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Witching HourRandomness of the day ......
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June 29 After the breakI simply refused to touch my notes during the first week of break. The end of week 2 found me googling for related material for the presentation and noting down the relevant websites for references but I was not going to compile anything yet. At the end of week 3 with time running out, I had to sit myself down to prepare those slides. Then there's that sleep-inducing write-up on Bioremediation which would be due soon. How I wish we could just copy and paste the articles but I don't suppose we are allowed to copy wholesale as that would be plagiarism. Each time I tried to make some sense of the articles and put it in my own words, I find myself wanting to doze off already. There's only a week to go before we need to hand it in so I'll have to pry open my eye-lids and hope the caffeine helps.
Yay, I just realised that some of the modules would be ending soon in mid-July which would give us more free days. There would only be Genetics for the rest of term 2 until our long vacation break at the end of August. That's really great as we would only have 1 class per week until term 3 starts ..... aahh, happiness .....
Refresher course
To those who have undergone a course on first aid years ago, do note that there have been some revision on the CPR sequence. Last week I went for my refresher on occupational first aid at the Red Cross House as my last course was 3 years ago. My first aid licence is expiring soon and I would most likely have forgotten the proper sequence ..... it can get a bit confusing as you need to remember the number of cycles. If I remember correctly, you perform 15 chest compressions followed by 2 breaths while maintaining a count of the number of cycles and then checking for the presence of a pulse. Just imaging when you're trying your best to save someone but you got your counting and sequence all mixed up. Do you then sit back and try to figure out how many counts and cycles you are supposed to carry out? What about trying to locate the correct pulse point? By the time you get it right, the poor victim would have been beyond saving. I'm glad someone has decided to simplify the procedure. As most of us are not professional life savers, it would help greatly that the steps have been simplified to a standard 30 chest compressions followed by 2 breaths for both uncouscious choking and non-choking victims. You just have to remember to check the airway for obstruction for the former after each cycle. You do not need to check for presence of pulse anymore and just continue the standard cycles until help arrives or your poor self had become exhausted. 4 minutes ..... that's all the time you have before the victim gets brain damage from lack of oxygen so every minute counts. I hope I do not ever need to use what I have learnt but if someone ever needs help, I hope I can make a difference. If your work place offers such courses, make a grab for it as this is one important life saving skill which everyone of us should have. We also went through the different bandaging techniques. Sigh, I wish my reef knot turns out the right way .... sometimes I would get it right but at times would end up with a dead knot. I'm also coming down with something ..... must have caught this cough bug from my course partner who was coughing merrily all through the 3 days. I woke up with a bad throat this morning and I'm feeling so lethargic ..... slight temperature of 37.9 degrees so took a couple of panadol. Cough, cough ..... someone please give me first aid for my throat.
June 22 Need vs wantI wasn't sure why but in the end, common sense prevailed. I already have my Dell and I'm not in the habit of lugging some laptop around to surf the Net on the go. Those emails can wait until I get back home, so why would I need to get another PC which would probably end up lying around at home? It might be a good bargain but I don't really need it, do I?
It might take the fun out of shoppping but I should try asking myself whether it is a want or a need. Some things are definitely great to have but not really a necessity. I suppose most of us have become so used to upgrading stuff and throwing away things we have grown tired of ...... and then upgrading again just because something new came out. We can afford it so why not? Sometimes we just want to give ourselves a reward and that item is a must have ...... how can one resist when it's calling out 'buy me, buy me'?
I suppose it has to do with will power. In this instance, I have to decide between wanting and needing something. I know I do not need this, as tempting as it is. I shall go get something else that I really need.
