http://www.nature.com/news/2007/071029/full/news.2007.202.html
but frankly, i heck care. In the tropics, yellow leaves are dying leaves irrespective of the season, red leaves are trees on fire: mostly in Indonesia area, giving us haze.
those people who tried to buy must be pretty pissed off. probably when there was a few stuck on the bar, they thought it was their lucky day to get a couple of free bottles. hahahah....
My classmate since secondary school back at Mud City got married last week. So so far, two out of the four from my pre-U class in KL already tied the knot.
got a friend to take pictures of the big day, great photographer, would hire him for any big event i host anyday. some pics here:
http://blessedi.multiply.com/photos/album/115/Ivan_and_Tammys_Wedding
all the best Ivan, and hope to see little Ivan Jr's soon!
Went to K Box with Ed, Mel, and Mel's gf. They sang lots of chinese songs and i laughed at them alot. the place was freezing cold and we spent $13 a person which includes a lunch. 3 hours of freezer, but quite fun, especially all the out of tune voices. muahahahahah.....
Got this from Herb's blog,
Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Relief teacher: O levels maths, science, english
2. Tuition teacher: O levels maths and chemistry
3. Technician: the university theater (lights and sound)
4. Research Assistant: present job playing with mice
Four Movies I have watched over and over;
1. Transformers (2007)
2. You've Got mail (tom hanks)
3. final fantasy: advent children (straight to DVD, no cinema screening)
4. Ocean's eleven
Four places I have lived:
1. Ulu Klang, Kuala Lumpur
2. Singapore
3. ?
4. ?
Four Shows I love to watch:
1. Prison Break
2. Heroes
3. CSI (i laugh non stop at this one....)
4. ?
Four Places I have been on vacation:
1. New Delhi, India
2. Kathmandu, Nepal
3. Kyoto, Japan
4. Bangkok, Thailand
Four of my favorite foods:
1. mum's cucumber and egg soup with 'tang hoon'
2. black soy sauce chicken with mushrooms
3. beef rendang
4. rice vermicelli in soup with fish slices
Four favorite drinks:
1. Plain water
2. Milo (chocolate) with milk
3. any cereal drink
4. root beer
Four places (and activities) I would rather be(doing) right now:
1. Everest Base Camp
2. Galapagos Island
3. Holding 'her'
4. at home in bed snoring
By A. Conan Doyle
Couldnt believe its the COMPLETE one. bought it for a bargain too. Only finished 3 'episodes'. this character needs no introduction and has redefined how detective stories are now written. i had always read abridged versions or books with a few stories in it but never laid eyes on the whole thing.
Then found out that the whole thing is found online. Crap.
http://camdenhouse.ignisart.com/canon/index.html
And the online version even has nice ink pictures. But of course, the physical book is better for bedtime reading than the electronic version. So, while i'm still stuck somewhere in the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, you could pop by there to read a few screens. Its a real page turner, erm.... mouse scroller.
I love this book. Really makes me think.
elementary my dear Watson!
The miraculous Fever-Tree by Fiammetta Rocco.
her first book, Ms. Rocco tells of the story of the chinchona tree and its valuable bark extract, quinine. how it was first discovered by south americans to be a cure for shivers and then later on exported to europe as a cure for miasma. because it was first used by jesuit priests, the protestant order firmly denounced it as a fake which thus limited its use in certain areas. there are stories of how religious views were more important than scientific ones, how some took opportunity to make a quick buck out of it by mixing it as 'magic pills', how different countries strove to control the bark trade, how wars were won or lost because of the lack of quinine as a drug against malaria, how nations tried to grow their own forest of chincona, how many died trying, and how synthetic drugs once were more favoured as a cure but the malarial parasite had developed immunity against such man-made substances, and we now have to revert back to the bark which still works.
its just amazing to realize how a simple thing such as an infusion of tree bark could change the world. little is known of who the first person was to have used it as a treatment for malaria but one wonders why he chose the chinchona tree, out of the whole forest of possibilities. and when one hears stories of how the disease changed history by killing kings and popes, disabling whole armies of troops in both world wars - deciding the winner (he who had more bark won), enriching quack doctors and highlighting the importance of research; one is humbled to know that even though regarded as the smartest of all beings on this planet, we are still at the mercy of tiny microscopic beings.
this is a fairly easy book to read as it is mostly narrative. the writer adds her own history as her self, her parents and grandparents also suffered from malaria in the past, giving us a first hand view of how families can be greatly affected by a disease.
