School
Yes, I finally bother to spend some time to put up a post. School hasn't been so good, it must be because I flopped my H3 test. Grr. To make it up, I have to pia for normal stream studies... and be sure to own the last test. Other that that, I did less well than normal for CT, so I would expect a good improvement for CT2. So, enough anbout academics.

Virtual World
It's the virtual world I'm talking about. Some of you won't know about this. I'm a gamer, lol. I specialise in MMORPG, so that's why I speak of the virtual world. Being in the virtual world has really taought me some things, how to be nice to others etc, and most importantly, understanding myself. In the net, I can be what the inside of me tells me to do, which can't be done in real. People should try out actually, to be what they want to be. Though only virtually, it still allows you to test it out 'virtually' too. There are actually more things to be said here, but I guess I shouldn't, hehe.

Others
Recently, I've got a new phone, yay, after nearly a year of using an old lau gu dong handphone. It is as I wanted, a music phone. :))) Yea, so it was good. I started taking some pictures and try to give some interesting names to them too, haha. Lookies, a Quantum Physics 3 joke, only understandable after you read the notes.

Joke of the Post
If you never do your assignment, say this to your professor.
Professor: Where is your assignment?
Student: Oh, I know its momentum so precisely that it could be almost anywhere in the universe.

School
Hmm... SSEF is finally over. Now it's time to study for Common Test and H3 Assessment. I can predict that I won't do so well ><.

Singapore Science and Engineering Fair
Somehow, I quite liked it. It wasn't fun, but it gave me a chance to show my project. On the judging day, I was not really bothered about getting any awards one, so I just anyhow whack. Then in the end, they gave me a merit award, then I thought... ohh, I should've just tried harder la. The motivation came at the wrong time ><. It was good though, winning something is quite good already. Nice people there too. Really hope I can see them again.

Joke of the Post
Thesaurus: ancient reptile with an excellent vocabulary.

School
Heh... school work huh? I'm like... I will underperform for my CT. Why is that so ><. The timing for this Common Test is seriously just wrong. I have my H3 NAV Oral Defence so close to the CT, also the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair clashes with CT. What's worse? I also have a H3 assessment on that week's saturday. Oh and something even more worse! H1 Geog people have to study more than H2 students for the geog CT!? What kind of law is this?
Hehe, but think on the better side, I completed my H3 Oral Defence today and I think I did fairly well haha. The judges I kena is also one of the judges for SSEF. I went into the room and recognised his face, the SSEF associate professor, like wow... an I lucky to kena him? lol. And also, the other judge actually guessed that my mentor is someone... and that someone is actually my real mentor's research group leader, there must be some sort of link there. But anyways I'm really happy that a H3 is done for, and a job well done indeed :)

Others
On Wednesday, we had this stress management talk yes? Then they gave us this test to see how 'optimistic' you are. Kinda inaccurate to a large extent, but I got 6/8. Does it really reflect that I'm a optimist? Well maybe? Cos even Miss Wu said that I'm an optimistic person haha. Yes, I tend to look at stuff in the positive light and when something goes wrong I do not panic like siao like that. Maybe.. just maybe. Today is 29th Feb. And you know that Leap Year movie, one of their quote is "To have love and lost, is better than never to have loved at all." I used it before haha. Relatively interesting. Also seen more meaningful quotes, but can't really remember now. This post has an interesting joke, read it :D.

Joke of the Post
An elderly lady with several pets called to say that her telephone failed to ring when her friends called; and that on the few occasions when it did ring, her dog always barked first. The telephone repairman proceeded to the scene, curious to see this psychic dog. He climbed a nearby telephone pole, hooked in his test set, and dialed the subscriber's house. The phone didn't ring. He tried again. The dog barked loudly, followed by a ringing telephone. Climbing down from the pole, the telephone repairman found:
1. A dog was tied to the telephone system's ground post via an iron chain and collar.
2. The dog was receiving a 90 volt signalling current.
3. After several such jolts, the dog would start barking and urinating on the ground.
4. The wet ground now completed the circuit and the phone would ring.
This shows you that some problems can be fixed by just pissing on them.

