Chaotically Productive & Undulating Above the Curve

Last night, while procrastinating on studying for my upcoming immunology exam, I looked back at old planners I saved. Within them are a plethora of doodles, memories of events passed, and stresses over classes I’ve aced and haven’t thought about in years. But, what was interesting was how even as a high school student, a literal child, I still wrote down “completely unrealistic” goals for my day, at least for me. The desire for high productivity and consistency in practicing multiple skill-sets weighed on my mind (and still does, unfortunately). One of my desired summer day-plans looked something like: 5:20am wake up and stretch, 5:30am go for a run, 6:00am shower and get ready, 6:30am breakfast (only 200 calories max), 7:00am practice Spanish or Polish, 7:50am leave for pharmacy shift… followed by a full day of non-stop activity, you get the idea, I will stop it there. Did I achieve days how I planned them? Probably for no more than a couple weeks at absolute most. Now as a grad student, I laugh at the thought of actually carrying out a morning like that, but it doesn’t stop me from wishing I could.



Read More

Shades of Polymathy

“Jack of all trades, master of none”— a colloquial phrase for someone with a variety of skills but none at a level of mastery. I even used it as my topic for my undergrad university entrance essay, talking about how I had a lot of skills that led me to my choice of major and how potential acceptance would allow me to eventually “master” one skill. In recent years, though, the “complete” saying made its way ’round the world wide web, “jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than master of one,” although from what I could find, the last part is actually a 21st century addition and is not originally part of the phrase. While a bit cheesy to see on Etsy prints, I really find value in the addition. It shows that there is inherent worth in having a wide skill or knowledge base over only knowing a sole topic. Personally, I think masters of one still have value and can help push fields into new frontiers, but, well, so can jacks of all trades, no? Why can’t you be a master of two? Or maybe a master of an interdisciplinary field? Or someone who masters things consecutively in fields with the same base skills? Or maybe you’re just really good at mastering things?



Read More

Boston & Bear Brook Adventures Part 2

With my headache gone and my body somewhat more hydrated, it is again time to continue my epic tale of cozy East Coast travels. Last time, in the part one here, I ended on our museum day. Now, I pick back up as we headed to New Hampshire to spend a couple days snug in a cabin. We made a stop in Concord, where we got treats at a bakery (The Crust and Crumb Baking Co.) and migrated over to a coffee shop (Revelstoke) with a clear view of the golden-domed capital building across the street. I tried a blood orange pistachio latte, a daring choice that paid off, and Alex had one with maple cinnamon flavoring. Mine had a very nutty flavour with notes of citrus brightening the sip as you swallow, really a good combo despite how odd it may seem all together with coffee and oat milk. The rain and fog chilled the morning and made the warm, fragrant cafe an intoxicatingly serene setting for a nice moment together, not to mention they played Glass Animals and similar swirly, melt-in-your-seat music.

Coffee and treats at Revelstoke


Read More

DIY/Bricolaje de Compresas/Almohadas Térmicas

Frío frío frío. Con la excepción de alivio durante un día caluroso, es, sin duda, mi estado de ser menos favorito. He tenido mucha suerte en los últimos años; yo escapé de los duros inviernos en Chicago viviendo en los trópicos o en el sur de Illinois, donde no recibimos tanta nieve como el lago Michigan le da a la parte norte del estado. También, mi apartamento esta alrededor de los 70°F porque mis utilidades están incluidas y mi pitón bola, Kirminas, disfruta la temperatura. Muchas veces siento que mi cuerpo está cayendo a pedacitos, pero al menos mi Raynauds no ha sido tan grave. Voy a tomar cualquier victoria que yo pueda obtener.



Read More

Shoot Happens (& 2023 Photo Challenge!)

For the last few years, I’ve given myself small art challenges to keep my creative juices flowing, and, in all honesty, to give me a semi-physical and conclusive product to show and feel satisfied with. Back in 2021, I decided to use an old film camera style app to record my year as though I had a disposable camera in my pocket. When the year was up, I printed them out and put them into an album I decorated to be my yearbook (you can read about it here for part 1 and part 2). I was really content with the outcome and find it fun to show to friends who are into that sort of thing, not to mention it is much nicer to reminisce with a book than just on your phone or computer. For 2022, I tried (and failed) at keeping up with a 365 day photo challenge, where as the name suggests, I would take and post one photo a day. Now with 2023 coming up, I wanted to make my final decision for the new year.



Read More

Having the “Gall”

While IDing plants, I’ve noticed that sometimes when looking back at photos I’ve taken, the leaves have little bumps on them. I’ve always just assumed it’s a fungus growing or a deformity of the leaf. That is, until now, where I was informed those bumps actually have a name, and they can be caused by a wide variety of etiologies. They’re called “galls” or “cecidia” and are essentially growths/tumors that can form on any part of the plant, sometimes due to irritation and sometimes due to the organism of cause living inside/promoting the formation of it.



Read More

Agglutinative vs Fusional Languages

In my language learning and teaching journey, I have become somewhat of an armchair linguist, not formally educated nor capable, but does that stop me? Of course not. With what I have experienced and looked into, jargon for aspects of language acquisition and linguistic typology often pop up and leave me at spots that don’t make much sense. A while ago I wrote about mora-timed language for this same reason, as it gave me purpose to get it figured out. Today, as I procrastinate on studying for my biochem exam and am no longer as despondent as earlier this semester, I bring you fusional language. 



Read More

Battery Low

Hi y’all. I don’t know if anyone reads these, but either way I felt like it’s been a while, and whether it’s for me or for you, I want to just give a little update. I’m totally fine, but I realize I just might not have much to post or talk about on here until I get some time to either go on some adventures or to look into personal interests. I felt like just talking about the stress a bit might help, as well if anyone is in grad school or planning to, to know that it’s not just new scientific breakthroughs and super fun times 24/7, even if sometimes posts online make it seem that way. I also apologize if this post comes off like a rant– I guess it sort of is?



Read More

Snail Mail for Friends (Not So) Near & Far

While at the conference I attended in late June/July, I met someone quite kind and fascinating, and although being over 1000+ miles away, we’ve managed to keep in contact. We recently decided to each send each other a little package, and it’s gotten me thinking of how I could put together something thoughtful without spending too much, nor being “extra,” as I can tend to get at times. While I pull out all the stops with my winter holiday/Christmas greetings, from hand-painted cards with perfumes and wax seals to perfectly wrapped presents with intricate bows, I haven’t had the chance to make any sort of true snail mail since the days of my old art business as a kid. I’d like to say that the cutesy art YouTubers and Pinterest boards of product packaging ideas have given me a penchant for well-curated and/or well-dressed parcels, and although back then the styles were quite brash with pinks and anything Sanario, the care put into what was really stood out. For this post, I want to share my end of the little snail mail bargain, and hopefully I can update when I hear how the receiver likes it.



Read More
1 2 3 4 5 6 … 9