Saturday, May 30, 2009

Bad Bunny 10:41 AM

Bunny had been bad. Ok its not actually her fault.. its probably cos I was careless. But regardless. It was a bad day for both Bunny and me.

First we planned to go with Kailee and her bf for dim sum this morning. We got up bright and early! Amazing thing for me. Then I decided I needed coffee so we decided to drive to dunkin donuts before heading to silver spring. And on the way we decided we needed to get gas first. Bad call. As I turned into the gas station, I hit the kerb (cos i didnt see it) and poor Bunny got a punctured tyre.

Weijie tried to change the tyre.. but it took very long cos we were not very experienced and the jack wasn't very good. I did not have a spare tyre, only a dummy so after the tyre change we had to drive to my mechanic to get a new tyre. Ok got the tyre, paid the mechanic, all seems happy. Except it was still a bad experience all in all.. it took about an hour. Then we decided its too late for the drive to silver spring so lets just get breakfast at Tambers. And we drove a few streets down to Tambers. And parked there.

I looked around and all the cars didn't pay for parking. So I thought its free parking for Saturday. Except its not. After our brunch we came out and saw a ticket on my windscreen wiper. FML. Why why why!!!

I got enough of bad luck for today. I scheduled a meeting with Charles next week. Hope all the bad luck is gone and only good luck follows... AHHHH!!!!

Friday, May 29, 2009

Last stretch 8:52 PM

Just finished my last sit in exam yesterday. OOOoooh.. cant even begin to describe how relieved I am. Now 2 more take homes... last stretch last stretch.. just need to see if I pass... and of course there's also a presentation to give in a week, and then of course also, the need to find a thesis lab FML. No thesis lab = no PhD. I'm screwed. Dead. 1 year coursework also no use. Damnit.

So the other day I was at the hospital, and I saw these kids.. these bald kids in wheelchairs. I mean, you would think having to walk through the hospital every day I would be used to sights like these. But no.. it was so sad! I was suddenly reminded of why I wanted so badly to be in Charles lab, why I wanna work on brain tumors. Because they are among the deadliest tumors and a lot of them occur in kids. Now I'm in an gyn tumor lab. Successfully pissed off a good friend who was eyeing the same lab. AHH life sucks. Its not exactly what I like but the PI is good and nice and kinda up-and-coming and if I can finish fast its good so I can do a short post doc then go home.

But I want brain tumors.... :(

I kinda feel like I should email Charles my PI again and push my cause, tell him how much I like the stuff the lab does and what kinda research I can do blahblah. I just need the courage I just need the courage... damnit. Feel very scared to be rejected a second time. Like I am just not good enough. But then again, I don't think I am good enough anyway. He's too smart for me. Blah. He obviously feels I'm not smart enough too. Blah. Need to work harder.

Met an ex-senior here. He's doing an elective.. he's 4th year medicine. A councillor too. He's rotating in ENT and neurosurgery. He promised to bring me in to see a brain tumor op (OOH SO EXCITING!) but ahh no time. Because I was so busy studying for exams till today. And today was his last day.. so sad. Brains are so interesting.. living brains and dead brains so different he said. Living brains are criss-crossed with blood vessels and pulsating with each heart beat. I know this sounds nerdy but its the 1 organ that controls the rest of the body. So cool! Brain tumors, not cool =.= so we need to fight it! YEA!

And I also feel like I have a couple cool ideas.. about cancer in general and was talking to Xiaoyang about them. Now he has the freedom to go back to Singapore to work on them (for his 1 year stint with Astar) but me?! Hell no. But then there's this latest nature paper that came out that totally supports my theory. How about if we don't actually treat the cancer but just control the symptoms (paraneoplastic) and control tumor size so we dont select for resistant mutants? YIPPEE! I can't believe someone with the same idea as me actually proved his point and went to Nature. But of course this doesn't apply for brain tumors so its kinda oxymoronic.

Ok I just ranted on and on about work and science and geeky stuff in general sorry for non-science students. But these days I just can't stop worrying about my future here so that's all that's on my mind right now. Hopefully will have more exciting stuff upcoming soon!

