No Rest

Aww!  Look at how its ears flop!!

It certainly has been a busy week.  There were so many things to be finished on time and I have not finished most of them yet.

I have 2 more tests this week before General Conference this upcoming Saturday.  To be frank, I am stressed.  I have to take a test tomorrow and Tuesday.  But, what am I doing?  That's right, I'm updating my blog because it is apparently a priority in life.

I actually had 8 hours of sleep in one night this week.  I felt super awesome!  However, I found myself to be absolutely insane in classes... probably not a good thing.

The one thing that struck me in Sunday School today was the notion that we were probably friends with many of the one-third that fell away back in the preexistence.  It makes sense and that's something that I found profound.  It would only make sense to use someone who knows you to tempt you throughout life.  Although the actual mechanism is not understood, it's just an interesting speculation.

I'm also happy to report that I did make a decision in a matter I've been contemplating for a while.  I have no regrets.  I think I've set myself up for another adventure in the near future.

On the side note, I got a new laptop this week!  For $350, it was the best deal I've ever got on electronic goods.  It is an Asus brand.  I think I'll use this for the next 2-3 years before it's time to buy a new one.

There's so much to do and so little time...

Still, won't you dance with me across the ocean floor?  ;)

Everything In Between

This is what happens when your life ain't straight

Instead of being up longer and finishing up my homework, I thought it would be a great idea to spend some time updating my blog.  This week has been absolutely hectic.  I'm surprised that I haven't lost my sanity yet.

Anyways, I found out that I didn't do as awesome as I thought I did on my MMBio441 test.  No matter, I just have to study harder and do better next time.  Funnily enough, there's another test starting this coming Friday.

Had the first FHE of the semester.  We played ultimate frisbee against another group.  I hope the groups enjoyed the activity.  Well, we shall see as the semester progresses.

In my mental world, there has been some interesting developments.  I'm still unsure of a few things, but I'm sure I'll figure them out in the next couple of weeks.

Saw the Brigham City Temple Dedication at the Marriott Center today!  It's the very first temple dedication I've seen in my life.  I certainly felt a surge of Spirit as the people sang.  There was also an interview with the bishop.  That was just one of those typical "get to know you" thing.

Well, I'll let y'all know more as things unfold.  :)

For Better or Worse?

I don't know what to say about this...

I can either focus on the bad things this week or the good things that happened this week.  Either way, people are not going to be satisfied with the way I deal with things.  Instead, I'll talk about both, starting with the ugly.

1. Jammed my toes between the floor and the front door.
2. Washer didn't drain the water, wind up spending more money than I should have, then cost me sleep because I didn't get to sleep until 3:45am.
3. Did absolutely horrendous on my MMBio442 quiz, a class that only allows you to miss 20 points before you lose an A-.
4. Almost missed my 8am Chem223 lab on Thursday because I somehow managed to sleep through my alarm.
5. Ammon made a disturbing discovery which I will not elaborate here.
6. MMBio468 professor thought it would be a great idea to bump the due date of a Monday assignment to Fri, on Thursday evening.
7. BYU vs Utah game.  Seriously, I spent 10 hours that day prepping for this broadcast only to have myself disappointed by sub-par athleticism on our side.

On the happier note, there were also a lot of good that came out of this week as well.  Here are the heart-warming and funnies.

1. Met my FHE group.  I have a great group.  Now, being a single dad to 10 girls is quite a different story, but they call me "Poptart" (a variation of Papa Art).
2. Went to Seven-Eleven with Jonathan and had a kid asking us for weed at the wrong part of Provo.
3. The Gangnam Style plague that has gotten my professors all intrigued by the video.
4. A great Women's Soccer game against Cal Poly.
5. Random party thrown with the resources available in our apartment on Friday.  We charged them food.
6. Elder Oaks spoke at regional conference!
7. A little party hosted by Lyn in honor of her obsession with the Jonas Brothers.  Free cupcakes were handed out.

