What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking through a keyhole, the keyhole of nature, trying to know what’s going on.
-Jacques Yves Cousteau
Hello, everyone that reads my blog!
Feliz día de Reyes!! (if you celebrate it… or not) I’m Puerto Rican and, well… I do.
I’ve got another blog post coming your way today about the Día de Reyes and other traditions, but I also had an assignment! (Blogging 101 and all :D) It’s about my blog’s title.
I didn’t think about this name until hours after I created my blog. But I feel proud. It’s nice, so I did not change it. (And I probably won’t. Ever :D)
I guess I have said it before. Science, Books and Silly Things is everything that makes me myself. When I first made my blog, I didn’t know what to call it and I played with words a lot. I don’t remember the other options… I don’t think they were that bad, but they were not what I was looking for.
I thought Science had to be there because it has become such an important part of my life. I have learned a lot about how everything works, and I can’t wait to learn more along the way. I also have to make an effort, and I like that. I don’t remember having to make such an effort to learn something before.
Books are… well… my life! They help me feel better when I’m sad or anxious, and they’re always there for me. I don’t think I will ever stop loving literature as much as I do. There are lots of books to read, books that are waiting for me to find them!
It was going it to be called “… and other silly things”, but it didn’t feel as good as the final result. I ramble a lot in my blog, so “silly things” had to be there. I am silly sometimes, and that’s okay.
I did change my tagline. Now it’s
“Learning to live my life… one book at a time.”
I like it now. It just feels right, since as a reader, I endeavour to learn everything I can from a book, be it survivor skills, social skills or even what not to do in a situation. My halfly decent English skills were also learned in books, so I guess they’re worth something.
So… this is why I named my blog like this. Do you like it? 😀
Hello, my dear followers! Miss Theodora Zheng agreed to write a guest post for Science, Books and Silly Things, and here it is. It has to do with what my blog (and my life) is about: Science and English (Or any language), the mix that some people may call “weird”, but it is not.
I am glad to host Theo on my blog. Her posts are amazing, pertinent and even fun. I hope to one day be a writer like her.
Without further ado, here’s Theodora and her take on how Science, Math and English shouldn’t be mutually exclusive.
The most annoying kind of people are those who say, “You know, I’m not really much of a ________ person.” They say this and then they use it to justify why they perform poorly in the subject of choice.
You could replace the blank with any subject, really: English, math, history, science. But it’s strange. Students are taught that loving a “hard” subject (math or science) means that they can’t love or understand “soft” subjects (history or literature). And that’s not true. The three major loves of math, science, and English should not have to be mutually exclusive.
notes: From here on out, when I refer to “English” I am referring to all aspects of English, including literature, fiction writing, nonfiction, essays, grammar, poetry, etcetera. Additionally, Let’s begin with the premise that to truly love something, you must understand it. Therefore, the reason a person does not love math is because they cannot understand it; it does not make sense to them.
From elementary school, our failures in a subject are explained by differences in thinking. that originate from birth. A person who excels in math or science is “logical” and “rational.” A person who excels in the creative arts is an “artist type,” dreamy and vague and undisciplined. We are taught to think that loving knowledge is an either/or decision, and that we cannot love more than one “type” of subject. It’s limiting. When an “English kid” does poorly on a Math test, he is excused because it’s just something he can’t (and maybe will never) understand.
Compare it to the proverb “Men are from Mars, women are from Venus.” Saying that an “English kid” will never understand math and using that as an excuse to teach him negligently is like telling your significant other to stop trying to communicate with you because they’ll just never understand you. Sure, women and men may communicate differently, and they also act differently in certain cases (supposedly, women are inherently “docile” and men are inherently “aggressive”). However, women and men are not inherently different. Differences that arise in the sexes are a result of parenting and gender schema.
Minor differences in biology do not mean that men and women cannot reach mutual understanding. It also does not mean that children are born with inherent skills in math or science.
In both of these situations, this form of thinking is perpetuated by educators. In academics, the educators are teachers. In the men/women analogy, they are parents. But think about it: just like all men and women and in-betweens are humans, all subjects are knowledge. Why do we treat them differently?
