Captain's Log

Short Work Video.

2012-01-13T02:12:00.001-05:00

Here is a video I made about what I do in lab: watch water drip and wait for squiggly lines. Sometimes the squiggly lines tell me good news, sometimes they tell me bad news. Sometimes its no news, which can be the same as bad news, but not necessarily. Enjoy.

Punkin Chunkin 2011!

2011-12-11T00:35:00.001-05:00

At long last, I have lived the dream that every man, woman, and child has had ever since they watched the first episode of Punkin Chunkin in 2010: being televised on national television with a bunch of ~~loonies~~ ~~rednecks~~ drunks throwing pumpkins out in a field in the wilds of southern Delaware. Yes, I have now lived that dream. Well, me and a couple of my very close friends. Like the prize in the bottom of the cereal box, I sifted through literally minutes of film to bring you my latest triumph.

Try to find me in this screencap:

Me and my friends at Punkin Chunkin!
(click to enlarge)

For reference, here is what I was wearing that day:

Man walks down the street in that hat,
people knows he's not afraid of anything

Click past the jump to find out the answer!

Ready for the answer?

I'm the one in the orange circle!

Surprise!

Hope you enjoyed my 1 second of being on national tv.

As a token of my appreciation, here is a picture of the mythbusters hard at work ignoring us.

Kari Byron is the booted leg that doesn't quite match Grant or Tory.

Dear Girl.

2011-12-05T18:27:00.001-05:00

Dear ~~Girl from the Yellowcard- Hang You Up music video~~ Taya Rogers (Thanks JT),

Your lip-biting is distracting me from working on my PhD proposal. As an alternative, please eyebrow-pop and purse your lips at me over dinner. My email is around here somewhere and I shall find it as soon as I stop gazing into your smoldering eyes. I realize it is unfair of me to ask you to bite your lip at me without having first seen a picture of me biting my lip at you, so here is a picture:

This photo has not been edited in any way to enhance my appearance.

I'll admit I'm not as good at lip-biting as you are. But I am good at things such as: Chemistry, Microsoft Excel, and honesty. I'm also moderately good at things like: guitar playing, blogging, driving stick, and cooking. I am terrible at Call of Duty. I hope that doesn't put you off, but its true.

Sincerely,
David Chu

The Thermodynamics of Courtship.

2011-09-20T15:24:00.000-04:00

Dan and Megan have reached a new equilibrium.

I posit that dating/male-female interaction can be modeled based on Thermodynamic principles based on to be determined variables.

In Thermodynamics, the likelihood of a reaction proceeding in a forward direction is dependent on the Gibb's Free Energy, which is (in layman's terms) is the energy difference between the start and end of the reaction. Like Chutes and Ladders, if the start is higher than the end, then the reaction will want to go towards the end. If the start is lower than the end, then the reaction will want to go towards the start.

Relationships can be described in this way as well: if the product (couple) are better than the starting materials (individuals) than the relationship will slide towards the couple rather than the individual. The opposite is true for the inverse: if the individuals are better separate than together, then the relationship will go towards the individuals.

In chemistry, this is often described in a reaction coordinate plot:

There are alot of sciencey components to determining Gibb's Free Energy, but the main equation is:

ΔG is the Gibb's Free Energy

ΔH is the difference in Enthalpy

ΔS is the difference in Entropy

T is temperature

An important thing to remember is that a negative Gibb's Free Energy leads to formation of a product (couple), if that's what you're looking for.

I posit in human male-female interaction that instead of Enthalpy, H is a measure of "Hotness" or Attraction and is a factor that is a combination of physical attractiveness, personality and possibly some other unquantifiable qualities. Futhermore, instead of Entropy, S is the difference in Status, whether social, economical or other.

Ideally for a reaction to proceed, a low ΔH and a high ΔS is desired; equating to a small difference in Attraction and a large difference in Status. A small difference in Attraction is the reason why attractive people typically go out with other attractive people, a la Scarlette Johanessesseesseenn and Ryan Reynolds.
A large difference in Status explains why Professional Athletes, Rockstars, Actors, and rich people are never single (unless they want to be).

That is not to say that a reaction with high ΔH and a low ΔS won't proceed, all that matters is that the ΔG is negative after you calculate everything out.

In Thermodynamics, Enthalpy or S is dependent on temperature as increasing the temperature of a reaction increases the reaction rate. Usually most human male-female interactions take place at room temperature, but on sunny days when its hot out, or at the beach, the temperature usually enhances Status differences. An example of this are sunglasses: the more expensive/awesome, the more Status. A second example of this is air conditioning: a person who doesn't have air conditioning is ten times more likely to want to be with someone who does on a hot day. This also explains the wearing of sunglasses while indoors.

This guy.

In conclusion, if you want to find out if this person is right for you, turn up the temperature and see what happens as the reaction rate increases.

Californian No More.

2011-09-15T11:39:00.002-04:00

I'm prettier in person, I promise.

Officially a Delaware State Resident.
Also, licensed to ride motorcycles/organ donor/samething!

Luther Lab Attire

2011-09-14T14:51:00.000-04:00

Dan and Andrew: Amateur Male Models/Grad Students.

Typical Luther Lab Attire (for males when ~~in lab~~ not in lab):

Sunglasses
T-Shirt
Shorts
Flip-Flops
Pepsi-branded soda cup from Surf Bagel (on Wednesdays)

Hurricane Irene Live Blog

2011-08-28T17:03:00.008-04:00

Zach: "this wasn't a hurricane, it was a hurri-cation."

8.21.2011 12:00pm- Went to the beach. Tried surfing, but there was a terrible shore break, so I tried to give surfer names to the other guys. Johnny Utah, Bohdi, and Cody Maverick weren't that into it, so I went back to shore and documented some conch shell hunting.

Cody Maverick spearheaded the conch shell hunting expedition

Those two heads are Bohdi and Johnny Utah

Kaytee decides that shes going to call
the shots on whos going to get the shells

Cody Maverick decides to delegate his conch
hunting duties to Johnny Utah

Queen Kaytee inspecting the tribute of
conch shells Cody Maverick has given her.

Johnny Utah describing the how to
drop in, smack the lip, and get pitted.

Bodhi: still waiting for that 50 year storm.

Drove by the tornado damage- good thing we didn't
evacuate, or we would've been closer to the tornado.
Notice the clear blue skies we're having right now.

8.28.11 8:00am- Power is back on. Hurricane over. Not impressed with this Irene character. Then again, there was a tornado here, so I guess I'm going to count my blessings. Here's some pictures from last night of us chilling during the middle of the hurricane.

Kaytee:"you know what the most disappointing part of this hurricane? didn't get to see the end of The Rock" [power went out as it was on tv]

This was the concoction that Kenny made and we all drank.
Yes, those are sprinkles.

8.28.11 2:00am- Right now the eye of the hurricane is supposed to be passing by Lewes. It must be crying because it's still raining. This means the hurricane is half over! I'm going to sleep now, hopefully when I wake up the power will be back on. But I doubt it.

8.27.11 11:45pm- Power is still out. We have now exhausted our supply of bratwurst. Brats were grilled on Joe's propane camp grill. Earlier we went outside during a lull in the storm and played with glow sticks and a glow in the dark frisbee- there'll be some sweet pics of that when civilization is restored. Other stuff I've done is put all our essential refridgerated cosunsumables in coolers, helped eat a melting pint of vanilla ice cream and drank some mystery concoction that Kenny Hoadley mixed up. Currently, the hurricane breeze coming through the screen door is now lulling Joe and Kaytee to sleep. Time to break out the bowls of warm water.

8.27.11 6:25pm- Powers gone. So no more Weather Channel, thank God. Getting texts about a tornado. I believe we've hit the disaster trifecta this week: earthquake, tornado, and hurricane. Will blog again as soon as I can.

-posted from my iPhone

8.27.11 5:50pm- Lights flickering. Storm picking up. Ghosts of Daiber past?

8.27.11 5:00pm- Frozen pizza extracted from oven. Pizza has been deemed no longer frozen.

8.27.11 4:45pm- ZVK (Zach VanKirk) has deemed this hurricane a "hurri-lame". Further bulletins as events warrant.

8.27.11 4:20pm- Kaytee has woken up. We have switched the tv back to the weather channel. Kaytee has gone back to sleep. Joe has disappeared to "get his phone".

8.27.11 4:00pm- Lethargy has set in. There were no survivors.

Kaytee has succumbed to the nappage. ZVK is watching SpaceBalls.

We should probably check to see if she's still breathing.

8.27.11 3:15pm- Zach is on tornado watch: no tornadoes yet.

8.27.11 2:30pm- Started raining again. Situation deteriorating: ran out of bagels.

8.27.2011 2:00pm- Supposed to be some tropical force winds. Only tropical force beverages.
Difference between hurricane force beverages and tropical force beverages: you can't put an umbrella on a hurricane force beverage.

The Fortune Cookies are talking to me.

2011-08-19T03:07:00.003-04:00

I have a sneaking suspicion that George, my adviser, is writing the fortunes in the fortune cookies at the chinese food place I frequent.

Here are some actual fortunes I have gotten during my time in the past year of grad school that seem a little too convenient:

Tough times never last but tough people do
There is no secret to success except hard work.
In the ocean of knowledge, only those who want to learn will see the land.

How would a fortune cookie company know I dabble in oceanography?

"dabble" might be an understatement

Here's my idea: Grad Student Fortune Cookies
Some of it will be practical advice like:

Try a logarithmic plot instead
Try modeling the data
Did you remember to add the Xylene?
If its not kinetically hindered, then its thermodynamic
If all else fails, get the mass-spec of it.
Call your advisor by their first name as long as they have said to do so in prior conversations.

Some of it will be encouragement in the form of "Just one more...":

Just one more test and you'll be ready for quals!
Just one more cume and you'll be on track for your first committee meeting!
Just one more committee meeting and you'll be ready to defend!
Just one more powerpoint presentation and you'll get your degree!

Some of it will be reminders of important things grad students commonly forget:

Remember to eat
Remember to sleep
Remember to shower
Remember to brush teeth
Remember to study

this one's a joke, you're always studying.

And of course some will be purely cautionary

DON'T STRANGLE YOUR INTERN
DON'T ASK YOUR ADVISOR "STUPID" QUESTIONS NO MATTER HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend.

Who wants in on this start-up company?
We'll call it the Future PhD Fortune Cookie Co.

Manganese Manglers.

2011-08-04T01:17:00.002-04:00

From July 27 to 31, a new spectacle appeared on the Chesapeake Bay near the Wm Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge; it was painted white and blue, filled with grad students and floating on pure science. The R/V Hugh R. Sharp was there to hunt the elusive Manganese III. Then right after that it went to go hunt elusive Manganese III in the open ocean. I took pictures- these are the prettiest ones.

The Chesapeake Bay: full of stuff including, but not limited to: Iron, Sulfur, Fish, Water and Manganese

Sometimes the waves would calm down for a bit so we could watch the sunset.

..But we worked anyways.

Passed under the bridge as we left the bay to go offshore

Passed through the canal at night

not in chronological order, but here we are fixing the in-situ voltammetry system

Fishing for science in the open ocean: watching the CTD come up

Andrew is trying to figure out if we caught any Manganese III

This is a picture of me eating a burrito

The Adventures of General Tso and The Wisconsin Cheese.

2011-07-24T20:48:00.011-04:00

General Tso (winner of best gorilla-look-alike)

There are a multitude of questions to be asked here. Why are Kaytee and I wearing do-rags? What are those helmets for? How is the sky so rosy? And most importantly, why are we wearing long sleeved shirts and long pants on the hottest freaking day of the hottest freaking heat wave of the summer? also it was humid.

The Wisconsin Cheese (winner of most awesome helmet)

Well, the answer is we were taking a Basic Rider's Course. The things that were basic were Kaytee and me. The things that were ridden were death-traps-your-mother-warned-you-about; also known as motorcycles. Kaytee needed to take this class because she ~~foolishly decided she didn't want to live anymore~~ bought a scooter and use it as her primary mode of transportation. I was there because I have been wondering for the longest time if bicycling would be better if you didn't have to pedal all the time (short answer: it is). Successful completion of the course and evaluation gets you a motorcycle license when you present your certificate of completion to the Delaware DMV.

If you squint into the background, you can see our motorcycles parked out on the lot.

On Thursday (my birthday) we spent 3 hours in a room at the DMV learning about what parts are what on a motorcycle, protective gear, motorcycle specific driving rules, etc. I have no pictures of that because while informative it was also boring.