Check back and over and out.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Weijie in Baltimore 2 8:20 PM

An excerpt from the Chronicles of Weijie Poh 2:

Sequel to Fruitflies are Vertebrates-

Ok I sound kind of dumb in this too. This started with me asking Weijie, "So how do chicken fertilize their eggs? Inside or outside the body?"

Weijie rolled his eyes and said, "Of course inside the bodies. Chickens are mammals right!"

I stared at him and asked incredulously, "Chicken are mammals???"

He replied, "Yes! They have hair right! Oh wait... never mind..." Then he proceeds to tickle me and change the subject to break the awkward silence that ensues...

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Weijie in Baltimore 9:24 PM

An excerpt from the chronicles of Weijie Poh:

"A fruitfly is a vertebrate."

Me, dumbfounded. Stare at him...

Him, "What, fruitflies have a backbone what. Fruitflies have bones, right?"

Me, shakes head in despair. Hopeless case. How to tell the admissions committee in Hopkins stuff like that....

Thankful! 1:43 PM

Why do I keep meeting nice professors only now??? Maybe because the professors I am meeting now, I am a lot more guarded, not going to give them my all, and plus I told them my bad year... so they are really understanding and kind. Heehee. All in all, I see the situation might be reversing soon... I see a lot of up and coming PIs that I might be working with.. excited!! Best if I can graduate in 3 years, do a short post doc and go back home in 5 years! YAY! Parents and grandma will be happy. Muahahaha! I will be Dr Lim by 27!!! or 26 hopefully!! LOL!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Bad week 3:58 PM

Hola!

Long time no see! But the reason why I haven't been blogging is cos I have had a not so good week. Basically throughout the course of the week I've had enough setbacks to last others a year. Firstly, I found that Weijie wasn't gonna be accepted into the program because of primarily funding issues, secondly I found that I wasn't gonna be able to join any of the labs I have rotated in ALSO primarily due to funding issues. Which means Weijie would have to find a lab to work in here while he continues applying for graduate school and I would have to squeeze time out for a 4th rotation in the 1 month that I have left here before I go home to Singapore. That is assuming I even get to go back. And assuming there is any lab left that has the funding for new students, no thanks to Obama's so called stimulus plan. Narbeh.

So basically both Weijie and I are now in limbo. So one day I was so depressed I was crying to him over the phone and telling him I just wanna go home and start anew in Singapore (career wise), and he can also find a PhD position in Singapore so we can just stay there or we could go to Germany or something. And poor Wj, though reluctant, finally relented and went to ask our big boss if we could go under his wing in Germany both me and him. And ended up getting reprimanded for 'persuading' me to give up my wonderful career here at Hopkins. LOL sorry Wj. Guess our boss just cares about me more than him muahaha. The details are longer and more complicated but this is the take home point. LOL.

Anyway Germany was out, I can't run home crying, so I gotta stay here and stick it out, find a lab that can take me in, and start my thesis in 1 month. And Weijie is coming in a couple hours (hurray!)! Its a very last minute decision, hence no mention before. Because after he found that he wasn't accepted he thought the best thing he could do was to come here personally and stay for a month with me while looking for a lab that could take him in as a technician. So I guess thats a good end to a bad week, somehow.

And thats not the whole story about my bad week. Even my car gave up on me! So I picked up Xiaoyang's mum from the airport the other day, cos Xiaoyang's car died on him. And after I got home I forgot where I left my ID! It must be somewhere in the car cos I needed it to get inside the garage, but I couldn't find it anywhere. I needed it to go everywhere in the hospital so I had to find it asap. But it was dark so I decided to find it the next day.

So strike 1, ID lost. Good news is, I went back the next day, messed up my car searching for the ID, and finally found it. WOOHOO! I was so happy I forgot to turn off the lights in the car interior. The next day I went back to the car because I was gonna send Xiaoyang's mum back to the airport. And first sign of trouble, my alarm didn't sound when I pressed the auto lock. Shit. I thought someone broke into my car. I opened the door with the key and checked around, found everything intact and gave a sigh of relief. Then I stuck the key into the ignition.... and turned... and nothing. Panicking, I tried again... turned... nothing. I called Xiaoyang and started talking rubbish in my panicked state and told him to take a cab with his mum to the airport and then come save me!!!

