tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29674001515321394032024-03-13T06:03:45.084-04:00Random StuffKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04982266305735544844noreply@blogger.comBlogger295125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-68296125819087737272013-08-31T18:03:00.002-04:002013-08-31T18:03:48.009-04:00A New BeginningTomorrow morning I will be moving into residence, which will be my first step into the unknown world of university life. To be honest, though, I don't really look forward to it. Not only am I afraid of meeting a bunch of new people– which has always been a concern– I am also unsure if I can handle all the schoolwork (especially because my program has a lot of group work, which kind of requires getting to know other people well). Moreover, during the last four years I have been relatively happy, which gives me no particular reason to desire a different kind of life. Still, I have to try my best to enjoy the next three or four years, so here I am giving myself a few reminders:<br />
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<a name='more'></a>1. Be social. Don't avoid social events like the plague. Even if one particular event or club meeting doesn't turn out well, there will always be valuable memories from it, and that's how you can become more sociable and have more stories to tell. For example, even though you dread the church meetings and events, you have gained unique experiences from them. Thus, even if you are afraid of going to a social event or club meeting, force yourself to be there.<br />
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2. Be active. That means staying away from the computer as much as possible, and try to have more physical activities. If going to the gym or pool embarrasses you, then at least do some exercises in your room.<br />
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2. Be studious. While it is important to try to "have fun" in university, an university is ultimately a place for studying. Thus, be sure to allot enough time to your studies so that you can do well in them.<br />
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4. Be organized. You have the habit of leaving things at random places and trying to keep everything in your head. The consequences, while generally harmless, can cause a huge difference in your academic performance or cost you a lot of money.<br />
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<br />Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-24218306221533246912013-07-29T18:21:00.002-04:002015-08-03T05:56:41.170-04:00When We Were Orphans By Kazuo Ishiguro<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="When We Were Orphans" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1174491106l/406626.jpg" /></div>
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This is my fourth Ishiguro novel, with the first three being <i>Never Let Me Go</i>, <i>The Remains of the Day</i>, and<i> A Pale View of Hills</i>. Like the other three novels, this one also has an elaborate prose as well as an unreliable narrator, both of which are elements that I appreciate.<br />
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I enjoyed reading the first part of the novel, in which Christopher describes the English high-class society in the 1930s as well as his childhood back in Shanghai. These descriptions, especially the ones concerning Christopher's childhood, are all very novel and interesting.<br />
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However, the story kind of falls apart after Christopher goes back to Shanghai. He gives the readers the impression that his return to Shanghai will somehow solve all the problems there, yet he never explains what exactly he is doing. He also has quite an unrealistic attitude regarding his parents' rescue-- what makes him think that his parents have been held captive in the same location for more than 20 years?<br />
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Actually, Christopher's unrealistic assumption about what he can achieve isn't what makes the second half of the book unappealing. After all, throughout the book we see that Christopher has faulty evaluations of himself: he does not think he was a loner, and he thinks he behaved very well during his journey to England. This suggests that Christopher's status as a great detective might also be only a product of his mind.<br />
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I think I didn't like the second half of the book because everything is chaotic. There is suddenly this "Yellow Snake" figure, which is only briefly explained. Also, Christopher goes from one location to another, and suddenly he is in the midst of the fighting. In addition, there is a significantly smaller amount of reminiscing-- which is what I think makes Ishiguro's novels so appealing.<br />
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So overall, I didn't like <i>When We Were Orphans</i> as much as Ishiguro's other works. Still it was an interesting read and a page-turner.<br />
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<br />Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-44278183972860673752013-06-25T18:19:00.002-04:002013-06-25T18:19:25.433-04:00殺意As the its title (Murderous Intent) suggests, this novel is a thriller/mystery. In the novel, there is a high school girl whose birthday is on February 29th, and on each of her last three birthdays, a girl was raped and killed. This girl also has a friend whose grandfather is a rich businessman. His weird sexual desires causes him rape his maids and sleep with young girls...<br />
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Unfortunately, even though was very intense to read, the plot was just horrible. Many things are explained improperly or are illogical, and the rape killings that happen once every four years have nothing to do with the actual storyline. <br />
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Terrible, terrible, novel. <br />
Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-39861640398251385032013-06-21T22:55:00.001-04:002013-06-21T22:55:24.677-04:00The Old Capital By Yasunari Kawabata<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Front cover of The Old Capital, 1961 Novel by Yasunari Kawabata.jpg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/80/Front_cover_of_The_Old_Capital%2C_1961_Novel_by_Yasunari_Kawabata.jpg" /></div>
