The Adventure.: January 2007

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Yang yang bakery... My goodness. -_-"

Monday, January 29, 2007

Oh No.

2 more weeks to the first mid-term! I can't believe this.

I am utterly in the wrong state of mind to take any exam now! Or 2 weeks later!

I think I really should consider using Philip Yeo's face as my wallpaper...

Anyway,

Birthday wishes from my aunt, uncles, and cousins :) Finally after 1.5 months...

From Malvis! Haha though, next time I see him he will definitely have known how to write my name... Hope he will still remember me :P

2nd snow in Baltimore... It was gone before the next morning. Missed the chance to take a photo of snowy Hopkins again...

This is how my desk looks like at the beginning of Spring. Compare it with the beginning of Fall, and extrapolate how it will look at the end of Spring. I am going to have a hard hard time packing.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Anatomy.

A few days ago:

Yiran: I want to take Introduction to Human Skeleton.
Me: ... Why?!
Yiran: It is quite cool and fun what, to know all the bones in the body...
Me: ......
Yiran: Then we can buy a skeleton model and hang it in our apartment.
Me: ........ To freak Yi Chung out right. Get it from Singapore. It should be cheaper there.

Today, during dinner with Dr. Corces:

Ernesto: DO NOT take Human Anatomy, unless it comes with Anatomy Lab. Just the lecture itself is DREADFUL.

After dinner, as we were walking back:

Yiran: Why shouldn't we take Human Anatomy? It is quite cool what...
Me: ...... I guess I should just stick to Molecular Biology and pray hard that it will still be offered Junior year Fall.
Yiran: Why? It is quite cool to learn about all those names and functions what...
Me: *Nothing to say* Not as if I am going to do a M.D.?!! If I need the M.D. I will be willing to take it with the Duke thing in Singapore if their faculty is good...

Now:

After I have read this and this, I feel that I should, in fact, encourage Yiran to take anatomy. This is just unbelievably cool. Or at least he will have FUN studying. They even have THIS on the Internet!! :D

Certainly I won't mind reading it for leisure though, like Mun Thye (and his $19.99 Gray's Anatomy from Barnes and Noble). Combined with this and this it's more entertaining than any silly movie.

Post inspired by, hmms, I guess I shall not say. (Ok, not anyone I featured here...)

Random stuff.

Who says biologists don't have to do physics and math?

D = 0.61λ / N sin θ
E = hf = h (c/λ)
A = εcl
A = lg (Io' / I)

Everyone should know the second one at least... Haha for the rest, try to guess what they are (if you don't already know...) :P

The weather here is getting freaky. At 3pm yesterday, it was storming. At 3:30pm, there wasn't even a hint of cloud in the sky. At 5pm, it was storming again. Yet this morning there was't even a speck of snow on the ground. And it really is getting cold... have been constantly wearing 4 layers of clothes (incl. 1 fleece pullover and 1 waterproof fleece jacket with fleeced hood) and double pants and it feels just warm enough. Luckily it is still not bad enough for me to activate complete protection which will consist of sweater, ski jacket, gloves, beanie and scarf :P

Though learnt a lesson: when I go grocery shopping, gloves are a necessity. Usually I just put my hands in my pockets as gloves are really kind of restrictive (how on earth can you pick out dimes to pay the bus driver with gloves on without dropping it to the ground and losing it forever? And removing gloves everytime is just, hmms, not fun :P). So, once after buying 4 pounds of meat and 5 pounds of clementines and celery and lettuce and canned soup from Giant, my fingers were cold and numb and (literally) swollen for almost half the evening... :P

And there are noticably longer hours of daylight! :D :D

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

More Songs...

This is the best song I have ever heard. The first time I heard it was in 2005, over the TV while on hospital duty. I heard the Mandarin version then, and I didn't take notice of the title, though I vowed to hunt it down. Eventually I found a good and inexpensive Cantonese soundtrack in a shop in Marine Parade, and somehow found the Mandarin version online, and was listening to it since then.

The guy is a talented gardener, doesn't know how to communicate well, but has a true heart, and genuinely loves his flowers. The girl is a talented music student, optimistic, cheerful, and aspires to become a reknowned violinist. They like each other, and the story develops...

I have a wish... to bring the song to reality, and share it. It is so happy, so full of hope...

Very very nice lyrics, very very nice score... Very very nice...

