Day 24: Frustrations

You know what they say... "Nothing is perfect." And my work in the laboratory is no exception. I just have to accept that we don't always get what we want when we want them. We don't always get favorable results on the first try, right? These things... they take time. And that's the sad part. Time is what I don't have right now. And I am even starting to think that maybe 30 days aren't enough. I know it's my own fault. I let myself be distracted by so many things back when I had all the time in the world. So now I am in so much pressure. Maybe this is the reason why I've been acting kind of weird lately. I feel so angry and irritable most of the time. I vent out my frustrations to innocent people. I'm becoming more and more sensitive and emotional. I know all this will be over. I just hope it will all be over soon.

I've got no time to lose. Next week's gonna be one hell of a week for me, I know it. I won't even get to rest and enjoy on my own birthday. Well, that sucks.

Day 22: On Gel Chrom

It's May 5, Day 22 of my thirty-day series.


I'm in the lab right now and today's agenda: Swelling of Sephadex G-100 and column set-up. 


For those of you who have no idea what Gel Chrom (Gel Filtration Chromatography) is about but wanna know more about it, click here.


Actually, Sephadex G-100 takes about three days (at room temperature) to swell BUT this swelling time may be shortened using a boiling water bath. Bottom line: my three-day waiting time is reduced to 5 hours, yeah! And now, three of the five hours have passed. Two more hours to go.

Day Whatever: Partials

I doubt that anyone noticed that I haven't posted anything this week. So much more my 30-day countdown, eh? Anyway, this week I started writing my manuscript, making do with the partial results that I have in hand.

So much to do, so little time.

Day Zero

Today is Day Zero. Tomorrow is Day One. May 15, 2010 is Day 30.

The past month has been one hell of a month. Too many meltdowns in such a short period of time. But now I am leaving all that behind and as a part of my new-month-new-outlook plan, I've decided to start a blog. YEY. I know I'll be busy enough with my thesis this summer but I need something to keep me together.

I'm not much of a writer (blogging's not really my thing) but I've written countless laboratory reports already. How different are they really? HAHA

"Why Day Zero?", you may ask. Well, as implied by the opening statements of this post, my 30 days of summer starts tomorrow (the day I'll be going back to the lab for my thesis after three weeks of hiatus --> very important day) and ends on May 15 (the official end of summer classes here in the university --> very important day as well). Weekends except for May 15 excluded. Since today is the day before Day One, then today is Day Zero? (Dumb moment here) Anyway, hopefully, by Day 30 I will have accomplished EVERYTHING, academic-wise.

Today, Day Zero, I submitted a progress report to my thesis adviser. Oh, and I also had my first ever Slurpee. Yes, first ever! At least I've accomplished something today, eh? Probably later I'll resume my Heroes Season 4 marathon. On the 6th or 7th episode already. Many more to go.

Oh, and I am so looking forward to subject my mungbean albumin extract to sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) tomorrow. There's a first time for everything. Wish me luck!