As I previously reported in this blog, we attended Fandango de Tango event at Dallas in November 2012 (http://beginningargentinetango.blogspot.com/2012/11/dance-fandango-de-tango-2012.html).
Last week the Fandango de Tango event office uploaded an event summary and promotional video to YouTube and Facebook. Here is the link. We happened to be in the video for one second each on separate occasions. Haha.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c05EHcdZKIU
[....Do I need a disclaimer? This is NOT my video and the rights belong to the people who originally made it. Just in case.]
January 29, 2013
January 22, 2013
Dance: Tango walk in a swimming pool
I was down with the flu for a while. I started going to work on 1/17/13. I went to a dance party at the OKC swing dance club on 1/19/13. We were supposed to dance an exhibition dance (Tango) there. We danced to "Sin Rumbo" by Otros Aires. It was after some break from dancing, so I am really hoping I did not show it in my dance.
Sometimes we do dance Tango for show. Most of the time we do not completely choreograph the dance, though. We do use some familiar patterns here and there to the music, but we also hope to keep some spontaneous fun in the dance.
In such settings, I am reminded that partner dance is similar to martial arts. Martial artists train and repeat basic moves. They learn what kind of moves can be applied in a particular situation. But what really counts for Martial artists is being able to use the move in the heat of combat, or whenever it is needed. It is the moment of truth.
Likewise, for partner dancers what really counts is being able to really dance without previous choreography. To do that, it is essential to develop a sense or hunch for the dance, rather than memorizing a bunch of patterns. As a leader, I lead moves. It is important and is my responsibility. The lead should be accurate, unmistakable and comfortable, so she can follow and enjoy the dance. Equally important is the ability to notice immediately when she is not following as you intended, the ability to sense "something is not right", and the ability to change the move on the spot. This immediate response is something of an art, and the sense can become dull or get rusty if I have not been dancing for a while. It is like in many other sports or like playing a musical instrument.
When you take some time off, there may be signs of the break. For example, in swing dance in which partners can be separated, mis-judging the distance between the two is a telltale sign. You reach out your hand, and her hand is not there....missed by a few inches. It may take some dances to re-calibrate it.
I'll conclude this entry, which has become somewhat idle talk, with a tip for Argentine Tango.
The swimming pool-walk exercise. Leaders. If you have hard time getting the feel of the chest-led Argentine Tango walk, try walking in a swimming pool. The pool should not be too deep or too shallow. You submerge yourself about neck's depth, and walk forward. Try to walk fast. You need to lead yourself with your chest. Just sticking your leg forward won't work. That is the feel you can use to lead your follower with your chest on the Tango floor.
Sometimes we do dance Tango for show. Most of the time we do not completely choreograph the dance, though. We do use some familiar patterns here and there to the music, but we also hope to keep some spontaneous fun in the dance.
In such settings, I am reminded that partner dance is similar to martial arts. Martial artists train and repeat basic moves. They learn what kind of moves can be applied in a particular situation. But what really counts for Martial artists is being able to use the move in the heat of combat, or whenever it is needed. It is the moment of truth.
Likewise, for partner dancers what really counts is being able to really dance without previous choreography. To do that, it is essential to develop a sense or hunch for the dance, rather than memorizing a bunch of patterns. As a leader, I lead moves. It is important and is my responsibility. The lead should be accurate, unmistakable and comfortable, so she can follow and enjoy the dance. Equally important is the ability to notice immediately when she is not following as you intended, the ability to sense "something is not right", and the ability to change the move on the spot. This immediate response is something of an art, and the sense can become dull or get rusty if I have not been dancing for a while. It is like in many other sports or like playing a musical instrument.
When you take some time off, there may be signs of the break. For example, in swing dance in which partners can be separated, mis-judging the distance between the two is a telltale sign. You reach out your hand, and her hand is not there....missed by a few inches. It may take some dances to re-calibrate it.
I'll conclude this entry, which has become somewhat idle talk, with a tip for Argentine Tango.
The swimming pool-walk exercise. Leaders. If you have hard time getting the feel of the chest-led Argentine Tango walk, try walking in a swimming pool. The pool should not be too deep or too shallow. You submerge yourself about neck's depth, and walk forward. Try to walk fast. You need to lead yourself with your chest. Just sticking your leg forward won't work. That is the feel you can use to lead your follower with your chest on the Tango floor.