(Mandarin)
流星下的願 張學友/許慧欣
作詞：林夕 / 作曲：Dick Lee

我要花兒開個不停陪我們永遠年輕
每朵花代表了純淨的愛情
我要種出一個森林陪它聽落葉回音
陪它看雪花融化了的寧靜
我怎能不相信飛舞的流星
正是為了實現我和花兒的約定

看滿天的星星寫出我心情
正好代表著我和你擁抱的生命
也許雲端裡有精靈竊聽我的心
就讓我們一起閉上眼睛

我要提琴奏出生命陪我們永遠年輕
每個音節都有漸進的感情
我要用心表演一場讓世界對我肯定
讓湖邊的狼也用心的傾聽
我怎能不相信飛舞的流星
正是為了實現我和音樂的約定

* 看滿天的星星 (流星的風景) 寫出我心情 (有你的背影)
正好代表著我和你 (你永遠是我) 擁抱的生命 (命中的精靈)
也許雲端裡有精靈竊聽我的心
就讓我們一起閉上眼睛

(Cantonese)
花與琴的流星 張學友/陳嘉露
作詞: 古倩敏 / 作曲: Dick Lee

在那星光中去許願願種出的花被愛
為信鮮花朵朵有生命存在
願那花香不會凋謝令每顆心相愛
願種出的鮮花天天都會開
信絕美的花朵可以化作愛
可以幻化千瓣愛情飄進人腦海

將每顆的心願遠載於天邊
讓那星燃亮著心願祈求望兌現
在那天河或有神仙聽到我心事
並為我將奇妙夢想實踐

在那星光中去許願共訴心中所愛
讓我一生都為那音樂存在
用我心去演奏音樂願奏出的歌被愛
願那歡呼聲與掌聲不變改
信絕美的歌曲可以化作愛
可以奏出經典愛情給世人喝采

* 將每顆的心願 (給那星飄送) 遠載於天邊 (閃爍的詩篇)
讓那星燃亮著心願 (心意若真摰) 祈求望兌現 (終可以兌現)
在那天河或有神仙聽到我心事
並為我將奇妙夢想實踐

You should have the song...
If not, try to find it.
It is worth it.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

!! :D

Adding on to the snow, I certainly did not expect this! When I am going to need it the most!! Now I don't have to worry about spending anymore!!! This is, GODSEND!!!!

The semester started off VERY nicely. Hahaha this year will be a FANTASTIC year :D

Monday, January 22, 2007

Snow!

Baltimore had its first snow this winter today!

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Kit Chan.

Kit Chan sings fantastic songs; I know them mostly because of FM 95.8. Her performance in Snow.Wolf.Lake is brilliant too; it's a pity she isn't acting there anymore...

Quite a lot of her songs (like《家》) have become classics and will not be forgotten at least until our generation is over. This is another one of her songs which, well, will surely resonate with some of us. Probably when you listen to it you will suddenly realise how familiar it sounds...

天冷就回來
陳潔儀

從前對著收音機學唱舊的歌
我問媽媽為什么傷心像快樂
媽媽笑著說她也不懂得
我想出去走一走哦媽媽點點頭

天冷你就回來別在風中徘徊
媽媽眼裏有明白還有一絲無奈
天冷我想回家童年已經不在
昨天的雨點撒下來那滋味叫作愛

嗚~別在風中徘徊嗚~天冷就回來

漸漸對著收音機學唱新的歌
我問朋友為什么做夢也快樂
朋友笑說他從不相信夢
我想出去走一走哦朋友點點頭

天冷你就回來別在風中徘徊
朋友的眼裏有明白還有一份期待
天冷我想回家年少已經不在
今天的雨點撒下來那滋味就是愛

現在對著收音機聽自己唱的歌
我的他問為什么幸福不快樂
我微笑著說我也不懂得
他想出去走一走我對他點點頭

天冷你就回來別在風中徘徊
我猜我眼裏有明白還有一絲無奈
天冷他沒回家我仍然在等待
明天的雨點撒下來那滋味就是愛

嗚~別在風中徘徊嗚~天冷就回來

I don't quite understand the last part. Though it doesn't sound like I will ever want to...

Saturday, January 20, 2007

New Title.

Decided to change the title of my blog to welcome the new semester. And to match it with the title of my photo blog.

Expecting myself to be busy busy busy the next 16 weeks. There are going to be lots of reading to be done, essays to write, lab reports to do, mid-terms and finals to study, and research to do. Also, I have to work out my travel plans, and cook everyday (really, as I have already paid my rent; I will be living on a tight budget until March).

Adding on to that, Hopkins people are literally insane. Someone I know just told me today she was not having enough sleep because she is reading through Alberts AGAIN, and she first FINISHED reading it when she was a high school FRESHMAN. And asked me whether I have read Lodish before. I nearly fainted.

