Last semester blog: English for life!

Well, to begin, i have always loved to learn English. My 3 bigger sisters used to watch some horror and suspense movies with me with subtitles when I was like 8. My big big sister studied to be an English teacher and well, all in my family have a good domain of the language. In school, I learned B2 level (upper- intermediate) and learned C1 level on Oxford (for 2 months).And keeping aside all the technic stuff (boooring) , I really like the language, it gives you another way of communicating and expressing which I think, it’s absolutely different from Spanish.

 (It's good to know this if u want to study outside) (C2+ level is like Emma Watson level or something...)

In University of Concepcion I never took the English classes because I was too focused on chemistry and maths. Here in University of Chile there are obligatory, and also it has been 2 years since I took an English course and I’m having a good time actually. Making blogs it’s kind of relaxing and helps you express some way and classes are more fun, with the group we have a good laugh every now and then and now there’s a debate coming, which I know my group is going to win hehe.

 (the debate is gonna be about death penalty, you have to come)

I think that, after 2 years of no taking and english class at all (just watching movies without subtitles, book and games), I need the improve some technic stuff again, like structures of the past and future, because I think I forget some of those.

Outside classes, on the open world, I practice sometimes with my little sister (she loves English too, so we welcome her to the dark side now haha) and on some scientific congresses I have some little chats with the exhibitor, but that is all. Hope that in the future I have the opportunity to have my postgraduate studies on England and really improve the language to a native level, except for the accent of course, we can never forgive our Chilean root at all.

A message for you now: you’re studying a scientific career; take advantage of the material you have around to learn this language, ‘cause it´s important to unwind on this globalized world. Especially on science.

Well peace, hope you have a good end of semester haha bye.

Biochemistry and the new generation of graduates

Well, the curriculum program of my career is new, it just got on course since last year, so we (me and my generation) are the first generation to graduate under this program.

You know I said this over and over again ('till you want to kill me) but i come from another University and one of the reasons because i came here was because of the program that University of Chile has. I really like it from a general view.

Biochemistry in this University has it unique formation on investigation and it has worked really well. On the first years you learn the basics of chemistry and biology and then you go nuts with all this investigation and subcellular courses that sounds really amazing. We even have a Biotechnology course that sounds great, can't wait to have it.

BUT! there are always a but isn't it... The distribution of credits (hours per week on a course) with the complementary course is just… insane, and not on a good way. In the Biochemist program you need to take a minimum of 16 credits of complementary (CFG) courses over all your career. I don’t think that that’s necessary for any career, ever… I mean, I love to learn different stuff as I have a very open mind to humanistic sciences, music… But 16 credits (minimum of 8 CFG through the program) it just crazy.

The faculty has, IN GENERAL, good facilities and they’re getting better on time  but we still need some spaces for the students that hopefully are coming, but I don’t complain. The general laboratories have all we need IN GERENAL and the specific laboratories has the problems that ALL  the laboratories have in Chile… well you about the finance on science and investigation.. ehem

As this is my 3^rd year on a university (and 1^st on this university), I know a lot of professors, and here they have very good methods of teaching IN GENERAL. Good people too.

The only changes for now it would be the (god damn) credits on the complementary courses and, that the course with more not approved rate can be given on the next semester.

Well that’s all for today. bye :)

My ideas (and frustations) for this summer holidays

So... It’s not too long now for the summer holidays and i have quite nice ideas for it. First, me and some friends wanted to go to Machu Picchu on January, BUT! There’re some problem with that right now, especially for me… Since I was the last on joining to the party, I’m suddenly the last guy to receive the news, and they told me yesterday (yeah, from the day of this blog) that they wanted to buy the tickets tomorrow and that they’ve been talking about this for weeks now, and "obviously" they never told me ‘till yesterday. So... I’m stil thinking about it beacuse of the money and, well it's quite sad to be the last to know about their plans, no hard feeling though, it's just sad :( . 

