Panda is "B"sian

Instead of replying to my regular email correspondence with Coral Diver, I have decided to FINALLY update this damn thing. It seems that every time I promise to update "soon", it ends up being taking even longer than my usual update time. Part of the reason is because I get lazy: I have started reserving all work for the lab, so that when I go home, I tend to vegetate and eventually succumbing to ingesting alcoholic beverages. Unfortunately, as a graduate student the WORK NEVER ENDS. In trying to keep my work-home life separate, I have started to spend approximately 12-14 hours PER WEEKDAY in lab, and about 6-8 hours per weekend day. It's nice to be braindead when I return to the apartment, but at some point my office chair is going to start growing mold from the constant warmth emanating from my butt. Anyway, I am here now. So let's start with some very exciting news:

THE BOYF WILL BE MOVING TO HOTLANTA! We have been dating for 5 years, 4 of which have been distance. And as you probably know, 2 years where I have considered calling it quits (and 1 time where we did, but luckily we are back together). Somehow, though, we made it. The Boyf just received his job offer on Friday afternoon, and he will be accepting on Monday morning! Once things are finalized, he finish his last semester of school and move down in mid-January. However, I am a bit confused as to where our relationship stands. Now that he is actually moving to Atlanta, we still won't be living together. His best friend Danto is also working in the same company, so they want to be roommates. Although The Boyf and I agreed on living separately, part of my is still pissed about having to continue to pay full rent while Danto and The Boyf can subsidize each other. Oh, but socially, you mean? That's fine. 4 years of distance should probably be mended slowly. It might be better to see each other mostly on the weekend, then move in together when we both decide that the time is right. If things don't work out, he still has a sweet job and I am still at an awesome school (unless I don't pass qualifying exams).

I HAVE A PLAN FOR MY FIRST PAPER! Dr. Zebra is in town again, and my meeting with him yesterday went smoothly. At the time, I thought things were very clear. In hindsight, I have no idea what is going on and what the plan is for my first paper. However, the holiday party is this Friday at Dr. Barbie's hizzouse, and I am hoping that I can acquire a very aesthetically displeasing sweater for the event in order to throw off Dr. Zebra from my social antics. Apparently upper management is not amused with my jokes. So for the next unspecified period of time, I will have to remain boring and nondescript. Usually things turn around once everyone realizes I'm not a bimbo (OR AM I). For the time being, I can still express myself online (OR CAN I). And at least winter break is coming up and classes are ending, so I'll be able to have some time to enjoy myself (OR WILL I). I guess the point here is that nothing is certain in grad school, and I would really like some ice cream.


THERE IS A COCKROACH IN MY CEREAL! About three weeks ago I started seeing an increased number of cockroaches in my kitchen. I called pest control twice, bought two cans of raid and still have yet to set off my three fumigator bombs. I stopped cooking and started eating cereal. Unfortunately, I did not expect a cockroach to crawl out of my cereal box. So basically I haven't entered my kitchen within the past two weeks. Yesterday I cleaned out my entire fridge of rotting food, and gave most of my pantry items to my lab and apartment neighbor. And lo and behold, when I threw out my cereal, the damn cockroach was still crawling around INSIDE THE BAG. I am hoping the problem is getting better since I haven't seen any more cockroaches crawling around (although I hardly enter the kitchen anyway) and hopefully the removal of the food will keep the roaches away. I am also armed with RAID anytime I enter the kitchen. Anyway, the apartment lease ends in May so I am actively looking for roach-free locations to live. If you have suggestions, let me know!

IT IS STILL WARM IN ATLANTA! One of the great things about living in the South, besides the nicer people, is that the weather is fantastic. It is already December, but it was 70 degrees as I was walking to campus this afternoon. I am so unused to this weather, but it is still amazing. I'll be going home for one week for the holidays, and although it will be cold, at least it will feel more familiar than this Twilight zone weather.

I AM A "B"SIAN, NOT AN ASIAN! I believe the minimum GPA requirement for taking my qualifying exams in May is a 3.0, which means all B's. As you may recall, most Asian parents are crazo (not a typo) about their kids getting perfect grades. This semester, I will most likely be getting all B's, as long as I don't fail my mass transfer course, in which case, I am going to quit the program and join the traveling circus as the "black sheep Asian". Hopefully I will pass all my classes, but it won't be with flying colors. Although research is the main priority, I still have to get through the program first. And Dr. Zebra and Dr. Barbie prefer students with better grades. At least Padre doesn't know a lick about graduate school and isn't breathing down my back anymore about studying (a typical phone conversation: "hello? where are you? are you in the library? are you studying? did you eat yet? can you call the phone company because there is an extra $5 charge on my statement this month? is my email account KMAIL OR GMAIL [disclaimer: THIS WAS A REAL QUESTION]?). Today I finished my last exam for my biology course (remember "Block 0"?). I have a paper due next week, then one final in my management course and one final for my mass transfer course.

