Social Events and Daily life @ UTA for a 6 weeks REU Program

Week 1:

• June 17, 2012

Today was the check-in day.  After a 3-hour flight from Ontario, CA Airport to Dallas Forth Worth, TX (DWF) airport, I had to find a ride from DWF to UT Arlington. Luckily, a friend of mine from California called his friend from Dallas and this guy sent his wife to pick me up from the airport. What a great mum?

I am so thankful to Mrs Avril.

After arriving on campus, finding the dormitory we were to stay in was big challenge for me. This is was due to the size of the campus I never experienced before. I mean it's approximately 3 times of the school I go to. After 15 minutes of searching, I found KC Hall ( Kalpana Chawla hall) which is right next to Mitchel Street. 

The first REU colleagues I talked to was Richard Rascal Benda who is acool guy. After introducing each other, we found out that we were to be working on the same project. 

After 3 and a half hours waiting for the checkin process, people in charge finally allowed us in KC hall rooms. Some of the cool stuff we were given are: linens, pillows, towels, a 1 private room, swipe cards for KC  hall, for meals plan,and for access to other facilities, and so on. 

After checking in, we headed to UTA cafeteria which is a buffet-like food place and they had some good food such as beef stew, rice, green beans, salad and all kinds of drinks.

The Next thing for me was bed time because I was tired from the flight.

Below are pictures of my new room at UTA.

Fig.1. my room during the 2012 REU @ UT Arlington.

• June 18,2012

Today was pretty much the orientation day. We were introduced to the REU program and the overall schedule of the REU program. Before the first presentation by Dr Yazdani, we had a really delicious breakfast. I mean these guys had some good muffins, bread and butter, and so many other cool stuff. For the overall program of the orientation day, please refer to my Research log.

At the end of the scheduled events, Bert, Ricky and I headed to the Maverick Activities center to do some work out. This time, I did some lifting,pull ups, track on a treadmill,  sit ups, and other kinds of physical exercises. After that it was diner time and after diner we played pool for a little bit in KC hall lobby.

The last fun thing I did was shopping some personal hygienic stuff at the nearby Walgreen. It was good news to know that there are Walgreen and CVS stores close UTA. This is because I didn't bring any soap, shampoo, or other shower items.

Fig.2. Maverick Activity center in-door track.

• June 19,2012: Workout in the MAC and NBA finals

Today we spent more than half of the day studying engineering code ethics. After a 5 to 6 hours lecture by Dr Yvette Weatherton, Bert, Ricky, and I headed to the Maverick Activities Center (MAC) for a little work out. I did some push ups, lifting, pull ups, and sort of other physical exercises. After the Gym we headed to the UTA Cafeteria which had some good food as usual. They had some mushed potatoes, gravy, veggies, salad, and so forth.

At 8:00 O'clock My REU partners and some of the summer campers, and I watched the NBA Finals game 4 where Miami Heat defeated Oklahoma City Thunder 104-98. This game made me so sad. Can you guess why? LOL.  I'm big OKC fan. After the game, it was time to update my blog website and prepare for the following day.

Fig.3. KD vs. lebron. Who's the best player?

June 20,2012: Campus Tour Day

Today, we had a tour of UT Arlington campus. This was a very fun event because we explored some of the famous departments of the UTA. these include the Department of architecture facility, the Engineering Research building, the Planetarium or Aerospace building, The Mavericks Activities Center (MAC), and the Nadderman Hall. This last one hosts almost all engineering departments. Our tour guide was  Megan who's doing a summer Job at UTA. One of the most interesting stories she shared with us is the reputation of the department of Architecture which is one of the Top 10 best Architecture departments in US. UTA is the only school that offers architecture in Dallas metropolitan area.

Fi.4. Department of Architecture

 Also, We enjoyed the tour of MAC which is a very big facility with all kinds of entertainment. These include Basketball courts, a gym, indoor track, Rock climbing, indoor soccer court, and all sorts of entertaining games such as table tennis, Pool, and so on. In addition, we visited the University Center which houses the Cafeteria, and other kinds of food places. these include Starbucks, Subway, Pizza hut, and many others. One more interesting story to share is the nice view one gets when standing in the 6th floor of the  Engineering Research Building. At the top floor, we were able to see the majority of the campus area and the some of the most famous places of Arlington city. As examples, we were able to see the cowboy stadium, Six Flaggs   Amusement park, and other well-known places.

Fig.5. View of UTA campus from Engineering Research building 

• June 21,2012: NBA Finals Game 5: Lebron's first title.

Today, I had not too much fun because I spent most of my day reading the Soil Stabilization manual from the Texas Department of Transportation.