January 14, 2013
Life: Flu
They say the flu is going around strong in the US this year. I got one, too. I slept through last weekend, canceling a couple of parties. I am recovering from it now.
This 2013 January "flu-like disease" came mainly with a high fever, terrible fatigue/dullness and soreness everywhere. I felt very weak, which is a major difference from the annoying yet manageable common cold. I am sure there are micro-injuries caused by the virus everywhere in my body. No coughing or upper respiratory symptoms, and no stomach or digestive tract symptoms, though.
My usual home remedy is low-tech. I use bed rest and stay warm. Using the hair dryer to warm up the bed can be surprisingly handy. Lots of green tea and black tea. Megadose of Vitamin C (2-3g/day). Zinc tablets (one tablet (50mg)/day). Some of what I do are anecdotal remedies but most medicines work only for many, anyways. When fever is high and pain is more than annoying, I take Aspirin (Caution: Aspirin is not for kids with viral diseases) or Ibuprofen, maybe Tylenol. These drugs do generally the same thing but with some differences. You can Wikipedia them and compare them.
I am a scientist, but I do not have all the information for fancy "customized medicine". My genetic composition, epigenetic data, viral strains.... I don't know these. When we don't have enough information to make a smart diagnosis and pinpoint treatment, we go with some blanket medicine that is supposed to work for most or for many, don't we?
Speaking of "blanket medicine," for a long time western medicine assumed that medicine works on all bodies. In contrast, Chinese traditional medicine uses a different approach and actively takes the patient's body type into consideration. They use different herbal concoctions on different body types with the same disease. A stocky, red-faced, muscular guy gets different medicine from a skinny pale, moist-skinned woman when they both get the flu, for example. I see a certain rationale in their approach, and I wonder how long it'll take for western medicine to actually customize medication to that level. For certain types of cancers, molecular diagnostics and customized treatments have begun (like, "her2 positive breast cancer" etc), and over-the-counter cold medicine started using different drug mixes for different symptoms ("sinus and fever" etc), but we still have a long way to go.
I did get a flu vaccination a couple of months ago. I am not certain it worked or not. Either it missed this viral strain and did not work at all, or it helped to cut the worst time short, or it has even saved my life. In life usually we do not have appropriate control groups (like 10 others of me who did not get the vaccination and 9 more me who got the vaccination). In life what happens is usually unique. There are always many ways to interpret what happened.
When I get sick, it is a reminder of the importance of healthy body. When I heal from a cold or the flu, there is a time when my entire body feels warm and blood flows smoothly. I am almost there. I should be fine in a few days. Hope my wife stays healthy.
I am expecting a busier time in a few weeks. Let's say I am lucky to get this flu now rather than to get it later in the busier time.
This 2013 January "flu-like disease" came mainly with a high fever, terrible fatigue/dullness and soreness everywhere. I felt very weak, which is a major difference from the annoying yet manageable common cold. I am sure there are micro-injuries caused by the virus everywhere in my body. No coughing or upper respiratory symptoms, and no stomach or digestive tract symptoms, though.
My usual home remedy is low-tech. I use bed rest and stay warm. Using the hair dryer to warm up the bed can be surprisingly handy. Lots of green tea and black tea. Megadose of Vitamin C (2-3g/day). Zinc tablets (one tablet (50mg)/day). Some of what I do are anecdotal remedies but most medicines work only for many, anyways. When fever is high and pain is more than annoying, I take Aspirin (Caution: Aspirin is not for kids with viral diseases) or Ibuprofen, maybe Tylenol. These drugs do generally the same thing but with some differences. You can Wikipedia them and compare them.
I am a scientist, but I do not have all the information for fancy "customized medicine". My genetic composition, epigenetic data, viral strains.... I don't know these. When we don't have enough information to make a smart diagnosis and pinpoint treatment, we go with some blanket medicine that is supposed to work for most or for many, don't we?
