AWK

Oops. I totally thought I had posted twice in May, but alas, 'twas April. So I skipped my birthday month, but I'll cut myself a break because last month I finally finished my PhD candidacy paperwork, finished classes, and moved to Richmond!

The first two are major accomplishments because it means I get to focus more on research and less on paperwork and random coursework. However, I will say that I did not realize how much I learned from those classes until after I moved to Richmond. That being said, the third item (moving to Richmond) has been quite a reverse culture shock. I should have expected something like this to happen, especially with my woes of moving to Quarryville back in high school. But I figured Richmond wouldn't be that bad (I had visited for a high school summer program before, although I didn't remember any of it...could have blocked that out...), and I would get a chance to meet some new people and get connected.

AWK aka AWKWARD, which is the new story of Panda's life. This. town. is. so. HIPSTER.

I have nothing against hipsters (okay, I have everything against them), but seriously, I have not met one SINGLE person (that isn't in my lab) that doesn't have a tattoo on some part of their body. I suppose because the university in which I am researching now is a pretty highly ranked arts university that everyone is super in touch with themselves, but I just really want to meet another intelligent, OCD person that loves Lupe Fiasco as much as I do. And speaking of hip hop, which is my newfound passion (Big K will appreciate this), along with The Boyf's recent trip to Chicago (Lupe's hometown), I have reconsidered my disdain for wind and deep dish pizzas and we may or may not have agreed to move there at some point in the unforeseen future.

So I've been here a few days more than one month. Dr. Zebra has come and recently gone, so we are now in recovery mode, which means vegetation for a few days and then stressing out and overworking to catch up. Ah, grad school. Sure beats the living daylights out of working at McKinsey, where I could have been making bank and traveling and meeting intelligent people and...wait a minute! Industry actually sounds ideal...

Let me shake some sense back into myself. It's definitely research for the next 3 years for me...so let's make it work! Our new lab space, although supes fresh and clean, is still under construction for some wiring, office space, chairs and accessories, etc. It's just slightly awkward to come into work and run a fluorescent staining protocol to the sweet sound of hammers and drills. Mmmm. Lupe would make this into a beat.

This weekend will be a fun and busy one! The Boyf and (newly graduated) Dr. Haan will be visiting. The Boyf's birthday is tomorrow, so I have made a B52 cheesecake in memory of our fondness for the similarly named delectable at Cafe Intermezzo in Atlanta. Brother Big K's birthday is on Sunday, for which I still need to get a present, and Father's Day is also on Sunday! Since I am closer to home now, I'll need to visit Padre more often. Unfortunately, it seems all the Chinatown buses are full and I may have to take (gasp) an AMERICAN ONE. Megabus is actually pretty nice, but the ticket prices for July 4th weekend (obviously) are pretty expensive. Although my alternatives (train and air) are even more so. And since when did train tickets start being so darn expensive? Weren't they supposed to invent teleportal systems by now?

Alright, it's time to go! Updates soon, my dears! For now, enjoy this extremely photoshopped photo of me and The Boyf from the future Dr. Roudi's wedding!

Oh, and I'm officially 24. AHHHHHH AWK.

PhD Candidate Panda

Happy April Fool's Day! For my April fool's joke, I have decided to NOT post in March! HA! So happy that I can pawn my lack of writing off on April Fool's day.

The past week has been pretty fantastic. We had two proposals and two defenses in our lab, which meant FREE FOOD err'day! It has almost been a week but we are obviously still eating the remaining moldy sandwiches and Diet Coke for sustenance. Everyone passed their presentations, which is great because I WAS ONE OF THEM! So now yours truly is officially a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering. Technically I still need to submit my paperwork, so let's hold the applause and fog horn until all that gets processed. Although the questioning part of the proposal after the presentation was a bit rough, I survived. I still have a lot to learn and do, but I'm happy that at least I am on track to get moving on my projects!

My relationship with my advisor is also improving. As you know, working for Dr. Barbie entails working with Dr. Zebra. I have to admit I had a tough time working with Dr. Zebra; part of it may have been my fault for not thinking in depth about my data as much as I should have. However, in my defense I have taken at least three classes each semester, and this year I have also had to TA a course. You already know that our lab is moving (well, already has) to a different school. I had considered not going because Dr. Barbie is so busy and Dr. Zebra was not necessarily an ideal replacement, and I wasn't getting the sort of mentoring I had desired when I entered graduate school and that was typical of my undergraduate research lab. I definitely don't need a lot of attention or pampering, but I do need a lot of trust and respect. Obviously I am not the brightest crayon in the box (unless I wear my "Say No To Racism" dress) when it comes to engineering and research, especially compared to the amazing researchers at school. However, it is graduate SCHOOL and not graduate FACTORY, which means I need time to learn these things. Anyway, it was tough getting yelled at all the time. I'm generally a very stubborn person and thought I would be able to handle it, but with the progression of my research, Lana Del Rey's "Born to Die' has become my anthem. Although the proposal was not my best performance, Dr. Zebra was actually VERY supportive and stuck up for me when the committee started flinging stones. We ended up having this weird bonding moment the next day where he said he would make my life shitty in lab, but in the end would be my biggest supporter whenever we are in public. Okay, I'll take it. I guess different people just have different ways of mentoring/killing (just kidding, OR AM I) others, but at least we talked it out and acknowledge the situation. Plus, I'm hoping that the move will alleviate the stress and tension that is occurring with everyone right now and we will have a more peaceful environment in the new lab (updates to come!)

Easter has also come and gone, which means I am allowed to eat sugar again, and The Boyf is eating meat! Sunday was truly a glorious day for gluttony, filled with pastries and bacon. I think my body died from happiness and has still not recovered yet because I haven't pooped since then. Don't worry, I'll be fine. And speaking of gluttony and pooping, the new Cafe Intermezzo has opened just a few blocks down the street from our place, which will be so fantastic considering my love for cheesecake and the fact that as an Asian person, I am most likely lactose intolerant. Ah, the joys of life.

Today our lab packed and shipped all the frozen samples. We will have packed EVERYTHING on Wednesday, and the lab will officially shut down! It is hard to believe that I'll be leaving Atlanta soon. I still need to finish up my courses, but am expected to start my first day in Richmond on May 6. I will be rooming with one of the girls in my lab, and we applied for an amazingly huge townhouse along the river. It was too good to be true, and perhaps is. We shall see when I move in, but rest ye easy; I am definitely purchasing a family pack of RAID just in case.

It's bedtime! Tomorrow I'll be helping to pack the lab and hopefully relocating to a new desk in the building next door. I still refuse to relinquish my building access, although I'm sure they will hunt me down at some point to pry the key from my nicely manicured fingers. Toodles!