Three years ago I didn't even know Alberts existed. I was reading 蔡智恆 at that time; sometimes reading through the night to finish the story. Now? Hmms.

So if I can still slack, it will be a miracle. Good luck to me man...

Labels: Life

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Zaobao Forum.

From Zaobao:
永久居民也有义务和贡献
(Permanent Residents have their responsibilities and contributions too)

My most recent contribution to the people of Singapore. Should be able to keep some occupied for 3-5 minutes at the breakfast table.

Friends, comment! This is the article that I am the most proud of. I will let you know why during discussions :P Or maybe you know why too :D

Continuing with my life:

I decided not to book the ticket yet.

1. I still have yet to pay my rent for spring semester, and while I wait for funds to come through, I am practically surviving on merely ~$750 until March; unless I mobilise funds in Singapore.

2. I just applied to a lab at medical school and the PI seems willing to take me. Waiting for him to confirm with me regarding the interview. Well, until I settle down with my work, I won't know when I can/want to leave Baltimore. (The lab does work related to Hedgehog (Hh) signalling in carcinogenesis, if you care.)

And I am officially 'good' at sectioning. Well, that involves carving a small stepped pyramid out of an epoxy-embedded sample block, then carve a 0.5 cubic mm trapezoid at the tip, smoothen the surface of the trapezoid, set the machine to cut 50 - 90nm thick sections with a glass knife, and then fish them out using carbon-coated grids. I took 2.5 days to get decent sections for viewing and had fun today playing with the TEM taking pictures of T-cells and hunting for invading HIV. And had fun helping people with their sections :)

Next stage: operating on rodents. If I can perform a brain surgery on a rat and it can function the way I want it to after the surgery, that would really be a personal breakthrough :P

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Should I?

This is crazy.

British Airways:
LHR (20/06/07, 2215) -> HKG (21/06/07, 1710)
HKG (04/09/07, 0035) -> LHR (04/09/07, 0635)
£369.30 (S$1107.90) incl. tax!

Should I book it?!?! Offer till 23/01/2007.

Perfect connection timings anyway. If I stopover in Hong Kong for 1 night (to have dinner/lunch with Aunt/Uncle/Cousins etc.), and go back home with JetStar Asia (only problem is their 20kg allowance, but can always carry books in my backpack), non-discounted price = HK$1558 (S$311.60). Return. When going back to the US I will need to enter Hong Kong and recheck-in, but with my HKID, that's not a problem at all.

If I can, problem reduced to the BWI <-> LHR flight. Just need to check the BA website everyday for promotions, and I will have a chance of only paying S$2111 (i.e. S$11.00) for everything. How exciting is that?!

(Even if I cannot get a cheap BA228/BA229 direct flight, and if I have to change airline (meaning recheck-in), with my GBR passport, it is not excessively irritating. Or I will just pay S$2600 altogether, which is normal anyway, whichever way I fly...)

Labels: Travel

Saturday, January 13, 2007

15484.95km

Was surfing Google Earth, and playing around with the 'distance' function. In terms of distance from home, these are my figures:

1. Straight-line Distance: 15,484.95km, from my room in Baltimore to my room in Singapore (For those people I know in other cities, this figure is surpassed only by Tk: 16,009km (est., 1km).
2. Longitude difference: 179 deg 27' 25" (No one else in any other city can beat this. My direct distance line almost runs through the North Pole).
3. Time difference: 13 hours.
4. Time from home (from room to room)*: 3 hours + 26 hours 30 min + 1 hour = 30 hours 30 min (est., 30 minutes)
5. Travelling distance (from room to room)*: 17,912km (est., 1km)
6. Shortest travelling distance (from room to room)**: 15,627km (est., 1km)

*Using outbound flight path
**Using BWI - Newark - SIN flight path

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Knowledge for the World!

I am always being warned by my A*Star friends regarding the danger of openly expressing any views which might be against A*Star's policies. Or voting against the PAP in the polls. And here I am doing it again.

Though, if you are a student, or junior researcher, will you be more inclined towards what Johns Hopkins advocates? Read what Dr. Brody said:

ST: Tip to Singapore: Change R&D approach
Zaobao: 约翰霍普金斯大学校长：与新科研合作触礁乃价值观差异所致

You might be interested in this too: Knowledge for the World Campaign
And we just revamped our webpage! Johns Hopkins University

P.S.: Just as a sideline: I truly believe that Singapore is a free country which honours freedom of speech and the basics of democracy, as long as I do not breach the law. Do I have to 100% agree with every single thing Uncle Yeo says because I am an A*Star scholar? And defend his policies even if I myself do not 100% agree with them? An organisation without a system of check and balance, with the adminstration shunning opinions which are different, is destined to become the old-NKF. We are not so stupid.

