Hola, cheese curls! It is time yet again for the long heralded monthly update! Although my proposition to update once a month has lagged behind to the end of the month, I shall try to be quick on the uptake for the remaining months of November and December, in preparation for my 2014 New Year's resolution of updating TWICE a month! Lo, ho! Though hast not heard of such glory!
Dare I say that my trend for being pleasantly surprised at the city of Richmond has continued to the point where I believe this may be a permanent sort of glee (let's not take it as far as "glee," although it has been positive so far). After revolting from the college bar scene, yours truly decided to immerse her Panda self in the artistic ways of Richmond. Sitting in on an arts leadership course with an awesome professor (shameless plug in the event you or anyone you know needs a great interior designer!) has let me gain exposure to the finer side of design and creativity in the city. I explored the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, saw the play To Kill a Mockingbird, and got season tickets for the Richmond Symphony, the first of which was Verdi Requiem. Although I would have enjoyed it more, intermission was not offered that one fine Saturday evening and I was therefore forced to catch myself from falling asleep toward the latter end of the performance, however mesmerizing it had been.
In addition, I have made a new friend! Walter Braxton, truly the definition of a starving artist/misunderstood musician, sat down next to me at Starbucks last Sunday afternoon and started dining on a can of Vienna Sausages. Immediately I knew we would become great friends. After exchanging some pleasantries, I read about him while he was sitting next to me (thanks, Google!), and eventually we agreed to meet again so he could give me some of his music. Walter Braxton is a composer of classical music! I have not yet gotten the chance to go through all of the music yet, but I have heard enough and had enough classical music training on the piano as a wee youth to appreciate the challenge of writing music! Falling into some difficulty recently, Mr. Braxton has not been able to compose and perform/conduct as he has wished. I have even thought about holding a class where he can teach crude laymen and layPanda about classical music, so I can act more distinguished the next time I attend a networking event!
Two former lab homies drove up this past weekend to attend our football game. We got to visit University of Virginia, which is apparently a public university even though all the men wear bow ties like private poodles. Notwithstanding, the football stadium had an interesting layout with part of the stadium cut out and replaced by a grassy knoll for frolicking in dismay when they lose at their homecoming game, as was the case this past weekend. In addition, the weather was absolutely delightful, following a week of dismal frigidity that had me breaking in my new CUggs (Costco Uggs - the adult version!).
Books have been a' galore in the Panda household! Thanks to Amazon and one cent used books with $3.99 shipping, I have been able to accrue a significant number of books that I shall probably not be able to finish anytime soon. After joining the library, I started requesting books and have now a book that I need to finish within the next two weeks. At least that gives me a deadline, although the other books on my shelf have started to get lonely without my prying Panda eyes. With The Economist also vying for my precious time and attention, along with the new Lady Gaga tracks in anticipation for her album release, I have been torn apart deciding what to read/watch/listen. Thank goodness for RapGenius, so I can listen to songs once (or not at all), and understand what "Pirelli" means.
There has also been a secular church dinner group (I am aware that the entire aforementioned phrase was an oxymoron...can oxymorons contain more than two words?) that has also accepted me for dinner each Wednesday. After two free dinners, I feel the need to contribute something, and am finally on a mission to prepare some green tea cheesecake for hungry diners! I have not really been baking after the CHEESECAKE FIASCO! this summer, where I made a different cheesecake every week and had to eat all of them by myself because everyone in lab decided to go on a diet (alright, I admit that I enjoyed every last bite...like I said, FIASCO). Welcome back, cheesecake! You will be a dear companion to the four tubs of Haagen Daz ice cream in my freezer that will eventually end up in my salivating Panda mouth!
I have two co-author manuscripts in the pipeline, one that should be submitted very soon, and the other pending revision from Dr. Zebra (which may never happen, at this pace). I have also started looking at other opportunities to become involved, even if not in the city of Richmond. Should you have consulting opportunities for a PhD Panda, please do contact me!
Happy Halloween, cheese curls! Unfortunately, I did not have enough time this year to create my own cheese curl costume. However, in order to stay warm and be able to stuff pillows into my costume, I have decided to dress up as as pumpkin! Of course, this will be a homemade costume, with an orange t-shirt, permanent marker, and some pillows! These Richmond folk will be blown away by the caliber and creativity of my masquerade, indeed!
Updates soon, my friends! Revvin' the frequency!