June 21 Victor - my first Mandarin albumVictor Wong / 黃品冠 - The Things Those Girls Taught Me / 那些女孩教我的事
Date of Release: 25 April 2008
Language: Mandarin Album Description: 01. Na Xie Nu Hai Jiao Wo De Shi / 那些女孩教我的事 Though I do enjoy listening to some Mandarin songs by various singers, I do not usually buy these albums ..... one reason is not being able to understand most of the words on the cover and not knowing what songs to look for. The other day I chanced upon this temporary stall at Vivocity selling all these Chinese music CDs and went over to take a peek. I suppose this CD by Victor Wong caught my eye because I've watched one of his duets with Fish Leong on YouTube and I liked it ..... I think the title was 'Way Back Into Love'. They have great voices and would make a lovely couple if they were together. I was hoping that particular song would be featured in this album but it wasn't. According to Victor, all the 11 songs in this album are dedicated to his fans and every girl he had fallen in love with ..... he didn't specify how many though. Since the album was on offer at only $9.90 (up $19.90), I decided to get it though I've no idea whether I would like the songs. But I do think he is rather good looking and cute with his nerdy glasses, and I like his smile which lights up his face. He reminds me of a friend. Clip of The Things Those Girls Taught Me / 那些女孩教我的事
Here's the clip of the duet 'Way Back Into Love' ( from album Need U Most)
June 19 HomeI'm glad to see that you have settled in and you find the place okay. I'm reassured that he has not abandoned you ..... it's just that he really believed it's better for you to have full time care in this place as home is not the best place for you right now. Here at least, you will not be lonely with people around you and you'll be given proper care. I'm glad that he drops by everyday to spend some time with you, even if just for short while.
This place looks okay to me as it's a private home and it has a nice garden. The fresh air will be good for you, and the other residents and cheerful carers will be good company. I do think it is better for you to have people around you so that you will not such a loner like you used to be ..... it was not good for you to be cooped up at home all by yourself.
I can go home now and not feel so worried because I know you will be okay. I shall be back to see you again.
June 14 DadLately I heard that you were not doing well; your legs have failed you and caused you to drop down a few times. Your condition had not been good and you're now incontinent. You had always been so independant and preferred to stay on your own even after Mum had passed on. But now you cannot be on your own anymore ..... I thought it was great that you had moved in to stay with brother and I could be assured that he'll take care of you.
But this assurance had been short-lived ..... they had decided to put you in a home because they find it difficult to cope. After I'd put down the phone, I couldn't help but cried. How could they do this ..... I know it will not be easy but couldn't they get a full time helper? After all, you are our Dad and we should be there for you. But how do I judge my siblings when I am standing here at a distance? I could not help but feel weighted down with guilt ...... who am I to judge when I'm not in their shoes? But I feel we have failed you ...... do we want our kids to put us away when we too have become old and grey?
I knew I had to go back and see you .... I need to find out how you are. Dad, I'll be there tomorrow so I'll talk to you then.
June 09 The Legend
This fantasy historical kdrama starring my Korean idol Bae Yong Jun is currently showing on Channel U every weekend at 7.30pm. At first I was not very interested in the series as I'm no fan of period dramas but after watching the first episode, I was hooked. I wanted to get the DVD set with English subtitles ..... a bit elusive as the only sets available were those with Mandarin/Malay subtitles. Finally I managed to get a copy at Music Junction at Vivocity. Must have been my lucky day as that was the only set left on the shelf so I made a quick grab for it. As it's now on Channel U, I'm in no hurry to watch all the episodes unlike the other Kdramas in my collection. Usually I am rather impatient and would like to finish watching the whole series as soon as possible ..... most times, I would go for the last episode first so that I would know whether it has a good ending or not, and then take my time to view the rest of the earlier episodes. One of the reasons BYJ is my idol is his great acting and good looks. Loved his soft wavy hair in Winter Sonata which was my first K-series with him in it .... such a romantic character which made me his loyal fan ever since. He has this way of making us cry buckets along with him ..... sigh, just watch his eyes ..... and he has the kind of smile that lights up his face. Aww ... how not to fall in love with his character? He looks great with this period drama hairstyle .... how not to fall in love all over again? I think I'll go watch the last episode. For more information on the series including the filming sites, visit the website listed below. Wished their names were simpler as I tend to get a lilttle mixed up over who is whom. Hwan-ung( the Son of God) and Dam-deok (The Crown Prince) are both played by BYJ. A simple summary in 2 lines .... his character is the chosen King of Jyusin whose birth had been foretold thousands of years ago and destined to rule over the land with the help of the 4 mythical creatures which would awaken at the right time. A tale of politics, fight for power, love triangles and with great special effects.
