0 The 'P' word

I'm doing it again. Blog hopping, being privy and aimlessly reading about the ongoings of others' lives. Voyeuristic pleasure. Normally I wouldn't feel so guilty since it's the holidays, but this holiday is not a regular one but an 'opportunity-for-intense-fyp,' and so I'm supposed to be working doubly, triply, quadruply hard and start classifying my thousands of confocal stack images and writing that 15,000 thesis paper. But no, I spent two plus hours of doing nothing, clicking from webpage to webpage. Maybe that's why I should stay in lab and work longer hours because at least I'm doing something productive.

Procrastination vs being productive. Oh the paradox!

4 Projects in the pipeline

1. Learn XHTML . For years I've been blindly editing my HTML code in a trial-an-error fashion. I think it's about time I know exactly what I'm doing. To this end, I borrowed a self-help book at the library today. Many baby-steps will sum up towards a quantum leap.

2. Eventually register for my own domain and have my own website. After thinking high and low over names, I'll likely revert back to Early Morning Oats. My new website will be a comprehensive compendium towards whole living, encompassing food, cooking, mind and some sciencey stuff.

3. Bake a spelt loaf from scratch. I really mean from scratch, right from the starter culture.

4. Grow spiritually. I've said this one too many times but this time I will really make the effort.

I think three projects is sufficient for the time being. Better not to pile to many things on a plate.

4 The big fall

Woo hoo! Just submitted my LONGEST essay ever! I think it's 4000+ words? Anyway, I shouldn't be too overjoyed because I still have ONE more 3000 remaining, which I havent absolutely not start on, and to be due in one week!

On a side note, today I had a major fall at the escalator landing of TTSH. It was partly my fault and partly the Malay woman's fault. As usual, I was trying to squeeze my way through the afternoon lunch crowds, including those inconsiderate pple who either don't keep left on the escalator, such as this Malay woman with her baby pram. As I got off the first escalator and walked towards the second one, my slippers (maybe I shouldnt have worn haviannas?) got caught in the wheels of her stupid pram and I couldnt react in time. I fell forward with a thunderous thud on the metal landing of the second escalator. Heads turned, whispers were passed. And most vivdly, an intense jolt of pain coursing through my myelinated A-delta fibres from the sensory neurons in my knee and elbow, to the dorsal root ganglion and then up to the ventroposteromedial (VPM) thalamus in my brain (applying my neuroscience here, heehee). I supposed it could have been much worse; I could have fallen against the sharp edges of the escalator steps or (touch wood) knock my head against the steps and have a concussion! On hindsight, maybe then I would be relieved of all my essays and exams and robbed of my memory and then have a new start in life. Okay that's going a bit to far now.

So I hobbled home, and the rain did not make it any better (I forgot my umbrella). So there, my unlucky day.

0 Another week gone by

Several interesting events happened this week.

First, met up with another potential FYP prof yesterday. I was quite taken aback - and somewhat disapointed - by the offerings. Due to resource constraints, he offered a "dry" bench project, actually two in fact: a computer animation one and a MRI analysis. I'm pinning my hopes on LKL now; otherwise I may consider Tang or Tan. It seems all my friends have secured their projects already. I'm so late in the race!

This morning I was woken up at 5 AM by an irritating engine that whirred and grooved non-stop. It's similar to those kind of inconsiderate motorcycles, except that there wasn't any Doppler effect, meaning the vehicle was stationary - and blaring. It was only 4 hours later that I realized why - a dark blue Mercedes car had rolled into the longkang. Oh, what bad luck he had. Seriously, I pity him. Only at 9 AM was the tow truck there to pull his car away.

During immuno lab today I got to test out my own saliva for IgG and IgA - an assay reflecting my oral health. S. mutans, the main bacteria for tooth decay, was the antigen. IgA is found in the mucosa and oral cavity, and so expected to be present in high amounts (though too high is also not a good indicator), but IgG is mainly in the blood so not expected to be in high amounts. However, there was 2.3 units/ml IgG detected (by indirect ELISA), compared to friend which had negligible amounts. Attributable to gum bleeding? Maybe.

