Merry Christmas!!

Looks like I haven't blogged in almost 3 days.

That's okay because I just want to wish everyone Merry Christmas!

Special thanks to the girls of apartment 19 (Marilla, Ariel, Nikki, and Amy) along with Ryan and Porter who tried to bring me some cheers this year.

Also, I want to thank Eric for hanging out during Christmas Eve.  Thanks to everyone and I hope to see you all before the new semester starts!

Inefficax (Pars V)

Okay, so yesterday was not exciting at all.

:3

Today was not that much different either.  I spent most of my day playing video games.  I did get about 8.5 hours of sleep, though.  So, that was a rare treat.

I got a new mug and some hot coco.  I haven't drank any of it because I wasn't in the mood for hot chocolate.  I do find the new mug very useful.  :)

Like I said before, most of my day was spent on playing A Path Beyond.  Consider that I woke up around 11:30am, playing almost 6 hours of video game was still too much.  My back has never been so sore.

The rest of my evening included speaking to my uncle and listening to some music.  All right, so it's not the most glamorous way to spend a break, but there aren't much going on around Provo.

(Edit: after 11)

This should teach me not to write a journal entry without letting the day progress, or at least, leaving your apartment.  I stepped outside to check the mail and I noticed the letters and cookies were gone!

What's left was a can of hot chocolate and some treats.  That certainly made my day.  Whoever you are, thank you!  :v

Nunc Conteram (Pars IV)

Well, the highlight of my day was opening my 4th present from my mysterious friends.  I received $5 from the present.  Guess where I spent it?  I put it on my laundry card.

Other than that, I worked.  That was all I could say about Wednesday.  Kyle offered me a lift home, which was very nice of him.

I know this entry is not very exciting, but it wasn't an exciting day anyways.

Another Christmas Story (Pars III)

I totally didn't wake up on time this morning.  I kept sleeping until noon!

It was a relatively short day since I only had roughly 5 hours to myself.  I went to my eye doctor's to pick up the contacts I ordered.  So, I'm set for at least the next 6 months.

They taste pretty good.

I also went to the Bookstore to buy the rest of my books.  Surprisingly, it was cheaper to buy my O-Chem book, along with its packages, at the Bookstore than online.  I guess there's a first for everything.

The secret Santa(s) gifted me some Hershey-ets for today.  It took me a moment before I figured out how to open it.  They were nice treats!

I didn't get to play LoL (League of Legends) with my brother this afternoon due to the fact I woke up late and I was running errands.  I may have to do that tomorrow.

Work was straight forward.  There was a basketball game and the men won!  George and Simon gave the operators candy treats as Christmas gifts.  Which reminds me, I need to get them something for the season too!  I'm thinking getting a bottle of  their favorite soda.

This seems like a short post, oh well.  lol

Defessus Oculos (Pars II)

So, I had a very early start this morning.  In fact, I started my day with work at 6:00am.

My shift: 6:00-13:00; 21:00-00:00

This makes the 3rd time I've gotten little sleep since the break started.  Luckily, I get to sleep tonight.

I decided to run some errands today after my morning shift.  I got myself some drinks and little present for the full-timers at work.

I spent the rest of the day in my apartment before I headed back into work at 9.

Gift #2 from the box was a silver string for Christmas trees.  Since the tree I received was a tad small for the long string, I decided to wipe the ceilings around the center island and ended up putting it on top of the Christmas lights Taylor put up.

The other thing I did was listen to my entire playlist of music.  It's kinda funny to switch between genres when you put it on random shuffle.

Stacey texted me tonight.  She said that her family will be in Idaho on Christmas Day, so I won't be able to tag along.  :(

HURR!

  That's okay because now I can actually try to grow a beard.  I can get that bored...Then again, it's really itching me right now, so I might shave it off tomorrow.

My brother wanted me to play League of Legends with him tomorrow.  I've never got around to play it, so I think it'll be an interesting bonding time.

Well, that's my day so far.  I'm so glad I get to sleep tonight despite of the fact I work tomorrow.  To be honest, the hardest working day will be next Monday.  Speaking of which, I have some errands I need to carry out tomorrow at the Bookstore.  It's funny how I don't get to lay around doing nothing during the break.

I will survive and make my time meaningful.

Hmm...Rainbow Sheep.

Thesauros Absconditos (Pars I)

It's that time of the year again!  Once again I am free for two weeks.

These secret Santas are getting good...

There were a number of pleasant surprises starting from the beginning of the break.  Once again, the "food artist" struck once more.  This time, my name was spelled out by glow sticks with Milano cookies as borders.  I'm not sure what to do with the cookies this time as most of the little critters around Provo are probably hibernating now.

I never figured out who was/were doing that, but I think I'll just smile and move on.  When I said goodbye to Ryan, we noticed that there was a box addressed to me.  It contained a personal note addressed to me and boxes of gifts inside them.  Each was supposed to have a specific instruction.  I was to open them one at a time with each passing day until Christmas Day.

Today was the first one.  I received a mini Christmas tree.  I thought it was cute.  The slip of paper that contained the instructions was in a poetic format, complete with rhymes.  Whoever did it had spent a good amount of time preparing for those gifts!

It's possible that I will have something to do on Christmas Day if Stacey's family is not heading up to Idaho.  She invited me to have a meal with her family on that day.  That should be interesting.

Polly wants Christmas!

So...for the rest of the break, I plan to get some more exercise and cleaning done.  Not to mention, preparing for the Winter Semester.  It's always somewhat cumbersome to reflect on the year, but I have seen more positive effects than negatives from doing it.

I worked this morning and will do so again on Monday.  Looks like I won't be able to get some decent sleep until Monday night.  While we are still at it, I'm still waiting for that good news.  I hope things work out the way I planned.  If not, it's okay.

