The Spring 2020 semester has ended for more than two weeks, but I am still so busy every day!
This semester was crazy for everyone in the school, the students, the faculty, and the administrator. This, of course, has led to many chaotic moments. I happen to be in two of the above three roles during this entire time. I feel the pain of being a student, and I feel the pressure of being the instructor at the same time.
The strange part of this year was the absence of transition. In the past, there was school classroom time and then followed by the time staying at home. But this is none of the transition this year! I have been home working since the third week of March! That may explain why I don’t fell this is the summer break now.
Needless to say, I have spent way too much time in building this website. It is finally somewhat presentable. Now, I have a “house” built. The next task would be to “furnish” it. What I mean is to add real content to the website, i.e., short free courses!
Why am I doing this? Well, the reasons are on the home page, and about me page. So, if you are curious, go check it out. They are 2-3 minutes read at the most.
I consider this website as a hobby for now. Like many kinds of hobby, it costs money $$$. The domain itself is a yearly expense. In terms of all the video productions, I have spent a good amount of money on the hardware already. I don’t know for sure, but I guess at least close to $500, not counting my new iPhone SE 2020. I actually start using it more to produce my videos. It is quite handy and less intimidating than the big camera. Maybe I could write a blog or make a video to show what I have invested in establishing the website, and the YouTube channel.
Writing a blog post was actually my old hobby. I still remember the good old days which I wrote on Xanga. In fact, it was one of the earliest social media platforms where friends can connect. I remember spending my lunch hour at UMBC writing my fictional blog posts that were in the Star Trek theme. I fictionalize the girls I met during each day as they were either a fellow officer on the starship or an alien woman. It was fun. I wish I had saved those posts.
But what I missed most was reading a special person’s blog posts. Yes, a special person. I used to call the person “TOO” on my blog posts. “TOO” stands for the one and only. Of course, that abbreviation is no longer valid. I honestly do not think the special person would be reading this post, and that’s why I am mentioning. I don’t want to hide my past. It is also a good way for me to dig deeper into my memoir writing.
Yes, I am writing my memoir. But I have been slacking on the writing and working on too many side projects. I really have to get back to my routine! I have to, and I must.
In terms of my other identity as a scientist, I honestly don’t even know if or when I can get back to my lab. But this summer is full even without going to my lab.
Let’s see what I need to do:
- Write my memoir chapters, as many as I can, all summer
- Write and finish the review article with my star student, Nevina, by June 30th, 2020
- Write the introduction and methodology of direct oral anticoagulant aptamer manuscript with Nevina, July
- Develop courses for this website, all summer
- Produce videos for my YouTube channels, all summer. Yes with an “s”. In addition to the classroom channel, I also run a personal channel on the back (channel name: Ka Lok Hong)
Well, I guess this is a long enough list. What’s in common?
Content creation!
That’s it for today. Tomorrow (May 25) is video filming and editing and as well as my memoir writing day.
Up coming video: COVID-19 Update, Vaccine Status
Memoir chapter: “The Unexpected Colony”
