Definition of a gene?

a) The basic functional unit of hereditary.

OR

b) A sequence of DNA that codes for protein or RNA ?

Well depends whether u are a geneticist, or a biochemist

The invisible support

Sometimes when i talk to people, I just have this distinct feeling that something big will come out of their lives. Like God will be doing something great for them in the not so distant future. It's comforting and encouraging to see God working in people's life. And i will and should be keeping them in prayer, to offer them the 'invisible support' because it is an honour, joy and privillege to do so.

Opportunity

And so the search continues.
Where is it?

Hard work never equivalates to opportunities obtained.

Its like those things that seems to have a correlation but you realise there's absolute none whatsoever after u do the statistical test.

Maybe its just naive to think that there's a correlation in the first place.
or maybe its even more naive to think that there was hard work there to start with.

When the future is so unsettling and so dependent on opportunity but..... wait everything is dependent on opportunity. So is it luck? or life sometimes just like to slap people in the face?

Haha

Warren Worthington III

There in the sky, Warren saw the Sentry. As a being of inner light and hope, the Sentry possessed unparalleled power, the power that rivalled exploding suns. Yet beyond all the powers he had, the sentry was a hero who would give up his power just to save those he loved. The Sentry was the kind of man whose heroism went beyond the ability to punch out the evil villians.

Warren look up at the sentry like a beacon. Warren does not want to think about it, but in his mind and heart, he knows that the Sentry is a representation of what he had lost. All the lost potential that Warren had before life became.... complicated. Before he had the attitude change, before life became convoluted and hard to comprehend. In his heart, Warren knew that now no matter how hard he tried, regardless of the potential he has, he won't be gifted any opportunities to change that. To change back to a life of advenutre, fufillment and success that he could have had. A long time ago.... when he was innocent and beautiful.

~adapted

Champions Once Again

At the end of it all, we stood victorious again.
Jon and KKK the champions of the KFC 10 piece challenge. Apparently the Original could not surmount any challenge greater than the Hot and Spicy.
It was a easy, but sweet victory nonetheless.

Is there none that can give us that excitement of a challenge again?
Maybe the pocketrocket domino combination can live up to its name once again. That is if pocketrocket decides to make a comeback.

Damn. I need sleep. Restriction enzyme mapping doesnt look too good and i have to visit the lab again tmr.

Musings

Nothing ever comes easy.
I sometimes seriously don't know whether to laugh at myself anymore or just keep quiet cause i am so sick of laughing at myself.

No Need For

The distinct feeling is sinking in again. The feeling of studying a few hours ago but not remembering anything i studied just now. It's a lousy feeling, makes me feel that what I've done over the past few hours/days has been a total waste of time. Argh definitely have no need for it.

'The only way you’ll ever truly fly… is to learn how to fall.'

Random thoughts

INTEGRATED Biomedical Science.
Sadly i haven't got to the integrating stage yet. Hmmm the one thing that really pains me is the amount of detail that my subject encompasses. Right from the molecular then to the genetic, followed by the cellular and tissue and finally the organ level. Er that means i'm pretty much studying ALOT of stuff. Apparently what I learn in 3 lectures is equivalent to one module in NUS. Maybe not as in depth, but the amount i need to know is enough to kill. I need to learn how to memorise stuff again... aka be a stupid, brain dead, exam smart S**GAP*RE*N student. Yuck... I despise that.

Been reading the cell group emails. Interesting people we have in my cell. hahaha.

Anyway, i think the term 'pia' should be used less. Er... 'Pia' (whatever dialect/slang it is) means to put all your physical/mental effort into something for a short period of time.

'cheong' has essentially a similar meaning but 'Cheong' also has an alternative meaning which means to go partying/clubbing.

The problem is as follows, pia has a double meaning too. which is erm pretty commonly used and is pretty vulgar. so sometimes i just chuckle when i see some of cell members say 'piaaaaaaaaaa' with so much conviction. It aint exactly the nicest word to use. Oh well i guess its a matter on interpretation, and how society has warped the language.

Let's just all use simple english.
i.e 'I'm gonna study.' I think that brings the meaning across sufficiently well enough.

Leave the dialects to the chinese educated.

Those 3 Words

I'm living out someone's dream.

Someone who didnt have a chance to get a proper tertiary education but poured her heart and soul into providing me with one.

And i will continue to live out that dream with the best effort i can possibly put in

Lab

Ripping it up with Jay Chow...
Ripping apart the frog that is.

