２０１４年７月３０日ー８月１日

July 30th:

I focused on my presentation all day, working out the fine details of it. In the evening we had our last farewell party for the people leaving in August. This picture basically sums up the night.

Ending it right with a feast. 

Denise (my German friend) trying her first Dr. Pepper. The taste of American freedom, liberty, and justice is strong. 

July 31st:

I was in semi-panic mode the day before my presentation. I had no idea what to expect. And despite everyone from the previous semester telling me its graded very lightly, the nerves still set in a little bit. To release some tension, I went out to play some tennis with Felix. And check out this massive praying mantis I found on the court!!

Look at those alien eyes. Amazing..

And all the little spines on its limbs. 

For size reference.

In the evening, my good friend Eunju invited me, Felix, Duncan, and Yo to eat home cooked Korean food and watch a movie at her place. We couldn't pass on her hospitality, so we made our way over by bike and brought some beers and candy. It was a great success. Though the apartment was a single room (like many in Japan are), we all fit on her bed and desk and ate enjoying each other's company. The nice thing about going to hang out with Eunju is that we always had to speak in Japanese. She doesn't speak much English, so all of us strained ourselves to deliver our best Japanese, and it usually worked. And she's incredibly kind, patient and easy-going. Anyhow. We watch Insidious (excpet Yo, he covered his face with his shirt and hands for half the movie cause he was scared... XD). After the movie, I practiced my presentation in front of everyone, and Felix gave me a bunch of useful advice. Finally, after saying our goodbyes, we went back to the dorm, where Felix further critiqued my presentation until about 2 in the morning. It was great practice for me, so thank you Felix for the guidance.

August 1st:

Presentation day! Suited up ready to rock and roll:

I guess I tried to capture my stiff, competitive attitude in this picture.. lol!

Some people didn't wear any suits, but I was shooting to win a presentation award. Moreover, there were tons of professors watching the presentations throughout the day, so I felt it was important to look professional. Unfortunately, it was hot, and my presentation wasn't until about 4 in the afternoon. So I sat through countless presentations, most of which I knew absolutely nothing about because the topics were deep in biology or chemistry. Finally, it came time for me to present. It was a successful presentation. I even managed to slip in a sexual innuendo that a couple people snickered at. Overall, I felt I delivered my data in a digestible manner, no matter what you are studying. And I answered questions pretty well during the Q & A section. I believe, this is what won me my presentation award. That's right! Woohoo!! I got the 1st place prize for my presentation. And everyone pressured me to deliver a speech after I shook hands with the chief of the Frontier Lab program. Thankfully, my public speaking has improved since the last time I was forced into that position. I somewhat gracefully managed to express myself and my appreciation for what everyone had done. I genuinely meant it. I have grown so much thanks to this experience. I learned a lot, not only about the science I was studying, but about myself.

I dropped by my lab to share the accomplishment with my professor, who was super excited for me. 

His support is unreal. Looking forward to going to conferences with him.

And on the way home, I was just so overwhelmed with happiness. There is simply no greater feeling than working really hard for something and having it pay off. Really makes you feel on top of the world. I tried to capture it on my camera on my bike ride home.

This is my happy face.

So what do you do after you finish a huge load of work? Party!!

But first, the "after" selfie.

I taught everyone how to play beer pong that night too.

This is precious. In their defense, everyone got super drunk this night.

It was a wild night. Some people passed out in bathroom stalls, some on the table of the 2nd floor study room, and some even in their own vomit. In the end, no one got seriously hurt, and I was in jolly spirits the whole evening.