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Hello !

It’s been two weeks since my last post. Actually, I post just 2 or 3 times a month, so this is  basically  just right.

I’m at school now, and on my 2 hour break.   I’m taking Advanced Microbiology, Advanced BioChemistry , Advanced Organic chemistry,  Evolution and Scientific Analysis this semester.  ( Evolution of Microbes, by the way ) Since these are major courses. I need to get a grade no lower than B ( 80% ) , otherwise, I repeat the course. It won’t affect my GPA though, so it’s okay.  [  ……  ]   =_= ‘

No, it;s not okay.   My college life is a big eye- opener to me. I thought I’d breeze through it, like my brother ( a Mechanical Engineer )  and sister ( a Microbiologist)  who were always  on the Dean’s List  in college. But I’m struggling now,  and I feel really bad about this.  I mean, I study til my nose bleeds just to get a good grade,  but I never saw my siblings study at home,  ( my bro just played video games all his college life ) and yet, they got  A’s  all the time. Does it mean they are naturally gifted,  and I’m not?

I was Grade 2 when  I  went to  school here in the US.  it was a public elementary school just a spitting distance from our house.  The following school year, the school recommended me  to go to a GATE school, which was a 15 minute drive from our house.  GATE  means Gifted and Talented Education.  From elementary, to middle school, to high school,  I was a top 10 student with a  4.0 GPA, a straight A  GATE student.  Then came college. I thought  college would be easy coz I was smart, or so I thought. I  was wrong.

I had to write tons of essays in English and Philosophy. I hate essay writing. My brain just  isn’t wired that way.  In Philosophy, for instance, we were asked to write a 5-page essay on Descarte’s ” I am, therefore I exist “.    I hate explaining the obvious.  To me , explaining stuff  like this is an exercise in futility .  Why do I need to study this?

So, yeah, my first 2 years of college  were such a pain and so stressful. Funnily enough, I got an A in Philosophy.  Not because I was  smart     9_9 ‘……  Okay, here are my 2 blog entries in May, 2010,  to explain  how I got  grade of A.

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It’s 5 AM. Just woke up. I have not done a thing ! ! Time to push the panic button. Report is due at 5 PM on line. I have no class today but I have to go to school to submit my Chem. Lab report. * teary eyed *

How can I add 560 words to a report that is so uninspiring ? Mom is annoyed that , again, I chose the side that contradicts her own beliefs, and so, she says, it’s so difficult to gather her thoughts  and form an opinion ……….. I just woke her up. I’m panicking !  * Mom, wake up… help me *

It’s 9: 00 Am…… I’m done.  Woot ! ! I suddenly had this awe-inspiring Einstein moment where great ideas and thoughts took off and my fingers caught them and put them into words. Brilliant.

I just want to talk about something. Well, I’m supposed to be doing my Philosophy report on Pluralism, but, right now, my mind just hit a blank wall.  I need a break. If worse comes to worst, my Mom is going to help me. I did a report once on Epistimology of religion. My  brain   exploded with that one. Why can’t these philosophers explain whatever is on their mind in plain , simple English ? Anyway, I did my best, but I knew my best was not enough to get a good grade . So, I made an SOS to Mom. I was , like, Mom, you want me to get a good GPA , right ? Help me. So she did…. she read the articles, read my own report, found it totally lacking in sense and insight, < ha ha ha >, almost completely revised it, corrected my grammar < too amateurish > , and tah dah….. I got an A. Teacher said I could have gotten an A+, but she found some parts of the report a little strained.. Otherwise, it was excellent. She was also surprised that I chose Epistomology of religion as this topic was a difficult piece to discuss,. When I got home, I congratulated my Mom…… Mom , YOU got an A ! ! !  ^______^ ;;;         

Was that cheating ? I don’t think so.  I needed help and got it. They were my ideas, my thoughts.  My mother merely refined them.  Okay, she improved on them.  [ …….]  Alright, I confess. She did a lot more than that.  ” Ren,  your work is full of contradictions.  You’re wavering.  It’s really difficult to defend something that you don’t completely believe in. ”  Although we had to  revise  my work, we did it  TOGETHER.  And I learned a lot. That’s important.

Have you heard of Asian Tiger Moms ? You can google that. i think my  parents are like that, too.  We’re Asians.  I remember when Mom had me memorize the Multiplication Table  when I was just 7 years old. One mistake and she would  make me repeat the whole darn thing. “AGAIN, FROM THE TOP ! ”  Was that a bad thing?  I don’t know.  All I know is that at  age  8, I could  already do complicated  fractions, and understand the concept of equality in Math,  ” Ren, Math is all about equality. Remember that.”  In our household,  conversations and discussions always start from the question, ” What is the scientific explanation for that? ”

One would think it’s only science that  my family ever talk about over dinner. We are pracricing Catholics, and we go to Mass every Sunday, without fail.  But we’ve learned to compartmentalize our spiritual beliefs,  scientific  thought processes, and politics. As what our parish priest said at his sermon, ” don’t be a one-issue voter.”

This is it for now. My Paris tour is next. PROMISE ! ! !

Good day to all. Be nice, be good, and PEACE !