Yar i mutilated one whole frog just to get a single nerve at the leg. It really wasnt a dissection. Technically i only dissected the posterior region of the frog. The region above the waist (if the frog has one) was totally ripped apart and thrown away. Seriously man, we should have just got toad/frog legs. Why bother getting the whole toad? Is there like surplus of them in Australia or something? haha oh well not that i didnt enjoy the 'dissection'. Just curious. And i get to do it again next week! haha

I'm halfway through my weekend. Didnt get any exercise this weekend even though i stuffed myself silly on Friday night. And i brought home carrot cake. Not the chinese fried kind, but the sweet dessert carrot cake. Absolutely lovely. Something to munch on while i study. Stressed man. Its a highly stressful environment i live in. Got tests to study for, reports to finish. Such is life for me.

BUT

I really appreciate the fat and happy couple :). They are so funny. I think last year was really a blessing. To get to know them, to be in their cell. Sometime it's just the little things people do that leave a mark in my life. It's the simple things that matter at the end of the day. Spending time together, talking and listening to people really makes a difference i think. The both of them are wonderful to say the least. For them just to take time off their busy schedule means alot to me. God bless them.

I'm stressed, life isnt good to me, my faith is being tested virtually everyday but I'm still hanging in there. Exercising my faith isnt easy. I will praise Him everday for He is my hope, strength and refuge.

Simple and Clean

Oh let it be that way.

That is what my heart hopes to become.

And hopefully my dissection turns out that way to. hehz

A Measure?

It's so vague
Am i doing enough of it?
Am i seeking enough?

But then again it cannot ever be enough.
Argh....
Could i be doing better? But then again, why am i comparing to others?

The heart is all that matters
Have faith.

I Stand in Awe of You

Amazing.
Simply amazing.

Comfortable

I'm a Generous Realist, according to personaldna.com.

Felt kinda conned, thought there was actually going to be something genetics related in the test, but apparently there isnt. Oh well. Despite being cheated, the test was quite accurate. In fact most of the statements reflect my personality in some way or another. That's the thing about these tests. They always make rough and general statements that you/anyone can identify with (pretty much works the same way like horoscope), and you have the notion that the test is actually accurate. If that's the case most of the online tests i did were quite ok... except for the ones with the Cheerleader and Glamourina results!! Absolutely preposterous.

On another note, I shall stop being un-edifying and shall cease taking potshots at my cell group member's cooking ability/abilities before other people slam me. Dont wanna mess with angry venusian warriors. I shall be edifying and eat whatever food that is found on the table this Friday. Let my actions do the talking. (whichever way i still win....). I'm perfectly happy with carbonara. Yum. hahaha

On a totally different note again. I am still coming to grasp with the fact that Spurs missed out on Champions League largely because of food poisoning??? Lasagna at the Marriot hotel apparently caused intense stomach discomfort for the world class soccer players who were hence unable to perform and deliver in their final most important crunch match. Sheesh... Even the team i support has a runner up syndrome like me man. Sad. I was quite looking forward to seeing Tottenham Hotspur at the finest stage of European soccer.

Ok, i received my security deposit back from college sq. FINALLY. Contrary to popular belief, i actually got more than half of my security deposit back. I think i should be considered one of the few lucky ones. Hehz. It pays to maintain the apartment. Literally.

On some other really really random note, i hope this brings back some memories. I havent forgot about this summer. Here it is for you, directly quoted from Ocean's Eleven.

"I have a question, say we get into the cage, and through the security doors there and down the elevator we can't move, and past the guards with the guns, and into the vault we can't open..."

"Without being seen by the cameras."

"Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot to mention that."

"Yeah well, say we do all that... uh... we're just supposed to walk out of there with $150,000,000 in cash on us, without getting stopped?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, ok."

Hey if i wanna do it, might as well get the job done well and secondly, do it in style. hehz. Still need help though :)

Spurs Out

Food poisoning...
what the??

The Irony of it all

The boy laughs at himself. He hates fighting, he hates the army and wars. Yet he fights in a seemingly neverending war. The war he fights isnt a physical one, it never was to start with.

The boy looks at the armour bestowed to him by his Father. The armour of princes and princesses. He knows he doesnt deserve such a gift and title, but he accepts it anyway.

the belt of truth
the helmet of salvation
the sandals of the gospel
the breastplate of righteousness
the shield of faith
the sword of the spirit

The boy stands his ground, with his shield and sword held high. He has practiced with his shield and sword. He has to know the sword well to use it properly. He has to practice with the shield in order to manuever it properly.

The boy stands still and knows that his all mighty father will do the fighting for him. All he has to do is to stand his ground.