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<i>The Old Capital </i>by Yasunari Kawabata describes the story of Chieko, an adopted daughter of a couple who own a kimono wholesale business.</div>
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The novel is very quiet. It paints a beautiful picture of Kyoto, and a large portion of the novel is used to describe Kyoto's scenery. The same kind of serenity is reflected in the characters's emotions. Even when the characters are extremely emotional, the prose is not lugubrious; it often just allow the readers to see the emotions through the conversations between the characters.</div>
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(spoiler ahead)</div>
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To me, the story is extremely sad. Naeko and Chieko are just like the violets on the maple tree: so close yet so far apart. It especially pains me that Naeko feels the need to shy away from Chieko so as to avoid damaging Chieko's reputation. I think this highlights the absurdity of social order and social constraints. Similarly, Naeko is spot on about Hideo seeing an illusion of Chieko in her. Clearly, Naeko is a substitute for Chieko; Hideo does not have a high-enough social status to marry Chieko.</div>
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One thing about the novel, though, is that at times it feels a bit awkward. I understand that Japanese and English are two entirely different languages, but sometimes the transition from one sentence to the next just feels a bit out of place. Also, I wasn't entirely focused when reading the novel, so the names of the places and festivals (which are strings of unfamiliar syllables) simply eluded me. For these reasons, I should try reading the novel in Chinese. Not only is Chinese more similar to Japanese, the Chinese version of the festivals/locations/temples are actually meaningful.</div>
Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-61187765002188299502013-06-21T20:12:00.000-04:002013-06-21T20:12:03.260-04:00My Summer PlanIt's all done! Three days ago I finished my biology exam, which marked the end of my high school career. It was also the first day in about a year that I was completely stress-free. I celebrated that day with hours of computer games, and the next two days went more or less the same.<br />
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This, however, doesn't mean that I should continue to just waste away this precious summer. Due to the intensity of grade twelve, I have completely neglected many other aspects of my life, such as sports, reading, and learning new vocabulary. As such, I really need this summer to catch up on these areas.<br />
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Here are my goals, in point form:<br />
<ul>
<li>Exercise at least 4 hours every week</li>
<li>Read each issue of the <i>Economist</i> and copy down all new vocabulary</li>
<li>Read <i>The Old Capital</i></li>
<li>Read <i>The Brothers Karamazov</i></li>
<li><i><span style="font-style: normal;">Read </span>When We Were Orphans</i></li>
<li><i><span style="font-style: normal;">Read 5-8 other books, depending on their size </span></i></li>
<li><i><span style="font-style: normal;">Read at least two books of the Bible</span></i></li>
<li>Study for AP chemistry</li>
</ul>
Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-33505032179635893572013-05-27T17:45:00.000-04:002013-06-21T20:12:28.549-04:00Endocrine System #3: Thyroid GlandLocated at the base of the neck, the thyroid gland is one of the biggest endocrine glands in the body.<br />
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It's main function is to produce thyroid hormones, which are used for regulating the body's metabolism.<br />
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<b>Thyroid hormones
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<ul>
<li>Derived from tyrosine</li>
<li>Diffuse into the cell and bind to receptors in the nucleus. </li>
<li>Increase glucose metabolism, protein synthesis, and oxygen consumption</li>
<li>Regulate growth and tissue differentiation (bone formation, digestive system, nerve cells, muscle tone, and reproductive cells)</li>
<li>Thyroxine (<b>T4</b>): four iodines; the majority of the hormones made in the thyroid gland, but main purpose is to be converted to T3.</li>
<li>Triiodothyronine (<b>T3</b>): three iodines; much more potent than T4.</li>
</ul>
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Thyroid hormones are secreted when metabolic rate is low. The low metabolic rate is sensed by the hypothalamus, which secretes the <b>thyrotropin releasing hormone</b> (TRH). The TRH then triggers the anterior pituitary gland to secrete <b>thyroid stimulating hormone</b> (TSH), which would trigger the thyroid gland to produce T3 and T4 hormones.</div>
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<b>Hyperthyroidism</b></div>
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In general, hyperthyroidism has the following symptoms (mostly due to increased metabolism): weight loss, increased appetite, increased bowel movement, increased body heat, light or absence of menstrual activities, fatigue, and irritability. </div>
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Hyperthyroidism can be caused by iodine deficiency. Due to the low iodine levels, there are also low levels of T3 and T4, so the pituitary gland stimulates more and more TSH. As a result, there is overactivity in the thyroid gland. This in turn causes the thyroid gland to form a <b>goiter</b>. </div>
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Hyperthyroidism can also be caused by <b>Grave's disease</b>, which is an autoimmune disease. The patient's body produces an auto-antibody called <b>thyroid stimulating immunoglobin</b> (TSI). These antibodies bind to the TSH receptors, and continuously enable them. As a result, abnormally high levels of T3 and T4 are synthesized. Patients with Grave's disease also have protruding eyes and eye irritation.</div>
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Other causes of hyperthyroidism include thyroiditis, pituitary tumour, excess iodine, and overactive thyroid glands.</div>
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Hyperthyroidism can be treated by:
