On The Killing of Mice

I've been killing mice. Those that haven't died of their own volition of course.

Just today, I've murdered 18 mice. A few weeks back, I killed another 23 mice and I'll be doing lots more further down the road. Well, okay, It wasn't I that killed them. My supervisor gassed them, then another person perfused the worms out of them. All I did was count the number of worms present in their system. And anyway, they died for a good cause. To rid the world of schistosomiasis. Okay, well, not the world. Parts of Africa and the Carribean and the Middle East I guess. Still a just cause.

It's interesting how the worms develop in the system. Nice pink healthy livers and lungs become grotesque, deformed nodulous brownish-grey things because the worms lay eggs in them. The spleens become engorged, swelling to about three times its size. The lungs too are affected, becoming hard, scarred things as the juvenile schistosomes pass through on their way to the liver.











Left: Healthy liver.


Right: Schistosome infested liver.














Until next time.

Refresher

As is obvious, I've updated the template of this blog. I know it's been stagnant for a good long while now but it is to be hoped that with this, comes renewed enthusiasm to record the minutiae of life as it goes on.

As to what has been going on, there's really been nothing much to say. Despite erroneous assumptions by a certain friend, I am still continuing with my honours programme. It is simply that there was nothing of significance, or perhaps relevance, to write about.

I must leave it at that as it grows late and I have spent more time than I should have already, changing the template.

Until the next time,

Honours - Week One

So, my Honours year has begun. Week one wasn't too bad. A lot of paperwork to do. There was the staff induction process, where I had to run around, getting my photo taken, my ID card made, my computer login created and I had to meet all the different important people. Not forgetting the safety training I had to do. A whole safety manual, an hour-long fire safety course online, and a two-hour long quarantine accreditation course online. Unfortunately there were no spare computers, so I'll have to lug my 4kg laptop there and back day after day.

As for lab work, that was minimal, only making several buffers and reagents as well as some stock media for use in culturing yeast. I can't believe how much I've forgotten over the last two years though. Simple things I should know and remember... all gone. Sigh. I was also shown some mice I'd be working with and the worms I'll be challenging them with as well as the snail hosts. At least I'm not as squeemish as I used to be about mice... all thanks to my brother's hamster.

That's all for week one. Not a bad start to the project.

Until next time.

New Year, New Toy

I thought I'd start off the new year with a good note, despite several mishaps that marred the ending of the last year (which I will detail soon, or at least, when I get around to it).

Introducing, my new toy:


The Nokia 6210 Navigator. (No... I didn't take the picture myself)

I'd been looking to replace my old phone for some time now. I was really bugging me, the way it's so thick that it bulges out of my pocket everytime I go out with it. When the battery began to die, these thoughts returned in earnest.

After much searching, and considering of various phone models and plans and so on and with help from a couple of people, I finally selected this one (Other contenders were the iPhone and the Nokia 6600 slide/flip as well as the Nokia 6220).

I'm enjoying the phone a lot. It's got high speed internet (although I have to be careful of download quotas), a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, a GPS navigation system and a Symbian operating system. Best of all, at 14.9 mm thick it doesn't stick out of my pocket like my old 21mm thick phone did (well... not as much anyway).

No gripes about it yet, unlike when I first got my N6288.

Until next time,

Blustery Day

Another post on the weird weather we've been having here in Brisbane over the past few weeks. There were the huge thunderstorms last week, as detailed in my previous post, with three nights of record rains. All of a sudden, as suddenly as it had started, it cleared up on Friday and not a storm cloud in sight since. The weather is still weird though. We're approaching into summer, so I guess it's no surprise that Friday and Saturday were hot. So hot in fact, that I ended up tossing and turning in my bed on Friday night, only getting to sleep at 4.30 am, waking up at 9 am for my 11am shift. That was a 'pleasant' time. The upside is that I managed to clear my laundry backlog.

Clear skies after the rains.

The weird part about the weather is that it ended up cooling down these past few days. Huge winds were blowing down in the city and last night was really really cold. Standing in Adelaide Street felt like being in a wind tunnel.

Aftermath of the storms was that the river turned brown. All the debris, detritus and dirt from the floods washed into the river, causing this murky muck. You can see leaves, shoots and branches all washed away, sedimenting by the riverside. Worst part is, all CityCat services were cancelled from Friday night until Tuesday, making it really inconvenient for me to get to work, as I hate taking the bus. It is understandable though, as all the debris in the water makes it hard for the Cat to operate. On the way to the city on Friday, as the boat was travelling along, you could feel the bumps as some bit of debris or other impacted on the hull.

