One hour before the department weekly symposium.
And I suddenly just feel like writing.
Went home at 3:30 am, washed up and read a bit (eh research related, not TIME again) and went to bed at 5:00 am.
My alarm clock went off at 8 am as I have to meet my hardware project supervisor at 9:45.
But then I figured I'd just sleep for a few more minutes.
So I reset the time to 8:25.
And then I fell asleep again.
And I dreamed.
I dreamed I was at my office, frenetically writing up programs and submitting GRID jobs.
And somehow I felt that I had to got all the jobs submitted by 8:25.
And at about 8:20 sth. I realized a huge mistake in my programs.
And I was trying to correct them up like crazy.
And then my alarm clock went off.
And it took me a few seconds to come to that no, I was not at my office yet: I was still in bed.
Got up and quickly shower, facial, make-up.
Put on my vintage Ungaro silk dress. It's a beautiful dress, pink rose petals scattered on dark silk, draping in front and zipper detail at the sleeve cuffs, impeccable material and details.
And I stormed out the door.
Got to my office at 9:52.
Email from my supervisor, "where are you?"
- -//
Met with her and another post-doc I've been working with at CERN.
Meeting lasted till 10:30.
Went directly to an Associate Memory mini-Workshop.
Workshop lasted till 1pm with no stop.
At one point in the middle I felt like I was about to pass out.
Not sure why, just a funny feeling in my chest and not getting enough air.
Lucky me my phone rang so I had the perfect reason to step outside to answer it.
And to get air.
And it was the salon calling me to confirm my haircut reservation for tomorrow.
Still something to look forward to.
Got back, had lunch and some random web browsing, took a half hour nap at my desk.
Before I was writing up this post I was trying to read over my notes for my particle physics class.
And then symposium.
And then a bit more studying?
We have the department's monthly "Women for Physics" dinner tonight.
Again sth. else to look forward to.
Life is good.
Each time I see my lovely lovely lovely advisor I can feel how lucky I am.
Gotta work hard and keep working.
God bless all.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
It's Sunday
It's Sunday.
Which means I have to start working.
Last night I did a ton of laundry (believe or not, having lived here for half a year I've never used the laundry room in my apartment building: I hand-wash anything washable; and the rest go to the dry cleaners of course. Reasons? It saves money...well for a girl who just spent 200 bucks on clothes and accessories yesterday this hardly seems a reliable excuse. I guess partly it is better for the clothes and partly, I guess hand-washing gives me the little upper body exercise that I could use? ;-P) and snugged into bed between my pillows and read. I mean actually read "read" "read", nothing academic related, I read last week's issue of TIME.
And it felt so good.
I just ignored the particle physics book and lecture notes in my bag and read for half an hour.
I felt like a drug addict finally getting a quick fix: the moment of ecstasy,and the guilt that accompanies it.
And I started feeling somewhat a bit sorry: what has grad school done to me that I would feel this way for reading TIME on a Saturday night?
It reminds me of high school, when I was in the provincial science experimental program (whatever it is called): basically 40 kids got picked from our province (well I come from China so it is a province with a population over 10 million...) and stuck into an intensive program aiming at the national science olympiads. We had classes from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. with really short meal breaks. One night when we were supposed to have a math class, the biology instructor came in and told us somehow a change of schedule and we'd have biology class that night.
I remember the roaring cheers in the classroom, books and hats thrown into the air.
What is so happy about that? It's not like the teacher came in and said the class was canceled.
Well the thing is: if the class got canceled we'd have to go home into the pile of work; but instead it was BIOLOGY, compared with math and physics which took up more than 50% of our lives, a lecture of biology is almost as pleasing and easy as a musical; you just listen, and try to enjoy.
Well alright gotta start working now.
Hopefully I can get some sleep tonight: I have a 9am group meeting tomorrow followed by 2 classes and one lecture. Some Monday.
God bless all.
Which means I have to start working.
Last night I did a ton of laundry (believe or not, having lived here for half a year I've never used the laundry room in my apartment building: I hand-wash anything washable; and the rest go to the dry cleaners of course. Reasons? It saves money...well for a girl who just spent 200 bucks on clothes and accessories yesterday this hardly seems a reliable excuse. I guess partly it is better for the clothes and partly, I guess hand-washing gives me the little upper body exercise that I could use? ;-P) and snugged into bed between my pillows and read. I mean actually read "read" "read", nothing academic related, I read last week's issue of TIME.
And it felt so good.
