today was really fun. i went to jersey city via the path to help mengwei move into her townhouse with her sister, sam. it was really silly trying to get her couch through the door... her mom also made us noodles and banana bread. it was delicious! it was such a great space for the amount she pays :)
then i hopped back on the train to manhattan and biked from wtc to the museum of natural history. it was kind of scary that on amsterdam and 73rd street a cab's passenger opened the door into me and i rode onto the curb suddenly. a nice pedestrian, who i sadly did not even thank, steadied me as i continued to peddle because i was late meeting someone as a favor. i ran to the steps where the teddy roosevelt statue was, and we went to the lab to discuss conservation genetics. how funny that despite the artistic nature of some people, there is interest in evolutionary biology and seemingly unrelated topics. but in a way, if you can see beauty in nature, that is art. everything is connected and intertwined.
what was even more ironic was that we were both from the same town in central/south jersey hahaha. i truly believe we are all connected by six degrees of separation.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
firsts
first day of sunshine after rain and drear? it immediately uplifts you. this morning, with my blue schwinn helmet and black ray bans, i biked to work for the first time and let me just say, the road work that had me detouring all over the place last fall is gone. it was the best and fastest biking i've done! with the shortest amount of time too. pedestrians and cars were cordial. but word of advice, biking west to east on 23rd street is probably not the safest or brightest idea. the buses are looming and the roads are bumpy.
i did see the cheapest chicken and rice cart though: $3.99 for a plate on Park and 33rd St (or somewhere around there...)
i did see the cheapest chicken and rice cart though: $3.99 for a plate on Park and 33rd St (or somewhere around there...)
picking your fights
Today, as I was preparing to purify RNA for a microarray, my coworker asked if I was using the refrigerated centrifuge. I said yes and that it would take approximately two hours, and I asked if that was ok. She is fresh off the boat from Chiner and is a bit blunt (which is an understatement). She laughed and said, "Not really." So, I said, "You can use it, and just let me know when you're done."
Why? The samples are important but they're not time sensitive. The fight that could have ensued was just not worth it to me. I remember last December/January when I was just waitlisted at my number 1 school, I was a bit more quiet. I was a bit more sassy. I didn't really tell anyone but a handful of people, I just let it simmer within myself. My coworker and I had the SAME CONVERSATION as today's, but instead of saying, "Not really." she said, "Ok, fine." In actuality, she didn't think it was fine and while I was starting to process those multi-million dollar samples funded by NASA, she hijacked the centrifuge and said that two hours would be too long and that she needed to begin. She said she didn't understand why I was not my usual happy self, and instead of talking it out - we were both passive aggressive. We had a huge fight and her constant repetition was absurd. Even before that fight, I used to disagree with her and made it clear where I stood. Now, I just let her be. And I just am. Have you ever gotten mad at someone who wasn't as cheerful as usual? You just think, "Wow, that person is a total jerk." But what if something else was going on? What if it was something that just didn't have anything to do with you? Whenever we are having a bad day, we are justified in feeling not our usual selves. However, we never think about the other person who might be having a similar bad day. We're pretty egocentric in that way, but whenever something is off with someone you know, just take a step back. Give him or her space: he or she will bounce back.
Anyway, you know what I thought was really awesome? Phi and I went to visit Brittany (what was only supposed to be a visit lasted THREE HOURS, I love having friends like that.. where time flies by when you spend time with them), and we chanced upon an abandoned fan. We both wanted it. We had an exchange of who could take it, and he let me have it. After awhile, he was like, if you don't decide, I'm just going to take it. I like that he let me assert the fact that I wanted it to take it, if it's ok with him (which it was). So, in the spirit of karma, I will help Phi promote Community Lab... spread the hype and come support [for FREEEE] at Arrow Bar on Ave A and E. 5th this Saturday.