Speaking of "blanket medicine," for a long time western medicine assumed that medicine works on all bodies. In contrast, Chinese traditional medicine uses a different approach and actively takes the patient's body type into consideration. They use different herbal concoctions on different body types with the same disease. A stocky, red-faced, muscular guy gets different medicine from a skinny pale, moist-skinned woman when they both get the flu, for example. I see a certain rationale in their approach, and I wonder how long it'll take for western medicine to actually customize medication to that level. For certain types of cancers, molecular diagnostics and customized treatments have begun (like, "her2 positive breast cancer" etc), and over-the-counter cold medicine started using different drug mixes for different symptoms ("sinus and fever" etc), but we still have a long way to go.
I did get a flu vaccination a couple of months ago. I am not certain it worked or not. Either it missed this viral strain and did not work at all, or it helped to cut the worst time short, or it has even saved my life. In life usually we do not have appropriate control groups (like 10 others of me who did not get the vaccination and 9 more me who got the vaccination). In life what happens is usually unique. There are always many ways to interpret what happened.
When I get sick, it is a reminder of the importance of healthy body. When I heal from a cold or the flu, there is a time when my entire body feels warm and blood flows smoothly. I am almost there. I should be fine in a few days. Hope my wife stays healthy.
I am expecting a busier time in a few weeks. Let's say I am lucky to get this flu now rather than to get it later in the busier time.
January 5, 2013
Science: Science as a job
It's been a while since I made a blog entry with a "Science" title. It is not because I neglect this aspect of my life. On the contrary, because I do research every day it feels somewhat redundant to write about it at the end of the day as a blog entry.
For me, science is a professional activity, and I feel privileged to be in that position. But what kind of job is it?
Like any job, this job is not for everyone. First of all, entry into the research track is not easy. In my research field of basic medical science, to be a principal investigator (PI)-level researcher, a PhD or an MD is needed as qualification.
Let's say a small population of kids want to be a scientist. They dream about the future, choose a scientist track, study science, go to a university, get through a graduate school and finally get a PhD (alternatively an MD).
In your graduate school the faculty tries to teach you scientist survival skills, such as specialized knowledge for your specialty, experimental and lab skills, writing skills, critical reading skills, scientific thinking and reasoning skills, presentation skills, publication skills, networking etc. If you lack any of these skills, you are incomplete as a PhD, and not competitive in the job market. And learning all these things is not easy and takes time. Sometimes faculty has to make the difficult decision to flunk a student. But it is out of favor rather than of hate or dislike. They have seen many students, and have certain views about who are future successful researchers and who are not likely to be.
Even hearing all the "Novel laureate with a flunking score" stories, the faculty still does not want to mass-produce substandard PhDs. It is the faculty's responsibility to uphold a certain standard. For example imagine an MD. I'd like my doctor to be good rather than be at the bottom of the class. Besides, it is always a tough call for faculty to decide who has made the cut and who has not.
But a PhD is just a qualification, like a driving licence. Getting a PhD is just the beginning. You are still a novice right out of graduate school. In many cases you extend your training as a post-doc with another mentor before you advance your career further. At this time you are mainly a "hired gun" helping the mentor who pays for your position. You better be a good helper for the boss and better get the job done in a timely manner. Consider aligning your interests and your mentor's interests for mutual benefit. If you want to be an independent researcher, you need to develop your own grantsmanship to finance yourself and your research.
There is an important thing to keep in mind. Science and research is forever. Some questions you ask may be ahead of the times and you may not get an answer in a short period of time. Or, it takes your pupil decades later to get the answer. In that manner research lineage exists. But science as a job is different. It's a series of achievable projects. The scope of a research project is more defined. You need to complete it in a timely manner as in a job.
There is no sugarcoating the situation. The research funding is getting tight and survival is getting tougher. Since grant success rate is around 8-15% nowadays, you better be good at the art and be competitive to survive. Statistical thinking would lead you to a hallowing conclusion that you may not last long as an independent PI if you are not among the top 20%. You need to prepare yourself to be competitive. It is somewhat like being a professional athlete. If you don't perform well, you need to start getting concerned about your performance and the future.
Ha! It is a specialized and tough job. Determination alone doesn't promise anything. Most of us PhDs should have thought about this during long years of education. Depending on what we think and on the situation, we decide what to do next.
This is my personal view for the science business. You can have a different view. How you see it, optimistically or pessimistically, also depends on you. We all choose our path.
I do love this job and would like to make most out of it.
For me, science is a professional activity, and I feel privileged to be in that position. But what kind of job is it?
