Hello Fall 2009...

The first thing I learned this semester: There's no such thing as a first week of school for a science major. Note that just last Thursday, I was giving my oral presentation at Caltech for Seminar Day. Then Friday, I packed and moved out of Caltech. On Saturday, there was a little get-together at our house, swimming, good food, good company, and Jerah taught me how to play the guitar! Move-in day at Mount St. Mary's College was on Sunday, so right after our church service, I moved into my single and unpacked my stuff. Then the next day, Monday, was the first day of school. Ay nako!

The first class of the week was biochemistry. So I have this thing where I have to "mark my territory," so to speak. My friend and I get somewhat possessive of our seats in class. Yes, laugh, go ahead. My theory is that if we go to class as early as possible and claim our seats for about a week or two, then it will be made clear to everyone that we've marked our spots. I know, I know, it's a little silly, but I'm happy to report that my friends and I have been able to "claim" our seats for two classes now... Okay, enough about that. Right from the get go, we already started with a lecture, and on top of that, later in the day, we had the lab period for biochem also, which we spent working out calculations. I'm also in Scientific Method (since I'm a philosophy minor as well), and the first question we were set out to ponder was "what makes a science?". Sure, it sounds simple enough, but be warned, it's been three days since, and we still haven't come up with a conclusion. It's quite annoying, actually. I've never had to think about that, and it's really frustrating to come up with an answer, then think about it more and realize it doesn't fit. So basically, first day of school equals "Welcome back. Now turn on your brain and work." blah!

My goal for this semester (and beyond) is to be a much better student than I was before. For example, cracking open the textbook might be a good place to start. I've never had the patience to actually read the textbook before this semester, but I'm actually off to a good start so far... I'm taking research a lot more seriously this semester and for the rest of my time here at MSMC. Psh, I ran two gels on our 2nd day back from summer break! I'm now working on my own project, carried over from the summer, involving DNA mismatches and oxidative DNA damage. I'm also collaborating with my friend on a similar project, and might also be helping with a collaboration project between MSMC and UCLA. So exciting! Let's dooo this! I'm also trying to take better care of myself, make better food choices, sleep better, get more exercise, that stuff. Doing good in that department also. And the most important part, I'm also trying to be a better Christian, not only by living my life for God and working on starting a youth group on campus, but also by being more disciplined and really taking time each day to commune with my God. Doing well there too. So I guess the overall goal of this semester (and the rest of the year... and my life, I guess?) is to be an overall better person. Nice thought, but I know it requires that I actively work on improving myself... It's not impossible, and fairly doable... let's see how this goes!