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<ul>
<li>drug therapy (drugs that block the thyroid gland, prevent entry of iodine into the thyroid gland, or block the thyroid hormones in the blood stream)</li>
<li>radioactive iodine therapy (radioactive iodine 131)</li>
<li>surgery: partial or complete removal of the thyroid gland</li>
</ul>
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<b>Hypothyroidism </b></div>
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The opposite of hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism is characterized by a shortage of thyroid hormones. It results in weight gain, fatigue, and decreased heart rate. </div>
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Hypothyroidism is mainly caused by Hashimoto's thyroiditis, in which the immune system attacks the thyroid gland and causes the its inflammation. It can be treated by thyroid hormone supplements.</div>
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Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-65729547575034127122013-05-27T16:27:00.004-04:002013-05-27T16:27:52.199-04:00Endocrine System #2: Stress Regulation The <b>adrenal gland</b> handles stress through secreting various hormones. The <b>adrenal cortex</b> is responsible for dealing with long-term stress, whereas the <b>adrenal medulla</b> is responsible for dealing with short term stress.<br />
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<b><i>Dealing with Short-Term Stress</i></b>
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<ol>
<li>Stress causes the release of the acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter</li>
<li>This signals the adrenal cortex to release catecholamines: epinephrine and nor-epinephrine</li>
<li>Effects: 1) increased breakdown of glucagon into glucose; 2) increased blood pressure and bloodflow; 3) increased metabolism; 4) decrease in bloodflow to kidneys and intestines, and more blood flows to the brain, muscles and muscles, and 5) increased breathing rate.</li>
</ol>
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<a name='more'></a><b><i>Dealing with Long-Term Stress</i></b>
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<ol>
<li>Stress causes the hypothalamus to release corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH)</li>
<li>The CRH signals the anterior pituitary gland to secrete adrenalcorticotropic hormone (ACTH)</li>
<li>The adrenal gland synthesizes corticosteroids: <b>glucocorticoid</b>, <b>mineralocorticoid</b>, and sex hormones.</li>
<li>Glucocorticoid (e.g., cortisol) causes the liver to synthesize glucose from various pathways (e.g., fats and proteins). This increases the availability of glucose.</li>
<li>Mineralcoricoid (e.g., aldoesterone) stimulates the reabsorption of salt and water in the kidneys. This increases blood volume, pressure, and flow. </li>
</ol>
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<b><i>Stress associated Disorders</i></b>
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<b>Cushing's disease</b>: caused by a pituitary tumor, Cushing's disease results in an excess of glucocorticoid in the patient's body. This causes the patient to have deposits of glucose in their face, abdomen, or neck. It also causes muscle and bone weakness, as well as hyperglycemia. It can be treated by surgery or radiation (to remove the tumour).<br />
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<b>Addison's disease</b>: the opposite of Cushing's disease, it is often caused by the patient's immune system attacking the adrenal cortex. The shortage of corticosteroids results in major weight loss, pain in stomach, and dizziness and nausea.<br />
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Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-64564090197128269442013-05-27T15:47:00.000-04:002013-05-27T15:47:12.232-04:00Endocrine System #1: Glucose RegulationIn the pancreas, the <b>islets of Langerhans </b>contain cells that secrete hormones that regulate blood glucose levels and glucose metabolism.<br />
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The alpha cells secrete <b>glucagon</b> when blood sugar levels are low. Glucagon triggers the liver to break down more glycogen into glucose, and to convert more amino acids and glycerol to glucose.<br />
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The beta cells secrete <b>insulin</b> when blood sugar levels are high. Insulin increases cells' glucose uptake by activating their glucose transporters. It also suppresses the liver's ability to convert glycogen to glucose.<br />
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In <b>diabetes mellitus</b>, blood sugar levels are abnormally high due to insufficiency or inefficiency of insulin. Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the insulin-producing cells are attacked by the patient's own immune system. As a result, not enough insulin is released into the bloodstream, and the patient does not get proper glucose metabolism. Type II diabetes is caused by a decreased responsiveness of cell receptors to insulin, and onset is usually during adulthood (esp. pregnancy).<br />
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Symptoms of diabetes mellitus include: sugar in urine, frequent urination, excessive hunger, blurry vision and foot infections (due to slower bloodflow and poor circulation), and excessive thirst.Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-5735146029227674802013-05-21T22:19:00.000-04:002013-05-21T22:20:15.096-04:00Kidney #2— Functions and Mechanisms<ol>
<li>Blood enters a ball of capillaries called glomerulus</li>
<li>Due to high blood pressure (65 mm Hg as opposed to 25 mm Hg), blood is filtered into the lumen of Bowman's capsule. Water and small dissolved molecules (salts, sugar, amino acid, nitrogenous waste, etc.) enter the glomerulus and become the filtrate. Blood cells, plasma proteins, and platelets are filtered out.</li>
<ul>
<li> Bowman's capsule is the blind end of the nephron's tubule, and it surrounds the glomerulus</li>
</ul>
<li>In the proximal tubule, hydrogen ions are secreted, and bicarbonate ions—which are important buffers— are reabsorbed. The epithelial cells also secrete ammonia to maintain a constant pH within the filtrate. In addition, drugs and other toxins are released from the peritubular capillaries, and they travel through the interstitial fluid and are secreted into the filtrate.