Like any job, this job is not for everyone. First of all, entry into the research track is not easy. In my research field of basic medical science, to be a principal investigator (PI)-level researcher, a PhD or an MD is needed as qualification.
Let's say a small population of kids want to be a scientist. They dream about the future, choose a scientist track, study science, go to a university, get through a graduate school and finally get a PhD (alternatively an MD).
In your graduate school the faculty tries to teach you scientist survival skills, such as specialized knowledge for your specialty, experimental and lab skills, writing skills, critical reading skills, scientific thinking and reasoning skills, presentation skills, publication skills, networking etc. If you lack any of these skills, you are incomplete as a PhD, and not competitive in the job market. And learning all these things is not easy and takes time. Sometimes faculty has to make the difficult decision to flunk a student. But it is out of favor rather than of hate or dislike. They have seen many students, and have certain views about who are future successful researchers and who are not likely to be.
Even hearing all the "Novel laureate with a flunking score" stories, the faculty still does not want to mass-produce substandard PhDs. It is the faculty's responsibility to uphold a certain standard. For example imagine an MD. I'd like my doctor to be good rather than be at the bottom of the class. Besides, it is always a tough call for faculty to decide who has made the cut and who has not.
But a PhD is just a qualification, like a driving licence. Getting a PhD is just the beginning. You are still a novice right out of graduate school. In many cases you extend your training as a post-doc with another mentor before you advance your career further. At this time you are mainly a "hired gun" helping the mentor who pays for your position. You better be a good helper for the boss and better get the job done in a timely manner. Consider aligning your interests and your mentor's interests for mutual benefit. If you want to be an independent researcher, you need to develop your own grantsmanship to finance yourself and your research.
There is an important thing to keep in mind. Science and research is forever. Some questions you ask may be ahead of the times and you may not get an answer in a short period of time. Or, it takes your pupil decades later to get the answer. In that manner research lineage exists. But science as a job is different. It's a series of achievable projects. The scope of a research project is more defined. You need to complete it in a timely manner as in a job.
There is no sugarcoating the situation. The research funding is getting tight and survival is getting tougher. Since grant success rate is around 8-15% nowadays, you better be good at the art and be competitive to survive. Statistical thinking would lead you to a hallowing conclusion that you may not last long as an independent PI if you are not among the top 20%. You need to prepare yourself to be competitive. It is somewhat like being a professional athlete. If you don't perform well, you need to start getting concerned about your performance and the future.
Ha! It is a specialized and tough job. Determination alone doesn't promise anything. Most of us PhDs should have thought about this during long years of education. Depending on what we think and on the situation, we decide what to do next.
This is my personal view for the science business. You can have a different view. How you see it, optimistically or pessimistically, also depends on you. We all choose our path.
I do love this job and would like to make most out of it.
January 2, 2013
Life: 2013 Happy New Year
New Year 2013 has begun. Today I got back to the lab. Tonight we will go to a milonga. I guess I live loyal to my two identities, scientist and dancer.
During the winter break I made my New Year's Resolutions. Or rather, I made action plans for four categories of life: Finance, Professional, Health, and Others.
In "The Millionaire Fastlane", the book author MJ DeMarco wrote about three important Fs in life: Family (Friends), Fitness (Health) and Freedom (which money can buy). I totally agree with his view, and my Resolutions, although categorized in a different manner, incorporate his view.
In my opinion the book was one of the best reads about finance and life planning in the last year. I was astounded by the clarity of his view and his brutal honesty. I will recommend the book to anyone.
Life is said to be something you make happen. Life is also said to be something you ought to enjoy every day. I think both are true. I want to make something happen in 2013, and I want to enjoy the process as well.
During the winter break I made my New Year's Resolutions. Or rather, I made action plans for four categories of life: Finance, Professional, Health, and Others.
In "The Millionaire Fastlane", the book author MJ DeMarco wrote about three important Fs in life: Family (Friends), Fitness (Health) and Freedom (which money can buy). I totally agree with his view, and my Resolutions, although categorized in a different manner, incorporate his view.
In my opinion the book was one of the best reads about finance and life planning in the last year. I was astounded by the clarity of his view and his brutal honesty. I will recommend the book to anyone.
Life is said to be something you make happen. Life is also said to be something you ought to enjoy every day. I think both are true. I want to make something happen in 2013, and I want to enjoy the process as well.
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