Busting up the wild wild west

I have not anticipated any films since Return of the King. Most of the time, something would make me go "Oooh ... shiny ..." and then I'd promptly forget about it. It sucks to have the attention span of a gnat.

But this one does look interesting. Cowboy + aliens? CANNOT COMPUTE.

On the other hand, Daniel Craig makes a lot of things go down a lot easier.

Book rec!

I bought this book on an impulse last Sunday (also driven by the 20% off sticker, hehehe); I usually rent my books. Funds and storage restriction can be such a bitch.

Lisa Kleypas is one of my favourite authors; particularly her historical novels. She has an amazing gift for painting such evocative pictures with words, with well-crafted plots and wonderful characters you would cheer for. However, as much as I enjoy her contemporary novels, they lack a certain something that is redolent in her historicals.


I am happy to note that the je ne sais quois that I adore in her historical novels is in full force in this one. This is the first time she wrote a contemporary novel about real, ordinary people (her Travis series are peopled with millionaires). The banter is deliciously agile; a Kleypas trademark. The only thing I feel sorry for is that it is too short. I finished all 211 pages in a little over an hour (I took a break to shower).

Go on, give this book a shot.

Iron Chef ... not quite

We don't eat much turkey in this part of the world. I don't think I have heard of a traditional Malaysian dish (be it Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Orang Asli, Kadazan-Dusun, Bidayuh, Melanau, Bajau, Siam or Sikh) that is made with turkey, even if we do have those flightless birds in the rural area. What happens to them if they don't end up on our plates? I don't know. I only see non-sandwich turkey on the menu during Christmas season; many restaurants offer them for both dine-in and delivery.

For those who actually cook the turkey themselves and decided that roasting their turkey is old fashioned (or having discovered that your oven couldn't accommodate the bird), please watch this video before contemplating deep-frying your turkey.



It wouldn't do to join the inglorious ranks of Darwin Award winners just for a bird.

However, if you would prefer another version of turkey ... like this one:

go here for the cooking instruction. And don't forget to invite me to come over for a taste.

In face of stress

Stress-busting is big business, y'all. Just google it if you don't believe me. But for the cheapskates out there, never fear! Home made stress reduction kit is available for all.

I am, however, not responsible for any A&E or Trauma Centre visits, okay? Caveat emptor.

Word of the Day

Nombrilisme (Fr.): the disposition to look insecurely inward, to be preoccupied with self-interrogation,             navel gazing.

Adam has no idea that his penchant for nombrilisme was the reason why his girlfriend left him for an XBox.

Sometimes love just ain't enough

Really. Especially when you have diverging ideologies.

Giant step, whoa

Today, 4 members of my family are making their way to Mecca for the hajj pilgrimage. For those who are unfamiliar, the hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage that every Muslim who can afford it is obligated to undertake between the 8th to the 12th of Zulhijjah (the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar).

Not very many young Muslims think about going for hajj; to them, it is only something to contemplate when they are past forty. Heck, I myself am only thinking of the pilgrimage in abstract, academic terms. I only know that I want to go any season but summer (cos it's hot as heck in Saudi in summer, yo).

From what I've heard from those who had gone for it, it is a physically and mentally challenging journey but most rewarding spiritually. But I really love what this guy have to say about going for the hajj.



Good journey, my dears. May your hajj be mabrukh!

Now *this* is the kind of politician I want ... back when I was an angsty, anarchic teenager.

His manifesto is awesome.



I bet this is his theme song.



Unabashedly stolen from Obefiend here.

Sh*t & giggles, midweek edition

I'm sure you've met a couple of these and want to set them on fire.

This is the life, no? Ah, to be Kermit ...




This guy is so clueless. Guess what they say about advertising execs is true. *snerk*

 Ah, casualties of war comes in many colours. Some of them homophobic.

Hey! Bears have feelings too! And some of them are endangered! Say NO to bear tasering!