Also, looks like I'll be going home the beginning of May.  We'll see what happens from that point.

Until then, expect an update of my daily adventures in Provo during the interim period!  Take care folks and be safe!

Another Pirate Sheep!

The Final Stretch

Productivity?  What's that?  With the finals starting tomorrow, I feel this surge of excitement and nervousness running through my veins!  My policy, as it evolved over the years, has been study as much as time allows (or sometimes...feel like) and simply do not care.

Lol it's a mini me!

 This may seem like a terrible advice for some, but it certainly gives me a lot less stress around this time of the year.

Speaking of the end of the year, I still don't understand why we have a cleaning check during finals week.  You would think they would do it a week before finals to make things less complicated for the residents.  Oh well, it's the Riv.

I did a sketch today.  Luckily, most people recognized who the subject was, so I guess I don't suck as much as I thought I did before.  I will finish the details and hopefully it will become something worthy of archive.  It just might be the perfect birthday present at some point.  Now, I'll just keep it as a Christmas break project.

I just want you to know, for some reason, the format is being retarded right now.

Seems like a pretty accurate depiction of most people

In other news, I found out that my lab partner and I may be stuck together for the rest of the program since we are both doing our senior core during the same semester.

There are still a few things that need to be sorted out within the next two weeks.  I blame the bureaucracy.  I promise you all that all will be revealed in 2 weeks!

I still have a few projects to finish to wrap up the semester.  Crazily enough, I have 4 scheduled finals this semester.  That makes my options limited when it comes to what to study for next.

We had another great ward fireside tonight.  How does Bishop Hart meet all these cool people?  I don't have any plan for Christmas, so we'll see how things pan out.  I might spend some time at the bishop's place if nothing work-related comes up.  Then again, I may just sleep because I usually don't get a lot of sleep.

Another good news, I didn't know I was making $9.20/hour since the middle of September.  I suppose that was a pleasant surprise.

There will be more adventures (I hope) during the winter break.  I'll update my blog more often for those who care.

Insights

Well then, it has been a rather hectic week.  It shouldn't have been, but it somehow turned out that way.  In fact, I was so caught up with all the big projects that's supposed to be due on Monday, I forgot to do my chemistry homework.  That'll cost me, but I doubt it'll make a dent in my grade.  Other than that, the week has been rather inspiring.

Need a jolt?  :v

I was able to tie up the loose ends on family history work and had one of my friends, Ariel, to go to the Draper Temple and complete some ordinances for my great grandmothers.  I am grateful!

The combined Priesthood and Relief Society this Sunday was insightful.  We had Brad Wilcox speaking to us.  It's crazy how many interesting people Bishop Hart knows.

Brother Wilcox shared some gospel knowledge with us.  I wish I had that sort of understanding when I was serving my mission.  It would have made explanations so much easier.

One of the things I liked during his lesson was expanding upon the concept of "saved by grace after all we can do".  I didn't understand at first, but I got it after the analogy he drew.  LDS don't believe that we can earn our way to heaven (in fact, the word is never mentioned in our standard works).  Works are not payment.  Christ already paid that with his sacrifice.  Him, being our Creditor, beckons us to follow Him and observe His terms.  Our faith help us to do good, which is more along the lines of appreciation for His great sacrifice.  By doing the things He has commanded, we learn about heaven instead of earning our way into it.

Also, I know my mom has mentioned this before, but I didn't quite understand it either before today.  Brother Wilcox pointed out the difference between eternal progression and perfection.  They are not synonymous and he used a great example to prove that point.

Brad Wilcox: author and professor at BYU

Upon reflection, this year was all about finding out what I want in life. This included career path, friends, family, and the girl I would like to have as an eternal companion.  The first half of the year was trying, but I had good friends and a good supportive network in my immediate surroundings.  I was really lucky my roommates and I get along so well (I've never had an issue with my roommates).  That, in itself, is almost unheard of and rare.

Looking back, I know I was blessed.  I complain from time to time, but life is not bad at all!

Finals are coming up.  The secret to deal with them?  Study hard and don't care what happens.  I think I get better grade when I strike a fine balance between those two things.

So...who loves orange soda???
Kel loves orange soda!!!

Thanksgiving!

Alas, it is that time of the year again.  I have plenty to be grateful myself.  This year was a bit rocky for start, but it gradually became better and better as time moved on.  No guys, I'm not going to dinner with my family or at a friend's place.  I am working from 3pm to midnight.  Why, you might ask?  Well, I certainly don't have any close relatives hanging around the West Coast and Thanksgiving means double pay!  I got some Thanksgiving texts from my friends and I appreciated them.

Everything celebrates Thanksgiving in this country

As much as I hated what happened to me earlier this year, I thought it was a great learning experience.  I learned to be careful about my feelings.  This was where I learned the hard way about not to date a freshman.  I found out, once again, how lucky I was to have supportive friends who were willing to pick me up when I'm feeling down.

I started to discover what I like in a girl and what I could do to be a little bit more likable overall.  That's a work in progress and we'll see how it goes.  Personally, I would like to be married before I graduate in 2014, but whatever the good Lord has in store for me, I'll take it.

I made another drastic decision when it came to career path.  I eventually chose to prepare for medical school.  All the nonsense happening in life somehow made me want to achieve more for myself.  I believe that when I aim higher, I'll gain more as a result if I try my hardest and do what is right.  Besides, Dr. Lee sounds rather nifty, no?

I met great people throughout the year and had great memories of the times spent with them.  I could list them all here, but I know it wouldn't do some people justice when every person I know contributed somewhat to my character development.  They may or may not realize it, but I know.  When it's all said and done, most people that are under the tag Inner Circle tended to have positive influence over me in some aspects of life.

