thanks a lot anita;) i think i have become a bit too health conscious these days. most of the time, i eat seafood, vegetables and rice along with low fat meats with low fat dairy products and also healthy fruits. since it has come down to the last few days of school, my classes have started parties and i hate having the unhealthy food. although i only had a party on last thursday and i ate three shortbread hazel balls, one small slice of pizza and half a cup of soda; i am a bit irritated b/c i didn’t go to the gym on friday or sunday, but i did do a three mile run on saturday in 10 minutes which burned 200 calories. also on monday, i ate a chocolate chip cookie, molasses cookie with chocolate fudge and a fudge graham cracker brownie. i know that i should have fun at parties at times and eating unhealthy food only a few times is okay, but i seem to be a bit annoyed still. after the parties, i often go out for a run or workout at the gym and i end up eating more fruits and vegetables and counting the calories i ate so i don’t go overboard. if it were me, i would love to avoid every party i get invited to so i can eat all healthy all the time. also i realize that my height 5′ 5” and i have become 120 instead of 118, but most of the time i know after working out i will lose the weight, but i’m still very insecure. oftentimes whenever i am sitting, i want to be up and working out b/c i feel as if the calories are adding up. i often may go to a party and eat minor calories then i will not eat anything unhealthy for 3 whole months no matter what. looking back at my notes from freshman year, i feel a bit sad b/c i felt i was a lot smarter back then than i am now. my parents say that it is b/c i have a lot on my mind and that my intelligence level is still the same, however i feel so insecure. one of my essays that i wrote for biology sounds so much better than the essays i have been writing now. i feel like i have gone from a smart child to one who doubts myself and doesn’t know how to do anything. looking back at how i was before, i wonder if i really wrote this and why i went from being happy with myself to someone so filled with doubt. i have so many questions about whether i know how to survive in this world with money, cars, rent. it would be better if my parents didn’t say my head is in the clouds with spirituality b/c being out in nature and meditating with angels helps me relax. my special friend thinks i overthink who i am. i think they have a view that science and spirituality don’t mix. here is a sample of my biology honors essay from freshman year (it is a research done on liver cancer, i love science and the medical field):

Liver cancer affects liver tissue. Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer. It affects more men than women usually around the age of sixty-seven. Liver cancer can be fatal if not treated. A five year relative survival is 50% for a healthy individual who undergoes surgery. Blood tests can detect if there is high alpha-fetoprotein in the liver which is normally produced by the fetus, but if there is a lot it could mean liver cancer. Ct scans can be used to see if there are tumors in the liver. Liver cancer can spread to the lungs and elsewhere before it is diagnosed. Most liver cancers originated elsewhere in the body and spread to the liver. Studies have stated that an absence or malfunctioning of microRNAs (miRNAs) could be leading to liver cancer. MiRNA is an RNA fragment that prevents the building of a specific protein by binding to and destroying the mRNA that would have built that protein. Without this molecule, the liver develops fat deposits, inflammation and tumors. Restoring miRNA-122 reduced the size and number of tumors.

The cancer cells can spread to the bloodstream, lymphatic system and abdominal area. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Surgery can be used to remove the cancerous areas of the liver or to have a liver transplant. Chemotherapy includes the use of drugs, doxyrubicin and cisplatin both which either slows or stops the growth of cancer cells. However, use of chemotherapy only shrinks a small portion and the effect is not long lasting. Chemoembolization is a procedure in which anticancer drugs are administered into the tumor and the blood supply to the tumor is blocked. External radiation can be used with a large machine sending high energy beams at the patient’s chest and abs.

There are four stages of liver cancer. Stage I is when the tumor is found in the liver only. In stage II, the tumor has spread to the blood vessels or there is more than one tumor present, but it is smaller than 5 cm. If there is more than one tumor and it is bigger than 5 cm, the cancer has spread to the blood vessels or lymph nodes. The last stage, Stage IV is when the cancer has spread to other locations in the body.

there is more to the essay and i might post it later;)

being in the school based room is really comforting with the green walls and all the colorful inspirations on the walls, it’s like being out in nature. my school based counselor has a great sense of humor and is easy to talk to. she was the one who gave me the idea for an angel mural and also has helped me start a self-reflections journal. monday, dave is also great, i showed him this ask-angels.com website and he really enjoyed it since he and i both like angels. i drew a card and it came up with “Forgiveness” and Archangel Zadkiel which is really cool b/c i think i need to forgive myself and learn self-love. i think the reason i am really criticizing of myself is that there are people who are sexist against women and they make me so irritated. sometimes when i go out for sports such as dance, some guys will make a remark that girls shouldn’t be dancing and they should be housewives. also my mom is quite criticizing and doesn’t like to workout and i get irritated when i am compared to her.

even though the ap biology summer work is a bit hard, i enjoy learning about cells and dna. Science never ceases to amaze me. Check this out:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/16/us/nasa-asteroid-circles-earth/index.html

thanks anita;) what do you think of this response to the question ‘Why do you think humans share about 1000 genes with prokaryotic cells (cells without membrane and distinct nucleus such as bacteria) ? What functions might the shared cells serve? Think about terms that deal with evolution such as natural selection (nature selects those who can adapt to thrive), competition, etc. in your response ‘

Answer:

Humans and prokaryotic cells could have about 1000 of the same subset of genes because as an organism begins its evolutionary adaptation to the environment, the process of natural selection could lead to the sharing of genes that were formerly successful in thriving in a competitive environment. Over time as populations increase/decrease and climates change, there is competition for resources as well of the ability to survive temperature changes. All organisms derive from a common ancestor and may share certain characteristics that over time could give rise to new species that exhibit similar traits, and because these traits were successful in helping the former organisms survive, they may be passed on. The traits of prokaryotic cells were mostly unicellular and microscopic, however over time some may have joined together in a symbiotic relationship to give rise to multicellular organism or eukaryotes such as humans. The cells and genetic material within the prokaryotic cells could have combined to form many cells that could carry out many specialized tasks. For example, the vestigial structures in humans such as the bones in our arm share similar characteristics to the webbing of bat’s wings. The bones in our arms allows for flexibility of movement and in the bat’s wings may help the bat acquire food and escape from predators. These shared traits allow us to see the changes and continuities of evolutionary diversity as each organism to acquires certain traits to help thrive in their environment.

thanks a lot, brievoung;) hope you are okay anita, thanks for letting me know to lie low in thunderstorms. i find thunderstorms fascinating as i often find myself calculating if the storm is approaching or moving away by counting the lightning and the thunder. sometimes a loud clap of thunder will startle me, but the flash of lightning, even though i know it can be dangerous, it still can be breathtaking on how powerful nature can be.