Furthermore, important nutrients, such as glucose, amino acids, potassium ions, are actively or passively transported back to the blood. Sodium ions are pumped into the interstitial fluid, which allows water to follow by osmosis.
</li>
<li>The filtrate now travels into the descending limb of the loop of Henle, from the cortex to the inner medulla. In this section, the transport epithelium is permeable to water but not salt and other solutes, so water diffuses out of the tubule.</li>
<li>The filtrate now travels up the ascending limb of the loop of Henle, from the inner medulla back to the cortex. In the thin segment that is close to the turn, NaCl is passively diffused out of the tubules, which contributes to the high osmolarity of the inner medulla. In the thick segment in the cortex, NaCl is pumped out of the tubule.<br />The reason why an osmotic gradient exists within the entire loop of Henle is that the blood flows in the opposite direction as the filtrate.</li>
<li>Next, the filtrate enter the distal tubule. Potassium and hydrogen ions are secreted, and NaCl and bicarbonate ions are reabsorbed.</li>
<li>The filtrate then enters the collecting duct, which carries the filtrate into the renal pelvis (note that the collecting duct collects from several nephrons). Here, sodium chloride is actively transported out of the duct. Also, in the inner medulla, urea diffuses into interstitial fluid. This increases the osmolarity of the interstitial fluid and enables water to be reabsorbed.</li>
</ol>
Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-66193422729478113342013-05-21T21:26:00.003-04:002013-05-21T21:26:45.758-04:00Kidney #1The kidney is an essential organ in the excretory system. It performs the following tasks:<br />
<ul>
<li>maintaining blood pressure</li>
<li>blood filtration</li>
<li>hormone secretion</li>
<li>waste excretion </li>
<li>pH maintenance</li>
</ul>
<strong></strong><br />
<a name='more'></a><strong><span style="background-color: white;"></span></strong><strong>Structure Overview</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>Two kidneys in humans</li>
<li>bean-shaped</li>
<li>10-cm long</li>
<li>made of tubules and ducts that carry urine</li>
<li>contain a dense network of capillaries</li>
<li>cortex, medulla, pelvis:</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt=" photo kidney.png" height="222" src="http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm22/ihsh/kidney.png" width="400" /></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Urine</b>:</div>
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<ul>
<li>solution of metabolic waste</li>
<li>contains water, salt, sugars, urine/urea, and other toxins</li>
</ul>
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<b>Nephron </b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Basic unit of the kidney</li>
<li>about a million of nephrons make up one kidney</li>
<li>consists of tubules and ducts surrounded by blood vessels:</li>
<ul>
<li>afferent arteriole: carries blood to glomerulus</li>
<li>capillaries: surround glomerulus</li>
<li>efferent arteriole: capillaries converge and exit the the glomerulus</li>
<li>peritubular capillaries: surrounds proximal and distal tubes</li>
<li>vasa recta: surrounds loop of henle; countercurrent </li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-70836707459695859372013-05-21T17:50:00.000-04:002013-05-21T17:50:05.083-04:00Osmoregulation<strong>Osmoregulation</strong> is the regulation of body's water content and solute concentration.<br />
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<strong>Why is osmoregulation important?</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>It affects internal pH , metabolite concentration, and waste management</li>
<li>It affects composition of fluids within the body (e.g., interstitial fluid)</li>
<li>It maintain the cytoplasmic composition within cells</li>
</ul>
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Transport Epithelium</strong><br />
Transport epithelia are layers of epithelial cells that can transport specific amounts of certain solutes in various directions. Each epithelia cell has an 1) <u>apical membrane</u> that faces the lumen of the body cavity, and 2) <u>basolateral membrane</u> that faces the interstitial fluid. Each epithelium also has a basement membrane that anchors basolateral membranes of the epithelial cells. In addition, there are <u>tight junctions</u> between the epithelial cells to prevent solutes from transferring across the membrane.<br />
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Transport epthithelial cells actively transport solutes from the lumen to the institial fluid to allow osmosis. <br />
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<strong>Metabolic Waste</strong><br />
The major metabolic waste products of animals are nitrogenous wastes. These nitrogenous wastes come from the breaking down of protein and nucleic acids. There are three forms of excreted nitrogenous wastes:<br />
<ul>
<li>Ammonia: highly toxic but soluble; usually excreted by aquatic organisms because their environment (water) can dilute the ammonia</li>
<li>Urea: formed by ammonia and water; it requires energey to produce, but is 100000 times less toxic than ammonia. Most mammals and some bony fish excrete urea.</li>
<li>Uric acid: product of nucleic acid breakdown, and it is very energetically expensive to make. However, it is not toxic at all. Most birds excrete their wastes as uric acid because 1) they have less access to water and 2) their eggs are often impermeable to water, causing urea to be a non-viable option. </li>
</ul>
Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-78714878174053987672013-05-21T17:00:00.000-04:002013-05-21T17:00:33.390-04:00Thermoregulation<b>Physical Adaptations</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Fur, hair, etc to insulate heat</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Circulatory Adaption</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Countercurrent flow</li>
</ul>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Behavioural Adaption</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Gross muscle movements</li>
<li>huddling</li>
<li>relocation</li>
<li>torpor</li>
</ul>
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<b>Physiological Changes</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Regulating rate of heat exchange through vasoconstriction and vasodilation</li>
<li>Regulating rate of heat production through muscle contractions and shivering</li>