(Immune to 不可以这样写 since Sec. 3...)

Labels: Policy and Politics

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

New Photo Blog.

For the convenience of myself and my family, I have set up a new account to house my photos:

http://hiuyeung-lau.livejournal.com

This place will have minimal photos, as the blogger interface for photo uploading just doesn't like me. LJ has other advantages too. So, expect this space to be full of random non-coherent babbling and nonsensical theories and nothing else.

I will post a link up on the right; feel free to browse through them. :)

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

College Saga, Final Fantasy :D

Kangyi sent it to everyone some time ago, watched it only recently...

It is 40 minutes long, but absolutely awesome :D Was done by some really fantastic people up in Massachusetts...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwLrgxtALWs
http://markleung.atomicfire.net/collegesaga/mainopen.htm

Don't miss the opening of the 4th episode. You can dl it separately from youtube.

And look out for some familiar objects in the clip :)

Monday, January 08, 2007

Rationality vs. Sentimentality.

It would be too long to make it a comment. I believe it is worth a new post.

HY -> GCS:
Rationality and sentimentality do not conflict. When I make decisions (or when I give advice) I make (give) rational and reasonable ones; however, that doesn't mean I can't be sentimental. It is just that I do not allow sentiments to completely rule my decision making and subsequent actions. My heart tells me something, but it will be up to my head whether I will follow my heart.

I have no problem following sentiments if, after rationality assessment, such a course of action will not give me consequences which I cannot bear (whatever that constitutes will be up to my head). However, if it will, I will follow logic and reason only.

You might regret following logic and reason, feel bad for quite a while because of lost opportunities, but it will not kill you. However, if you let sentiments obscure your logical mind, it can bring you catastrophic consequences.

I know this sounds really impersonal. However I believe this is the best way to handle your directions. I never believe in Tk's theory, though he always always will come out with some grand alternative theory to conform his actions to mine (hahaha don't you agree?). And you have similar principles too; you and your opportunity cost assessments can be worse than mine. So don't talk so much :D

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Hmms.

What will your first reaction be when you see someone in RGS uniform completed with badge in Johns Hopkins? Hmms.

Hopkins has a really nice backyard. It is a small forested valley with a stream behind Bloomberg and Hubble Space Telescope. Grace discovered it first, and brought me there today. So collected stream water, mosses, and bracket fungus for SEM on Monday.

And realised that the apartments on University Parkway are very nice... apparently I will be able to get a car if we can get an apartment there (because there seem to be parking spaces inside the buildings). Must bring Yiran and Yi Chung there to inspire them a bit :D Just that I have absolutely no idea how much those places will cost...

Friday, January 05, 2007

4.0!

HY -> Ziyang: Haha do I sound like I am suffering? :P I don't intend it to be... just some random babbling. Yup it has been fun! Though mugging time will start soon again... and guess I should focus more on my core work too. A bit too slack on anything to do with bio previous sem... :P

Haha happy things? Refer to the title.
And the electron microscopy class has been really good. I'll see how much I can learn and remember...

Thursday, January 04, 2007

In Pursuit of Happiness

Preamble, United States Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Millions of people have since come to America to pursue their happiness.
Standing below the Statue of Liberty, I ask myself: Why did I come to America?

1. To pursue a dream: to be working and learning at the forefront of biomedical sciences. The TAs, lectures, mid-terms and students have somehow disillusioned me, though I am still hoping that my lab experience here would not be disappointing...

2. To have a different experience, and go home with a different perspective. Yup indeed that is working for me; I have started to realise things which I couldn't have known if I stayed at home.

3. To be under a different system. That is why I still chose to come to the US despite Cambridge is ranked 2nd, NUS is ranked 19th and Hopkins is ranked 23rd. It enabled me to give Ching Hua a lecture regarding criminal law when he brought up the issue of 'wrongful conviction' (and him to me when we were talking about Abraham, Isaac and Faith). It gave me the possibility of double-majoring in History of Science, and taking classes in anthropology and electron microscopy. Though I must admit, I need to always put in conscious effort to make sure that I am better than the rest here in terms of core work in order to keep up the standard...

4. To be independent. I am now fully confident that I can survive on my own, taking every facet of my life in my own hands. And nag back at my mum to get her to consult her doctor for check-ups.

