Merry Christmas!

Have fun, and stay safe! Don't do anything I wouldn't do... ;)

Thoughts on Pursuing Graduate School and Beyond

The other day one of my good friends sent me a link to an article in Science titled "The Myth of the Well-Rounded Scientist". Combining this with the Erick Carreira letter that surfaced a few years ago, it's not hard to see why so many people are dissuaded from pursuing a graduate education in certain STEM fields.

I don't really see this culture changing anytime soon. At top graduate institutions, there are always people on the outside who are willing to put in the effort it takes to perform at the highest level. It's somewhat analogous to the supply of illegal immigrants for low-paying jobs: wages are low because there will always be someone who's willing to work for such a low wage. The criticism for these cultures mainly seems to come from those who are not very experienced about the workings of those involved.  Sure we can all sit back and be appalled at the situation, but until those who are in those situations muster enough support for change, nothing will happen. (Because apparently most people think that yelling in the comments section on Yahoo is going to change the world.) As long as we choose to pursue a graduate education and are willing to work as hard as necessary to obtain that coveted Ph.D., graduate school will continue to kick your ass.

This is of course not unique to graduate school in a STEM field. We see young lawyers who are just starting out working non-stop. Of course, they can just be fired if their work isn't up to standard. In the medical field sometimes there are ridiculously long shifts. This dedication to craft is immense in areas where results and productivity are of utmost importance. Until the majority of the population has undergone these experiences and feel like there are not people on the outside willing to step into those shoes, it would be mostly unproductive to scream at other people and be outraged at these things.

Of course, I'm just an undergrad, so what do I know?

BRB

Something about applying to grad school/fellowships

Goodbye Facebook!

It feels so free not to have a Facebook :)

Sparkling Green Tea?

This past Friday at 99 Ranch Markets I tried something called "sparkling green tea". I thought it was a bad idea, so naturally I tried it to see how it would taste. It looked like regular green tea, but it really didn't taste very much like green tea. It tasted kind of like carbonated liquid green tea mochi, which doesn't sound very good and certainly doesn't taste very good.

I should probably not try these random foods/drinks from Ranch...

This is Apparently What They Show on TV These Days...

The other day in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania I saw a commercial for moonshine. It reminds me of how redneck this place is...

 

(Not the actual commercial...)

These guys make all sorts of fancy fixings, ranging from their standard moonshine and apple pie moonshine to moonshine salsas and BBQ sauces. Fancy, huh. I'd try to get my hands on some of that apple pie moonshine, but maybe once I get back to California I'll see if I can find it.

Also, they don't have a distributor in PA. Imagine that...

A New Penn State Football

I've been watching Penn State football for a long time-since around the 1999 season, and rarely miss a game today. I went to my first two home games (Navy and Temple) these past couple of weekends for the first time since 2009 (once again Temple I believe). It's a new era under Coach O'Brien, and some things I saw at the game definitely an adjustment from what we've all been used to. Notes and observations:

• There are now names on the back of the jerseys. I've seen them on TV but seeing the in person at Beaver Stadium was definitely new.
• Since when was it normal to play Eminem in a football game? 
• The student section no longer seems to follow up "We Are...Penn State" with "Thank You...You're Welcome"
• Speaking of the student section, it's been moved from the sideline to the south end zone. I have no idea when this happened...
• Also, liven up a bit, crowd-it made me sad :(

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Gun Game Server!

I'm in a gaming clan (Military Clan), and we recently opened up a new Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare server with the gun game mod. Basically how it works is that you have to get kills using a series of weapons in a specific order. We've modified it to make the weapons progression slightly more difficult (especially by moving the pistols towards the end) and removing level-stealing through humiliations. It's a nice change of pace from the regular TDM and SnD modes.

I Think US Airways Sucks

Of course most US-based airlines suck, but my recent trip seemed to take the cake.