This semester, if anything, has made me an essay churning machine.
Bye bye, more essays to write, although its Good Friday tomorrow.

1 Waffleton

Vans blueberry waffles were at half-price! Obviously I couldn't pass up the chance of not buying it, despite its expiry date drawing imminently near (1 Apr to be exact). I've tried the original one before and loved it, so I was pretty excited to try the blueberry.

It was blueberry domination. You could smell the the sweet fragrance of blueberries even when the waffles was in its frozen state. A start to a promising meal indeed. You could see specks of blue dotted through the waffles. And most importantly, you could taste the ephemeral blueberries; unlike most commercial brands where "blueberries" is synonymous with sickeningly sweet artificial blueberry syrup flavor, Vans was real and natural. My only gripe was that the waffles didn't get as crisp as I would have liked; perhaps that may be remedied by toasting it a bit longer. I had the waffle smothered in my homemade cashew butter and topped with the sweetest yellow peach ever. It's good to switch from oatmeal once in a while, you know [except that these waffles are wheat-based].

I can't believe its WEEK 11 already. So many things to do, so little time. 2 more thousand-word essays, 1 software to complete, 1 more short essay, 1 presentation and 4 exams to go.

5 Unwinding with durians

Finally, the end of a super long tiring week.

I didn't even know I had a doctor's appointment today, until I got home and Mum went, "You've got to go in 5 minutes." What a shocker. The appointment went almost as usual. Gained about 1 kg since pre-Cambodia, but that may have been due to water weight (I was kind of needing to go to the toilet when I took my weight). Doc said I needed to up my fats, either directly or through increasing carb (which will then convert into fats). But the latter is not a highly feasible option given that most carbs would be converted into proteins (more essential for the body) before fats. Anyhow, I got a new prescription - vit B compelx.

At Bugis Village, mum bought a $30 packet of mao shan wang. Was the price justified? You bet! I daresay was the most creamy, lightest and yet potent mao shan wang I had ever, almost like a souffle!

Hmmm... ideas coming to mind with durian recipes!

0 Keep on swimmin'

Workload update

3213 Neuro
1. Neuronal integration notes
2. ISM ISM ISM >> way too neglected
3. SDL SDL SDL

3223 Immuno
- None at the moment - :D

3225 MicroB
4. Lab report
5. HA Phylogeny

2207 Heritage
6. Cambodia
FINALLY COMPLETED MY ESSAY - the longest piece I ever took to write!

2201 Com Sci
7. Tutorial
8. Project

Nearly drowning, but still surviving, at the moment.

So last week I watched TTSS with Hamm. We caught a 9.40 PM show which wasn't the most brilliant of ideas because I was already tired to begin with and the confusing, indecipherable plot didn't help either. And it so happened, unfortunately, that the theatre was freezing cold like they were trying to simulate Arctic conditions in there. So the combination of cold + sleepy + confused led to quite a miserable 2 h as well as a waste of money.

But just one week later, I now want to watch either Moneyball or Iron Lady. Both seem good, with the trailer of the latter more appealing. But reviews prefer the former. Beyond thinking about relaxation, I had better plan my schedule before leaving for Cambodia. Here goes:

Tmr (Fri)
- [1], [7], [8]

Sat
- [8], [3]

My squid ink/scallop tagliatelle: white wine (Riesling) squid ink pasta + seared scallops with mix veg and cherry tomatoes, coated in Chreese sauce and topped with ebiko. Maybe Halloween came early.

Quite disappointed that the squid ink tagliatelle didn't have the briny squid ink flavour I was looking for.

0 My infinite pile of *****

3213 Neuro
1. ISM
2. SDL

3223 Immuno
3. T-cell/MHC notes

3225 Mol Micro
4. Phylogenetics of HA of H1N1

2207 Heritage
5. Essay
6. Cambodia

2201 Com Sci
7. Project Proposal/read-up
8. Tutorial - tournament problem

To-do tmr:
Morning: 3 + 5
Afternoon: 5

Aim for the weekends [in order of priority]
- Complete Heritage essay (5)
- Read up more on Neuroligins & Neurexins for SDL (2) - Sun
Draft of introduction, evidence for structural remodeling (Choi), and mechanism via actin remodeling, AMPAR/NMDA trafficking via PDS-95 completed; next step - EPSP/IPSP & behavioural studies, autism
- Watch TTSP - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Sun
- Read up on Voluntourism/Eco-tourism (6)
- Re-do (4)