On Saturday, I took all these pictures. Another explanation of the pictures: I didn't take any of us on the motorcycle because whenever Kaytee was on a motorcycle, I was too, and they discourage one handed motorcycling. We had to get there at 6:30am sharp instead of the original 9am-5pm because if we started at 9 we would have to motorcycle in the more extreme temperatures of an already exceedingly hot day. When I left the house at 5am it was 84 degrees out. When I got back home, it was 102 degrees out with 70% humidity (heat index of 116 degrees). This explains why our pictures look like they were taken at the crack of dawn-because they were.

From 6:30 to 11am we drilled mercilessly on stopping, going, turning, and any-and-all unholy combination of the three. I personally drank half a gallon of gatorade, and then half a gallon of water in the stifling heat- all of which managed to migrate back outside my body through my pores. After a short lunch break, we reviewed more of the Motorcycle Safety Federation Rider's Handbook and took a written test. I don't want to reinforce any stereotypes, but I ravaged the test with a score of 100%. I'd like to credit my high achievement on being adequately hydrated and the fact that I am a professional student/test-taker.

If it weren't for evaporation, Kaytee's whole shirt would be dripping with sweat.

Before:

After:
You can literally see my belly filling up with hydration- the key to good written test taking

Long story short, on Sunday(today) we did a bunch of motorcycle exercises and capped it off with an evaluation of our skills on the motorcycle. I passed and I am now the proud owner of...

A Motorcycle Basic Rider's Course Completion Certificate and Card! also, a motorcycle stand puck(not pictured)!

The Tale of the Reester Bunny.

2011-06-06T17:47:00.008-04:00

The Reester Bunny

Once upon a time, the benevolent Mrs. MacDonald begifted her son a Reester Bunny. Filled with delicious peanut butter and ensconced in a decadent chocolate skin, the Reester Bunny was lauded above all over candies nestled within Daniel MacDonald's desk.

As the legend of the Reester Bunny grew, tales of the Reester Bunny were told in every corner of the office of 233 Cannon Hall: from the inner drawers of David's desk to the far reaches of Alyssa's desk. Men and women journeyed from far-off offices to scrutinize the magnificence that was the Reester Bunny. The echoing of the pilgrim's feet marching to pay tribute to the Reester Bunny could be heard all the way in Smith Hall. Some say that when gazed upon for a long enough time, the Reester Bunny took on a life of its own and would gaze back upon the viewer itself! No peasant, ape or grad student dared stand in its presence for too long for fear of angering the Reester Bunny and turning into a pillar of chocolate.

As the Reester Bunny began to take on a literal and figurative life of it's own, the office of 233 Cannon Hall began to fall into ruin and dilapidation as pilgrims and those preying upon the pilgrams (tax collectors, figurine sellers, harlots, murderers and thieves) filled the land keeping full the hands of the noble office occupants. In a dream, Daniel MacDonald had a vision of the Reester Bunny causing the ruin of office 233 and schemed of a way to rid himself of it. What once had been a source of great pride for the office of 233 was now the insidious instigator of it's downfall. Fearing what would happen should the Reester Bunny die figuratively at his hands, Daniel MacDonald bestowed the Reester Bunny upon his best pal and fellow officemate David.

In secret, plans were made to dispatch the Reester Bunny and bring back peace and harmony to the office of 233 Cannon Hall.

The Reester Bunny was removed from its place of reverence within Dan's desk to a secret facility on David's desk

The Reester Bunny's outer protection was shed, laying bare the Reester Bunny.

Making precise cuts with precise cutting instruments, the Reester Bunny's ear was shorn off and eaten by the occupants of Alyssa's desk.

The other ear was shorn off as well and the head presented to the occupants of Dan's desk as a token of respect and friendship from the occupants of David's desk to the occupants of Dan's desk.

With a titanium spork of highest quality, the rest of the Reester Bunny was drawn and quartered and eaten ..

.. until only one bite was left

When the last bite of Reester Bunny was eaten, the inhabitants of the office of 233 rejoiced in the sweet victory they had gained.

Some say that the Reester Bunny shall return at the end of time to save mankind from Jolly Ranchers.

Once the Reester Bunny had disappeared, the pilgrims and those that preyed on the pilgrims returned to their homes and peace and harmony returned to the office of 233 Cannon Hall.

Officially Done with Cumes!

2011-05-17T15:41:00.005-04:00

Today is an auspicious day: I just received the official confirmation today from Dr. Burmeister that I have passed the Inorganic Cumulative Exams. I have known unofficially since yesterday, when Dr. Burmeister sent me the raw scores from my test, which at the time had not been approved by the Chem Department Chair yet.

People have been remarking to me that I don't seem as ecstatic as I should be. Well the truth is I am ECSTATIC. Almost to the point of ecstasy overload. The reason why I don't seem like it is because for the past 9 months all I could think of were these tests- either actively studying for them, or having them ravage my nightmares. I drove three hours round-trip to the main campus every two weeks for a measly one hour seminar. I made friends with Belinda the cleaning lady who was the only one to ever see me leave school. Somedays it was hard for me to even crawl out of bed. I spent seven days a week studying for a terrible exam every month, and every month when I got my exam score I'd go through a cycle of grief: Denial: "I didn't really get that score, did I?", then Anger: "This is so unfair; the professors are out to get me", then the Bargaining began: "Maybe if I study harder, and stay at school longer, I'll do better", followed by Depression: "I hate my life", and finally Acceptance: "It's just my lot in life to suffer".

For a long time, the sun has not shone brightly on me, the sky did not look blue, the grass looked brown, food did not taste as well, even breathing was not a pleasurable action. Now, when I walk outside, the sun blinds me with its brightness, the sky seduces me with its deep blue hue, the grass is a lively healthy green color, food astounds me with its cornucopia of flavors and textures, and every breath I inhale is a contented sigh of relief.

I feel as if the world was supposed to end after my last Cume, and I'm just happy to still be alive.

-David

The No Hope.

2011-04-06T14:15:00.011-04:00

Look at all the natural sunlight I'm getting!

Here is the No Hope Wrap from Surf Bagel, a local breakfast/lunch spot in Lewes. The No Hope is an absolutely delightful assortment of grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, bacon, 3 cheese blend, ranch dressing and lettuce housed within an edible membrane of tortilla wrap. I tend to order them every Wednesday when we grad students school together and go out to feed at Surf Bagel. Aside from its gastronomical qualities, I like to think that when I eat a No Hope, I am devouring all the self-doubt, disappointment and helplessness I feel at the hands of cumes, and that the satisfaction and contentedness experienced post-meal is a taste of life after cumes. As a special bonus today, I received a free El Jefe Wrap in addition to my customary meal of No Hope Wrap, chips, pickle and soda because somebody mistook my order for theirs and ran off with my No Hope. I'm not even angry about having to wait another 8 minutes for a No Hope, I just feel bad for the person who thinks that the life-affirming No Hope Wrap is the El Jefe Wrap and orders a El Jefe next time only to be faced with the grilled roast beef & turkey, fried onions, melted provolone and mayo of disappointment.

Here's to you, No Hope Wrap; if only cumes were not as bitter as you are delicious.
Here's to you, No Hope Wrap; you have no hope of not being eaten.
Here's to you, No Hope Wrap; your hope gives me hope.

New Lows!

2011-03-18T12:20:00.001-04:00

I think I've hit a new low in life. Having a shitty day- and I've only been up for 3 hours! Feeling like hiding under my desk for awhile.

Doubt.

2011-01-15T11:34:00.000-05:00

I look confident. I wake up in the morning, I brush my teeth, and I shower, in order to look presentable, clean, strong, confident. But the truth is I am not.

I doubt my ability to retain knowledge, my ability to answer these questions on these tests that are enormously important. I have lost confidence in me. These tests, these goddamned exams, that run my life, ruin my life make me feel impotent and powerless. I feel as if I am swimming in the air, grasping at something intangible to pull me up while gravity pulls me under. Time pretends to be my friend, my ally in this war on qualifications, but Time is no friend to me. Time is laughing at my efforts to subdue it, and Time grins wildly with glee as I race to answer questions on my tests in vain.

My head spins, my heart thumps loudly in my chest, my veins throb and I feel the blood racing through my circulatory system. Sometimes I can barely breathe because my lungs are too small for my chest, and my stomach is tied into a knot. I feel the tension in my bones as if the tendons in my body are pulling on my bones and sending an imperceptible ache through my arms. My spine feels as though it were the pillars that hold the suspension bridge of my body up. I know subjectively that my body is going through a fight or flight response, that it feels trapped, insecure, unsafe and afraid and it wants to lash out or run away or some strange combination of running and punching. My body says I can't go on much longer. That all it wants to throw in the towel, collapse from exhaustion and give up.

But my mind is stubborn. My mind rebels. It says that this is not the end yet. That there are many more miles to go and all is not lost. It hopes against hope that the tests still to come can be as magnificent and rewarding as the tests that have passed have been terrible. My mind drags my body along down the dirt path of time nearer and nearer to the next test, the next trial..

It is hard going as my body slumps and my mind has no hands with which to pull with. But today is Saturday, and there is still time left and dirt road to be dragged along before my next ordeal. Perhaps I will sit here and rest awhile. Tomorrow is Sunday and there is still time left to study.

New Year's Resolutions: 2011 version.

2011-01-09T00:54:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of a sunrise at 30,000 feet. I guess it's symbolic of the new year.

The Secret Origins of Thanksgiving.

2010-11-27T02:25:00.011-05:00

This man is unimportant and oblivious to
the truth behind Thanksgiving.

Guest Post by Anon Nemus:
I am posting on this nobody's blog because he is unimportant enough that the secret cabal of retailers that run this country won't assassinate him once the truth becomes known.

It is thought to be common knowledge that Black Friday came about because retailers realized that the day after Thanksgiving was the largest shopping day of the year because the American public realized that Thanksgiving immediately preceded Christmas and they needed to buy their Turboman dolls before their next door neighbors awoke out of their turkey-induced slumber and seduced their wives. The retailers proceeded to place amazing deals in front of shoppers and before you knew it, people began to stand in line outside of stores overnight, just to get their hands on what limited supplies of sharply discounted merchandise there were to be had. Thus began the holiday known as "Black Friday", ostensibly because the retailers would be able to get their sales "in the black" and make a profit, rather than "in the red" and lose money.

The truth is that while we were lead to believe that Thanksgiving preceded Black Friday, the origins of Black Friday far preceded the secret origins of Thanksgiving.

Black Friday in actuality began in the roaring 1920's when the first big department stores consolidated out of smaller department stores due to the influence of oil and steel magnates of the likes of Vanderbilt and Rockefeller. The Vanderbilt's and Rockefeller's of the department store industry were three men: Rowland Hussey Macy, Richard Warren Sears and James Cash Penney whose legacies live on through their department stores: Macy's, Sears and JC Penney. Behind closed doors, the three of them decided that the 3rd Friday of November would be the greatest shopping day of all year, just in time for the holiday season. They would dramatically slash prices on things that no one would usually buy that had low invoice prices and high profit margins, sacrificing the large profit margin as a ploy to incite consumers to buy larger quantities of goods, thus making up in bulk sales what they had sacrificed in cutting down the profit margins of goods that weren't even selling in the first place.

The ploy worked. In the 1920's shoppers lined up outside of the major department stores in order to be the first shoppers to get deals before their fellow shoppers bought them first. In the 1930's shoppers began to get desperate as the Great Recession loomed, and many shoppers began to line up earlier and earlier making the lines longer and longer. The bitter cold combined with unprepared shoppers lead to many incidents involving shoppers freezing to death while waiting in line, in addition to death by stampeding shoppers, overexertion, and other causes still common today. Thus the friday once named the "Shopping Extravaganza of the Year" as coined by Macy, Sears and Penney became known by its contemporary name "Black Friday".

Out of the large number of deaths on Black Friday and unwillingness of shoppers to drop out of line for the comfort of hearth and home began a common occurrence of the homemaker of the house preparing a large dinner for the soon to be shoppers to fill themselves before braving the bitter cold of standing in line. As the death toll of Black Friday rose, the family would come together and say grace before eating as it was possible that it could be the last meal one would eat before dying a cold and miserable death by the elements or beneath the boots of charging shoppers. This family prayer became known as "Thanksgiving", as the religious authorities of the day believed that in order to die in grace, people must give thanks to the Lord for their time spent on the Earth before their deaths.

