I Think I'm Ready To Win
I'm back home! And I have assignments due online. What crap is this?I hate public hospitals and I get nervous everytime I see a catheter. IVs are fine. I've had two in me at one go. But catheters....oh boy..my upchuck reflex gets switched on everytime I see the urine bag. *gasp*.I found this absolutely funny:
I hope she gets better soon. Labels: Family, Geekery, Science Geekery
A-Maize-ing
It seems that every little thing is starting to annoy me. Besides the usual people I bitch about (okay, I'm really sorry. I can't help it and please, you guys do it too.), I got all pissed off at Greenpeace activists today.We were watching a video on GMOs in class today and it was an ethical debate between researchers and environmentalists. Both sides had viable points which were dispensed by scientists, meaning they know what they're talking about. Each side had its merits and was worth considering.But those Greenpeace activists. My God. Sometimes you wonder why do these people have to be so extreme. Why they plunder and cause massive destruction for the sake of getting attention. All at the expense of those farmers whose crops they ruin.I mean its okay to want to educate the public about the choices they are making, or to highlight what is really happening with these crops. But to go as far as ruining the crops themselves or to stop field trials from being carried out is just plain ridiculous. How can you determine whether it's safe to consume if you don't do the experiments? The government even banned field tests in Mexico because of pressure from Greenpeace. And here are the farmers living in poverty with not much food source to sustain their lives. Yea sure developed countries can say, 'We don't need GMOs coz we've got so many other choices already' but what about people in developing countries who can't grow natural crops due to infertile lands and lack of resources? Don't you think they deserve some help in the form of more hardy crops that can give higher yields with added nutrients? It's not a be all end all situation. I'm sure you can find the middle ground somewhere. But until those barriers are broken and people open up their eyes, nothing can be done.I used to be all excited about Greenpeace and PETA but now I realise that they're just a bunch of extremists imposing their ideals onto other people. Their main objective is indeed noble, but the means by which they obtain it is much akin to bullying.Okay. Enough Rambling from me. :) Labels: Rambling, Science Geekery
Do it like they do
Reen, Spring is the season for flings because naturally, most animals tend to mate during this season. The increase in temperature induces hormonal changes and they want to ensure that the offspring are born during seasons where food is plentiful.
It's plain old science people. Other acceptable reasons include that the pollen expelled during spring contain chemicals that also increases hormone levels or mimic human pheromones.
Okay that was a lie. But the first theory concerning animals is true. And guess what, You and me baby ain't nothing but Mammals.
Labels: Science Geekery
You Have Your Father's Fire
I believe there's a reenactment of Star Wars in my gastrointestinal tract. I'm not sure which side is winning but at the rate I'm going I'm pretty sure its the Galactic Empire. Pah.
Could it be just plain old malabsorption? Overconsumption of spicy food? Or perhaps its Irritable Bowel Syndrome. There's definitely discomfort and bloating and frequent visits to the toilet. Yet I still feel like I have mild Tenesmus. Apparently it could be due to stress and an unbalanced amount of gut flora. I like that phrase. GUT FLORA. Why isn't it Fauna I wonder..Yup. I think it is IBS.
Crud. I think I need to consume some yoghurt. I need to provide ammunition for the Rebel Alliance!
Happy Birthday Hui Chien!! I <3 u!
Labels: Geekery, Housemates, Random, Science Geekery
No, I do not revere PETA.