The boy looks at the enemy. They are numerous in number, ferocious and desperate because the knew that they had nothing to lose. They lunge at him like wild beasts.

For a moment, he panics. Then he looks around. His fellow brothers and sisters are taking up their arms. Clad in their own armour, the warrior princes and princesses stand together with him. He smiles. His resolve strengthens. He knows that he will not be defeated.

A trumpet sounds in the distance. He looks up to the sky. In the distant horizon, a chorus of angels appear in the sky. His father has come. The war was ending. Victory belonged to his father.

M is for mitosis

A is for apoptosis and
B is for Bcl protein that regulates
C which is caspases that cleaves amino acid sequences

and i could go on and on, but i shall not. Let's not venture there. There is a whole load of crazy stuff to memorise. Don't know how my old brain is going to squeeze all the facts into my head. Especially when every protein has like a short form or acronym for it. RTK, CREB, CBP, RAS, MEK, RFK, MAP-kinase, JAK Stats. What the....

'but smart dont make you cool....' hehz. remember that song?

What is strength?
The ability to stand up for what one believes despite furious opposition?
The perseverance to continue on despite failing numerous times?
The mental toughness to cope under intense pressure?

There are many descriptions and definitions to strength of which i will not disagree with but one description holds dear to me.

Strength is the ability to admit one's own vulnerability.
Sometimes we just wanna potray ourselves as this indestructible, invulnerable, powerful and independent person. We refuse to show any sign of weaknessess to our peers, if we lead, we wanna show the best/impressive side of us to the people we lead. To show that we are dependable and reliable even in the storm.

We show the side that we want to show, we show the part that we are most proud of.
And behold how the proud shall fall.

Sweeping dust under the carpet won't clean the room. Painting over rust wont remove the rust below. If Achilles had the sense to wear some ankle guard together with his sandals, he would not be defeated. No man is perfect. No man can do everything. Everyone falls short in one way or another. Admitting that we are weak can be sometimes the hardest thing to do.

True, people say that admiting one's own weaknesses is as good as committing suicide. In today's corporate cutthroat society, there is no room for that. Therefore I seriously respect people who are able to see and acknowledge their own insecurities, vulnerabilities, weaknesses and those who actually do work on it.

So are you gonna admit that your cup is half empty and let someone fill it up? Or just go on bragging and depending on that half-full cup u have?

'I can do everything through him who gives me strength.'

Let His grace and mercy fill your cup, and surely it will overflow.

'You're so negative'

Yup one of my NEW cell members told me that. Surprise surprise eh.... haha
But I didn't realised the extent my realism (pessimism) seeps through. Is it that obvious?

Well first and foremost. Sorry for the apparent'depression' and 'melancholia' found on this blog. Doesnt make much of read eh? It's like coming to Depression Zone. I'm always talking about how i fall short, my lost opportunities, bad things happening when i should be encouraging people.

Now you see why i can't be a cell group leader? I don't think really think it'll be a healthy, supportive environment.

Oh well, let me just reiterate my stand here.
It's not that i'm writing all this because I'm like wanting to spread my depression or anything but i just realise the futility of mankind.

'Everything is meaningless'.
We act like we know are in control of everything with technological advancements, politics, science, weapons of mass destruction yet we are at the mercy of oh so many things. Natural disasters, uncurable diseases, poverty. We are at war, physically in the world and even in our own hearts. Divorce rates are on the rise everywhere. Mother nature is crying. All creation is moaning and groaning.

We are just like a speck of dust/ash. Some people choose to be negative or positive depending on the character BUT one cannot deny the fact that above is happening. Some people choose to ignore it, some people search for answers and cures to problems.

HOPE

That's the point i'm getting at. Where do we put our hope in?
I know where mine is. Even when my body moans and groans at all around me, deep down in my heart, I take comfort in the great big hope i have. Think about it. Where do you place your hope?

Oh well here's another 'depressing' post. haha if you made it here that is.

Rants

And the things of the world will go strangely dim...

I hope i make you smile.
Even with my troubles, inadequacies, hopelessness and uselessness, I really hope this small insignificant life that i offer to you will really make you smile. That you will be pleased with me.

My body moans and groans.
My heart longs for the day.
Deliver me.

I will stand still and know that you will do the fighting for me

Feeling

Stupid. feeling so damn bloody stupid

a stupid nerd. that's really a loser man

hehz. that's what i am i guess

Stars of the night

The stars are shining brightly in my night sky.
No and i wont go chasing these stars

Thanks for listening. Really.... Thanks