Overall, I thought my week was rather uneventful, but the crap was counteracted, for the most part, by some of the fun moments and wonderful people in my life.  They may or may not realize it, but they are awesome!  I don't quite show my appreciation for them as much as I should, but I just want y'all to know that I do.

This week can only get better.  Just saying.  ;)

A Point in Perspective

Different sizes

It was an interesting lesson taught by the bishop today in elder's quorum.  It was essentially a "chastity talk", but more focused on what guys should be looking for instead of what the world tells them.

Bishop Colemere compared different aspect in a dating relationship to different buckets that needed to be filled.  Too often, people focus on physical attraction to the point that they neglect other important factors such as finances, spirituality, emotions, etc.

Of course, nobody is denying that physical attraction has its own weight when it comes to dating.  The take home message is that it's an important factor, but not the sole deciding factor.

It made me think.  I can't help but noticing that many of the "aspects" the bishop pointed out seem to only come into play when we are making friends.  I mean, how often do people actually look at their crush's work, spirituality, social, finances, family, etc?  I'm not trying to make a shallow judgment, but those things are important if a long-term relationship is to work out.

With that said, I'm not saying that you should start asking your friends out.  I'm just saying that perhaps you should look back and see it through heaven's eyes.  Some of the qualities your friends have may be what you are looking for in a significant other.

The Secular Life

To sum up my week a little bit, it was stressful.  I am still trying to figure out the best way to use my time to get all the things I need accomplished.  It's only been 2 weeks and I'm starting to feel the pressure already.

Life isn't all that bad.  I still managed to have some fun and work out when the time allows.  Nothing beats going between the gym and research lab or just take a break and talk to people before I go insane!

With that said, the first party held by IX was successful, according to my roommates.  I didn't participate in the party for the first couple of hours because I was lucky enough to go on a group date with some friends.  The best part about going on a date with one of your best friends is that the stress level is minimal to nonexistent.  It's also great to discover something about the person you didn't know before.  Let's face it, I don't think I can handle an awkward first date after a week full of stress.

Homework...ugh

All right, as promised, I was supposed to give you my brief synopsis on all my classes.  My head hurts thinking about some of them, but they've proven to be manageable for the most part... for now.

Senior year in college isn't exactly all fun and games.  At least, not this semester anyways.  Well, here it goes.

MMBio441: Advanced Molecular Biology - The good news is, it is a continuation of MMBio240.  The not-so-good news is that there are more details and mechanisms taught in this class.  The infamous Steve Johnson teaches this class.  As you can see, this professor will be someone I'll see many times a week.  Overall, it doesn't seem to be too difficult...yet.

MMBio442: Advanced Molecular Biology Lab - Ah... Dr. Johnson, we've met again.  The funny thing about lab classes in the MMBio Dept is that most of the stuff they teach you in the lab have already been learned in research labs, if you are actually part of any lab here in the building.  There's a group pair project due at the end of the semester, but the actual curriculum is finished weeks before that, so time management is purely personal here.

MMBio468: Genomics - This is a tough class to be in and to be the instructor for it.  I'm sure Dr. Udall is a good person, but I don't think he knows how to teach...to some extent.  The first part of the class has been about sequencing technology.  With little to no bioengineering background, I find this class somewhat difficult, especially when we do homework on things first before we come to class with questions.  The problems is, since we knew nothing, it's hard to know where to start asking.  Luckily, it's getting better, but it's still gonna be a time consuming class.  For 3 credits, I don't know why it's such a hassle.

Chem223: Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis - This is a precision and accuracy class.  4 credit class with about 6 hours of lab a week.  This class feels like Gen Chem all over again, except this time, we can't afford to have errors.  I actually have to learn Excel functions for this class.  Besides the time this course gobbles up, it hasn't been too difficult... yet.

