My accelerated MS course requires me to finish my degree in just a year. Impossible, I thought at first, but now everything is clear. I might just finish it on time. Only if I get to finish my thesis as soon as freaking possible.

One of the things we agreed upon when we started the accelerated course was that we will continue our undergraduate thesis so that we don't have to start from scratch. I dunno what got in to me but I have decided to transfer to another research group because I want to explore the other research fields of chemistry. So from Biochemistry, I got myself in Sensors.

Since the start of the academic year, I've been doing my research because I need to work double-time in order to finish my thesis. But I was not that focused then because I still have other things to do, e.g. board exam review, academics, etc.

I realized that I should now work quadruple-time because I need to attend and present my work in the congress in Davao (April 2006) as part of my graduation requirements. That's just 5 months from now.

I am now going to spend most of my time in the lab to work work work till I go insane. The lab shall be my second home from now on.

Most people think of a Chemistry lab as a nerdy place with flasks having multi-colored solutions, fuming and smoky experiments, and a mad doctor mixing chemicals which will turn him into a super gwapo and swabe guy.

Well, that's not exactly reality. Solutions are mostly colorless or at least not multi-colored, smoky experiments are rarely done, and lab people are not exactly mad, they're just enthusiastic. =)

A common chemistry lab, in my opinion, looks something like the phytochem lab in the research center. When I go there, it's chem na chem.

Chem na chem from the reagent bottles...

To the working tables...


To the instrumental set-ups...


The sensors lab looks, well, a little different.


It looks chemistry-ish at first with the chemistry-ish environment.


With a fume hood...


But up close, it's really a pseudo-electronics lab.


We are working on sensors but our focus is on the chemistry side of it, not much on the electronics. But to make the chemical sensors work, the wires and the multimeters are also important. So, okay, the electronics part is also important.

This is my working table. We (me and my pseudo-thesismate) always try to make it look sleek and clean.


Just right across our table is Gordon's table.

From another angle.


That's chemistry and electronics. And garbage. And he's proud of that. He says he's just doing the final touches and is currently working on the patent of his instrument.

As for me, after all the "guy's work", this is what I came up with so far.


I have made three already. But the other two failed to be used as electrodes. I haven't tried this one.

This is just the start. I shall be working on my experiments for the months to come. I have to soon come up with an effective electronic nose (like those you see in CSI).

For months, I'll be running the other side of me.

Yes. Welcome to my lab life.