Monday, October 28, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Swinging Panda
Yo, cheese curls! Swinging Panda is here, now back and at it. And by swinging, I only mean exchanging thoughts and ideas, not sexual partners! And alas, as The Boyf does not even reside here, I wouldn't even have an opportunity to see him, anyway.
Richmond has started to perk up, as I feared would happen. Now that school is back in session, life seems to make the city busier. As I spent the last three months (already?!) ruling out everything that I didn't like, now it is finally time to explore the things that I do.
My lack of intelligent human interaction lead me to send out random emails to people I found online, including a confused professor that welcomed me into his office but eventually gave me some solid advice and mentorship. Thanks to him, I decided to sit in on an arts leadership course (to take advantage of the strong arts program at the University), purchase and sift through the Translated Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, and continue writing and formulating my ideas.
On another note, the church hopping has also come to an end (or rather, I hope it has). Princess of Jamaica and I have been attending churches in the area, to no avail. We seem to have different tastes in our worship forums, but I believe I have found a quaint little place (full of history, who am I?) of which I'll enjoy taking part. The Boyf will love it because it has history, I love it because they offer free coffee and basel from the garden after service, and the church will appreciate me because I provide comic relief during communion when I'm not sure whether or not to dip my bread in the cup or drink directly from it. Hello.
And on another note, research is starting to become better now that I have finally been trained on (almost all of) the equipment. We still have some access issues, but at least I get a little more freedom to move around now that I don't have to sit in front of my computer screen (we have to be sitting at our desks at 8am every morning, because that, ladies and gentlemen, is how academia has decided to foster productivity...) all the day long. Our lab has even expanded to include more postdoctoral folks and perhaps a new graduate student! There is still negativity here and there, but on the whole at least we have the lab chumps to support each other, and when we don't, there is always ChatRoulette (I kid, but check out the social media dis short film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6eNuJdxAoQ&bpctr=1379644844)
And on even another (literally) note, I have even found some graduate students who are into music, and, dare I say, may be casually jamming with their BAND!!! SO. COOL. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!x a gazillion) This is like the life I should have had in high school, but instead I was Prom Panda, which also wasn't too bad. Even though I'm not a student here, maybe the University will consider crowning me Homecoming Panda. With the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised. Everyone seems to be confused about who I am and what to do with me. Why not? I would be the first Homecoming Panda in the history of the universe, and what wonders it would do for my professional panda career!
And on another another another note, since our summer gym membership expired, Screamin' Goat and I have been exploring other options for exercising without having to pay. Visiting our friend's gym in The Omni can only last so long, but luckily Richmond is chock full of bridges that are pretty runner friendly. Also biker friendly, but alas, bikes cost money, while legs do not. The views are also pretty nice from the bridge. Dare I say, even romantic at times...
Okay, and on one last note: Panda has officially gone poo-free for approximately two months! It was a rough time, but my hair is finally coming back around. I still have to perfect the formula, but fo' sho' you need to do the vinegar rinse after the baking soda soak. Originally I thought my hair was getting oily because I wasn't using enough baking soda, but for some reason it was because I wasn't using the vinegar conditionar afterward. And don't actually rinse too much, because the vinegar makes your hair softer. What's next? A hairbrush!? The possibilities are endless! And yet, my face is still oily... These natural remedies can only go so far. Tea tree oil is pretty good at curbing my facial oiliness for a few hours, but after that it's still a mess. Perhaps The Boyf will find better use for it on his toenail!
Until next time,
Panda
Richmond has started to perk up, as I feared would happen. Now that school is back in session, life seems to make the city busier. As I spent the last three months (already?!) ruling out everything that I didn't like, now it is finally time to explore the things that I do.
My lack of intelligent human interaction lead me to send out random emails to people I found online, including a confused professor that welcomed me into his office but eventually gave me some solid advice and mentorship. Thanks to him, I decided to sit in on an arts leadership course (to take advantage of the strong arts program at the University), purchase and sift through the Translated Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, and continue writing and formulating my ideas.
On another note, the church hopping has also come to an end (or rather, I hope it has). Princess of Jamaica and I have been attending churches in the area, to no avail. We seem to have different tastes in our worship forums, but I believe I have found a quaint little place (full of history, who am I?) of which I'll enjoy taking part. The Boyf will love it because it has history, I love it because they offer free coffee and basel from the garden after service, and the church will appreciate me because I provide comic relief during communion when I'm not sure whether or not to dip my bread in the cup or drink directly from it. Hello.