Totally my life philosophy. Like totally. *nods vigorously*

Those dastardly bankers!!!! *shakes fist*

Wow. What strength in the thigh muscles that would require. *shudder*

  Been there. Sometimes you just cannot win. *shakes head sadly*

TOP 10 REASONS WHY TRICK OR TREATING IS BETTER THAN SEX

#10
 YOU'RE GUARANTEED TO GET AT LEAST A LITTLE SOMETHING IN THE SACK!

#9
IF YOU GET TIRED YOU CAN WAIT TEN MINUTES AND GO AT IT AGAIN!

#8
THE UGLIER YOU LOOK THE EASIER IT IS TO GET SOME!

#7
YOU DON'T HAVE TO COMPLIMENT THE PERSON WHO GIVES YOU SOME!

#6
FORTY YEARS FROM NOW YOU'LL STILL ENJOY CANDY!

#5
ITS O.K. WHEN THE PERSON YOU'RE WITH FANTASIZES YOU'RE SOMEONE ELSE, BECAUSE YOU ARE!

#4
IF YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT YOU GET YOU CAN ALWAYS GO NEXT DOOR!

#3
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THE KIDS HEAR YOU MOANING & GROANING!

#2
LESS GUILT THE MORNING AFTER!

#1
YOU CAN DO THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD!

In other words, candy trumps sex any day.

Trolls are everywhere ...

Trolling is commonly decried as a negative social activity redolent with malicious intent and provocation. However, an accomplished troll does not necessarily require a 4chan account; those who enjoy doing it in real-life do not get the benefit of a sockpuppet.

Reading the list below made me realise that I have been an inadvertent real-life troll in said situation. Oops.


Top 5 annoying questions at scientific meetings.

5. Question: “You know, our group has been working on this for a long time, and we found that…”
Really means: “How come you got invited to talk about this and not I?”

4. Question:  “Have you tried using Y instead of X?”
Really means: “We are doing the same thing using Y, since we can’t afford to use X on our budget. But we haven’t had results in the past two years, and you totally scooped us. Is there any way we can actually get results using Y?”

3. Question: “So where do you think this work is going?”
Really means: “I was just scratching my head, and the microphone runner thought I was raising my hand and handed me the mike.  Now that I actually have the mike, I might as well ask something”.

2. Question:  “You know, I was just talking about this recently with Bigshot1 and Bigshot2, and they said that…”
Really means:  “Hey, look at me!  I’m important enough to have engaged both Bigshot1 and Bigshot2 together in a conference. (They couldn’t get away because it was the conference dinner with free booze).”

1. Question:  “It seems that this whole field of…. is filled with very exciting prospects. We have been looking into…. and Bigshot3 has recently published in Science….(3-4 minutes more in the same vein)  so my question is: what are your thoughts?”
Really means: “Muahahaha. By hijacking Q&A time, I got to present at this conference even though I was not invited to. Sucks to the Program Committee.”

From here.

Sheer poetry

These princesses ain't waiting for some lame prince to come and rescue the day. They can kick ass and take names ... even in tulle.

Because even villains need to get paid and cannot run away from taxes.

Sometimes the price you pay for piracy is too high.

Darn it. Why didn't I have maps like this when I had to take Georgraphy in school?


Creep (Radiohead) - Scala & Kolacny Brothers from Alex Heller on Vimeo.

The Scala & Kolacny Brothers choir gives a new dimension to pop and rock standards. Stop motion animation = FTW!

Fanboys

Fanning a real-life hero, Comedy Central-style.

Life is like Lego (TM) ...

... you learn something new every day. One of my youngest uncles bought me a Lego set when I was a wee sprog; it ever got completed to the specs on the box when he opened it and showed me how to do it. I am ever fail at following instruction, much less constructing three dimensional structures. No wonder I never even contemplated architecture school. :p

But this guy? I would award him eleventy billion internet for this. Soooo cool.

Arthropod abuse with trebuchet

Not many of us like the leggy creepy crawlies. If you want to see them get what's coming to them, mediaevel geek-style, take a look at this video.



Ganked from Improbable Research.

Cookies for egg heads

Cute and edible!

All from Ms Humble.Some are her artwork while others are done by other contributors who share their scientific artwork.

