The Very Intelligent Conversation I Had With Geraldine

You know, when you pick a friend, you've got to find one who's able to hold an intelligent conversation with you. Or at least be on the same wavelength. I guess that's why I'm such good friends with Ger.

We're both equally insane, you see.

It started with me being disgruntled about lab today.


Schmetterling blogged says:
oh

Schmetterling blogged says:
today me and my lab partner were the last ones to leave

Schmetterling blogged says:
the stupid lecturer made us do the control experiment as well as the main one

Schmetterling blogged says:
*dies*

Ger says:
tell him his protocol sucks

Ger says:
hhahaaha

Schmetterling blogged says:
and he talks like a football coach

Ger says:
lol!

Ger says:
tell him to coach the england team then

Schmetterling blogged says:
and dresses like one, when he's not in the lab coat

Schmetterling blogged says:
LOL

Ger says:
they probably need some help

Schmetterling blogged says:
they'll all die a tragic death

Schmetterling blogged says:
he'll make them run gels instead of laps

Ger says:
lol

Ger says:
that's.... sad

Ger says:
for the gels.

Ger says:
imagine rooney peering at a slab of agarose

Schmetterling blogged says:
with a big cartoon question mark

Ger says:
-pokes-

Ger says:
where's the band?

Schmetterling blogged says:
and then it disintegrates

Ger says:
and then he starts looking like a bulldog

Schmetterling blogged says:
...

Ger says:
in anger

Ger says:
ladidaaa

Schmetterling blogged says:
and then the coach makes him do 200 pipette push-ups as punishment

Ger says:
omg.

Ger says:
and then on the 157th one

Ger says:
he breaks his thumb

Schmetterling blogged says:
lol

Ger says:
we need a life

Schmetterling blogged says:
agreed.

Schmetterling blogged says:
i'm so posting this on my blog

Ger says:
...........................................

Ger says:
i shall stay awake to see it

Schmetterling blogged says:
The Very Intelligent Conversation I Had With Geraldine

Ger says:
............................................................

Ger says:
my excuse is that it's 1.15am in the morning

Ger says:
what's yours?
says:

Schmetterling blogged says:
I just drank coffee

Which is as good an excuse as any, eh?

A Day in the Life of S.

6.30 AM

My alarm goes off. I swat it. My roommate's alarm goes off. She swats it. This goes on for about an hour.

7.30 AM or thereabouts

We both proceed to the kitchen, where there is really not enough room for two people to prepare breakfast at the same time. The fridge door swings dangerously back and forth. There is worship of caffeinated beverages.

8-9.30AM

Slacking about in front of the computer/post-breakfast nap. Caffeinated naps are interesting.

10AM

First lecture of the day. I usually sit in the first three rows so I will be more motivated to take notes. I usually end up spacing out anyway.

11AM

Lunch break. Sometimes I go back to the flat, other times I stay in school and diligently read journal articles/surf Facebook/delete spam mails promising the permanent enlargement of an organ I do not possess.

1 PM

German.

Me: Have you studied for today's test?
Classmate (with finality): No.
Me (resigned): Me neither.

There is much death of brain cells.

2PM

Afternoon lectures. I sit in the front three rows to prevent myself from falling asleep. This never works unless I bring coffee with me. As a result, most of my lecture notes from the afternoon lectures are covered with pen skid marks from me nodding off. At least the lecturers don't seem to mind very much.

Sometimes there is lab in the afternoon. Counting 800 cells under a microscope is fun.



5PM

Slacking in front of the computer/ post-afternoon-lecture-nap nap.

7.30PM

Dinner. In a house of biologists and biochemists, there is invariably very interesting conversation at the dinner table. Also, a couple of them are obsessed with sex, and tend to speak of things that should not be spoken of when one's dining companions have food/liquid in their mouths.

The Obligatory CNY Post

Ok ok, happy CNY, everyone.

End of entry.


....


Just kidding.

S-Ensemble (Imperial's micro-mini-co) performed at the Victoria and Albert Museum today, as part of a Chinese New Year thingum put together by people from the big London universities.

Small children are scared of lion dance *snicker*.

And there was a rock band with a vocalist of shower-singing standards. Really. Even my friend said he couldn't figure out if she was actually singing or rapping or heaven-knows-what.

Also, I had this deja-vu moment:

古琴player from LSE: 你的笙从中国拿来的啊?

Me (after a brief "..." period): 其实呢, 我是新加坡人.


I should migrate to China and be done with it.

Just When I Thought I Had Left That Crazy World Behind...

The mad old days of CO are back.

Well, sort of. It's not the same without a big group and sweltering weather.