Late night ping pong

This morning (early morning), we rearranged the furniture and made a makeshift ping pong table.  The said table assembled via two dining tables from the Riv and loads of DVD cases as nets.  Initially, only Leland, Ryan, and Taylor played, but I joined later when I finished up some businesses on the net.  We had great fun and a good work out.

I hope there were no one downstairs.  We were rather active and loud.  The floor squeaked whenever we moved around.  We played standard ping pong and then a made up game that involved us running in circles and keep hitting the ball.  Perhaps that could an FHE activity one day or just for fun with friends.

Lastly, I tied up the loose ends on my genealogy chart.  I'll add another side of the family later, but I managed to combine duplicate data and made the request forms ready for some great-grandmothers.  I'll be in need of assistance from the sisters in the ward soon.

Life is good.  I know it's hard to believe sometimes, but I keep reminding myself that it's really not that bad.  In fact, most of us here in the ward are rather lucky and should be grateful for what we are and where we are today.  Of course, there's always room for improvement.

Oh look!  Pirate Sheep!!

The Calm After

I didn't get to blog this past Sunday simply because I had a major test the day after and I wanted to put more time into studying.  In the aftermath of it all, I apparently did not perform as well as I should have despite putting forth more hours into studying the material.  Quite ironic, right?  Then again, I probably would have gotten a worse score if I didn't study as much as I did this past weekend.

Ahh, the tests before the finals...

Last week was hectic because I had several tests I had to take.  Overall, I think I did okay.  I'm usually not satisfied unless I get at least 90% on them.  That's just the standard I've set for myself.  Some people may be content with an 80%, but that's not for me.  I don't feel too bad when I get 85% or above, but an A- makes my day.

Due to work and exam circumstances, I've missed out on a good number of activities that happened throughout the week.  Too bad I won't find the results to TA applications until after the finals.

Luckily, there are things to do around here for entertainment.  I changed many of the sounds on my laptop to correspond with the sounds in Tiberian Sun and Red Alert.  It was a fun little project and I think that gave my laptop a bit more personality.

As for the people in my life?  I am grateful for them.  I'm not sure how much I add to their lives, but I know my life would have been very dull without them.  I want to thank my roommates, my Inner Circle, the girls of 19, 20, and 24 (especially 24 because they are my best friends).  Be sure to check out Sarah's doggelganger on her Facebook!

(That smiley didn't turn out right...)

Anyways, I did some family history work today and I'm excited to have one of my female friends to help me with my great-grandmothers.  I just need to make the connections on the Family History Search this break and see if I can piece the family tree together.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

As I sit here blogging, I begin to wonder why I do this.  How many people actually read this blog anyways?  I know some people do, but obviously not a lot.  I guess it all depends on what I'm trying to accomplish with these entries.

As the end of semester draws in closer, I just want to keep up the pace and hopefully I'll get good marks in my classes.  The more I think about it, the more I am annoyed with the fact that I'm still working on my bachelor's.  But, the time I took off to serve a mission was worth it.  I guess it doesn't matter how old I am when I enter med school.  The most important thing is having the will to go through with it.

I got a letter from Klint recently.  He probably won't get my response until the week after.  Can't really wish him a Thanksgiving, but a letter counts.  I don't even know if they celebrate it in Germany.  I also wrote a letter to Mary...who I haven't wrote since she entered her mission field and it has been over a year.  Wow, I feel like an idiot.

With the way things are, I just keep chugging along until the next best thing crosses my path.

Storm Before Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving coming up!

With the Thanksgiving break right around the corner, it is one of the busiest times of the year.  I have 3 tests and 1 research paper due before the break and they've been taking up most of my time.

The good part about having tests before the break is that I get to focus on other things during the holidays (i.e. work, personal organization, etc).  Once again, I won't be going home this year.  I won't go home for Christmas either.  Don't worry, I'll be home at around the end of May and beginning of June.  Depending on what I'll be doing, I may stay from a week to 2 weeks.

I noticed that I've been rather self-centered on my recent posts.  My friends seldom showed up in my blog posts this semester.  This is mainly due to the fact that most of my entries are now weekly summaries versus daily happenings.  Nevertheless, I'll try to focus more on the people around me, who I'm grateful for during my stay here in Provo.

Apparently, Emily, who comes down from Idaho to visit Eric (and her sister Alyssa) often has been trying to swing by to see me and Taylor.  Of course, I work at nights and Taylor had his own plans, so she missed us most of the times.

That's the model

I decided to upgrade my phone this week.  I've been using my backup phone since I've been back from my mission in 2010.  I bought a new phone, same number still, as an early Christmas present for myself.  It's one of those Samsung Touch Messengers.  I plan to have this phone for the next couple of years.

Lance and I discovered that the fried chicken at Macey's is awesome!  I didn't know we could get discounts for choosing thighs and drumsticks on the $11 10-piece meal.  Looks like I may have something to look forward to every other week from now on.

Study groups for the upcoming tests were awesome until nobody showed up on Saturday...I was sad because I was hoping to get so much work done.  But, because of the study groups, I realized that my MMBio240 class was actually more manageable than I thought.  I just wish I discovered the method to handle this class earlier in the semester.  The chance of getting a B+ seems imminent.  That's okay because as long as I get to do research with Dr. Berges, I'm fine.

Speaking of him, I discovered 2 more connections to the Valley Forge Stake this week.  Apparently, Cristyann and RJ both knew people from that stake.  In fact, Cristyann lived there for some time and knows Lizzie.  What the heck?  When did all these East Coasters started showing up?  I never noticed them until this semester.

*Shakes fist at confusing numbers*

I had my usual visiting during Sunday.  I played a few card games with Kelli when I visited apartment 24.  In case you haven't caught on, I swing by 19, 20, and 24 quite frequently.  So, if you ever wish to find me, you should try those places besides 35.