<li>Regulating rate of metabolic heat production </li>
</ul>
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</div>
</div>
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<br />Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-83946263839552048292013-05-14T17:26:00.003-04:002013-05-14T17:27:06.630-04:00Foreign Exchange Market<img alt=" photo foreign_exchange_market.png" src="http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm22/ihsh/foreign_exchange_market.png" /><br />
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For simplicity, I will explain everything using the graph above.<br />
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In this case, The demand function is determined by the Japanese, who wants Canadian dollars in order to purchase Canadian goods, services, or assets.<br />
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The supply function is determined by Canadians, who want to exchange their currency for yen in order to purchase Japanese goods, services, or assets.<br />
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<b>Things that increase the demand (the opposite decreases the demand) </b>:<br />
<ul>
<li>If Japanese people become richer, they will buy more imported goods, thus increasing demand for CAD.</li>
<li>If the interested rate of CAD rises, Japanese people will want to hold CAD as a financial asset</li>
<li>If inflation is higher in Japan than in Canada, Japanese people will want more imported goods because they become relatively cheaper</li>
<li>Speculation of a rise in CAD exchange rate.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Things that increase the supply (the opposite decreases the supply) </b>:<br />
<ul>
<li>Canadian investments in Japan</li>
<li>If Canadians become richer, they will buy more imported goods</li>
<li>Inflation in Canada</li>
</ul>
</div>
Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-80785058803466291082013-05-12T22:57:00.000-04:002013-05-14T17:27:24.162-04:00Money Market<img src="http://welkerswikinomics.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/mm-and-lf_3.jpeg" /><br />
<br />
<br />
The horizontal axis should be labeled: quantity of money<br />
The vertical axis should be labeled: nominal interest rate<br />
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The money supply is a vertical line.Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-25617545557069389432013-05-12T20:35:00.000-04:002013-05-12T20:35:34.473-04:00Loanable Funds Market<img src="http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/loanable_funds_market.jpg" /><br />
<br />
The lonanable funds market is our banks. The supply of loanable funds represents how much people are willing to deposit into their banks, and the demand represents how much people are willing to borrow.<br />
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The horizontal axis should be labeled: quanitity of loanable funds.<br />
The vertical axis should be labeld: real interest rate (%).Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-38927668975870705502013-05-12T20:19:00.001-04:002013-05-12T23:00:06.496-04:00Phillips Curve<img src="http://www.bized.co.uk/sites/bized/files/images/virtual/bank/phillips.gif" /><br />
The phillips curve is a curve showing the inverse relationship between unemployment rate and inflation rate. It represents the tradeoff between inflation and unemployment in the short run.<br />
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A rightward movement along the phillips curve represents a leftward movement of the AD curve, and vice versa.<br />
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An outward shift of the phillips curve represents a supply shock or an increase in inflationary expectation.Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-42549244667790250492013-04-28T10:10:00.000-04:002013-06-21T20:20:19.633-04:00Anxiety<div>
On Monday or Tuesday, I received a letter from McMaster University, which indicated that I should be expecting my acceptance/rejection letter for their Health Sciences program at the beginning of May. </div>
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This week was also the week that my midterm marks were sent to OUAC, which further reminded me of universities in general.<br />
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As such, during this entire week, I couldn't keep my mind off the result of my Health Sciences application. Health Sciences is not necessarily my first choice, but it is nevertheless a program that I will actually consider going to. Also, regardless of whether I will be going to the program or not, I know that getting into the program will give me a big morale boost, and vice versa.</div>
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Health Sciences has even manifested into my dreams.</div>
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On Wednesday, I dreamed about getting into the program. Even after I woke up, I had a smile on my face because I actually believed the content of the dream.</div>
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The next day, however, I dreamed the opposite. This time, the dream was equally convincing, and I woke up with tears still running down my cheek. </div>
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I know it's useless to be so concerned about my admission result; thinking about it won't change anything. In fact, I know I should be prepared to receive my rejection letter, because even though I have very good marks, my supplementary form was clearly sub-par (and they make their decisions based on the supplementary form, not marks). Still, I can't help but wishfully think of the possibility of being accepted.</div>
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I have written this post in an attempt to relieve myself of my tremendous anxiety about my admission to Health Sciences. I hope I can just focus on the tasks at hand (I still have tons of homework, contests, and AP exams), and forget about Health Sciences until the day that I get a response. Yet another case of wishful thinking, but oh well. </div>
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Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-73930296958833208192013-03-24T14:00:00.000-04:002013-03-24T14:00:13.500-04:00DNA Replication-- SummaryThe following are the summary of what happens during DNA replication:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Starting from the origin of replication (ori), helicase unwinds the the double helix. Single-stranded bonding proteins (SSBPs) bind to the single stranded DNA to keep them apart.</li>