Just when I thought I'd left the main challenge to my sanity back in Singapore for at least a little while, a miniature CO gets set up in Imperial! Enter the S-Ensemble, a group of extremely thick-skinned mostly-Singaporeans who think that less than a month is enough to practice for a concert.

Yep, we just had our concert yesterday. Sample repertoire: <<拜年>>, <<花好月圆>>,<< 甜密密>> and other blandly entertaining small ensemble music (but we had fun anyway), things like <<战马奔腾>> played by our "大师" from HK (one of those guys that seems to be super-talented and just about anything...), and mildly disturbing transcriptions of pop songs (that I of course have never ever heard).

Next week being CNY, we're pretty in demand right now. Tomorrow we're off to Cambridge to make some more noise (and get free dinner), and next week we have stuff on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. I am happy--haven't performed in a while. On the other hand, my sheng is very unhappy and refuses to work properly in the middle of this dull London winter.

And of course, this being a sort of CO, everybody is at least slightly insane. But that's another blog post for another day. I have to sleep now-- don't really want to miss the train to C. tomorrow.

Hmm

New year's resolution #38: Prevent blog from stagnating.

* * *


The immunology lecturer is... cheem. When I listen to him, it's nearly like religon-- he's saying something just that little bit out of my grasp, and if I could just understand what he's going on about I will be transported to a higher plane of existence. Seriously, all that guy needs is dramatic lighting and a choir hiding behind the projector.

* * *

The following was written under a post-concert high and should be read with caution. Please ensure your insurance cover is adequate and up todate.

Am just home from watching the musical Chicago at a theatre in Covent Garden. The theatre was small and dingy, and I got a seat with a bad view, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless! *OMGDUNCANJAMESSQUEE*
*cough*
I think this is the first musical I've watched with the orchestra onstage. And in the centre of everything. And with the conductor interacting with the cast/audience every now and then. The musicians all had great (onstage) personalities, and the conductor was probably running on some potent mix of battery fluid and 1M caffeine solution.
The choreography was great, too! And lots of eye candy in the form of buff men in tight black trousers and sheer/cropped/nonexistent shirts. Oops. Had to mop up the drool there. Loved the dancing, which was sensual and vigorous and breathtaking (having done dancing once upon a time I can appreciate how hard some of the moves are). And most of all, I loved the music! I am such a fan of big band jazz :D. And I think you might have deduced this from my previous squee, but Duncan James sang the part of Billy Flynn (!^infinity).

I watched Chicago the movie before Chicago the musical, which gave me a better grasp of the plot and allowed me to enjoy the music and dancing a bit more, I guess. Though I ended up expecting that the two female leads would be prettier XD. But all in all, it was great entertainment, and an evening well spent.


I hope your brains are still intact.

I Think I Broke My Brain

I'd really like to be blogging about Austria, but I haven't been sent photos yet :(.

So instead, you guys get a full-blown whine about schoolwork.

I've just finished my January exams, which traumatised me so much that I dreamt of translation, cDNA and the molecular mechanism of muscle contraction for three days straight (after the exams were over; and it's not like those topics came out, either).

And now we're already on the latest module, which is computing.

I just spent close to 4 hours in the lab slogging over loop functions (e.g. finding a function to represent population dynamics)and my brain hurts. Imagine coming up with this brilliant function that will do what you want it to do ("Eureka!"), painstakingly typing in the monstrously long code ("Are we there yet?"), and then pressing "Enter"--

Only to have the computer tell you : "error. function 'x' not found", or something.

ARRGGGGGGH.

How Schmetterling Spent Her Birthday

6:30 AM

S's Alarm Clock: *beepBEEPbeepBEEPbeepBEEP*
S: *whack*
Alarm Clock: *is sullenly silent*

7:00 AM

Roommate(NH)'s Alarm Clock: *BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPMANIACALBEEP*
NH: Zzz.
S: Oh, what the heck.

7:30 AM

S: OMG STATS OMG DIE!

9:00 AM

S: *searches for panic button*

10:50 AM

(Outside the computer room)

S:*finds panic button and jabs at it frantically*

Classmate: Yo. Hope the computers are working properly for this electronic assessment.

S: Now you've gone and jinxed it.

11:00 AM

(S grits her teeth and tries not to swear at the computer that is probably slower at calculating stuff than a centenarian with a faulty abacus)

12:00 AM

S: *brain melts*

12:30 AM

(S stumbles out of the com lab towards the artsoc meeting room. She has to buy one ticket for herself and four for other people.

