Penicillin revisited.

"Without Fleming, no Florey or Chain, without Chain no Florey, without Florey no Heatley, without Heatley no Penicillin." --Prof. Henry Harris.

And yet it seems Fleming alone is mainly credited for the discovery of Penicillin. "Being scooped" as it is colloquially referred to amongst people in science, has been commonplace ever since scientific research has existed. Investing all that you have, emotionally and mentally, and not be rewarded for it may be utterly disheartening to anyone, but a true scientist is able to rise beyond that disappointment and celebrate the scientific achievement. After all, isn't that what every scientist's objective should be? To advance science for the greater good. And that is exactly what Dr. Howard Florey did. A true hero indeed.

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1945/florey-bio.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/5931574/Breaking-the-Mould-BBC-Four-TV-review.html

Yes, we are a generation of iPod-loving idealistic activists. More importantly, we are Malaysians.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/hafiznoorshams/34819-a-generation-of-activist-idealists

Nepal, here I come.

Planning my trip to Nepal. Anticipating to be mesmerized by its beauty. Eager to etch a million memories.

Origins of The 'Malays'

And so with all the ruckus in Perak recently, I began to wonder more about BN, its true agenda and the "Ketuanan Melayu" concept. Here's an excerpt from a very well written article documenting the origins of not only the Malays but of all civilization in Asia and the rest of the world.

--------------------------------------------

"Genetically speaking, the Austronesians would have been a ‘superior race’, as they were a mix of Dravidic, Mongoloid, African, Arab, Persian, Hindi, Gujerati, Tamil, Portuguese, Dutch and other blood.

However, incest brought degenerate descendants. And the more varied the bloodline, the healthier the offspring. Perhaps this is what ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ is all about. This is the only superiority one can think of.

Genetic superiority because of having bloodlines from around the globe. This by the way, is reflected in Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia. Circa 15 percent of these languages is Portuguese, Dutch, and the rest, Sanskrit, Tamil, Arab, Persian, Hindi, Tamil, Chinese, and so on.

All these word origins are explicitly described and detailed in the third edition of the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka dictionary. These references were completely removed from the fourth edition onwards.

The conclusion? The people Malaysians call ‘Malay’, are actually only a tiny sub-component of the much larger Austronesian group. And all Austronesians are the end-product of extensive inter-breeding between the Taiwanese and Dravidic Indians.

All this has finally been irrefutably proven by independent DNA testings from world-class faculties." -Michael Black

Read more at Malaysiakini.com

The silver lining...

Hand in hand
Gazes interlocked
The spell of love was cast.
Days spent together
Hours of endless laughter
Your hearts grew fonder, the bond stronger;
But time had yet to play its turn…
And with one goodbye, the distance crept in
Two blossoming souls were torn apart
Both holding on
Both staying strong
But sometimes everything you have just isn’t enough
And the dream is shattered…

Who do you blame when the sun that lights the path, burns all in its way?
Who do you blame when the wind that whispers her name, blows your dreams away?
And how do you keep walking on a path paved by memories of a time gone by?

Like a winter storm
Cold and testing
These times shall fade away
The dark clouds that are casting a shadow
Shall soon part
Just look for the silver lining
And the beauty of your soul will draw in the sunshine
Filling your heart with its warmth

Once again you will love
Unconditionally
For you cannot love any lesser
Your heart knows not any boundaries
And once again
The depths of your heart will be filled with a love so pure
So beautiful…
The sorrow of today shall become a faded memory.

Longing for a place called home...

Its been so long since I updated my blog and today I just feel like writing. I've already published two posts, and yet I feel like I could go on and on. Tis the day to pen my feelings. Just finished reading The Notebook, undeniably a very sweet story. Had it been true, it would have healed and broken my heart simultaneously, and yet it still did.

Romance is in the air, undoubtedly. I blame it on the winter. And I slowly sip the wine. Remembering days just past, reminiscing the past few years of my life, thinking about the days to come. What does the future hold? I do not have a clue, but a handful of suggestions if only time would stop to ask me.

Its hard coming back to a loneliness you do not understand. The days spent at home always fly by and this time there was a wedding to attend. A beautiful wedding that brought along with it a myriad of unforgettable moments. New bonds were formed, others strengthened. And with every bond you learn how to love a little more, how to live a little more. Like actors on stage we played our parts flawlessly. We sang, we danced, we smiled and we cried. And before we knew it, the curtains were drawn. Fin.

And I was aboard the A380. I hate goodbyes. But how do you say goodbye without aching inside? I wish I never have to leave. Even after 6 years, leaving the ones you love doesn't get easier. Instead, it has become much more difficult. Maybe its the realization of mortality? That nothing or no one lasts forever. Yet, I have left. Away from the place I call home. Building a life for myself, a name of my own, in the shadow of their love.

But right here, right now I long for a place called home. Where memories of yesterday are as fresh as the morning dew, where time is frozen at a simpler, more innocent junction of life....

Ranjeeta weds Sukdeep: 12.28.2008

"It was the wedding of the year" says my darling brother-in-law, albeit modestly. After all, it was his wedding and it may seem pompous to say so about one's own wedding, but indeed it was the wedding of the year, or of the past 10 years if you ask me! They had been waiting for years for this day and it was finally there. The stars were aligned, and the heavens joyous when two souls became one on that blessed day. I couldn't be happier for my dearest sister. Not only has she married the love of her life but she has also brought such joy to our family by bringing Sukdeep into our lives. May your lives be forever filled with love and happiness and may the heavens always smile upon you every step of the way.

2009
So swiftly another year unfolds
Another 12 months to fill with memories
365 days waiting to be explored
Hours to cherish
Countless minutes that will build or break dreams
And seconds that tick by relentlessly

And as I watch another winter pass me by
I wonder
With curiosity, with earnestness
What will this year entail
Hopes brewing inside me
Dreams waiting to leap into reality
Maybe this will be the year...
Maybe it will.