Julia - 2, Facebook - 9,263,547

After the gazillions of times facebook has distracted me from my studies, I deactivated my facebook account :) And I shall attempt to not go on facebook until exams are over!

Hooray for self-control!

And They Call ME Nerdy?

The PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) Song

There was a time when to amplify DNA,

You had to grow tons and tons of tiny cells.

Then along came a guy named Dr. Kary Mullis,

Said you can amplify in vitro just as well.

Just mix your template with a buffer and some primers,

Nucleotides and polymerases, too.

Denaturing, annealing, and extending.

Well it's amazing what heating and cooling and heating will do.

PCR, when you need to detect mutations.

PCR, when you need to recombine.

PCR, when you need to find out who the daddy is.

PCR, when you need to solve a crime.

HAhaha our genetics lecturer showed this in our lecture yesterday. It's so sad hahaha :D

Procrastination

At least he put his ADD to good use hahaha

p.s it doesn't fit properly and you can't see all the words but it's gold anyway.

Screw Political Correctness

'In the event that I am reincarnated, I would like to return as a deadly virus, in order to contribute something to solve overpopulation.'
- Duke of Edinburgh

Belle

Hilarious Fact Of The Week

HAHAHAHAHAHHAA ok. Did anyone know that urea (aka the main component of urine) is in cigarettes?! Well it is!! Funniest thing I have heard all week. And it's purpose in cigarettes? - a 'flavor-enhancer'. Teehee. Anyway thought that was a hilarious piece of trivia that I should share :) Oh man it's going to be hard to stop myself laughing the next time I see someone smoke.

40 hour famine just started...just reading that sentence makes me feel hungry :(

Hold On To That Feeling

Last night was a really good night. Volunteered at a soup kitchen in Collingwood with Ven, Isaac, Sarah and Tim. We made sandwiches and went to the housing commission flats in Richmond to deliver the food to needy families. It's a real eye-opener to how some people, including kids, have to live. You can't help but be appreciative of what you have once you see what others don't. And they're so thankful for just a few ham and cheese sandwiches and some chicken noodle soup. It kind of makes me ashamed at how often I say I have no clothes to wear or how there's no food at home. And to be honest, if my mum gave me ham and cheese sandwiches for dinner I would probably refuse to eat them. It's such a blessing to be able to serve. It really is.

Love, Julia

I'M BACK

Naww poor abandoned blog. I promise to take better care of you in the future.

Anyway, so much has happened it's hard to know where to begin!

Since the last time I blogged, I have:

- been to easter camp

- turned 18

- had an awesome party

- went on biomed camp

- passed first semester

- gotten a macbook

- been to Thailand

- went hot air ballooning

- and got a dog!

It's been a crazily awesome 6 months and with the Biomed Ball and Costa Rica coming up it doesn't look like it'll stop! Though right now, uni is killing me. Whoever said year 12 was the most stressful year was out of their minds. (I have GOT to learn to stop whinging.)

Back to physics now :(

Love, Julia

The Whisper In My Heart

Life is just flying by at the moment, there are so many things happening! Easter camp tomorrow WHOOOO! And turning 18 the day after :) Then we get home and theres a massive stack of work to do and a party to organise :( Everything is going so quickly it's kind of hard to keep up. But it's a good kind of a busy. An exciting one :D

THE NEXT TIME I BLOG I'LL BE EIGHTEEN!

How scary is that?!

Love, Julia

Buzz Buzz

There's a mosquito flying around in my room. It's scary. I can't go to sleep until it's dead. Or it'll bite me and buzz near my ear and wake me up :( Die, you little disease carrying monster, die.

No Ordinary Wings I'll Need, The Sky Itself Will Carry Me

Today's been a good day. Prayed on the train to uni, ended up rambling about the most random things. It was so embarrassing on the train ride back though. Ok I shouldn't say embarrassing...it was more awkward. I saw this girl I had recently met at the station and we were just talking on the platform and I realised we were going to take the same train...meaning I would normally be obliged to sit next to her and talk to her...But like when I make a commitment I really try and keep it so I was trying to think up of all these ways of getting out of taking the train with her but like I couldn't without being rude. As we got on the train I finally just blurted out 'I'm doing this thing for church where I pray on the train...so I have to go...pray *awkward laugh*.' IT WAS SO FREAKING AWKWARD! She was from studentlife though (Christian group) so hopefully she won't think I was just plain weird or worse, making it up to get out of talking to her. Spent the next ten minutes asking God why he put me through that. But yes. My awkward train ride home :)

Before that, had a french listening test which I FAILED. It is SO frustrating not understanding something! I think if I got to have any superpower possible, it would be to understand/speak/read/write every language on the planet. How cool would that be? You could just go anywhere and chat with the locals, and NOBODY could pull that old 'speak in another language so everyone else can't understand thing *coughpreetaandsheharacough*. The ability to speak multiple languages is an incredibly attractive quality I reckon.