Artsoc Meeting Room: *Massive Whopping Queue from the Deepest Bowels of Hell*

S: *beep*

2:00 PM

(At the money-changer's)

Guy at counter: 200SGD gives ... (presses calculator) about 20 Euros?

S: I don't believe it. This is ridiculous (has no choice but to change GBP instead).

2:30 PM

(At Sainsbury's)

S: Heck, I'm buying two tubs of Ben & Jerry's to cheer myself up.

4:00 PM

(Home)

S: Zzz.


6:30 PM

NH: *bursts into room* Hey I'm back! We're all going out! Eh, you're sleeping?!
S: Wha?

7:00 PM

(S, NH and the other 2 flatmates, SY and PX, amble out of the house to the tube station)

PX: OMG CUTE GUY!
SY: WHERE?!
PX: THERE! (points at some guy in the corner reading a book)
PX: OMG HE'S READING A BOOK!
S: O-kay.

8:00 PM

(Dinner at some crowded Japanese restaurant)

Plate of food: *is goddamn big*
S: Woah.
SY,PX & NH: FOOD!

9:00 PM

(All four are kinda strolling around)

SY: Whittards!

(All look at tea for a while)

PX: Accesorize!

(All look at hats and scarves for awhile)

(This goes on in a similar vein for the better part of one and a half hours. There is much girly squealing over nice earrings. )

NH: When did our walk to Piccadilly turn into a shopping trip?

(The four pass by a funfair in Leicester Square)

NH: OMG THAT STUFFED BEAR IS SO CUTE!
S: O-kay.

11:30 PM

(The four finally get home. On the way, they meet A, who goes up to the flat for awhile)

S: *begins to notice that people are acting suspiciously* Hmm.

Just before 0:00 AM

S: Hey, power outtage?
Thornton's Chocolate Cake: *appears*
S: Ah.
Everyone else: Happy Birthday!
S: Thanks. You realise that it's nearly officially over?
A: Still got a few minutes left.
S: Semantics.
Thornton's Chocolate Cake: *gets eaten*

I'm Kinda Surprised I'm Not Dead Yet.

Weell.

Life has been so horribly busy. So busy, in fact, that I accidentally missed a musical I'd paid for (omg omg I can't believe my own stupidity). Also, there are a few people in my course that annoy me to no end, but that's a story for another day (not to mention I think they might come across this blog and then my life would become even more wretched than it is already).

Anyway.

I went riding yesterday. Ok, good.

And we went on a hack in the woods. Even better, as nice scenery is guaranteed.

And they put me on this massive hulking SHIRE HORSE -- 190cm at the shoulder and built like a bloody monster truck (I'm what, 163 cm tall and rather short in the leg). I had problems getting on even from a mounting block-- had to raise my foot above my navel just to get it in the stirrup.

And of course there was a great view of overhanging branches from that height. I think I was performing acrobatic feats all the time to avoid being knocked off like some villian in the chase scene of some spectacularly bad movie.

Oh, the ride was fun. We nearly ran over some squirrels, and I was deathly afraid that Guinness was going to mow down the tiny pony in front of him like a tank crushing sandbags. Very difficult to hold him back, as when 2000 pounds of horseflesh decides he wants to go fast, who are you, a mere wisp of a human, to say no? My arms hurt like hell today, and there are almost-blisters on my fingers from hauling at the reins.

It's rather exciting to ride a big horse, though. Just... maybe not the largest breed in current existence.

Further Escapades in London

1)Schmetterling gathers incontrovertible evidence that birds really do like to sit in a row.


2) Schmetterling uncovers the secrets of ancient civillisations.

i) The ancient Assyrians liked to put the blame on somebody else.

"He did it!"


ii) Greek warfare consisted of people hitting each other over the head with sharp, heavy objects.

Ow.


iii) The ancient Greeks relied heavily on the largesse of the gods, who established an efficient ration-cards system.

Athena hands out CARE packages.


iv) For entertainment, the Greeks made dodgy pottery.


v) The ancient Eygptians, being an advanced civillisation, had their own daily crossword.

"I say! What's the hieroglyph for 'my nose is going to fall off because I forgot Tuesday's offering'?"

Best of Broadway

Yesterday evening, I attended a concert by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall (Paid £5 for fabulous seats, HA HA WRITHE IN ENVY, LOSERS! *cough*). It's a really nice concert hall,all red and gold and huge, though the stage is a bit small. Imperial students graduate there! :D

Anyway. They were playing Broadway show tunes, and invited a few singers from the West End to join in the fun. The repertoire included songs from The Lion King, Les Miserables(!), Sunset Boulevard, Evita(!!), Fiddler on the Roof (!!!) Chicago (!!!OMGSQUEE!!!) and many others that I don't quite remember. Sorry I sound so revoltingly girlishly-excited, but there's just something about Broadway tunes (big band jazz!) that just gets to you, you know? (Though if it's Ger reading, I know that you don't know, so never mind. :D)And when they ended with excerpts from Mama Mia, the audience just started clapping in time, and eventually everyone got to their feet and started jiggling around in glee. Oh, the atmosphere.