School
Hmm... Long ime no post again... Seems like it's gettinga bit redundant to blog, but today, I wanted to put up a post, hehe. School has started and everything went back to normal, with some differences. Alan have been really busy with his Science Research, and now it's done (for the time being) he can finally take a rest :). Time now goes to Chingay ><" His weekend is lost to it... ahh well who ask him so dumb to go sign up. Hehe, this is sooo cute... Alan likes Wei Ting's idea, haha!

My Brother
Some of you might have already knew, I have a brother who is 1 year younger than me. Lucky enough for us after 10 years, we are finally in the same school!!! He got L1R5 of 4 with bonuses already counted. Zomg, this unity is undescribable, learning the same things and sharing all the same fun stuff in the same school. Too bad it will only last a year :(.

Others
There was this talk by CPM today for certain people. which I unfortunately got in. That talk actually have some point, after thinking back about it (Omg la, please, not about the 'free flow' of chicken nuggets and plain water! :D) Maybe he is right... Does an introvert like Alan have the ability to make a difference? Thinking back, he won the unsung hero award in NPCC. His contribution though small, was recognised. So here comes the question.. what can he do now? His ambition is to become a medical researcher/surgeon/doctor. He really like science research, he actually got some compliments from the researchers at IBN, he can do relatively well in studies. Maybe he can help other people with their studies? Maybe he should study hard and gain more knowledge such that he can 'possibly' find a cure for AIDS? Can't forget the One Life catchline: Fight AIDS, fight the hate, you got one life, do something. Lolols. He shall try to help others... in an attempt. There is a kind inner heart in everyone of us, the other side of homo sapiens. Actually I do have a new year resolution, one which I will only keep to myself. Why am I always like that, say something, but don't actually saying it. Does this actually piss people off? I hope not. It's me... and I only want to be nice. The joke this week not so funny.

Joke of the Post
Lightest element award: Hydrogen
Most versatile award: Carbon
Most electronegative award: Fluoride
Most diamagnetic award: Bismuth
Lowest thermal conductivity: Mercury
Most autistic element award:Helium
Most Noble award: Helium

Introduction
Oh haha, I thought this was necesary cos I haven't post anything for ages. I remember the last time I posted was before the busy part of PW starts, so I can blame PW for taking so much of my time that I couldn't blog anymore. But anyways, I have accumulated a lot of things to post about.

Holidays
Some people out there just stay at home throughout the holidays and do nothing. I used to do that, but I found out that actually doing something useful can be quite enjoyable too! :D I haven't wasted my time on my attachment programme after all. I would say, so far, I've been enjoying my holidays and having a fruitfu time. I'm not resting, I'm learning, and I might start next year tired, but it's all worth it for a H3. Yes.

Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
is a great place, lol. :D I can still remember the first time I went to biopolis for attachment. I was expecting something very seh. However, I found that biopolis is a very human place! They slack around quite a bit and enjoy having lunch outside biopolis a lot. There are nice food nearby. But that's not the point. I feel that I'm so lucky to have a chance to get attached to this wonderful institute that let me try out such an interesting project and giving me a 'stipend' of $30 a day, lol. Get paid and acquire good knowledge :D Is nice!. I really learnt a lot there, and these experiences could not be gained in VJ. I'm like... enjoying my attachment there, cos science research is really fun! :D

My Project
is a hard one indeed. In fact it is imba. My mentor presented me 5 choices and I just chose the one that I'm most interested in, that is, culturing rat liver cells in 2D and 3D methods. How did it turn out? I just found out that this kind of project is done by PhD students!!! I had to work overtime for so many of my days that I got used to it by now. But I'm quite glad that I got the hardest project cause it gives me room to prove myself. Even my co-mentor says hat I'm handling the project quite well. Oh, I have a mentor who does administrative stuff, and a co-mentor who trains and teaches me to do the project. Both of them got their PhD, lol. I feel so fortunate to work with these imba people. I really have to thank them when my project ends. I really enjoy doing my project a lot, though my cells die like so easily. They are so fragile, some physical disturbance like bubble bursting can kill them all, lol. Must treat life with care, ya know :D! But I think, I also like the part when I do my assays, they're so fun and colourful. All my 3 types of assays have colours :D. Fun coloured experiments indeed.

