Goldilocks and the Three Bears

My first semester at Berkeley, I took 19 units. Sounds like a lot, but it wasn't really, because Chem 1a was easy after AP Chem, and Elementary Telugu - well, I could already speak, read, and write a little. It was nice, and I had time to go hang out with friends, explore the city, etc. Second semester was much the same, but with the addition of organic chemistry. But it was still okay.

Fall of sophomore year, I only took 17 units. Thing is, those 17 units comprised OChem, Bio, Physics, and Global Poverty. You know, easy classes that don't require you to spend multiple hours per class in lab and don't have much homework or reading or difficult midterms. Not at all.
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Well, that plus all the time I had to spend for the ballroom dancing team meant I was constantly doing homework or reading or practicing cha cha or studying for a midterm.

"This porridge is too hot!" exclaimed Goldilocks.

So the next semester, I only put the porridge in the microwave for 13.5 seconds/units (the minimum). I quit ballroom as part of the mass exodus that occurred with those who joined our year (many factors, including politics, were involved here). 'Yay,' I thought. 'I have time to join a new club!' But now I had more time than I knew what to do with. I took the yongmudo P.E. class to replace the martial arts I had left at home. I did community service-type stuff with CalPIRG and the Berkeley Project. And still I was bored.

"This porridge is too cold," Goldilocks complained.

At some point, I managed to strike a balance. I realized that I'd much rather be busy than bored, and that I in fact work more efficiently when I am busy. I procrastinate more when I'm not, which leads to more stress even though I don't need to be stressed.

"Ahhh, this porridge is just right," sighed Goldilocks.

But this semester, my porridge is boiling again. And this time, I'm not sure I can get through it with swimming colors like last time. Two languages at the intermediate level, a neuroanatomy class with lab, psychology, and a reflection course for my practice, along with research for an honors thesis, yongmudo club, arranging sites for Berkeley Project day, and helping out with the salsa class. Oh, and by the way, I'm trying to take the General and Subject GRE tests and apply to grad school. You know, in my free time.

"Ouch, I think I burned my tongue!" cried Goldilocks.

Fate of the Updates

We played this song in band in middle school, and for some reason, I remembered it today. It's pretty epic, and pretty too. I don't remember if I played first or second flute, but I think I still have a copy of it in my music folder at home.



Now that I have bribed you with a song, I apologize for the infrequent posts of late (please put down that tomato!). I have returned to the USA, but my frequency of posting is still not very high. Mea culpa.

Right now, though, I'm trying to focus on studying for my GREs. I have a month before the General test and 6 weeks before the Biochem subject test, but I have a whole lot of material to cover for the Biochem test and I'm pretty sure I won't have nearly as much time a week from now.

Hell, I'm busy already. School started Thursday and I had a Japanese vocabulary quiz on Friday. Not review, but new words. Tomorrow (Monday), I have a kanji quiz, with a whole new set of kanji as well. Once we get into the listening quizzes, oral quizzes, written quizzes as well as reading homework, grammar homework, and kanji homework, it's going to get even busier.

Plus, because I can't bear the thought of dropping either one, I'm taking two language classes! Intermediate Telugu and Intermediate Japanese. This, in addition to Mammalian Neuroanatomy, the Psychology of Sleep, the Global Poverty reflection course for my practice (which only meets every other week), research, yongmudo, and salsa is probably a bit much...

It's okay, I'll take Telugu P/NP.

Being Busy Can Be Relaxing

I always think I like being busy until midterms hit. And then I always wonder, 'Why do I do this to myself?'

But the truth is, the busier I am, the more productive I am and the happier I am. Counterintuitive, neh? Let me explain. When I'm busy and I know it (clap my hands! *clap* *clap*), I procrastinate less. I know that I have way too many things to do and can't try to finish everything at the last minute.

I usually make a schedule of activities and homework and whatnot lest my God-like (read: holey) memory lets something slip. The difference when I'm busy is that I actually look at it. And then I follow it! Well, mostly. I usually build in some extra time for when I suspect things will not quite get done. So I get work done without waiting too long.

Photo credit: Roger Smith

My memory is like this, but in my brain. Anyways, this is actually a fistulated cow. The hole allows scientists to study digestive and other gastrointestinal processes.