The tradition of Black Friday and Thanksgiving continued until the 1950's and 1960's when outcry against rampant consumerism spawned movements such as the beatniks, feminism, hippies, and the Beatles. Concerned about the moral direction of the country, the Right Wing Christian Fundamentalists of the country partnered with the major retailers in order to revamp Black Friday and Thanksgiving and remove the stigma surrounding both. The Right Wing Christian Fundamentalists wanted the American Public to move away from the hippie/beatnik movements and back toward the Protestant foundations of the United States. The major retailers, faced with declining numbers of shoppers on Black Friday, were worried that the stigma of Black Friday was hurting their bottom line.

Thus began the largest cover up in American history. The famous Terry Southern, known for writing the scripts of the movies Easy Rider, and Dr. Strangelove, was brought in to write a plausible backstory for Black Friday and Thanksgiving. The major stroke of genius on Southern's part was to ascribe the foundation of Black Friday as due to the retailers' realization that people would shop after Thanksgiving. Thus the focus of the holiday moved from the horrors and rampant consumerism of Black Friday to Thanksgiving. In order to facilitate the shifting of focus to Thanksgiving, a story of how the first American colonists sharing a feast with Native Americans was inked in history textbooks in order to link Thanksgiving with a general sense of Americana and goodwill. Domestication of turkey vultures in 1968 was due to a breakthrough by scientists at the University of Michigan in breeding turkey vultures that would eat grain. The new domesticated bird retained the size of turkey vultures, but became horribly obese due to its diet of grains. The new poultry product would lose the "vulture" name and become known simply as "turkey". The All-American origin and high profit margins of turkey made it the perfect mascot for Thanksgiving. The phrase, "in the black" was coined by President Ford in 1975 just to divert suspicion of the origin of Black Friday away from its dark roots. After the AFC-NFC merger, the newly formed NFL (the teams of which are owned wholly or in part by the same people that own the major retail store chains) staged football games on Thanksgiving to distract consumers even more from the horrors of Black Friday. All of this was done just to increase consumers' willingness to shop, spend money and fill the coffers of the retailers.

Now you know the truth behind Black Friday and Thanksgiving and the secret cabal of retailers that have rewritten American history to incite consumers to spend. Stay home on Black Friday and remember all the blood that it has shed in the name of profit.

-Dr. Nemus PhD.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T23:58:00.001-05:00

Ralph the Turkey was delicious!

First year cooking the turkey! I broke out all the tricks like roasting it in the oven bag upside down so the breast soaks in the juices, then taking it out of the bag and putting it back in the over after rubbing some spices and oil on the outside so it crisps, digital thermometer so we know exactly how well cooked the turkey is. Oh man, it was good. 12.26 lbs of joy accompanied by two different kinds of potato, green bean casserole, roasted veggies, mango/avacado salad, cranberry bread, pecan pie, and sweet potato pie.

This year, I am thankful for family and friends near and far. I'll probably still be thankful for them next year too. Cheers!

Fishing.

2010-11-08T23:48:00.004-05:00

Asian Wayne Campbell says "Zang!"

Recently it occurred to me that fishing is the greatest, most useful metaphor for life. The secret behind fishing's utility is its versatility. Literally anything can be compared to fishing. Whether it is tying a hook onto a fishing line, skewering live bait on the hook, casting a line, waiting for fish to bite, fighting a fish caught on the line, reeling a fish in, gutting a fish; all of these actions can be used to describe life.

Lets give this a try by talking about my life in terms of fishing:

On The Soda Machine Eating My Quarters:
"Fish ate my bait!"

On Being In Grad School:
"I'm holding on for dear life to this fishing rod."

On Quals:
"I'll get that sucker on my next cast."

On Research:
"The fishing line is snagged in the reel and my bait is dying."

On Taking Only One Class This Semester:
"I'm reeling it in, no problem."

On The Weather Getting Colder:
"This is just like ice fishing."

On Playing Halo Reach:
"Just like fishing, I don't get to do it as much as I want to."

On Being Optimistic:
"I'm going to land the big one!"

On Dating:
"No fish are biting, the bait is dead, and theres a hole in the boat"

Burning Hot Lava Monsters.

2010-10-27T13:08:00.005-04:00

Women: as mysterious as the ocean

disclaimer: Every girl is different. Your mileage will vary. Also this probably applies to guys as well.

I don't know alot about women. To me, they are a mystery wrapped in a conundrum and packaged in hot burning lava. I don't know anything about the mystery, the conundrum confuses me, but hot burning lava usually burns in the same way. Therefore I submit to you this observation: If a girl has a slow response/no response to IMs/texts/email, then she is probably not that into you.

"But David," you ask "She always picks up my calls, if she picks up my calls, why should I be worried about texting?" I'm glad you asked. The simple answer is if you call somebody on the phone, it is considered rude to not pick up unless you are really busy. Call it Pavlovian conditioning: if somethings ringing at us, we have to make it stop. Microwave beeping? Get your food before it goes cold. Doorbell ringing? Get the door before the delivery man leaves. Phone ringing? Get the phone before the person on the other side decides they don't want to talk to you. So if a girl picks up your phone call, shes probably just wondering whats so important that you're willing to call her.

Anything in the written form takes the same amount of urgency as a letter (which is not that urgent), even if it is delivered almost instantly. With texting or other forms of written communiques, there are two things to look for: response time and duration of conversation. A quick response time shows that the other person is interested enough to want to have as much of a real-time conversation as possible. A real-time conversation is usually much preferred over a delayed conversation. Duration of conversation will denote the amount of interest the girl has in you- the more interested she is, the longer conversation she'll want to have with you. Long conversations are also much preferred to over short conversations. Therefore, if a girl pecks out a fast reply on their phone/keyboard and she keeps it up for seemingly forever, you're pretty sure assured that you're on her radar. If she answers slowly and then noticeably cools off, well you're probably better off leaving the hot lava alone.

I propose this equation for determining interest level by written communiques:
I = N*d/r

I is interest level. the units for I are "back and forths" or "conversation cycles" per seconds. Since back and forths/conversation cycles are technically unitless (as the social sciences haven't come up with a system of units for quantifying conversations), I is essentially in units of Hertz (1/s).

N is a normalization constant for different types of communication: obviously letter writing would cause a longer response time as the letter has to be written and then mailed, whereas texting and IMing are nearly instantaneous. Email occupies a middle ground between texting/IMing and snail mail.

d is duration of conversation in units of back and forth between sender and replier; a query and response would be considered one back and forth. As this can be seen as a cycle, this may also be referred to as a conversation cycle.

r is average response time

By using this equation to gauge interest level, one can chart the interest level for a single subject over time, thus knowing when is the proper time to ask the subject out on a date. However, since no two subjects are alike, a comparison of interest levels from multiple subjects will likely not be accurate.

There could be other reasons why the subject won't text you back quickly, or at all:
- She doesn't like texting/IMs. (But if she likes you, she'll like texting/IMing you.)
- She is busy with some other urgent, time-sensitive matter. (If shes interested in you, she'll tell you that she's busy and will talk to you later. If shes not, she will just ignore you.)
- She is tired. (Being a mystery all the time must be exhausting.)
- She doesn't have unlimited texts (Although if she doesn't have unlimited texts and she is still texting you, thats a good sign)
- She wants you to call her. (It could be a possibility)

That said, be aware of possible false positives with this one- some girls just really love texting their friends, and just want to talk. This can lead to a mislabeling of platonic interest for romantic interest.

Courage and Shakespeare.

2010-10-03T21:51:00.002-04:00

Studying on the Back Porch

Wind Turbine at Dusk

the Delriver and the WRX

Delriver at Sunset

Quick update on my life: I am in the midst of taking qualification exams for my PhD, basically taking an exam every second Saturday of the month. The purpose of taking all these tests is to ascertain my ability to do independent research, and thus be equivalent to a Master's holding grad student. The tests started in September, and thus I have been majorly stressing and consequently destressing. To compensate for my lack of blog in the past month, I have attempted to assuage your anguish with a quadruple dose of wholesome yet grainy iPhone pictures of scenic scenes from the past month.

One of the things I have thought about in a stress-induced stupor was something I read about from an old Battletech paperback: whether to be Prince Hamlet or Prince Henry. Prince Hamlet's play, entitled "Hamlet", famously has the "to be or not to be" speech. In "Hamlet", Prince Hamlet is conflicted with how to avenge the murder of his father, the King of Denmark, at the hands of his uncle Claudius who has usurped the throne. Prince Hamlet goes through madness, both feigned and real, and eventually causes the death of everybody, himself included, through inaction, wild stabbings though drapes, poisoned swords/wine, etc. Prince Henry of "Henry V" also causes his friends to die: he famously said the "Once more into the breach, my dear friends.." at Harfleur, and gave the "We band of brothers" speech before the Battle of Agincourt. The English Prince Henry goes on to marry the French Princess Catherine and becomes heir to both the English and French thrones.

When pondering the difference between the two princes while rinsing and repeating in my secret thinking place, what I came up with is courage. Hamlet lacks the courage to decisively kill Claudius and avenge his father's death, Henry has courage in spades and lays siege to Harfleur and ultimately the rest of France. Courage is contagious; Courage inspires courageousness in others. Lack of Courage leads to indecision and ultimately Death.

In the most general sense, people fall into one of these two categories; either deciding to be or not to be, or ~~exhorting dear friends~~ leading the charge into the breech.

The Pictures of August.

2010-08-18T02:24:00.013-04:00

Floating down the canal

Wind Turbine

If a year is a day, then Spring would be morning, Summer would be noon, Fall would be evening and Winter would be night. August would be right at the end of the afternoon, right about when you get out of work, and the sun is shining in such a way that it makes the brown grass golden.

The Book of Love is Long and Boring, and Written Very Long Ago.

2010-07-16T02:01:00.007-04:00

It is preposterous that everyday, I use things and I haven't the foggiest clue of how they work. For example: I don't understand the Internet; I just use type stuff in and the tubes deliver. I think the same way about Love. I experience it everyday, and yet I have no clue as to how Love works. Its one of the fundamental questions of Life: Love.

Love? I think the word itself is a question, because it boggles the mind. What causes Love; the force that reduces grown men to drool, and dames to insanity. Love does strange things. It induces sacrifice, bravery, courage; all the best qualities of Man/Woman-kind. If we really take the time to think about it, Love is a undeniably complex and infinitely questionable. We see the effects of Love, but we have never been able to aptly define the mechanism by which it occurs. Plenty of philosophers, psychologists and physicists have tried to use mere words to make sense of the paradoxes (plural!) of Love. It's intangible, sort of like gravity, and yet still heavy. Love is formless, like water, and yet comes in many forms. Love is encompassing, like a heavy blanket during a cold winter night, but yet it's never stifling.

It's the lunch with friends, the squint of the eyes in a smile, the timid asking of "how was your day?", the listening to the response of the timid asking of "how was your day?", the note on the lunchbag, the surprise in the surprise birthday, the call from an out-of-touch friend that wants to get in touch, the frantic waving to get your attention, the hug goodbye, the hello hug, the firm handshake, the secret handshake, the late night banter, the celebration of a win, the father handing the bride to the groom, the groom giving the bride a ring, the pelican regurgitating food to the hatchling, ..

When I think about it, none of these things themselves are Love, but I can understand Love because of all these things. If these things are the mechanisms through which Love is evidenced, what causes this to happen? What causes the tug-at-your-heartstrings moment before you hand a bum a fiver? What the hell are heart strings?

..All I know for sure is that Love baffles all men/women, and we should treat this like we treat unknown quantities in quantum mechanics: invent a variable or constant to define it. Just like algebra, we'll probably never figure it out until we get up there and ask the Creator.

Take care all you couples, fiancées, and newlyweds.

-David

Lewes. Pronounced just like 'Lewis'.

2010-06-06T23:53:00.003-04:00

Heres the new wind turbine thats been built at the Lewes- its supposed to be some kind of big deal, but I think it just looks pretty. Its been about a week since I started moving down here, and I'm just about all moved in. So far its been pretty great: just doing research full time, no TAing, or grading, or classes to worry about. My new roommate (its actually housemate) is pretty cool and a good cook. Heres some before/after pics of the new bedroom:

Closet space/desk/windows.

desk/shelving/windows.

bed/mini window.

We're going to go on a boat ride on Tuesday and drop some electrodes into the ocean and see whats up. I'll try to get some sweet pics of that to share with you. Heres a pic of one of our lab areas to tide you over:

Teachers don't know much.

