Girls Do Science (+ oxford comma)

First a little comic about the Oxford Comma that I stumbled across and laughed.

Courtesy of shortee.tumblr.com

One day I'll take the time to explain the reasoning behind my blog title, but for now, onto the topic of Science. A bit of a different style of post this time.

I feel like it's been a while since I've had a post about Science in general so I'm going to take this Tuesday rainy morning as an opportunity to do so.

Stumbled across this video, and although it does turn out to be an advertisement, I think it sends out an important message.

A pretty long discussion now follows about Girls in Science. Mostly a mesh of my own thoughts and comments, and a few real life examples, as well as hopes for the future.

Although I do think that a lot more girls do science in today's modern society, I'm still witnessing a lot of people who seem to have this subconscious stereotyping when it comes to the STEM fields. I've seen more than a few friends hesitate when it comes to 'boy-dominated' fields simply because of the gender stereotype and ratio. Personally I think that's ridiculous.

[And funny coincidence, but I also found out today that the Australian Science Innovations are forming a new program for Girls in STEM (click the link), which is pretty exciting stuff.]

Some girls (not all, but some) are afraid of going into mathematics, engineering, actuarial studies, science, etc., simply because there's 'going to be a lot of males' in that subject. Why? Why are you afraid? It makes me so agitated and upset because they shouldn't be afraid.

So what if there are more males? Perhaps it comes down to biology of the brain, perhaps social influences -- who knows? A 'general trend' doesn't apply to everyone. That's beside the point. Just because you don't fit the 'norm' doesn't mean it's unacceptable. The point is that if you're good at something, you should do it. Don't let anything else stop you from that, whether that be your gender, whether that be stereotypes, whether that be the gender radio in that University course, whether that be society's stereotypes.

That's what really upsets me.

I know there are a lot of opportunities for girls in the STEM areas. There definitely is. But one thing that hasn't changed significantly is what a lot of the girls themselves actually think.

Of course, this doesn't apply to all people. I know a fair plenty amount of girls who have grown up without the 'fear' of entering STEM areas, and it makes me so, so proud. I was lucky enough to have a family that encouraged my interest for science and so my childhood was filled with chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, mathematics, and so on, but not everyone has the same situation.

What's the point of this post?

I guess I'm trying to make people realise that we often subconsciously stereotype. I only realised in the past year that whenever I imagined a 'doctor, engineer, mathematician, scientist' in my head, it was always a male figure. I only realised in the past year that when a girl said to me she was doing engineering I would look at her in surprise and say "Wow! That's impressive", whilst if a boy had said the same, I would treat it as normal ("Oh, cool!"). I only realised in the last year how detrimental these things can be, and how deeply these stereotypes had cut.

Often we don't even realise that what we say, think, or do, is harmful. I only realised in the last year because I'd been propelled into a lot of 'Women in Science' discussions and been put in the spotlight for it. That was the wake-up call that made me realise. Perhaps it was because I was never directly subject to this issue before. Perhaps it was my ignorance. Perhaps it was because the large majority of society also did the same. But someway or another, I had failed to notice the true impact of gender stereotyping, especially when it comes to this issue.

If there's one thing I didn't do in high-school that I regret, that would be picking physics as a subject elective. I should have, and unfortunately for the rest of my life I'll have to live with the shame of not choosing it because people told me "girls are usually bad at physics". It makes me sick to think about it, but I guess I can't really change what's in the past. All I can do is try and stop it from happening to anyone else.

A friend who was entering the STEM fields said to me a few weeks ago that she was 'afraid'. She kept complaining to me that there were 'so many guys' in her course and that it would be hard, and her parents were worried. Ever since that moment I've been holding this entire rant inside of my head because this shouldn't be happening. It's irrational, illogical, and uncalled for -- why should she be afraid just because she's female? Why is it that a girl doing STEM receives sympathy and condescending words for 'how hard it must be for her' whilst a boy can study engineering with no condolences at all?

This doesn't just apply for STEM. It applies for all gender stereotyped aspects of society, for all genders and all those in-between. Sometimes it's hard to face a society when my friends show hints of subconscious gender stereotypes and expectations (and the occasional sexism, too). Sometimes it gets really hard.

It upsets me greatly and I hope that in the future -- ten, twenty, thirty years time -- I'll tell my kids about the gender stereotypes 'back in my day' and they'll look at me in disbelief and shock because 'they can't believe society used to be like that'.