What about the happier part? Well, part of my busy-ness is due to extracurricular activities. This semester, I'm doing as much as I can of the two I most enjoy - dancing and martial arts. On a more academic note, I'm doing research in a lab that works on a fascinating topic and is full of nice, fun people. So I get some social interaction and fun and I don't have to feel guilty about taking time off from studying because it's planned into my schedule.

The same applies when I finish tasks on time. I no longer have to feel guilty about spending some time with friends because there's nothing else planned in my schedule for the day. Unfortunately, I haven't done that yet today, so off I go to read some neurobiology and practice some kanji.

じゃ、また明日!
(See you tomorrow!)

A New Semester

If I start apologizing for not posting regularly (although I have no readers), that's going to start my every post from now on. So I'll apologize now - sorry - and move on. I still don't quite know what I'm trying to do with this blog, but for the moment, it's just a place to post random thoughts. Whatever it is, it's my place, and I have no readers anyways, so I get to keep my freedom.

A new semester has started though, so I don't really have all that much time to write any more. My writing tends to happen in short bursts anyways. I have to be in the mood, and when I am, I can pour out a couple sets of feelings for my thoughts at the time and for the time I haven't been writing. So I'll probably end up writing 2-3 rambles at once and then spacing out the posts.

So let's begin the new semester by talking about it. I'm a biology major. Molecular and Cell Biology (or MCB, as it's known here), in fact. I have no worries about that giving me away considering that half the undergrad population seems to consist of MCB majors (and considering that pretty much nobody actually reads this).

So this semester, I'm only actually taking one MCB major requirement, a class on the Biology of Human Cancer. It's pretty interesting, and at least in the beginning, it's been overlapping a bit with my General Human Anatomy class, which is nice. The latter class is huge, some 700+ people, not a requirement for me. I, along with the majority of the class, took it for the teacher, Professor Marian Diamond. She's amazing.

Unfortunately, she's not teaching the class this year (only offered in fall) because she tore her rotator cuff muscles. Ouch. I hope she heals quickly, but I'm still going to continue with the class this semester rather than waiting. I don't know if it will fit into my schedule next year, and besides, the topic is interesting on its own too (I'm not pre-med though! at least not yet).

Next up is an Intro to Health Policy class that works as one of the electives for my Global Poverty & Practice minor (which I will be declaring this week). I was afraid that, being somewhat political, it might be a bit dry for me, but I've found it pretty interesting so far. It's probably because of the current battle for universal, affordable healthcare.

Lastly, I have two classes that were supposed to be mutually exclusive. Well, they aren't technically, but I'm on the waitlist for Elementary Japanese and Intro Linguistics is my backup. Yet I've been finding both interesting and wondering whether I might just take the backup as well (P/NP of course). That would leave me with 19 units yet again, and a whole bunch of stress. But...they're interesting! And I'm only going to have more MCB classes in the future, not less. Anyways, I'll wait until I'm in or out of Japanese to decide that.

But 19 units. That's a lot of work. I know, I've been through it. Pretty much every semester except last spring. On a possibly unrelated note, my registration times were early up until right after the semester when I took the minimum units, despite the fact that I still have a lot more than average overall. So who knows, maybe it'll get me an early Telebears again...

Work all day, play all night. Hey!

Okay, so here's my lovely schedule for the summer:

Monday - take train from home to nearby MRU, work 9-5 in internship, which largely involves staring at a computer screen and playing with modelling proteins, and reading papers every now and then. Take train home, eat dinner, pack, return to college.

Tuesday - Biochemistry class, followed by lunch, and at least every other week, it seems, take (a different) train or carpool with fellow interns to MRU where there is more work to be done.

Wednesday - Same as Tuesday, but with the bonus of being able to grab lunch with my favorite former roommate :D.

Thursday - Either a lecture or a midterm every other week (no, literally, this is a summer class...) but no discussion. Return to MRU because Thursdays are the only days that nobody else is missing and therefore the days when we must have meetings/presentations. Yes, presentations, always on the same days as my midterms. But Thursday night, I usually get to go home.

Friday - Work 9-5 (or 4), go home, play Wii Tennis. This Friday, go see HP6 (yes, I'm totally excited!!).

This all is in addition to an online class that relates to reframing organizations and professional development and some other such things. For which I have 10-page paper due this week, same as the midterm that is worth 1/3 of my grade. I thought this was supposed to be summer...