Goodbye New York

I'll be heading back to the motherland in a few hours. I'm ecstatic about being able visit home and my relatives again. But at the same time, it is always hard leaving New York and my friends here, especially since I've spent such little time here this summer vacation.

The six weeks I spent in Evanston as a camp counselor was rewarding. Not only have I met some gifted, interesting kids, I've met great fellow counselors as well. The six weeks there turned out totally differently than what I thought it would be like, as I left training week disappointed and anxious about the job I was about to partake. But after the kids arrived, those feelings quickly dissipated, as I grew more in tune with the daily grind. Not to mention that I was fortunate to be able to play soccer numerous times per week with kids who are passionate about the sport, I can't complain.

Summer is only half over for me, and hopefully I can take the next month and make the most out of it.

If somehow I can't get pass the censoring stuff back home and can't log on to facebook/blogger and such. Hope everyone enjoy the rest of their summers. Hopefully I'll be able to still see some of you when I get back.

From the week after getting back from E-town. Epic farmers tan:

I got published!

The project that I worked on during my research internship at New York Blood Center last summer was published in Retrovirology!!!!!!!!!

http://www.retrovirology.com/content/pdf/1742-4690-7-37.pdf

The research was centered on compounds that could be used to develop a microbicide against HIV transmission. The underpinning idea is a gel-like substance that can be applied to the vaginal lining preceding sexual intercourse, which neutralizes the HIV virus before it can infect the human body. One of the major advantages of this microbicide is that the user does not need to be vaccinated against the virus, since the development of vaccine still has a long way to go.

Summer in Evanston

So...after a week and half of New York, I am packing my bags for six weeks in Evanston. Despite all the fondness of spending the summer on the shores of Lake Michigan, I still find it hard to leave this place.

I walked today to the Asian bakery a block away from my home after dinner and bought four buns for my commute tomorrow. This has been my self-send-off tradition for a while now. You don't get that stuff in Evanston.

But my short stint home has been very productive. I spent tons of time with family, sometimes more than I had hoped, as I got into arguments with my mom (how surprising), got to drive a decent amount, played lots of volleyball and soccer, and caught up with friends who are not busy with internships outside of NYC, watched the NBA finals at hooters...

Kind of anxious to get the training started for my job as a residential assistant this summer. It is going to be a huge responsibility, and an opportunity to challenge myself a little bit. Hope I come through not only for the kids, but for myself as well. Hope all of you are having pleasant summers.

A picture from when the gang visited me. I find this picture strangely good for reasons I can't really seem to put into words:




Maybe it's that peaceful contentment with which the lady in the right bottom corner is eating her food.

End of Sophomore

So I am halfway done with college.

I've been absent for the past month and a half busy with studying and finals. Due to some interesting turn of events during that time period, I had to endure I would say probably one of the the most stressful times ever. I am so glad that is over.

For the past two days, I've been moving some of my stuff into the apartment that I will be living in next year. Living off campus next year will be different...I've been kind of apprehensive about the prospect of living in an apartment rather than a dorm. Yeah many people agree on the fact that living off campus is so much fun and all that, but personally, that hasn't gotten a chance to translate just yet. I just find it so...real. All of a sudden, I am dealing with leases, contracts, landlords, cooking for myself all the stuff that people have to confront with in the real world. Stepping out of the bubble of college into the world is theoretically an exciting step, but I am definitely feeling the pressure of it as well. At the same time, I am upset at myself that I don't possess that level of maturity to prevent me from feeling this way. I wish I wasn't so afraid of change.

However, I've still got a lot of other things to be thankful for. I made some amazing friendships my sophomore year at NU, and it has definitely made the everyday battle between me and school work that much easier. Real friends are so hard to come by, there is honestly not much else you can ask for.
I've also gotten more in touch with God personally this year. I've been kind of casting off my beliefs and faith aside for a good chunk of time, as most people don't even know I am Christian. But without God, I would not have made it to today, and for that I am genuinely thankful too.

It has been a busy year, but it has been a rewarding and humbling year as well. College is half over. Only two more years until my parents can finally buy that BMW they always wanted, but at the same time only two more years until I step into the real deal.I'm not sure I am ready for that yet.

To few of you guys that care enough to actually read this haha, have a wonderful summer. Be safe and have lots of fun. Watch the world cup! Go China!!!...oh wait...


"Live long and prosper."

Feeling kind of lost/out of sync lately. Took a walk to one of the gardens on campus and just sat on a bench to be alone in the quiet darkness. I like sitting in the dark; there is nothing to distract you. The process is simple, you sit, stare into the patch of grass in front of you, lose focus, and be with your thoughts. Once in a while you look up to the sky and gaze at the stars above, think about why/how you wound up at this point in your life, stare down into the grass in front of you, lose focus again, and repeat.

However much thought-sorting I did, it made me feel better.

"It's dark I know,
But then again, it is the brightest thing I've got."

Last Minutes with Oden

I woke up today and instead of studying for physics...I bumped into this powerful and touching documentary.


Last Minutes with ODEN from phos pictures on Vimeo.


You almost never see a bond so strong, filled with such devotion, loyalty and that is the reason why I appreciate it so much. Watch it, be touched, be humbled.

Cynthia Lin, Vienna Teng, Shanghai Restoration Project

I went to a concert sponsored by the taiwanese american student group here on campus wednesday night and got to see three great asian american music artists perform. I liked all three of them as each showcased very distinct musical styles.

BUT, I especially liked Vienna Teng's performance. She is not only talented as a singer but so funny as well. Two things I appreciated about her performance were the fact that she shared a lot things that pertained to her personal life and the fact that she really made an effort to reach out and incorporate her audience into her acts. These two things I think brought me closer to her music and allowed me to enjoy her songs that much more.

Besides...she let me take a picture with her afterwards. how BEASTLY is that. What a cool person.

and thanks to jason for taking this =)