Last day

Yep, today was the last day that I worked in this insectary. I'm a little sad to leave. One of my boss even took me for fish & chips and ale at lunch time (now when could you drink during working hours, eh?) I'll miss this place.


I'll miss this silly sign outside the insectary too. :P
But, time to move on. There will be another insectary. But for now, I'm off for a break!

In Flight

I was taking more pictures in my insectary the other day. One picture so happens to capture a female Aedes aegypti clearly in mid-flight! That's rare for me... Especially using only a µ-300 Digital Oympus camera.

It is three, not two.

Yay! It's Friday! Weekend is here. And then I found out (more like told) that it's the bank holiday weekend. Gah! How did I not remember that??? Somehow I thought it is next week. My head is gone...

Soup du Jour

Sorry, can't help myself...

The Terror Within

Today's news headline goes to show that this country has terrorists from the inside and outside. Sure, some people say that these 'do-gooders' doesn't deserved to be called that. But, just listening to the interview with that lady in charge on ITV confirms it is deservingly so. It's all OK until someone really gets hurt isn't it? Oh wait, people were injured before...
Today, a stolen corpse; tomorrow, a made one.

And as I write this, the song 'Na na na na naa' by the Kaiser Chiefs is playing. Very fitting... it goes like this:

Na na na na naa (x4)

oh it does not move me
it does not get me going at all
Na na na na naa (x2)
it does not shift me
its not the kind of thing that i like
Na na na na naa (x2)
It does not move me
its not the kind of thing that i like
Na na na na naa (x2)

she does not listen
she's too wrapped up with all of her things
Na na na na naa (x2)
this does not get to me
shes not the kind of girl that i like
Na na na na naa (x2)

oooohhh
she does not move me
she's not the kind of girl that i like
Na na na na naa
Na na na na naa
oooohhh

OOOOHH
it does not move me
its not the kind of thing that i like
Na na na na naa (x4)

oooooh
it does not move me(it does not move me)
it does not get me going at all
it does not shift me(it does not shift me)
its not the kind of thing that i like
it does not move me
its not the kind of thing that i like
Na na na na naa (x4)
oooooh

Rock on, Prof!

Heh, don't know how I missed this. My former lecturer and tutor got mentioned in BBC news! Way to go, Prof! Am chuffed. Not because he gave me A's in my essays (though that is swell too :P), but because he is a good lecturer (i.e. never fell asleep in his class/seminar), an awesome tutor (though sometimes the topics he picks are very, very, challenging), and a great researcher. Am proud to be his former student, and can't wait to read more about his bee findings.

Big weekend

The Cardiff Big Weekend came and gone. And it was quite enjoyable. Well, can't complain when there is a fair and free open air concert eh?

Highlight of the concert for me was on Saturday, particularly the performance of this band called I Am Kloot.


And the festival ends with a bang...
Would put more photos, but they are utter crap!

Where's the replay button?

Wow, the song 'You're Beautiful' is still number one in the charts here. I keep hearing it everywhere as well. But it does keep me in a good mood while I'm in my lab. So, buy the album people... unless you hate music like these.

Maggot blues

If only that was a song...
Someone asked me that what had become of my dying maggots. Well, the truth is some are still dying. One week it seems that they are happily wiggling away, the next week they all committed suicide.
All I know is that it's the media that is sometimes not to their liking (but it's the same media all the time... and almost the same formula used in London Zoo). I'm perplexed. I do know though that meat is the best result. But the risk of cultivating some nasty disease in the insectary is putting me off to use that option... for now.
Anyway, I'll have bit of a think. Maybe there is some sort of compromise.

Blasts again?

Okay, this is bad. Now reports of some sort of blast in London Underground and one on a bus... again! Though this time it seems not much damage is being done. But I should think the mental damage of the people affected is quite a bit. I don't know where to begin to curse these people... To think that I used to stop at Warren Street to visit Ping when I am in London. And I used to live in Shepherd's Bush! Sigh!

There be bed bugs in my lab!

Here are some bed bugs in a containment unit (i.e. jar).