The 'soup' that is the Brisbane River.

Until next time.

Stormy Weather

Grey skies and inclement weather we've been having over the past few days. Sprung up as a bit of a surprise that. First inkling of it was a slight drizzle on Sunday which then turned into a storm, a magnitude of which apparently hasn't been seen in Brisbane in years. Newspapers are calling it a generational storm. I, being on my way home and seeing the drizzle, decided to wait it out a bit and went window shopping. What a mistake that was. I ended up getting soaked to the bone walking back from the CityCat in the middle of the storm. Huge winds and torrential downpour all around me.

Above: The view of the storm from the City CityCat Terminal.

Apparently the storm was so great that it caused AUD75 million in damages, with over 8000 claims on insurance for the damage and killed one person who was fell in a drain while trying to photograph the flooding waters.

Above: Another view of the CityCat Terminal with the storm raging away.

Since then, it's been raining intermittently over the past few days. Overcast days with occasional showers and large downpours every night. In fact, I can hear a large gush of rain just outside my window right now, seeming to be another record storm. Good news for the drought situation I guess. Last night's downpour exceeded half of the rainfall for the entire month of November, being 70mm bringing the collective rainfall to 170mm and filling the dams to 42.6%. While it is good for the drought, it's bad for the rest of us. No sun, chilly winds and rainfall does not make good weather to be out in. Add that to the fact that my laundry has been piling up for two weeks, making me almost out of socks.

Above: My two weeks pile of laundry

I wonder when this will end. I'm getting tired of all this wet weather.

Until next time.

Eyes Wide Open

Yet another post dealing with my insomnia.

Didn't sleep the whole night this time. Guess that'll teach me to drink 6-7 cups of tea, trying to retain my attention for some last minute cramming.

Last subject up ahead. This morning I have Parasitology theory with the practical exam on in the afternoon. Not quite looking forward to it. There's reams and reams of stuff to remember. I hope my sleep addled brain is up to the task.

It's not that bad though. The morning really brightened my mood for some reason. There's just something about being awake when the birds start chirping and the dawn light creeps across the sky. Very peaceful and calming. Hopefully that's a good portent for what is to come.



Wish me luck.

Until next time.

And So It Begins

My final Finals start tomorrow.

It looks to be a jam-packed schedule. One tomorrow morning, another on Monday afternoon and two on Tuesday. Not much time to prepare in.

After that, no more exams... ever. At least... I think so :D

Strangely apathetic though. I don't feel much about it one way or the other. I should be elated that there'll be no more stressful exams but, when I look at what's up ahead.... honours and so on, all very unknown, I wonder what it'll be like. Don't know if it'll be much better than exams really.

Oh well. Best buckle down to it and cram.

Until next time.

Spotlight - Nation

One of my favourite authors, Terry Pratchett, brought out a new novel last month. Nation is about a young boy from an island in the Great Southern Pelagic Ocean and a girl shipwrecked on the island who work together to reform the Nation after a tidal wave and which marooned the girl, destroyed the entire community on the Nation and its surrounding islands. Along the way, after some communication issues, they pick up additional survivors and learn some lessons (including how to make beer - by spitting in it and singing Baa, Baa Black Sheep sixteen times) as well as uncovering the shocking history of the Nation and a face-off with cannibals.

Despite not being one of Pratchett's famously witty Discworld novels, Nation more than holds its own in the satirical humour department as well as introducing the reader to some novel concepts and ideas. All in all, a really good read.

The End Is Nigh

Seems like I'm stuck in a once-a-month rut. I get bored... but not bored enough to blog. Just lazy I guess.

Almost to the end of the semester. Just this week and the next to go, then I'm free for the rest of the year. After exams of course. What fun.

My exam timetable? One on the 7th November, then the 10th and two (one's a practical exam) on the 11th. Interestingly, this'll probably be my last formal exam ever, unless of course I need to take IELTS again next time (I don't really count that as much though, seeing as I don't study for it). Can't say I'm sad to see the end of it though.

I'm doing well assignment-wise. Most of them are completed and handed in, save for one lab report and a "Product Development Proposal" that's really complex. Luckily I'm doing the Marketing part which is not too bad, compared to the other sections at least.

