More adventures in Bioland

Happy Chinese New Year!

Last night being "Spring Holiday" in China, they broadcast a ridiculous propaganda segment about how the central government and chinese people have helped the stranded train travelers due to the suprised snow stormed that swept through Mainland recently.  Foreign press have showed a huge mob at Guangzhou of travelers trying to get home in time for the holidays, waiting for trains that may never arrive.  Apparently, my friend told me that since they have got no place to go and are afraid to lose their spot or luggage, (in Mainland, you've got to watch your stuff or they are gone in a cinch!), in desperation, they do their "business"... right there in their spots!  Eeee, not a pretty mental picture.  For some sad reason, I'm not too surprised.  It's so Mainland.  Anyways, the propaganda speech praised how quickly the govt provided shelter and food to their fellow comrades, some neighbors even invite them to their homes.  Yes, they do show a footage of one train station where they hurdled the crowd into an indoor stadium, providing food, free water (which is rare in Mainland), and use of bathrooms (at last!).  It's no wonder that Mainlanders have got to fight for everything, getting on the bus, the way they shop, even when they cross the street, because if you don't get it first, someone else will beat you to it.  I sure learned to pick up my step and fight to get to first when I was in China.  But it left me being constantly stressful and quite exhausted by the end of the day.  What about that verse where Jesus said, "Whoever is first will be last, and last first."  Be a servant and let someone go ahead of you.  Don't think that can happen in the Mainland.

Getting back to the swing of things, such as school, has been difficult.  In fact, I am trying to brave it all by taking 16 units and perhaps working.  It has been quite embarrasing experience in my Microbiology lab, of which I thought it will be a piece of cake, since I have learned everything I need to know about Micro techniques at my last job.  Boy, was I wrong.  During first hands on experiment, we were to prepare media, TSB.  Oh, so easy, just weight out the stuff and add them to the pot.  It's not that far from cooking.  I took the initiative to weight out all the dry ingredients, thinking I was a master at it and would speed through it unlike my inexperienced teammates.  When all the stuff was added, guess what?!  We were left with a mysterious looking pot of chicken soup gone bad while the other groups' looked perfectly clear.  We did it a second time, the same thing happened. So the third time being the charm one, I better not screw it up by letting someone else do all the tough work.  Then it turned out alright, clear!  I felt like such a black sheep, messing up our stuff so they all have to stay later.  What would I have done to mess it up?  I know no one pointed any fingers, but I can feel the blame was being cast on me.  Well, not too soon after that, I made another magnificient display in my class.  All we had to do was make a slide, flame it a bit.  I've done it before but I heated it too much.  For some strange reason, the prof told us to test how hot it is by tabbing it on the back of our hands.  It's hot, only an idiot would do that!  Obediently listening to authority again, I touched my slide and it was so hot that I dropped it.  Everyone heard the crash, and I felt my dignity just fell out of the window.  Just don't tell anybody that I went to Berkeley.