2010-05-24T10:00:00.003-04:00

The first time I realized that I was smarter than my teacher was in kindergarten. The teacher was letting us use plastic knives to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. To make sure none of us dealt any serious damage to ourselves, the teacher specifically told us "Do not lick the peanut butter off the knife." My budding intellect acknowledged the command, and picked apart the reason behind telling us not to lick the knife- the knife, though plastic, had a serrated edge upon which if licked carelessly could result in a cut tongue. However, I was only issued one knife, and I was half sure that allowing peanut butter and jelly to prematurely mix before getting spread properly was some sort of social faux pas. Thus in order to: A) not get peanut butter in the jam and B) lick some peanut butter, my young self devised a plan of action in which I would lick the peanut butter in a single direction from the blunt edge to the serrated edge, thus avoiding the slight possibility of cutting my tongue on the knife. My teacher did not understand my brilliant and cunning plan and due to my inability to communicate the particulars of my plan did not let me finish my sandwich and instead gave me a time out. It was then that I filed teachers under the "ignore-when-I-am-smarter-than-them" category.

By the way, if you haven't figured it out by now, today's picture has really nothing to do with teaching. Just my slipping mental state as I chug through this Electroanalytical Chemistry take home final thats due in a few hours.

Back to teaching. After about a year of teaching students and being on the other end of the stick, I can tell you for certain that teachers (at least college TA's), we tend to half-ass teaching. Though, to be honest, due to our longer experience doing stuff (like labs) it only takes us 15-30 minutes of reading a lab manual to understand what our students will likely not ever understand. Either way, I've figured out that the act of teaching is not so hard- its just like answering questions your siblings ask you, or showing them how to do things like tie their shoes or floss. No, the hardest part about teaching is doing it all the time. Say maybe you're comfortable with teaching one thing an hour, in a regular undergrad chem lab theres 24-26 students continuously asking questions. Its no wonder that TA's start to despise their students. I sure as heck do. I even came up with a list of reasons why TA's hate their students:

Reasons to hate students:
1. Don't wear safety equipment (i.e. goggles)
2. Not adequately prepared
   a) Haven't done the reading/Just doesn't understand
   b) Haven't done paperwork/Have right equipment
3. Asking dumb/useless questions
   a) Not thinking
   b) Not prepared
4. Complaining
   a) About grades
   b) About homework
5. Mooching off other students
6. Compounding of work(i.e. the more mistakes, the longer it takes to grade.)
7. Going over time
8. Shamelessly hitting on you.

I don't experience the last one alot, but I'm told its a problem amongst my female colleagues. Unless you're Jessica Wallick, whose students always brought baked goods. Seriously, they would bring her cupcakes, regular cakes, pound cakes, and possibly a loaf of banana bread. And those were her female students! Lord knows what the male students got her. I never get any baked goods. In fact, I mark it down as a win if my kids even remember my name correctly. They have enough trouble remembering their lab section number.

But back to the subject matter. I suppose if my primary function in life was to educate, I would care more. But since I don't, its reasonable to assume that how much I know is vastly different from what my students think I know.

This week I'll be moving down to Lewes, DE. Further bulletins as shenanigans warrant.

-David

Recognizing Every Little Bit Counts.

2010-05-11T14:55:00.003-04:00

This morning while I was checking up on the sports, I briefly perused an article about the Lakers sweeping the Utah Jazz in the playoffs. Something that really caught my attention was how the Lakers play was described: they won because they were consistently making their plays, and built up a lead play by play until the Jazz couldn't keep up.

I think in life when we often stop to look at our competitors, look at the distance of how far behind we are, and despair. The problem is that we're looking at the wrong parameter for judging. If the Jazz flashed forward to the end of the game, they would not understand the problem behind their gameplay, its when the game is analyzed as a whole the cause is revealed. The Jazz lost not because the Lakers scored more baskets than them; they lost because they failed to match the rate at which the Lakers scored those baskets. In newtonian physics, all you have to understand is the distance, rate and acceleration and how these variables are related to each other. When we judge ourselves on distance, we perceive only the symptoms of our flaws and not the cause. When we mistake the symptom for the cause, thats when we're in trouble.

For example, when I was in high school, I would walk down the block to school and try to catch the green light to cross the street without stopping. Since the light was red more often than green, I would usually have to stop on the sidewalk and wait for the light to change. I would mentally race to school this other guy who I did not know, but lived near me and also walked the same route to school. I say "mentally race" because he did not know I was racing him. He would walk out of his house around the same time I would pass it, but for some reason he would always beat me to the crosswalk and cross on the green light while I was stuck on the crosswalk with the red light.

Gradually it dawned on me that he had not devised a sneaky way of teleporting ahead of me. Instead he would walk just a tiny bit faster than me. Over the course of the route to school, his lead would expand with the time traveled and before I knew it, he'd be a good distance ahead of me. Thus I learned that rate and acceleration were far more important than distance.

How does this apply to life? Recognize that every little bit counts. Persevere in this and over a span of time, you will start to build up a lead, and before you know it, you will have won the game.

By the way, if you're playing The Game, you have just lost the game. I'm talking to you, Josh Pwu.

-David

Haircut time!

2010-04-07T13:55:00.002-04:00

After three/four months of Bruce Lee hair, the weather suddenly decided to skip spring and go straight to summer, meaning 85 degrees and muggy outside, so I got my hair cut yesterday. Such a relief! The biggest problem with the Bruce Lee hair was having to continuously brush the hair out of my eyes or ear canals in order to maintain my sanity. Added benefits of short hair: lack of bed head- I can nap and nobody would know, conservation of shampoo and conditioner- saves time in the shower too, and general sensation of atmosphere on scalp. Seriously, having short hair is freeing- I imagine this is how nudists feel when they walk around in public.

In Honor of Spring.

2010-03-29T04:46:00.001-04:00

This was the first day I noticed the Cherry Blossoms in bloom. I was riding home and right as I leave the building I was assaulted by newfound color. It was so gorgeous, that I stopped right there and took a picture of it. Its a shame that they don't look this pretty all year, but I guess they'd be really boring if they looked good all year. (which is the same reason I don't wear my suit everywhere, even though I would love to, because I look damn good in my suit)

When I think about it, the Cherry Blossoms' bloom is just another reminder that Life is full of seasons. Each season is beautiful (and terrible) in its own way.

Making the most of it,

Dave

Desire, Discipline, Determination.

2010-03-16T00:45:00.002-04:00

Right now I'm watching a documentary on Green Beret Selection, and it is making me feel,well, kind of less of a man. I think any guy or gal who watches war documentaries or movies or even just reading Wikipedia articles on Medal of Honor recipients will subconsciously judge themselves against what is depicted. Most of the time I find myself lacking. I'm willing to bet many other men feel the same way.

And I oftentimes find myself ashamed at myself.

Why is that?

I think that it is because every man feels that every man starts out more or less physically equal. So when other men perform super-human feats, we chalk it up to lack of courage or character on our part.

I watched a woman on the news that was 700lbs and said her goal was to double in size. She said that she was comfortable with who she is. People were even paying for her food, or sending her more food. Why am I repulsed by this?

I think its because she has become complacent. She is comfortable with who she is. She has accepted her complacency and has exchanged harder goals for easier goals. I think everybody identifies with this. The Law of Entropy states that is natural to settle to a lower energy state and unnatural to climb to a higher energy state. It is much easier to surrender and quit than to tough it out and keep fighting. Failure is always easier than Success.

I despise failure.

Our Heroes of history don't accept failure. They did not accept anything less than the successful accomplishment of their goals, whether it is passing selection, charging a bunker, or simply being the master of their body.

My greatest fear is to be the man that gives up right in front of the finish line. The man that lies down to sleep before the job is done. The man that dunks their head in the water instead of drinking from their hands.

A journey of a thousand miles begins before even taking the first step. It begins in the mind. It begins in preparation. And it begins in the heart.

I think I'm starting to understand that.

March on.

2010-03-11T02:02:00.001-05:00

Here's the highlight of my day yesterday- I finished TAing an hour early, jumped on my bike and rode home. Usually I get out of school when its cold and dark out, but lately the weather's been warming up to riding-without-gloves temperatures. Being able to leave and ride in the sunset with the wind blowing through my hair was invigorating and a reminder that it is still the little things that make life grand.

By the way, if theres anything you've been dying to ask me, here's your chance: formspring.me/daived
Knock yourselves out. Please.

I've discovered Blogger is racist.

2010-02-23T02:10:00.000-05:00

The irony is sooooo thick, I could cut it with a knife and then use it as foam packaging. Especially considering the post I was posting on was about a Chinese-American man's struggle to not be viewed as an immigrant.

Valentine's Day.

2010-02-11T02:39:00.003-05:00

It's blizzarding outside, but dark so you'll have to make do with this picture of me in my apartment wearing my beanie. And if you've ever wondered what expression I mean when i use this emodicon :7, this is the face I make.

I've resigned myself to writing once a month and February is known for two things: Valentine's Day and Black History Month. Out of these two subjects, the one I know more about is Valentine's Day, and to prove to you how much I know about Valentine's Day, here are some Valentine's Day tips*:

If you're on a date with someone and they say they are a good liar, then you should disregard that and think of them as a moderately good liar. Only moderately good liars would say they are good liars. A truly good liar or a truly terrible liar would say that they're a bad liar. Therefore the only thing you can trust is that if they say they are a good liar is that they're not as good at lying as they think they are.

If you want to impress a girl by sending her a box of chocolates and yet save money, buy a box and buy only enough chocolates to make a heart shape in it. Voila! Cheap and corny at the same time.

If you want to impress a guy by sending him a box of chocolates and save money, buy the same amount of chocolates, but buy a smaller box.

In my opinion, the best way to pick up a girl/guy is with a fireman's carry. This way, his/her weight is distributed across both your shoulders as opposed to one shoulder as in the single-shoulder carry, with less of a possibility of throwing out your back compared to carrying them in your arms. Remember to lift with your legs and not your back.

When making a trail of rose pedals or something similarly romantic, try making it as maze/obstacle course-like as possible. Have it go through the front door, out the back door, over the swing set, across the pool, under the car, etc. If you find your significant other at the end of it, you know they really want your love.

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

*your mileage may vary.

New Year: 2010.

2010-01-23T19:13:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year World!
I know I'm exactly 23 days late on this posting, but its been a pretty wild month and I'm still trying to wrap my head around the thoughts drifting around in my mind.

Being back in Delaware this past few weeks has been relaxing. Mostly because my professor doesn't expect alot out of us and theres no classes to take or to teach until Febuary. I feel like Delaware has become a second/third home (after Fremont and Irvine) to me now. I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of this place. Getting back here after vacationing is just like Cheers: a place where everybody knows your name.

I guess the first thought that 2010 conjures up in my mind is of the milestone that it represents: the ending of 2009 and the ending of the decade.

I think for me 2009 was a year of rejuvenation and healing in preparation for life after college. I started 2009 at home in Fremont, and applied to grad schools in winter. After winter quarter in Irvine, I graduated a quarter early and I decided to spend Spring in Irvine instead of returning home. There, I was able to spend alot of time on self-reflection and self-improvement. My severed relationships with my former roommates were healed, and the friendships I had made in Irvine were further strengthened. I received admission to grad school in chemistry at UDel, along with a TA-ship and a fellowship- which I accepted. I climbed (most of) Half-Dome: the exploits of which are chronicled here in my blog. My summer was sort of a grand farewell to California: I hung out with friends and family. I drove from Sacramento to San Diego in a span of two weekends for two of my sister's basketball tournaments. I packed up my things and drove across the United States to Delaware in August. I made new (probably lifelong) friends and spent many a night studying chemistry and instructing freshmen. For winter break, I returned to my ancestral roots in Hong Kong and rang in the New Year there. After which I visited my extended family in Taiwan. I am completely and utterly thankful for all the blessings I've received in 2009; much more than I think I deserve.

As for the 2000's, my prevailing thought is that ten years ago, I was a seventh-grader in junior high who was quite daft and naive. I had absolutely no clue where, or what I would be when 2010 came around. Now, ten years later, I have a clearer view of who and what I want to be in 2020, but the unknown is still there- and it excites me. I can be whoever and whatever I want to be: how many people can say that? I am proud of who I've become and I can't wait to see what the next decade has in store for me.

Which leads me into the second thought that I think about when 2010 crosses my mind: how do I become the man I want to be in 2011 and 2020?

After much reflection in my secret thinking spot, I turned off the shower and came up with a simple answer: have a plan and take a step everyday in that direction. All too soon this year and this decade will pass and if I don't pay attention to every single moment to which I can improve, it will all pass me by and I will regret it.

The present is truly a gift.