Anyways, one day I shall beat Kelli in Speed!  We played with Rook cards, so it was slightly different.  I still can't tell a 6 and 9 on the top of my eyes.  She baked some cookies for the ward fireside.  They were pretty good, but I think she doesn't give herself enough credit.  She insisted that they were burnt.  Perhaps I'm just not a picky eater?

A note of interest: Amy Freeman is an awesome cook!

I'm really excited for the Winter Semester because there are so many things I could do and so many possibilities.  Oh, I'll tell you more about it next week!

Twist of Fate

This week has been pretty good!  I got a lot of things done and everything started to look much better.  I took Bishop Hart's advice and make a few changes in my routines, so life is getting better, but I know I can improve its quality by putting forth time for some extra things.

I had 3 tests this week, but that did not bother me because the semester is coming to an end.  It's November already!  I'm ready for the Thanksgiving break and get myself some sleep and hours for work.

Who knew little stinkers could be so cute?!

Recently, I discovered that I'm somehow cursed with freshman girls from Heritage Halls.  That's story for another time.  Those of you who already know the story will find my life comical.  After all, the chance of stuff like that happening is not that great.

I wrote a poem for the first time in a while.  I called it Autumn Aria and posted it on my Facebook Notes.  It has seven stanzas with the rhymes within each stanza.  It's been a while, but I was pleased with the work.

A funny thing happened this week.  I found out that my MMBio240 professor was from my home ward when he was doing his PhD at UPenn.  Talk about a small world!  He moved out of the Valley Forge Ward in '05, so I never got to know him since I didn't even get baptized until '07.  This happened because I went to his office to see my test scores and find out what and why I got wrong on the tests.

Discover ridiculous stuff like this!

I hope I can do research with him, but that's only provided if I get a good grade in this class.  If not, I guess there's always another professor I could work for.  Unfortunately, I can only lose 21 more points in that class before I lose an A-!  Well, I won't be able to TA for that class, but I hope getting a B+ won't prevent me from being accepted into a research position.  I need the credits for medical school.

This week was fast Sunday and I did bear my testimony.  I also enjoyed all those who shared theirs.  There was also a fireside tonight by President Boyd K. Packer.  He focused mostly on repentance and how justice and mercy worked with each other.  I'm sure people get different things out of it than me, but it was overall a good experience.

With life moving forward, I shall let everyone know what's happening at the end of December when I figure out I've been chosen or not.  Write to you all later!

2 Weeks Later

Sometimes, I just want to sleep...

It's been 2 weeks and I apologize for not making an entry the week before.  Life simply got in the way and I did not feel motivated to make a post about the happenings of that week.

I've registered for Winter Semester classes!  I missed the 2 classes I wanted the most, but it's okay, I simply substituted them with 2 other classes I'll have to take for medical school.  When I look back, I think my life had taken an 180-degree turn.  I never thought I would be studying sciences again.

To break it down, I will be taking MMBio361, PWS340, Chem351, StDev272, PHYS105 and 107.  So, I'll have a grand total of 6 classes and 14 credit hours.  Not too bad.  That will keep me busy for the most part.

I am sad that I'll have to drop my Communications Minor because there's no way I could jam it all in without delaying graduation and med school application.  If I just wanted my bachelor's, I would have been able to do all my minors.  For the record, the only minor I'll have is a minor in Molecular Biology.

I've been feeling deflated lately because of the things that have been happening in my life, but thankfully, the Lord has provided ways for me to overcome them and everything turned out better than expected.  I have my worries, but I know things will work out as long as I do my part.  I need to focus more!

Sometimes, I like to think that's me.

I am distracted easily and seem to be more and more worried about my future lately.  I have no idea how I can fit everything I wanted to do into my life.  I worry about grades and sometimes the interpersonal relationships I strive to maintain.  I'll admit, I've been quite sloppy about being a friend lately, but everyone gets that way once in a while.

I had an interview with the bishop today (mind you, I'm not in any sort of trouble).  I just wanted a pick-me-up.  One thing I know I'll have to work on is building that personal relationship with the Savior.  More meaningful scripture studies instead of the "fill in the quota" readings each night.  Even more important is my temple attendance.  I have no attended the temple since June I believe.  Now, that is not healthy.

Bishop Hart also gave me a blessing, which was much needed.  I know I have home teachers, roommates, and even best friends that could offer that service, but sometimes, I want a father figure to perform that ordinance because I feel slightly lost in the struggle to build a reputable career.  My parents are great people, but they could not offer that kind of help because my dad does not have that power.

In other news, I tried to visit people more often, especially those I home teach.  I need to be friends to those I visit and not simply do it because of duty, obligation, or mere preference on my part.  My dad always said, "God is very fair because He gives each person 24 hours a day."  Life is a journey and I hope to fulfill my potential and do the things I was meant to do in this life before I've procrastinated my days.

So what now?  Well, like the flowchart in regards to happiness suggests, if you are not happy, change something and see what happens.  Good thing I know what are some of the things I may have to change.

A Path Beyond

This is the game A Path Beyond

I figured out another step to my career plan this week.  That was the highlight of my academic life.  I went to the Life Science Advisement Center and reworked my graduation plan because I've decided to study medicine.  Hopefully, the plan will be sorted out some time next week and I can go ahead into the Pre-professional Advisement to seek more details.

With premed on my agenda, I'll probably be in Provo for a bit longer.  Instead of graduating around the end of 2013 or beginning of 2014, I may have to stay around until 2015.  I must say, the prerequisites for medical school are a lot more complicated than I thought they were.  A person would need to do more than just getting good MCAT scores and high GPA.

