his dog. What we should be doing is electing a president with the nitpicky paranoia you'd use to choose a cardiologist — a stunted conversationalist with dark-circled eyes and paper-cut fingertips who will stay up until 3 tearing into medical journals in five languages trying to figure out how to save your life."
-Sarah Vowell, "When Bush Falls in Love", NY Times
-Sarah Vowell, "When Bush Falls in Love", NY Times
going to a national MD/PhD conference that's held in Colorado this week. I'm definitely looking forward to it... it always seems like I'm traveling a lot, but every time I leave, I feel like it's a good time to leave.
Yesterday, I looked at some of my experimental results to see that most of what I've been working on in the past year is probably a negative result. I felt like yesterday was going to dictate whether or not I'll be doing my PhD for 3 years, or finish in 5. And now it seems like it may take longer, thanks to my results. It's definitely a good time to get away and forget about work for a little bit. Maybe I'll pick up some inspiration from other fellow MD/PhD-ers.
Fortunately, I was trying to think of ways to break the bad news to my PI, but we had a going away bbq for a grad student in the lab, and the guys got pretty drunk. So when I told my PI, he was in a really good mood. :) he was very encouraging.
Yesterday, I looked at some of my experimental results to see that most of what I've been working on in the past year is probably a negative result. I felt like yesterday was going to dictate whether or not I'll be doing my PhD for 3 years, or finish in 5. And now it seems like it may take longer, thanks to my results. It's definitely a good time to get away and forget about work for a little bit. Maybe I'll pick up some inspiration from other fellow MD/PhD-ers.
Fortunately, I was trying to think of ways to break the bad news to my PI, but we had a going away bbq for a grad student in the lab, and the guys got pretty drunk. So when I told my PI, he was in a really good mood. :) he was very encouraging.
going to a national MD/PhD conference that's held in Colorado this week. I'm definitely looking forward to it... it always seems like I'm traveling a lot, but every time I leave, I feel like it's a good time to leave.
Yesterday, I looked at some of my experimental results to see that most of what I've been working on in the past year is probably a negative result. I felt like yesterday was going to dictate whether or not I'll be doing my PhD for 3 years, or finish in 5. And now it seems like it may take longer, thanks to my results. It's definitely a good time to get away and forget about work for a little bit. Maybe I'll pick up some inspiration from other fellow MD/PhD-ers.
Fortunately, I was trying to think of ways to break the bad news to my PI, but we had a going away bbq for a grad student in the lab, and the guys got pretty drunk. So when I told my PI, he was in a really good mood. :) hehe it went fine, he was very encouraging.
Yesterday, I looked at some of my experimental results to see that most of what I've been working on in the past year is probably a negative result. I felt like yesterday was going to dictate whether or not I'll be doing my PhD for 3 years, or finish in 5. And now it seems like it may take longer, thanks to my results. It's definitely a good time to get away and forget about work for a little bit. Maybe I'll pick up some inspiration from other fellow MD/PhD-ers.
Fortunately, I was trying to think of ways to break the bad news to my PI, but we had a going away bbq for a grad student in the lab, and the guys got pretty drunk. So when I told my PI, he was in a really good mood. :) hehe it went fine, he was very encouraging.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
"It has often struck me with awe that some of the most deeply religious people I know have been, on the surface, athetists.... Many atheists deny God because they care so passionately about a caring and personal God and the world around them is inconsistent with a God of love, they feel, and so they say, "There is no God." But even when one denies God, to serve music, or painting, or words is a religious activity, whether or not the conscious mind is willing to accept that fact."
- Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water
A beautiful book on how art truly feeds the soul. Madeleine L'Engle is the writer of A Wrinkle in Time, the children's book, and writes about how after the success of her earlier books, of how she dealt with the stagnancy of her post-success years and how she came to terms with her own personal growth as well as inspiration for her art.
"To try to talk about art and about Christianity is for me one and the same thing, and it means attempting to share the meaning of my life, what gives it, for me, its tragedy and its glory." - Interesting, how often I feel like my appreciation for art, music, theater, dance, poetry, is a bit overindulgent and extravagant. But it really is the stuff that feeds my soul - beauty and hope. And it really is similar to the role that religion plays in my life as well.
I read this book while on the subways in NY - i felt, irrationally, that reading a non-guidebook made me less muggable.
"Freedom is a terrible gift, and the theory behind all dictatorships is that "the people" do not want freedom. They want bread and circuses. They want workman's compensation and fringe benefits and TV. Give up your free will, give up your freedom to make choices, listen to the expert, and you will have three cars in your garage, steak on the table, and you will no longer have to suffer the agony of choice." - M. L'Engle
- Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water
A beautiful book on how art truly feeds the soul. Madeleine L'Engle is the writer of A Wrinkle in Time, the children's book, and writes about how after the success of her earlier books, of how she dealt with the stagnancy of her post-success years and how she came to terms with her own personal growth as well as inspiration for her art.
"To try to talk about art and about Christianity is for me one and the same thing, and it means attempting to share the meaning of my life, what gives it, for me, its tragedy and its glory." - Interesting, how often I feel like my appreciation for art, music, theater, dance, poetry, is a bit overindulgent and extravagant. But it really is the stuff that feeds my soul - beauty and hope. And it really is similar to the role that religion plays in my life as well.
I read this book while on the subways in NY - i felt, irrationally, that reading a non-guidebook made me less muggable.
"Freedom is a terrible gift, and the theory behind all dictatorships is that "the people" do not want freedom. They want bread and circuses. They want workman's compensation and fringe benefits and TV. Give up your free will, give up your freedom to make choices, listen to the expert, and you will have three cars in your garage, steak on the table, and you will no longer have to suffer the agony of choice." - M. L'Engle
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