Which brings me to my New Year's resolution. Even though I recognize its my season in life to be single, I still feel I complain alot about my singleness. I'm reasonably assured that great love will eventually reveal itself in according to God's timing, and in recognition of this I have resolved to not complain about being single.
Other reasons to not complain:
1. It's just not attractive.
2. Being single is great!

So if I sound like I'm complaining about being single, feel free to kick me.

Until next time,
-David

What your TA really thinks of you.

2009-12-11T05:54:00.006-05:00

This picture is proof that I am beloved by my students. Either that, or they've already learned that sucking up gets you everywhere in life. I hope thats what I taught them because that is an invaluable skill.

To understand what TA's are like, you have to understand the basic makeup of TA's*. We're one part college graduate, one part grad student, one part slacker and one part benevolent fairy godparent. The college graduate part means we're insufferably cocky- and why shouldn't we be? We hold bachelors (and some of us have masters) degrees and we're accepted into your school as a grad student. That makes us the upper part of the 17.47% of Americans to have simply graduated undergrad, and if we stick with the grad program to get our doctorate, we enter the top 1.12% of Americans to even do that. Anyways what this means is that we think we're better than you. Being a part grad student means we don't have lives outside of school. I mean seriously. We are either studying, doing research, TAing or sleeping. Some blogging occasionally breaks out while we're studying I guess. The slacker part of us is the part that regulates how much work we get done. When we're trying to get you out of lab quickly, its not because we like being efficient- its because then maybe we can get some free time. The benevolent fairy godparent part is the part of us that likes teaching you. But watch out if you cross us, because we will crush you.

As TA's we're continually bemused by our students. To us, you're kind of like pets. Fun to play with, but damn do we hate cleaning up after you- i.e. grading** or actually cleaning up whatever chemicals you manage to spill on yourself. We love it when you do the dumb stuff we tell you to do like this:

Oh students, you are so hilarious. However just amusing us will not earn you a good grade in our class. You have to be competent. The more competent you are, the less we have to pay attention to you, and the easier our job becomes. The more incompetent you are, the longer we have to stay and the more we have to babysit you. Of course if you're genuinely trying really hard, we respect that and generally try to accommodate you as much as possible.

I think what most TA's are looking for are younger versions of themselves. And since all TA's are pretty much alike I'll tell you what we think we were like***:

-Competent. We knew what we were doing about half the time. Rounded up, that makes it all the time.

-Easy-going. Because all the high-strung ones that thought they'd go to medical school burned out midway through junior year. Or went to medical school instead of grad school.

-Smart. Gotta have the brain power to understand.Otherwise you just simply won't cut it.

-Friendly to the TA. We learned the lesson of sucking up to higher authority, and look where it got us!

Lastly, it's just as awkward for us seeing you outside of class as it is for you to see us. Actually less awkward for us because we know we're better than you.

*Disclaimer: may only apply to UD grad students of the domestic variety.

**We hate grading.

***May vary from what we actually were like.

I Guess This is Growing Up.

2009-11-01T08:34:00.001-05:00

You know what's interesting is that I finally feel like I am "really living life", even though all I do is grade papers, read textbooks, sit in lectures and take tests (so far, but in a couple weeks I'm required to make a decision about which research group I want to join; then I'll add mix chemicals in lab to the list). I put "really living life" in parenthesis because when I was younger I would watch movies and tv shows where the main characters interact with people (waitresses, detectives, private investigators) around their age category (pretty much anybody above 21 I grouped into the age category of "adult"), and they would have adventures and blow things up- that sort of deal. I guess growing up with parents whom I considered overbearing and controlling, I always fantasized about a time that I would be in control of my life and not have it dictated to me by my parents. I felt like once I had grown to this magical age, life would sort of pick itself up from the dull routine of school and homework, and turn into something exciting. Then I would really be living life.

What's really strange is that when I was young, my parents would tell me that childhood was the best part of life, and I would tell them that it sucks. Now that I'm older I think I understand. Childhood was largely idyllic and peaceful. Major events in life were buffered out by my parents. My cares were limited to the amount of chocolate allowed in my diet, getting bullied, and occasional visits to the doctors. Adulthood is fraught with larger worries: life and death and war and bills to pay. I feel like I began with a carefree heart where my biggest fears were of social faux pas- and now only at the tender age of 22 my heart has been petrified because of pain.

Pain. I guess that's what causes my soul to age. The ache of past rejections, misplaced expectations, unfulfilled promises, disappointment, heartbreak. The pang of injustice and unfairness. The grief of sickness and funerals. I think the worst part of this is that all these hurts are not unusual or extraordinary- they are normal and routine. We each operate within a tapestry of multiple afflictions and we're expected to perform despite of it.

I suppose theres an opposite to the premature aging of my soul: Joy.

Friendship.
The sharing of jokes.
Sharing of meals.
There is Joy in communion.

A hard day's work.
A few spoken words of praise.
Graduations.
There is Joy in recognition of accomplishment.

Weddings.
Promotions.
The birth of children.
There is Joy in celebration.

When I realize the severity of the human condition- I realize the necessity for Joy. Perhaps instead of petrification, my heart has been undergoing temperament. As a sword's edge becomes stronger through cycles of heating and cooling, my heart is becoming stronger through the complex interplay of Pain and Joy. I am learning to take Joy in everything I do.

So I guess childhood David was wrong. Growing older doesn't equate to growing up. Growing up was kind of a byproduct of just living. Taking Joy in the things I do: really living life.

Dear CJ.

2009-10-24T04:51:00.006-04:00

You were always so beautiful, inside and out. I have to admit, back when I was a freshman and you were a sophomore, I had a small crush on you. Okay, maybe it was a big crush. We really weren't that close, but it was impossible to live within your orbit for three years and not be friends. I feel terrible that I cannot recall a single conversation we had (other than me telling you to start singing while I EQ'ed your voice during worship practices), and I don't even have a picture of me and you that doesn't include 20+ other people in it. But nonetheless we were family (you, me, and the 20+ other people in our pictures); our lives dedicated to the pursuit of Christ. My heart aches at the thought of you having struggled vainly, possibly alone, against the demons you must have been fighting. We should've been there with you.

I am comforted by the knowledge that you are in a place where there is no more suffering, no more sorrow, no more pain, and He will wipe away the tears from your eyes. I am reminded by your life that time is precious, and people are precious. Neither will stay. So from now on I guess we'll have to live harder to make up for your absence.

Hug a little bit harder.

Smile a little bit harder.

Laugh a little bit harder.

Sing a little bit harder.

and Love a little bit harder.

.. until we see you again.

-David.

Living the Dream is Hard Work.

2009-10-11T04:49:00.005-04:00

Here is a picture I took when I arrived at school on Friday at a bleary 7:30ish am. I was at school for the 8am new student seminar, and I thought I'd get there early to watch NASA try to blow up the moon. Turns out I ended up missing the moon impact because I was talking to the professor I TA for. After watching the reruns, I hope the mooninites are impressed with the high level of whoopass we crashed on the moon, because it certainly was boring looking from our end.

So far, classes certainly are as hard as I thought they would be. It really is analogous to the jump in intensity from high school to undergrad. I feel like my brain is the sponge that isn't able to suck up all the water on the floor, so I have to use more than one sponge. .. thats not a great analogy, but I think you can see where I'm going with this. I can literally feel my brain get more wrinkled as lecture progresses. Staying on top of the material really is a full time part-time job. That said, I got an A on my first Physical Organic Chemistry midterm, and I'm really proud about it. Theres another one in about two weeks, so wish me luck on that.

I still haven't finished tracking down professors to discuss joining their research labs, but I'm planning on correcting that issue this week. Hopefully I can join a research lab where I really enjoy the research, and like working for the professor. The faculty really have been stressing this point; no matter how much you like the research, if you and your advisor don't get along, you will end up regretting it. I guess that goes to show that even in academia, personal relationships matter a great deal.

TAing for me has really been a breeze. A breeze that feels good until you knock out right afterwards because you've been TAing (and standing) for 9 hours out of a 15 hour day. 2-3 of the other hours is probably spent trying to stay awake in a one of two seminars. I have three Chem 103 lab sections to TA for on Wednesdays. Chem 103 is the non-Chemistry major, but science major chemistry course. Chem 106 is the chem major class, and Chem 101 is the non-science major chemistry class. The best stories come from the Chem 101 class because they literally know nothing about chem. nothing. nada. zip. ziltch. One of my friends had a girl come to lab with shorts on, and when my friend told her to leave and get pants to wear, the girl straight out refused. indignantly. If theres one thing everybody anywhere learns first, is that you have to wear pants to lab. ..if you are one of my students or a non-science person, you must remember this rule well. This rule is why I stopped wearing shorts and flip-flops to school. Overall, my kids have been pretty good so far; I'm reasonably sure they don't hate me, and I haven't had any attitude problems from any of them yet. If it weren't for having to grade their lab reports, I would say that TAing is entirely enjoyable. rewarding even.

Last weekend, we had to grade the first Chem 103 midterm, and I got an easy page to grade because I helped proctor the exam. The grading of exams breaks down like this: each TA gets assigned a page to grade over the weekend (or in some instances, half a page), and at the end of the weekend, you tally up the scores from each page for your sections, and record their grades. It is absolutely mind-numbing to grade 800 of the same page over and over again. But then again, we are getting paid for it. The best part is reading the really ridiculous answers and writing them up on our office white board. Some of our favorites include Sn(BrO2)2= Tin Broxide (theres no such thing as "Broxide"), Ti= Timonium (Titanium), and a doodle of Spiderman shooting a web at an answer. One of the other TAs wrote "Touche, well played sir" on the Spidey doodle.

Truth be told, I'm having a pretty great time in grad school. I think alot of it has to do with my expectations coming in; I expected to be working hard and having no life outside of chemistry. I mean I cook, bike, wrench on my car, and watch tv, but really all I do all day is do things related to chemistry. Come to think of it, cooking should count as chemistry as well, but I digress. A bunch of people I know are getting burned out from the grind, and are seriously reconsidering grad school. I want to reiterate right now that grad school is tough. I've really begun to think that it takes massive willpower to get through these first two years... and probably the years after that too. I think the best preparation I've done for grad school is having really specific reasons for going to grad school in the first place. My advice to people applying to grad schools right now? Figure out why you're applying. Make sure its worth it. Because it is tough as heck, and only tougher if you have to keep asking yourself why you went to grad school.

Grad School.

2009-09-12T06:52:00.001-04:00

Here you can see the MO diagram of cream of broccoli soup and a bread bowl as drawn by my friend Drew Ehle. The past two weeks I've been a grad student here at the University of Delaware and I'll just tell you now that its pretty different from undergrad. For one thing, school is more like work: kinda because we are in fact actually getting paid to go to school. I kind of feel that it has its pros and cons. A pro would be not having to pay for an education. A con would be you have to take it more seriously and its stressful (in an entirely novel way) because if you get lower than a 3.0 you go on academic probation and if you still don't get a 3.0, you become unemployed.

My friends and peers here are mostly an eclectic group of grad students collected from all across the Eastern Seaboard and parts of the Mid-West and alot of international students from China. I hang out more with the non-international students because I relate to them more. I guess if you wanted to know what its like, its like the only friends you have are the friends you made in your major in undergrad, so alot of jokes we have are chemistry-related, and we bitch and moan about professors/research/science. Its not bad. Not alot of asian-american culture around here though: I was compared to a merman (half-man, half-marmaid) because I look Chinese like the international students, but I speak perfect American English and throw out jokes and Will Ferrell references. I just take it in stride because I know who I am, and I know I don't fit into alot of peoples's categories. Something thats interesting though, is that international students can sense that I am not one of them, and never talk to me in Chinese. I don't know how I feel about that.

So far the stress level has been pretty manageable- one of my friends is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but thats really because she already has research to conduct and classes must feel like an unnecessary burden on top of having to produce results in research. But then again, she's not TAing so I guess shes just stressing out. I've been pretty on top of my game. And by game, I mean not being stressed about school. I've taken to understanding that short intense bursts of productivity are alot more beneficial than long hours slowly "multi-tasking" i.e. watching tv, listening to music, doing homework all at once. I pay attention in class and sit in the front row. Another thing that is different in grad school: there isn't really a stigma against sitting in the front of class. It's probably because the classes are so small; My largest class has like 15 students and my other class has like 7-10. I'm supposed to be taking a third class but its on a Monday and because of classes starting last Tuesday and having Monday off because of Labor Day, I haven't had that class yet. But the truth is that grad classes so far are comparable to the bump in intensity from high school to college (undergrad), so I really don't feel overwhelmed.