And on another note, research is starting to become better now that I have finally been trained on (almost all of) the equipment. We still have some access issues, but at least I get a little more freedom to move around now that I don't have to sit in front of my computer screen (we have to be sitting at our desks at 8am every morning, because that, ladies and gentlemen, is how academia has decided to foster productivity...) all the day long. Our lab has even expanded to include more postdoctoral folks and perhaps a new graduate student! There is still negativity here and there, but on the whole at least we have the lab chumps to support each other, and when we don't, there is always ChatRoulette (I kid, but check out the social media dis short film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6eNuJdxAoQ&bpctr=1379644844)
And on even another (literally) note, I have even found some graduate students who are into music, and, dare I say, may be casually jamming with their BAND!!! SO. COOL. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!x a gazillion) This is like the life I should have had in high school, but instead I was Prom Panda, which also wasn't too bad. Even though I'm not a student here, maybe the University will consider crowning me Homecoming Panda. With the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised. Everyone seems to be confused about who I am and what to do with me. Why not? I would be the first Homecoming Panda in the history of the universe, and what wonders it would do for my professional panda career!
And on another another another note, since our summer gym membership expired, Screamin' Goat and I have been exploring other options for exercising without having to pay. Visiting our friend's gym in The Omni can only last so long, but luckily Richmond is chock full of bridges that are pretty runner friendly. Also biker friendly, but alas, bikes cost money, while legs do not. The views are also pretty nice from the bridge. Dare I say, even romantic at times...
Okay, and on one last note: Panda has officially gone poo-free for approximately two months! It was a rough time, but my hair is finally coming back around. I still have to perfect the formula, but fo' sho' you need to do the vinegar rinse after the baking soda soak. Originally I thought my hair was getting oily because I wasn't using enough baking soda, but for some reason it was because I wasn't using the vinegar conditionar afterward. And don't actually rinse too much, because the vinegar makes your hair softer. What's next? A hairbrush!? The possibilities are endless! And yet, my face is still oily... These natural remedies can only go so far. Tea tree oil is pretty good at curbing my facial oiliness for a few hours, but after that it's still a mess. Perhaps The Boyf will find better use for it on his toenail!
Until next time,
Panda
Saturday, August 24, 2013
August Angst
Dear Cheese Curls,
There is a lot that I need to update ya'll on! As you may have seen, I have accepted my Southern identity by eating hoards of hot fries and starting to say "ya'll". Ebonics, yo! And better yet, I have decided to join NSBE, the National Society of Black Engineers! It is time to assume a new identity, and as Meg Jay, PhD, says, create identity value. Is it because I care less because I'm in Richmond, a city where mediocre food is considered gourmet and infrastructural negligence historical? Perhaps. On the other hand, maybe this is just the perfect time and environment in which I can feel comfortable exploring myself, without worrying about the reactions of others?
This post was pre-empted by something very out of the ordinary (or maybe not) that occurred last night. I have already been irked all this summer by the sheer ignorance of (mostly young) people in Richmond to other cultures, in my situation, of Asian descent. Every time my roommate Lil' Goat and I have been out at night, we have been stopped by men and women alike to ask where we are from, and inevitably need to explain that the inquirer's Japanese friend is NOT THE SAME as our Chinese heritage. When three guys came to hit on us and we casually ignored them, they vocally expressed that we probably just didn't understand English. Now, posing as an international exchange student with little knowledge of American culture can be positive in certain situations, such as butting front of line, asking stupid questions, dumpster diving, talking loudly or interrupting in inappropriate situations, etc., but under those circumstances I am only joking and having a good time (or trying to get out of a sticky situation). However, after last night, I am beginning to think that my jokes are only a reflection of a sad truth that still exists in this city.
Lil' Goat and I decided to relax after a week of hard work and went out to a bar with some friends. As Lil' Goat came back from the bar with a drink, a blonde girl purposely spilled her drink on Lil' Goat and said something about Asians to her friend. Spilling drinks is not uncommon, especially in the midst of inebriation and jovialty. Typically we let these things go, but Lil' Goat was NOT satisfied letting a deliberate racist act go, so she went back to the girl and asked her to apologize. When she didn't, Lil' Goat threw her drink on the girl. Then we left to the other end of the bar, where some dude from the blonde posse decided to come and exert his influence on us, and spilled his drink on my purse.
