I'm Back

I missed writing new entries on this blog, but things have piled up in the past two months and I was kept really busy with my new job and the physical biochemistry course I was required to take last semester.  Most of my time, however, was eaten up by phy biochem what with all the makeup lectures and exams in quick succession.  Still, I was relieved and happy that all turned out well, and that I passed the hellish course while still maintaining a respectable (by grad school standards) GWA.  Those sleepless nights spent memorizing nonsense have paid off, and I'm ecstatic at having successfully hurdled my last course in graduate school.  Which means that my Mondays can now be spent in the library searching for prior art on the patents that will be assigned to me by my boss.  Also, I will finally have time to plan my experiments and see to it that I get very good data, so I can march down the aisle in red stilettos come April.  

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the sem that was.  

Take-home exam on basic chromatography. 

Watching "The Big Bang Theory" in the lab. 

Thermodynamics

More thermodynamics 

Haggard after Exam #2

Dear Lolo

Dear Lolo,

My tears are falling in torrents and my hands are shaking as I write this.  Just when I thought I'd had the perfect day - dinner with friends and new-found friends at a good resto - I opened my inbox to a message from my cousin  informing me that you passed away in your sleep earlier today (August 23).  At first I was shocked and frozen, unable to shed even a tear as the news first failed to register in my endorphin-saturated brain.  Then slowly, the sad truth began to sink in, and the tears fell unbidden. 

With your passing, I've officially lost both sets of loving grandparents, and that is such a terrible loss.  After all, I was the one apo who had the greatest tendency of being spoiled by the grandparents.  You may not be my biological grandfather (you being Mommy's stepfather who took on the paternal role when Lolo Euling was killed more than fifty years ago), but you loved me like a real granddaughter.  I faintly recall you giving four-year-old me two one-peso coins - considered a fortune for kids growing up in the mid-80's - while my much-older cousins got only half the amount.  I can also recall that you were firm in your decision - no matter how unfair it was to my school-age cousins at that time - to give me that amount.  Well, I cannot remember what I'd bought with the two pesos you gave me, but it made me feel special and loved.  I guess it was always in your nature to be so generous to us kids, and even to our parents. 

I can also remember one incident on a long-ago summer evening when all of my maternal cousins and I piled into your green car, and you took us joyriding in the streets of Bacolod.  You yelled at us several times because we were all screaming and laughing, and must have gotten to your nerves.  Yet all was forgiven when we reached home and you never mentioned that one pasaway incident to our parents. 

You were funny.  You used to sing your own version of "Mexicali Rose" that sent us into fits of laughter.  You'd say the funniest things at random moments, and these sayings were so unique that we kept them in memory and then go into fresh gales of laughter whenever a saying or two was mentioned.  You were also a frustrated member of the PNP, and you'd always wear your "Bantay Bayan" jacket with pride and visit your "general friends" at Camp Crame whenever you were in Manila (or so you said).  

You were so obsessed with men in uniform that I'd had to warn Strawberry Cheesecake (who was in the uniformed services back then) to not mention this fact to you in the event that you met.  But then again, you'll never meet him so I can put my fears of embarrassment to rest.  

I can go on and on with the fond, funny and embarrassing memories we've had of you through the years, but the space here isn't sufficient to contain them all.  One of these days, when the grief will have become bearable, your apos and step-apos will recount these memories and go into fits of laughter and relive again the unique person that you were.

We will miss you terribly, Lolo, but we are also relieved that you had been given respite after your long hard life.  Sleep well until that long-foretold and long hoped-for blessed morning of the resurrection when the whole family will be reunited.

We love you.   

Back to Basics?

Note: Something happened to my laptop before the long weekend, and I had to have it reformatted to make it run faster.  I was initially worried that the reformatting and repair will continue through the long weekend, depriving me of my precious sci-fi movie time.  Hence this little entry dated August 17, 2012.

My laptop is in the repair shop as I write this, and I have no idea when I'll get it back and how much it's going to cost me.  I shudder at having to pay thousands of pesos, and I'm hoping against hope that my wallet won't be burned that much.