Looking through some med schools, I noticed that the average MCAT scores were around 30-31 and 3.5ish GPA.  It certainly gave me a lot of hope because I thought my GPA was not a grand 4.0.  If I do managed to get into medical school, I might stay on the West Coast because they are top ranked and relatively cheaper compared to some of the East Coast counterparts.

Even if I don't wind up going to med school, I would have finished the prerequisites for PA schools.  I may not be rich being a PA, but I'm sure I'll make a decent living.  In the worst case scenario, I would get a masters degree in medical technologies and would still make a good chunk of change.

They are best friends!

I am really excited about my future even though I worry about how everything is going to work out. The one thing I was reminded of today was that we need to continue to build that relationship with our Heavenly Father and do the right things in life. It won't make life easy, but I'd be where I needed to be and probably happier in the long run.

I asked my roommate Ryan to give me a blessing this weekend when all the stress of life seems to have gotten the best of me.  Balancing school, work, etc. is not an easy task.

All I know is that I need to try harder.  Right now, I have a few A-'s for this semester, but they are on the edge of A's, so I should try harder and see if I get a better GPA than I usually get at the end of semesters.

As for this weekend, I went to a stake fireside with friends and ended up playing games with the said people at #24.  The people in the ward are amazing and there would not be enough room to describe them without making this post long and cumbersome.  My friends, you know who you are even if I didn't mention you here in this blog.  Maybe when Spring and Summer come around, I can update this more frequently and include you in this chronicle that I now write.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Fatalistic Change of Plan

Don't I wish...

Well, due to the stress and things I have to do this semester, I have no motivation to try to update my blog twice a week now.  I figured it is easier to make an update each week (in other words, one step away from being completely quitting).

I've thought a lot about my life lately.  I think I have most of the academic details figured out.  I just need to put them into action and hopefully I can get to where I want.

I want to go to med school and be a doctor.  I like talking to people and feel better about myself when I can help.  Not to mention, doctors usually have good salaries.  Well, at least in this country, doctors get paid well.

I'm not sure what I want to specialize yet.  I want to do pediatrician, but I also somewhat intrigued by cardiology and anesthesiology.  I probably won't be done with it all until my mid-30s, but it's not like I have anything else to do with my life.

Look at this baby!  You are telling me girls are better?

When I said I probably will finish my residency, etc. around 35, single, and gonna buy myself a Ferrari, I was not kidding.  I can't see myself with a family, or do I ever wanted a family of my own.  Hell, I don't even go home during holidays like some of the other people around here.  When you have to pay for things yourself, it means more to me to get more money than seeing people I'll probably see for the rest of eternity (or perhaps won't).

Maybe my logic is flawed.  The truth remains that I was not brought up the way most people, especially the LDS faith, thought I was brought up in.  I felt somewhat offended when people say that me not going home is weird.  Then again, I should just keep my mouth shut.  The less people know, the better.

I don't care what anyone says, dating is overrated.  The only irony is that I still do it. I'm not sure how much I enjoy it.  I'll admit, I haven't had the best luck when it comes to it and I've done a lot of dumb things in that field.  In fact, the only relationship I've had turned out to be the one I regret.  Maybe I just haven't found the right person yet.  Unfortunately for me, I find money and prestige much more attractive than "relationships". At least I can please myself with those two things than trusting someone who may or may not be loyal to me for eternity.

Obviously, friends don't really last forever, so I'm constantly trying to make new friends.  I do get jealous of couples from time to time, though.  Then again, what's so great about it?  The people that's been known to betray me has always been those I thought I could trust.  So, what does that say about my close friends?  I keep them as close friends, but refusing to let them see every side of me.  I will not repeat the same mistake I made with she-who-will-remain-nameless.

The Combined Weekend Extravaganza

Bro-paw.

Since this weekend was the Semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I decided to combine my usual 2-post weekend blogging into just one big post.

To start off, my week was pretty good.  My lowest test score is currently at a B+ and it's my MMBio240 class.  I hope to keep this up till the end of semester so I can get A- and A's in all my classes.

I did some research on possible specialties I want to study when I enter med school.  I think I might go for either pediatrician or cardiologist.  Obviously, it'll be some time before I take the MCAT, but the prospect of what I will take on once I get my bachelor's is quite exciting.

One day, I'll go for an endowment session there.

So, the best lessons I've learned this weekend were mostly from President Thomas S. Monson and Dieter F Uchtdorf.  The one thing that resonated with me was when a Seventy quoted President Monson when he told him to "look up."  Too often, I find myself looking down at my mistakes or failures in the past.  The phrase serves a figurative and literal counsel.

President Uchtdorf's words reminded me how God loves us no matter what.  We must choose to do the best thing that is before us.  We shouldn't feel insignificant because all of cosmos came to be because of us.  It was because God loves us and wants to help us grow.  That goes for all creatures of our God and King.  From the smallest critter to people, everything is here because He cares.

As to magnifying our calling and help those around us, I have no idea how much we could possibly find out about the Church's welfare program.  I know there are handbooks, etc. that explain in greater detail, but I think most of us are somewhat kept in the dark.  I do know that it's the model we should take to help the needy.  I know that the program is very much like the teach a person to fish approach to self-reliance.

OCD is not only found in people...

The upcoming week will be frustrating because I have another 2 tests...and some more the week after.  It seems like I can't catch a break from these tests.  I've found myself doing less of my independent contracting job.  I'm still working 22 hours a week.  The funny thing is, even if I get a $0.75 raise at the end of the semester, I would make less than what I do this semester due to the extra 2.5 hours (or 10 hours per month) each week I'm doing right now.

Speaking of work, I appreciate the food and drink my supervisors bring to us.  George, Steve, Simon, and Cade are great folks.  It's too bad Steve is transferring department.