Now, I have no idea what happened here, what I had to do with anything, or if the guy really just couldn't tell Asians apart because, as we already know, the entire group was ignorant and most likely racist. The blonde girl's brother came over to tell us to calm down, that his little sister was just drunk. I asked him that I just wanted an apology because we all do things when we are drunk, and this act just so happened to show a negative side of his little precious sister, but what the heck did I have to do with his friend spilling his drink? He claimed to not know the person, and was not going to apologize on behalf of anyone.
I am an American. I was born in the United States, and I am of Chinese descent, but I date an American guy, go to an American school, and have succeeded in a system that has historically been against immigrants. Padre has always told me to not participate in organizations in high school because he thought they would never cast an Asian girl like me in an American play, or choose me to represent an American school. I never paid heed to him; I always did well and even if I wasn't chosen as the best, I would always do well on tests where no one could see my face. In a way, the Chinese mentality of studying very hard to succeed has its merits. It is a way of succeeding based on a merit system that is fair to everyone (to a certain extent), independent of your physical looks or personality. If you work hard, you can get ahead. And this is America, a country where this value reigns supreme over everything.
Now that I'm in Richmond, I'm starting to wonder what is happening. I have never been openly discriminated against based on my looks. I have always talked to people and whatever they assume of me afterward, that is fine. But just by walking into a bar and a YOUNG PERSON spilling her drink on a Chinese person, denouncing us, is unheard of in this day and age. I hate to compare this to black discrimination, but in the end we all feel the same. Were we right we retaliate and spill our drink on her again, or should we have let it go? In the end, it's only a $5 drink...but is it better to win the battle, and lose the war? Richmond is the first city that I have lived in that I have experienced so much ignorance against Asian people (and I've lived in small suburbs in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, larger cities in Oregon and Georgia). This city has NO excuses. It is the capitol of Virginia, there are young college students here, there is industry, there is a large population of black people (so why aren't white people used to diversity?)...and yet, we still get comments on the time from people when we walk down the street. I am appalled not only by the backwards thinking here, but the fact that is is being propagated in YOUNG people. Old people, okay, they are old and grew up thinking one thing. But WHO IS TELLING YOUNG PEOPLE that these things are okay?
Besides that, cheese curls, I don't have much to share. I guess there have been some exciting things, and I have made some friends around town. But I have never felt anything toward this city. A friend told me that the first three months in any new city is always the hardest, until you are assimilated and get connected into a new network. Honestly, with the way things are going, I feel like I will still feel like an outsider even after two years.
Apart from being philosophical because I have been so depressed lately, I really just want to ask one question: is this worth it? Dealing with an advisor who is not there, an emotionally abusive work environment, in a city that lives circa 1950, apart from those you love...
"And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." Steve Jobs
There is a lot that I need to update ya'll on! As you may have seen, I have accepted my Southern identity by eating hoards of hot fries and starting to say "ya'll". Ebonics, yo! And better yet, I have decided to join NSBE, the National Society of Black Engineers! It is time to assume a new identity, and as Meg Jay, PhD, says, create identity value. Is it because I care less because I'm in Richmond, a city where mediocre food is considered gourmet and infrastructural negligence historical? Perhaps. On the other hand, maybe this is just the perfect time and environment in which I can feel comfortable exploring myself, without worrying about the reactions of others?
This post was pre-empted by something very out of the ordinary (or maybe not) that occurred last night. I have already been irked all this summer by the sheer ignorance of (mostly young) people in Richmond to other cultures, in my situation, of Asian descent. Every time my roommate Lil' Goat and I have been out at night, we have been stopped by men and women alike to ask where we are from, and inevitably need to explain that the inquirer's Japanese friend is NOT THE SAME as our Chinese heritage. When three guys came to hit on us and we casually ignored them, they vocally expressed that we probably just didn't understand English. Now, posing as an international exchange student with little knowledge of American culture can be positive in certain situations, such as butting front of line, asking stupid questions, dumpster diving, talking loudly or interrupting in inappropriate situations, etc., but under those circumstances I am only joking and having a good time (or trying to get out of a sticky situation). However, after last night, I am beginning to think that my jokes are only a reflection of a sad truth that still exists in this city.