Today's treat - SuperFood Slam! Very grassy & flaxy but made palatable with generous dates & cocoa nibs :)

0 Greater good

Many interesting things happened today. First off, I daresay I discovered the Mother of all Breakfasts: Baked Durian Bread. It was mind-blowing - sprouted carrot raisin bread and durian puree mixed in a bath of egg white protein powder and almond milk, baked for 15 minutes and viola! The durian puree turns into a pool of warm custardy meltiness, oozing at the slightest pressure. A touch of roasted & slightly salted almond butter (Earth Balance) now and then was just the icing of the cake. Gonna remake this tomorrow!

Secondly, I FINALLY completed my origami. At first I was pleasantly surprised by the lily, then I thought, hey why not try something more complex. I attempted the unicorn, dolphin, gorilla in vain before settling and obtaining success with the zebra (I coloured it too!). So proud and satisfied with my work. At the very least, what I got out of this exercise was much fun and the basic folds such as inward reverse fold, outward reverse fold, pleat, crimp, squash, mountain, valley, and the classic bird base.

Finally, I experienced the adage "save the best for the last" during neuro lab pract. It was basically an observation session; the first few stations were purely physiological studies (patch-clamp), which left many question marks in my eyes especially when physics (volatge, current) is involved. The last station dealt with rats - my first time seeing real lab rats being experimented on. Electrodes were inserted into specific areas of the brain (hippocampus), canula sticking out, inflamed paws (model RA/neuropathic pain). They were larger than I expected, just slightly smaller than a guinea pig. All were white with red eyes, and they looked really stressed. I guess it's just their luck to land up in a pain lab. Oh boy... for the greater good.

To-do tasks
Neuro - understand what I observed in lab esp. patch-clamping, ISM
Immuno - notes, lymphatic system
Microbio - :D
CS & IT - tutorial (Sun or I'll spend too much time on it)
Heritage - paper 1, readings.

0 New beginnings

Today I realized that the Novena-Kent Ridge train journey burns a $1.72 hole in my pocket. I was utterly taken aback, considering
(i) The journey by Novena-Orchard-BV-NUS is more than 40 cents cheaper but just a margin longer in traveling time.
(ii) The rampant delays on the failing MRT system.
(iii) The earth-crushing crowd which puts a scowl on everyone's faces and in a positive feedback loop, seeing pissy faces reinforces one's bad mood.

Seems that the axion 'there is no such thing as a free lunch' holds true. However, for the three reasons above, I shall, from tomorrow onwards, revert to my favorite Orchard Road route. SMRT is trying to rip me off my money but thou shalt not be deceived! Hummph!

Speaking about money, on my way rush to school for my first 8am lecture this morning, a patient in wheelchair stopped me in TTSH's atrium to ask for money. I've encountered such situations many a time, and many a dime they ask. He appeared quite desperate and I donated 50 cents, I daresay one of my largest charity acts. Then he became even more desperate and daring and asked more more. I calmly walked away. I hope he put that 50 cents to good use and bless him. The initial decision to donate was spurred by the thought of Huang's Christmas message as "angels in disguise." What if that man was Jesus in disguise and I did not help him? Dilemmas and conundrums.

First day of school was ... sedate. Most eventful thing was that I went to the old SR1 for Heritage class until I saw that the whole USP ADM block was pitch-black; everything had shifted to UTown. And now D1/D2 makes a big detour round the Yong Siew Toh conservatory/UTown so A1/A2 is the only option left for a quick rush between Central block/Science. Heritage class was more interesting than expected; at least I did not have that 'doomsday' feeling like I experienced with Singapore and the Region (which I eventually dropped, thankfully). Needless to say, the Cambodia trip is one huge draw. Unfortunately, I hardly recognize anyone in the class. And the module has yet to be activated in IVLE so I can't view the class list.

One class (IT) tmr morning at 10. Hate going to school for just one class.