Also, I must mention tonight's potluck dinner was breakfast-themed and incredible. I brought scrambled eggs and orange juice. Meera brought the champagne to make mimosas. Gary brought the bacon, Deb the tater tots, and Karen the strawberries and whipped cream. It was amazing. Just saying, it might have been our best one ever (though there is a 99% chance we say that at each successive one...)
Why? The samples are important but they're not time sensitive. The fight that could have ensued was just not worth it to me. I remember last December/January when I was just waitlisted at my number 1 school, I was a bit more quiet. I was a bit more sassy. I didn't really tell anyone but a handful of people, I just let it simmer within myself. My coworker and I had the SAME CONVERSATION as today's, but instead of saying, "Not really." she said, "Ok, fine." In actuality, she didn't think it was fine and while I was starting to process those multi-million dollar samples funded by NASA, she hijacked the centrifuge and said that two hours would be too long and that she needed to begin. She said she didn't understand why I was not my usual happy self, and instead of talking it out - we were both passive aggressive. We had a huge fight and her constant repetition was absurd. Even before that fight, I used to disagree with her and made it clear where I stood. Now, I just let her be. And I just am. Have you ever gotten mad at someone who wasn't as cheerful as usual? You just think, "Wow, that person is a total jerk." But what if something else was going on? What if it was something that just didn't have anything to do with you? Whenever we are having a bad day, we are justified in feeling not our usual selves. However, we never think about the other person who might be having a similar bad day. We're pretty egocentric in that way, but whenever something is off with someone you know, just take a step back. Give him or her space: he or she will bounce back.
Anyway, you know what I thought was really awesome? Phi and I went to visit Brittany (what was only supposed to be a visit lasted THREE HOURS, I love having friends like that.. where time flies by when you spend time with them), and we chanced upon an abandoned fan. We both wanted it. We had an exchange of who could take it, and he let me have it. After awhile, he was like, if you don't decide, I'm just going to take it. I like that he let me assert the fact that I wanted it to take it, if it's ok with him (which it was). So, in the spirit of karma, I will help Phi promote Community Lab... spread the hype and come support [for FREEEE] at Arrow Bar on Ave A and E. 5th this Saturday.
Also, I must mention tonight's potluck dinner was breakfast-themed and incredible. I brought scrambled eggs and orange juice. Meera brought the champagne to make mimosas. Gary brought the bacon, Deb the tater tots, and Karen the strawberries and whipped cream. It was amazing. Just saying, it might have been our best one ever (though there is a 99% chance we say that at each successive one...)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
lost in translation
This made me laugh: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/05/03/world/asia/20100503_CHINGLISH.html#
It's interesting how foreigners view Americans. And vice versa.
Fanny, who is from France, has a notion that New York City girls (not American in general because girls from Boston weren't like this) give men all the power. They are too sexually aggressive and don't allow men to chase them. I thought that was true in a sense. However, I don't agree that smiling at someone you find attractive means that you're willing to sleep with him that night, which is the case in France. How will he know you're into him? Nacho and Irineu, who are from Spain, say that this is just a French thing and that in their country, they don't think that is necessarily true.(Boys, fyi, the Spanish way of picking up girls courtesy of Nacho: http://www.terra.es/personal/
I love hearing what they have to say.
It's interesting how foreigners view Americans. And vice versa.
Fanny, who is from France, has a notion that New York City girls (not American in general because girls from Boston weren't like this) give men all the power. They are too sexually aggressive and don't allow men to chase them. I thought that was true in a sense. However, I don't agree that smiling at someone you find attractive means that you're willing to sleep with him that night, which is the case in France. How will he know you're into him? Nacho and Irineu, who are from Spain, say that this is just a French thing and that in their country, they don't think that is necessarily true.(Boys, fyi, the Spanish way of picking up girls courtesy of Nacho: http://www.terra.es/personal/
I love hearing what they have to say.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
je perdu un document important
bonjour! i have just returned to the east coast from sint maarten/saint martin of the dutch and french antilles. WOW. it was incredible. the moment we hovered about the island on the plane, there was an instant calm and relaxation that washed over us. meera, savita, aarati and i enjoyed four days of sunshine this weekend.. it was so needed.