In my opinion, Philadelphia is one of, if not the, worst airports in the country. A transfer at the airport was a 25-minute walk and a shuttle. On the shuttle, we drove past a bag lying outside on the ground. This bag, which had previously fallen off a luggage cart, had its checked tag on and was being soaked in the rain. After our shuttle passed the luggage, another luggage cart passed the bag and didn't pick it up.

Nice.

Brazil Days 7, 8 and 9: The End

I got a little busy with relatives visiting, group meeting stuff, research, and beginning the grad school application process. So...

Day 7 (July 12): Leaving the Amazon

In the morning we went and visited the local rubber man. Currently most of the world's rubber production is in Malaysia since the trees were exported out of Brazil and production is cheaper there. Throughout the morning he scratched trees and collected the rubber. To make his various items (ranging from wallets to gloves to condoms), he would layer the rubber sap on the molds one at a time and dry them over a fire. After a short while we went around the area to sample some local wild fruit and to just wander around a little.

Collecting sap from the tree (Click to Enlarge)

Drying the layers (Click to Enlarge)

To finish the morning we went to the local school, which children arrive using a school boat. The first thing I noticed was the soccer field next to the school-even by the river, soccer is a huge part of the life.

Soccer field at the school (Click to Enlarge)

The school itself consisted of about 10 rooms, and the school served many people. Young children attended classes during the morning, teenagers attended during the afternoon, and adult classes were in the evening. There were a few computers but for the most part the education was pencil and paper-based, which is a refreshing departure from our internet-dependent society.

The local schoolhouse (Click to Enlarge)

After returning to our lodge, we had lunch and prepared for the journey back to Manaus. It was sad to leave such a beautiful place, but all good things do come to an end. After arriving in Manaus in the mid-afternoon, we hung out in town until dinnertime, when we were taken to the airport. In the airport, check-in for a flight usually doesn't begin until about 2 hours before the flight, and since we had a 3:30am flight, we had to bum around the airport for several hours. After checking in (and 2 gate changes within 15 minutes of departure), we boarded the 4-hour flight returning to Rio.

Brazil Day 6: Jungle Adventures

Day 6 (July 11): Jungle Adventures

It was already light out when I woke up past 6am, and outside we were greeted by this lovely pair of small birds.

Birds outside the lodge in the morning (Click to Enlarge)

After breakfast we headed up the river to go for a jungle hike on a trail. However, we ran out of motor oil so we had to take a slight detour to an unmarked area. At the beginning we found an ant nest, which locals use to mask their scent (especially from the hornets). You let the ants crawl up your arms before smashing the ants and spreading their guts all over.

Chao spreading ants on herself (click to Enlarge)

For our hike, our guide took a machete and essentially sliced a trail through the jungle, cutting through foliage along the way. The jungle was quite dense throughout, and there were a lot of neat things to see. Our guide showed us many twigs and branches that the locals extract from for medicine. We also found some brazil nuts, which have a nice crunch to them. One of our fellow travelers also tried a bug that's found in a fruit, saying that it basically tasted like the fruit.

The jungle is dense stuff  (Click to Enlarge)

A furry caterpillar (Click to Enlarge)

After a few hours of going through the jungle, we returned to the boat to head back to the lodge for lunch (slowly of course, since the motor was going pretty slow).

Brazil Day 5: On the River

Back to writing! The GREs are over and now it's time to start looking at grad schools.

Day 5 (July 10): In the Amazon

We got up around 5:30am to pack up and head back to the lodge. The previous night was mostly uneventful for me, as I was one of the first to fall asleep and wasn't bitten by any mosquitoes during the night. Some of the others had a few issues with mosquitoes and the humidity and had a slightly rocky night. The sun was rising over the river on our way back, and it was definitely quite a sight.