Lil' Goat and I decided to relax after a week of hard work and went out to a bar with some friends. As Lil' Goat came back from the bar with a drink, a blonde girl purposely spilled her drink on Lil' Goat and said something about Asians to her friend. Spilling drinks is not uncommon, especially in the midst of inebriation and jovialty. Typically we let these things go, but Lil' Goat was NOT satisfied letting a deliberate racist act go, so she went back to the girl and asked her to apologize. When she didn't, Lil' Goat threw her drink on the girl. Then we left to the other end of the bar, where some dude from the blonde posse decided to come and exert his influence on us, and spilled his drink on my purse.
Now, I have no idea what happened here, what I had to do with anything, or if the guy really just couldn't tell Asians apart because, as we already know, the entire group was ignorant and most likely racist. The blonde girl's brother came over to tell us to calm down, that his little sister was just drunk. I asked him that I just wanted an apology because we all do things when we are drunk, and this act just so happened to show a negative side of his little precious sister, but what the heck did I have to do with his friend spilling his drink? He claimed to not know the person, and was not going to apologize on behalf of anyone.
I am an American. I was born in the United States, and I am of Chinese descent, but I date an American guy, go to an American school, and have succeeded in a system that has historically been against immigrants. Padre has always told me to not participate in organizations in high school because he thought they would never cast an Asian girl like me in an American play, or choose me to represent an American school. I never paid heed to him; I always did well and even if I wasn't chosen as the best, I would always do well on tests where no one could see my face. In a way, the Chinese mentality of studying very hard to succeed has its merits. It is a way of succeeding based on a merit system that is fair to everyone (to a certain extent), independent of your physical looks or personality. If you work hard, you can get ahead. And this is America, a country where this value reigns supreme over everything.
Now that I'm in Richmond, I'm starting to wonder what is happening. I have never been openly discriminated against based on my looks. I have always talked to people and whatever they assume of me afterward, that is fine. But just by walking into a bar and a YOUNG PERSON spilling her drink on a Chinese person, denouncing us, is unheard of in this day and age. I hate to compare this to black discrimination, but in the end we all feel the same. Were we right we retaliate and spill our drink on her again, or should we have let it go? In the end, it's only a $5 drink...but is it better to win the battle, and lose the war? Richmond is the first city that I have lived in that I have experienced so much ignorance against Asian people (and I've lived in small suburbs in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, larger cities in Oregon and Georgia). This city has NO excuses. It is the capitol of Virginia, there are young college students here, there is industry, there is a large population of black people (so why aren't white people used to diversity?)...and yet, we still get comments on the time from people when we walk down the street. I am appalled not only by the backwards thinking here, but the fact that is is being propagated in YOUNG people. Old people, okay, they are old and grew up thinking one thing. But WHO IS TELLING YOUNG PEOPLE that these things are okay?
Besides that, cheese curls, I don't have much to share. I guess there have been some exciting things, and I have made some friends around town. But I have never felt anything toward this city. A friend told me that the first three months in any new city is always the hardest, until you are assimilated and get connected into a new network. Honestly, with the way things are going, I feel like I will still feel like an outsider even after two years.
Apart from being philosophical because I have been so depressed lately, I really just want to ask one question: is this worth it? Dealing with an advisor who is not there, an emotionally abusive work environment, in a city that lives circa 1950, apart from those you love...
"And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." Steve Jobs
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Weekend Adventures with Panda and Goat!
Hola Cheese Curls! Today I have some exciting adventures to share with you. Little goat (my roommate) and I have been frolicking around this weekend after an especially depressing week and abrupt Skype meeting with our advisor on Saturday morning. To relieve some stress, we decided to go to DC!
Driving to DC was not too bad, since we went on a Saturday afternoon and came back late at night. The drive was expected to be around 1hr 45min according to Google maps, which was just shy of our actual drive time. However, we did stop at the POTOMAC MILLS (aka Potato Mills) outlet, which was AMAZEBALLS. Seriously, what is the point of going to a real mall or even department store when you could drive an extra 30 minutes and go to the BEST MALL EVER!? Plus, it's an INDOOR outlet mall! I have never seen such a thing. It's nice during the winter, but actually it would be nice to walk around outside during the summer. Plus, the muck of children running around in the food court was slightly unappealing.
Anyway, the trip was a nice departure from our dear, quaint, *ahem* lovely Richmond. We tried to find a hair salon in Chinatown DC for Little Goat to get her hair cut, but apparently the "Chinatown" in DC is not real, as evidenced by a CHINESE website we found afterward (I guess you have to Google in Chinese to get any real information around here...ironic because Google and China hate each other). So we drove about 10 miles away to Falls Church, VA to get dinner. We ended up at a restaurant that had "Hong Kong" in the name but served Szechuan. Again, go figure.
