The listing of George Town as World Heritage Site

As a Penangite, I'm very proud that George Town has been listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site recently. I'm confident that Penang will make further inroads into the tourism industry by tapping the uniqueness of the existing heritage sites; restoring pre-war buildings, temples and clans settlements; organising more cultural and religious activities; and easing traffic congestion especially in the inner city heritage zone. There's lots to be done …

I had successfully completed my training as a vascular physiologist : microdisecting mesenteric artery (100-200 microns) of the rat, mounting it in a vessel chamber canulated with glass micropipettes, securing it with silk ligatures, pressurizing it..... Thanks to my supervisors who have given me invaluable pointers throughout the project. The world of research is not as rosy as we perceive. It needs lots of talents, effort and alot of luck to be a renowned researcher!

Now,I'm embarking on the real stuff with data recording. In fact i have been working from 9 to 9 almost everyday. It's been really tiring... hopefully, this'll pay off at the end of the day. Indeed a very challenging task but definitely a very valuable experience.

Here are some photos which I took during my trip to Crete, Santorini

and Athens last month. Parthenon

Parthenon at nightAthens Olympic StadiumDelphi

ParthenonDelphi
On the ferry to Santorini
Oia
Tall Ship- King thira
Golden Star Hotel, Santorini
Kameni Island
Kamari Beach
Perissa Beach

Venetian walls

Arena Beach
Knossos

My long-awaited semester break

At last, my final paper "Cancer Chemotheraphy and Immunopathology" two days ago marked the end of my fourth semester in UCD. Time really flies unnoticeably and I only have a semester left before continuing my clinicals in Penang. Hence, I need to optimise this semester break fruitfully.

I will be spending the early part of my semester break touring Greece - Athens, Santorini Island and Crete with Sam and Alwyn. We will be moving over to our new house at Taney Road, Dundrum after our vacation. It is a double-storey house with spacious compounds and cosy rooms. We have no complaints in terms of facilities and space.

The two setbacks are the incredibly high rental (3000 euro or RM15000) and the extra distance to the varsity. Luckily, the owner allows us to rent until mid March 2009. We are saving 3 months rents indirectly because some owners will only rent out their premises for a duration of one year instead of nine months.

I am elated for being given the golden opportunity to carry out a summer research project under the kind tutelage of Dr Ken and Dr Bund. The title of the project is "Vascular Reactivity in an Animal Model of Sleep Apnoea". I am really looking forward to learn from them.

Not forgetting to congratulate my sister, Jane for being awarded "Pelajar Terbaik SPM Negeri Pulau Pinang" recently during my hectic schedule preparing for my exams. All the best in your future endeavours, my dear!

Welcome Spring with Sakura (Cherry blossoms) in UCD

I deemed myself very lucky for being able to view the blossoming of Sakura twice these two years. It was really awesome watching the warm and beautiful cherry blossoms in Spring. It is believed that the cherry blossoms are in bloom for only a week or so. That calls for reflection on the transient nature of life. Our youth will slowly propel into another stage of life unknowingly. Hence, we need to treasure the transient nature of our life by doing the best for ourselves, our family, our country, our fellow citizens and humanity as a whole.

The blooming of Sakura is very symbolic in Japan as it marks lots of new beginnings – the commencing of new school year and the starting of the new fiscal year for Japanese businesses. May the season also marks the new beginnings in your endeavour for a better life, happy future, healthy lifestyle, successful career, harmonious friendship …

My 21st Birthday

A very special milestone in life. Some say, "It's a key to freedom." Others say, "You're able to go for voting, especially when our country's general election is approaching." As for me, "It's time to get more serious with life. On the other hand, I can only plan but God determines everything from head to toes..."

Thank buddies (Sam, Alwyn, Jien Han, Arnold, Charles, Ling) for the special birthday cake despite having to sit for the last paper "Endocrine Biology" the next morning, 18th December. Not forgetting my friends from far and near who sent birthday greetings to me, I would like to say a "Big Thank You". You all really lightened up my day...

At last, my 3rd. Semester Exams was over. I still have 2 more semesters left over here. Time flies! Do you know the thing that most working people regret is forgoing travelling when they were young? It's pretty true especially you are facing time constraints, job commitments, new family commitments and whatnot.

Hence, I will be taking the opportunity of touring Eastern Europe this semester break...

Be Irish for a day

Last Saturday, 29th of September, I went for a "Farm Trip" somewhere in County Meath (north of county Dublin). It was a truly memorable trip. We left Dublin in the morning around 10.00am. It took about an hour to reach the farm. We were greeted warm heartedly by a very friendly Irish family living in a farm. We did lots of 'irish thing' from baking the butter bread to Kaylee dancing. It was all fun. Well, the highlight of the day was the final event where all of us were supposed to perform something be it singing or dancing to represent our country. Guees what ; we ended up singing 'rasa sayang' and to our utmost surprise, they seemed to enjoy it!! It was a really good exemplar of cultural tourism which we should prioritize!

… with a baa, baa here,
and a baa, baa there,
here a baa, there a baa,
everywhere a baa, baa,
Old Mac Donald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O…

3, Clonskeagh Road

Students were searching high and low for a place to stay with the commencement of the new semester 2007/2008. We were very lucky because we found our new residence during the end of the last semester.

The rental is quite expensive, i.e. 450 euro per person for a twin-sharing room. This means the rental for a twin-sharing room amounted to a whopping sums of around RM4500 per month. Luckily, the rent is inclusive of electricity and internet connection.

The main drawback to it is the distance from the varsity (2.2km to be exact). We need to resort to cycling which takes around 7-10 minutes. Although it's just a long straight road to class but going uphill is indeed a challenge for an amateur cyclist like me. One of Dublin's plus points is the 'cyclist friendly' environment. It has a rather extensive bikeway network and most importantly mutual respect between cyclists and motorists. Their efforts to ensure the safety of cyclists are to be applauded!

My bed ( i hope the vase doesn't fall on me while i am sleeping)

Staying together in a group is very healthy and full of fun. We cycle to class, cook, have dinner, go grocery shopping together. I really feel at home!!

Let It Be

When I was driving the other day, I heard the radio playing the Beatles' song entitled "Let it Be". Today, it still remains one of my all time favourite songs. Out of curiosity, I began to seek the special meanings contained in this beautiful song. Let's me share what I have discovered…

This song was written by Paul MacCatney in 1969. It begins with Paul saying how he reacted and retrospected in times of trouble and "Mother Mary" comes to him. What a coincidence! Paul's mother was also named Mary, and she died when he was a young boy.

In the song, Mother Mary comes like an angel whispering to him wise phrase "Let it be". This phrase means let go (stop clinging to something), relax and don't worry unnecessarily. This phrase offers guilding hands to us. It reminds us not to keep pondering over unfortunate incidents excessively. We need to be realistic and get moving to the next agenda in life by accepting the unfortunate event as a storm in a teacup.

Then, he touched on the broken hearted people in the world who hated and fought each other at war. At that time, there were wars in Vietnam and around the world. People were fighting one another like there's no tomorrow. It is sad to say that today, the global conflicts are still escalating like wildfire.

The best part of the song is that he gives us hope of impending solutions to our worries. He strongly believe that there is still a ray of hope for a better and peaceful world tomorrow. Likewise, he still has confidence that there will be a ray of sunshine for each and every one of us.

"When the broken hearted people living in the world agree,
there will be an answer, let it be."

Hence, whenever and wherever you face any adversities in life, don't give up. Just sing loudly……

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
There will be an answer
Let it be