KRAMMINGSUTRA(noun)

(1)The desperate art of using various studying positions to make cramming for the exams stimulating to the mind. A technique commonly employed by ailing Science Students

- Chin, K 2007

The Last Mile is the Longest..

Quite ironic that i should say that- the market price for time has gone up because of its demand... yet 2 days away from the end of my BSc. exams, I wish it could go faster.. I'm really running out of energy.. the increasing ability to shut my eyes anywhere-anytime and enter a deep sleep so rapidly; substantiates my point.. My sleep has been dreamless for quite awhile now but strangely easy to get up in the morning to do my work.. Its like an automatic- ~6am and I'm up.. This morn there was a car crash right outside college square.. made quite a ruckus.. I jumped right out of bed.. but WY and Mubing (Neighbour/Tong Zhi Men/Convenor of Pink Things) didn't hear anything at all.. as loud as the noise was, the accident was relatively mild- ie. no one got injured just cars got smashed.

Tired yet I feel happy... its all coming to an end soon.. no more sadistic lecturers who like to stuff you to the brim with info and watch you zombie around with the heavy burden on your head. I should study the pathogenic effects of studying.. I don't understand how they derive pleasure out of such, maybe they had traumatic student lives and decided to pay it forward..

With that said, the paper today was OK.. walking to school today was like carrying a bucket full of water and trying not to spill it. Just with one more paper to go on Wed.. Pathology my supposed pet subject.. well answer 6 out of 16 questions.. well thats fair enough to do abit of smart studying/spotting..

Anyway, all hands- man Nerding stations.. time to get back to my books once again..

PS. SORRY RUTH! I WILL DO YOUR " ADVERTISMENT " WHEN I'M DONE WITH EXAMS :)

Be One With Biochemistry

A Biochemist Attaining Equilibrium and Conformational Stability

-This was taken by Lydia Teh!

Journal of International Academic Lethargy And Tension (JIALAT)

SIAN or Severe Induced Academic Neuropsychosis is a prevalent illness that occurs during a person's Uni lifetime. Symptoms include exopthalmia- increased ocular pressure causing the bulging out of eyes from their sockets (from studying too much), Tachycardia from exam stress as well as increased longing for a holiday.


The prevalence of SIAN is the impetus for the developement of SIAN0.5 which is a quantitative idex to measure the SIAN dynamics occuring in the suffering student. SIAN0.5 ("SIAN JIT PUA") is defined as half maximal SIAN (SIANmax) occuring under academic stress. This value is a standardised value for all science students- accounting for variances in the lack of sleep, weekends burnt and looking like a nerd and disgruntlement at the slackness of Arts student- an normalizing these factors; so as to provide a standard for diagnosis as well as a prognosis marker for further cognitive imparment.


As observed the neurotoxicity of studying, symptoms of SIAN can be ameliorated almost effectively with the treatment of holiday. Without treatment of holiday, the prognosis of SIAN is poor- expected cognitive survivability decreases exponentially and the affected individual lapses into dementia.


If the availability of holiday is an issue, SIAN symtoms can be managed with alcohol. However as alcohol posesses hepatotoxicity, its use as a long term management is not ideal and should only be used in the palliation of the ailing student.


As SIAN is a very early onset disease and if untreated, can and usually progresses to a more aggressive form of secondary pathology- Severe Induced Academic Obliterative and Late stage Idiopathic Acute Ocular haemorrhage (SIAO-LIAO) at which it is irrepairable.

Thus emphasis is placed on the treatment and management of the acute stages of SIAN in order to preserve life and lower morbidity rates of Science Students.

SOMEONE GIVE KENCHIN A HOLIDAY!

Exam Desperation

Its times like these where simple amusments do count for much.. A friend sent me an email with some examples of exam desperation. Believe me.. Many times I do wish I could answer:

Glucose -> ~*Then A Miracle Happens*~-> Pyruvate

Anyway, This is dedicated to Ho, B.J.W (BSc. Hons) 2007 in lieu of his Mathematics Thesis completion and his undaunted courage in the face of exams, tests despite sleep deprivation at lethal levels. This is for you Juwen- You put the Gent in Tangent and kick the Ass in Assignments. RESPECT!

Its only words, and words are all I have.. to _______

Autofluorescence (noun)

(1) The innate ability of proteins containing aromatic groups- ie Tyrosine/ Phenylalanine / Tryptophan- to emit at a fluorescent wavelength in response to exitation by UV light
- Lehninger 4th Ed. Principles of Biochemistry

(2) To confer the ability of fluorescence onto one's car by attaching neon lights
-Underwood, J.R 2007 (PhD) on Immunohistochemistry

"Chun Chun Jiak Bee Hoon " (Phrase) - Sutikno, C. 2007

(1) A euphamism to describe the prowess involved in one's accuracy to be tantamount to that of the partaking of rice vermicelli.

"Buay Chun Lim Kopi" (Phase)- Yow, T.S 2007 (in response to Sutikno, C. 2007)

(1) A supplementation to "Chun Chun Jiak Bee Hoon" pertaining to the context if one unfortunately lacks accuracy. In consolation, that if verily one so lacks accuracy, one's efforts at least warrants; a deserving consolatory a cup of coffee.

Happy Birthday Codey!

Happy Belated Birthday to Codey the family dog! It was sometime this week but I couldn't really remember! Some Pictures of then and now (then first)

Home Run

" Country road, take me home.. to a place I belong...."

"This is home, truly, where I know I must be, where my dreams wait for me- where the river always flows.. This is home, surely, as my senses tell me.. this is where I won't be alone... for this is where I know.. its home.."

2 very emo songs keep playing thru my head today- cos it was on my MP3 player..

Oh well.. I guess thats enough said..

