Posts about me (TJ) and my life that doesn’t fit into the other categories.
There comes a point in one’s life (especially in North America) when a person buys his/her first car, and I have finally reached that point. I managed to survive my first six months of graduate schools without a car, but it’s inconvenient not having one in a small/medium city where there are lots of highways and not a lot of public transit. After looking for several long months including through the bitterly cold winter, I finally bought a car, and what did I buy:
It’s time again to write about my last term of studies and the courses I took. This is my first term as a grad student and I managed the survive the term… barely. As a grad student, I didn’t need to take as many courses as an undergrad, but the courses were still handful on top of project work I have to do. I took three courses last term, and here are my thoughts on them:
I had one of my wisdom tooth extracted about a week ago. I’ve always been resistant to going to the dentist, but the tooth in question was a bit slanted and had a big cavity in it, so that’s why I decided to have it pulled. The extraction process wasn’t too bad since the dentist put in plenty of “freeze” so I couldn’t feel any thing but pressure, and the tooth came out relatively easily. The first day was a little tough though since my saliva still had blood and the freezing took a long time to wear off, but the recovery process has been fine so far. I ate only soft foods like congee, can soup and mashed potato for the first three days and was careful about using the other side of the mouth, and there hasn’t been much pain. There is sensation at the operation site sometimes, and sometimes there is a smell (probably food got stuck in the hole), but I don’t think I’ve developed dry socket anything nasty like that. Hopefully the recovery will continue without hiccups.
This is the first adult teeth that I’ve lost. I still have my other wisdom teeth, and I’m hoping that I can keep them cavity-free so I don’t have to get them pulled. I have my doubts though given that my teeth are quite cavity-prone.
Yesterday I joined the millions of people across the world who are traveling back home for the holidays. My first term as a graduate student is over and done with, and my adviser was kind enough to let me return home for Christmas and the New Year. My last few days were pretty hectic since I had three final exams on the two days prior to my flight, and I was pretty burnt out by the end of the third exam. I don’t think I did as well as I could have on those exams, but hopefully it’ll be good enough for “A”s. Traveling by air is also a bit of a pain these days (especially since my flights are a couple of hours long), but the fact I get to spend the holiday at home with family is worth it.
As for my plans for my time back… well I don’t really plan on doing anything other than relaxing, enjoying family company, and working on my thesis project. It certainly isn’t warm in Vancouver, but it’s still warmer than the city where my school is located. Having lived in Pacific Northwest for so long, I’m not used to cold temperatures, so coming back home is a way of escaping the cold winter over there.
That’s all I have to say for this post. I hope all of you who read this will have a happy holidays :grin: .
I went on my first conference trip recently in the area around Washington DC, and a colleague and I decided to swing by the Mall on one of the days. Due to time constraint, we only walked around the west side of the mall from near the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. This article is just for me to post some photos, nothing more.
Can’t believe it’s already been more than a month since I left home to begin graduate studies on my own. I’ve more or less settled into my new place and things have been going okay so far. Classes at my new school are fairly similar to the ones I had in 3rd/4th year at UBC, and I only have three classes. It’s hard to say if the classes are harder or easier, but I’ll have a better idea once I’ve had a midterm for each class. I haven’t done much for my research project yet, but it’s only a month in so it’s a bit too early to worry about it.
Moving on from the academic parts, I’m doing okay with all the shopping and cooking and all the other chores that comes with living on one’s own. This is the first time I’ve been on my own for any extended period of time, and so far I’ve managed to keep myself fed and clean and keep my place from turning into a dump. Not bad for a newbie independent :lol: . I actually think my cooking is surprisingly good for someone who almost never cooks at home, but I probably should give credit to my mom for teaching me a few recipes before I left. My food probably lacks variety though, but at least I’m not going hungry. In terms of shopping, I haven’t gotten a car yet so my destinations are quite limited, which makes things easier in some aspects. More choices mean more decisions to make.
In terms of activities for fun, I’ve joined some clubs and went to two gathering where there were free food. I’ve also been taking full advantage of the school’s fitness facilities and getting more exercise than ever, but I haven’t seen any tangible results just yet. I play badminton once a week too, so at least I’m not completely socially inactive. I probably should make more effort to get to know people though.
Anyways, that’s all I have to say for this update. Midterms are coming up so I better start studying.
This is my first post from my new place of residence, thousands of miles away from home. I’m starting my graduate studies somewhere in the US, and that meant packing up my stuff and moving to a new place. It’s an exciting time for me; I have my worries, but I’m still optimistic that everything will work out. If I don’t slack off, concentrate on my studies and take care of myself then I should be alright. I haven’t really settled into my new life yet, but hopefully I’ll get used to this as time goes on. I do miss my family though. Anyways, that’s all I have to write today. I have to get back into school mode before the work load really picks up. Wish me luck.
Here is another short trip/visit that’s part of my efforts to get to know British Columbia better before I leave for the US for grad school. This time, I visited Grouse Mountain, one of the more notable attractions in the Lower Mainland area. Located in North Vancouver, Grouse Mountain is a ski resort in the winter and a scenic park with shows and a trail in the summer. Despite living in the Lower Mainland for quite a few years, I’ve never been to Grouse Mountain before, and so last weekend my family decided to go there. The post is short description of our trip accompanied by some photos.
My family went to pick some blueberries recently and I just thought I should write a post about the activity. Since last year, picking blueberries has become one of my family’s favorite summer activities. Picking blueberries is an easy, inexpensive activity that is not very time-consuming or tiring. Perhaps more importantly, blueberries are also touted for various health benefits, and they can be delicious too.
A few days ago I went on another day trip to explore places near and around the Vacouver region. I will be leaving the area to study in the US soon, so these are the last few weeks that I have to get to know British Columbia a little better. This time I went the Sunshine Coast, an area composed of several small towns/villages that’s located northwest of Vancouver. As a resident of the Metro Vancouver area, I keep hearing about the term “Sunshine Coast” but before the trip I didn’t really know where the Sunshine Coast was. Just likes the trips to Sydney (Vancouver Island), my relatives and I fished and crabbed during the trip, and below is the record of that day.