Back home in Vancouver!

I haven't updated for awhile - writing a post on xanga usually requires a lot more time than the free time that I have.  Whew, being a grad student sure is tough.  I just finished writing my second and last final yesterday before finishing a few things in the lab, rushing home to pack in 45 minutes, then heading out the door to make it to the airport.  It still is quite surreal to be home again...

If there's a word that I'd use to describe this past month, it would be busy.  There's just never really enough time to do anything.  You try to do research and work productively in the lab, but you find yourself wasting time by doing other things.  Classes are quite the distraction and while you might've never thought I would say this, sure wish I didn't have to do classes.  Hahahaha... maybe the Vancouver weather is making me a little crazy.  Life has fallen into a routine of getting up, going to the lab, staying there late, coming home, and sleeping.  Of course, there's church on Sundays too.  The weather has been really mild compared to what I've heard Toronto gets like.  But alas, with the holidays upon us, it'll be a nice and relaxing time for everyone.  My group at U of T is really like a home away from home for me as we do so many things together.  Unfortunately I didn't take so many pictures but I'll put up what I have when I get the chance to - Christmas party, hanging out, doing all of the normal things together.  I suppose that's what happens when you spend all week with the same people.  Thank God for placing me here!  But all the more, praise God that I'm home!

It's good to be back.  Look forward to seeing all of you guys again and catching up!  It'll be good to come back to my home church and remember what it's like to be here worshipping God together with all of you.  It'll be good to reminesce on our good times, to hang out again, to eat wonderful Vancouver food, to drive, to relax for a change.  Anyway, I better stop blabbing - hope to see you in person soon!

God bless everyone!

At last, an update!

Wow, I've greatly neglected my blog in the past month or so, so I decided that I should make up for it and post something here for a change. 

What's been going on this past little while?  I've really started to settle into my lab now - we're a group of four graduate students, three undergrads, two postdocs, and the boss of course.  I must say that we form quite a good group of people and we have tons of fun together doing chemistry and also non-chemistry things too.  Things at the lab are looking good, as more and more equipment have come in.  In fact, we got so much stuff that our instrument room is literally filled with styrofoam peanuts, bubble wrap, cardboard, and the like.  It definitely is too perfect not to take a picture of it...

At home, things have been going okay.  With the busyness of research at the lab, in combination with coursework, once in awhile household chores get put on hold (as you can see from my previous pictures).  But, I did clean up and now my place is looking nice.  This past week, my parents came to visit and I got myself a new computer table too.  Here's the updated pics of my new place.  And don't you guys dare laugh at the fact that I take pictures of just me!

 
   

Speaking of homes, I visited my friend Carmen's family for Thanksgiving and had a fantastic turkey dinner (as well as lunch as well).  She lives in Hamilton so I had to do a little bit of bussing but it all turned out okay.  We ended up spending most of the day studying for a midterm so I wasn't able to really see much of the city, but from a first glance, I was greatly impressed by the fact that there are actually trees.  Hahahaha, well Toronto isn't that bad, but I miss the greenery of Vancouver and the beautiful campus that is UBC.  Anyway, the pics are here (there's no pictures of the actual dinner - we were too busy eating)!

 
   

I started attending this fairly large baptist church and have gone to their college group and such.  It's really different for me to be going to church where I don't already know the vast majority of the people there, but it's good to meet other people.  I miss all of you back in Vancouver though, all the crazy times that we used to have, the great discussions, our outings and such.  I can't believe I've been gone for so long!

But here comes the good news: I'm coming home for Christmas!  Well that's the plan anyway, as it turns out that flights are awfully expensive around Christmas time so I'll try to work something out around my exam schedule.  And all of you back in Vancouver, we'll be sure to hang out and catch up when I'm back!

Anyway, it's getting a little bit late here so I better stop blogging and head to bed... Wow, I'm getting old, aren't I?

God bless you all.

Finally have Internet at my place!  That's one of the many things that you often take for granted until you don't have it.  But then again, it also shows that you can somehow get by without so many extra things in your life...

Things are starting to settle down now.  I have a mostly functional apartment (still with the exception of a few items like a toaster and couch), a working phone, the such.  Still looking for a church though-definitely miss all of you back home!  Visited actually one last week and it's a lot bigger than I'm used to.  I think it's so much better when you know everybody at the church, get to just chill out and relax with people.  Miss those times but I'll so look forward to coming back and visiting all of you!

Things are starting to settle down in the lab too.  I've formally joined Vy Dong's research group at U of T, starting to help set up everything.  It's always fun to try to do work without all the right equipment and such.  Kinda funny too because things don't always work out so well as a result.  At least there's something to blame on.  Hahahahaha...

Most of the people I've met so far here have been in the chemistry department (sad enough) but it's good, since these are the same people I'll spend the next few years with.  It turns out that I do know a lot of people because when I got here, I realized that a few people from UBC came over too, and both chemists!  What are the chances.  But what's even more, one of my friends from years past (actually we haven't seen each other since 2002) turns out to live in one of the other buildings in my complex!  Just walking to the subway one day and happened to run into him.  I guess the world is a small place after all...

I'll try to put up some more pictures in my next post!