Gel electrophoresis cookies. Looks very close to the real thing what with the drum-stick appearance of the bands and the colour! Just like it was being viewed under ultraviolet light! ♥

Petri dish cookies inspired by Escherichia coli streaked on a nutrient agar. No complaining of the streaking technique; icing is a lot harder to work with than broth-and-inoculating loop.

Exploding brain + popped out eyes FTW!

Gingerbread men in aqua containment / clean room suits are so adorable. They look paranoid, though.

Zebrafish makes for an awesome haematopoiesis model because they are practically transparent during the juvenile stage (or so I'm told). Edible glitter simulates the translucence beautifully.

Atomic cookie + nucleus (proton + neutron+ electron represented yo!). Gorgeous and delicious.

Gingerbread scientists are so adorable and edible!

What's a laboratory without beakers, test tubes & Erlenmeyer flasks?

Drosophila melanogaster, the humble household fruit fly, has been the workhorse of genetics for decades.

Who says that scientific people are boring and not creative?

We salute women who kick ass & take names

Step aside Dr Brady Barr. Your chiseled features may make you a darling on the National Geographic Channel, but there's another herpetologist who kicks ass harder than you.

Why do I say that Dr Kate Jackson is more hardcore than Brady Barr?

That's because she's doing near the same thing he does, without the benefit of a television show funding, while half crippled by transverse myelitis.

Hats off to you, Dr Jackson.


Kate Jackson SNAKES from Rose on Vimeo.

Destroying childhood memories ... fanboy nightmare

Stolen from here.

Literature demystified by Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut is one of those lauded authors whose books I am not tempted to seek.  But if the graphs below were what he used to teach literature, man, what would I give to audit that class. *props chin in admiration*

 

The story arc of a romance novel. Tried and true trope it may be, but romance is still one of the largest and most profitable genre of the publication industry.

Staggered build up of this nature is usually pleasing to the readers of fairytales. Cynics would say that fairytales fall under the romance genre; however, the truth is that readers of the romance genre are generally discerning and clever. We may like the happy ending guarantee, but there has to be a plot that makes us keep flipping the page.

If you are into nihilistic, post modern literature (IDEK what that means), this is the story arc you get. By the end of the book, you would either be insensate from alcohol imbibement to dull the existential pain or bleeding out into your bathtub/on your bed/some random surface from the neat, parallel cuts on your inner forearm.

Ah, Hamlet. Did he get justice for his father? Were all his sacrifice worth it? If you want to know what Vonnegut thought of Hamlet and Shakespeare's writing skills go to the site whence I ganked these graphs (which would be here).

Political incorrectness

If you subscribe to Machiavelli, you will accept that the ends justifies the means.

The cowboy movies and story books got it right ...

Whiskey does kill the pain. And according to this guy, it is a viable alternative to morphine for chronic pain.


Does that mean bottoms up? IDEK.

Festering pit of despair ... (just kill yourself already)

You were searching for a flower
And you found a fruit.

You were searching for a river
And you found a sea.

You were searching for a girl
And you found a soul.

And you are disappointed.


                               - Unknown Finnish poem from here-


I am not much a poetry person, but this?

♥___________♥

Ear candy in surgery

Medicine is srs biznez, yo. But does it mean you can't kick back and have fun? Of course not.

Enjoy the Laryngologists spoofing Breaking Up is Hard to Do, nurse anaesthetist style.



While we are in the medical vein, we must not forget Weird Al Yankovich's parody of Madge's eponymous hit, Like A Virgin.

Except with surgeons. Pray to God you don't get one of these guys should you need to go under the knife.

Evolution

Anthem: Lisbeth Salander

(Do not worry: this post is NOT a book review.)

I had finally finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Not knowing Swedish means I have to read the translated version by Reg Keeland. Some of the odd expressions littered in the book made me suspect that he made an effort to make sure that the original expression in Swedish is maintained.

It was a difficult first 60 or so pages for me; like a chemical reaction, the frenzy for devouring the book had a high activation energy threshold. But once I met Lisbeth Salander,  it was like a napalm firestorm; I was ignited to consume to book in a single sitting. This was not possible as real life has a way of interfering with obsessions and a wage has to be earned.