 (yeah... i could have save some money since they told me... but well here we are... still thinking about going)

GOOD NEWS THOUGH! I’m going to the south of Chile on February with my family, and for the 1^st time I’m going to be the driver with both my parents so I’m gonna be more  helpful this time (it’s a long ride) .We’re doing a kind of travel out from Santiago to Chiloe, stopping by on some cities and towns on the road.  Among those are Valdivia, Futrono, Talca, Curico, Angol, Temuco, etc…

 (Valdivia must be beautiful)

We’ve prepared this for almost a year now so we’re excited to do it. It’s going to be 20 days on the road, meeting cities, people,culture, and relaxing. Personally, I’ve always wanted to meet Universidad Austral, people told it’s quite beautiful, and also wanted to go to Isla Huapi, where a lot Mapuche culture you can learn,  and of course, Chiloe, the big one. 

 (So excited to finally go to Chiloe, i'm going to learn some sorcery probably haha)

I like to meet people from different cities, so it's going to be a good adventure for my social side too, and also, breath some fresh air hahahaha. That's it for today people, bye.

The little puppy

I knew i’d write about this one day haha! My family have always had small pets because we’ve always lived in apartments, flats. And since i was 16 we’ve stopped for a while (of having pets). But last year, when i was studying in U de Concepcion, this little girl came to my family, and my little sister gave her the weirdest name a pet could have,  Kyumi, and she didn’t even watch anime nor anything from the oriental culture so… yeah, it was a little weird name for a little puppy, a Maltese.

 (i don't have any photos right now, but it kind of looks like this)

I wasn’t all on the side of having a pet, since it gave them more responsibilities (remember that i wasn’t yet living in Santiago again), but when I meet her…. IT WAS ALL CUTENESS!! I couldn’t resist of having her in my arms. Well, she pissed on me the first time that I took her and that was her “signature greeting” every time she was excited, that said, everyday when i get home, she runs to me and starts to jump, so i have to wait ‘till she tranquilizes because if I took her (she’s very small), she pees.

 (the Maltese eyes have something special. Well, actually any dogs eyes, specially Casimiro's)

The day to day life has become more happy with Kyumi at our side, giving always the spark when we get home tired and lots of kisses whenever she approaches someone. That elevates somehow the standart of feeling good at home… the happiness that she impregnates very naturally.

P.S. : Also, she sleeps every night with someone different (my little sister, my parents and I), and she snores. So when she sleeps with my parents, she snores along side with my dad. That’s cute plus funny, plus annoying sometimes hahahaha. 

 (Here i have a picture of her, she's very social, here she's playing with the dolphins... Ok no)

The postgraduate studies

So, I studied 2 years of Biochemistry in University of Concepcion before coming here to University of Chile, and I used to  travel to my home at Santiago every now and then. That was 6 hours on the road, and part of those 6 hours I expended on thinking about this: The Postgrade. You know, read about it on the cellphone and dreaming.

    (University of Concepcion, beautiful place and experience...)

*Before continuing, you must be thinking: “ how can you think about that in a bus when you can sleep or watch the movies at the bus”, but mate, it’s 6 hours!!! And i travelled at least once a month, i had a lot time.*

I’ve always like Neuroscience, indeed, I work at the neuroplasticity and neurogenetics lab. here in the University and i already went to 2 congresses of this topic, so i’m pretty much attached or acquainted to this. Also my dream has to do with making an extended network of multidisciplinary thinkers (the topic of my past blog). It’s a lot of hard work, i know, so here’s the plan:

I’d like to graduate with a Msc. (masters) in Biochemistry here in University of Chile, because you can postulate to it (of course, with good marks and recommendation letters, etc…) and then, one of the hardest part of the dream, study the “Welcome Trust program” at University of Oxford in Neuroscience, which is a Msc. and PhD. program combined,   full-time program of 4 years, in England, all of this with a scholarship (Beca Chile maybe). There, i known that i can grown my potential as a profesional like the many scientist that graduated there. And well, about growning as a person, in this University  it should do just fine.