This is part three of a series of posts I’ve been writing to convince myself I took the right decision. It’s also the last one.
Part one, if you’re interested: https://fearlesslynat.wordpress.com/2014/10/19/why-in-the-world-didnt-i-study-literature/
Part two: https://fearlesslynat.wordpress.com/2014/11/01/why-in-the-world-didnt-i-study-literature-part-2/
Hope you enjoy. 🙂
On my last post, I talked about why I chose Science, and didn’t state the reasons why I left Literature behind, which is not fair.
Most of my posts are about how much I love reading. Reading is my life, and I’m always excited for the next book that is coming up. Then again, if I studied Literature, I would be exposed to everything, all the time, and I was afraid that I would lose my love of reading along the way. This is still my biggest fear, since reading is my shelter. It is my safe haven, and I don’t want to lose that. I must admit that was my main reason for not even thinking about Literature as an option. I would have done well, though.
Like I said on my last post, I didn’t explore the possibility like I should have when I was a senior, but I recently worked on that. I wanted to be sure I had made the right decision. Two weeks ago, I read all the requirements I needed. It was full of Humanities, Social Sciences, Spanish, English and other languages. I thought that was possible for me. It looked easy. I must say, I was tempted to go away and start anew, but that felt like giving up, and I am not a quitter. If I had space for other electives, though, I would take Creative Writing and other electives that helped me become a better writer. This has been a dream of mine for a while, and I want to learn how to organize my thoughts, create worlds and make people feel strong emotions, just like I do when I am reading a great book.
A doctor I met a while ago had a double major in biology and literature. He made me realize that I could have the best of both worlds. Please ignore my horrible Hannah Montana reference. I will not double major, sadly, but I can still work on my love for literature. When I have the time, I will definitely take literary courses. I will learn to write better, since reading and writing are essential skills for any profession. My Spanish professor says that Literature sensitizes people. I will most certainly not lose that, not in a million years.
I will not lose my passion for books, but my love for discoveries and Science will always be there and I had to acknowledge it. If I hadn’t, I would have gone mad.
This is part two of a series of posts I’ve been writing to convince myself I took the right decision.
Part one of this post, if you’re interested: https://fearlesslynat.wordpress.com/2014/10/19/why-in-the-world-didnt-i-study-literature/
I have always gone with the flow, and tried to do what felt right at the moment. I remember helping my classmates to choose what they wanted to do, to apply for their colleges of choice, while I still didn’t know what I was about to do. I had already applied to my college (and I definitely do not regret that decision) but I still did not know enough about myself to take an informed decision. Getting to know myself has taken a lot of time, and I am still trying to do so.
When I was a senior in high school I did not look for the requirements to be a Literature major, and that makes me kind of sad. Now that I think about it, that might have been because I did not have a counselor available to help me explore my options. Most of my teachers thought I would pursue a career in Literature. Choosing Biology was a surprise for them. I just wish I had had the time to think about it, to imagine myself doing something other than Science, even if I would have taken the same decision I took, in the end.
Science just felt right. I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to make a difference. I did think it was going to be easier than this. I had always been good at everything, without much effort. In hindsight, I realize how wrong I was, but I am glad I am learning everything along the way. It is not easy, but it is worth it. I need to realize how everything related to my future will take time and effort. I am at a crossroads right now. I am going to take the classes I need in order to study Pharmacy, which is my goal right now. Pharmacy sounds good, especially since I have realized how much I still love Chemistry. Even if it takes a lot of time and headaches, I still want to work with something that is related to it.
The truth is, Science just excites me. I love when I learn something new, when I discover the reason why things are the way they are. This is the reason why I chose Science.
This is a short one. I might write more about this subject later on. 🙂
That is a good question, Nat. If there are two things I have always loved throughout my life, they’re Science and Literature. I have loved how those two fields were always with me, making me who I am today.