Conclusion/summary/etc. : I love Broadway.

Conclusion/summary/etc. cont. : I love cheap tickets.

The IgNobels, Or, Whatever Will They Come Up With Next?

Since Ger complained I wasn't blogging properly...

The Ig Nobel awards are a parody of the Nobel prizes, awarded each year in October for ten achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think", as everybody knows already.

This year's prizes made me snort my tea through my nose. Excerpts are from Nature 449, 648 (2007)

Make Love, Not War (literally)

"...[R]esearchers at the US Air Force Research Laboratory at the Wright-Patterson Air Force base in Ohio proposed to develop chemical aphrodisiacs that would make enemy soldiers sexually irresistible to each other. The idea — dubbed the 'gay bomb' — earned the unnamed Ohio scientists the 2007 Ig Nobel Peace Prize[.].."

I have unwholesome mental images of the resulting... scuffle.

"The competition for the Peace Prize was intense even within Wright-Patterson laboratory itself. Researchers there also proposed chemicals designed to attract stinging and biting creatures, as well as low-toxicity compounds that would “create severe and lasting halitosis” for those exposed to tiny concentrations. "

Severe and lasting halitosis. Are you sure that doesn't give enemy troops an advantage?

A Little Hard To Swallow

'Brian Witcombe of Gloucestershire Royal NHS Foundation Trust, UK, shared the Medicine Prize with Dan Meyer of Sword Swallowers' Association International in Antioch, Tennessee, for their report, “Sword Swallowing and Its Side Effects”.'

Right.

You've Always Wanted To Know This

"The Linguistics Prize, for example, went to researchers from the University of Barcelona in Spain for showing that rats cannot always distinguish between a person speaking Japanese backwards and a person speaking Dutch backwards."

This is such a useful discovery, no?

Further Uses of the Little Blue Pill

'Investigators at the National University of Quilmes in Argentina won the Aviation Prize for determining that Viagra aids hamsters' recovery from jet lag. A member of that team, Diego Golombek, praised his graduate students for top-flight research and “for going to the drugstore to get the Viagra”.'

I somehow don't quite see little old ladies popping blue pills after a 14-hr flight.

London Photos

King's Cross Train Station.

(Harry Potter fans, stop squeeing)



The Long Water, Hyde Park


Swan


All in a Row



Yes, those are birds all sitting in a row. Neat, huh?

Online Art, Fiction and Non-Fiction Recommendations

1. A 300 Moral Lesson

Watched 300 and thought it was a meaningful, sensible movie? No? Like muscular men (with painted-on-pecs) in tiny underwear running around waving pointy objects? No? Good. You'll like this.


A 300 moral lesson by ~hanime87 on deviantART

2. koosh koosh, by chibiglibi

For girls who like very cute, overweight rodents.


koosh koosh by ~chibighibli on deviantART

3. VoldemortX Knitting OTP by madcarrot

I'm sure everyone thinks His Dark-Lordship needs a new hobby.

4. Anything by ursalav is great, but pay especial attention to her beautifully realistic fantasy creatures.

5. The Worst-Case Scenario Handbook: Harry Potter by rowen_r

"A Guide to Surviving the Worst in the Harry Potter Universe, With No Illustrations"

Takes potshots at the sometimes ridiculous and plothole-ridden Potter universe.

6. The Loom, an online science journal by author and scientist Carl Zimmer.

Carl Zimmer is an awesome science writer (Check out Parasite Rex, one of the most entertaining books ever), and his blog is just chock-full of quirky things, ranging from sciency tattoos to digs at horrifically long scientific terminologies, and the author's slight obsession with necropsies.

More recommendations coming up soon.

How It Feels To Sleep Right After Coffee (AKA: Schmetterling really hasn't anything to do)

Sleeping right after one has had coffee is an art. Preferably, one should have become habituated to the amount of caffeine present in the average cup of coffee. After ingestion, read a particularly aggravating book (Any one of the first four HP books comes to mind. Or, if one is a pervy HP fancier, read anything by Marcel Proust.)and once sufficiently bored, lie face down on a sofa or mattress (or the floor). Think upon the gaping plotholes (for HP-- and try not to eye-roll too much) or the impossibly convoluted language that rivals Alex's thought-paths (for Proust), and allow self to drift into sleep. One will find that the sleep is more of a pleasant daze, somewhere between true sleep and waking.

