M.Sc.: In Theoretical Chemistry

Today I met up with my coursemates in the M.Sc. in Theoretical Chemistry course - if I haven't updated you all yet properly, this year, there're only 3 candidates accepted for the Theoretical Chemistry course. That's right - it was supposed to be 8 people in my course, but somehow now it's been cut down to 3 people due to various reasons (i.e. some people didn't secure sufficient funding for the course so they had to pull out, what a pity really).

So, I thought I'd just hang out with them to get to know them better! Their names are Debyan Chakraborty (from Kolkata, India, and his name means the path to God) and Jesada 'Jed' Temaismithi (from Bangkok, Thailand, and like all Thais, he has an English name). They're both geniuses - Debayan was a Chemistry undergraduate but he picked up Fortran, advanced mathematical methods and classical mechanics by himself (he said he has mastered 90% of the course material already, which makes me wonder why he's on the course in the first place; Jed graduated from the Physics Department at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn for short) and he's already done an amazing amount of work in Statistical Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics.

Really, I wonder how I'm ever going to keep up with the both of them! Yesterday afternoon, Debayan actually told me: "I need to study otherwise I'm going to flunk this course!" And I was like, "Really? You, flunk? Then I think I won't even make it through the first semester then!" Jed's already finished four chapters of the molecular mechanics book by Atkins, and I'm like, "Wow..."

I really wonder what kind of academic year it's going to be like at Oxford? Is it going to be tough? Will I forget God? Will I just drown myself in equations and derivations (oh, but I love them, really!)

But you know what? My heart has peace, for I know my God will pull me through - I may be afraid, but I'm not overwhelmed with worries, for each time I pray, I know my God hears me right down to the very last word. :) This morning I read from the book of James again, and it was there that I saw that we should "count it all joy" when we experience trials of all kind so that our faith may lead to "steadfastness" in God!

So yes, this year is another trial, but nonetheless a journey with God by my side. :)

-----------------------------------------

So Jed lives at Linacre College, just down this street called South Parks Road, which coincidentally, is where the Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Department is situated. It's really nice everywhere in Oxford, so let me just show you what Linacre looks like:

Front Gate of Linacre College

Front Door of Linacre College

Steps Leading to the Front Porch of Linacre College

Linacre at a Glance

Oh yes, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous and beautiful and bright today! I mean, look! You can make out the clouds! Usually it's this whole blanket of clouds above you and all you see is gray or white, and it's really depressing, but there's some blue in the skies today:

Beautiful Weather for Once

Houses Beside Linacre College

So I had lunch not at Jesus College today, but at Linacre College - it's unlike Jesus College because it's a solely graduate college, so it's not that equipped with as many facilities and not as bustling or formal as Jesus College, but it's great nonetheless.

We had lamb lasagne with spinach and corn - here's a picture of my lunch:

Lamb Lasagne with Spinach and Corn

It was really tasty and really filling! Nice to have hot food on a cold day! Oh yeah, and here's what their cafeteria looks like (you could compare it to Jesus College's, haha!):

Cafeteria Area, Linacre College

I guess it's not a formal and old a place as Jesus College!

And then we went out to tour the University Parks and took some group shots together - it's a really nice place, nice weather and people usually jog here (half-naked joggers braving the cold is a common sight here):

The Chemistry Department at University Parks

Debayan (left) and Jed (right)

Debayan (left) and YYK (right)

The Long and Winding Road

Green Pastures

The Three Stooges

And just take a look at the uh, ducks:

Ducks and Ducks

Pond for the Ducks

More Swimming Birds

A really nice place to just walk and bum around, if the weather's good that is! :)

So all in all, it was a really nice day - our Professor scared the living daylights out of us with the course requirements, but I guess I'll just work harder. :)