greg picked us up from the airport and we checked into our hotel, the sonesta maho. we were in room 1-559 and it was AWESOME. the balcony overlooked an abandoned golf course that was wrecked by a hurricane 15 years before, but beyond that - we could see the sun rise and set over the ocean (not that we were ever awake at sunrise). the first day, we hung out at our hotel beach. we walked over to sunset bar where ben, our waiter, allowed us to switch tables approximately five times. we watched the planes fly in and out of the airport. it was really cool to look up and see the planes fly so low. i tried the desperados beer and it was SO GOOD. it was tequila flavored, and it reminded me of fanny when she said that it was her favorite beer, but it wasn't sold in the united states. we tanned for a while and then got ready for dinner at pineapple pete's. i had a jerk chicken wrap, which was delicious. we then went to calmos cafe on the french side of the island and met lots of cool people. an older french man bought us a presidente beer, which was pretty tasty before we met three french military personnel with whom we sort of communicated. i proudly and irrelevantly would say, "je perdu un document important" to anyone who would listen. they often would compliment my accent and say other nice things, and i think that is why i am a francophile. friday, we went to the hotel pool and hung out with ramon! he was a great bartender... making delicious and fruity drinks after we attempted to swim laps. after i said, estas mi favorito (ramon had said for me to understand he speaks english, but he speaks spanish when i asked him what other languages he spoke), he replied with "you are my favorite too" and a complimentary and yummy pina colada teehehe. greg came to get us after his class and we went to mullet beach, where we fed the angel fish french fries and bread that other beach goers gave us. it was really cool. we went to tara's apartment to attend a going away party before going to bliss and tantra. it was interesting to say the least. saturday, greg woke us up and we went hiking to a secluded beach, happy bay. it was BEAUTIFUL. we went to the soggy dollar to sit on the pier with greg's medical school friends. it was really chill and a great way to end the weekend. everyone was accommodating and warm the entire time... st. martin, i will be back!
it was so sad to come back to 55 degree weather in newark.
greg picked us up from the airport and we checked into our hotel, the sonesta maho. we were in room 1-559 and it was AWESOME. the balcony overlooked an abandoned golf course that was wrecked by a hurricane 15 years before, but beyond that - we could see the sun rise and set over the ocean (not that we were ever awake at sunrise). the first day, we hung out at our hotel beach. we walked over to sunset bar where ben, our waiter, allowed us to switch tables approximately five times. we watched the planes fly in and out of the airport. it was really cool to look up and see the planes fly so low. i tried the desperados beer and it was SO GOOD. it was tequila flavored, and it reminded me of fanny when she said that it was her favorite beer, but it wasn't sold in the united states. we tanned for a while and then got ready for dinner at pineapple pete's. i had a jerk chicken wrap, which was delicious. we then went to calmos cafe on the french side of the island and met lots of cool people. an older french man bought us a presidente beer, which was pretty tasty before we met three french military personnel with whom we sort of communicated. i proudly and irrelevantly would say, "je perdu un document important" to anyone who would listen. they often would compliment my accent and say other nice things, and i think that is why i am a francophile. friday, we went to the hotel pool and hung out with ramon! he was a great bartender... making delicious and fruity drinks after we attempted to swim laps. after i said, estas mi favorito (ramon had said for me to understand he speaks english, but he speaks spanish when i asked him what other languages he spoke), he replied with "you are my favorite too" and a complimentary and yummy pina colada teehehe. greg came to get us after his class and we went to mullet beach, where we fed the angel fish french fries and bread that other beach goers gave us. it was really cool. we went to tara's apartment to attend a going away party before going to bliss and tantra. it was interesting to say the least. saturday, greg woke us up and we went hiking to a secluded beach, happy bay. it was BEAUTIFUL. we went to the soggy dollar to sit on the pier with greg's medical school friends. it was really chill and a great way to end the weekend. everyone was accommodating and warm the entire time... st. martin, i will be back!
it was so sad to come back to 55 degree weather in newark.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
knowing your audience
The world and people who inhabit it can only be defined on a gradient.