Snork.

Moving on to something less inane....

Schmetterling Newsfeed!

1) Will be in HK for four days
2) Will be somewhere in Taiwan a week after that. Will be praying for typhoon-less-ness.
3) Taking fanart commissions for the HP, Tolkien (i.e. LOTR, Silmarillion, etc) and Pern (Anne McCaffrey)universes (no sappy love scenes, please. Or porn.). Will not be wanting money, just trading for books, inks, paper and the like. Negotiable. Choose from watercolour, graphite, acrylic and oil on canvas. Preferably contact me by the first week of Sept so it can get to you before I leave the continent.

A Survivor's Guide to Leeches, Ticks, and Very Unfriendly Vegetation

Hello all. I know this is really really really outdated, but I thought I owe you guys an account of my (mis)adventures in the jungle. Please see my facebook account for photos!

Day 1

2100: Arrived at Denpasar, Bali. My hotel does not seem to have hot water.

Day 2

0500: Flight to Makassar at seven-thirty, so had to get up early. Took another absolutely freezing shower.

0900: En route to Makassar, Sulawesi. Am messily dribbling jelly syrup all over my diary.

1125: At Makassar airport. I apparently have 5 hours here, so have arranged for tour to see waterfall. I have a feeling I'm paying a bit too much for this...

1300: I have decided that the trip is completely worth my while. Now at Bantimurung waterfall, an absolutely beautiful place with insane numbers of butterflies just swarming around the turquoise pools in psychedelic clouds. It is apparently very popular with the locals. A little too crowded for my liking, but I managed to find some quiet further upstream. A pity I was wearing my boots at the time and so could not bathe my feet. Well I suppose I could have, but it seemed like too much effort to take my shoes off.




I seem to have become some sort of tourist attraction myself, as I have been asked to pose for a photo with a group of giggling schoolgirls. I think it's the big black rucksack. And the fact that I look so Chinese that I seem Japanese. Now that didn't make sense. Perhaps I am getting dehydrated.


1630: Flight to Kendari, which is the capital of Southeast Sulawesi.

1930: Why on earth did my travel agent book me a room with two single beds in it? Oh well, at least there seems to be hot water.

2000: Yes, there is scaldingly hot water. And freezing cold water. Nothing in between. Can't decide which I prefer.


Day 3

0530: Met up with K, who's also a volunteer with the same organisation. Got transported to another hotel, which contained the rest of this week's batch of volunteers. There is a very whiny group of sixth-formers, with a teacher who might as well be branded with the words "OVERENTHUSIASTIC BIRDWATCHER" on his forehead.

0730: On the ferry to Buton Island. Apparently this takes about 5 hours. It is getting rather choppy, and the schoolchildren are getting a bit seasick. I love being on boats. Think I will go out on deck.

0900: It very pleasant out on deck. Not too sunny. Unfortunately, too choppy to risk getting my camera out to photograph the excellent scenery.

10ish: Have returned 'indoors', and am now inexplicably sitting next to the bird enthusiast. He has a book on the birds of Sulawesi, apparently. Entertained myself briefly by explaining what was in his snack bun (red bean paste).

Still 10-ish: The bird enthusiast has redeemed himself by pointing out a huge school of flying fish, which apparently think the ferry is some kind of fearsome predator.

1300: Disembarked on the island of Buton and am now in the town of Bau Bau. Off we go to the organisation's headquarters.

1400ish: Am squeezed in a tiny van with several volunteers. The vehicle is going at a breakneck speed, uphill, on a very rocky road. I can barely read my own writing. K. is here too, and trying to dry her washing by holding it out the window. I wonder what the locals think of lacy knickers hanging out of a speeding van?


1730: Have arrived at Labundo-bundo village, a nice, quiet-looking place. We will apparently be staying at a villager's home (for now). K. and L. (both from the same van) and I seem to have been assigned the same house, which is lucky.



Day 4

0400: I am seriously considering throwing a boot at that damned rooster.

0600: Went out on some kind of bird walk. The bird enthusiast was understandably even more enthusiastic than usual. I wish I'd brought my binoculars (I do some birdwatching at home). We saw a great many species-- several kinds of birds of prey, two sunbirds, and even black macques (monkeys). I took some pictures of the sun coming up behind the trees.