Sunrise over the river (Click to Enlarge)

Early morning from the lodge (Click to Enlarge)

After breakfast we took some canoes out on the river. Since the water was at a high level, we could canoe through parts of the forest, which was really cool. Along the way we saw some massive ant and hornet nests (around one foot long) on the trees. On the way back Chao tried to swim back against the river, but after a few minutes she had made very little progress. Very soon afterwards the boat was rocking due to people shifting their weight too much when they were changing their paddling sides, causing us to take on too much water and sink. Unfortunately for me I lost my glasses and my point and shoot decided to take a little bath in the river (which means no more pictures for the rest of the day on the river).

After lunch we went piranha fishing, which, like any other fishing, is an exercise in patience and persistence. We fished in some quiet forested areas, and used a very basic setup of fishing line attached to the end of a stick. Our bait was pieces of chicken on the end of the hook. Catching the piranha was a little tricky, as they like to nibble away at the food and then swim away. To catch a piranha, you have to pull the line up as soon as you feel the nibble and hope the hook catches the fish. After a few hours, the seven of us caught six piranhas-the guide caught five and I caught one. We almost got a couple more, but the hooks didn't quite catch the fish well enough.

Sunset from the lodge (Click to Enlarge)

Before dinner, one of the dogs became really hyperactive and started humping people's legs. After dinner we went caiman spotting. They're not easy to spot (at least for me), but the one thing that stands out is their eyes, especially when you shine a flashlight at them. Out guide even reached into the water and pulled out a caiman, which measured about 50cm. It was a relatively young one (they grow up to 5m), so it wasn't very large and heavy. Afterwards it was off to bed before the jungle hike in the morning.

Brazil Days 3 and 4: To the Jungle!

Day 3 (July 8): Travel Day

We had an early flight out of Rio to Sao Paulo (the smaller airport). We got to the airport early and got bumped up to a flight that was leaving an hour earlier. It was mostly uneventful, except for the fact that there was food, which is common among non-US-based airlines (tried Guaraná for the first time!). I'd also have to say there was more legroom, but it wasn't noticeable since I'm pretty short.

Upon arriving in Sao Paulo we took a taxi to Ibirapuera park, where we more or less wandered around for most of the day (without Evan, who went to his conference). It rained on and off, though that didn't seem to deter the many runners and bikers in the area. For lunch, I tried something called an açaí frooty, which resembled an açaí frozen yogurt covered in bananas and granola. In the afternoon we went to the nearby planetarium, where we had no idea what was going on and we ended up falling asleep. I still don't think I know anything about astronomy in Portuguese.

Later in the afternoon we went to the other airport in Sao Paulo to catch our flight to Manaus. At the airport I tried a salgado (a meat-stuffed pastry) for the first time, and I'd have to say it was pretty good. Our flight at 11:30pm was nothing unusual in Brazil, as most airports fly 24 hours to increase volume. This was also the first time we learned that Brazilian airports tend to change gates of planes a lot (only once this time).

Brazil Day 2: Tijuca National Park

Day 2 (July 7): Tijuca National Park

Breakfast at the hostel was pretty basic: bread, guava jam, cheese, ham, and a few other small things. Afterwards we took a taxi out to Tijuca National Park, which is a little ways away from Rio. I was asleep for most of the ride, but the taxi driver drove us a good bit into the forest. When we got off, we weren't exactly sure where we were (which was a general theme for me at least...). We soon found a posted map and started our walking for the day.

In general I had no idea where we were going, but it was definitely an adventure running around the place. We saw quite a few things, including some very nice waterfalls and lots of fruit trees. The park was very heavily forested, so it was pretty hard to get good views of Rio.

Brazil Days 0 and 1: Arrival in Rio de Janeiro

I'll be gradually chronicling my trip to Brazil last week. Woo! Lots of pictures with the SLR!

Day 0 (July 5): Travel Day
The day was mostly uneventful, consisting of plane flights. I packed light, squeezing everything (including my SLR with three lenses) into a backpack. Preparations were pretty extensive (and expensive), which included typhoid and yellow fever vaccines and malaria medication.