Work's been not bad these past few weeks. Been having more fun nowadays after a short 'blah' spell.

Well, enough about the current issues.

Signing off.

Respite

It's been a while.

Been busy. Somewhat. Assignments... work... etc.

Time off now though. Year Three teaching free week. Although not really teaching free as somehow we still have a solitary lecture on Thursday. Also got a couple more assignments to fit into this week and the midsemester break next week. A thousand five hundred word essay and a product development proposal. Not very simple tasks. I'll get it done somehow though.

Weather's getting warmer here... Not fun. Starting to feel sticky and uncomfortable, especially in my room. Don't know why but it's especially warm in there.

That's it for now. I think. Don't mind the terseness.

The Last Lecture

I've just read 'The Last Lecture' by the late Randy Pausch (26 October 1960 - 25 July 2008), based on his last lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. This is made all the more poignant by the fact that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and shortly before the lecture, was told that the disease was fatally malignant.

The book is pretty insightful and witty, not morbidly so but more light-hearted, detailling several of his childhood dreams and how the achievement, or not, provided several life lessons to the author. 'The Last Lecture' was written, somewhat, as a means for the author to leave a legacy to his children but everyone can benefit from the insights he shared.

Utter Mundaneness

Well. I guess I should update after a month of inactivity.

Nothing much has been going on around me. A life of normalcy.

Day in day out, the same old, same old.

Very boring, or so I've been told.


That's it. No more typing in verse. I'll just be terse.

Until there is hue and cry. Goodbye.

Gen Con™

So last weekend was The Best Four Days In Gaming™ at the South Bank Convention Center.

I attended of course. Didn't find out about it until the day before it started, but luckily I had Thursday off and a late shift on Friday.

So I went... wandered around the booths. They had so much cool stuff there... games, books, DVDs, toy models. They even had a six-foot model of the Battlestar Galactica. Price was AUD180 though.... so tempting... but well... I did get the SOUNDaround box thingy though. It's quite good. Amplifies the sound from DVDs etc. and simulates surround sound from just a couple of speakers. One of the stall-holders even invited me to compete in a Rummikub competition, although I couldn't seeing as I was working Saturday.

Slightly disappointing that Jamie Bamber and James Callis couldn't make it for the convention. The Stargate: Atlantis stars that they brought out to replace them just didn't make the cut. I didn't even bother going to see them as I had no idea who they were.

Wizards of The Coast had a stall there as well... giving demo sessions of games. I tried a demo of Dungeons and Dragons. Was a bit hesitant at first, it took me halfway through the game before I actually got into it and my rogue took a pounding at the hands of some giant scorpions. I'd also tried a Magic: The Gathering demo there. Seeing as I hadn't playing in 4-5 years, I would think that qualifies me to be a newbie... somewhat. Anyway... played a match with the instructor there... and surprise surprise, I won. One of the veteran players there even gave me a free theme deck (rare and foil removed of course). After the demos, WOTC gave out free showbags with stuff in it. I got a Lorowyn theme deck and several D&D miniatures... which I'm not sure what I'm going to do with.

Next day (Friday) I decided on entering one of the tournaments there... play a few rounds of Magic again. So I signed up for the Grand Prix: Auckland trial. Sealed tournament, meaning that they gave a tournament pack and a couple of boosters and you construct your deck there. I made a black/green creature deck. Bad move though. The deck was too slow. In hindsight I should've gone with a red/green deck... cos I had better red cards. Oh well. Anyway, I lost horribly (9 games out of 10). To be expected I guess... seeing as I was really really rusty. Forgot a lot of the rules and so on... so I made so many mistakes that the veteran players had to correct. Still.... all in all it was a fun experience. Nice to play again after so long.

I didn't attend on Saturday and Sunday because I had work going. Very full weekend, cos I swapped half-shifts for full shifts. Had a bit of a disgusting situation on Friday night though. A customer, ran into the shop, up to the first floor (which was where the toilets were). She then headed to the DVD section, proceeded to drop trou and peed on the floor. She was drunk of course... but well... ugghh. And then she raced out the door when one of my colleagues caught her in the act.

And that was it for my Gen Con™ experience. Maybe I'll have a better chance next year... if I keep in practice.

In The Thick Of It

Another semester... another exam period.

Right in the middle of one right now, with one down and two to go. Didn't really feel like exam period though. The pressure didn't seem to be there... and time passed so fast. Before I knew it, I'd completed the Virology paper already.