I've met a good number of people in my ward.  So far, all of the people I've met are great people. My ward is a very good congregation so far.  Sometimes, I feel like I want to get to know them all, but don't have enough time.

Despite of all the silly things, I think I got it good.  I have good health and have been giving myself enough sleep to last through the days.  I started to eat healthier, which helps a lot!  My bank account is still in the 4-digit range.  Really, I don't have much to complain.  My life is awesome for the most part even if it lacks pizzazz.

Road to Improvement

What up Pikachu?!

I'm usually not self-conscious enough to identify some of the personal flaws I have in this life.  Often, I'm rather absent-minded about the issue and end up offending people I did not wish to offend.

I decided to attend the atonement class for Sunday School again this semester.  I liked the way Dan and Coleman taught it during the Spring and Summer, but this time, we actually get the manual.

While most people here at BYU don't have serious issues with drugs and addictions, there are habits that could prove to be detrimental if done in excess.  This is just me generally speaking.

The more I think about the atonement, the more links I can draw to principles and doctrines.  Having the atonement being in the center of the Plan of Salvation is beginning to make more sense than I first heard it from a religion professor here at BYU back in freshman year.

I am formulating a plan to become a better person.  I'm not holy, but I'd like to be a better person than I am right now.

On the to-do list this week: take 2 tests, get new contact solutions (dang smudges), and get ahead in homework, etc.

14 more years of schooling to go...

ಥ⌣ಥ

A Month Later

The ultimate struggle good vs. evil.  The Catnorak!!

So, it's been a month since the semester has started.  As of now, I'm okay with the progress I've made academically, but there's still lots of room to improve.

I had 3 tests this week and I only took 2 of them.  I'm going to take the last one for my MMBio240 class on Monday night.  That means I will have to skip FHE for the week.  Oh well, I gotta do what I gotta do.

I was able to watch 2 sports games live this week!  Got a free women's volleyball poster and paid for watching this Friday's football game!  I think I should start collecting the soccer team posters just for fun.  Even though I don't like to work 22 hours a week, but it sure has its perks.  The best part?  BYU won both of the games I watched.

Looks like the food artist has stopped.  I guess I will never figure out who did it.  It's okay, I don't think I'm ready for anything romantic right now anyways.  School takes precedent before any of that shenanigans.  ;)

I attempted to figure out my graduation plan.  If I want to get both of my minors and finish all my premed courses, I will not graduate until the end of 2014.  However, if I just want to walk out with a bachelor's degree, I can be done by end of 2013 easily.  Since I do plan on going to med school, I figured it's probably better to take longer before I graduate.  After all, I would still have to take extra classes if I just wanted to go to PA school (which is an alternative by the way).

Life...has been kind to me for the most part.  I have good roommates and a decent ward.  More importantly, I have a supportive family and friends.  They'll keep me going for some time before I burn out.

ಠ⌣ಠ

New Beginning

How snugly!

Well, it is the beginning of a new week.  I am looking forward to it already.  I have 3 tests this week...which will be interesting as I try to take them.  The semester is getting busier already!

Looking at my notes from church today, I realized that I haven't been to the temple for over 3 months!  That's not good at all.  I would love to go, but I need to plot out my time better.  I can see some opening for Thursday afternoons and Saturday evening, but other than that, it'd be difficult.

One thing I felt I should do while going to the temple again is going through the endowment process and review the covenants and words said during each individual ordinance.

The point of interest in today's notes came from Moses 1 in the Pearl of Great Price.  It mentioned how Moses beheld God and saw Him face to face when His glory fell upon him.  Similar accounts of heavenly visions stated that the person knew not whether he was in the body or spirit when he beheld the things God had shown him.

Why is that important?  Well, when Moses saw Satan after seeing God, he noted that he was beholding the Fallen Angel in his natural state with the naked eyes.  Here's a lesson we can take from Moses's experience: if you are awake, chances are it's not from God.  Also, we great blessings seem to come with great trails.  Good luck comrades, you'll need it!

I'll let you all know how I survived next Saturday and Sunday.

☜(⌒▽⌒)☞

Changing Season

Worst game ever!

This week has been productive for the most part.  The first part of my week was somewhat slow, but I managed to get homework done and stayed somewhat ahead of the schedule.

The first FHE was fun.  I liked the combined group activity consisted of multiple mini-games.

In the world of work, I was rather relaxed.  There was nothing too complicated to handle, especially when Simon was around to guide us along.  On my independent contracting side, I haven't done much this week because of the amount of homework I had to finish.

The latter part of my week was more action-packed.  Once again, someone decided to spell out my name with food items and this time it's with tortillas.  I wonder who did it.  While I appreciate the thoughtful acts, it's kinda bothersome to know who was behind all the silliness.

The end of my secular week was marked with the most awful football game I ever watched.  BYU totally sucked against Utah.  They played like a bunch of middle school boys.  There were SEVEN turnovers and a measly 11 yards from rushing.  Apparently, BYU's offense doesn't know how to catch or carry the ball.  The game ended with an embarrassing 54-10 blowout.  What do they do during practice?  So much for independence...

Anyways, I'm still waiting for a few things before I decide on my next course of action.

(╬ ಠ益ಠ)

Stand Your Ground

Yes!  You have feet!!

This morning, when my roommates and I opened the door to go to church, we noticed that there were Milanos on the ground and they spelled out my name for some reason.  I thought it was a nice surprise.  Although, I wasn't sure why, or more importantly, why were they on the ground.

