The more I live...

... the more I realise that most things in life is more art than science.

The last time I was here, in front of the NMR, I had a terrible day. That day was punctuated with bouts of tears and some keyboard banging. It only ended at 10 in the night with a very grumpy me. The machine kept telling me that echo time has to be reduced. But honestly, what on earth is echo time? Even the boss couldn't tell me.

Today, I walked in with 45 samples and a terrible mood to boot. Because being in this place reminds me of the last time I was here. Reminds me that all these shiny metal are just pretty and nothing else.

But guess what? The machine worked and my samples are gorgeous and the world is alright again. Everything is smooth and my peaks are beautiful. Shimmed, right to the baseline.

You most probably have no idea what I am saying. But to put it simply, everything went so smoothly that I am contemplating more experiments.

Did I do anything different? No. Even my samples are the same. This serves to proves that there is no logic in science. Absolutely none.

Drained Dry

I owe so many things that I feel bad for lying in bed right now. Typing languidly.

Walked into the college kitchen today to borrow a pulveriser. And for some odd reason, started having tears stream down my face as the college chef scramble for tissue and funny anecdotes to help distract.

Distract the 3 year old in me.

I don't even cry often enough for myself to warrant such an episode.

Oh dear me, I feel so tired of living.

And so, how does that work again?

Ever had one of those weeks in life where it is constant giving on your part? It has been the story of my life for a few weeks now and if there is ever a question of how much more there is to give, my current state of being will be a good indication.

Lying in bed with taut shoulders and furrowed brows bothers me. And it bothers me more that it is not fixed by an hour at the gym? Roar! The gym is meant to solve everything. It does indicates so on the membership fee slip.

To be truthful, my sleeping hours are due to the generosity of pills and that is a bad thing. But sleep is a good thing. So I suppose it should work out in the long run.

So. To keep things from becoming depressive, I shall share some good news.

Good News 1:

Since the start of the PhD, my school fees have been paid by a willing party; but it weighs heavy on my heart. Known sacrifices by other people often does that to me. It is a mixture of obligation and embarrassment that does me in usually. This past week is home to the good news that the scholarship for my fees has been finally awarded and I am no longer the student that depends. Hah, I am now the independent one. Take that!

Good News 2:

Since the start of the year, I am a member of the University Gym. I paid some good money to be able to call myself that. And although I don’t use the facilities as often as I should, I have to say that it is well worth it. Recently, the college managed to secure a collective membership and thus and therefore, my paid membership will be refunded. While it is still too premature to say if I am getting a full refund or a partial refund, I guess getting money back in your pocket when you have already put it out for grabs is always a good thing. Feels like a lottery moment, even if it is not a lottery’s worth.

Just two in a sea of many. Life hasn't totally forgotten about me.

Random Facts of the Month

Because you guys have asked.

1. If you attempted to count the stars in a galaxy at a rate of one every second it would take around 3000 years to count them all.
2. Just 20 seconds worth of fuel remain when Apollo 11’s lunar module landed on the moon.
3. The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows
4. Animals that lay eggs don’t have belly buttons.
5. Slugs have four noses.
6. Camel milk does not curdle.
7. There are one million ants to every human in the world.
8. Frogs cannot swallow with their eyes open.
9. Teeth are the only parts of the human body that can’t repair themselves.
10. A quarter of the bones in your body are in your feet.
11. The tongue is the fastest healing part of the body.
12. Strawberries contain more vitamin C than oranges.
13. A one-day weather forecast requires about 10 billion math calculations
14. The birth that lays the largest egg in relation to its own size is the kiwi.
15. A two-hour motion picture uses around 3.3km of film.
16. Lettuce has been grown and cultivated for more than 2500 years,.
17. Kermit he frog has 11 points in his collar.
18. The bullfrog is the only animal that never sleeps.
19. Female elephants produce only one offspring every five years
20. The African eagle swooping at nearly 200 km/hr, can break to a halt in 6 metres.
21. Cooking and freezing does not affect the heat of a chilli.
22. Termites eat wood twice as fast when listening to heavy metal music.
23. The garfish has green bones.
24. Placing a piece of charcoal, chalk or several mothballs in a toolbox prevents tolls from rusting.
25. Acorns are poisonous to humans. If eaten they will cause kidney damage.
26. On a clear dark night. A human can see a candle burning 50km away.
27. As much as 50 litres of maple sap is used to make a single litre of maple syrup.
28. When glass breaks, the cracks move faster than 5000km/hr.
29. The favorite horse wins fewer than 30% of the races.
30. A violin contains about 70 individual pieces of wood.
31. The brain is 74% water.
32. Most newborns cry without tears until they are three to six weeks old.
33. The scales on the underside of a snake are called “scutes”.
34. In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10.
35. It takes about 550 peanuts to make one jar of peanut butter.
36. A man’s voice is deeper than a woman’s because males have longer vocal cords.
37. The koala is one of the few land animals that does not require water to survive.