Until then, I'll be studying in lab! Wish me luck! And wish the The Boyf congratulations (now if I can ever get him to read my blog...)!

Panda Declares Danger

This will be short since I only got around four hours of sleep last night (more like this morning), and I need to wake up at 8am tomorrow to go shopping (for shopping, I’d declare myself an insomniac). I decided to slack off on the studying since I was working at the restaurant today and the lady who helps out doesn’t come in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. So I looked over half of my amino acid notecards and took it easy.

BUT THEN…

Some jerk called and complained that the shrimp fried rice he ordered LAST NIGHT was the worst shrimp fried rice he had ever had in his life. When I offered to give him a new order for free, he said that he wouldn’t take it even if we were the LAST restaurant in the WORLD. 

I asked him if the shrimp was undercooked. It wasn’t.

Apparently he was expecting more vegetables and flavor (aka MSG, sodium, all that stuff that usually KILLS people). 

FIRST OF ALL, BUDDY – may I call you buddy? Or would you rather have me shove this egg roll up your…sorry, have to keep this “nice, clean fun”. But anyway, BUDDY – the shrimp fried rice has bean sprouts, onions, scallions and shrimp in it. Oh, and rice. It’s SHRIMP fried RICE. And just because other restaurants put frozen peas and carrots and some egg in their fried rice, doesn’t mean that our fried rice is terrible. We season the rice and precook it before it even hits the wok and the shrimp is added. What’s the whole deal with having the tastiest fried rice, anyway? Could it be worse than WHITE RICE? Because white rice tastes like NOTHING. And you ordered RICE. So I’m thinking it would taste like a variation of some sort. 

SECONDLY, BUDDO – If this rice was so terrible, as you say, and if you were a first and last customer, as you say, and if you don’t want a free fried rice, then WHY CALL!? Any sane person that visits a restaurant for the first time and doesn’t like the food would just keep his or her mouth shut and just not go back. Why did you feel the need to call in and let us know the fried rice was bad? It had nothing to do with the actual food. No one got sick. YOU just THINK it is BLAND.

THIRDLY, YOU BIG COWARD – Why don’t you man up and NOT put your number on private? The only thing I regret is not recording the phone conversation, because I was so gracious even when you insulted my family’s restaurant. It’s not that you don’t like the cook, you obviously have a problem with the entire way we prepare food (well, rice at least). And who are you to judge us by ONE meal? Sorry for taking your $3.85+tax and giving you rice that tastes like RICE. And after twenty years of being open, I MIGHT ASSUME that the way we make our rice would be suitable for the general population. I’ve been working in restaurants since I was in the womb. This is our family restaurant, and it may not be much, but don’t you dare come around insulting the food when IT WAS PERFECTLY FINE. 

I HATE YOU. And the worst part is, I have no idea who you are. So I’m just going to slander this around on the Internet in hopes that it might get back to you (you know who you are). And if we ever do meet, I will just warn you once now:

OKERRRR. My panda powers will completely overtake your puny mind. So don’t mess with me! 

Whew. I needed to get that out.

And not only that stupid creep, but a bunch of other emails popped up when I got home and reminded me that I have to do a POOP TON of work in the next few days, and I STILL DON’T have my schedule yet. I am still waiting to see if I was accepted into a program, which would entail traveling to a conference in early August. If I’m accepted, I go. If not, I am going to Hotlanta NOW. BUT I NEED TO KNOW. LIKE NOW. So I’m freaking out about my agenda, I’m freaking out about the impossible BLOCK 0 homework that I JUST started for the med school class, I’m freaking out because the school still needs my transcript and PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP (I already sent it, GET ORGANIZED, school!), I’m freaking out because I have to close my grandma’s bank and telephone accounts but she is not in the country and I ALWAYS HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING even though no one will talk to me because I’m not authorized on their account (I HATE YOU QWEST, she has dementia for goodness sake), and I’m still hating on the anonymous hater of my beloved shrimp fried rice.

SO I WENT RUNNING.

It was pitiful.

I ran around the block once and almost went into cardiac arrest (JOKE, don’t worry it was only heart palpitations…JOKE), so that shows how much I’ve been working out lately (I HAVEN’T). But anyway, it felt so good to get that energy out. Otherwise you know I would have just cried and ate chocolates. Both of which aren’t really conducive to getting any further on the dreaded BLOCK 0. 

But after my run, I felt better. I’m glad there’s going to be a gym downstairs in my apartment complex. If things keep up this way, I’ll be ready to run a marathon by the end of the semester.