Categories help us simplify, but despite our best efforts, our systems are flawed. This is true even with something as simple as color: there is blue and there is green, but what about turquoise? Is it a bluish green or a greenish blue? I mention this because we are not all the equal. We should always remember who we are talking to when we are conversing. There are people more fortunate than us and less fortunate than us. Maybe the same person is better than you at tennis and baking but worse than you in speaking a foreign language... I digress. I don't want to complain about what happened but just keep in mind who you are talking to. You might not think it is a big deal, but you can be insulting to your audience.
Anyway, at dinner, my cousin and I went to Kun Jip on W. 32nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. The line was out the door and when we asked the hostess how long it would take, she said she didn't know. She took our orders 15 minutes later and then an elderly lady ushered us into the back to form another line. We waited about 25 minutes total and I was ravenous. I ordered the seafood bi bim bop, but it was too hot and the flavors didn't really go well. The side dishes though, were amazing. The carrots in this red sauce were savory and the broccoli added a great crunch to get my appetite going. It was 9:30 by the time I got home and I went to the gym before it closed. I caught the end of Glee and started watching Chopped on the food network. I thought Christian deserved to win, and was glad when he did.
Categories help us simplify, but despite our best efforts, our systems are flawed. This is true even with something as simple as color: there is blue and there is green, but what about turquoise? Is it a bluish green or a greenish blue? I mention this because we are not all the equal. We should always remember who we are talking to when we are conversing. There are people more fortunate than us and less fortunate than us. Maybe the same person is better than you at tennis and baking but worse than you in speaking a foreign language... I digress. I don't want to complain about what happened but just keep in mind who you are talking to. You might not think it is a big deal, but you can be insulting to your audience.
Anyway, at dinner, my cousin and I went to Kun Jip on W. 32nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. The line was out the door and when we asked the hostess how long it would take, she said she didn't know. She took our orders 15 minutes later and then an elderly lady ushered us into the back to form another line. We waited about 25 minutes total and I was ravenous. I ordered the seafood bi bim bop, but it was too hot and the flavors didn't really go well. The side dishes though, were amazing. The carrots in this red sauce were savory and the broccoli added a great crunch to get my appetite going. It was 9:30 by the time I got home and I went to the gym before it closed. I caught the end of Glee and started watching Chopped on the food network. I thought Christian deserved to win, and was glad when he did.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
This is why I'll miss Manhattan.
What a wonderful weekend! This Friday, I went to the post-doc happy hour with Fanny, Irineu, William and Haydelise. Such a good time to catch up and talk about random things. Afterwards, I met up with Meera, Steph, Gary, Em, Neehan, Hearst, etc at Stout, on W. 33th Street between 6th Ave and 7th, for a multi-school happy hour. It was a cool place to grab a drink and talk to people. Around 7ish, I went a few blocks north and I met new people as I learned how to make Jamaican patties for Craig's birthday. We sampled Jamaican rum and watched Family Guy while eating Chipotle. Let me say that running on five hours of sleep is hardly enough to prevent dropping things and losing hand-eye-coordination with flour, lard and a food processor.
