On writing

I was never good with language, with writing and expressing my own views on current issues. Back in the younger days when preparing for the ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels English examinations, I always prepared to write argumentative and expository essays, while ignoring those narratives and literature topics. For a simple reason – the risk of content deviating from the topic of choice. It was somehow easier to stick to ‘technology being a double-edged sword’ than to exercise the creative juice in ‘as fear and anxiety crept upon Darren’s shoulder as he hid in the shadow of the doorway’.

I still remember the advice that my English teachers poured upon all students (though I admit that I’ve failed them all) – to read extensively. So I made an extra trip to the newsstand in the wet market every morning during the school term to buy a copy of The Straits Times, reading articles that I would find useful in helping me articulate myself during the composition paper. But, it didn’t help as I scored horribly for my English examinations. (And as I grew up, to realize that the government has such stakes in local newspaper that I should not believe all the things mentioned in the paper in a wholesome manner.)

And now, after close to a decade of reading, I have come to realize that just by reading, it isn’t enough to improve my first language. Of all the things I’ve learned scouring through the internet, a few advices that I could probably offer myself.

Read – read extensively, widely, as mentioned above, on all issues on Earth. Be it science, technology, political affairs, economic crisis, education, accidents or celebrity news, read them all. Because reading is the only way to get content. No read, no content.

Write – other than reading, writing also plays a strong role in internalizing all the articles read. Concentrate on a few topics, and write extensively on them, like travel log, advancement in science, American sitcom dramas. Write on topics close to your heart, on any other topics worth penning down.

Notes – make small notes on daily events that you’ve come across and penned down your thoughts and opinions reading the issue or event. Record it down in your phone or jot it down using the old fashioned pen and paper.

Opinion – rather than just taking everything on the surface, have an opinion about the issues. Compliment and also be critical. Nothing is as simple as they seem to be.

Mistakes – make lots of mistakes. Some people learn through mistakes, while mistakes are also opportunities to see what you’re lacking. There will be times when people criticize your lackluster effort and immature opinions, continue writing and making mistakes anyway. Because those award-winning writers have probably made as many mistakes as you’ve written.

Humor – develop a sense of humor in writing, and in speaking. It’ll probably help keep people interested and alert.

This article has helped me a lot with this. I do hope these will go a long way in helping me express myself better. Writing has never been my forte, not in the past, not now, but hopefully in the future.

Dining with Phở Bò

Away from the hustles of Singapore, right after the examinations, the pace of life in Vietnam is relatively slowly, except for the motorbikes cutting around the streets. You’ll be impressed by the maneuvering skills of bikes and cars on the city streets, not a single accident seen considering the heaviness of the traffic. As such, learning to cross the street is a skill. You should try the xe om, or the motorbike taxi, and watch how it shuttles you from one point of the city to another.

I’m not exactly a food junkie but I’ve eaten more phở bò (beef soup noodle) than any other Vietnamese local dishes. Partly because it was the most common staple food found along streets and markets, along with chả giò (fried spring roll) and bánh mì (baguette with fried eggs/ham, cheeses, cucumbers and tomatoes). While I’ve tried other street food along the way, though I didn’t manage to take a photo of all. Well, lesson learnt.

Mui Ne’s white and red sand dunes are the local attractions. The white sand dune is for leisure walk (preferably in the morning when the sun is not as strong yet) and ATV (all-terrain-vehicle) rides. Proceed with caution for the ATV rented by the locals though. At the red sand dune, you can rent plastic boards from the locals (families and kids) and slide down numerous slopes countless of time (for as long as your stamina and legs can bring you). The kids would ask for tips eventually, after helping you with the slides.

Da Lat’s cooling weather serves as an attraction for people visiting. Another place not to be missed is the Crazy House. The bizarre architecture and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ theme are the main draw for tourists visiting the hotel. You could try the night market and the tours around the region too, if you’ve more time to spend.

With the flux of tourist to Sa Pa, most things are priced in US dollar, and western restaurants litter the streets along the hotel and hostel areas. Choosing a right hotel along the street Ð Dong Loi, and Ð Muong Hoa with magnificent view greeting you in the morning is not easy, because of the number of hotels lined along the street that compete with each other for a better view of the mountain ridges. Street food along P Cau May should not be missed too, if you’re not afraid of trying local foods. Also, there is a small night market near the square where you find the church, though I’m not sure how often the night market is.

As heard from the manager of Topas Ecolodge, a Danish, it’s best to visit Sa Pa during August-September period, when the rice terraces are mature, casting the green and brown steps all around the hills. It is really important to choose the right period of the year to visit certain places, especially scenery with blooming flowers or vegetation.

These are places you shouldn’t miss and probably spend time exploring the vicinities.

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I was looking at the reviews of the camera I brought over to Viet, and then at the photos that I took. Alright, the carpenter has only himself to blame. :( First time out with the camera, there’s so much room for improvement. I guess there’s much more I can do with a simple compact camera.

I should learn to blog while on the go, to jot down fresh experiences of the journey, and also learn to plan my own trip soon.

Kelly Clarkson & Jason Aldean

I like the silhouette of orchestra in the background whenever the chorus plays on.

Kelly Clarkson

Live.

Does it still burn?

I was talking to N about academic-related stuff and on landing an research attachment (or they call it an ‘internship’) while on the ride home. Science undergraduates (possibly biological sciences in particular) are where they are now, burning midnight oils for exams and committing into memory behavioral theories and molecular signalling pathways, because of the passion for biology a few years ago.