1700:The rest of the day was quite relaxed, just getting to know the people who are going on the mandatory jungle training together ( five girls! And K. and L. are going, too. The school group apparently is doing something else). Dani the guide took us on a walk around the village introducing some of the plant life, and I got to eat a bit of a cocoa fruit (doesn't taste like chocolate at all-- that's from the seeds). The villagers grow coffee here as well, and I find that I quite enjoy the local blend. Has quite a kick to it. We will be setting off into the jungle tomorrow, and I have packing to do.

Day 5

0500: Still in the village... off to a nearby patch of forest to hunt for tarsiers, which are a tiny sort of primate with huge eyes. One hears them all the time, but they are quite hard to spot. We managed to find two, which bounced from tree-trunk to tree-trunk like some kind of aboreal rabbit. I must say they look rather like Furbys, only in more sensible colours.

1200: We wave goodbye to civillisation.

1400: I have no idea why I keep falling down. Perhaps it is because my boots aren't ankle-length like the others', and keep getting nearly sucked off by the mud. It is supposed to be the dry season, but it keeps raining, and the trail is a nightmare. Otherwise it is a fairly scenic route, and not too demanding.

1500: Set up camp in a spot that could pass for a mud-wrestling pit. My shoes are completely sodden from crossing the river several times, and my sandals keep getting stuck in the mud. No hope of dry feet here! We are sleeping in hammocks tonight (thank goodness), and mine is damp already, from the rain (despite the 'waterproof' raincover over it).

Day 6

0700: We are apparently staying in this camp for two nights, but our guide thinks it's a good idea to take us trekking all over the place anyway. Had the unique experience of climbing a very steep, slippery hill in soaking wet boots, and then climbing (or rather sliding) back down again. The forest is very beautiful, though.

0800: We were taught how to cut firewood using a parang (a multipurpose heavy knife) and how to start a fire using only a lighter. I'm simply relieved we even have a lighter, because it's taking rather long to get the fire started!

10ish: Interesting insect life-- all kinds of colourful beetles flying around. One just landed on my dirty, smelly sock.

1100: We were taught how to properly read a map and navigate in the jungle. Trekked upriver (very literally, up the river) to a splendid waterfall, taking bearings every so often in an attempt to draw a map of the route (got the scale a bit wrong). Had a lovely time swimming in it, even though it was freezing cold!

By the way, it rained nearly the whole day. Nearly.

Day 7

0600: We trekked (well, waded) upriver to a hot spring, and then another waterfall. The hot spring (or rather, hot waterfall) wasn't very much, just a small trickle really, but it was still wonderful to bathe our feet (which hadn't been dry since we set out) and kill whatever nasty things that might have taken up residence between our toes.

The second waterfall had a deeper pool and was thus much more suited for swimming (and developing hypothermia, probably). I think I am become very fond of running water. Apparently, we sighted an eagle of some sort, but all I saw was its ruddy (literally) rear end.

1200: We broke camp at about 1000 to trek to our second camp. It was raining all through last night, so the trail was hopelessly muddy. Add a horrifically steep incline, a 50L rucksack, and unfriendly, thorny vegetation all around, and you have a hiker's worst nightmare. There was absolutely no grip, and we were hauling ourselves up using rattan ropes half the time and crawling on all fours for the rest.

1400: We have finally arrived at the second camp, which is just as muddy as the first. We apparently have to build a shelter out of wood and rattan. And it is raining again.

1600: We have completed the shelter, thanks mostly to the efforts of the guides and porters, who are remarkably strong and work like lightning. The rain was running in my eyes all the time, and I couldn't really tell what I was doing. Probably tying the knots all wrong and ensuring the imminent collapse of the entire structure. I am completely soaked and shivering. What's more, I have just spotted a tick on my leg. Excuse me a moment while I get rid of it-- ouch!

1615: Got rid of it. Actually, I screamed for the doctor, who came to check that it wasn't anything dangerous, and removed it properly so no bits would be left to fester in my skin. Rather colourful, if nasty little thing. I think I saw one of the guides frying it to a crisp with his cigarette. Oh well.

1900: The shelter is quite cosy, if a bit cramped. One of the group members seems to attract leeches-- this is her what, fourth one today? L. got bitten by a tick, too. Infested, this place.

Day 8

0700: Wandered around the area being introduced to various plants by Dani, the Indonesian scientist who tagged along.

1000: We were introduced to the various methods of getting water out of lianas and rattan stems, as well as how to cook eggs in leaves or bake them in mud. Apparently bits of rattan stem are quite edible, too. Useful plant, that. Don't care much for the taste, though.

1230: We began the trek to the third camp at around 1000. It was excruciating. Remember yesterday's rain? Add that to three hills. Three steep hills. I can't decide which I like less, going uphill or downhill. While trying to descend a hill I lost my footing and fell, and my arm caught and dragged along a clump of absolutely vicious rattan. I am still picking thorns out of my forearm, and the sap has irritated the area into a rash. Plus, a leech with apparently vampiric tendencies latched onto my neck, and it took absolutely ages to get it off.