June 08 Milo dinosaur ice-creamAfter hearing so much about the Milo Dinosaur drink which is your usual Milo drink topped with a generous heap of Milo powder, I decided to make my own Milo Dinosaur Cookies & Cream ice-cream. I had initially wanted to get plain vanilla but opted for Cookies & Cream as I love the cookie bits which gives it the added bite.
I gave myself a few spoonfuls of ice-cream, sprinkled a generous amount of Milo onto it, stirred to mix ....... and yum, a delicious Milo Cookies & Cream. Not surprisingly, the portion was not enough so I went for a second helping. Fattening definitely ..... but what's wrong with a treat once in a while? Perhaps I might add on some nuts and raisins next and yes, crushed Oreo cookies. Just add anything you want and viola .... your very own creation. Happy indulging.
June 07 Nature's wrathRecent Earthquakes - Last 8-30 Days
Current Time: Sat, 7 Jun 2008 07:12:02 UTC (coordinated universal time)
Depth
Distance below sea level in kilometers. 33 km is used as a default depth for earthquakes determined to be shallow, but whose depth is not satisfactorily determined by the data. Default depths of 5 or 10 km are usually used in mid-continental areas and on mid-ocean ridges since earthquakes in these areas are usually shallower than 33 km. I came across this very informative site of the US Geological Survey which gives recent updates of earthquakes around the world in a detailed list of all the highlighted spots on the map which included the dates, location and magnitude. To get the latest list, just reload the page http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/qed/index.html
With the recent disasters in the neighbouring countries which has brought immeasurable suffering to many, I could not help but wonder how much more the world can take before we get laden down with a weariness in spirit to witness yet another tragedy again and again. It makes one feel so small and helpless towards Nature's wrath. Those of us who are fortunate to live in areas which are hardly affected might not comprehend how much suffering there is to those who are. We watch scenes of the aftermath from the comfort of our living room, we may weep for them and try to extend what help we can ...... but are we able to truly feel what they are feeling? How does one know how it feels to lose all your loved ones within the blink of an eye along with the home you've lived all your lilfe? How does one feel never to see one's child again when just a moment ago, he had been so full of life and laughter?
It might sound strange but these morbid thoughts of the unpredictable has always been in my consciousness. I suppose that is partly the reason I would not take life for granted. There was a particular scene from one of my favourite K-dramas where the lead character said something which stuck in my mind .... 'one moment someone is standing there in front of you; you wake up and though life goes on as normal you find that there is one less person. I know it does not sound gramatical when translated like that but the gist of it is that you'll never know when you lose someone dear to you.
I have personally lived through one such moment a number of years back ..... out of the blue, I received a call telling me that my brother had met with an accident; his bike had collided with a car .... and we lost him. My mind had reeled from the shock ..... how could it be, what is going to happen to his young kids? When I went back for his funeral, I could still visualise him going about the house doing the usual things he would do. It took some time but finally I came to an acceptance that he would no longer be with us.
So do take time to treasure your nearest and dearest, and be thankful for what you have ......
June 03 Time to move onThere are some things we know it could not be but we had wanted to believe otherwise. Things we know could not be ours, but still we want to keep the memories anyway. There are some items which are of no real value .... but these are priceless because of what they remind us of, and which we want to keep forever.
Lately as I look back at something I've been hoarding ..... I do believe it is time to let it go .... and to move on .......
May 28 Genetics paperAfter living and breathing genetics over the past few days until my overloaded brain was about to burst, we've finished with the paper which comprises a multiple choice portion of 15 questions (to be completed within 30 minutes or else the system would log us out), section B of 7 short questions and the last section on Bioinformatics which came with its own set of questions.