Too bad, it's a long weekend and I have been looking forward to watching all episodes of The Big Bang Theory, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Lord of the Rings.  Most of them, unfortunately, are stored in m laptop, so chances of watching them are now nil.  

It is comforting, however, that I'd bought several books earlier this week because they were on sale in Booksale.  There's all three volumes of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, a novel entitled Piano Lessons, and a really geeky book on organic synthesis using the disconnection approach.  Why I bought the geeky book, I have no idea.  Professional curiosity perhaps.  Anyway,  these five books cost less than PhP600, very reasonable compared to brand-new ones which cost twice the amount I'd paid for in Booksale. 

Seeing all these books on my desk makes me want to grab one, head out to the nearest coffee shop and immerse myself in the pages while sipping a cup of overpriced coffee and munching overpriced pastries.  I used to do that when I was a freshman in graduate school.  Strawberry Cheesecake - a classmate in one of my graduate courses back then - and I would stay at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf from about nine in the morning to a quarter of an hour before class. We would then dash out of Robinson's Place and into Salcedo Hall, where biochem lectures are held.  I guess it was also during these coffee-book-and-talks moment that fell head-over-heels in love with him.  I still am, but I'll save the gory details for another entry.

In a way, it feels nostalgic and comforting to be holding an actual book and turning actual pages instead of just opening a file and using a mouse or touchpad to navigate the pages.  It's as if I'm transported to my childhood, a time when laptops, e-books and wi-fi were unheard-of.  A time when I preferred reading to playing with the neighborhood kids, and fancied myself to be one of the Hardy Boys and their friends.  A time when I would go to a real music store to buy a particular piano piece or a music book, instead of just googling it and downloading the file to my sheet music folder.  

Perhaps this momentary absence of my laptop will help me reconnect with my old-school side.  I've almost forgotten the thrill of lying in bed, head propped by pillows, while engrossed in the chapters of a book.  Or the coziness of savoring each page, eating Chips Ahoy dunked in cold milk and being wrapped in a blanket while listening to the sound of raindrops during rainy days. Thinking about these things doesn't make the absence of my laptop horrible.  On the contrary, it helps activate my long-dormant neurons.  

Oh well, back to basics.  For now.  

A Fun Evening

Tonight's equation: 

rice-eating contest + laughter + a little gossip + conversations about old Pinoy soaps = an evening of fun and relaxation

Today is payday, and six of my officemates - the guys whose cubicles are half a kembot away from mine - decided to go to a totally unplanned dinner at Chicboy's Paseo branch.  We have long been talking about going out to dinner, but our plans never materialized until tonight when I suggested that we go someplace to eat.  Hunter (not his real name) immediately searched the internet for restaurants that offer delicious but affordable meals.  The boys originally suggested going to Gerry's Grill, but we settled for Chicboy because they apparently wanted to have a rice-eating contest.  

And so we left the office at around 7pm, having finished our tasks way before it.  Me and six others (not their real names) - Hunter, Kkino, Chemist_King, JV_Chemist, NJM, and NL - walked along Ayala Avenue to Chicboy Paseo, where we were lucky to find a table that seated us comfortably.  We were supposed to order the barkada meal that came complete with pulutan and beer, but since some of us aren't drinkers, we decided to forego the barkada meal and instead settled for individual meals that came with unlimited rice.  

The rice-eating contest started as soon as our meals arrived.  We decided to compete by school.  I, of course, represented UP Manila (due to an earlier decision to not merge the UP campuses).  Hunter and JV_Chemist represented UPLB while the rest represented their respective schools.  It was clearly UPLB who took the lead from the start, with the UPLB guys eating an average of five cups of rice each (we averaged their number of cups of rice to be fair).  On the other hand, I could hardly stand after three cups of rice and three glasses of iced tea.  I was still glad, however, that I did my alma mater proud by not surrendering to the UPLB guys.  Hahahaha. 

Later, we all talked about the local TV shows that we grew up with.  Conversation centered on our favorite cartoons, anime (Slamdunk is the only one that has appealed to me so far), local shows and soap operas.  In addition to that, we also talked a bit about the guys in the office who have always gone out of their way to make us feel welcome and at home.  My sides ached from laughing all throughout dinner and I felt suddenly unburdened of the not-so-good news I'd received earlier in the day.  After all, it's been a long time since I laughed my head off with a bunch of people and laughing helped release the pent-up tension in me.  It restored my positivity and serenity in a wonderful way.  