From 8:00 pm to 11:00pm, I watched the 5th game of the NBA finals where Lebron ended up giving the Heats their second NBA title. Also, Lebron got his first ring ever since he's been in NBA for 9 seasons. After this day I was so sad because I was rooting for OKC thunders. However, it's a very young team and I hope they'll win their title next year or in the near future. However, I would say that the Heats deserved this trophy because the were playing on a high level all 48 minutes of the game.

Fig.6. Lebron holding his 2012 finals MVP award.

• June 22,2012: Bentleys Restaurant and MAC Workout.

Today, I did not had so much  fun because we spent most of the time in the geotechnical lab. We went to the lab to meet Justin who is a geotechnical graduate student. He showed us some interesting experiments and tests that he's currently using in his pipeline project. After 3 and a half hours in the lab we headed to the cafeteria to grab some food. Next we, finalized the soil stabilization 5 pages paper and  headed to the gym thereafter. Work out of today was intense because I exercised almost every part of my body. Some of what I did include, pull ups, push ups, 2miles track, lifting, etc... The next thing was to shower and go out to grab some diner. This time, My buddies and I headed to Bentleys restaurant to get some chicken tenders.

Fig.7. Bentley Menu book

• June 23 and June 24,2012( Weekend): Workout and Euro 2012

On Saturday June 23, I spent most of my free time browsing online or trying to read update news. Also, I watched the Euro 2012 quarter-final game between France and Spain. The final score was 2-0 in favor of Spain. 

On Sunday afternoon, I did some cardio workout in MAC for about an hour. The work out was pretty intense since I exercised almost every muscle. This is because I had skipped the previous day work out due to Saturday closures of the gym.

Fig.8. Alonso after scoring his second goal against France (Euro 2012)

• June 25 and June 26,2012: Workout at the MAC.

This Monday and Tuesday, I continued my regular work out routine. This time, I mostly did cardio workout. For these two days, my focus was the upper body. On my to do list, I had push ups, pull ups, lifting, sit ups, and so on. 

• June 27,2012: Euro 2012: Spain vs. Portugal.

Today I skipped the work out and decided to watch the Euro 2012 semi-final game between Portugal and Spain. This time, I was rooting for Portugal because I never liked Spain team in my life. Also, I wanted to see Christiano scoring at least one gaol since he is one of my favorite players.

Unfortunately, the Spain defeated Portugal on penalty (4 to 2 in favor of Spain). This was after the end of of full time  and OT without any goal for both sides. 

Fig. 9. Spain vs. Portugal. Euro 2012 semi-final. 

• June 28,2012 (My Birthday): Workout at the MAC, Movie: Wrath of Titans

  On this special day, I did not celebrate too much although it was my birthday. This is because, I did not want to get distracted and do nothing about the research program. As every other day, we spent the  entire before noon in the lab. After the lab time, we headed to the cafe to grab some lunch. I was surprised to hear Happy Birthday wishes even though I didn't tell any one it was my Birthday. Also, I worked out as usual. However, to have a some fun, I asked my friends to go to the Free Movie in the evening. The Summer Free Movie is a UTA summer event where they show recent movies for free every Thursday in the backyard right behind the MAC. Today, we watched the Wrath of the Titans which is a fictional movie and whose main actor is Sam Worthington. This movie was fun to watch but I wished it was in 3-D because it had a pretty good animation. 

Fig. 10. Wrath of The Titans cover. 

• June 29,2012 : Workout at the MAC and Mau Mau Card game.

Today, I worked out as usual. This time I decide to exercise my lower body especially my legs. 
After work out, we headed to the cafeteria and got some good stuff. I liked how the cafe always has peas which are one of my favorite types of food.  After diner, I browsed the internet a little bit and joined my REU colleagues to play Mau Mau card game. This was my first time playing Mau Mau. This was a very interesting game since each winner had to come up with a a secret rule. The more the number rules the more fun the game become. It was  basically a great experience to play Mau Mau for the first time. 

Fig.11. mau mau card game.

• June 30 and July 1,2012 ( Weekend): 2012 BET Awards & Workout at MAC.

During this weekend, I did watch the BET awards ceremony and worked out for a little bit. This was only Sunday since the gym does not open on Saturdays. The main kind of fun I had was watching the BET Awards ceremony. I had a chance to see Chris Brown, Usher, Nicki Minaj, and many other artists performing. However, this time, the BET was not quite interesting as I expected it to be. 

 Apart from BET Awards, I did worked out as asual.

Fig.12.Beyonce, Jay-Z, Kanye, and Kardashian at the BET Awards 2012.