<li>RNA polymerase constructs RNA primers on both leading and lagging strands</li>
<li><ul>
<li>The leading strand is continuously elongated by DNAP III.</li>
<li>The lagging strand is elongated discontinuously. Each okazaki segment is primed with RNAP, and then elongated by by DNAP III. DNAP I replaces the RNA primer with DNA, and DNA ligase joins the fragments together by catalyzing the formation of phosphodiester bonds.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
This process continues until the replication fork meets the replication fork of another replication bubble, or when the end of the DNA strand is reached.
</li>
</ol>
Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-88301219589579343402012-12-30T19:46:00.001-05:002012-12-30T19:52:47.137-05:00Waves Basics<b>Basics</b><br />
<ul>
<li>A<b> wave </b>is a disturbance in a medium that carries energy.</li>
<li>Two points are <b>in phase</b> if they have the same motion at all times</li>
<li>Two points are <b>completely out of phase</b> if their motions are always opposite</li>
<li>Superwaves are created when two identical waves move toward each other</li>
</ul>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Path Length and Path difference</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Path length: the distance from a point to the source of a wave</li>
<li>Path difference(Δ): the difference between the path lengths of two different waves</li>
<li>If two point sources vibrate in phase with each other, they would be in-phase at points where Δ is a whole number multiple of λ</li>
</ul>
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<b>Waves at Boundaries</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>The frequency of a wave never changes</li>
<li>Snell's law: n×sin(θ) is constant (n is the index of refraction)</li>
<li>If a wave travels from a faster medium to a slower medium, the transmitted wave becomes inverted</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Interference from two point-sources</b></div>
<ul>
<li>If a point P is very far away from the two sources, then Δ= d×sin(θ), where d is the separation between the sources, and θ is the angle between <u>the perpendicular bisector of the sources</u> and the line joining P and the midpoint of the two sources</li>
</ul>
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<img src="http://www.kcvs.ca/map/java/applets/waterdiffraction/applethelp/lesson/fig12a.png" /><br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Young's double slit experiment:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Problem: to have two point sources of light that are coherent</li>
<li>The first slit acted as a point source of light</li>
<li>The double slit acted as two point sources of light</li>
<li>On the screen, the bright fringes are where the antinodal lines are</li>
<li>The dark fringes are where the nodal lines are</li>
</ul>
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<br /></div>
<b>Interference of thin films:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Use the theory of "waves at boundaries" and path difference to do these problems</li>
<li>n<sub>1</sub>×λ<sub>1</sub>=n<sub>2</sub><span style="font-size: small;">×λ</span><sub>2</sub></li>
</ul>
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<br />Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-20221248395519659372012-12-20T22:28:00.000-05:002013-08-31T18:05:52.069-04:00A Busy Winter Break There are actually a lot of things that I need to do during this winter break. This means that I cannot just waste days playing games and doing nothing; I cannot afford to waste the valuable time.<br />
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So I decided to make this post to remind myself of all the things that I need to do:</div>
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<b>University Applications:</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>Engineering essay (600 words)</li>
<li>Engineering extracurricular activities</li>
<li>Engineering academic achievements</li>
<li>What is a folly act?</li>
<li>What defines you as you?</li>
<li>What is an educated person?</li>
<li>Write a reference letter for yourself</li>
</ul>
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</div>
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<b>School</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>Study for physics</li>
<li>Study for calculus</li>
<li>Prepare for physics presentation</li>
<li>Work on philosophy essay</li>
</ul>
</div>
Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-39161515143287228442012-11-21T20:23:00.002-05:002012-11-21T20:23:39.886-05:00I Think, Therefore I Am<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="http://thelycaeum.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/cogito.jpg" width="250" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The quote "I think, therefore I am" is Rene Descartes' famous cogito argument, and it is extremely important in epistemology. Using his own Method of Doubt, Descartes doubted everything that was provided by the fallible senses, as well as anything that could be part of a dream or an illusion created by an evil genius. This left him with one thing that he could be sure of— his existence. He reasoned that even if everything around him was an illusion, his mind must exist because otherwise he would never have been fooled. This quote is an extremely important argument in rationalism— as it is purely based on reason— and it is also relevant to solipsism. It illustrates Descartes' method of doubt, which is to doubt anything that comes from our senses or anything that could be an illusion.<br />
Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-4465449390576720192012-11-06T22:32:00.003-05:002013-08-31T18:10:18.408-04:00Not A PriorityA lot of things have happened last month. I dropped one of my courses, I started following a new television show, and I have encountered many thought-provoking things.<br />
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However, clearly I didn't take the time to document any of these onto this blog or anywhere else. Even when I had spare time, I would always choose another activity over writing a blog post.<br />
