I slept until 1 today, haven’t done that since Caltech, but I did have my late-night insomnia/illness to blame for that. At the lab, I tried to call Sarah and wish her a happy birthday, but epicly failed at connecting to the internets using the outside network. First I failed to bring the password with me when I went outside to not disturb my labmates, and then I discovered the password didn’t work anyway. Shikata ga nai ne.
I got to finally do some experimental work today; I mixed the oil with the GER powder to make a GER fluid for my own work, and then spent a good amount of time discussing my plans with Among. We have a bunch of ideas that might work, but we’ll have to try several different ones because none are guaranteed to do so. Apparently, putting together different types of materials on the 100 micrometer scale is harder than you’d think…
I got a Chinese name today. I am now Gu-Kaixi, at least according to Among. Gu means “Arrowroot” (this part I might change) and 凯希Kaixi (kai shee) means Hope of Victory. Jinbo says it isn’t a very Chinese name, but I like it. First and foremost, however, I will remain ケーシー more than a Kaixi.
I have finished both my pleasure reading books and now have only a gajillion other things to distract me from my work. Oh internets, why must thou exist to abet procrastinators so?
This afternoon, Dr. Li showed me the track and swimming pool at HKUST (the track is within throwing distance of the ocean) and some of the undergraduate areas of the school. I think I’ll spend some evenings down there meeting people my own age (not that I’m not enjoying the company of my labmates). Among warned me not to go swimming down at the ocean though; apparently, there are sharks that are big enough to sample me, if not devour me completely. Last night, in my own wanderings, I discovered a spot on one of the lower levels that is mostly enclosed with excellent acoustics, but is far enough away that I can’t bother anybody. I’m going to have to go back with my rollup piano and sing one of these nights.
July 8, 2009
Nothing terribly exciting happened today. Slept late again (I’ll go to bed early tonight, I promise). I did pass my safety examination (apparently I studied hard enough in the 8 hours I prepared during). Then I got a safety briefing about how to use the chemical rooms, and now I have card access to the rooms. Might come in handy tomorrow or later when I really start working on my own.
I’ve decided to put Cantonese on the back burner, although I’ll keep it up a bit. I’ll focus instead on Mandarin, because everybody around me speaks it, and it will be far more useful should I go to the mainland. I have a visa to do so.
Attached to this post are a bunch of photos of the office on the fourth floor and of the adjacent lab. There are also a few long-dark-creepy hallways pics (the one that looks long and dark). I won’t show any more photos because they all look the same, hence me getting lost almost constantly and frequently turned around. I’m getting better and almost not failing at getting everywhere.
Music of the Day: "Pur ti Mio" from Montiverdi's Poppea. The lower singer on this track is Philippe Jaroussky, and he is male, despite the voice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYc_O-fpHzQ
The words are less than thrilling, but the music is sublime, to say the least
Italian
Pur ti miro, pur ti godo
Pur ti stringo, put ti annodo
Piu non peno, non moro,
O mia vita, o mio tesoro.
English
I gaze on you, I rejoice in you,
I embrace you, I chain you to me,
I suffer no more, I die no more,
Oh my life, oh my treasure.
That song is GORGEOUS.
ReplyDeleteThe addition of the sheet music is fun, too.
Can I imagine that somewhere in China, strains of this are drifting through those empty laboratory hallways with excellent acoustics? Because I'd certainly like to.