August has come — school is starting again in the blink of an eye! As this sad date advances closer and closer, we are filled with more and more regret for the things we could not do in the summer. Thus, to compensate and cheer us all up, I decided to hold a sort of Advent Calendar. No, you don’t get chocolates, or virtual items for your Neopets, or toys. I have something better :)
Each day of August, you get a brand-spankin’ new mini-post! (Disclaimer: mini-post can consist of as few as one sentence.) I’ll stop blabbing here; let’s get this party started!
Week 1 – Monday August 1 to Sunday August 7
Monday, August 1
(By the way, I am backdating this minipost. Hee hee… yes, I am cheating.) The Common App launched today, and I haven’t even bothered to think about it. I had a dumpling party yesterday with Vincent, Mr. Zhang, Lucy, and Sue (and various parents). Originally I just invited Mr. Zhang, Vincent, and his dad, since it was supposed to be a little private get-together to celebrate Vincent’s departure as he would be moving permanently to Boston. Lively party was interesting to me (and I usually don’t find social functions interesting), but my parents thought that everybody’s parents kept talking about pointless things and making stupid arguments about stuff that nobody cares about. True, I guess. Vincent’s dad was different from what I expected. He disciplined Vincent well, as I expected, but he didn’t feel as oriented as Vincent. Something I talked about with my parents — why would he follow his son all the way to Boston? It’s like he didn’t care at all about his own life and dedicated everything he did to Vincent. In fact he outright affirmed that, making a splendid metaphor to how he was the first-stage rocket of the spacecraft known as Vincent. I suppose Harvard or somebody he meets there would become his second stage, propelling him furthermore on his journey to the stars.
Today Simon, one of the senior interns under my mentor here at JPL, came back finally from his school. Yes, it is around the end of his internship already, haha. Anyways, to celebrate, we went to this severely overpriced restaurant in Old Town Pasadena (or at least I think that’s Old Town) called Gyu-Kaku. I don’t know why white people like Asian food so much, but they do apparently. It was pretty good, but for the cheap $10 value meal thing I ordered, they barely gave anything. It’s a Yakiniku restaurant, and I think this is the first time I’ve been to one. It’s like a hotpot restaurant, except it’s not a hotpot, it’s a grill-thing. They give you meat, you cook it. What I thought was pretty interesting was the spinach they included in the value meal (because spinach = value!). Yes, it was just spinach. Raw spinach. Anyways, they wrapped it in aluminum foil with a few slices of garlic for you to, uh, toss on the grill (read: “cook”), and it was pretty good.
And yeah… crap happened in June and July, but meh. I’ll backdate a few posts to talk about important stuff, of course. Like Stanford. Oh yeah. Still need to write that post…
Have I mentioned that the Common App came out today? And I still haven’t started?
Tuesday, August 2
(Also backdated.) I had lunch with Zack today, where I failed a physics problem. After chatting about Zack’s cruise, the hot Russian grade-skipping genius college chick he met, how he stole her from her boyfriend, and how that made him totally cool, we were talking about the softball game I was going to play tomorrow (Wednesday). Of course, I have absolutely no athletic talent — even less than my artistic talent.
Wednesday, August 3
(Hey, guess what, it’s backdated.) Highlight of the day was my softball game. I was catcher, and I was completely clueless so I didn’t know to call foul or fair. Yet, everybody still helped me and said kind things, gave helpful advice. It feels great to be part of a team.
Thursday, August 4
(I’m serious, I intended to start this, but Thursday’s minipost is also backdated.) Today I met with the most important lawyer in all of JPL/CalTech. Considering lawyers charge like $500 per hour, and I got a half hour with him, that’s a nice $250 worth of legal counsel there.
It turns out he was actually a patent lawyer in his previous job for a big aerospace company. How brilliantly convenient!
Friday, August 5
I liked this quote from the Official Google Blog about startups:
We’re a small, close-knit group of friends that spend most of our time huddled in a room making decisions on the spot and moving fast to launch a product in a matter of months.
Here are the results of today’s productivity:
I love making post-it art. The things that end up coming out of my pen are always so random though. And yes, of course, my artistic capabilities are not quite proficient.
Saturday, August 6
(This is backdated again — I didn’t get to finish writing my other backdated posts so more stuff got pushed back.) My presentation yesterday got cancelled. But now I have to work on my presentation and paper instead of enjoying my weekend. Mwahh.
Ended up goofing off most of the day. Who would have expected.
Pic somewhat related. Somewhat.
Sunday, August 7
(Backdated.) This is one of those rare days when I was able to make myself do work. I feel so accomplished — wrote a huge huuuge detailed PowerPoint and came up with some key concepts to emphasize. Unfortunately I couldn’t write much of my paper.
He disciplined Vincent well, as I expected, but he didn’t feel as oriented as Vincent. Something I talked about with my parents — why would he follow his son all the way to Boston? It’s like he didn’t care at all about his own life and dedicated everything he did to Vincent. In fact he outright affirmed that, making a splendid metaphor to how he was the first-stage rocket of the spacecraft known as Vincent. I suppose Harvard or somebody he meets there would become his second stage, propelling him furthermore on his journey to the stars.
That sounds so Asian-parent-y. Well, I guess that’s expected from some physics genius going to Harvard.
It’s like a hotpot restaurant, except it’s not a hotpot, it’s a grill-thing. They give you meat, you cook it.
I went to a Korean barbeque place like that tonight.
Highlight of the day was my softball game. I was catcher, and I was completely clueless so I didn’t know to call foul or fair.
The catcher isn’t supposed to do that…unless you were the umpire too…
Today I met with the most important lawyer in all of JPL/CalTech. Considering lawyers charge like $500 per hour, and I got a half hour with him, that’s a nice $250 worth of legal counsel there.
Wait, did you got legal advice from him?
I liked this quote from the Official Google Blog about startups:
That’s totally our start up company…at least up to “room”. we don’t make decisions and move slowly to never launch a product. Well, I guess we could still have a chance to launch something “in a matter of months”
Pic somewhat related. Somewhat.
No.
Luckyyyy.
Maybe it’s different in softball. There was just one guy behind the batter, no umpire.
Anyways, I’m just happy I was able to throw balls back to the pitcher without being laughed at.
Yup :D
WE CAN STILL DO THIS. TOGETHER!
Seriously…
Yes…
Anyways I think the point of that pic was that “anime is stupid and a waste of time.” What am I doing analyzing my own posts for literary crap.
Maybe it’s different in softball. There was just one guy behind the batter, no umpire.
Anyways, I’m just happy I was able to throw balls back to the pitcher without being laughed at.
Oh, I guess you just were the umpire and the catcher.
Yup :D
Good job pulling that off, lol.
WE CAN STILL DO THIS. TOGETHER!
Seriously…
Maybe, lol. But we have to check that seriousity meter again.
i wasn’t even trying… seriously. It just… happened. And I’m so glad for it.
Yeah let’s do that next time we’re all here.