Salander is completely out of my realm of experience. Damaged, brilliant, cunning, naive, dispassionate and yet vulnerable, Salander is a contradiction within a puzzle wrapped in an enigma (or however the expression is). She is quite the archetypal anti-hero(ine)  who lives in the fringes of society; her wary forays into mainstream society often underscoring her prejudices of the  bourgeoisie.

To my mind, this song by Fiona Apple perfectly illustrates Salander. Lyrics can be found here.



The conclusion of the book was very satisfying and yet I was ambivalent about getting the next book in the series. Salander (and Blomqvist) is not a character that I find comfortable to read; (I usually stick to happily ever afters) but somehow, as I left my rental book store, I found The Girl Who Played with Fire in my hands.

In praise of the well-dressed man

In this part of the world, there is little mention about how casual Fridays are getting out of hand. Personally, I love it when the gents dress with circumspection; i.e. to suit the occasion.

Don't get me wrong; I do enjoy men in their comfy casuals like slouchy t-shirts and jeans / footie jersey and cargoes, but there's something about a well turned out man that just makes one's mouth water.

It used to be a rite of passage for a guy to get the first pair of suit bespoke by a tailor introduced to him by his father. However, as casual fashion becomes more and more pervasive, this is a lore that one only read in books of the silverspoon genre. More and more workplace tolerate dressy casuals and suits become something that is relegated to either rarefied circles or tolerated for weddings/funerals/etc.

I think one of the reasons why Arthur of Inception received a great deal of attention in fandom is because of the way he dressed. Who would have expected a sombre looking guy in a three-piece suit to be kickin' ass and taking name in such style?

Observe:

 

He brought back the panache that was embodied by Sean Connery when he was James Bond; a man in a sharp suit armed with a rapier mind, ambiguous moral code and laser honed reactions. A capacity for violence masked by the veneer of civility lent by the suit is incredibly alluring and seductive (but only when directed against the bad guys, of course).

But that's a fictional character, you gentlemen may say. What about an ordinary Joe who doesn't have a personal trainer to keep his waistline trim or the funds for a bespoke wardrobe?

Well, a man doesn't need licence to kill to be a lady killer, you know. For the formal occasions, look for a well-fitting suit (you may need to alter off-the-rack acquisitions) in a style and colour that flatters you (navy is a safe bet for all skin tone). Team them with cotton shirts in hues that enhances your complexion and a natty tie (matching, naturallement); learn to accessorise with cuff links or even pocket squares. Polish your shoes. Buy socks that is NOT white. Experiment with what looks best for you.

But what about  the physical constraints and discomfort of wearing suits in equatorial weather? It may surprise you but there *are* fabrics for tropical weather suits. Cotton, linen suits can be very dashing and are lightweight to accommodate high temperatures (but not humidity). There are also summer-weight wool blends that can work beautifully in tropical latitudes. You *do* have options.

For those who don't wish to look like a mindless corporate drone, why not add your own personal signature to your style? If you need ideas, visit The Sartorialist; he documents ordinary people with extraordinary style with his fabulous photographs.

Traditional dress like baju melayu and kurta can also be incredibly flattering. I recall fondly the guys participating in bara'an (Javanese tradition of visiting house-to-house in a large group to sing praises to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH during the first few days of Eid-ul-Fitr to bring blessings to the host) decked in their Hari Raya finery of baju melayu complete with songkok and kain sampin. No matter what colour of material they chose, or the body it draped, the ensemble brings out the best in them: emphasising the breadth of the shoulders, minimising the portness of the tummy and even giving height to the vertically challenged ones.

Therefore, gentlemen, do take due consideration when selecting your garments. Because we love to appreciate you at your best. That's not saying that we don't appreciate you when you want to get down and comfortable, we are just saying that a little pride in your appearance goes a long way.

In praise of well dressed men, here is Barney Stinson serenading his true love in life: his sartorial elegance.




Ganked from manticore's FB update, thank you very much.