My IBN Friends
I really have to isolate this part rom the rest. Reminiscing the past, I can still remember that week when my new friends came my student room. Especially the third week, when Theodore came and shared room with Ada, Derek and me. Oh apparently, Ada and Derek are my dear friend Moses' classmates! Speak about coincidence! These friends are really good people, easily sociable and all. They know how to treat people. We can socialise and entertain each other when experiments get boring (do happen sometimes though). We go pantry in big groups and talk and eat together. These friends are rare, people who are so nice, and share the same passion as me in science. Is like wow, I'm making friends who are just like me, really wonderful people really. Really like science research too, like me. Ada even had exactly the same ambition as me, that is really stunning. I want to be a Medical Researcher or a Surgeon, and someone can actually share the same 2 ambitions, lol. I would miss my lab days a lot when the school reopens, really, a lot. I really enjoyed myself even when I have to sacrifice my holidays to do a H3.

Joke of the... Watch your Language in Biochemistry
The Sciences are very jargon oriented and this can cause problems when over-excited scientists carry on conversations in the real world... you know, the ones without the pipettes and shakers and chemical bottles. Thefollowing are three true stories.

Politically Corrects

Two young scientists, a student and a post-doc, had left the lab afteranother succesful day. As they rode the local transit on their way home, they began a rather animated discussion about the day's results and more specifically about the success that one had with her gel retardation or mobility shift assays. On and on they went about the "retards" doing this and the "retards" doing that when a woman across the aisle from them finally turned in disgust and said: "The word is mentally handicapped and it's not very nice to call them retards." The two scientist were shocked by this sudden outburst and the woman got off of the train before the two could correct her on the subject to which they were referring.

The Cutting Edge
In a protein lab, it is common for people to set up their proteins as a fusion with other domains which are easily purified through their affinity to ligands attached to resin beads. One of the most common of these domains is the glutathione S-transferase protein or GST. Typically, thereis a small linker region between the protein of interest and the fusion parner and this amino acid sequence contains recognition sequences for proteases. After months in the lab, having limited success with her proteolysis reactions, a young female grad student finally had her patience and perseverence pay off when she destained yet another gel and saw that her protein had indeed been cut by the protease. In her joy, the young woman ran out into the hallway, proclaiming proudly to all: "I've got cleavage. I've got cleavage. Come over here. Look at my cleavage."

A Graphic Plot
In another lab, on another day, yet another young, female graduate student was working on a poster for presentation at an upcoming meeting. She had been using fluorescence to study the binding of a protein to its ligand andhad spent quite a bit of time getting just the right distribution of datapoints for her graph. After several days in front of the fluorimeter and hours in front of the computer, plotting her data, she sat back in satisfaction at her accomplishments. Seeing one of the guys from her lab passing in the hallway, she called out to him in a loud voice, "Hey come look at my figure. Are these outstanding curves or what?" They were nice curves and she had a really nice figure.

(Maybe only my labmates would understand these...)

School
It is over. Now what''s left for us is just some essential small lessons and of course, we cannot forget all our time has went to: PW! So... How's my results? lol. I haven't get back everything yet, but it's good, I think :D.

Other
Played too much I forgot to post yesterday... Anyways, I'm happy that V7 glows are back, nice~ I'll continue to be my happy happy Ringmaster :D

Joke of the Week
Old Thermodynamicists never die, they just achieve their state of maximum entropy.

School
Exams are over hooray XD. I guess I was too engrossed in playing I forgot to post on Friday, lol. Hope you will do well for your exams :D. I hope myself can be too. Nothing much to say now... I want go play :D.

Joke of the Week
The Fourth Law of Thermodynamics: Watt's Pots Never Boyle.
The Fifth Law of Thermodynamics: Things Get Worse Under Pressure.
The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics? Don't play with fire.