Last weekend, my mom asked me why I didn’t study literature. Believe me, I’ve thought about it. I have even searched recently for the requirements of changing my major to Lit. Anyway, I know I would have regretted not studying anything related to science. My life would be filled with what if’s, and that is too sad for words. Right now, as I’m writing this, I’m going through a relatively easy week, compared to my last two. Still, as stress is killing me almost everyday, I think I wouldn’t have it any other way, and that might seem like both masochism and passion.
I guess, in the end, I have no real reason why I didn’t major in lit. I just followed my gut, and did what felt right at the moment. I think it does feel right, and as long as it does, I’m going to pursue a career in Natural Sciences.
Update: This, now, is the first of a series of blog posts about the reasons why I chose science instead of literature. Parts two and three will be posted on November 1st and November 8th. I hope you like them.
I just noticed my last few blog posts have been kind of depressing and stressful. *insert sad smiley* This is why I thought about writing this blog post. No matter how much life brings you down, there’s always something to be grateful, and happy, for.
1. I have an amazing family.
They are funny, smart and supportive. Sometimes even more than I deserve to have. I am so grateful for them everyday, even if I might not show it.
2. I’m studying what I love.
I might have my doubts about what I will do in the future, but I certainly do love what I’m studying. Biology is one of the most beautiful things in this world. It helps you understand everything around you in such a way, that you just want more knowledge. I just love Science!
3. Books!
My love for books is so big it needs its own number. Books are so important to me and they have helped me become who I am. They have also made me realize how I can achieve my goals.
4. Music
Music always makes me feel better, no matter what I’m feeling. I could be going through a really rough time, and if there’s a song that I like on the radio, I will sing it with my soul! Also, music helps me study and concentrate.
5. Friends.
I don’t think I will ever be grateful enough for the people I can call friends. They are always there, they notice when I’m sad or just don’t feel like doing anything. They just understand… And that’s something not many people have. I appreciate it a lot.
6. Dreams
This one has a lot to do with number 2, but this one is about dreams in general. Dreams give us something to believe in, something to fight for. Dreams are the thread of life, actually, and I’m glad I have some dreams and goals to be fierce about.
7. A Singing Voice (Kidding!! xD)
I cannot sing to save my life! I’m oddly thankful about that, because it somehow defines me, and gives my friends something to laugh about.
8. Life in general.
Life is a beautiful thing, with its twists and turns. Without them, it wouldn’t be interesting. That is why we have to look at the positive side of things. We must learn something about everything that happens to us.
9. Sasha
As you might have seen in my About page, Sasha’s my pug. She’s my favorite thing on Earth. She’s so happy and loving, and I love her so much!!
10. Being myself!
Being myself is the thing I’m thankful the most for. I love my life so much. I might complain a lot, but basically there’s not a thing I would change about it (especially when it comes to myself). I might be many things, but I know I’m a good person, and I’m proud of it. I love being Nat!!
Something that not many people tell us when we are little kids is that life changes, the plans you made and the life you imagined is not exactly what you will get when you grow up. Sometimes, when the time comes and it’s the moment to choose what we’ll do, we just do not know. Our image of what we would do changed drastically when we actually got to the place we wanted to be at.
This happened to me the exact day I arrived to Uni. I remember sitting in my Biology class wondering what I would do next. It’s not a lovely feeling, I might just tell you. All my life I dreamed with being a doctor and I then realized it might not be what I imagined. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be a doctor anymore. I just realized there were many possibilities and I wanted to explore most of them before taking a major decision.
I thank my lucky stars everyday that I’m a Biology major, because that opens many possibilities for me, but now I’m just very confused. I enjoy many things about science in general. I like how everything in our bodies and nature just works out and let us live. Such an organization is beautiful, and I’m thankful because I get to understand it a little bit more everyday.
Right now, as I’m studying for my first Organic Chemistry test, I just know that I’m where I’m supposed to be, even if I’m so stressed all the time. I know it will be worth it in the end, whatever it will be. I still do not know what my goals are, and as I get closer and closer to my third year, I get a little more anxious. I am a little scared that not having a strict goal might affect my performance, no matter what I’m doing.
The thing is, perfection does not exist, and things are not ever going to be like you thought they would be. The thing to do is to learn to love it. If it is what you are meant to be doing, you will be fine. We will be fine.
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