• July 2 and July3, 2012: Workout in MAC

Last Monday and today, I spent most of my time working on my research project. In other words, I did not get too much free time. Despite the busy schedule, I managed to find some time for work out.  This time, I exercised almost all muscles. I mean I couldn't resist that great feeling I always I get after work out.

• July 4, 2012: Independence Day: Arlington City Parade& Barbecue 

Today, I had good time because I was able to watch the July 4 parade  for the first time. Fortunately, the parade was scheduled to pass on UT Arlington campus. I was actually able to see the parade through my room's window. Getting out of the KC Hall, I was welcomed by happy faces, acrobats, dancers, fancy cars, cowboys, high schools' cheerleaders and all kinds of people working or residing in Arlington city. It was amazing to see how US Veterans who fought for freedom of the humankind are honored. These include, Vietnam veterans, Iraq veterans and so on. In overall, the parade was fantastic  and dominated by blue, white and red which are the three main colors of US and Texas state flags.

Also, REU colleagues and I had a chance to share some barbecue. We had some burgers, hot dogs, bacon, and some chips. Unfortunately, We were unable to get drinks because the University Center and other food places close to UTA were closed due to the holiday. 

Fig.13. Independence day: parade

• July 5, 2012: Workout in the MAC

Work out was the only fun I had today. This time, I tried something new which is running track for about 30 minutes. This was my first time trying the indoor track since I got to UTA. After track, I worked on my abs, biceps, and my back.  The last thing I did is lifting.

• July 6, 2012:  Workout in MAC and Wimbledon Semi-final Highlights

Today, I went to the fun land ( MAC) as usual. I run 3 miles which is something I don't usually do and did some stretching. I decided not to lift any weight because my muscles soured a little bit.  Also, I was able to watch the Wimbledon 2012 Semi-final highlights between Roger Federer and Djokovic. This was a very tough game but Federer was able to win three sets to one.  (R. Federer 3 sets vs. 1set Djokovic).

• July 7 and July, 8 2012 (Weekend): Wimbledon Final Highlights & Workout in MAC

This Saturday, I did not have too much fun other than spending time on internet. I was able to read so sports news and politics. On Sunday, I spent an hour in the gym working on legs. Also, before reading the expansive-soils-related book, I watched the highlights of the Wimbledon final game between Roger Federer and Andy Murray. This was an exciting game because these top players are on the list of top 5 best male players in tennis. R.Federer did it again by winning 3 sets to one.

•   July 9, July 10, July 11, and July 12,  2012:  Workout at the Gym. 

For these last four days, exercising was the only kind of fun I was able to have. I did mostly cardio exercises. I worked my legs for the most of the time and tried some lifting, pull ups, and some sit ups.

• July 13, 2012: Nicole's Birthday Party

Today, we had a little party for one the REU participants, Nicole Todd. I was so much fun to see everyone having a good time. We had some drinks and played cards until almost 3:00 am. I got a chance to learn 2 cards game: BS and Texas Hold them. This was a really fun night and I still have good memories of happy faces. 

•  July 14 and July 15,2012 (Weekend): Workout in MAC

On this Saturday, I started working on my research paper. This required a lot of reading and writing. In other words, I have been busy working on my research paper and I had not too much free time. On Sunday, I worked out as usual. This time, I played basketball with my REU partner Bert. I was able to to do some stretching as well.

•   July 16, 2012: Work Out in MAC

Today, I had a really good work out. I did mostly cardio exercises: running for 30 minutes, some pull- ups, lifting, sit ups, etc... Also, I was able to watch Friends ( comedy) while exercising on a treadmill.

• July 17: REU 2012 Social Event:Bowling and Barbecue Party

Today, we had a good time bowling for 2 hours. This was an event organized by the school for us. Usually, students pay to access the bowling room which has billiard game as well. I was competing with four other REU participants, but Rebecca seemed to be invincible. I placed the second for both games which is not bad either.
Before Bowling, we had a delicious dinner where they had some steaks and chicken topped with berbercue sauce, beans, roll breads, and cookies. Briefly, today was a fun day.

Fig.14. Bowling night. 

• July 18 through July 24, 2012: No Fun at all. Too Much Work to finish

On these two days, I was almost impossible to find a free time because I had too much paper work to finish. This came as an addtional task since I usually spent on part of the day in the lab. As the due date for the deliveries was approaching, I had to work on a high pace so I can finish all materials due on July 27. The main deliverable materials are the Poster, Research website,  Research log, Research Reflection paper and Research power point slides.

•    July 25, 2012: Workout in the MAC

After almost a week without exercising, I managed to workout today. I had an intense workout  because I wanted to compensate for the all the last days I skipped the gym time.