Got my braces tightened today as well, and in the process added another person onto my list of potential clients when I graduate: my ortho hahaha :) Now I just have to wait another 8 years until I BECOME a doctor. WHY did I choose medicine?!

Decided to have a party as well. Small party though. But I dunno...it's become a...source of internal conflict (ENGLISH FLASHBACKS). For one, I'm really really lazy and parties take effort. And two, I did a really stupid thing. I posted up on the page that I would be making an exception to my whole anti-drinking thing. REALLY not thought out well. People are making a big deal now and I kind of wish I hadn't said it? I think I'm really weird in that when most people face peer pressure, they cave, but when people place pressure on me I do the opposite. And I guess, like I said above, I made a commitment not to drink until I was 25 and making an exception even for my 18th, doesn't really feel like the right thing to do. Hmm still not sure what to do for this one.

The biggest thing on my mind though has definately been COSTA RICA! I got accepted onto the ISV volunteer program! I'm SO SO SO excited to go but at the same time really apprehensive. I guess, I don't want to get TOO excited in case it doesn't actually happen, like so many other things. Still, I'm so excited anyway. And I get to learn SPANISH! Exciting times ahead!

Love, Julia

A Little Blessing

I'm really excited about
- Lunch with Shehaha tomorrow
- Dinner with the gang on Thursday
- Biomed camp
- Getting a car hopefully soon
And the main one:
EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP

This afternoon I was taking the train back from uni early cos I had a driving lesson at 2, but the stupid parentals weren't picking up their phones meaning I would have to take a bus and then walk, but I didn't have a zone 2 ticket and after almost being caught at Jordanville the other day I am NEVER NEVER NEVER doing the wrong thing ever again :) Anyway I thought I'd have to get out at Holmesglen, buy a ticket and then have to wait a half hour to take the next train to Mt Wave, meaning I'd be late for my lesson. But as I got out, this little old lady in a wheelchair had to get on the train, so the driver had to get out the ramp and all, giving me enough time to buy my ticket, validate it and get on. To cut the long story short, I wasn't late. This seems like such a trivial thing, but to me, it was another answered prayer. And I dunno, I guess it's the little things that count, cos it kinda made my day :)

Love, Jd



EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP EASTER CAMP

Further Procrastination

1. My internet is capped and with a full 8 days of the month left, it's extremely annoying.
2. I almost fell asleep during the 8am chem lecture this morning. Whoever decided to change that lecture from 11am to 8am deserves to die. Ok that was a bit harsh. I don't mean that :)
3. Someone fell asleep during my calc lecture today and got yelled at by my super weird lecturer. It was hilarious :)
4. My chem lecturer uses phrases such as 'spankingly good' and manages to link pedophiles and chemistry.
5. He's actually not that creepy. My calc lecturer is the weirdest. On the first day he said something like 'And when you see the birds flying in the sky...think of me.'
6. Todays calc lecture was actually fun. I think I'm going to bring my ipod into all calc lectures from now on.
7. I suck at French. It's really depressing.
8. Some people are just too smart for their own good.
9. I'm addicted to chocolate :(
10. Uni is the best.
11. I really, really, really want a Leyland mini minor, but
a) Everyone else thinks they're ugly. I really don't get it though...they're super super CUTE!
b) They're all manual. I really regret now not learning how to drive a manual car.
12. I'm not excited at all about turning 18. In fact, it's become a bit of a burden. To throw a party, or to not throw a party. Now THAT is the question.
13. I've caught up with chem reading!!!
14. I'm really bored :)

Love, Julia

Best Episode Ever :)

The Next Chapter

And so uni begins. Well, it's begun for awhile already but I haven't found time to blog until now...and for once it's actually true. The past two weeks have been insanely hectic. But it's a good busy. After a three month break I'm more than ready to get back into routine although the early mornings are a killer...Aside from that though UNI IS SO MUCH FUN! I think in life so many things get built up only to let you down. Take for example O-Week. It was so TAME! And apart from meeting people, it was kinda boring...just information sessions 24/7. This only real fun part was that Friday night and sneaking into that club :D Though to be honest, I HONESTLY didn't know you needed i.d, I mean seriously. It's a uni function! As if they had frigging tight bouncers at the front! But yes, got in thanks to Andrea and her sister's connections who snuck me out a wristband. Fun times :) But back to the point. UNI IS IN NO WAY A LET DOWN. I get it now how people say that uni is the best time of your life. It's so fun and relaxed and the people are so friendly. Maybe I like it so much cos I haven't done any work yet and only opened a textbook today but seriously, it really is so much better than school. And this is coming from somebody who has 22 contact hours and wants to kill herself on Sunday nights, knowing she has to get up at 6am the next day for an 8am chem lecture.