I just ignored the particle physics book and lecture notes in my bag and read for half an hour.
I felt like a drug addict finally getting a quick fix: the moment of ecstasy,and the guilt that accompanies it.
And I started feeling somewhat a bit sorry: what has grad school done to me that I would feel this way for reading TIME on a Saturday night?
It reminds me of high school, when I was in the provincial science experimental program (whatever it is called): basically 40 kids got picked from our province (well I come from China so it is a province with a population over 10 million...) and stuck into an intensive program aiming at the national science olympiads. We had classes from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. with really short meal breaks. One night when we were supposed to have a math class, the biology instructor came in and told us somehow a change of schedule and we'd have biology class that night.
I remember the roaring cheers in the classroom, books and hats thrown into the air.
What is so happy about that? It's not like the teacher came in and said the class was canceled.
Well the thing is: if the class got canceled we'd have to go home into the pile of work; but instead it was BIOLOGY, compared with math and physics which took up more than 50% of our lives, a lecture of biology is almost as pleasing and easy as a musical; you just listen, and try to enjoy.
Well alright gotta start working now.
Hopefully I can get some sleep tonight: I have a 9am group meeting tomorrow followed by 2 classes and one lecture. Some Monday.
God bless all.
Shopping is a girl's best friend
"When I shop, the world gets better."
--From "Confessions of a Shopaholic"
Last summer at CERN, my office mates joked to me that I should watch this movie.
And I told them that I did watch it.
And what I remembered is this line.
What a week.
Yesterday is department open house. Later in the afternoon the prospective students and a bunch of luckily selected grad students went downtown to a nice Mexican restaurant for dinner. And during the really really nice meal (4 appetizers+1 salad+1 entree+1 dessert) at one point I felt I was falling asleep. Well I was not the only one, two guys at our table ordered coffee.
Went shopping today. My Saturday routine.
Actually I started thinking I was only going downtown to return a bunch of stuff.
And when I got back look what I got at the places I visited.
Anthropologie: returned a silk skirt(lovely skirt at amazing price but not quite my style) and a top; bought a lovely wool hat with a flowery tie and a corset belt(the suede leather belt is marked down to $9.95 from the original $58 or sth.?)
F21: returned a lace jacket (really nice jacket and quite well made for its price, but it is just too short for my 6' frame); bought a canvas bag with faux leather trim, nice summer/nautical look.
Ann Taylor: returned a silk dress (well I bought the size2 online, found out it was too big for me; so repurchased a size0 in store last week...); bought 2 more silk dresses and a silk blouse (well it is 25% off sale price so like 60% or more so off original price and silk is so perfect for spring and summer and the prints are beautiful and after so many consecutive dress sale events isn't it just amazing to find the beauties in size0 when all sizes below 10 are sold out online...)
White House Black Market: returned the laser print belt (further marked down so I just purchased another one...sth. about getting free shipping with the black book membership) and bought a metal chain belt/necklace. I'll probably use it more as a necklace: let's see how it works.
Borders: bought 3 bargain books. Othello, Partners in Command (about Marshall and Eisenhower) and a poem collections by Emily Dickinson. I have a huge bedside table+drawer full of books that I've been trying to read a bit every night: so far it has proven difficult to keep the habit. I still remember once I found King Lear among the bargain books and when I was checking it out the girl asked me whether it was for school, and I told her it's for fun, and she gave this whole "who-reads-King Lear-for-fun"kind of look. Well I don't know: I do feel embarrassed for how little Shakespeare I've read; hopefully I'll have time to finish these two by, I don't know, this summer?
Well and I received 2 packages from Anthro, today and the day before. The lean lines tunic in blue, the xs fits TTS and though it is too short for me to wear as a dress, paired with white skinnies and dark booties it should pop a fresh look: a bit different from my usual dress+pumps daily assemble though. Two pairs of tights. And the boucle cape: somehow a size s popped up online when I was browsing through past catalogs, score!
And another package from WHBM today, the laser print belt again, the dot ruffle sweater and the Elysee asymmetrical hem Skirt.
A second-year told me on the bus yesterday, you are easily the most well-dressed in the department.
I do not know if I should be happy about it.
It reminds me of what our teaching lab director told me last year, it's rare to see someone dressed like this around here; you are really setting new standards.
And I said, I hope it is in terms of academic work.
Speaking of work, again I've got no work done today.
Well it's Saturday.
Gotta work tomorrow, or rather, today.
It's already the first hour of Sunday.