1500: The third camp is on a hill, and it is a precarious slide down to the river, where we are to do our washing (honestly, do not really see the point, as the moment one steps out of the river, one would be ankle deep in mud yet again). I am thankful that we are sleeping in hammocks again, though.

1900: I have decided that I like hammocks.

Day 9

0700: We are returning to the village today, so I am looking forward to a proper wash.

10ish: Oh, yay, more hills!

11ish: We have reached the main road and are now in a van on the way back to the village. On the way here we passed through some (really muddy) agricultural land, washed off at a waterfall, then waded through a river, before heading back onto the fields to get muddy again. Oh well. Very nearly walked into a chilli plant, but that is beside the point.

1300: We are back at Labundo-bundo! Have had lunch, and plan on spending afternoon getting clean and mucking out my comb, which has turned black.

1600: Have discovered it is a bad idea to give away paper boats, as have had to fold them for every single small child in the viilage as all of them started clamouring for one.

1700: Further discoveries: chickens are very silly creatures. The chickens belonging to the family I live with roost in a mango tree that is too high for them to fly up into, so they clamber onto a nearby wall and use it as a runway to launch themselves into the tree. It's ridiculous. Sometimes they don't quite make it, and fall off.

2000: I don't think I properly appreciated the night sky while in the jungle (thanks to the canopy). There is absolutely no light pollution here, and it is a cloudless night. The moon is nearing its full, and so bright you can see quite clearly by it, and stars occupy almost every vacant position in the sky. Breathtaking. The villagers probably think I'm nuts, staring at the sky like that.

Day 10

0400: Damn the roosters. I should throw something at the mango tree.

Rest of Day: It was a free day for most of us today, so we were taken to a mangrove beach. It is a very interesting experience going swimming at a mangrove beach-- one steps into the mud/silt, and immediately sinks up to the knee. Nice. It was very enjoyable splashing about in the sea, though, and the scenery was great. I will never forget the sight of scientists and their assistants slinging mudballs at each other (for the record, it was the two plant scientists we call Tree Man and Rattan Man, after their respective fields of expertise, who started it).

We also saw a couple of storks and some kind of bird of prey. And crabs. Ghost crabs, hermit crabs, fiddler crabs, gazillions of them, scuttling across the mudflats. Had a wonderful time.

Day 11

1700: Been out in the forest since 0800. Today I assisted R., who is doing a project on the habitat preferences of skinks, which are a sort of small lizard just about the same colour as the forest floor.

They are very common, but sometimes terribly hard to spot (they're very good at playing 'I'm not there, you don't see me') , but we ran into a bit of luck when I was doing some measurements and one just dropped into the pitfall trap just behind me. Scared the living daylights out of me.

2000: I need to be educated in card games. I can't even play Uno.


Day 12

1600: Again, out with R. since 0800. This time, we ran into M (the resident herpetologist) and her pitfall trapping team, and followed them around for a bit so R. could get to the less accessible sites (he apparently has a horrible sense of direction). I very nearly died of over-exertion. How on earth do these people get so physically fit? I can't count the number of treacherously steep slopes we climbed, the number of fallen trees we leapt over, or the number of times I got so far behind I had to whistle to be sure which direction they went. I was a complete, wheezing wreck when we finally parted ways so R. could do something more sane. It was a worthwhile experience, though-- they caught a gorgeous Draco, or flying lizard, and I would have gladly scaled Mt. Everest just to see one that wasn't dead and dried and sitting in a jar in a Chinese medicine shop.

It wouldn't 'fly', though. M. said it was too stressed out, poor thing.

1700: When we got back to the village, Dani the Indonesian scientist waved me over to see what he'd caught in his mist net, and kindly invited me to the measurement-taking-cum-photography session.

He'd netted two birds, a lemon-bellied white-eye ( a pretty yellow-green bird with an even prettier voice), and a collared kingfisher (a feisty little thing that nearly took his finger off).

He let them go afterwards, and I remember the kingfisher shrieking his indignation before flying off.

Day 13

1630: More lizard work today. R. insisted on scaling a very tall and steep hill. The Indonesian guide has taken to calling R. 'the crazy boss', because he would insist on taking habitat measurements on some really difficult terrain (I swear the slope was nearly vertical at one point, and he was slowly but surely sliding downhill while measuring the circumference of a tree...)

