I believe this blog should maintain a level of professionalism...

As such, I am forced to make haste in writing a post so that terrible photo can be taken down as soon as possible.

So let's talk. As you may be aware, I've been at MIT for the last couple months just starting my Phd in Physics, and MIT has not disappointed in terms of starting to swiftly kick my ass. The MIT physics program is rather infamous for having a particularly grueling set of Qualifying Exams, 3 in total, with the most fun I've had so far with my first exam which I had to take as soon as I arrived at MIT as a welcoming party. This was a 5 hour long exam on everything I "should have learned" as an undergraduate, and all you have to know is that it was long, painful, and I passed.

Since then, I've settled into a fairly good rhythm of cutting classes, handing in my hw late, staying at the lab till 11pm on fridays, and drinking atleast one night a week. All in all, graduate school has lived up to all miserable and romantic expectations (including drinking 5 cups of coffee a day) and I wouldn't rather be doing anything else right now!

Often I'm asked to characterize what being at MIT is like, or how it is different then being at Rutgers. In reply: it's pretty clear already from my short time here that MIT is not just a place with great ideas and intellect, but a place of action and implementation. There is this general attitude, and not to mention a great history of success, that seems to propel the students here to take their chances in taking an idea and making something out of it. Sure MIT has lots of resources and is very selective, but it's a self feedback mechanism right? All the students here know the reputation of their school and it seems they work hard to reinforce that idea.

I have begun research work, some what in earnest, with Pablo Jarillo-Herrero -a new, young faculty member in the Condensed Matter Experimental group. Pablo has all the energy that would be expected of a new professor in the perilous world of the tenure-track academic, and has no qualms of piling the work on me. In all fairness though, I don't work in the lab that much yet, what with having 3 grad courses and all, not to mention all the time I spend attending every free pizza/coffee/cookie event I can at the MIT campus.

For those interested ( all 2 of you), I am beginning my research work on a material called Graphene, most easily understood as a single atomic layer of Graphite -the same material that makes up a good amount of your pencil "lead". You can look it up on wikipedia, and as soon as I start making amazing discoveries I'll be sure to let you know more about this awesome material!

Winter is approaching and I can't wait to see how terrible the Cambridge frost can be. Look forward to seeing pictures of my wrapped head to toe as I trek the treacherous tundra on my point three mile walk to school.

I own a tuxedo.

One thing I've learned about people, whether it's pitching an idea, telling a story, or more generally trying to relay information is that:

1. People respond very positively towards lists.
2. They read and/or listen quite carefully to every word, oftentimes without immediately compiling the information or trying to anticipate your next point.
3. They will read this point even after having been warned by the foreshadowing in the previous item.



What follows are positive and closely correlated negative experiences, respectively.

1. Transportation
+ Owning and riding my bike often / not having to worry about a car.
- Riding my bike in a rotary, or traffic circle.

2. Cuisine:
+ Multiple Course formal dinners
- British food (yes, it's horrific)

3. Shopping
+ Buying a tuxedo for a reasonable price given how often it's required.
- British prices (everything costs double or more)

4. Privilege
+ A Multi-course dinner boat cruise along the Thames in London paid entirely for by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
- Being treated differently than other brilliant Cambridge students because of the Gates Scholarship.

5. Churchill Community
+ Churchill PAV dance party
- Churchill PAV dance party

6. Academics
+ Being way ahead in classwork.
- Not having any way to gauge my progress in class through homework or testing (We have two big qualifiers in the spring)

7. Communities
+ A vibrant and intellectual Gates Community.
- Feeling somewhat outcast back at Churchill as an elitist in spite of efforts.

8. Television
+ Not having American pundits vomit nonsense into my brain through talk shows or other television analysis.
- Losing Law and Order.

9. Humo(u)r
+ General appreciation of my cynical and often wry sense of humor.
- Those who don't get satire of the American system dressed up as patriotism.

10. People
+ Brilliant, passionate, and obsessively endeavoring individuals.
- Rich, entitled snobs


Some more pictures for those who have just doubled their daily reading after trekking through this post:

Some bridge in London we passed under during our boat trip. In lieu of forgetting its name, let's call it a London bridge.



My tuxedo, taken via webcam.



Several of my friends and I sitting down to a home-cooked dinner... in avoidance of hall food.

‘Merica: how to pronounce America for foreigners.

Classes have started, and along with them, an entirely new understanding of the word intense. In fact, I was talking with Javier a bit earlier tonight and trying to describe what life here is like. I remember analogizing it roughly as follows:

If Cambridge were a function, it would be the Intensity function, I(t). Furthermore, it would have an incredibly positive second derivative with respect to time. For those of you out there not interested in endeavo(u)ring, Cambridge is, to put it another way, a roller coaster drop that keeps getting steeper and steeper… eventually curving upon itself as in one of those nauseating Escher paintings.