Anyway. Point of this rant: uni rocks :) And I'm really glad I chose biomed.

Love, Julia

Clean At Last

Spent the entire day cleaning my bedroom. And ahhh it's so nice now! I can actually walk around without stepping on anything! Everything is so cleannnnnnnn!

My new bookcase :)

My new shoerack :)

Tomorrow the photographer for The Age is meant to be coming over...meant to be...don't really know what's happening. But yeah. After that it's resume dropping at chaddy :D Coz it's really about time I got a job...

Love, Julia

Truth Hurts

I got this from one of those chain emails which I normally hate and delete straight away, but I really liked this one. It's such an accurate depiction of society today and the irony of it all is just really sad.

"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. W e plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Waiting, Wishing, Wanting ♥

I just finished Friends :( It was so sadddd knowing there are no more episodes left to watch...they should seriously make a Friends movie!! Ahh what am I going to do now? There's nothing left! Ahah that's so sad...but since China all I've been doing at home is watching Friends. Now I'm going to be even more bored than I normally am. But without a doubt, Friends was the best tv show ever. Oh and on this topic, The Shawshank Redemption is the best movie ever! Saw it with Preeta and Shehara last weekend and it is SO GOOD! Just don't watch it turned up around parents or younger siblings hahahaha.

Went back to Ikea today. Bought some shoeracks and few other things. Oh and meatballs! Hahaha they're so yummm. I'm so bored. Ah ok I'll stop babbling...I should really write a resume and get a job. Yeah I think I'll do that.

Love, Julia

p.s happy valentines day!

Little Did I Know

I had a random thought today; why does February have 28 days? I mean, why don't they take a day from July and another day from August and give them to February... so that February, July and August all have 30 days. I mean, then we get two extra days of summer! Doesn't that just make sense?

On a less random note, Angela got accepted onto the Junior Commonwealth Games Squad!! Only 3 girls were added onto the squad this year from the entire country and Ange was one of them!! I'm so proud of her! Congrats Pangey!

Today was so boring...just bummed at home, watching friends and answering endless questions from this lady from The Age. They're doing some article for the metro section on people starting uni soon...OH!!! Actually I did do something exciting today! I built a bookcase!! It's really pretty and fits my room perfectly. I'll put up pictures as soon as I fill it up :D

Preeta left for Sydney today :( Going to miss you. Gosh Sydney sucks. No offence :) We had lunch yesterday with Yin, Sue Yean and Amanda. Steamboat actually! It was yummy. And then we had crepes afterwards. Even yummier. And then we had pasta at Sheharas house for dinner. Yum too haha. Clearly ate way too much yesterday...

Gotta go finish these interview questions now...
Love, Julia

I'm Only Me When I'm With You

It's been a fairly fun few days :) Got my braces tightened on Friday. The guy put in a wire double the thickness of the old one so I'm still not eating hard foods. And my top teeth are moving faster than the bottom ones so they don't match up and I can't bite together :( Quite the annoying.

Aside from that, I've been doing quite a bit of thinking about having an 18th party. It would be fun...but it takes too much effort...I'm quite tempted to let my birthday slide by without event. Though today I went to Ikea (LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THAT STORE!!!) and they had all these pretty things...couldn't help buying a few lanterns and fairy lights...and oh it'd be so fun to make invites :P I don't know...might have a small party.

Last Sunday was church...and my first time looking after the kiddies! They're all 0-4 yrs and soooooo cute. Though their lack of attention span is incredible. Two minutes into a story or song and they'd start crawling off somewhere :P I can't believe I was ever that small or wriggly...