Today was the first time I taught gospel doctrine class.  Most people said that I did a good job.  I sure hope so because I felt I could have done a better job.  Well, I only spend about 2 hours thinking and looking up stuff for the lesson the night before, so if I ever get a chance to teach again, I'll know to spend more time on it.  The good thing was I was right on time!  :)

My lesson was focused on the 2 Corinthians in the New Testament where Paul taught about tribulations, forgiveness, godly sorrow, and reconciliation to God.  One of the most important reminders when reading the epistles is to have the Spirit with you because many of the letters were not written by Paul himself, but scribes who drafted what Paul said.  In other words, ponder the words before taking them at face value.

One of the better inspirations I've received today at sacrament talks today was from Rachel when she said that the time while single was the best time to do some self-improvement.  This was a great point that would be further emphasized at the CES Fireside by Sister Oaks.  I also learned, thanks to Andrew, to why Jesus refers to us as His friends since He became our spiritual father through the atonement.

I received a calling this semester.  I'm supposed to be a FHE dad!  I've never done it before, so we'll see how that goes...

Once again, I had a little friction with a few people that my coworker knew.  I'm not going to go into details on this one because I had my faults, but people were simply not good enough to back up their dissing with facts, so they called me a tool instead.

I ended up feeding the Milanos on the ground to the ducks at the duck pond near Heritage.  I figured some creatures would appreciate the goods even after they hit the ground.

The take home message for me at the fireside was that I should focus on my career, but don't eliminate the opportunity to move on with life (i.e. marriage, family, etc.).  As for Elder Oaks remarks, I thought it was great that he pointed out we needed a balance between being tolerant and firm to the truths.  Too often, especially when I was in the mission field, I've seen missionaries who were either one way or the other and never found a fine balance between the two.  In other words, we want to be what Alma described as firm but not overbearing.

I figured out why my wired network wasn't working and it's utterly stupid and confusing.  At least it's working now...That's all for now, catch you next Saturday!

&_&

The Unseen Stress

Wrath is my name also.

It is said that the first few weeks of school are the most frustrating and stressful period.  Whether or not this is true, I think I felt the effects of it unknowingly until after the fact.  This week had been filled with inconveniences and silly annoyances that brought out the wrath in me.  Saying that I'm irritated is a great understatement.

The most notable folly was the water outage in the beginning of this week.  Somehow, the construction crew must have broken something and rendered the residents here at the Riviera without water.  The anger was misdirected at the management, but who could blame the residents?  Many of us here depend on the little things that need to run smoothly in order to complete their days.

Invisible sniper spies...hate them.

Although this brought us greater appreciation for water and realize how blessed we were to have running water, it almost threw off the "groove" of things.  There were further inconveniences that involved a friend's mother and the laundry room, but I won't go there.  All it matters is that I apologized after I went through "rage" mode.

Oh yeah, the Internet is being retarded again...  and the fact that BYU lost the game against Texas Longhorns was plain aggravating.  Gosh, sometimes I think I should stick to watching women's soccer.  At least they are cute and they win.  :v

Were there anything good that happened this week?  Of course!  I was given the opportunity to teach a lesson tomorrow in Sunday School.  I worked 24 hours this week and I'm allowed to go over 20 hours for this semester.  I get extra money!

Also, I understand everything in my class so far even though I have a test this coming Friday.  My uncle is now an associate professor in a tech institute in China.  Not to mention, I was able to send out letters to my missionary friends, including the newest addition, Marie!

Life is a mixed bag of awesome and crappy.  Well, we'll just have to see what happens.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

First Fall Fast

Hmm...they look strangely similar.

After some careful considerations, I've decided that I'll do 2 entries on my blog a week.  One on Saturday and one on Sunday.  Since school is becoming busier, I cannot spend time writing down things daily.  I knew this was going to happen.  Anyways, my Saturday posts will now feature things I encountered during the week, sort of like a weekly summary and spotlight.  My Sunday posts, hopefully, will be more spiritually-tuned.  The best part?  You get to see random pictures.

This morning, before we headed over to church, Ryan (my roommate) asked me and Taylor how long we've been members.  Why is this significant?  I seldom encounter people who ask me that question.  Having Ryan asking that reminded me the road I took to come to this point of my life today.

I was baptized 4 days before my 18th birthday and came to BYU in June of 2007.  From there, I studied for a year and went and served a mission in England.  After some crazy events and drama, I ended up back in BYU where I'm studying in hopes to go to med school in the next 2-3 years.  I've had my trails and I think I've overcome most, if not all, of them so far.  Each person I met has taught me something in life, especially those who I grew close to on this campus.

I bore my testimony for the first time in a few months.  I felt the Spirit fairly strong when we sang the hymns today.  With the new semester and new people to work with, the opportunity seems limitless.  I'll observe and see.

So what's new this semester: independent contract for ChaCha, 14 credit hours, 21 hours of regular shift...  Perhaps I'll get a calling or two to add to the load.  We'll see.  So, stay tuned.

（´-`）.｡oO( ... )

New Month

Since school is going to take up a majority of my time, I've decided that I should not update my blog daily.  Instead, I'll update it weekly and most likely doing so on Sundays.

I know that some of you actually pay a visit here daily, but I'll have to disappoint you from now.

Look at the bright side, I may have quality posts for once.  Anyhow, thanks for tuning in and I'll catch you all on Sunday!

:v

Assessment

So, it's the last day of August and I realized that I've kept a daily update for 2 months now.  Most of the times, I don't have anything impressive to record on this blog, so I end up putting up a boring narrative of what happened during the day.  I haven't been doing a good job with insightful materials on my weekend posts either.

I went to my morning class and went straight into work for an hour and half.  There were some issues, but I was glad that I could help the newbies to get the job done right.

The only person outside of work that I had a conversation with was Shannon.  Since she's a close friend I can confide in, I generally find it easier to talk about things.