The place where I really make my bread is while I'm TAing Lab. I've managed (unfortunately) to get all three of the lab sections we're required to teach on Wednesday. So from 8-9am I have a seminar where professors explain their research, 9-12pm I teach a general chemistry lab (genchem to those in the know), 12:30-3:30pm I teach another genchem lab, then at 4-5:30pm theres a inorganic/organic seminar where another professor explains their research, and then finally from 7-10pm I teach my last genchem lab of the day. I know it sounds terrible, and its definitely a long day, but I think its pretty manageable. Plus I've been working at least 9 hours a week in the a genchem lab since sophomore year of undergrad when I started working in the stockroom.

Still don't have a research group yet; we don't pick those until November-ish, so I'm not typically in a lab doing science yet, but I don't mind because there will be plenty of time for that later. Whenever I have to do something I don't want to do, (like homework, wake up, or talk to professors-they're intimidating) I just tell myself "well, what else are we going to do today" just like in Yosemite, because thats what I came here to do.

Anyways, thats pretty much my life in a nutshell. Hope everything's going okay without me out in the world.

On The Raggedy Edge.

2009-08-23T23:55:00.005-04:00

So here I am on the eve of grad school. I feel so alone and on-my-own. They mean the same thing, but alone has negative connotations and on-my-own has some positive meanings attached to it. I'm so nervous and yet so excited. Since my dad left this morning I've really completely been on my own. Let me share my day with you.

This is my apartment building. It's in an apartment complex called Studio Green, that caters primarily to students- kind of like VDC/VDCN at UCI. You can see my car and my door in this pic. Try to find them.

Congratulations, you've found my door! I get my own door, whereas other people have an outer door that leads to stairs and hallways of doors. Suckers. I only get one window though.
This is the view as I walked in after moving all my crap in.
Same View, except I built my desk and chair and hooked up all the electronics.
A rightward/downward view from the doorway as I moved in.
After I cleaned up all my crap and set up my bed. No bedframe yet because ikea didn't have them in stock.
Edit: 08.30.09 Now with bedframe, nightstand and shelving action! now I need a microwave.

Oops! Forgot to add these pictures in. Lets see if anyone notices.

I decided that when I wake up and take my morning showers, I wanted a color that would make me really awake. Hence the orange.

Here's the view from the doorway of my bathroom right after I moved in.

And here's the cleaned up shot.

Did all that in one day.

Still To Do:

-Sign up for classes

-Talk to HR

-Buy a Bike

-Lean how to TA

Journey To The East pt. 2

2009-08-17T21:44:00.000-04:00

Day Four

Denver, CO to Omaha, NE

Some natural carwash action

In-Drive movie around Colorado

Crossing into Nebraska.

At the hotel in Nebraska.

Day Five

Omaha, NE to Chicago, IL
Crossing into Iowa.

Driving in Iowa. Really it was so boring, I took the time to take a picture of myself.

After crossing the Mississippi, you get to Illinois, and thats where the looneyness of East Coast highways starts.

Don't believe those alternate route signs. They lie.

Day Six

Chicago, IL to Pittsburgh, PA
Stuck in Chicago Traffic. Apparently the Expresslanes are a good idea.

So basically if you wanna get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time, you pay the state money.

If you've ever wondered what the instrument panel of a 09 wrx looks like at night, here you go!

Day Seven

Pittsburgh, PA to Newark, DE

Lets play a game: Jurassic Park or Pennsylvania? You win. It's Pennsylvania!

My Dad driving through Baltimore. That thing in the background is the Orioles' stadium.

Obligatory Artsy Shot.

Welcome to Delaware. Land of a thousand signs.

Journey To The East pt. 1

2009-08-14T01:12:00.000-04:00

Day One

Fremont, CA to Reno, NV

Dad and Me starting off our trip; don't we look chipper?

Driving through the Sierra Nevadas; like driving on a Hot Wheels track.

Ha! Reno. Just the name conjures up images of hilarity.

Us after arriving in Reno

Day Two

Reno, NV to Salt Lake City, UT
Leaving Reno. Right before I got my first speeding ticket.

This is my one finger driving technique. Cruise control for the win.

Our best average mpg per tank of gas so far.

Bonneville: Where dreams of speed are made.

Day Three

Salt Lake City, UT to Denver, CO
Dad driving somewhere in Wyoming.

To my dismay, we discovered that Wyoming uses 91 octane like California. Weak.

Driving over the border into Colorado

Jacob and I in downtown Denver.

Space Machine.

2009-08-10T20:26:00.000-04:00

If you are feeling David withdrawls, watch here to see where in the world I am.

To Go Boldly.

2009-07-03T05:32:00.000-04:00

As the clock ticked down to 12:00am on July 1st, two things passed through through my mind: 1) the lease on our apartment in Newport Beach has officially ended, and 2) that I had embarked on a journey by myself that my friends are unable to travel with me on. It was bittersweet and at the same time strangely empowering. I guess in the past I feared having friends and community leave me, and strangely enough, the opposite has happened. But wherever there is loss, there is opportunity and I have traded my life for the last four years in return for the chance to pursue dreams. Like the man who chooses the mystery box over.. I don't know, a boat? I am choosing the possibility of possibilities over the security of what I already have. This is what explorers do! This is my dream.

I am going to miss alot of things though:

- In-N-Out: I hear for some reason they don't have it. wierd huh?

- Alertos: mexican food made by real mexicans!

- California Weather: Sunny skies everyday except that week of winter

- the Long Beach Grand Prix: all that carbon fiber and downforce!

- Newsong: Rockin worship and Dave Gibbons's sermons

- The Edge: Rockin worship, Abe's sermons and JJ Abrams plugs.

- My small group guys: late night eating/studying

- the Stockroom: dicking around with liquid nitro.

- Cute Asian Girls: literally everywhere at UCI

- Yogurtland: the original (to me) cheap fro-yo

- Paintballing: dno when I'll find time for it again.

- 2100 Bastia: I'll miss our long talks at night. and the golden cup.

- Borovik Research Group: learned so much about chemistry.

- the Sunday Night Stew: Hot tubbing at its best.

- The Hat: Pastrami on everything!

- Newport North: pretty much next door to everyone.

- Beach Bonfires: no more CDM for me.

I had a list that I lost in the move, and it was alot longer, so I know I'm missing things here.

I'll miss you, but dreams are meant to be pursued.

Death, Despair, and Adventure.

2009-06-19T05:31:00.000-04:00

<- the more carabiners you have, the more awesome you are.

Well, our adventure started on monday, the 15th, when I drove from Irvine to Fremont. In Fremont, I met up with Dan Yuan and drove to Yosemite. We arrived in Yosemite Valley around 2am. After a short recon, we slept in the van and awoke at 6am on tuesday, the 16th to wait in line for a wilderness permit. Even by waking up at that ungodly hour, we were barely able to secure a permit for the 17th, camping beyond Little Yosemite Valley, the halfway point between Half Dome's peak and the trailhead in Yosemite Valley. Somehow, we got the idea that it wouldn't be so bad to dayhike the entire hike- about 7 miles each way. We grabbed water, first aid, some powerbars and two small flashlights, parked near the trailhead and set off around 11am singing disney songs. Since we didn't have anything better to do, we decided to take the long scenic route (the john muir trail) instead of the shorter terrible route (the mist trail).

Commencing Now.

2009-06-15T04:31:00.000-04:00

And like that, one journey has ended and another has begun.

Oh June.

2009-06-05T16:49:00.000-04:00

I used to know a girl named June. But I'm really talking about the month of June- a time of change. I'm excited.

Legacies.

2009-05-31T08:37:00.000-04:00

With banquet still fresh in my mind, I was struck by how much love was poured out onto us, the seniors. I was reminded of Edge Games and how inspite of all the competition, I felt alot of love there too. It gladdens my heart that the Edge has evolved and changed during the short time I've spent in it and that it will continue to evolve and change. I am glad that the Edge is a community based on and in love. I was reading the comments in the notebooks we recieved as senior gifts and it touched me that people remembered the times we loved on them, even though I vaguely remember doing some of them. I think that ultimately this is, and has always been, our legacy in the Edge. Not just the class of '09, but every class that has gone on before us. Just as the classes of '10, '11, and '12 are the recipients of our legacy, our class is the heir to legacies of classes before us.

To understand what I mean by legacy, I'll share the legacies that I have recieved and that I will pass, am passing, and have passed on to you. For me, three individuals stand out for shaping my experience of community in the Edge and of whom I am heir to their legacy:

Ryan McGillivary was my leader sophomore year to whom I was core to. His spiritual walk influenced my life through some of the darkest times in my life yet and continues to influence my spiritual walk today.

Jon Lai was my freshman small group leader who introduced me to Alertos Carne Asada Fries, Lovebombs, Sister Appreciation Nights, Winter Retreat, and Edge Banquets. His whole apartment (Wade Peng, Jon Lai, Jon Cheung, Jon Kwon, Daniel Bien, and Sam Chau) welcomed us into their apartment for movies, sleepovers and hanging out.

And finally, Theodore (Ted) Ines, who I first met as a freshman at FX4 that was so cool as to bring me and my freshman year roommate Claim Jumpers Chicken Tenders (He worked there at the time) at my dorm (even though it was pretty darn awkward) and convinced me to go out to freshmen small groups. It was Ted who convinced me to become a part of the Edge. A year later when I was in the middle of Ochem ( winter quarter) and I was despairing that I wouldn't pass, Ted gave me words of encouragement that I don't remember, but lifted my despair from me, for which I am ever grateful.

I am the heir to their legacies and countless other people who have taught, encouraged or inspired me.

To the current Junior Class who have been our companions for the last three years: You'll inherit Senior Year. A time in which I have seen miracles happen: a fellowship that changed pastors and became stronger, relationships healed, life-long friendships. The prayers I prayed for the first three years of college, I've seen answered in this past year. I think that you will find your senior year to be as much of a blessing to you as it has been to me. It will pass by all-too-quickly, so remember to savor every last second of it, from the boring lectures sitting next to your friends, to the lazy days hanging out in the Student Center, to the sleepless nights spent working on papers or projects.

To the current Sophomore Class who were in our freshmen small groups and for some reason think we're cool: You'll inherit us. By us, I mean everything we've passed on to you. You see, there is always a connection between classes two years apart. I don't know how it happens, but it's there. The people I learned from the most were two classes older than me, and the people they learned from the most were two classes older than them. Next year you'll be small group leaders, and bwam leaders and who knows what, and you'll begin to lay your own legacies for the future. I pray that whatever wisdom or lessons we were able to share with you will be enough to spur you on to even greater works of kindness and love.

And finally, To the current Freshman Class: You will inherit our potential. When we were freshmen, we were envied because we had so much potential. Potential: espressing possibility. I didn't really know what that meant at the time, but four years later, I understand. For the last four years we have been exploring our possibilities, going from small group members to small group cores to small group leaders, undergraduates to graduates. Our possibilities have been turned into realities, and so we leave the possibilities to you. Be whatever and whoever you want to be. More importantly, Be whatever and whoever He has called you to be. Seek Him out and you will find Him. Dream God-sized dreams. Live life, Laugh a little. Love the ones who come after you as much as we've loved you this past year.

The Undiscovered Country.

2009-05-30T04:18:00.000-04:00

Whenever I think about the future, I imagine I have a destiny- to really make a difference. Lately I've found myself grappling with the question: Does Destiny require a plan? I feel like alot of the time people espouse "wisdom" about being okay with not having their life planned out. That they'll "trust in God" to lead them to do whatever. I think thats fine; sometimes when we make our own plans, ourselves get in the way of performing God's Glory. But the way my life has unfolded has convinced me that in his heart, a man makes his plans, but the Lord guides his steps. Planning too much makes us too dependant on ourselves. Planning not enough makes us too independant from God. Not planning at all is not seeking God's plans for you. Accomplishment always requires someone to lay the foundation. I think its much more important to pray for God-sized dreams and once you discover them, follow whatever dream God gives you. After all, He knows the plans He has for you, and they're certainly good. I think of my dream for my life as an outline, with enough space between the lines for God to work, and I try to not hold on to my dreams too hard in case God changes them. Anyways thats all my thoughts for now.

The Good Life.