I didn't do too badly for the MCQs and received 26 out of 30 ..... the marks were instantly displayed once we submitted it online. As for the other 2 sections, I'm not so optimistic as there were some I couldn't answer. Please let me get a minimum of at least another 24 marks from these as that would determine my fate of whether it's a pass or fail. Some of the questions I had been confident would come out, did not. But anyway, what's done is done and we'll just have to wait for the results. In the meantime, here's keeping our fingers crossed that it would be good .... hope so .....
May 25 Filvia 2I brought Filvia to the vet again as his condition did not seem to have improved much though it's eating and back to drinking from the bottle. I was still concerned that it hadn't gain back much weight and the diarrhoea had resumed. The vet prescribed another medication, an orangy paste which came in a large syringe with markings, which is to be given twice daily since I'm unable to give the former medication 4 times daily. As the earlier antibiotics (white bottle) had been used up, a new bottle was prescribed. The vet explained that he could only prescribe this particular antibiotics as the other types were not suitable for guinea pigs. I was also told to continue with the critical care medication .... the brown powder which smelled like Chinese herbs which is to be mixed into a paste with water.
By now, I've become quite adept at giving Filvia his forced feeding through the syringes by myself. Just put him on a low table top, restrain his head with one hand and inject through the side of its mouth with the other .... all 3 syringes. I think it had become rather suspicious whenever I attempt to get near as it would cautiously peek out from its box and not come out as willingly as it used to during its feeding time. Usually I would wait until it is eating before making a quick grab at it. Though it would try to shake its head when I introduce the syringe, I do manage to inject the contents through a few squirts.
I'll have to monitor its condition over the next 2 weeks. The vet said that as long as its eating normally, it should be fine.
May 24 Brain freezeI'm glad it's the weekend ..... to be able to forget studies for a short while, stay up late and then repay my sleep debt over the weekend. I'm also looking forward to the coming 3 weeks term break beginning of June. No classes for 3 weeks ... yay!
Though we have been tasked with preparing a presentation for the Antioxidant & Free Radicals module in the second half of the current semester, I'm not going to think about it just yet. This is going to contribute part of our total marks. And what topic did I pick from my lucky dip? .... 'Reactive oxygen species can promote apoptosis in most cell types but can suppress it in some. Discuss.' I'll have to turn to my trusted Google for this.
During our recent test for this module a couple of evenings ago, I was ill prepared as I had the dates mixed up. I mistakenly thought I had plenty of time to revise since the test was for next week. When my course mate informed me that we were having it that evening, I went into panic mode ..... flip, flip, flip through 3 chapters and willed myself to remember as much as possible within 30 minutes. Oh blast those reactions caused by those free radicals ...... my mind couldn't process the details in such a hurry. Now what was the name of that tongue twister enzyme we need for vitamin C biosynthesis? Hey I just read that a minute ago ..... gulonolactone something .... arrgh, what was that 2nd word? In the end, I took a wild guess and christened it gulonolactone lactase as I remembered vaguely that it ended with an 'ase'. Much later when I checked my notes, it turned out to be 'oxidase'. I hope I get some marks since I got half the name right. We'll be getting back the marked paper next week so I'll find out then how I fared ..... hopefully it's not too bad.
Then there's another graded tutorial for the Cell Division module I need to hand in next Monday followed by another test for the Genetics module. I think we can expect some questions on Bioinformatics ..... I must try to remember the web-links for the primer designs.
Here's to another weekend of mugging .....
May 17 Before I Fall In Love by Coco LeeThis song from The Runaway Bride soundtrack is from her 1999 album Just No Other Way. I cannot recall where I first saw this clip a number of years ago but I do remember being struck by this pretty lady with a great voice.
Her biodata from http://www.netglimse.com/celebs/pages/coco_lee/index.shtml
Asian pop diva Coco Lee was born January 17, 1974 in Hong Kong; a decade later the family relocated to San Francisco, and she subsequently studied biochemistry at the University of California at Irvine. After winning the Miss Chinese-American Pageant in 1991, two years later Lee returned to Hong Kong long enough to take second prize in the New Talent Singing Contest (the Asian equivalent of Star Search), resulting in a recording contract with Capital Artists; her Mandarin language debut I Am Still Your Lover appeared in 1994, with the follow up Promise Me trailing just months later. A series of releases including the English language Brave Enough To Love, Yesterday's Passion (her Sony label debut) and Sincere launched Lee to the top of the Far East pop charts, and in all she issued a dozen albums prior to making her stateside debut in early 2000 with Just No Other Way.