Then I started calming down, and with a strike of genius I remembered the jumpstart kit in my trunk. Opened my trunk, lugger the jumpstart kit back home to charge it up, lugged it back to the garage... held my breathe... put the positive and negative terminals where they should be (good thing I ran a lot of gels before!).. and then turned the kit on.... VOILA! My car started beeping... I turned the ignition.. it coughed and sputtered a little... I turned the ignition again and again until it finally roared to life MUAHAHA. Easy peasy. Phew..

Felt bad about my car dying on Xiaoyang, called him and went to pick him up at the airport. And my DUMB GPS acted up on me. Strike 3 this one. It first led me to turn into a 1 way lane in the WRONG direction... that wasn't even a small road.. it was a huge busy road. Damnit... need to re-upload the maps. Then it kept bringing me into inner harbor in circles.. every time I turned into inner harbor I get stuck 20 minutes in traffic. It was a Saturday for Chrissake. Finally it decided to be good and lead me up I295 to the airport.. OMG.

And then up on the highway, I almost met with an accident at high speed (cos I was rushing, late picking Xiaoyang up). AHHHH!!! Strike 4.


Tell me u guys, is this a bad week or what... T.T

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Bored 4:32 PM

After a hectic week rushing to meet deadlines, I guess a weekend of boredom stuck at home is what I deserve. Blarh. Got stood up for a movie. But I guess its alright since the make-up movie is something I prefer to watch... ANGELS AND DEMONS! For all Dan Brown fans like me, Da Vinci code was SUPERB. The sheer wit and brilliance behind the book, which led to the film, was amazing. Can't wait for Angels and Demons to be out!

Watched a couple DVDs at home. Should have gone with Renata to the something race around Baltimore or whatever but I woke up too late. Plus I thought I was going for the movie anyway. But its ok. I feel much more rejuvenated after spending a day lazing around watching movies and lying in bed. Heehee.

Oh and did I mention... I GOT BUNNY BACK! I sent her to get her windshield replaced and get the inspection done and also get the proper registration done which in total set me back 450 bucks. Damnit I'm broke T.T mummy come save me!

But is ok. All is good. Now all that is left is converting my license. Heehee. Sweet! Mah bunny. Every day that passes without me seeing you is pure torture. Even when I do not have to go out, I wanna just run to the garage to take a look at you, caress your gleaming curves, kiss you goodnight. I'm also fiercely protective. When I suspected that the people at the autoshop drove my bunny, I was about to flip damnit. My baby.. how dare they! But of course I couldn't do anything. Me so tiny, them so gigantic. I could fight them. But I doubt they will fight with honesty *sniffs.

Okay tomorrow guys, I will be going to meet up with the Singaporeans to celebrate Mother's day. To those who have the luxury of living with your mummies, remember to give her a hug and kiss and tell her you love her! I sent mine a card already! ^^ Today I shall just relax and watch more movies and cook something nice for dinner! Till next time!

PS dont worry about me. I will resolve the current sticky situation in time to come.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Disappointment 3:23 PM

I feel really disappointed. Why am I being discriminated against just because I have a problem with doing animal work? I know animal work is important and I totally respect the contribution it has towards science but I just have a problem with it. Why must cant I join a lab just because I cannot do animal work? There are labs who let technicians do it for you, there are labs who let you totally forgo animal work. I am fine with someone else doing the animal work for me, really. I just cannot bear to physically snuff out a tiny little life with my hands, watching the animal die in front of me. I cannot do it. Why can't they respect that? Do they really have to force me take a life that I never want to take, force me to cut up a tiny little animal, after all the suffering that it had been through, do they really have to make me do that? I came into science to save lives, not take lives. Right now? I just feel a deep sense of disappointment with the whole scientific community. Not least because the PI I used to think I respect the most is actually the one who is discriminating against me.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Bonding with the bunny 2:56 PM

I have my new car. Its silver. I've thought of calling it bullet, silver surfer, err bunny etc. But bunny is only if Kailee agrees to call her bug Bugs (adding an S to the end of her VW beetle), so she can be my sidekick and vice versa so together we will be Bugs Bunny! Initially she thought it was too cheesy so I thought my car would be silver surfer. But then today she told me her Bug did not have a name so I decided to name it Bugs for her. So then my baby would be Bunny!