IMPORTANT UPDATE! So to read more about our roommate adventures, especially in the arena of frugality, check out my and Little Goat's NEW BLOG! You can read it at: www.toomuchpanda.wordpress.com. Depending on the amount of traffic and website availability, we may purchase the domain and turn it into a full fledged website! SUPES EXCITING!
In other news, today I finally (I think) found a church that I want to attend on the regular. I have been church hopping around town and so far all the congregations are measly compared to the ones in Atlanta. Howevs, the church I attended today had a nice sized congregation. I ended up meeting two of the young adult members there, and apparently many people leave Richmond for the summer (if it's any indication of the quality of living here, as already evidenced by the degeneration of my life...sigh) so most churches in the area will cut Sunday School and move their services from 11am to 10am. No wonder everything was out of sync when I was trying to go to church! Hopefully everything around here will beef up come late August/early September and I can start meeting more interesting people. As it stands now, I think I will be coming back again. Phew! It's always difficult to find a congregation. We will see how this one turns out!
So things in lab are okay. The system in academia is so structured and yet inexplicable in a way. There are a lot of politics going on behind closed doors, which is seen much more as a graduate student in the field than someone who "likes" science and just heard about research and says, "Wow, that's cool!". Obviously, it is a VERY cool field, otherwise I wouldn't be wasting 5 years (or more, but hopefully not, inshallah) enslaving myself for minimum wage payment. Truly, according to my advisor it is the "last great apprenticeship of our time." But indeed, "our time" is now "past time", and the educational system must also adjust to fit the needs of a new generation of students. More on that later...but just something to munch on in the back of your brain.
Since the last time I updated, The Boyf and Dr. Rey visited us in Richmond, and we all parted for a brief vacation weekend over the Fourth of July holiday. It was refreshing getting away from Richmond (isn't it always), and seeing my family. Hair's wife and son successfully immigrated and arrived in America that weekend, so it was very busy registering them for new social security numbers and enrolling Little Hair for school (he is 8 and so cute!). Hair also celebrated his 35th birthday with a grand feast at our humble Peking Restaurant! And Padre finally enrolled in Medicare since he is now eligible. Life moves so fast!
Although things back in Qville are not so bad, the restaurant has been suffering. It's not really the economy but more of a changing culture (a new "our time", if you will, in reference to my earlier paragraph). Even though we are the only Chinese restaurant in town, we only provide eat-in or take out. The eating-in part isn't really happening, since our air conditioning doesn't work very well in the summer and the heating doesn't work well in the winter (Hair is really a trooper for being able to handle the temperature fluctuations all year!). I tried to get Wifi, but it's a small town and I doubt many college students (or high school) would want to come and do homework at a Chinese restaurant. The vibe just isn't there. I had talked to Padre about starting delivery service, but our staff is low and we can't afford to hire another person just for delivery, unless it's guaranteed business. On top of that, online reviews are slamming us! I cannot believe how mean people are. There are some Google reviews that are just downright slander, so we will probably have to work on improving our online image. It's been difficult thriving without technology in an era where everyone is online. Since we are small, we are still a cash operated business, which is also tough for customers. Padre is willing to try Square, but again, we don't have Wifi (this may change soon; I am looking at getting a plan for his phone so we can run it directly from there).
Panda's life is starting to get stressful! With the restaurant business down and the academic environment lackluster, I am trying to find new ways to motivate myself. Hopefully our new blog will perk up my spirits! Also, if any of you Cheese Curls have suggestions, suggest away! I always love hearing from my readers.
Until a happier time...
Driving to DC was not too bad, since we went on a Saturday afternoon and came back late at night. The drive was expected to be around 1hr 45min according to Google maps, which was just shy of our actual drive time. However, we did stop at the POTOMAC MILLS (aka Potato Mills) outlet, which was AMAZEBALLS. Seriously, what is the point of going to a real mall or even department store when you could drive an extra 30 minutes and go to the BEST MALL EVER!? Plus, it's an INDOOR outlet mall! I have never seen such a thing. It's nice during the winter, but actually it would be nice to walk around outside during the summer. Plus, the muck of children running around in the food court was slightly unappealing.