May 11 Well done"That looks good" ..... the RD commented on viewing the first slide I was presenting during the research meeting. He seemed quite pleased with the results .... that was a great feeling. It made all the effort I had placed into the trial specimens worth it and I floated out of the seminar room. Since our lab purchased the Exakt system last July, I had been handed the responsibility to look after it and to be famililar with its operation. We would be using this for the current pig spine project which requires resin procedures.
Since then, I had been running a few trial specimens from scratch. Somehow I had to carry out these procedures through trial and error while keeping my fingers crossed that they'll turn out well. How I wished I had a mentor to turn to and who could guide me through. This is resin processing which is very time consuming. Unlike paraffin processed blocks from which you can cut as many sections as you wish at one session, this medium can only give you one slide at a time. You need to spend time polishing this single slide until it is as thin as you can go .... and hoped that you do not polish off the whole section. If the slide does not stain well, you will have to re-cut another and go through the whole polishing routine ..... all in an attempt to get just one good slide. It would of course be ideal to get it right the first time but it does not always turn out that way. As in any new procedure you have to be prepared for mistakes, so you repeat and keep repeating until it's good enough.
As expected, the first few slides were not good .... I had bubbles and resin bits trapped in the section and there were multiple cracks which were very apparent after staining. Sigh, I would have to start all over again. I wish someone could advise me on where I went wrong and how to correct these faults. I went online to search for any information regarding this procedure ...... and chanced upon Linda in the Histonet forum who was talking to someone about the same procedure. That was a true blessing .... I wrote to her and she was so kind to share with me her protocol and to offer her advice. Not only did I managed to cut down on the long processing time, I also managed to improved on the final slide. The PI and RD were happy .... and so was I.
Bless Linda who came to my rescue at a time I needed it most. If not for her help, I would still be fumblilng in the dark and not know which way to go. Dear Linda, I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart .... you're an angel.
May 10 FilviaI had been too busy lately to spend much time with Filvia so I didn't realise it was not doing so well. It had not been drinking from its water bottle for quite a number of weeks, ever since I replaced the old one which had broken when I accidentally dropped it. I thought perhaps it was due the bottle's drinking tip being smaller than the former and it didn't like it. So off I went to the pet store to get a second replacement .... but still it would not touch it. I was certain it was not drinking as the water level did not go down. It seemed fine and active as usual so I wasn't too worried as it was probably getting its water from the fresh vegetables I was feeding it daily. It did seem to be suffering from constipation though and its faeces was lumpy instead of its usual small kidney-bean shape.
The other day as I sat down to pat it, I suddenly realised how skinny it had become and I could feel its bony frame under its fur. On taking a closer look, it did appear to have shrunken in size. We used to laugh about its big rear end which now didn't seem so big anymore. My first thought was perhaps it's suffering from overgrown teeth which sometimes afflicts rodents. It had happened to 2 hamsters I used to keep and not being any wiser when the first one was afflicted, I could only watch it waste away. From a cute sumo size, it had turned into skin and bones. The poor thing finally starved to death as it couldn't eat and only then did I find out that its front upper incisors had grown all the way down to the lower gums (or was it the other way round?). How it must have suffered .... dear hammie, I'm so sorry I didn't know. When the 2nd hamster started displaying the same symptoms, I suspected it could be due to the same problem. I decided to dose it to enable me to get at its teeth .... but unfortunately, I ended up overdosing and it didn't wake up. Poor hammie 2 .... I'm so sorry I killled you.