Now at work for the second paper, Immunology, tomorrow, after which, comes the last paper for the semester Molecular Microbiology. Then I'll be free for a month.

That stupid tic's still there... irritating me like anything. Nothing I do seems to get rid of it, sleeping more, sleeping less, not thinking about it, actively trying to control it, all doesn't work. It seems hell bent on annoying me.

That's all he wrote for now,

Until next time.

Destressing

Have you ever noticed how much destressing sounds like distressing? Interesting that. I just noticed it myself.

Anyhow, so semester's almost over. Assignments and so on are mostly done... thankfully. Unusual side-effect this time round though, I developed a tic in my left eyelid. Really quite irritating when you've got it. Can't stop it from quivering. I can't really imagine what would cause such a thing though. Can't be stress... cause I've been quite laid-back and have been sleeping over my quota the past week.

Silly of me though. To oversleep. I'd got to the point where... couldn't for the life of me go to bed last night. I was tossing and turning until 5.30 am. Worst part was, I had work today. Luckily not a full shift though. Somehow I'd made it through unscathed.

There's still tomorrow though, and this time it is a full-shift. Better turn in early tonight and hopefully I get an extra serving of sand.

Au revoir

Sleepless in Cyberspace

Well... here I am... at 1 am.

Still wide awake. Couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning and tossing and turning and tossing... well... you get the general idea.

Stupid circadian rhythm. Can't it see that I have work at 9.30 tomorrow? And that I'll probably need to keep going until 10pm or later because of my colleague's party-thingy?

No. I guess not. Oh well... probably need to dope up tomorrow.

On Coke and V and so on that is.

Intermittent

Regularity is just not my thing. I can be mundane, but apparently not regular as evidenced by the sporadic-ness of this blog.

Sparse posts about nothing, punctuated by voids of silence.

It's not that it's impossible to write (type), it's the utter unavailability of to form coherent "essays" and the inability to formulate a topic on which to discourse.

To complicate matters, I'm now expected to produce a composition for the Xaverian's Diamond Jubilee. No mean feat, when so far, in the eight months, since I was first informed, I've come up with one word, and that, I thought up just as I went to bed last night.

Makes me wonder, how those writers do it, churning out books and books thousands of words with no apparent effort. Perhaps there's some super-drug that pumps literary inspiration into their minds, or maybe it's a psychic wavelength that all good writers share, in which their disparate thoughts are shared, bouncing around the dimensions of all those interconnected brains.

That's just about the limit of what my befuddled brain can churn out for now.

When The Leaves Fall

Autumn's here!

At least that's what I think. What else can you surmise when the day can't decide which season it's in? Blazing hot for an hour or so, then suddenly chilly breezes nipping at your ankles.

Along with the seasonal metamorphosis comes the dreaded bugs. Flu-bugs that is. Apparently I don't deal well with random changes in weather patterns. Endurance is the key word here, with me enduring a stuffy nose, blocked sinuses and more of the like.

And that's it for now.

So, 1st week is pretty much over and I'm settling into the doldrums of another year. Classes seem pretty boring... except for maybe Virology, the lecturer Paul Young (no... not the one from Desperate Housewives) is pretty entertaining.

Big thing this semester seems to be accents. For Immunology, I've got Stuart Kellie who's a Scot and for Genomics I've got Thomas Huber who is German. Pretty interesting trying to filter what they've been saying. I'm going to have to get used to it pretty quick though, otherwise I'm going to miss a lot of what they're talking about throughout the semester. It helps keep me alert though as I kinda like to see the way they pronounce everything. Nothing really good to say about my last subject, Molecular Microbiology. Pretty boring lecturer although the subject doesn't seem too bad. Apparently they're trying to kill us with lab work though as we've got labs throughout the semester for that course, from first week to the last.

On a side note, my uni computer labs got upgraded! I'm loving the new Macs even though I'm not a fan of Macs. Probably because of the new screen. The mouse and keyboard aren't anything special... but the screen is huge! Much much better than the old and stupid Macs they had which were so slow and terrible to use. I'm definitely going to be using the school computers a lot more...

Source: http://images.apple.com/imac/images/index_hero20071026.png [Online] Accessed 28/2/2008 1:35 pm.

And that's all for now.
Maybe with the new computers I'll be updating my blog more often?
Who knows?