Reality hits onto them when they discover that biology is more than just understanding how Mendelian genetics work or how synapses relay information in our brain. It entails appreciation of miniscule processes and discovering de novo mechanisms that underlie the physiological responses that we see.

And through the three/four years undergraduate course, to realize if sitting at the flow hood or analyzing spectral results are what they want (of course there’s more to it).

What I want to bring across here is that though eventually all of us will graduate with the Bachelor of Science, it neither means we’re particularly good in biology, nor does it truly reflect our passion. Probably except those who are kept awake 3 am in the morning just because they’re doing some readings, voluntarily. However, whether we like it or not, we are provided with this opportunity, thus reflecting our capability to a certain extent and that we must cherish this chance to make it worthwhile. Because not everyone in this world has that opportunity to sleep in the lecture theater while the lecturer is rambling away.

And precisely the point, that we’re fortunate for this opportunity to occupy that one seat in the lecture hall, that we must fully utilize it, and make an impact in the world.

So never give up.

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Ed Yong, a science writer from UK, and his blog for Discover Magazine. Putting science into simple words, appreciating and understanding, most importantly, sharing that passion with the rest of the world. Brilliant.

Kangaroo Mother Care

I came across this article from Reader’s Digest Feb 2012 by Helen Signy: A Baby Who Was Loved Back To Life. Here’s a little background story: Jamie and Emily were twins born about 10 weeks premature, by the couple David and Kate. During the birth of the twins, Emily came out crying while Jamie was white and silent, which shouldn’t be the case of a newborn. Despite efforts from the doctors, Jamie wasn’t breathing by himself and was said to be gone.  The following is an excerpt from the article:

David clasped his wife and baby tight as Kate gently unwrapped the blanket that enveloped Jamie. She didn’t want him covered up while he slipped away. Following her instinct, she placed his fragile, naked body on the warm skin of her chest. She wanted to feel what he felt like and to get to know him. She gently sobbed. He was hers and his future had been snatched from her. She ached to get him back.

As Kate and David struggled to come to terms with what was happening, Kate cuddled Jamie. For her, it was a simple act of bonding. And for David, it was a natural indication of Kate’s warm and relaxed character – and one of the reasons he loved her so deeply.

Years before, when the pair had undertaken an epic 800-kilometre walk through Spain, David could remember, even at their lowest ebb, they’d always managed to summon new reserves of strength by pausing and taking a few moments for a loving embrace. To this day, when David has a headache, Kate would fix it by wrapping her arms around him and kissing his eyelids.

Now, without realizing it, Kate’s skin-to-skin contact was replicating a powerful ancient ritual and a practice now encouraged in many maternity hospitals around the world. Placing newborn babies on their mother’s skin, especially if they are premature, is called “kangaroo mother care“. And it has been proven by medical science to boost their chances of survival. Just like a joey develops in the pouch, it’s thought that a mother’s chest provides the closest approximation to the environment of the womb.

… …

What happened next neither Kate nor David could believe. The newborn opened his eyes. Then he appeared to lift his head and grab his father’s finger. Again David went rushing off to find staff to come and check Jamie.

When the doctor returned to the room with a nurse, he pulled up two chairs and began to explain to the couple that they weren’t seeing what they though they were. “But look!” said Kate, who had moistened her finger with colostrum from her breast. “He’s licking my finger.”

As the doctor lifted Jamie off Kate’s chest, the newborn startled and tried to cry. The doctor lay him on the bed and listened to his chest and, in disbelief, asked the nurse to listen, too. Now, his lungs were inflated, he was breathing unaided, and he had regained full colour.

I didn’t know there’s a medical term for it and was proven (scientifically) to help the premature babies survive until I read the article. Though I did come across it before in one of the episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Invest in Love.

“Our bodies crave touch,” says Matt Hertenstein, associate professor of psychology at DePauw University in the US and a world expert on the power of touch. “It’s been shown to positively impact our physiology, immune system, stress response and even our brain.”

Everybody does yearn touch, a shoulder massage, a simple pat on the shoulder or a squeeze in the hand goes a long way in improving our abilities to respond to difficult situations.

This story brought tears to my eyes, and also serve as a reminder for me.

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I was introduced to a commencement speech by Robert Sapolsky to Stanford graduates during my animal behavioral module

Near the end of the commencement speech after his lesson on the uniqueness of the human mind, he brought the speech to a closure with an idea of inspiring graduates to bring change to the world:

“when you wised up enough, there is a very clear conclusion you have to reach after, which is, at the end of the day, it’s really impossible for one person to make a difference, and thus, the more clearly, absolutely, radically, irrevocably, unchangeably clear is that, it is impossible for you to make a difference, to make the world better, the more you must”

We are educated, we are fortunate to receive the education and there is nobody out there who is in a better position than us to sustain this contradiction in life, and use it as a moral imperative.

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And with these two stories, it once again reminds me of the reason why I’m still in science, though not pretty good at it, but still trying.

Healthcare cost

I’m not really an avid reader of Singapore’s political scenes, but these two posts, ‘Healthcare is not a commodity‘ and ‘Insurance, Buffet, and the SDP “National Healthcare Plan”‘ from Singapore M.D. did get me a bit intrigued by the way policies are meted out.

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On the side note, I recall talking about doing things based on morality. Here’s another, doing things so as not to feel guilty about not doing it or doing things because you want to do it? Whatever actions you have done, whatever words you have said, is it because by doing so, you’ll relieve yourself of the guilt conscience?