Fortunately there is a vet clinic where I live so I made an appointment to bring Filvia in for a checkup yesterday. The vet didn't find anything wrong with its teeth or mouth but diagnosed that it was suffering from diarrhoea. He prescribed an antibiotic (to be given once daily) and 2 other powders which were to be mixed with some water into a thick paste, to be administered 4x daily ..... how were we going to give it 4 times when we have to work? One of the powder looked and smelled very much like the type sold at the Chinese medical shops. TCM for animals? Both of these were to be drawn into syringes and injected into its mouth. This requires 2 people ... one to keep it still and the other to do the forced feeding. Each time we did that, Filvia would protest loudly with its typical squeak. Sorry Filvia, this is for your own good and it's just for 10 days so please bear with the 'torture'. Let's hope Filvia will recover his big rear end after this.
Update .... it's been a couple of days and Filvia seems to be on the mend. The diarrhoea had stopped and this morning when I took a peep, it was drinking from the bottle ..... YAY....
May 04 Heat waveThe weather seems to be getting hotter by the minute these days. Where is the rain when we need it? Probably many of us would be seeking the cool comfort of the shopping malls to get a bit of relief. I suppose we are not as bad as some countries where temperatures can reach beyond 40 degrees C and people can just drop dead.
If only our weather here is not so humid .... you just cannot escape the sticky, sweaty feeling which seems to wrap around you. Don't you just feel tempted to wear as little as possible or if you're bold enough, nothing at all? ..... but only at home please. Even then, you have to make sure your windows have curtains that can shield your modesty from the immediate neighbours. Given the proximity of our HDB flats where the upper floors have a direct view into your room, you had better not wander around in your birthday suit. I remember reading a report in ST about this guy blatantly walking around his flat and showing off his assets in full view of his neighbours .... which got him into trouble with the law. I can't remember whether he was charged for indecent exposure.
So here we are .... global warming which is Nature's payback for our blatant disregard for it all these years. We're sorry, can we have some rain please?
May 03 FacelessI've decided to turn myself into a happy bean for my profile picture. I know I hardly have any visitors here and even if I do get the occasional reader who drops by, they're decent people who would not be the least bit interested in doing strange things with my photo. But just to have peace of mind, I have decided not to display it. Somehow the thought of some strange character whose hobby is to photoshop people's faces onto naked bodies freaks me out. But then we are not in the league of rich or well known public figures whose faces are of interests, so it's unlikely they would bother. Anyway it's not such a bad thing to remain faceless in cyberspace ..... at least you know someone reads your musings out of interest, and it gives them the option to visualise the kind of face they think might be yours.
Speaking of weird characters, sometimes I wonder why these people do what they do. Hacking, spamming, phishing and whatever else they do on the web ..... why do they do it? Perhaps they get a thrill in being able to cause major damage to someone's computer by giving them a virus or two. Sometimes when my system slows down to a crawl, I would project poisonous thoughts at these faceless pranksters out there.
To those spammers who love sending me a bunch of 'health aids for enlargement and longer lasting power' messages ........ you're sending it to the wrong gender.
May 01 Book of lifeThe other day a friend shared with me his plans to finally make a commitment to his lady and a thought popped into my head ... he's going to embark on a new chapter of his life. It was like .... hey, isn't life just like a book?.
A book unique to each of us ..... with stages of our life recorded in different chapters, bound with a cover embossed with our name. A book which chronicles all events of past, present and future .... or perhaps one with blank pages, to be filled in by an unseen hand according to choices we make.
If life were a book, which do we want it to be ...... with blank pages to be filled in either with mundane everyday stuff or colourful exciting pictures? Or pre-written, with chapters we wish we could re-write as they unfold? Would it be possible to edit certain pages so that we can produce a happy ending? When we stand at a crossroad, which path should we choose so that when we flip back to that page, we shall have no regrets?
If life were a book that was pre-written, I suppose it would not be possible to change its content or ending. That is what some people refer to as Fate. But if we wish to believe that our book is made up of blank pages ..... it would be up to us to write our life story, wouldn't it?
So which kind of book do you want yours to be? And to my friend .... may this special chapter of your life be filled with blessings.
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