Anyway, the trip was a nice departure from our dear, quaint, *ahem* lovely Richmond. We tried to find a hair salon in Chinatown DC for Little Goat to get her hair cut, but apparently the "Chinatown" in DC is not real, as evidenced by a CHINESE website we found afterward (I guess you have to Google in Chinese to get any real information around here...ironic because Google and China hate each other). So we drove about 10 miles away to Falls Church, VA to get dinner. We ended up at a restaurant that had "Hong Kong" in the name but served Szechuan. Again, go figure.
 |
| SO HAPPY to find DC Chinatown! Before the disappointment in realizing that it wasn't a real Chinatown, just commercialized for tourists. Bummer. |
IMPORTANT UPDATE! So to read more about our roommate adventures, especially in the arena of frugality, check out my and Little Goat's NEW BLOG! You can read it at: www.toomuchpanda.wordpress.com. Depending on the amount of traffic and website availability, we may purchase the domain and turn it into a full fledged website! SUPES EXCITING!
In other news, today I finally (I think) found a church that I want to attend on the regular. I have been church hopping around town and so far all the congregations are measly compared to the ones in Atlanta. Howevs, the church I attended today had a nice sized congregation. I ended up meeting two of the young adult members there, and apparently many people leave Richmond for the summer (if it's any indication of the quality of living here, as already evidenced by the degeneration of my life...sigh) so most churches in the area will cut Sunday School and move their services from 11am to 10am. No wonder everything was out of sync when I was trying to go to church! Hopefully everything around here will beef up come late August/early September and I can start meeting more interesting people. As it stands now, I think I will be coming back again. Phew! It's always difficult to find a congregation. We will see how this one turns out!
So things in lab are okay. The system in academia is so structured and yet inexplicable in a way. There are a lot of politics going on behind closed doors, which is seen much more as a graduate student in the field than someone who "likes" science and just heard about research and says, "Wow, that's cool!". Obviously, it is a VERY cool field, otherwise I wouldn't be wasting 5 years (or more, but hopefully not, inshallah) enslaving myself for minimum wage payment. Truly, according to my advisor it is the "last great apprenticeship of our time." But indeed, "our time" is now "past time", and the educational system must also adjust to fit the needs of a new generation of students. More on that later...but just something to munch on in the back of your brain.
Since the last time I updated, The Boyf and Dr. Rey visited us in Richmond, and we all parted for a brief vacation weekend over the Fourth of July holiday. It was refreshing getting away from Richmond (isn't it always), and seeing my family. Hair's wife and son successfully immigrated and arrived in America that weekend, so it was very busy registering them for new social security numbers and enrolling Little Hair for school (he is 8 and so cute!). Hair also celebrated his 35th birthday with a grand feast at our humble Peking Restaurant! And Padre finally enrolled in Medicare since he is now eligible. Life moves so fast!
Although things back in Qville are not so bad, the restaurant has been suffering. It's not really the economy but more of a changing culture (a new "our time", if you will, in reference to my earlier paragraph). Even though we are the only Chinese restaurant in town, we only provide eat-in or take out. The eating-in part isn't really happening, since our air conditioning doesn't work very well in the summer and the heating doesn't work well in the winter (Hair is really a trooper for being able to handle the temperature fluctuations all year!). I tried to get Wifi, but it's a small town and I doubt many college students (or high school) would want to come and do homework at a Chinese restaurant. The vibe just isn't there. I had talked to Padre about starting delivery service, but our staff is low and we can't afford to hire another person just for delivery, unless it's guaranteed business. On top of that, online reviews are slamming us! I cannot believe how mean people are. There are some Google reviews that are just downright slander, so we will probably have to work on improving our online image. It's been difficult thriving without technology in an era where everyone is online. Since we are small, we are still a cash operated business, which is also tough for customers. Padre is willing to try Square, but again, we don't have Wifi (this may change soon; I am looking at getting a plan for his phone so we can run it directly from there).
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| Hair celebrates his birthday with Little Hair! Situated in Peking Restaurant...our little restaurant is filled with big memories! |
Panda's life is starting to get stressful! With the restaurant business down and the academic environment lackluster, I am trying to find new ways to motivate myself. Hopefully our new blog will perk up my spirits! Also, if any of you Cheese Curls have suggestions, suggest away! I always love hearing from my readers.
Until a happier time...
Thursday, June 13, 2013
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.
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.
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