Perhaps one day.

Might have ranted a bit too long but I had to get it out there. Phew. Feels good.

Sorry for the word vomit. If I don't write it out here then I don't really have anywhere to store it all except inside of my head, and we all know that with exams coming up, I have to make more room!

Alright, peace out.

Life as a Medical Student. Kinda.

Just an update!

So as of late, I feel like I'm finally getting into the jive of medicine. Maybe I just feel validated because of my splurge on medical posters (Not going to lie, they were a big hole in the wallet). But! They're nice posters and (I plan to make them) useful for medicine. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

Completely redecorated my wall! 

With an entire month of medicine eclipsing past, and exams upcoming in the next few weeks, I started to realise how things have changed since I first started Uni.

It's been such a radical change, but I can't pin-point it into words either.

All I can say is that I'm enjoying Uni, despite all the change and the confusion and occasional 'my-life-is-a-mess'. 

The content has picked up, (which is common to all Uni degrees, I believe), yet at the same time, life outside of study has become so much more. Thinking back on HSC (was reminiscing with a high-school friend just yesterday) I realised how much of 2014 I actually devoted to studying. Everything was about exams or studying or assignments or homework. Perhaps that's because of the environment/school I was in, or personal circumstances, but it's so much more different here.

To be honest, it's reminiscent of Summer Camp for Bio, but that's another story.

As of late though, with exams coming up, I feel a little bit of the stress returning. And with the mid-semester break, let's just say my circadian rhythm was demolished and I was a bit grumpy. You know that feeling when it's as if there's this black cloud just following wherever you go? Yeah. When it just seems like a bad day and everything is just frustrating.

I took a breath in and took a step back.

And went and bought some yellow flowers for the home.

No daffodils though :(

I thought it'd lighten up the atmosphere at home, and do something about my rotten mood.

There's this friend I've recently gotten to know, and what I really admire about them is their ability to take the initiative. To be the initiative. They're so willing to go out of their way to help their friends and others in need and it really made me re-think the things I do.

If something isn't going right, then change it.

I know it's easy to say, and hard to do. Things aren't always as simple as that. But in this case, instead of going through an entire week of being grumpy and essentially acting like an ass-hat to everyone I decided I'd relax a bit, buy some flowers, and do something good. Things don't have to be bad, y'know? You don't always have to accept the day as a 'bad' day.

Although I left the house that morning in a storm with a furrowed brow on my face, I decided to return in the evening with a smile and some flowers. That cost $15 omg the povo uni student life is killing me.

But anyway, that's something I've learned recently from a new friend who really amazes me every day at their compassion and initiative to change things.

In the meantime, I've been kind of exhausted and life is going cray, but that's okay! Life is like that.

Just an update. May not have anything exciting to say for a while because of upcoming exams and exhaustion, but I do have photos from another photoshoot that I've (still!) yet to finish editing, and some party photography tomorrow. Also, exciting new news coming to Selective :) (hehe, new news), so stay tuned for that! (I'm so excited)

Okay. Over and out. Got to read a big print-out and study off it. I love big print-outs. (Legit not being sarcastic this time).

Thanks Officeworks; where would I be without you.

Alexandria and other night activities

As an overdue 'catch-up' session with the rest of the Selective crew, we decided to meet up on Sunday, despite it really not being the right time to do so. We've all been rather busy, and have a lot to prepare for the next few weeks. Yet, there's something about seeing your friends that always justifies the struggle you put yourself through.

So, although tired and with a list of things to do, we met up and decided to explore the Grounds of Alexandria. A friend (DS) had suggested this place for a photoshoot, so we thought we'd give it a scout-out.

The details in the decor was really nice

Unfortunately we arrived pretty late (a lot after the closing time of all their stalls, etc.) which meant a lot of the props were closed and unavailable to us. Also, the sun was setting and it was getting quite dark, meaning ISO's were rising exponentially.

None-the-less, the Grounds themselves were beautiful, and even the small bit that we had access to was still lovely.

So quaint

But, disaster struck again as we were informed that we're not actually allowed to do photoshoots in here, which is a fair call and I can understand why they have that rule.

So, we left. Huzzah, kicked out! I guess this won't be a shoot location then, I suppose...