I shall be missing these terrific guys, but I'm sure evenings like the one we've had can be scheduled so we could get together again and laugh our heads off.  

P.S. Too bad, none of us had the foresight to bring a camera.  It would've been wonderful to include some pictures in this entry. :)

Counting the Days

In twenty days, I'll be leaving my job in order to give my thesis the much-needed attention it deserves.  It has already been given the green light by UP Manila's ethics committee, and my reagents and kits have already arrived.  All I need to do is put on my white lab gown (I need to buy a new one) and latex gloves and work away the days.  It's not exactly work, since I love doing it and the experiments are so designed to give me lots of free time, which translates to Facebooking and tweeting in between PCR runs and incubation periods  - which last anywhere from an hour to 4 hours - and quick trips to Robinsons Place for food, food and more food (a must-have especially during those all-nighters).  

I really miss lab life.  I miss the days when I could wear comfy jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers and not bother to put on face powder or lipstick.  Luckily, I'm going to get those days back when I formally resign from work later this month.  Not that I hate my current job, but some things just have to have top priority for the good of everyone involved.  I certainly wouldn't want to divide my time between the lab and the office as it is an impossible balancing act.  

And so I'm looking forward to being a full-time student again.  Perhaps I'll be able to bag a nice job as I go along, but for now, I'll gleefully anticipate my upcoming independence day.  :))

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

This blueprint-like / microchip-like picture illustrates all the chemical reactions our body undergoes at various times of the day and under different circumstances.  

What makes it amazing is that these reactions do not contradict one another and are highly regulated by a number of molecules.  One mistimed reaction, and the body goes into chaos, resulting in death or sickness to the individual.   Looking at all these reactions and discussing them in class has given new meaning to the Bible verse that I've memorized since first grade: I will praise Thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Marvelous are Thy works.  (Ps. 139:14).   

I admit that I am not a very religious person and that I am far from living the ideal Christian life, but looking at this vast network of body reactions has always strengthened my belief in the existence of an all-knowing and powerful God because such an organized and synchronized system could not have occurred by accident . Only a Creator could made a living machine that is as complex as the picture above.  Only a loving and compassionate God could have designed it in such a way that the reactions do not contradict each other and affect other pathways or produce by-products that are harmful to us.  This metabolic blueprint speaks both of the power and love of that Creator.  

Indeed, "from Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love." (taken from the last chapter of EG White's The Great Controversy)

Geeky Saturday Night

Because I'm still a little under the weather to be going out with a graduate school classmate to watch the latest Spider-Man movie (note: we're not dating or something... just good old classmates), I've decided to download online lectures on physical biochemistry concepts in preparation for my prelim exam on the third week of July and study these concepts in hopes of getting a decent grade.  By decent I mean a grade above the required 2.0.

On second thought, physical biochem isn't supposed to be that much of a horror show to someone who's gone through THE horror shows that were Chem 156 and Chem 157 (a.k.a. Physical Chemistry I and Physical Chemistry II) and the relatively tame Biochem 121 (undergrad physical biochem).  I'm supposed to have known the basics by heart.  Still, I'd rather review my the basics just to be on the safe side because it's been a long time since I'd encountered those heart-attack-inducing problems.

While waiting for a file to download - I have to make do with the dorm's unreliable wifi - I took some screen shots of the stuff I'm currently reading.  They're arranged in no particular order.  

The first law of thermodynamics.  The equation in the slide is another take on the classic ΔU = Q + W that I've known way back Chem 156. 

  

The second law of thermodynamics (and my favorite... hehe!).

Reversible and irreversible reactions (the horror!)...

                                      

And that, so far, is the stuff I've studied.  CJ, who has taken the course before me, has just warned me that there are more horrors to come. He still has the old lecture slides the profs used in his class, and he told me he'd email the files for me to peruse.  Thanks a lot, pal!  You're really a lifesaver.  Hope I won't flunk this penalty course.  Haha!