Better get back to my desk- before ZhiKai or Grace Ping sees me at the computer terminal and makes fun of me "STUDYING" again..

Study

Do you put on a jacket to keep warm or prevent you from catching a cold?

Is running away from something the same as running towards its polar opposite?

I just had a couple of thoughts about academics as I observe my biochem class which has been increased with polytechnic derived students. I see them thru the whole semester eternally locked away in the library.. with incredible discipline and kiasu-ness. How does one explain such a phenomenon? At the revision tute, one of them gave the lecture a whole list of questions to answer.. infront of the whole class.. u could hear the murmuring as he unbashedly went up with his whole plethora of questions. I admire this person for being thick-skinned tho probably this would probably be the contrary to the culture here. It was then I began to ask myself- what drives these people?

A passing comment from one was "I didn't do well then, I gotta buck up now"

I was quite in agreement with that- I came here living on a second chance. I totally empathise with that statement. But yet they seem to isolate themselves from the whole world and delve into the academic realm.. once again becoming cliquish to their own kind.. Observing their social interactions, I wanted to understand the underlying mechanisms that produce the resultant phenotype.

Could it be perhaps of intimidation? entering uni as a greenhorn in 3rd year isnt exactly the smoothest passage- probably more like the opening shock of jumping out of a plane. And having to get up to speed with the curricula.

Could it be of sheer competition that they just want to beat the competition? Esteeming students of Australian education as ill disciplined, slack and hedonistic and hence easy prey? cos if they stayed home in Sg, placed amongst RJ students or the equally elite of Singaporean education, it would be a wipeout.

Could it be the shame of failure that is so deep rooted in our society? The social norm demands our utmost efforts to maintain and establish honour and more so to honour our parents expectations?

thus this leads me to archaic and very cliche 'carrot or stick' themed comment:

Is it studying for fear of failure or is it studying out of passionate love?

Because both would most likely- in the acute phase, produce the same effect. It is probably not a very wise thing to question the motives of studying on the eve of exams- but I shall be as incisive so as to gain insight. Most parents would say to you: "it is for your future" or "we cannot lose out to others" or compare you to other brigher kids and ask "why can't you be like (insert the name of the genius of choice)?" Perhaps its such things that give rise to such fervour in work?

I would want to ask them " why are you studying science? " and probably predict a very cliche answer "cos I can't do anything else" or " I didnt know what else to do "

I have yet to hear a person tell me in utmost earnesty "because I love science with all my heart". One thing that I would want to clear misconceptions about Australians being more laid back- whilst they may lack the forged iron discipline of Asian students, they make up with passion.. a love that drives them and keeps them going.. the exact description is UNCONDITIONAL.. regardless of the results they obtain.

On the eve of my impending graduation, I think its important to consider this paradigm- understanding why things are done and not just doing things for the sake of it- And I firmly believe that doing things out of love is much better than doing out of fear

Likewise in the same manner, in my hours spent at the library, when I grow weary of the day and work, I'll remember that its not the fear of failure but rather the love of science that I must have to keep me going.

-Postera Crescam Laude-

Idle Banter

"Paracetamoxyfrusebendroneomycin- treats COPD HIV PE and DVT"- paracetamoxyfrusebendroneomycin" by Amateur Transplants

A session of ranting about the convoluted nature of science.

Revising for Proteomics today gave me a good visit of 2 academic spectres of the past- Mathematics and Chemistry.. It was quite a nightmare as I really did throw 1st year chem out of the window- forgot what pKa meant and the nature of nucleophillic substitution. Oh well, science is a convoluted subject.. this is an exerpt of my Proteomics lecture on CD45 a Tyrosine Phosphatase

"CD45 Tyrosine Phosphatase is involved in the dephosphorylation of phosphotyrosine in phosphoproteins"

Well it was by the same lecture who spoke of Epidermal Growth Factor Signalling:

"MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase phosphorylates MAP Kinase Kinase which phosphorylates MAP Kinase" (MAP Kinase= Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase)

Well he wasn't incorrect about it.. but he didn't make things any easier by saying that..

Nevertheless, I do aclaim this today with much pride- in 2 years of biochemistry, I FINALLY understand and could derive the Michaelis-Menten Equation (Enzyme Substrate Reactions). If Madelin saw this she'd prolly laugh at me and say I'm stupid.. It started off and I STRUGGLED with a SIMULTANEOUS equation.. but then suddenly it all picked up, and I was scribbling furiously on some paper and it took me half an hour to understand that 1 equation- FINALLY AFTER 2 YEARS of leaving enzyme kinetics questions blank or just giving an ambiguous answer.. I finally get a tiny glimpse at the mathematician's ecstacy.. and this I would love Juwen to hear.

I can finally understand (or at least empathise) how mathematicians find so much joy in their job even tho they dont have nice pretty colourful pictures. Its just the thrill of deriving equations and finally ariving at a conclusion- the sheer satisfaction of achievement. Well Here's to Juwen- who tutored me briefly for 620-160 Experimental Design and Data Analysis

=MATHEMATICS ROCKS=

Sine, Sine, Cosine, Sine ! 3.14159!

Alright better not inflate Juwen's ego too much- later he think "I > U "

Engineers are somewhat a more hybrid sort- they take the convolution of science and add maths to it.. and with that they master and manipulate things to their liking..

Architects are radical- they take engineering and art and chuck it into a groovy blender.. effectively making a rojak of everything else.. rojak that you pay top dollar for

Arts Students have way too much time on their hands.

Law Students are dangerous. They can hit you with every single legal jurisdiction/legislation/constitution. Their mastery of every law makes them overtly formidable- every law except gravity

Anyway.. just some idle banter.. back to work slave.. :(