Cut into pieces

This a bag with the frozen cat inside.

A pouch containing some surgical tools

I first peel the head of the cat to reveal the skull.

It was tedious since the skull in incredibly hard and my scalpel blade kept breaking off

So I decided to get some new tool, which includes a saw, some knifes and a knife sharpener.

I need to saw off the skull before I can reach the brain.

Then I tried to pry the pieces open.

I am trying to pick out the shrunken brain. I put it in ziplock bag for future use.

Then I cut the gut open so that I could get the lungs, heart, and liver.

My lab mate help to photograph me in action. Beside he was stress out because of his work so he decided watching me hacking a frozen cat would be a perfect way to unwind. :p

I can't do this.

I can't do this.

I can't performed the dissection of the frozen cats, rabbits and mouse deer (at least that is what my advisor told me of the content in the big black plastic bags)

Not because the only dissection I have done was on mice, not because I have no clue which part of the muscle to keep, not because I don't know is it possible to keep the frozen blood, not because the decomposing cats strangely smells like ripe mangoes.

But its because the animals was frozen solid.. and I can't cut through it. Also, when I am nervous I tend to sweat, and when one wears a spectacle while sweating the sweat gets into one's eye. Too add that problem, my specs kept fogging up from my own breath...

This is like CSI, but I am working on frozen carcasses.. Hmm this is like a pathologist work, which is basically studying the tissues after the organism death. Hmm.. forensic kinda of work you might say. A colleague of mine and my co advisor said forensic entomology is a good field to jump into because there not many of those in that qualification in Malaysia..

Hmm.. perhaps I am thinking too forward, let me get through cutting out this animals first...

Death in the face..

Trying to smile

A suprise inside

What is it?

A frozen rabbit.

I want to throw it away, but I can't right now :(

Pictures are worth a thousand words. Hmm well, that is a frozen rabbit, if I am not mistaken. This carcasses was not being well taken care of, so it started to decompose and smell rotten. I though I was safe and could throw it all away, but alas my advisor told me to save some of its tissues if I do intend to throw it away for good. I don't have any experience dissecting animals, I guess this is the way to learn right. The smell is horrendous and it sticks to your skin.. Welcome to my life..... This has to be the worst part of research other than facing the molecular genetic lecturer. Myself and molecular genetic do not mix well, I tend to freak out a bit too early and stall until its too late. I freak out a little bit when touching the carcasses. Hmm how to do forensic if I can't handle dead animals, maybe I should take a peak at the anatomy class and see the dead bodies (cadavers) they bring in.

Paste and Altered

Finally I got a chance to wear these shoes. They are a bit too formal to wear during my normal days, but to go on my co supervisor behalf is all the reason I need to wear them. Beside, fungus began to grow on the leather surface O_o


This what a poster supposed to look like. All coloured and graphical on a A1 size paper. Its not so expensive since it cost about RM 60 per poster.

I got stuck doing the A4 laminated size T_T, with small fonts. I felt very self conscious (It does not help that before I crop this picture, I look like a Nokia "sabun", since my slacks were so baggy at the thigh.. I am getting these slacks altered as we speak so that it actually fits my body instead of hanging on it for dear life)

However, my lab technologist said, not to worry because there will be other professor who will be doing the same thing :p. LOL, I guess its not so bad after all.

Parasite Lab Lunch

Dr Malina, my medical helminthology lecturer treated all of us at parasite lab to lunch. Our other staff that is furthering his study in the UK. Mr Roslaini (soon to be Dr Roslaini) is going back to the UK after a few weeks in Malaysia

From the furthest person, Mr Ros talking, Dr Ngah listening, Kak Hanim nodding.

Prof Wan, my supervisor, Dr Malina, Kak Ruhil's and Zouk's supervisor, and Dr Rukman, Rai's supervisor.

Sorry Rai, you were in front on the light, I can't get a clearer picture of you.

Forget my fake smile, I am just really hungry... :p

Zouk's is just plain blur, he just enrolled for masters even though he has been an RA for 6 months. Welcome to the post grad club.. muehehehe.. :D

More stories. .. I paid no attention.. still hungry :D

Finally makan!!!. This is kampung fried chicken. It can also mean free range chicken raised without antibiotics and can also be fed organically.