So I thought since we just got to know each other, we should spend some time bonding. Since I got her, everytime we went out, we were never alone, not for long anyway. Driving with Kihyuck is proving to me more of a hazard than help, especially since he pulls my handbrake and tries to wring my steering wheel away from my grasp while trying to 'help' me with negotiating bends and parking etc, but its actually much more dangerous cos the driver doesn't know what he's doing and he just does it without giving me prior notice. Tsk tsk bad bad and scary scary.


I think he's just not used to not being the driver and not being in control wahaha.

So anyway we went to Grace Garden etc yesterday and I did not even have time to spend with Bunny alone cos Kihyuck came with me all the way back home. So today I decided to make it up to Bunny my baby by going out for coffee and donuts and grocery. Just me and her, the 2 of us. Muah how I love you Bunny. Today marked the first for a lot of things for me and her. First time we went grocery shopping together, first time I used the trunk for groceries, first time we went for coffee together, first time we drove around Baltimore together, first time we got stuck while waiting to turn out of a gas station, first time we negotiated the way out with other drivers, first time I rolled down the windows and opened the sunroof, first time I blasted the radio when my favourite song came on, and most importantly, first time I fed her. Yes over here you gotta do the feeding yourself yo. I thank god I am not clueless at pumping gas hallelujah. How crazy is that, its like a self-checkout gas station. You put in your card, key in the pin, unscrew the whatever u call it, put in the nozzle, choose the kinda gas to pump, and do everything yourself. Over here if someone does it for you thats crazy. But over in Singapore if you gotta do it yourself people would be going you gotta be kidding me wahaha. Anyway, many firsts.


OH AND I FORGOT! First time I parallel parked! My Bunny. Its not close enough to the kerb, but it would do for a first try. I was just going to get coffee at Starbucks in Charles Village, I didn't even pay for parking. Not sure if you need to pay to park even. I like my Bunny cos its small and cute. I wanted to say Just Like ME but I know some people would throw up and faint so never mind. Hehe.

Tomorrow am bringing Bunny out with the gang for some dim sum. Check back for more pics.

Welcome to the blog of 武林盟主. In this space of hers, she is entitled to and responsible for her own thoughts and comments. You are welcome to give your few cents worth in the tag, but do not force her to accept your thoughts should they differ from hers. If everyone thinks the same way we would all be robots no?

武林盟主 is this pugilistic genius everyone calls a deranged lunatic. But that's cos they haven't witnessed her great powers yet! She can be regarded as the best product coming from the Pugislistic World in the past 100 years, and 武當, 少林 and 峨嵋 are scrambling to get her to be their 掌门人. She likes think of herself as the next 杨过, 郭靖 or 张无忌.

武林盟主 also has this slightly straight slightly crooked sexuality. At times when the Estrogen triumphs, she preys on hot guys. Other times when the Testosterone levels peak, she preys on hot girls. Some say that is a side effect of the 葵花宝典. Her doctors are still working to establish that.

Many say she's invincible. But that's not true. Bring a DURIAN in front of her, and she will ditch her sword and raise the white flag. She's still desperately trying to master the 闭气功 so she can overcome this weakness.

She now resides in a tiny little room in a tiny little building in a tiny little university/hospital in the tiny little city of Baltimore, studying her tiny little life away in the hopes of getting some Permanent Head Damage. If you feel you can communicate at her level and wish for her to be your soulmate, feel free send her a note of pugilistic admiration and alliance!