Hope everyone's having a great summer. I had a fun time in China: visited relatives and many places, ate a lot of great food, went shopping, etc. Please visit my travel site at virtualtourist.com to see lots of new pictures.

I'm sorry to announce that I have decided to stop using my Xanga blog starting this fall. I will probably be moving to MySpace. I'm also currently redesigning my web site using Flash. My web site account at uchicago.edu will probably be expiring in the upcoming months; I will let you know the new address when I have it.

Good luck to all this upcoming school year, or good luck at your new job!

Last week at the University of Chicago. Countdown to graduation: 4 days! The end is near. Another chapter of my life is about to come to a close. These four years have been exciting, challenging, and most importantly, rewarding. Just like the president of the university mentioned during the opening ceremony for the Class of 2006 in the fall of 2002, the University of Chicago has taught me how to think. I really believe that I have become better at looking at the world, at approaching and analyzing problems critically, and at thinking outside the box. As I depart this university, I believe that what this university has taught me will stay with me for the rest of my life. Thank you, U of C!

What will happen to my web site, blogs, etc.?
Because of my graduation from the U of C, my web site account at home.uchicago.edu/~yan/ on the university server could be shut down soon (in the upcoming months). Northwestern University does not offer web site hosting for its students, so I'm not sure right now where my web site should be relocated. I will still have a web site for sure. I will inform you of my new URL when I have it. My web site can always be reached at yan.pagehere.com.

I'm planning to have a blog on my new web site, so this Xanga blog could be discontinued over the summer -- I haven't really made up my mind yet. If you don't know already, I do have an account on MySpace (click here), which I will definitely keep.

Have a great summer!

Currently Reading The Art of Electronics (Student Manual with Exercises) By Thomas C. Hayes, Paul Horowitz see related

Week Eight. Countdown to graduation: 4 weeks. But I'll be done with everything in 3 weeks. I just finished a 12-paper for Korean civilization, my last paper at the U of C. The final for seniors in that class will be a take-home essay exam during tenth week while everyone else will have to take it in class during finals week. My math professor decided not to give the two seniors in the class a final. And I don't have a final in my electronics class. So I'll be home free soon.

The last week for seniors will be "Senior Week" - during finals week for everyone else. A bunch of cool activities have been scheduled for seniors that week. The schedule is as follows:

- Sunday, June 4: President's Reception; Second City
- Monday, June 5: Beach day; Movie on the Quads
- Tuesday, June 6: Six Flags Great America
- Wednesday, June 7: Senior BBQ; White Sox Game
- Thursday, June 8: Wendella Boat Cruise; Weed Street night
- Friday, June 9: Class of 2006 Baccalaureate Ceremony; Museum of Science and Industry
- Saturday, June 10: Class of 2006 Convocation (Graduation); Reception

Have a great week! And congratulations to those of you who have already graduated!! Finally, to mom, Happy Mother's Day!

Week Six. Countdown to graduation: 1 month and 10 days. I'm really looking forward to going to China this summer. We'll be visiting many places and eating lots of good food. I'll be posting pics and explaining my experiences in detail on my travel web site at VirtualTourist.com over the summer. You should visit it any time because I post pics and travel tips from every trip I take.

Thanks to all for congratulating me! Since I will be at Northwestern for at least five years, I'll be permanently moving to the Chicago area sometime during the summer. I'm looking at living somewhere in the northern suburbs. It may not necessarily be in Evanston. It could be further west or north where it's less crowded, and at the same time close to shopping, mall, movie theaters, etc. Right now Des Plaines looks to me like a very nice place. I definitely will not be living within the Chicago city limits, as things are very expensive there and there are no Wal-Mart Supercenters (not that I always shop there). Please give me suggestions! :)

This quarter has been pretty busy so far for me. Lots of reading and homework in math and civ. But what's taking up most of my time are the Physics 226 labs, building and testing electronic circuits. I find myself in the lab every weekday afternoon except Mondays, from 1:30 to 5:30. But the entire class is entirely lab-based: no homework and no exams; 100% labs.

Have a great week!

It's official. I have decided to go to Northwestern University in the fall. The weekend visit on March 31 and April 1 was awesome. I met a lot of nice people, including professors, graduate students, and other admitted students. On Friday, each person was able to meet with five professors of his or her choice to talk specifically about current projects and research topics. We toured lab facilities as well as the campus like the athletic center and the lakefront. On Saturday, we went to visit the city of Chicago as a group. I had a great time. Considering the financial aid, the location, the research  opportunities, and the people who I would work with, I think Northwestern University is my ideal choice.

Back at the U of C, it's the third week of spring quarter. Classes are going fine as usual. I have electronics labs (for Physics 226) twice a week, each time for four hours. It's taking up a lot of my time, but I don't really care. Math and civ are going fine as well.

I will be in China from June 13 through July 13. Unlike last summer when I had to participate in a research program at UIUC, I get to travel this summer. We will be touring many cities in China, including Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, and other cities near Shanghai. We will also go back to Xuzhou, my hometown.

Have a great week, and Happy Easter!