--From "Confessions of a Shopaholic"
Last summer at CERN, my office mates joked to me that I should watch this movie.
And I told them that I did watch it.
And what I remembered is this line.
What a week.
Yesterday is department open house. Later in the afternoon the prospective students and a bunch of luckily selected grad students went downtown to a nice Mexican restaurant for dinner. And during the really really nice meal (4 appetizers+1 salad+1 entree+1 dessert) at one point I felt I was falling asleep. Well I was not the only one, two guys at our table ordered coffee.
Went shopping today. My Saturday routine.
Actually I started thinking I was only going downtown to return a bunch of stuff.
And when I got back look what I got at the places I visited.
Anthropologie: returned a silk skirt(lovely skirt at amazing price but not quite my style) and a top; bought a lovely wool hat with a flowery tie and a corset belt(the suede leather belt is marked down to $9.95 from the original $58 or sth.?)
F21: returned a lace jacket (really nice jacket and quite well made for its price, but it is just too short for my 6' frame); bought a canvas bag with faux leather trim, nice summer/nautical look.
Ann Taylor: returned a silk dress (well I bought the size2 online, found out it was too big for me; so repurchased a size0 in store last week...); bought 2 more silk dresses and a silk blouse (well it is 25% off sale price so like 60% or more so off original price and silk is so perfect for spring and summer and the prints are beautiful and after so many consecutive dress sale events isn't it just amazing to find the beauties in size0 when all sizes below 10 are sold out online...)
White House Black Market: returned the laser print belt (further marked down so I just purchased another one...sth. about getting free shipping with the black book membership) and bought a metal chain belt/necklace. I'll probably use it more as a necklace: let's see how it works.
Borders: bought 3 bargain books. Othello, Partners in Command (about Marshall and Eisenhower) and a poem collections by Emily Dickinson. I have a huge bedside table+drawer full of books that I've been trying to read a bit every night: so far it has proven difficult to keep the habit. I still remember once I found King Lear among the bargain books and when I was checking it out the girl asked me whether it was for school, and I told her it's for fun, and she gave this whole "who-reads-King Lear-for-fun"kind of look. Well I don't know: I do feel embarrassed for how little Shakespeare I've read; hopefully I'll have time to finish these two by, I don't know, this summer?
Well and I received 2 packages from Anthro, today and the day before. The lean lines tunic in blue, the xs fits TTS and though it is too short for me to wear as a dress, paired with white skinnies and dark booties it should pop a fresh look: a bit different from my usual dress+pumps daily assemble though. Two pairs of tights. And the boucle cape: somehow a size s popped up online when I was browsing through past catalogs, score!And another package from WHBM today, the laser print belt again, the dot ruffle sweater and the Elysee asymmetrical hem Skirt.
A second-year told me on the bus yesterday, you are easily the most well-dressed in the department.
I do not know if I should be happy about it.
It reminds me of what our teaching lab director told me last year, it's rare to see someone dressed like this around here; you are really setting new standards.
And I said, I hope it is in terms of academic work.
Speaking of work, again I've got no work done today.
Well it's Saturday.
Gotta work tomorrow, or rather, today.
It's already the first hour of Sunday.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
A Quick Word or Two
A few quick words while I wait for the safe ride to get me home at 2:30 am.
The first two weeks of the spring quarter.
I am tired, stressed, and still have heaps of work to do.
I thought I'd have time to resume my bedtime reading habits after the candidacy.
Now I do do bedtime reading, but just physics.
Luckily I still shop and I still watch the TV series I've followed for all the years.
Criminal Minds is releasing a spin-off. I do not know if I should be thrilled or just sad: the show is never going back to what it used to be in the first 2 seasons~ that is called CLASSIC.
Early morning tomorrow/today, gotta finish homework and research preparations.
The only thing fun is to think about what I should wear.
Put it together and pull them through, Iris.
The first two weeks of the spring quarter.
I am tired, stressed, and still have heaps of work to do.
I thought I'd have time to resume my bedtime reading habits after the candidacy.
Now I do do bedtime reading, but just physics.
Luckily I still shop and I still watch the TV series I've followed for all the years.
Criminal Minds is releasing a spin-off. I do not know if I should be thrilled or just sad: the show is never going back to what it used to be in the first 2 seasons~ that is called CLASSIC.
Early morning tomorrow/today, gotta finish homework and research preparations.
The only thing fun is to think about what I should wear.
Put it together and pull them through, Iris.
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