Day 1 (July 6): Arrival in Rio
I arrived in Rio de Janeiro around 8:30am. After going through customs and navigating my way out of the airport, I boarded the Rio Ônibus line 2018 to head to the hostel ($R 12). (Some advice on the Ônibus: The bus will stop anywhere on its route, so when your stop is coming up, go and tell the driver where you would like to get off. Also, I would not recommend taking the Ônibus back to the airport since the buses aren't regular and they won't always stop for you.) Instead of taking the Ônibus all the way to Ipanema, I got off in the city and took the metro to Ipanema ($R 3.20 for one ride), saving about 45 minutes on my route to the Hostel Harmonia. I got there in time for the end of breakfast and the end of Roger Federer destroying Djokovic at Wimbledon. After Chao, Evan, and Neal arrived from Teresópolis in the early afternoon, we settled in and headed over to Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) after a lunch at Galitos. In Rio the buses are pretty interesting. When you board the bus there is someone who sells you a ticket after which you proceed through one of those small rotating gate counters.

The second hill of Sugarloaf (Click to Enlarge)

Sugarloaf consists of two hills: the first hill can be reached by cable car or by foot, and the second hill can be reached by scaling the hill (rock climbing) or by cable car from the first hill. It was a pretty decent climb to the first hill through the densely-forested hill. By the time we reached the first hill it was almost sunset, and it was quite a sight.

Christ the Redeemer from Sugarloaf (Click to Enlarge)

Sunset over Rio (Click to Enlarge)

After returning from Sugarloaf, we stopped at some restaurant next to the hostel for some dinner before an early night.

Don Chow Tacos

Today for lunch I tried Don Chow Tacos for the first time, and it definitely won't be my last encounter with their Chinese-Mexican fusion cuisine. I initially found out about them through Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives show. It was a slight adventure finding them, as the truck had to move due to Pasadena parking enforcement. I found them outside Pasadena City Hall, and ordered two kung pao chicken tacos ($2 each) and two bbq pork chimales (Chinese tamales) ($4 each).

My half-eaten chimale (Click to Enlarge)

The first thing I tried was the bbq pork chimale. It was more or less what I expected, though the bbq flavor was very strong to the point it was a little overpowering. The sweet bbq wasn't a huge hit with me, since I generally don't consume sweets. However, the rest of the chimale was delicious. The salsa on top was definitely a nice touch and holds it all together.

My kung pao chicken tacos (Click to Enlarge)

I finished my lunch off with the two kung pao chicken tacos (medium spicy). The tacos were small and double-wrapped, which is typical of taco truck tacos. I would have to say this was the highlight my of meal. The chicken was wonderfully seasoned and had enough kick to satisfy. The onions and cilantro finished the taco well and definitely made the tacos something to try again with a different meat.

For information on when Don Chow Tacos will be near YOU in the LA area, check out their website.

Going to Brazil!

brb :D

Abandoned Train Car

(Click to Enlarge)

Typhoid Vaccine

Next week I'll be travelling to Brazil, and in preparation, I went through a lot of medical preparation. Among the events included a typhoid vaccine. In most cases it's just like any other vaccine-it seems like no big deal. However, I did not anticipate it still leaving the injection site sore a good 48 hours post-injection. It takes a little bit of effort to really get my full range of motion, but it has gotten a little better (and I thought tetanus was supposed to make you sore...).

Subway

Since I like to people watch, I often like to observe restaurant employees. I used to work at Subway, so I know the ins and outs of being a sandwich artist (it's actually the official title). For reasons that I'm not completely sure about, I seem to notice employee code violations (or at least things that would be constituted as mistakes as of 2006...). The most common:

• Not wearing a nametag
• Not wearing an apron
• Filling vegetables above the fill line (there's a little line about one inch from the top)
• Not putting three lines of sauce (yes it's supposed to be counted)
• Not asking if you want salt/pepper/parmesan/oregano
• Greeting customers within three seconds of them walking in the door (hard to do during the meal rush)

Subway also has a few interesting policies that you may or may not be aware of. My favorites:

• All items that are counted (meats, breads, cookies, etc) that cannot be used (such as being dropped on the floor) are credited
• Broken cookies may not be sold-sometimes cookies are "accidentally" broken
• Meat slices are counted, and the chicken slices used to be weighed in weigh boats
• Cheese, tomato, and cucumber slices are counted as well (though obviously extra tomatoes and cucumbers are not charged)
• Lettuce and spinach are supposed to go on first, followed by tomatoes and cucumbers (to help compress the loose veggies)
• All sauces are supposed to go on the meat except the sweet onion and vinaigrette (which go on top of the veggies)

Finals Week

brb

Early Evening

(Click to Enlarge)

One Hamper, or Two?

This is just a random thought that occurred to me in the last couple of days, but does anyone realize how dirty their laundry hamper is? Day after day we toss our dirty clothes into them and then we do our laundry. That's what the hamper is supposed to do, and it servers its functions pretty well. I think what we don't think about is how dirty they really are after coming into contact with our dirty clothes covered in dirt, blood, sweat, and tears. There are generally no issues with that since we don't expect our laundry hampers to do the cleaning for us.

Throughout my time at college (before I moved into my own apartment off-campus), I noticed that people would use the same hamper to take their freshly-cleaned clothes back to their room. Think about that for a second-you're putting your clean clothes into the hamper that your dirty clothes were in. I don't think people really give it much thought, but after a long time, laundry hampers aren't exactly the cleanest things around. It just seems that we don't give too much thought about it, or at least I didn't...

Capitol Steps!

This past Saturday evening I had the pleasure to listen to the Capitol Steps perform for the third straight year. For those of you who have never heard of the Capitol Steps before, they are a singing group that essentially writes political satire to the tune of popular songs. For example:

 

I would have to say this performance was the best one in my three years that I have seen them live. The first year was good, but the second performance lacked new material. With the new election cycle, this year's performance was by far the funniest and most original. My one advice would be for you to actually know your political scandals/presidential candidates/etc before you go see them, or else it won't be as funny as possible.

You can find more information about them and their performance schedule on their website.

Multi-Use Tofu

Last week when I went to 99 Ranch, I decided to try this new "multi-use" tofu. I thought to myself that I could probably find some use for it. The end result was, shall we say, less of an adventure in cooking as it was more an adventure of trying to actually eat it.

When I saw the "multi-use" tofu, I assume that it had some firmness so that I could use it to cook. As soon as I drained the container and put it on the cutting board, it immediately started to fall apart. It had no firmness, and as soon as I would try to pick it up with my hands or move it, it started to crumble. Its lack of firmness was a real issue, especially since stirring the pot would result in more tofu breaking apart. Eating the tofu proved to be a huge disaster, and with the slightest pressure even my chopsticks would instantly go through the tofu like a knife through butter. I could only seem to eat the tofu if it was already on top of the food on my chopsticks or if I scooped it out of the bowl. So much for this "multi-use" tofu. My "soft" tofu is much firmer and holds up to my cooking.

Top 5 10-Hour Youtube Videos

Normally I don't have enough time in my life to watch that much Youtube, but this past spring break I had ample amounts of time on my hands. Obviously since I have no life, I decided to watch 10-hour Youtube videos, so without further ado, here are my five favorites (after the jump):

Sectionals!

Highlights of Caltech's ultimate team at sectionals this past weekend. Great job guys!

La Tour Eiffel

(Click to Enlarge)

Because Spring Break is Boring

Yay for all the random places I've been to. I tried to track down every place I've been to, so you can tell I've had a very...active spring break (apparently the map doesn't zoom).