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Why? I think one reason is my preference for thoroughness. Whenever I thought of updating the blog, I would want to make a super-long post that would outline my thoughts with great detail; I would never allow myself to write a 2-sentence blog post. But thoroughness is costly— it takes time. I have time to make a post, but obviously not enough to spend 2-3 hours in a single session. And since I do not have the habit of writing a post chunk by chunk, I just never wrote anything.<br />
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Also, I have started to think that perhaps it's not always necessary to write everything down. Why can't I just go through everything in my head?<br />
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Besides, school really is busier than last year, and also a lot more important. In my final year, almost all my marks matter, and I have to spend a lot of time and effort to prepare for tests and to go over assignments. <br />
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So unfortunately, this trend probably wouldn't change until sometime next year. Blogging isn't a priority right now.<br />
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Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-27079629653760984792012-10-16T22:51:00.001-04:002013-08-31T18:05:52.078-04:00A Few Complaints<div>
The administrative team of my school constantly brags about how the school is one of the highest-ranked schools in the school board. However, these rankings are merely based on the scores on standardized tests, and in actuality have little to do with how "good" the school is.</div>
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<br />This post is going to outline all the major flaws that I find with the school.<a name='more'></a></div>
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<b>No Physics Textbooks</b></div>
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Due to a lack of funding, there is not enough grade 12 physics textbooks for all the students. So to be fair to everyone, no one got a text book. We actually have to go online and download illegal copies of the textbook, or else we would be unable to do our homework!</div>
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This is ridiculous, given that textbooks are one of the most basic things that a school should provide. And this is grade twelve, the most important year of high school! I don't think I need to say more to illustrate how outrageous this problem is and how shameful the school should feel.</div>
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<b>OUAC Reference Numbers</b></div>
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The OUAC system is essentially a system that allows Ontario students to apply for universities online. Students choose their programs using the system, and their marks are automatically submitted from the system to the various universities that they apply to.</div>
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Each student has a unique OUAC reference number, and this number is obviously required for students to log into their accounts and apply.</div>
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Normally, schools give out the reference numbers to students in November, and many schools even give out the numbers during late October. However, my school is giving them out on <u>December</u> 5th!!</div>
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This is actually a serious issue, because many universities state that the earlier you apply, the better your chances. If our school gives out the reference numbers so late, isn't it putting students' future at risk by lowering their chances of getting admitted to their programs of choice?</div>
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<b>Calculus</b></div>
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My calculus class has 32 students, which may not seem too bad. But the classroom is extremely small, and there aren't even enough desks for everyone. I think the problem is self-explanatory.</div>
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<b>Course Selections</b></div>
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I don't know whether it's because our student population isn't big enough, or because the course selection software sucks, but our school is definitely bad at granting students the courses that they have chosen.</div>
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At the end grade 11, I chose a finance course because all the people who have taken it said that it was the easiest courses that one could possibly expect. Given the competitiveness of the programs that I am applying to, I really wanted to take that course and increase my average.</div>
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However, I was unable to take that course, because it collided with my AP calculus course, both of which have only one available class.</div>
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Many of my classmates are even more unfortunate than I am. Some of them couldn't take enriched physics, and others couldn't take enriched English. Really, what's the point of having an enrichment program if students end up not being able to take enriched courses?</div>
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<b>Guidance Counselors</b></div>
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To put it bluntly, our guidance counselors are not very helpful.</div>
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Last year, I wanted to take an online accounting course. One of them didn't know about such a thing, and the other simply refused to let me take that course, because apparently you could only take an online course if your school didn't offer it. </div>
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<br />If this is the case, how would you explain the availability of civics and careers courses? I seriously doubt that any school would not be offering these courses, which are mandatory for every students to take!</div>
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Also, whenever I asked a question about university application, my guidance counselor told me to "check online...."</div>
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<div>
<i>Finally finished my rant...</i></div>
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Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208091606668084521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-36194484496347069582012-09-28T22:43:00.003-04:002012-09-28T22:46:38.966-04:00Nightmare: Snakes and Death<b>September 27th</b><br />