Bed bugs, or Cimex lectularius, is the latest addition to the lab. Am happy to say that they will not be lodging in the insectary for long. Just temporary accomodation. Phew! But I was a bit excited when these bugs arrived in the post today... how sad is that?
For more info on these creatures, have a look here.

Instant... but not so instant

Good weather in the UK means lots of barbecue. Nowadays, you can pop into your supermarket and get an instant (and disposable) grill for less than five quid. Yeah, too good to be true? That is why Tesco's put a little clause on their instant BBQ to make sure we don't get too excited...

Silence

Walk -- in silence
Don't walk away -- in silence
See the danger -- always danger
Endless talking -- life rebuilding
Don't walk away

Walk -- in silence
Don't turn away -- in silence
Your confusion -- my illusion
Worn like a mask
of self-hate
Confronts and then dies
Don't walk away

People like you -- find it easy
Aching to see -- walking on air
Hunting by rivers, through the streets,
every corner abandoned to soon
Set down with due care
don't walk away -- in silence --
Don't walk away


'Atmosphere' by Joy Division
(Also, Ian Curtis' birthday tomorrow)

7 blasts on the 7th day of the 7th month

Got into work this morning, made a cup of tea and read the news. There seemed to be some explosion due to a power surge at Liverpool Street Station. Typical, I thought, as I remember my days of waiting on that platform. But then later on I learned that 6 explosions followed that, including a bus near Russell Square. Luckily, Ping was kind enough to let me know that she was alright. So were some of my friends, though now there is the trouble of going home after work. Am I glad now that I moved out of London.
Hoping for the best...
Update: London incident has made other cities paranoid too. The M4 is massively jammed up. Delays on the bus too. The central and bus stations were closed for a bit. Man, this is has been a long day as it took me over an hour to get home. But it was not as long as the Londoners. Oh and it seems that there were 4 blasts and not 7.

Live 8

Date: 2nd July 2005

After sending Ping off, some friends and I headed to Bute Park for a bit of Live 8 big screen viewing. It was a relaxing afternoon...

Hello Hello...Hola!

And here are some of the photos from the concert. Starsailor and The Killers photo didn't turn out well.

The opening of gig was with the song 'Vertigo'



The lovely effects for the song 'City of Blinding Lights'



The message that they were trying to convey...



This one for 'Miracle Drug'.



This one for Bono's dad, Bob Hewson. 'Sometime You Can't Make It On Your Own'.



The dedication to Nobel Peace Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi. The song was 'Running to Stand Still' with the ending of 'Walk On'. Awesome!

Vertigo Tour

U2 Vertigo Tour
Location: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, UK.
Date: 29th June 2005
Supporting bands: Starsailor, The Killers

That was the experience of a lifetime. The Killers were awesome even in large venues! The Starsailor were not bad too. But of course, U2 just took the cake! Such a spectacular show that Ping and I couldn't stop dancing and jumping all the way to the end. Too bad for the middle-age portly people that sat near us and didn't seem at all excited. Can't believe that they just sat on their rumps for most of the concert. Did they come to watch U2 or Madame Butterfly?
Right, photos coming soon...

Signs

People put up the funniest signs.

My friend Nat took this picture in Cardiff Bay not too long ago. Hilarious!


And this picture I took two days ago on the way to Swansea.
Know your Italian?

Mystery of the dying maggots

When I started with rearing the houseflies, the adults emerged had curly wings and hence unable to fly. My collegue started calling these 'walks'.
But having solved that, I now have a much bigger problem in my hands. A large portion of my housefly larvae are dying and I can't figure out why. Everyone is scratching their heads but that does not help me. At least there are some that made it to the adult stage, if not my boss will have my head for breakfast! Oh well, it's the weekend now. Time to hit my local pub and forget about my problems till Monday...

Hooting with laughter

A new comic called Golden started by a bunch of webcomickers, has left me nearly paralysed with laughter. But it's the latest page by Ping is one that did it for me. Full of razorbill-sharped bird puns that will leave you honking with laughter, or in a vegetative state. Check it out, but be warned you may not stop with the pun abusing for some time after that.