TA start!

Sunday, January 4

153.0 lbs (from 152.5 lbs on Oct 26) | 🏃🏻 Done (7/6)

I spent the entire day preparing my QBC journal club presentation. Other than the Reaction Mechanism starting tomorrow, this might be my last real “course assignment” in life (please🙏). I think I am done with coursework. Hitting the gym, doing Laundry, housework, and meal prep made the day fly by. In my master’s I slept about six hours and I wonder how I managed. Now even seven hours sometimes leaves me tired. There are so many impressive people in the world, including my grandma and parents (they sleep less than 6 hours🤔).

Monday, January 5

153.8 lbs (from 152.5 lbs on Oct 26) | 🏃🏻 Done (1/6)

A chaotic day. Morning lab meeting, my first TA session, and more. At the group meeting, one of my CCB cohort members gave a chalk talk to practice for the qualifying exam, which was helpful since mine is not far away. I realized that exam questions can reach far beyond the specific concepts in my project, so I need to study the core background steadily. For TA work, even though I studied organic chemistry a lot, I have forgotten many details and need more effort to teach with confidence.

Tuesday, January 6

154.5 lbs (from 152.5 lbs on Oct 26) | 🏃🏻 Done (2/6)

I met one of my committee professors to introduce my proposal and… I got completely toasted😳 My committee is unusual since the four professors span biophysics, protein design, drug discovery, antibodies, small molecules, imaging, and chemistry. Whoever I meet, I get a new angle of feedback, and it is hard to craft a proposal that satisfies everyone. What I want to emphasize may feel too niche to someone else…

Protein design is finally done and I selected candidates, but other experiments turned messy. An instrument failed and the purified protein I worked so hard on was lost, so I have to restart. Trouble seems to pile up when I am in a hurry. But I will keep my head up.

Wednesday, January 7

155.8 lbs (from 152.5 lbs on Oct 26) | 🏃🏻 Done (3/6)

Beautiful, clear skies. In the DeGrado lab meeting, a graduate student I respect presented. The talk was organized, the data were strong, and I was absorbed. In the following journal club, Bill outlined a more structured format to prepare for two months of remote meetings while he is in England. This was really helpful because no one has explained this basic detail so far.

After a TA session, I had an evening meeting with Bill that was very productive and also personal. I shared that my English feels plateaued after about a year and a half in the United States. Bill suggested weekly check-in presentations with a kind and talented postdoc starting the week after next, so I can practice explaining my thoughts in English. I am grateful. I hope I can keep my curiosity bright and be considerate and energetic even at a high level like him. Both my PIs also have a great sense of humor, which makes them even more inspiring. All that remains is for me to do my part.

Thursday, January 8

156.3 lbs (from 152.5 lbs on Oct 26) | 🏃🏻 Done (4/6)

A Shokat lab graduate student kindly discussed my proposal and helped me think through points a professor criticized earlier this week. Asking for input instead of brooding alone was the right move. Experiments all went poorly today. A new resolution for the year came to mind. Do not cling too tightly to work. Experiments will not always follow the plan, so I want to face that uncertainty without excessive stress and bounce back quickly. Exercise does help, but I also want a calmer mindset.

Friday, January 9

156.4 lbs (from 152.5 lbs on Oct 26) | 🏃🏻 Done (5/6)

Nothing special. I hit the gym and worked hard. It is funny that with better instruments, I can now see errors I could not detect before. That is both a relief and a headache. Ignorance can feel easy, but science demands honesty, so I will solve the problems one by one.

Saturday, January 10

155.6 lbs (from 152.5 lbs on Oct 26) | 🏃🏻 Done (6/6)

I stopped by the lab in the morning, then went with An to Chinatown for haircuts. An is stressed about choosing a research direction, so we talked while moving around and over lunch. Our fields differ, but since we are in the same program the shared background makes research conversations comfortable. I hope we both get through this stretch well. An once recommended bitter melon, and the bitter melon chow mein was fantastic. Capital is good, but my current favorite place in Chinatown is New Fortune Restaurant (815 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94108). I strongly recommend it. After that, I wrapped up experiments, worked out, and ended the day well.