Phsc106: Intro to Applied Physics - Alas, I've met with Physics again.  Annoying little work here and there, but definitely doable.  I think Dr. Rees has given us more than enough opportunities to get an A-/B+ in this class, so I'm not too worried about it.

Phsc108: Intro to Applied Physics Lab - I hate physics labs because they contribute almost nothing to my learning.  They are time-consuming and pointless.  The only plus side is that it's probably an easy A/A-

MMBio494R: Mentored Research - That's right, I'm still with Dr. Berges and finally started on my project.  The current roadblock is trying to write an ORCA Grant proposal due in early November.

Life is busy, but good.  I still manage to have fun.  This is probably going to be the only semester where I'll have a lot of credits.  Wow...wall of text.  I promise that it won't happen again!

IX

It's Labor Day!  You know what that means?  A special post for the occasion!  In case you haven't noticed, I like to find reasons to update my blog during the semester despite of the busy schedule.  I figured I should at least introduce my roommates because they are awesome people!  I will give a brief synopsis of all my classes this weekend.

Ammon

The oldest and the "mother" figure of the group.  Ammon and I first met right after our missions.  He is the oldest in the house, and undoubtedly, the most talented chef/artist in our group.  He has almost full autocracy in the kitchen!

Ammon served in the India New Delhi mission and is from Liberty, Missouri.

He is currently studying Information Systems and works as a web guy for Mechanical Engineering in the Clyde Building and TA for Computer and Humanities.

He owns a classy Lincoln, you can't miss it!

Me

I'm the 2nd oldest in the house and fit into the role of the "angry uncle".  You all know me!

I'm pretty sure I'm the only Asian guy in the ward.  I'm from Philadelphia and served in England.

Still pre-med, studying Medical Lab Science and works at BYU Broadcasting as a student supervisor at the NOC.

Dalin

Dalin is from the same city as Ammon.  In fact, they knew each other beforehand.  Really chill guy and owner of many classic systems and games.

He served in Los Angeles (not sure which mission)

Dalin is studying Civil Engineering and works for Building Security here at BYU.

Jonathan

Jonathan is from Minnesota.  He is a handy guy and a runner.  In addition, probably the 2nd biggest gamer in the club.  Fun fact: he is the most knowledgeable person when it comes to electronics here.

He served in Boise, Idaho.

Jon is currently studying Physics and works as a tutor at the Physics Tutorial Lab.

John

John is the most intense gamer in the house.  He plays everything and rages from now and then.  He also knows martial arts and proud owner of a handy truck.  He is from Washington State.

He served in Cambodia!

John is studying Microbiology and works for OIT at BYU.

Nick

Nick is the youngest and arguably the better looking guy out of the 6 of us.  He's actually a shy guy, so be nice to him!  He's also from Liberty, Missouri and knew Ammon and Dalin beforehand.

He served in Pocatello, Idaho.

Nick is currently studying Business and Film and works as a web guy for the Math Department.

Well, that's a brief overview of my roommates.  Hope to see you guys every 1st and 3rd Friday!

The First Week

Lots of classes!

Well, with the start of the fall semester, I won't be spending a lot of time writing in my blog.

I'll give you all a brief synopsis of my classes later because I haven't gotten into the groove of things just yet.

I can tell you right now that my classes are challenging not because they are extremely difficult, but because they take up a lot of my time.  I have 3 lab classes and research lab, which means about 20 hours of my time during the week.

I also received a new calling in my new ward as a FHE group leader... again.  It's not a bad thing.  I just wanted to do something else.  I guess I can treat it as a second shot at it.

There are some interesting people in the ward and I hope I have enough time to know them all.  At the same time, my busy schedule will prevent me from devoting too much time into socializing.  At any rate, I'll balance it out somehow.

You'd think senior year in university would be easier, but that's totally not true.  If anyone tells you otherwise, they probably have an easy major or just wasting time in college.

There's so much more I can write about for this week; however, that would take too long to write, so I'll have to bid you all adieu.