2009-05-18T02:14:00.000-04:00

The good life. As I came across this sight, a boy sitting in his Camaro in front of the Newport Beach Back Bay as the sun sets, I immediately had to take a picture of it. I feel like this picture. I am ready to go, ready to leave, and yet I am still sitting in a parking lot in Newport Beach. Like a racehorse, I am chomping at the bit, wanting to run so badly, but God is faithful; He's held me back here in Irvine a little bit longer, and I've begun to reap the rewards of doing so: shooting things, eating good food with friends, going on adventures, and having relationships restored that I never thought would be repaired. I've had alot of time to reflect, and one of the things that I have begun to realize is that I have been unbelievably and incredibly blessed. I have been blessed with many friends, good roommates, jobs, a great small group, and socioeconomic opportunities that many people just don't get. I am living the good life.

Happy Belated Mother's Day, Mom.

2009-05-12T21:50:00.000-04:00

From your brilliant son

Who will go far (I hope!)

Wherever I wander

From earth to the stars

Your nagging will go

And follow me there

Thanks to cell phones and the internet

It really isn’t fair

But when you call me

And I’m busy and have to go

Here are some things

That I want you to know:

Some mothers don’t give a damn

As to what their sons do

But I know that you won’t be like that

Even when I want you to

When you send me emails

About plastic bottles or thinning hair

Even though you’re always wrong,

I know it’s because you care.

When I take hard tests

And I think I’m screwed

You never fail to cheer me up

And promise me good food

I’m always grateful

For your comforting words

And when you send me gifts

Of fried rice and beancurds

When I’m tired and beaten

And I just can’t go on

Your confidence that I can do it

Gives me strength, makes me strong

When my friends fail me

And I feel all alone

I know I can call you

And I can always come home

I know that you want to give me the best

And sometimes you can’t afford it

But you’ve taught me your best lessons

To try my best and never quit

I can’t express

all the things in my heart

but I guess saying “I love you”

Is a good start

So Happy Mothers day, Mom

I know I’m late

I love you

Sorry for making you wait

Work Work Work.

2009-05-10T22:05:00.000-04:00

Those boxes hold files and files wherein I keep track of files of documents of financial stuff. Thats pretty much what I do all day, day in and day out; putting files in drawers, finding files in drawers, putting documents in files, and scanning stuff in the copier. you wouldn't have been able to guess that last one from my picture though.

The Best Bwam Team Ever.

2009-05-08T20:48:00.000-04:00

For my supporters and friends, this is the Break With A Mission: San Francisco 2009 team video. It will give you a glimpse into how God moved in us and through us during the week. Thanks for all the people who supported us financially, cooked for us, and most importantly- prayed for us. God Bless.

93¢ of awesome.

2009-04-29T21:37:00.000-04:00

After a long day at work, there really is nothing better than 93 cents of 31 cent scoop ice cream at Baskin Robbins. To avoid long lines go early while the sun is out. Fact: Ice cream is more enjoyable when its sunny outside.
Also if your roommates think there will be a huge line so they won't even bother, remember: "Qui audet adipiscitur"; Who Dares Wins.

My Struggle with Solitude.

2009-04-21T23:47:00.000-04:00

Solitude. I hate solitude. With the exception of a few people that I really hit it off with, I really struggle to develope relationships with most people. This is unfortunate because I really like being around people, but I am really (and it pains me to say this) shy. I sometimes feel that the past four years have been a lesson in solitude: when I really wanted to be around people, no one was around, and sometimes when I was around people, I really hated some of the people I was around. Strange, huh? I think that I've learned that although sometimes being around people sucks, and being alone sucks... I don't know where I am going with this. God be with me when I am feeling alone.

me riding the anteater in front of Bren Center

Long Beach Grand Prix 04.19

Hillsong United At the Nokia Center 04.20

What is it like being me.

2009-04-04T06:09:00.000-04:00

So now that I'm pretty much done with UCI, I feel kinda sorta free. Not really free from academia, as it pretty much looks like I'm going to grad school next year, but really a freedom in choices. I don't have to go to grad school if I don't want to. I could do anything, be anyone that I want. I feel like I spent the last 21 and a half years of my life as a train stuck on the tracks of school and "learning". For once, I feel as though life isn't a tug of war between doing what I want, and doing what is expected of me. I feel like I've grown out of teenage angst, rebelling to find a place in the world. I think that I must have come to grips with not being the center of the world- I suppose that this would be the opposite of selfish teenage angst. I think that what comes afterwards is probably something like "conquering the world". That seems a little strong. Maybe its "self-affirmation" or some psychobabble that means: to be relevent, to have meaning, to be appreciated, to be wanted. "To be relevent": I think thats what we all strive for: relevence. When we are young, by the mere dint that we are young, we are relevent. As we grow old, we lose that attention, and maybe we spend the rest of our lives pursuing that. I sure hope that's the late hour talking, because that is a little sad, and maybe pathetic. Maybe the next step in growth is when we are old and we no longer care about being relevent. Or maybe we'll no longer care about being relevent and then become old.

Anyways, I've devised a list of goals to accomplish this next quarter and we'll see how much of it gets done:

1. Find temporary employment to pay rent and save money : find and contact a temp agency

2. Lose 40 pounds : do next two things on the list consistently

3. Exercise- run 2-3 miles regularly: track time and distance

4. Eat healthy foods and work on cooking skills : eat out only twice a week

5. Paintball

6. Do devos/meditate daily

6. Keep a schedule : most efficient way of keeping track of everything.

Happy Finals Week.

2009-03-18T02:51:00.000-04:00

this is my last finals week as an undergrad.

LifeTrack.

2009-03-13T05:10:00.001-04:00

So for BWAM, Abe (our pastor) is making us create a "LifeTrack". I'm not entirely sure what that means, so I assumed its a collection of songs that describe our lives.

Anyway here is the soundtrack to the story of my life:

1. Handlebars by Flobots

I like the "I can do anything" attitude of this song. I think it describes me because I feel like I can do anything. Also the line "I can split the atoms of a molecule" is really about me

2. Passion by Blackalicious

This song is a reminder that in order to do things well, and to excell, requires passion.

3. My Life Be Like (Ooh Aah) by Grits

I think this song describes my Christian walk. Oftentimes I feel like I'm alone, or I've strayed, or I've moved away, and I rediscover the joy of basking in His glory, and this song has all of that.

4. Dressed To Kill by New Found Glory

This is a song leftover from my angsty high school days where I felt that friendless, unappreciated, girlfriend-less. Wait, I'm still girlfriend-less. I guess it still applies.

5. Beautiful Day by U2

Quite possibly my favorite U2 song, and the song that I wish I could wake up to everyday. Again, optimism and a slight hint of wanderlust underline this song, and I definately ascribe to those feelings.

6. Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival

An oldie, but a goodie. Theres alot of rebellion and individualism here that I like.

7. Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2

I think this song really describes how the world is in a state of turmoil, and that we're all waiting for the day when all the war and hate will end. Very hippie-sounding, I know.

8. Meant To Live by Switchfoot

This song encourages me to live life for a greater cause- more than school, more than grades, more than jobs.

9. For the Times I Feel Faint by Relient K

One of my all-time favorite songs. When I feel down, I typically play this song to remind myself that He will pull me through.

10. Kreuzberg by Bloc Party

I like the instrumentals in this song alot. I remember it being at the end of one of the episodes of Drive, and it just puts me into a contemplative, but determined mood.

so there you have it. The soundtrack to my life-story so far.

Live Blog of a Typical Classics 45B Class.

2009-02-18T13:08:00.000-05:00

10:06- I was reading someone elses blog, and I just realized that the prof is scolding us over people emailing her about text book reserves in the library. noobs. just use wikipedia.

10:09- Now shes talking about how shes a little disappointed in how we dont know where things are in ancient times.

10:11- man behind me just coughed loudly. I dont think he covered his mouth

10:12- A whole bunch of other people just coughed. Sympathetic coughing? maybe.

10:14- I yawned. Didnt bother to cover my mouth.

10:16- Wow. nothing scarier than a person with a loud throaty cough, coughing right behind your head. I might have to wash my hair.

10:17- Revisiting thought that I should cut my hair soon, otherwise hair will look like overgrown musharoom. Dude who started all the coughing just loudly cleared his throat.

10:19- The thought occurred to me as I scratched my chin that I should have shaved today. Actually have some stubble. Professor talking about Pindar, the Lyric Poet, who composed mostly odes.

10:22- Professor talking about reading the texts and asking questions about understanding the context. She doesnt realize that I am graduating in 4 weeks and struggling to care. Sleeping starting to look like a goo doption right about now. Resuming stractching of stubble..

10:25- Checking facebook to see if anybody has updated their facebook status.

10:27- Finally changed the slide from the slide on Pindar.. to another slide on Pindar. Isnt Pindar the name of that one guy from the Max Wienberg 7 on Conan O'brien? makes sense. both sing stuff. Professor sounds like she is speaking gibberish. Actually pronouning Greek names. Wow, jsut skipped through two slides.

10:30- Zeus knocks up Danae in the form of a golden shower. I think that the ancient greeks were very sexually frustrated.

10:33- Danae and her/Zeus's son, Perseus, pull a Moses and get put into a chest and set adrift. Saved by fisherman whose name means "net". Brain also floating away. Must remember to make friends with fishermen.

10: 35- Terrence has fallen asleep. There is only one thing to be done: take a picture of him sleeping in class.

10:41- Not entirely sure that the sweatshirt that I am wearing is mine, or one of my roommates. its the right size, but I'm pretty sure that mine had some sort of discoloration. Professor describing how Perseus went to go kill Medusa. Perseus picks on the Granae who are old women that share one eye and one tooth. What a jerk.

10:43- Professor talking about how shes going to discuss something about feminism and killing the Gorgon. Says that the Gorgons are homosexual women that take the power away from men by turning them into stone. Oh good, she doesnt buy into this theory. The person across the aisle just dropped something that sounded expensive under her chair.

10:46- Perseus uses the reflection on his shield to see the Gorgon and kill her. So apparently shields absorb whatever radiation that radiates out of Gorgons and turns men into stone. Apparently radation must be absorbed by the eye. Dont think that science can explain this Gorgon-phenomenon.

10:49- Alot of closing of desks and backpacks unzipping. Professor trying to talk about a slide before everyone skedaddles. I'm gunna stop here and pack up too.

4am.

2009-02-05T07:10:00.000-05:00

Punching.

2009-01-29T11:56:00.000-05:00

I think its scary how sometimes, our dreams are a metaphor for how we feel about life. Its like when we dream, our subconscious tries to make a decision about how we feel about life. Lately I've been having dreams where I'm fighting someone, and although they've already lost, I keep beating them with my fists, and I get weaker and weaker, and I'm trying to make my assailent regret attacking me, but I can't. I can't. I've often wondered what it would be like to be dangling off a ledge, or holding on to a rope for dear life, and then falling to my death. What would it be like to give up as my strength is failing, and know that I have failed. Oftentimes I've felt an emotion in my dreams which is what I imagine what it would be like, and its a mixture of exhaustion, pain, wearyness and relief. I think that its the relief part that scares me the most. I fear that I will crave relief so much, that I will toss away my life in order to just gain simple relief. What makes all the aggravation worth it? oh Lord, I need relief.

It is what it is.

2009-01-04T03:39:00.001-05:00

"It is what It is" is the new phrase I've learned from Shawn. "It is what It is" is used when something bad has happened and reparations or modifications must be done. It is commonly used when discussing bad lab results. I think that it is such a valuable tool for life.

"It is what It is" denotes an acceptance of what has happened. "It is what It is" is taking a step back, and observing what has happened objectively. "It is what It is" is about not wallowing in denial or self-pity, and getting on with what must be done.

"It is what It is" trendscends a pithy saying and is a pretty good way to cope with whatever life throws your way.

It is what It is.

Personal Statements.

2008-12-30T20:06:00.001-05:00

If I could go back to the beginning of my undergraduate career and offer myself one piece of advice it would be this: do not wear your nice pants around chemicals. I have put new holes in about six pairs of nice jeans, slacks and khakis in addition to several shirts with questionable stains on them. However, I would trade away every piece of clothing I own and wear only a lab coat in exchange for the experiences I have gained from my career as an undergrad chemistry student.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T02:26:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from my Dad.

Tis the Season?

2008-12-14T06:38:00.000-05:00

Oftentimes I feel alone in the world. I know that God is always with me, but sometimes I don't feel Him at all, and sometimes I much rather prefer the touch of other humans than Him. I wonder if I really understand Love. In the Bible, Love is described as being patient, kind, gentle, but what is Love? Is Love feeling deeply? Is Love self-sacrifice? Is Love an obsession that festers in the back of my mind like an addiction? If the world says that love is just attraction, then there is no difference between lust and love. Yet there has to be a difference between Love and lust, because lust is cheap, meaningless and fleeting, whereas people cross the world in search of Love.
I wonder if I will find Love.