It's already/only a Wednesday. I'm already beat. The days are going by pretty fast and there's always something Mfest related to do everyday. There's just SO much to do even without assignments piling up.Anyway, I just found out how Mouse Feeder Cells are really produced. Backtrack a little. Mouse Feeder Cells are a layer of cells you put at the base of your Petri dish when you're trying to clone specific organs from stem cells. They're basically there to provide a mix of nutrients, hormones and growth factors for the stem cells. Like I said, I just found out how they make that layer. Look away if you find these things offensive. It might get a little graphic, I'm warning you....Firstly, you dissect a pregnant female mouse. You then take out her uterine horns. After that, you slice it open carefully and unload all the embryos to a Petri dish. What are embryos you ask? Those are BABIES. Ok, so they're not a fetus yet and thus don't really resemble finished baby rats but you can see its spine and head. Where was I? Oh yes. Next, you carefully separate any uterus lining or amniotic sacs from the babies, I mean embryos. Then, you cut them open and separate the spleen, liver and intestines and cut off its head. You then take the body, put it into a fresh plate and start mincing and mashing them to make a homogenous solution. Finally, you put them into fresh medium to make them proliferate. TADA! Feeder cells!I felt quite disturbed as I looked at the slides just now. I know they're just rats but I couldn't help thinking how wrong it was to do that. With the embryonic stem cells, even though they were using humans, the embryos used are still in the blastocyst stage and thus do not resemble human babies at all. In Islam, they haven't even had their 'Roh' put in by Allah yet as it is only 1-2 weeks after fertilisation.Yea I lost my train of thought due to some gossip. Crud, I'm such a sucker for other people's business. Yea, cos my life is uninteresting. Anyway, enough gore. Good luck to my dating friends. And a huge slap to AFIR HAMIDI. One day, you will LET ME kick your ass. Labels: Science Geekery
But you can learn how to play the game, It's easy.
As I sit in the lecture theater trying to understand what Jeff is rambling on about, my stomach starts making rumbling noises. I turn to Vanna and ask her if she heard it. She nodded with a grin. Crap.It's not because I'm hungry. No. I've had coffee and bread this morning.You see, a growling stomach, or borborygmi, doesn't only happen when one is hungry. It happens all the time due to the air and fluid moving along in your Gastrointestinal tract by peristalsis. It gets even louder when your stomach is empty because there isn't anything to absorb the sound, or when you're sitting in certain positions because of the accumulation and pressure of the gas and fluid. Now, when the rumbling gets TOO loud, you might have to check with the doctor because this might be a sign of parasites. Yes, you heard me, big, fugly WORMS. Or perhaps food allergies. Or lack of digestive friendly bacteria. And if you don't hear it at all, don't think you're lucky, it's just because your digestive system has gone on hiatus and is still paralysed. This though, usually takes place after surgery. And it isn't good, why? Think about it, if you can't move your bowels, how can your body get rid of all that shit? Trust me, I've experienced it first hand. Anyway, I think I'm hungry for real now. It's been about 5 hours since my last meal. It still amazes me how I can talk about bowels and still have an appetite. Oh, and I find the scientific term for farting: flatus very amusing. :D Labels: Science Geekery
When it's rising when it's set, But all I can think about is Sex.
It's weirdly comforting when the doctor looks down at me and says 'You poor girl...'. This woman is seriously fierce and stern. To have her say that makes me feel slightly better. :P. I'm on another round of antibiotics. This time its Flucloxacillin which is a Methicillin, an antibiotic resistant to the beta lactamase activity of certain bacteria. I finished up my Cephalexin, which is a cephalosporin, which is just another alternative to Penicillin. I actually did learn all this in class. This isn't from Wikipedia. *laughs proudly*. God, I'm such a geek. *smacks head*
Anywaaaayyyyy, yesterday was Hawa's birthday! Woot woot! Happy Birthday Hawa! We arranged a candlelit dinner for her and Anas in her room. We cleaned it up, arranged the furniture and cooked a three course meal for them (okay so it was just the lamb). We had all her favourite food. :D We pretended it was a restaurant and the girls were the waitresses, the guys were the chefs and Zek was the dude who serenades the lovestruck couples. And man, you should have seen the big fat tears streaming down her face! Another job well done sweethearts! You guys are awesome! *thumbs up*
Then we spent the night eating, talking and watching Across The Universe! Sigh. This is what keeps me going every week here in Sydney. Without these people and bonding sessions like these, I don't think I'd be as happy. Haha. Although I'm pretty sure, this year, things aren't going to be like what they used to. Responsibilities increase, Sunny's gone, priorities reshuffle, money's decreasing and new people come in. Oh well. At least we still have each other now. :D
Oh OHHHH!! And while waiting for HawAnas last night, we watched The Lion King! Yay yay yay yayyyyyyyyy....Alaa, tak sempat tengok sampai habis. :( I would like some pancakes. Would you?
Labels: Friends, Science Geekery
Happy Birthday Hui Chien!! I <3 u!
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