After having completed nearly three days of safety training last week, and successfully passing the infamous Materials Science Departmental Safety Test (>50% fail rate, first time around), I’ve finally made it to the promised land of real coursework. Starting Monday, I embarked upon my semester course load of 8 courses (3 business, 5 science). Many out there must be thinking that either the Brits have a completely different system or I’ve absolutely lost my mind. Fortunately, the former is true and the courses generally only meet twice a week for two hours each and last about 2/3 of the semester. Thus, in any week, I’ve only got 6 classes to attend to. Furthermore, most of my classes have no homework associated with them and from what I understand, there are no final exams. As a side note, I will assuredly use this medium to lament should my final exam assumption prove to be false.

Regardless of the format, the coursework is intense and I’ve had to position myself into a nice little rhythm of waking early and pre-studying for about three hours, going to class for another four hours, and then reviewing some of my notes in the Gates Scholars Room (see below) for an hour or two before dinner or Business School (depending on the day).



Undoubtedly, my mother would at this point make sure to remind me that my mental health is just as important as my marks in school and as a way of calming her nerves I’d like to report that it seems to be the policy of Cambridge that you must have twice the social life as you do an academic one. This includes things like societies and organizations, drinking clubs, sports, formal dinners and dances, and drink receptions for no good reason. In the next two weeks I’ve got two drink receptions, three clubs to drop in on, a formal dinner, a Dinner cruise on the Thames in London, and a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland fully planned and purchased. Life is intense.

Brussels next month. Any takers?

Below, please find a picture of a formal dinner in the hall with fellows. Below this, please find the intended result of the formal hall.






The final theme I’d like to hit on is the joy with which I like to fall into the stereotype of the obnoxious and arrogant American (for good reason). Whether it’s the British language, their food, tea time, or simply riding on the wrong side of the road… nothing pleases me more than to make a quaint British ritual into a big deal in an effort to make a point to all nearby Brits and Europeans: You’ve got your heads stuck up your asses just as far as we do if you truly believe the stereotypes that circulate among these parts. The best treatment is to first make them thing you’re a dolt of an American and then debate them regarding Gordon Brown’s reappointment of Peter Mandelson to Business Secretary. Nothing makes friends better than smashing stereotypes through intentional confrontation. In somewhat related news, the Chinese seem to have the same allergies to caucasians as Korean Americans do back home. Not news: British Koreans are like Korean Americans.

I’ll never understand why people fly thousands of miles only to surround themselves with people from their home.

Cambridge University Chinese Soccer Team: They hope to play other equally valid teams like the Cambridge University Heterosexuals-Only Soccer Team and the CU Brunettes-Only soccer team.



Korean Church. If you want to go, the directions are right there!

Pictures for those with ADD

Since Javier seems to be adopting the Playboy tactic of pictures over content I'll play along for a bit and post up a few images of my accommodations, college, and university-at-large. It's only slightly older than MIT (652 years, give or take) and as such may just have something worthwhile showing visually which my lacking prose cannot portray otherwise. With this, I begin...



Right here we've got an image of the front of Churchill College's green. I thought it was indicative as it shows the general Livingston-esque architecture, the nice grass, and the presence of modern art. In fact, Churchill College is quite famous for it's random scattering of modern art including works by Andy Warhol in the dining area, Druva Mistry, and pictured here, Hepworth's Four Square Walk Through. In fact, the architecture on our campus has been variously hailed as a modern masterpiece. I'm not quite sure I'm buying it yet.




The two pictures above are of my room. While it may look quite sparse (the picture is a bit old), it remains true to the general layout of my room currently. Please make note of my large desk and bed couch, also known by frustrated Americans as a bouch. I've also my own bathroom and enormous closet space but thought images may be a bit too mundane for posting.



Above is a picture of my apartment, a member of the "Pepperpots". Please note how even the residences stay true to the modern art theme. As for why it's called a pepperpot, I've been told by a genuine Brit that it is because it looks like what else, but a pepperpot. When I inquired as to what this was I got a jarbled answer about how it is what you serve pepper from. I then asked if he was talking about a pepper shaker and he said "No, a pepper pot". You now know what 90% of my communications in the UK are like.



A picture of an undergraduate "staircase" which is another way of saying dormitory. In Churchill, they take the shape of quads and are usually surrounding a piece of modern art, a courtyard, or a famous tree planted by some dead politician or scientist.





So here's the Cambridge you've all probably got stuck in your minds. As far as mental images and stereotypes go, I can assure you what you've concocted in your mind is far less grandiose than what is actually here. The first two pictures are of King's College, Cambridge. In fact, a large number of the colleges look something like this. Not only are they nice on the outside, but are usually adorned with mahogany wood from some exotic locale, stained glass windows from the 1500's, and porters dressed like revolutionary soldiers who monitor who comes and goes. On top of this, some of the colleges have larger individual Trust accounts than the university-at-large. King's and Trinity, for example, have accounts larger than most small countries. The last picture of is a somebody going for a punt down the Cam in front of King's. Punting is basically sitting in a wooden boat and pushing yourself along the river using a large pole. I've been told everyone falls in once.