This dream was a bit more mystical than the one during the night before; it's a lot harder to put it into context.<br />
<br />
For some reason I was walking in an area with a lot of trees, with many poisonous snakes on the ground. Of course, I couldn't actually tell whether they were poisonous or not, but they had black bodies plus some weird yellow patterns on their skin, so I assumed they were. Also, these snakes were all very large. They were perhaps as thick as a person's leg.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Eventually, I reached a body of water (a lake or a river) and apparently there was an event held there. Families were racing in the water in a very odd way (which I can't remember). At that time I was kind of an omniscient observer; I was kind of looking at the whole event from above.<br />
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Then, I started heading back into the forest, but this time with my mother and a little girl who was probably supposed to be a younger sister. The poisonous-looking snakes were still there, but now there were also some pure black snakes, which were all as large as the poisonous snakes.<br />
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The next moment, I seemed to be walking on a sidewalk, which also had a lot of these snakes. Scared of getting bitten, I started running, which was irrational because I somehow <i>knew</i> I wouldn't get harmed by these snakes anyway. In fact, it think it actually increased my chance of getting bitten because in my mind I was comparing running away from the snakes to running away from a bear. Also, my mother told me to slow down, but I ignored her.<br />
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After some running, both my mother and "my little sister" were out of sight, and I arrived at a subway station and went in. It was a relatively dull place with grey tattered walls, and there was no one except the ticket collector and I. I took out my TTC ticket so that I could enter the gate, but the ticket collector told me that they only accepted Japanese yens (100 yens, to be exact). I remember feeling very embarrassed, because the ticket collector was a Japanese female wearing a blue uniform— how could I have not known to pay in yens?<br />
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Anyway, I didn't have any Japanese money, so I couldn't get in. Instead, I walked a bit closer to the entrance and waited for my mother and "little sister" to arrive. Oh, I think the subway station had two stories, and I was basically facing the staircase so that I could see my family entering and coming up. (It's interesting that these buildings actually get distorted).<br />
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They eventually arrived and had begun to walk up the stairs. However, just as I was about to talk to them, I "felt" two bullets coming into my lower back. I probably knelt down a bit, and managed to turn around to see who was the assailant. Of course, it was that Japanese lady, as she was the only one who was present at the time. She looked coldly at me and shot a few more rounds. Apparently, I was considered as a security threat because I didn't have enough money to ride a subway...<br />
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Then all I felt was regret. I knew I was going to die with so many bullet wounds, and I just couldn't believe that I didn't foresee this event happening. Apparently, I have always known that I had to be on constant guard to avoid being killed by some kind of enemy.<br />
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Then I woke up.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
I really have no idea what the first part of the dream was supposed to be about. Those snakes were definitely very ominous, but there is no apparent connection between them and anything in my life. Is there anything poisonous/dangerous in my life? Probably. But then I have so many ideas/actions that are poisonous/dangerous that I can't just single out one thing.<br />
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The latter half of the nightmare was probably influenced by my reading of the Japanese novel <i>Battle Royale</i>, in which a group of students are dropped of at an island and instructed to kill each other. In any case, this is the very first time that I dream of myself dying! In all other nightmares, I would always manage to avoid being harmed or killed. What could this possibly signify? I don't even want to think about it.Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14995631691033946761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2967400151532139403.post-17365229031253436452012-09-28T22:35:00.003-04:002012-09-28T22:46:24.038-04:00Nightmare: Failure<b>September 26th</b><br />
That night, I had a bad dream in which I didn't win any awards at all during graduation. I'm not sure if there was any other "major failure" in the dream, such as not getting into the university program of choice, but I remember I was absolutely devastated during that dream; I think I literally cried. This goes on to show how much it means to me for me to win an award.<br />
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But why is it so important to me? Of course, there is a practical side: this year I have actually set goals to obtain awards just so that I can have more things to put onto my resume. However, I think it's mainly about pride and a confirmation of my ability, just like how I <a href="http://randuff.blogspot.ca/2011/07/importance-of-marks.html">care so much</a> about my marks.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I was a bit surprised by how emotional I got after the dream. Again, I think I cried, and after I woke up I was basically non-functional for five to ten minutes. It's funny and sad at the same time that I am so concerned about such a superficial thing, when deep down inside I should know perfectly well whether I am capable or not.<br />
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Also, I can totally understand why I had this dream during that particular night. Just the day before, I have gotten a notice saying that I would be receiving an award for the upcoming award assembly next Wednesday. So the matter about winning awards have naturally got into my mind...<br />
<br />
<br />Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14995631691033946761noreply@blogger.com