Shout-out to a George Orwell reference (?)

With our back-up plan to head off to Centennial Gardens soon ruined (because it was essentially pitch black), we had to come up with an impromptu trip to Circular Quay instead.

First a quick stop-off at Ippudo for dinner (yum yum; I used my $20 voucher!) Following, a short walk to the Quay. It'd gotten quite dark by this point, so with a trusty tripod in hand, we braved the night.

Many long-exposure shots were taken. And a group selfie (yay!) A legit one for once. Despite passing the one-year anniversary of Selective, it's amazing that we've only ever had two photos of all of us together. Wow.

Anyway, not much of an exciting post. The better photos will be coming soon (taken on LQ's camera). It's a bit of an exciting time for Selective right now, so I figured I'd do a quick update. I think with us settling into University, we've started to branch out and dream big again. With a successful transition from high-school to beyond, I think we've finally started to reach into University. I wonder where it'll take us!

Okay. I've run out of things to say. Uni has started again, with exams breathing in my face, so no guarantees about anything in the next few weeks.

But, knowing myself, despite what I say, I'll probably still post quite regularly. I'll find some excuse to post, anyhow.

In the meantime, take care!

Also, P.S., I SAW A CRANE BEING ERECTED. LIKE. THE SECRET HAS BEEN REVEALED TO ME. All my life I have wondered and on this night it appeared before us. I felt like I saw something I wasn't supposed to see. This is history in the making.

I'm only exaggerating. But seriously, the machine that made the crane was actually named 'The Beast'. A suitable name, if I have to say so myself.

Food, Rock-climbing, and an Update

WARNING: This post has no real aim or hypothesis. I guess it's invalid(?)

There's nothing like a nice, relaxing meal after a difficult photoshoot.

After finishing two photoshoots in under 3 hours (in hindsight, probably should have allocated more time, but oh well, I'll just reflect on it) it would be fair to say that we (CL and I) were thoroughly exhausted. Especially since the rain decided to start whilst we were wandering around lost on Cockatoo Island with bags of clothes.

So, as a treat to ourselves (and a quick catch-up session) we went to Chef's Gallery near Town Hall. I've been a few times before, and it's one of the higher-class Chinese restaurants that I've been to before.

For the first time, I sat near the windows where you can watch the cooks do their thing.

I can't help but feel the 'zoo' vibe.

As per always, I ordered one of their popular dishes: nooooooooodles!

Yum.

Wonton noodles

We shared a bowl because of reasons:

1. Money

2. We wanted room for desert (of course)

So afterwards we legged it to Aqua S because CL had never had it and I was curious to see their new flavours (Strawberry Cheesecake was rid of! :( This greatly saddened me)

Instead, we tried Mango Orange (not 100% sure if that was what it was called. I don't really remember)

Then, time came for me to go rock-climbing at Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym.

Recently been quite into rock-climbing. I always quite liked it -- I still remember the first time I went rock-climbing. It was in China (in hindsight I question the safety of it) and it was just out-door. No one else was climbing, and for some reason my parents managed to convince me to give it a shot, so I did.

I climbed about 1/3 to the top before I looked down and saw how high I was. Consequently, I freaked out and screamed I wanted to come down. (It was really high, alright? At least, that's what I tell myself...)

But, I kinda liked it. I've been a few times since then (e.g., school sports, for fun with friends) and I've come to realise that rock-climbing is actually such a physically-demanding recreational sport (as are many -- there seems to be a misconception that they aren't, and I'll admit, not all recreational sports are physically demanding, but there are a few which are.)

Shout-out to MK for the photo and for the encouragement when I couldn't get pass this one stupid climbing route
(I vow to conquer it)

I always come out from rock-climbing all bruised and battered. Over time I've come to realise that I bruise really easily -- not exactly sure why that is. Oh well, just add them to the battle scars.

Hopefully I'll be able to climb more often because it's a decent price and a really great thing to do weekly, especially with stress piling on surely albeit slowly.

I'm off again for the next few days! By the time this is posted, I'll have left already. Travelling domestic again (sooooo much domestic travel in the last year or so), but I'll be back soon. Didn't manage to edit the 2nd photoshoot in time before my departure but that's okay!

Exciting new things happening in the next few weeks, like exams, discussions of photography, uni, uh... Yeah. Kinda exciting. Not really. Maybe. Depends how you see it. Depends on your world view.

