Hong Kong University of Suicide and Tragedies

Needless to say, I should address this issue in my blog just in case anyone googles it and no true blog on the Hong Kong experience would omit such an important issue. 

I will edit this post later, but this well-written article (pictured above) by our Editorial Board stands very well on its own.

Blurb cross sections

Okay, some randoms.

I guess I haven't been all that fair to my blog in terms of life updates. Sure, a few big announcements here and there but none of the particulars. So here's a few mini-blurbs regarding certain aspects of my life... aside from my final year project, undergraduate research, and school stuffs.

It's congregation time! Hong Kong's different because we have congregations (commencement ceremonies) in November. I guess that's cool because they thankfully have it a week before Thanksgiving time so we can have a long holiday to celebrate. And it's better than walking in the sweltering heat of June, especially considering Hong Kong's tropic-esque location. The above picture is from City University of HK. The only one I took with my iPhone during congregation season. Ah well. Next year, it's my turn! Can't wait!

Long distance relationship. No, I don't think LDRs get any easier with every good-bye. Every good-bye is so freaking difficult. Going through some growing pains right now, I guess, but what makes us work is that there's an end to it eventually. He's applying to pharm school and I'm applying to a PhD program in engineering and hopefully we'll end up in Cali or Chicago, only a driving distance apart. I love him! ♥  .. and I miss him like crazy. He's my support system--the one that I rely on to catch me when I fall. And he's the friend that adds meaning to my life--the one I especially support and root for in life.

He's sad he can't hug or kiss me over Skype :(

My struggle with food. Oh man, I can't tell you how bad of a relationship I have with food right now. And thank goodness there's a place for me to write about it. I love food and all, but ahh! I feel so out of control. I spend spend spend even when I know I'm running low on money all the time. Okay, so I don't eat like a pig, but I know I can afford to eat less... And I want to go on a diet anyway because I'm back at a 130 weight, which is the weight I tend to fall back on if I don't regularly exercise and eat ad libitum. My face doesn't like it and my gut doesn't like it. Stupid taste buds. And midterms. And reports. And need for sleep!

One of life's delicious excesses.

Why pay for dinner when you can have pansit from your lovely student's home? :)

Half-marathon training! Speaking of weight and regular exercise, my avocation is definitely still running. From being a volunteer for Disneyland's Half Marathon to actually running races... I'm a little dilettantish.. so sue me. I said I have a bad relationship with food but I still go jogging or exercise three times a week for at least half an hour. It's almost out of habit now. But my standards for exercise are high; it really doesn't have much of an effect on me if I don't exercise for more than half an hour and that's my problem. So I have to vamp up the training and start on a half marathon plan and really lose the weight if I'm gonna save myself from killing my knees at my next race. Standard Chartered Hong Kong 2013 (half marathon), here I come. Sub-2 hours!

Random pictures... I need to sleep soon so I can wake up early and put in a few miles, so here's a few little slices of life:

Study nights with good friends~

1,234 friends! Wow, I'm popular!

Did I mention I ate a part of that squid right after it was caught.
Squid sushi. The texture was slimy. The sand was crunchy.

Kayak adventures in Sai Kung. ^__^

I never blogged about this. But yeah, shattered iPhone screen.
Maybe I'll fix it one day... when I have monies.

First Publication (in progress)

I am in the process of writing my first publication. And guess what, I am co-author! I found out that I was going to co-author the paper during our last review meeting and I was actually pretty surprised. I was going to be happy with second author. Maybe they wanted to motivate me, though, to do a really good job on writing.

I think if I can get it accepted before March, I would be really happy. As an undergraduate, this is a pretty nice accomplishment.

But the downside is... actually writing the paper is very strenuous. It's a lot more pressure than just trying to get full marks on a lab report in class. You have to keep a lot of people in mind, like peer reviewers, your supervisor, etc. On the other hand, you want to tell a story well. All those years of English class actually did prepare me for report writing. And all those lab classes actually did prepare me for technical writing. I'm glad... otherwise I would be dying right now.

I've been sitting in front of the computer for multiple hours per day just typing reports! I can't believe how many projects I'm managing at the same time on top of the GRE and graduate school applications.

This is how I feel right now.

I've been getting on average 6 hours of sleep per night... but the average is offset by my weekend 16 hours over 2 days. I've got to find time to train for the half-marathon I'm going to run next February. Maybe I don't manage my time efficiently. I do have days where I try to spend a few hours relaxing and catching up on the latest Big Bang Theory episodes or even Glee and New Girl. Or I "chui sui" (blow water) with friends. Or I take care of my latest Sims 3 generation. Or I watch old episodes of Boy Meets World. I do that a lot. IN GENERAL, though, I always have something to do on top of labwork and sleep and studying for my regular classes. Yikes. Am I a graduate student already?

I can't wait for my piece of the delayed gratification cake. Winter break in the U.S.!

(But even then, I'll be worrying about my FYP...)

Award presentation for our postdoc at the HK Stroke
Association Charity Walk

I ♥ HKUST

Reinvention

I need it.

Today, I wanted to update my status to "I just wanna be closer to my passions and keep my thirst for learning alive."

But then I thought about how presumptuous was I. And I thought about the people who might think... psh you? Or the people that might have hard feelings about it (I don't know who, that's just what I was feeling.)
And I thought about... "what? I'm not allowed to dream?"

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Remember this quote? I'm sure most people have read it or heard it at some point in life. It was cited in Coach Carter (2005) and Invictus (2009) and people mention this quote everywhere.

Why do I have to be afraid to dream... to want to be better.. to strive for more? What does it mean... to want to be someone or something that you know will make a difference in the world?