On Flying

I'd be the first person to admit that I people-watch. I sometimes can't help but notice certain things about people, especially when I don't have anything else to do (ie, especially at the airport). While I'm not an elite airline member, I've flown my fair share and seen many laughably bad travellers.
Also, apparently the TSA thinks I'm a terrorist. I almost always get a pat-down or have my carry-on items scanned multiple times. My checked luggage always contains a notification that it went through extra screening. I don't think I look like a terrorist, but apparently the TSA does.
So-ten signs you're a bad flyer:

1-You bring babies on the plane
Very few things irritate me more on a flight than screaming babies. No matter how much control you think you have over your child or how much self-control you think your child has, they'll just end up wailing and screaming for a good portion of the flight. Airplanes are loud-really loud, and just because you don't scream when you fly doesn't mean a child of 15 months won't. I find it hilarious that parents think that their toddlers are better than everyone else's toddlers just because they're theirs and are not disruptive (all the time) at home.

2-You dress like you're going on a date
It's one thing to be dressed in a business suit-lots of people fly for business meetings and conferences. However, it's fairly obvious when you look like you're going on a date or to the red carpet. I highly doubt that either you're having a date on your flight or flying halfway across the country to immediately go clubbing (with your luggage, of course). Save the make-up, dresses, and heels for after you land-you're obviously not comfortable and you're not going to be impressing anyone. Traveling is just about getting from one place to another, not a speed-dating locale.

Trouble in Vegas 2012

Highlights of the Caltech men's ultimate team in Vegas, put together by yours truly. Enjoy!

Fountain

(Click to Enlarge)

Fixie!

Recently I had my single speed/fixie bike stolen from campus, which was less than desirable since it was a half-decent bike. I only used the single speed hub for that bike and never flipped the wheel to try riding a fixed gear bike.

Since walking around is a hassle (and I used to think walking across Penn State was no problem...), I ordered another bike. It also has the option of being fixed gear or single speed, but this time I left it in fixed gear. The first time I rode it I almost fell off just mounting the bike, since you can't just coast on the bike. I've gotten used to it, though stopping can be a little difficult at times since there is no rear brake and I can't coast. When I start taking my bike to 99 Ranch I'll have to go back to single speed so I don't get owned or hit by a car.

Il Voce

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Il Voce. If you haven't heard of them, they're a Vancouver-based singing group of the popera (classical-crossover) genre.

[Edit: Il Voce closed down their Youtube account, so the video is gone as well]

They blended very nicely and sang very well, and it was a great end to a not-so-good week. Their voices blended beautifully, and I was most impressed by their ability to sing in minor keys and their ability to resolve as a group. It was very refreshing to see a group of singers who could stand on their talent alone and not use all the flares we have grown accustomed to in this age of "music".

Happy Valentine's Day!

Because I'm a cruel person :D

Don't Lab and Midterm?

There's the expression "don't drink and drive." There should  be some kind of catchy mnemonic for not taking a midterm while doing labwork, because that doesn't end well for either of them...

Manic Monday - Bangles

Classic-describes Monday pretty well

I was going to post it yesterday, but...

Death by Caffeine

Here's a pretty nifty site. You basically input a caffeinated beverage and your weight and it calculates how many drinks you would have drink at once for the caffeine to kill you. Don't try to input anything like Four Loko, as the site won't list alcoholic beverages.

28

28. That's apparently how many slaves I have working for me. You find out the same right here.

I'm not necessarily advocating that you abandon all hope and begin living an Amish lifestyle (though I must say their food is most excellent). It's just more of an eye-opening little survey that, among other things, makes you look at what you have, especially if you fill in all the details of the survey. The algorithm then computes how many slaves you have working for you and tells you what really increased your count (electronics in my case, whoops). Whatever you decide to do with it is up to you.

I could go into where the flaws are in the survey, but I think most importantly the survey tries to get an issue out there to everyone.

Because Benny Hill Makes (Almost) Anything Funny

It makes an otherwise boring car chase exciting!

Noise

(Click to Enlarge)

...and Back!

So every once in a while I tend to get really busy and forget about this, and then I end up deleting all the posts because I think that past me was insane. I probably was insane. I'm probably still insane, but that's ok. Hopefully I'll stick to it this time and share a few more of my thoughts than I previously shared, and hopefully I don't end up forgetting about this.