Personal Anecdotes.

2008-12-09T18:24:00.001-05:00

I feel like life is just a string of personal anecdotes, and the quality of your life is judged by how good your stories are. I imagine that what defines a person is the stories they tell, and people judge other people by the stories that are told by them. So I spend my life trying to amass the best collections of anecdotes, and it is by these experiences that I judge whether or not I've lived.

Random Stupid Facts

2008-12-08T04:24:00.000-05:00

"Here's how you play: Once you've been tagged you have to write a blog with 10 weird/random facts about you. At the end you choose 10 people to tag. List their names and the reason why you're tagging them. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have 'been hit' and to read your blog. You cannot tag me back. Let me know when you are done, so I can come read yours."

1) I am a Hero of Rowland Hall.
The gist of it was I saved Rowland Hall from burning down. I got to use a real fire extinguisher in a real emergency. I even have the certificate to prove I'm a hero, but if you want to hear the entire story, you'll have to ask me in person; preferably over a beer.

2) The Enterprise mug on my desk is the same mug they had in the tv show.
I bought it at the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas, exactly because its supposed to look like the mug in the tv show. It's my favorite mug.

3) I have driven 100+mph on the 101 up to Norcal.
It was scary as hell in my car, especially because the 101 is usually two lanes each way. At those speeds, I get alot of lift on the front end, so the normally heavy steering becomes really light. The fastest I've been in a car is 140mph in my friend's old Rx-7 Turbo II. It wasn't tuned well, so whenever he shifted, it shot fire out of the exhaust.

4) In one night, we got two speeding tickets on the way to Norcal.
Thankfully, both times it wasn't in my car, and I wasn't driving. We were near Fresno where we were dropping off my freshman year roommate. The first time was when I was sleeping, and I woke up to flashing lights. We got ticked for going ~70ish in a 65 on a big 4 lane highway. The second time was also when I was sleeping, and I had this strange sense of deja vu. Only this time, it was for going ~80ish on a rural highway in the middle of nowhere.

5) The highest pistol caliber I've shot is .357 Magnum.
I know alot of people have shot .357, but it sure shuts up my roommate Chris when he wants to compare.. uh.. manlinesses.

6) I've never kissed a girl. yet.
Before you ask, I've kissed my mom. I don't mean a kiss on the cheek. I mean full-on chick flick, foot-popping, romantic (maybe tongue action) kissing. I'm just waiting for the right girl to come along.

7) I almost died going 30-40ish on a longboard.
This is also a story better told in person, but the short version is that we were practicing late at night for the Dragon Skate Race at UCI on California Avenue, which is really steep. I decided to make a left turn through some water and fell, skidding ~15 feet into the sidewalk, which stopped my fall. I had extensive abrasions on my forearms and elbows. Luckily, I fell on my arms instead of my face, which would have resulted in a concussion, or worse.

8) I have danced on top of a bar.
This was in this club/lounge in Taipei called Room 18 while I was on Loveboat. I was obviously drunk. My friend was like, "David, the girls dancing on top of the bar are pretty hot, you should dance with them too!" and I thought to myself, "Self, those girls on top of the bar are indeed hot. I want to go there." The bouncer made me get down.

9) I've gotten just about kicked out of one of those Toyota test drive things.
When we were leaving the LA Auto Show, there was a Toyota test drive thing where you drive cars around cones in a parking lot, and after pedaling a Yaris around the parking lot, I decided to test drive a Toyota Sienna (minivan). I test drove the crap out of that minivan. Flooring the pedal, squealing the tires, and locking up the brakes. When we pulled up to where we drop off the cars, the guy in the Toyota shirt was looking kinda mad and said to us, "I think you're done. [pause] Its a minivan, guys." And my friend who was riding in the van was like, "Exactly."

and the best one:

10) I can make balloon animals
I went to help out at this Santa Ana street fair thing Kidworks was putting on and I was helping at this booth where we were doing balloon animals, and this really pro guy came along and I learned from him.

I tag my small group guys.

Some People Think Stand Up Comedy is a Valid News Source.

2008-12-05T00:47:00.000-05:00

An astounding amount of people nowadays don't read the news. or watch the news. or even listen to the news. I'm okay with that. I will venture that a person falling off a building in India will not affect me in anyway, and so I will not need to know about it. I think that the people I know only pay attention to the news every four years when they have to vote. I'm okay with that too. Voting is important. You should know what you're voting for. For alot of people I know, the only source of news they get is watching the Daily Show, or the Colbert Report, or Weekend Update, or God-forbid, Chris Rock's Never Scared.
Now, this in itself is not troubling, because these things are legitimately funny. What is troubling is when they think they have an opinion because they watch Comedy Central. I can't tell you how many times an acquaintance of mine has cited Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, or Stephen Colbert as a valid source of news. Not only that, they will recite word-for-word the exact same sentiments as their favorite Comedy Central figure, and then grin at me like they've contributed something to the world.
No you haven't. What you've become is another mindless lackey of someone else. Instead of using your own God-given mind to take in information, process it, and make up your own opinion about things, you have now just regurgitated something that was funny and original, and now has become stale and overcooked and probably was left in the oven too long. In fact, I think its better to not have an opinion, instead of taking what was meant to be comedy and submitting everyone within earshot of what you (and let's face it, everybody else) watched last night.
So if you think you have an opinion because you watch Comedy Central, do everyone a favor and shut it. Have the balls to not have an opinion instead of mindlessly espousing whatever you think is funny.

Touch the Sky.

2008-11-30T05:56:00.000-05:00

Meaningless.

2008-11-26T04:39:00.000-05:00

So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.

Despair.

2008-11-24T18:18:00.001-05:00

In the shower, I realized that oftentimes, after a spell of optimism and a general sense of euphoria about the future, my outlook turns to depression and despair. Trying to escape drowning in despair, my thoughts turned to last night's adventures in LA, where a couple of friends and I ogled fast cars at the LA Auto Show and stood in line to down hot dogs at world famous Pink's in Hollywood. I don't think I would like living in a large city, because of all the people around . The great number of people only reminds me of my own insignificance.
Aside from a few individual experiences that define the metaphysical "me", there isn't much to physically set me apart from the few billions of people who inhabit this blighted dustball. Sure, I may belong to a slightly higher economic class and I may be above average height, but what are differences in wallet size and bone length when there is so much in common with the forgotten of the world- the homeless, the drug dealers, the suits, the fast food cooks, the maids and the janitors, the administraters, the paper-pushers, the cubicle monkies, the constuction workers, the taxi cab drivers, the store owners, the bartenders, the nameless many that languish in insignificance. I do not dream of these things. I do not aspire to become like them. If I were not born to aspire to greatness, why do I feel a deep misgiving against being forgotten by history. How many other people feel as I do, only to have given up and settled for mediocrity? This is what I fear. I fear that there are many who aspire to greatness and have failed; and that I will become another in a long line of failure. Each day brings with it a promise of infinite potential. Each day I fear waking, of getting out of bed and finding finite limits of potential. It is much safer to stay in bed and let my dreams sustain me.
What I despair is finding myself to be an above average person. I feel like my whole life I have only been above average. Above average height. Above average grades. Above average standardized test scores. I fear that I will only live an above average life, when I long to live an extraordinary life. Talking to my friends, I feel like I am alone in this. They are content to carve out a safe niche in the world, a hole in which to climb into and hide themselves from greatness. When the end comes, they are content with only having raised children who bear their name, and having history forget them. When history books are written, all they aspire to be is an insignificant dot in the population charts. I want at least my own footnote in the annuals of history: something that says I was here. The bottom row of stones in a pyramid shoulder the weight of higher stones, carrying higher stones aloft. I am not content to struggle in vain, only to carry other stones to higher heights.

I live in a quiet desperation that I shall be like them, significant only in my insignificance.

The Future.

2008-11-19T16:11:00.000-05:00

Has anyone realized we're living in the future now? There is like this thing called the Internet, where apparently everybody is connected through computers. Then, apparently everything is a computer-notebooks, tablets, desktops, workstations, phones because all these things are able to "surf" the Internet. You can do anything on the Internet- Buy things, Sell things. Heck, you can even steal things like identities, credit card numbers, music and movies.
The Internet is used for communicating with people. Now I dont have to buy postage to send mail- I just send electronic mail. I also use an even faster version of email called instant message. Its pretty much like sending text messages through a cellphone, but on the internet. I can also send text messages to a cell phone through the Internet. Using the Internet, I can call up a friend in Guam, and see him in live video,(for free no less) and in Europe (because their cell systems are more advanced than ours) I could do it on a cell phone.
Finding things is also done on the Internet. You can look up restuarants and businesses and read reviews on them on the Internet. For when you want to go to these places, there is Google Maps Street View thing now where you can virtually drive down the street and look up addresses and driving directions. You don't even need to look up directions online anymore because about a decade ago, the US government put a bunch of satellites in orbit and now we can use those satellites to find our location on Earth, using computers that can talk to us and tell us where to go while we are driving. Since everything is a computer nowadays, even our phones can tell us and the police where we are within about five yards.
Apparently real life is getting so close to Star Trek that J.J. Abrams has to make a remake of Star Trek because the original looks dated. You know that ear piece Uhara used in Star Trek? Apparently they're called bluetooth headsets now. Remember that one scene in Star Trek IV where Scotty tries talking to an old Apple computer and he looks like a complete loon? Well, you can do it on my friend Harsha's macbook now. We have lasers in airplanes that can shoot down nuclear missiles, and rockets that take us to the space station and back. We also have a space station.
My roommate brushes his teeth with a toothbrush with a vibrating head, while playing computer games on the Internet against Koreans, in Korea. I have shoes that have a sensor in them that talk to my watch which monitors the length and speed of my runs, a machine that disinfects and cleans my contact lens using UV light and ultrasonic waves, and contact lenses which make it look like I don't wear glasses. If I don't want to use contacts lenses I can have surgery done with a laser to fix my eyesight. On the Internet, I order electronics from China, text books from Indiana, and pizza from Pizza Hut.
I do believe this means that we are living in the future.

Bene Pasta recipe.

2008-11-13T21:48:00.000-05:00

So for those of you who don't know what Bene Pasta is, it's a pasta place in the student center that allows you to choose your ingredients for pasta usually five vegetables and a meat if you dont want to eat vegetarian. I usually get vegetarian because I am cheap and I'd rather save the one dollar difference for something else. Like a Hot Wheels Car or something. Anyway this is what I always get when I go:

-Garlic
-Artichoke hearts
-Tomatoes
-Red or Green Bell Peppers (depending on what color I am feeling)
-Musharooms
-Olives
-1/2 Spinach Spaghetti and 1/2 Bow Tie or Penne
-1/2 Tomato Sauce and 1/2 Alfredo Sauce
-Cheese on top

its MmmMMm Good.

Simplicity in Complexity.

2008-11-02T01:38:00.000-05:00

When I ponder the physical world, I can't help but notice how it is both simple and complex at the same time. Just the intricate movement of celestial bodies is altogether incredible and steady with the precision of a swiss watch. It is unreasonable to assume that celestial bodies will continue to pursue the same course around the universe, but they continue to do so with unerring consistency that has been mathematically determined. Actually this whole business of math astounds me. The entire mechanism of the universe seems to be explainable with math, we have only to discover which formula to use. What is even more incredible to me, is that even down to the quantum level, the universe operates on the same mechanism, able to be expressed with constants and variables. Thermodynamics, Quantum Mechanics, Chemical Kinetics- nothing is arbitrary, nothing is totally random. I think that is what gets me. Nothing is random, everything has order. Some things seem to be random because we do not understand the reason, but if we recognize the reason for something to happen, it does not become random anymore. Everything happens because of a reason- an object falling is being pulled by gravity, water boils because the vapor pressure of the water is equal to the atmospheric pressure, car engines combust fuel into gases turning chemical energy into kinetic energy. When I see that the entire universe has order, then I cannot believe that things in the universe happen arbitrarily. If things do not happen arbitrarily, then they must happen for a purpose.

Everything must happen for a purpose.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T18:05:00.000-04:00

Four years?

2008-10-29T03:03:00.000-04:00

It seems like four years is the median time for drastic changes. every four years, a new president is elected, every four years another olympics takes place, high school is only four years, undergrad is only four years. its strange, because four years ago I was doing the exact same thing- applying to colleges. I definately did not envision that I would be who and where I am now. In four years, where will I be?