Saturday, I went to AMNH and ran PCRs and genotyped palm samples from Colombia. It was great to go out on the steps where the Teddy Roosevelt statue is and read the Forever War by Dexter Wilkins. It's really moving. Because the war is so removed from us, it's difficult to imagine what it would be like to hover in fear with each passing second. Bombs, fighter plans, bullets that seem to come from everywhere. [Today, NYT and BBC reported about a car bomb in Times Square that was caught before it detonated. I am shocked. I know we're living in a hostile time, but I've never felt unsafe in New York City. I take this security for granted.] Kenny came for a visit and we had brunch at the Sun-Burnt Calf on W. 79th between Amsterdam and Broadway. I had poached eggs with smoked salmon and avocado on a biscuit with Jameson on ice. The Australian bartender treated me to a second one, which was super nice. Then we went to a gelato place and got too much gelato. I always want sweets but then tell Kenny I don't want to go, but he insists. I resent that I give in, I need to have better self-control in eating unhealthy things in excess. We stopped by Rob's apt in Meatpacking before I met up with Jeremy to check out the paint color in his room. I went home and took a nap before going to Asian Pub at Cooper Square, McSorley's on E. 7th where we met a bunch of Brits celebrating a 37th birthday, Phebes on Bowery and E. 4th to meet up with Florine. It was so crowded so we hopped in a cab to Arlo and Esme on E. 1st between 1st and 2nd Ave. We finally met a bunch of Florine's dental school friends, which was a lot of fun. We walked to Pomme Frites on 2nd Ave and E. 7th St. and had some great fries with mango chutney and eggplant mayo. Sherman introduced us to a taste of Canada with Poutine. Good stuff.
Today was amazing. Meera and I went to SoHo to shop for bathing suits for our upcoming trip to the Carribean. I found a bright red one that would have been "radiant red" if it was in a Crayola box of crayons. I love it! Meera bought a few great pieces and we called it a day with mango Pinkberry on Spring St. and Lafayette. If I could do it over again, I would have left out the chocolate crisps from my cone and had a few more bites of mango frozen yogurt. So refreshing... it was just what the doctor ordered.
Saturday, I went to AMNH and ran PCRs and genotyped palm samples from Colombia. It was great to go out on the steps where the Teddy Roosevelt statue is and read the Forever War by Dexter Wilkins. It's really moving. Because the war is so removed from us, it's difficult to imagine what it would be like to hover in fear with each passing second. Bombs, fighter plans, bullets that seem to come from everywhere. [Today, NYT and BBC reported about a car bomb in Times Square that was caught before it detonated. I am shocked. I know we're living in a hostile time, but I've never felt unsafe in New York City. I take this security for granted.] Kenny came for a visit and we had brunch at the Sun-Burnt Calf on W. 79th between Amsterdam and Broadway. I had poached eggs with smoked salmon and avocado on a biscuit with Jameson on ice. The Australian bartender treated me to a second one, which was super nice. Then we went to a gelato place and got too much gelato. I always want sweets but then tell Kenny I don't want to go, but he insists. I resent that I give in, I need to have better self-control in eating unhealthy things in excess. We stopped by Rob's apt in Meatpacking before I met up with Jeremy to check out the paint color in his room. I went home and took a nap before going to Asian Pub at Cooper Square, McSorley's on E. 7th where we met a bunch of Brits celebrating a 37th birthday, Phebes on Bowery and E. 4th to meet up with Florine. It was so crowded so we hopped in a cab to Arlo and Esme on E. 1st between 1st and 2nd Ave. We finally met a bunch of Florine's dental school friends, which was a lot of fun. We walked to Pomme Frites on 2nd Ave and E. 7th St. and had some great fries with mango chutney and eggplant mayo. Sherman introduced us to a taste of Canada with Poutine. Good stuff.
Today was amazing. Meera and I went to SoHo to shop for bathing suits for our upcoming trip to the Carribean. I found a bright red one that would have been "radiant red" if it was in a Crayola box of crayons. I love it! Meera bought a few great pieces and we called it a day with mango Pinkberry on Spring St. and Lafayette. If I could do it over again, I would have left out the chocolate crisps from my cone and had a few more bites of mango frozen yogurt. So refreshing... it was just what the doctor ordered.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)