This last image is a very typical street in Cambridge. In fact, this particular street, Pembroke Street, is right outside of my department. While it is extremely beautiful and charming, I've grown slightly tired of hitting my head on 5 foot 6 inch door frames circa 15th century.

Efficiency: My Opiate

Efficiency. Nothing brings me more satisfaction or wears out the cartilage in my temporomandibular joint like it. And perhaps like other abused substance, it's times of stress (like starting off as a grad student at MIT) that make me turn to it more. It's those moments when I have the least amount of time and the maximum amount of work that I can't keep my mind off how I could be doings things faster, with less effort, and preferably through my google account.

Every morning I print out an updated todo list and weekly agenda onto a notecard. Cheaper then a smartphone, slimmer then a AtAGlance planner, it's the best PDA I've ever used.

A Casualty of Efficiency. One of my notecards assimilates itself into the backpocket of my favorite white pants after running them through the dryer. I'm loathe to throw it out, so I'm considering running it through the wash again with another pink notecard in the right pocket to even it out.


Where the information of my life is held. If google ever goes crazy and sells all my data to the world I'll be screwed because then they'll know how boring my life is.

Where papers go to not be seen again. The classic file setup = hands down the max marg utility as far as organization goes. (not pictured: stacks of surrounding papers yet to be filed)

Mandatory automatic labeler. What? Couldn't get your personal file setup off the ground? It's because you were missing this dude. This makes organizing FUN.

My new computer. Now in class I can draw obscene drawings right on my computer as opposed to on a piece of a paper (very old fashioned). Average hours per day spent taking digital notes: 3 Average hours per day spent restarting computer, repairing wireless modem, staring at frozen vista screen: 3 (efficiency = at least breaking even)

My bed caught fire momentarily afterward.

David Allen's GTD. My joy. My Sorrow. Seriously if you are anybody who has more then 2 things to do at once, you should get this book.


In the end, it's all about control. If you setup enough devices, organization systems, personal reminders, and automatic labelers... it makes you feel like you got it. Now, finally, I can get some work done.

Back from Ambleside

I haven’t updated for some time now and would feel quite negligent if I kept up the habit as Javier does. In fact, I’ve been quite physically absent from Cambridge, in addition to the intrawebs, as a result of my attending the Gates Orientation Trip. We spent Monday until Thursday up in a small town called Ambleside in the Lake District of England. The town, which is about 250 miles from Cambridge, is famous for beautiful countryside, lakes, mountains, and William Wordsworth. Even our hostel was quite nice in spite of our room’s necrotic odor… the result of 8 men drying their mountain climbing clothes on the lone heating unit near the door. Most of our days were spent doing activities which included things like hikes to famous hidden gingerbread houses, orienteering our way out of a downpour in the woods, climbing up mountains, kayaking, getting sick, trips to Wordsworth’s house, strolls into town, and nights at the local pub. Needless to say, it was great fun and I had an opportunity to meet a great many people.

I must also add that many of the individuals I met are the most blindingly brilliant and passionate people in existence. If you asked me before the trip if I could listen for hours about the merits and pitfalls of media in an increasingly decentralized informational age, or the unspoken laws that exist between non-government actors in order to facilitate a global agenda, or the horrid future that awaits all of us as Google supplicants once they start selling off all of our information to the highest bidder… I would have said no. I also would have been wrong. There are, without a doubt, future presidents, writers, and Nobel laureates among the group, and it’s a great hono(u)r to have been able to pick their brains a bit. As for me, the time I least enjoyed was time spent talking about myself.

Immediately upon our return, Fresher’s week (Fresher = New student) began. For those of you not familiar with the British system, think of Fresher’s week as a New Student Orientation plus alcohol and minus all those stupid ice-breaker games. Over the next week dozens of parties will be held, Pavs will be organized, Bops sponsored, Discos planned, and Dos executed. I’ve yet to discover the difference between the last four, but I’ve been reminded time and again that Societies put on Bops and our college puts on Pavs. Regardless, it should be noted that the British know how to party as I’ve had the pleasure of encountering individuals throwing up on the streets in the morning and been regaled by anecdotes of individuals falling into this or that river, or tumbling down one hill or another only to meet the rising sun from a hospital bed.

The final piece of relevant news is that I finally got a bike, albeit for about 160 dollars. It’s not even new, but I’ve been assured it’s a high quality bike with good parts, many of which have been cleaned or replaced. Now that the final check has been scribbled upon my long list of to-do’s I’m free to prepare for, or begin dreading the onset of courses. Anyway, cheers to you all and shame on Javier for being so inexcusably negligent.