Alright, I've run out of fluff to say.

See y'all soon.

#MONOCHROME // royal

It feels good to be back in the game.

The other day I finally set foot to complete a long-awaited and anticipated photoshoot with my good friend CL :)

We'd been discussing the possibility of a photoshoot for a while now, and since we're both pretty busy with various things in our lives, it was really a miracle that we even found the slither of time to even do this photoshoot.

It was a really nice and casual photoshoot, and although the weather was kind of wet, it added to the image I was trying to convey. Also many thanks and a shout-out to CL for

1. Her first time modelling
2. Her excellent wardrobe coordination
3. Being helpful in general

Especially 3, since she's handy with photography too!

We decided to head-off to Cockatoo Island -- an all time favourite. Thankfully there weren't a lot of people, despite it being a Public Holiday (likely due to the rain. And honestly, not a lot of people decide to go to Cockatoo Island on a Public Holiday...).

I'm really happy with how this shoot turned out! It was quite a rushed photoshoot with a limited amount of time (I think we spent, at most, 1.5 hours? Maybe less?), yet narrowing down the photos to two was still really quite difficult. And I don't know, I'm just really glad with how the atmosphere of the final two images turned out! It really worked a lot better with the colour than I thought it would!

I don't know what I'm saying. Maybe I'm just a little excited and proud because it's the first photoshoot I've done in a long time. (That's probably why).

I suppose with this being the third installation to #MONOCHROME, I feel like I'm improving, at least a little bit. I suppose I've realised the importance of telling models what to do, and not being afraid to step in and change/fix things. Just thinking back to my first photoshoots, I sort of let the model do whatever they wanted, and it made things difficult. All about being a reflective practitioner, y'know? Eyyy medical capabilities.

Anyway, this post is diverging a bit off track.

There's something really satisfying about finishing a set of photos. It's been such a long time that I hardly remember what it feels like. There's such a sense of pride that's invested in these photos from the photographer's side of things -- spending hours to produce the best final image you can is effort that I never thought I'd be able to put into photography. Surely that means something, right?

Still loving Cockatoo Island, no doubt about it. There are so many new settings and props to use each time, as long as your imagination is in tune. However, perhaps thinking of one in St Peters or Newtown (or something of the sort; Glebe? Redfern?), but first step is to find another model, because I seem to be fresh out in supply.

Also, another misc thing I've noticed is that I've only ever photographed females (excluding the case of my brother). That's something I need to change in the future, but I think for this #MONOCHROME series I'll continue with females first, and perhaps do another version later on.

Another note: Just realised it's time for another AFL shoot! Almost missed the deadline, actually. So I guess that'll be coming soon.

Alright, I'll end it here. Over and out!

[Photos taken on the Nikon D7100 with the Nikon 35mm f/1.8. Edited in Lightroom and Photoshop]

Selective Update - Insta

Just a quick update to let y'all know that #SelectivePhotography has successfully bridged onto Instagram! With a new Uni lifestyle and changes in style, we've decided upon the move.

So, I present to you, Selective's insta! here [click]

Selective has been changing a lot recently, and it feels super great to get back into the jive of photography. (Man, it's been such a long time. I almost forgot what it was like.)

It feels really great. Oh, how much I missed it.

This photo isn't exactly a part of the #MONOCHROME series, but it was taken on the same day. I always struggle with selecting only two photos for the installation :( Ironic, I suppose, since it's 'Selective' photography :P

Anyway, enjoy!

An unused shot from #MONOCHROME - navy, featuring CL.

This also marks the first time that Selective has collaborated with Cynosure! You can check them out here [click]

CL was such a wonderful model and is absolutely gorgeous and I know when she reads this she'll think otherwise, but truly. 'Twas wonderful working with her, and she's a good friend of mine too, so that was a great bonus!

An official post about #MONOCHROME will pop up soon, once I finish editing (I'm taking a considerably longer amount of time this time round; perhaps because I've been busy recently, so sorry!). I'll also be busy most of next week and also travelling away (again), so fingers crossed I'll finish editing by then and thus be able to post, but no guarantees!

In the meantime though, enjoy these pictures which have been featured on instagram.

Peace out.

Another post coming soon. Hopefully.

Finally got a rain-puddle shot! I've been waiting for one of these for yeaaaars