5. To see the world. I have travelled far and wide this year, from Bangkok to Vienna to New York City, taking off from runways 16 times, passing through 10 airports in total. Some friends of mine are in Guatamala, Puerto Rico; some had followed relief organisations to Africa; some are planning to go to Iceland. Further plans already in mind include the UK and Mt. Kinabalu. I am also determined to go to Boston and New York more often. If I don't travel now, when can I travel? Hence, although I do miss home, why go home when I don't have to?

Though all these do come with a price:

1. I have to take care of myself: I have to make my own soup (instead of my mum making it for me); juggle between schoolwork, housework, and others; and I can no longer expect food to be on the table waiting for me when I get back home...

2. I have to pay for everything: from the cheapest bottle of salt to my room. Nothing can be taken for granted anymore.

3. Missing home: home recreated overseas is still not home. You will understand this when you are alone in your room staring at the world map, or walking along Inner Habour while GCS is talking some nonsense to you.

4. A bleak prospect of leaving the S.A.D.: with 3+1+5(3+0/1/2) years all at different places, what propects are you talking about? Though I really respect that prof who proposed inside his tissue culture room. Tk/GCS/Jeff don't laugh. You guys are not any better. And Kx please kindly refrain from elaborating.

The Founding Fathers did not make 'happiness' a birthright. 'Pursuit of Happiness' is. Well, whether or not I succeed in pursuing happiness, only time will tell, and only I will know...

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

On Companion: 28/12/2006.

I have written stuff along the way; I will post them one by one.

Friends are good travelling companions, I have had excellent moments with my friends who have travelled with me before. However, if I were to choose my most preferred travelling companion, my sister would rank top. Reasons:

1. She knows my habits best. And I know hers best.
2. Absolutely no necessity to bother about image.
3. No need to care whether what I did will cause her disturbance or trouble.
4. I know what she likes to do. And she knows what I like.
5. I screw her, she screws me back, and we'll be fine 5 minutes after.
6. Can do all sorts of funny stupid things with her. Often this is not possible with friends (they tend to be too decent, or I tend to be too decent when with them).
7. She trusts me. Even when she doesn't, I have no problem making her shut up by blatantly proving to her that I am right.
8. She cooperates. Even if she couldn't wake up, it is easy to make her wake up. No need to maintain civility.
9. We seem to never run out of interesting things to talk about.
10. We speak the same language. Come on, we have lived together for 19 years.

And some things I realised about myself:

1. I am AUTHORITATIVE. When I give an instruction I expect it to be followed. If you screw up my plan I tend to be rather pissed even if I don't show it.
2. In times I appear indecisive because I want to be democratic. But I really hate that.
3. I am usually not confident that my decisions will be well accepted, and I feel really bad if my decision does not suit the group (that is why I try to be democratic), although I might prefer to take charge.
4. Hence, if someone else gives a suggestion which I don't oppose, I will follow. Well, if the group does not like the decision, it is not me... :P
5. I work really quick when I am with someone. Not when I am by myself though...
6. When I don't want to talk, I will look really stoned, and respond by keep repeating the last word you said. Get the hint and leave me alone.
7. Most importantly, I really hate people making me expect something non-existing, such as giving me false hope by telling me 'I can't make it' only at the last minute, etc. That is an absolute waste of my time and resources; I could have used that evening to do something more fruitful like cracking Mario Forever Level 8.2, or use those brainpower wasted in guesswork to understand how telomeres can lengthen without using telomerase in some immortal cell lines. So, tell me straight in the face that you can't make it right at the beginning. (Borrowing term from Dr. Kuo) That is basic courtesy...

(Hence I don't understand why do people still keep telling me that I am nice??)

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Winter Break Photos.

More photos at:

(New York City) share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZMmLVo4cNGLjo
(Boston) share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZMmLVo4cNGLn4
(Ski Trip) share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZMmLVo4cNGLlw

Friends.

Ching Hua, Gerald @Brown University, Providence, 20/12/06

Me, Ching Hua, Ding Ding, Bilin @North Station, Boston, 21/12/06

Mr. & Mrs. Wasserman, Jake, Ching Hua, Ding Ding, Me @Campton, New Hampshire, 25/12/06
Ding Ding, Mun Thye, Me @Brooklyn Bridge, New York, 27/12/06

Me, Wen Yu @Penn Station, New York, 28/12/06

Qian Yi, Nicholas, Lennon, Dickson, Me, Lennon's sister @Korean Town, New York, 01/01/07.

The Adventure.