Bed now :)
Love, Julia

CHINA 25/12/08 - 15/1/09

I thought this trip was going to be so boring. Three weeks in Mum's hometown, staying with her parents...what could be more boring right? Well I was wrong. This was the second best trip I've ever been on, and second best only because Disneyland can't be beaten :P

I'm actually really glad we only stayed in Fuzhou as opposed to travelling around China like in previous years. We got to spend heaps of time with the family and my chinese improved a bit haha. But what made this trip so great was, naturally, the SHOPPING. We shopped almost every single day, buying whatever we wanted at insanely cheap prices. I ended up with 9 pairs of shoes, 4 winter coats, 3 jumpers, 2 pairs of fake Levi's, 3 hoodies, a pair of trackies, a skirt, two beanies, a bag, and a crazy amount of jewellery and stationery. Oh and pirated DVDs! We came to China with 4 checked in bags, and we left with 8...

There are so many PEOPLE in China!

Aside from shopping, my grandparents insisted my brother and I spend a day doing this fob photoshoot thing where you get your makeup (my brother got his makeup done too HAHAHA) and hair done, and choose half a dozen outfits to get pictures taken in. It was fun for say the first three hours, but the last four? Repetitive death. The dresses they had there were soooo pretty though! They had racks after racks of gorgeous clothes...it was so hard to choose. The photos came out quite good though.

We also spent three days in the WuYi Mountains which were really pretty. I bought this traditional Chinese painting of the mountains with my name incorporated into it. It cost $4.50AU and took the guy 5 minutes to do...so talented. It's hanging up over my desk now :) On the last day we went rafting down the Nine-Bend River which was fun...

Chinglish hahahahha

But the funnest thing we did in China? Without a doubt the plastic water bubbles! Our Aunt and Uncle took us to West Lake where we hired a paddle boat for a half hour, ate icecreams, and walked on water! They put you in a plastic bubble which they inflate with air and zip up so it's watertight. You can walk and run on water but it's SO hard to keep your balance. I could only stand up for like a minute before I fell down :P It was so, so, so, so, so fun!

The main reason we went to China was because my Grandpa/Wai Gong was turning 80. He had a massive birthday lunch which was...an experience to say the least :P Now my chinese is ok, but still pretty bad, so you can imagine my absolute HORROR when he asked me infront of like 60 people, as his granddaughter, to make a SPEECH in FRICKING CHINESE. I mean I even forgot that morning how to say 'happy birthday' in Chinese! And I rarely speak as it is in English! Mum of course looks at my panicked face and starts laughing, while I gaze back with my cheeks bright red, at 60 people staring at me expectantly. Thankfully though Mum whispered things into my ear which I spoke out loud. I had NO idea what I was saying but since there was no snickering I guess it was ok :P I am so glad I got out of all the impromptu debates last year. Gosh I hate public speaking.

Top photo: Me and my grandpa

Middle photo: Me, my uncle, mum, dad, Jon (back), my grandparents and a family friend (front)

Bottom photo: Me, my uncle, my aunt, mum and Jon

China was such an amazing experience and I can't wait to go back :D

Love, Julia

So Freaking Cute

I want that puppy!

Let The Good Times Roll

It's been so long since I blogged that I actually forgot my password. And the January tab has no posts at all under it. Aaw. Poor neglected blog. I'll try take better care of you this year.

Just to get y'all back up to speed:
- Life post-results was/is amazing. Such a relief knowing I never have to think about year 12 or VCE again. The media stuff afterwards was funny but pretty cool haha. Actually more embarrassing. I'm just glad I didn't hear myself on the radio. Apparently I sounded like I had a lisp thanks to these stupid braces.
- CHINA! Ok this deserves a full post with pictures. It was such an amazing trip though.
- 19/1/09 Uni offers! That day we were meant to go to the beach but our neighbours gave us two free Rod Laver Arena passes to the Aus Open so me and Andrea spent the day there, watching Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic thrash these randoms. And of course waiting 2 hours for a Garnier pack. All in all, over $110 worth of free stuff :D After that we went to Fed Square to get the Herald Sun's they were giving away to check our offers. Despite being clearly above the clearly-in it was actually still nervewracking but another relief to see my first pref there: BIOMED AT MELBOURNE :)
- 20/1/09 I was on the tram with the PLCers to the beach when I got THE call! It was a lady from Melbourne Uni offering me a scholarship! $6000 a year means I can definately go on a mission trip this year but the best part is, it effectively ended all nagging from my mother about getting a job :D Ah best two days ever.
- 27/1/09 Academic Advice Day - was so exhausting! From 9 till 5 me and Venetia ran all across campus listening to info session after info session with only a half hour break in the middle. I still haven't decided on my breadth subjects yet. Torn between French and Chinese :( I'm so excited about uni though. Can't wait to start :D

I'll blog about China later. Right now I am being eaten alive by mozzies.

Love, Julia