I did some homework before my night shift.  Surprisingly, everything went fairly quickly.  I felt productive because I finished a few projects Steve had given me that evening.  I also had a candid talk with Jacob about my own work ethics.  Well, let's just say the flaws he pointed out would make 99% of the employees there hypocrites.  He had legitimate points, but I've found myself doing less of those things since the last 2 weeks.  I'm glad that Simon and Steve has been giving me projects to keep my busy.  Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to focus as much.

Anyways, I like it when people throw their critiques plainly and directly at me as long as they are credible.  I have mixed feelings about Jacob to be honest.

Onto other assessments, I realized that I could apply to my major this semester, so I'll ask the advisement center tomorrow.  There are much for me to look forward to in the future.  I sure don't plan on working at the same place throughout my college years.

(¬_¬) 

Setback

I certainly did not enjoy waking up for a 8:00 class today.  I'm glad I only have one class like that once a week.  My MMBio 102 class is 80% female.  Well, I guess I'll have to get used to that along with my Chem  285 class.

Speaking of Chem 285, I was so mad that my iClicker died in the middle of the class today...That totally screwed up my quiz grade.  Of course, the professor wasn't too sympathetic about that either.  Oh well, I can still do well this semester if I try hard enough.

It's only the second day of school and I already have tons of homework.  During breaks between classes, I simply do homework and a bit of my guide role.  Life is busy, but it is good busy.

I went to my Intro to Art History (ArtHC 111) class tonight, I had a hard time staying awake.  It was not because the class was boring, but the class went from 5:30 to 8:00, which was late in the day.

I guess on the bright side, there were at least one person that I know in all my classes.  So, I won't be bored to death this semester that's for sure.  Or is that a sign that I need to get out of Provo soon?  I am so tired, but I still have SOOOOO MUCH readings to do for tomorrow...can't catch a break.

:(

First Day!

It was the very first day of school!  I was glad I didn't have class till 9:00.  I was lucky and saw some people I knew on my way to my classes.  Sadly, the only class, so far, that has people I know in it is my MMBio 240.

I had to work for an hour this morning, which wasn't so bad, except I had to man 3 stations at once.  It was doable, just had to move around a bit.  Looks like I'll still have over 20 hours despite of people coming in early for me for some shifts.  Well, we'll see what happens.

I saw someone I didn't want to see today at the Cougar Eat.  I conveniently didn't talk to her because she was talking to some other person.  I was eating at a different table about 40 feet away with my friends.  I didn't want to be alone when she was in sight.

I had great fun at the ward opening social tonight.  Got to know some people in the ward.  I believe this semester will be a great one!  I should really get on with my homework.  I don't want to fall behind early this time.

┌(；`～,)┐

Last Day of Summer

Happy Bunday!!

It's the very last day before semester starts.  I am very excited about classes because I plan to do much better than I did last time.

Church was way packed this morning.  Having over 150 people in the same sacrament room on the seventh floor of the Tanner Building seemed crazy, but it wasn't so bad.  I saw many familiar faces and some new ones.  My first impression was that this will be a good year.

I finished up my last Sunday shift for at least the next 4 months today.  Boy, did I feel good!  I didn't enjoy working on Sundays at all even though there was not much to do during my shift.  I hope my work schedule for Fall will be just as nice as I thought it would be.  I'll find out this week.

Ryan and his brother (and family) came by tonight.  We had a pleasant conversation.  It's not often I see friends' parents, but I usually get along with them.  It sucks to be the oldest in the apartment, but whatever.  I'll still do what I want.

Ward prayer was more involved.  I actually tried to get to know people.  That's somewhat rare because it usually takes me a week or two before I feel comfortable mingling with new people.  Of course, I still don't remember everyone's name, but that'll definitely change when the ward list comes out and members start showing up on my Facebook.

I have a good feeling about this year.

☜(⌒▽⌒)☞

Ridiculous

I wonder whose signature is on there...?

This morning was somewhat strange.  I got up around 10, but since I was so tired, I kinda fell asleep again.  Taylor was passed out on the couch because he was out early this morning.  Suddenly, someone knocked on the door and it was a lady.  It was slightly awkward because I didn't have a shirt on, but I didn't care.  She was the mom of one of our roommates.  According to her, he won't be back until October when he takes 2nd block classes.  Why did she come?  Just to check the mattresses to see if she needs to send a work order.

Anyways, I went to work meeting after hanging around campus for a bit.  I met with my friend Fan Fan and caught up on a few things.  For work in the Fall, looks like I have roughly 21 hours a week.  How is that possible with an on-campus job?  Well, BYU Broadcasting is technically not academically related.  I just needed the HR's approval to get it going.  Another factor that contributed to that was the fact that most people can't work Monday and Wednesday mornings (98% of us have classes...).  I was only able to take away 1 hour from each morning and thus boosting my hours.

So apparently, the last roommate showed up with his mom and brother.  His brother will be staying with us for about 2 weeks because his school doesn't start till then.  Haven't met him yet, but I've added him on Facebook.  Looks like I'll be the oldest guy in the apartment this Fall.  :(  I don't wanna be responsible!  lol

I tried to help Zach moving his piano out along with many other guys (Tyler, Collin, Taylor, etc.)  The thing accidentally landed on my right hand when we were going off the stairs.  I only got bruises on my middle and ring finger plus a minor cut... thank goodness!

It was yet another disappointing live session at work tonight.  I watched the women's volleyball team lose...at least they won 1/3 games this weekend.  I'm not a great volleyball fan, though.  However, I did learn how hitting % was calculated.  It goes something like: (Kills - Errors) / Attacks.  Now, the whole "negative hitting percentage" line actually makes sense.  The funny thing was, the question popped up on live broadcast because we sent that question.  :v

Church tomorrow!  Let's check out the new peeps and I'll work my very last Sunday shift for at least the next 4 months!

（ ^_^）o自自o（^_^ ）