Going down the other side of the hill (where there was yet another transect on a totally impossible slope) made jungle training look like a leisurely stroll across Hyde Park. I was literally clinging to any sturdy bit of of vegetation as I slowly lowered myself down, while R. virtually ran downhill with no concern for his neck. Honestly, is no-one sane around here?

We also bumped into M. again, checking one of the traps, and she fished a tiny black snake out of a bucket and deposited it into my hands. A newly described species, apparently, and insectivorous, with a beautiful, oval-shaped head and a cream belly. I love snakes.

(Sadly, no pictures were taken. Ger, you're in luck.)

Day 14

1800: I must say, it's an... interesting experience to be crashing through the undergrowth holding a clipboard and walky-talky, following a Scotsman dangerously swinging a monstrous radio antenna. Spent the afternoon radiotracking civets, which are apparently not native to this island. We tracked two individuals today, and one of them had the gall to be sleeping, after the massive effort to actually get a signal and triangulate his position. S. (the Scotsman), also enlightened me on the subject of haggis, which I will never, ever eat now I know what it's made of.

Day 15

1230: Morning shift today, from 0600-1200. A fair bit of trekking involving more hills, my shoes nearly getting sucked off by the mud, and lots and lots and lots of fallen trees. I swear, Olympic hurdlers are nothing compared to these people. Not a very interesting day so far, as we didn't manage to get any signals. I amused myself by taking pictures of dung beetles.

Rather reminds me of fitness freaks and their giant exercise balls.

1600: Went to cool off in the nearby river with a couple of friends, since I had the afternoon off. There was a small waterfall above it, and I lay across the rocks with the water washing over me, just watching the coconut trees sway in the breeze...

Day 16

1600: Today was spent helping out with A., or 'Tree-Man', as we call him. His idea of a transect is half a kilometre long, and we took measurements (circumference and estimated height) of every single tree within five metres of the transect. May I remind you that this is a rainforest? Rio, a local, had it somewhat worse-- he was climbing trees to get samples of epiphytes.

Man, he's got guts. Some of these trees are more than 40m tall.

Day 17

0800: Time to leave. Will miss the village and the forest.

1200: On the ferry, now. It will probably take ages and ages to get to Kendari.

1600: It is taking ages and ages, seemingly more than last time. The least I can do is take pictures.

2000 or thereabouts: Finally at the hotel in Kendari. AT LONG LAST, A SHOWER! And air-conditioning. And a proper bed. Bliss.

Day 18

0630: Flight to Makassar. Slept.

0930: Flight to Bali. Slept more.

1100: I am finally in Bali, and my camera battery (after clinging to life for more than a fortnight) has chosen this time to die out. I have more than 10 hours here till my flight home, so I shall spend it with my new friends, rather than sitting out this transit at the airport.

1800: Am feeling very satisfied with myself, as have done lots of shopping and eating and watched a sunset over Kuta Beach instead of staying at the airport. However, it is time to say goodbye yet again. In taxi heading for airport, now.

2300: On flight home. There's a Canadian next to me who's travelling to Singapore.

Canadian: So... what do you recommend I do in Singapore?
Me: Uh... eat. A lot.
Canadian: Oh.
Me: Yeah.

I think I can strike the Singapore Tourism Board off my list of potential employers.

Ye Gods!

There is a eukaryotic organism called Cafeteria?

Excuse me while I leap into the Thames.

Hmm.

There is an awful lot of lupine howling going on downstairs.

Then again, it is the full moon.

Super Duper Overdue Entry

A month or so ago I met up with one of my friends, who is very dear to me because I can talk about certain things with her that I cannot discuss with anyone else I know (for those gossipmongers reading my blog, I have to disappoint you-- nothing to do with sordid secrets).

Anyway, we went to Hyde Park to admire the spring flush of flowers and to feed the (frankly very scary) waterfowl. Treated my poor unsuspecting friend to a one-hour lecture on bird identification and behaviour. Sat on the grass by the Italian fountains and discussed apples.

Then we walked to the Natural History Museum, where we sat on a bench outside to catch our breath and watch a little pigeon porn. After which we went inside to look at the exhibits, and discoursed at great length on minerology and paleobiology.


The end of the obligatory blog entry.

Now for Some Cultural Brainwashing.

Because there is too much "pop" music in this world.



Remember the true geniuses that lived.

Here is Rachmaninov's Elegie, performed by the composer himself-- a lament for the forgotten dead.

Some Scientists....

The mind boggles.

Do read the first article (though the rest are pretty interesting too).

Choice quotes:
"drakes probably use their penises like bottle-brushes"
"it was 32.5 cm long when hanging under the force of gravity"

Ah, evolution.