 (University of Oxford)

The hard road it’s coming (like Winter on Game of Thrones), but i like it every minute, I’m the kind of person who have a dream for the future but lives the present at it’s fullness. Hope all of you may accomplished your dreams :) . 

 (Part of the road of dreaming was to enter at this University too :) )

My future job... making a dream

So…. Biochemistry has a lot… A LOT of field to cover: from clinic, to investigation, to innovation, to blah blah, a lot. And also, it has a big ideal (from students) of “working indoors”, investigate, do some congresses speeches, and repeat. That’s the part when I say that I would like to do a bit more.

Of course, I would like to do investigation, more specifically, neuroscience (neurodegenerative diseases), and create a network of professionals from different science fields.  The point of this is to have a multidisciplinary team work of research and innovation, so we can have practicals results instead of just theorical ones. This requires outdoors work on the fact that you need to find people and do some outdoors research, because neuroscience has more to investigate than microscopes and papers. Neuroscience is a field of investigation of watching behaviors, human interactions and perception tests, talk to people and pacients, etc.

 (a brain observed with a really beautiful technique... can't remember the name though)

I expect with this team to have an impact on the world, so I expect to travel and carry the ideas and investigation to other people around the world. You maybe thinking “hey cris wait! You just want exactly what you were criticizing at the beginning of the blog” If you look it in a way… maybe, but there’s more to it. The part of a multidisciplinary team is an idea that many people think, but so many gave up (the multidisciplinary teams in Chile are counted with my fingers), that’s the part when it gets interesting.

I'd like to get a Msc. (a masters) in Biochemistry here in Universidad de Chile to start ,because you can graduate with that degree if you postulate (and have... ehem.. good marks, i'm working on it). And, with a lot of effort, go to study on  the “Wellcome trust program” of the Oxford university (Msc. and PhD. in neuroscience combined).  This communication thing will evolve in time, to find people for this future (future future) interdisciplinary team.

 (Oxford U :3, you maybe thinking "f%$ck u, fanboy", i only send love)

Well the money that I can earn… I have faith haha just that.  The end of this is to have an impact and, to help people to have better lives. Probably get involve on helping to reduce the world's climate change later, i don't know, this career gives you a lot of tools haha. 

Bye Bye.

"Favourite" artist

Sorry for the delay, but I just got my driver license this morning haha. So... favourite artist, i don't really have one since i have a big heart for a lot of them. Between Muse, Radiohead, Coldplay, Arctic monkeys and even some metal bands from my childhood, it is my duty to talk about newcomers, so I introduce you all to “Nothing but Thieves”. 

An English rock band ( mostly alternative rock and electronic rock)  who likes to explore all kinds of styles in the rock genre. They only have 2 albums, and the last one, “Broken machine” just got out September 8th of this year. Well, their style is very experimental while the instruments: guitars, bass and drums (and some synths in between) are played in a very simple way (especially the drums). The combination of that simplicity, plus the experimental thing, PLUS THE VOCALS!!!! GOD THEY’RE AMAZING, made them great to listen. Well, the lyrics are very variant, but the core is always free will agaisnt a social structure, just like the song “broken machine” from the homonym album, “Excuse me” and “i was just a kid” are 2 other examples.

I like them since 2016, when i listen to the song “Ban all the music” from their 1st álbum (released on 2015) on spotify, and i love it on the 1st listen. I like it because of the crazyness of the song, the part when Connor sang: “Play an ilegal song, and turn it up out louder!” with that beautiful falsetto it’s… explosive and cathartic.

Enough fanboying for today, here are some songs, enjoy it and turn it up out louder!

   

*For us the nerdies from the science field, "Particles",specially if you want to dedicate a love song :