Jantung pisang and paku pakis... in english... err Banana heart and nails... :D. (the brown one is part of a banana tree that is shaped like a heart and is red when not cooked, the green one is just leafy vegetable)

Tom Yum..

Forgotten to take picture of the Gulai Kawah (curry cooked kampung style). Thank you Dr Malina for this wonderful lunch.. Next.. Prof Wan's is treating us all lunch :D

Low

I did not want to wake up today, I really don't feel like it. This is probably the starting of a few lows in life for 2009. I did not want to go to lab, I am sick at looking at UPM compound. Sick of smelling the lab. I want to dig a hole and stay there (maybe find some new cestodes for Dr Malina). Its like arghh!... some things are not going the way I want it to be. Right now I am in a big fight between my many selves inside of me, each trying to steer my life. The rebel, the nerd, the hopeless romantic, the crazy, the devil's advocate, all just trying to control me. Well as I was tossing and turning in bed, I decided I have to get up. No matter what, I have to get up. Its almost over...

Things to do in the lab

The ill fated mice that was chosen for my weekly sacrifice. They must die, so I can live and the rest of human kind can benefit from this research.

We are like a family here, always helping out and working together for work or play. My lab technologist Kak Hanim and my lab mate Zouk is practicing to use the DSLR that our lab bought. Its better for us all to understand how to use it so that if the time comes for us to take really good photographs of our research, we would know how.

Kak Yaya, another lab mate who works at the lab next door, hiding behind a box of Eppendoff pipettes. She is a regular visitor in our lab to borrow stuff or just to hang out.

Another successful serum collection. This is only the second time I gotten a serum with out any blood cells lysed.

Sometimes boredom in the lab slowly kills you, and there is nothing like a really good emotion filled yawn complete with the ugly face. No need to cover, no need to be polite. Its the best yawn ever :p

I did not noticed that I dressed up in a camouflage to blend in with my room. I am currently more particular with clothes now. I find items that fits instead of being baggy and tent like. I use to take like 30 seconds to wear something when I got to class or going out. Now it takes at least half an hour, which sometime includes a change of clothes if it does not feel or looked good. Gosh now I am even particular about the socks and underwear I have on. Everything must be perfect. I am this close of ironing all the jeans and collared T shirt that I am planning to wear. All of you may wonder why the sudden change. I guess I got tired of being the selekeh (unkept) one in the family. My youngest sister and I are the ones who are unkept among our siblings. I just don't like to dress up, but after constant nagging and how my sister laughed when I said my budget to buy raya clothes was RM 100. Well they just created a monster and this monster is planning to buy more shoes to add to his wardrobe collection.

Tear My Heart Open

One does one do, when one's P. berghei mice dies before he could get their blood. Why he has to cut them open and cut out the heart.

Add into saline water and then mush the heart until the saline turns all red. He then hopes there is still some trophozoites left in the red blood cells to infect new batch of mice.

4 days of pleasure or pain..

These past 4 days (Sunday to Thursday) was full so many activities from morning till night. I meant to upload it but I just could not stay awake :D. So as usual, these lazy days require only pictures and a little caption for all to enjoy :)

The picture above was stolen from Abg Bears site. My wondrous week started with an invitation to join a dinner at Williams, Danial Ma's first visit here. It was the first time I tasted the dish abg bear loved which was the Pastra Arabiata Seafood special. He said it did not taste as good as before, but for me it was really nice :)

Monday was my friend's Zuk, convocation. My lab friend decided to take pictures with him and give him flowers to congratulate him for being able to graduate and further his masters.

Zuk's dad on his right, his girlfriend on his side and his mother on his left. All of them looked very cute with their Maroon outfit :).

After my friend's convo, it was time to take a visit to the animal house and check on the animals. There I met, a good friend I knew since my diploma years at Arau, which is Ana. She is doing an experiment with Dragon fruit, so she is testing the fruit on rats. Ana has to force feed the rats so that they will consume a controlled amount of the fruit.

See, they are okay, if you know how to handle them :)

On the same day also, I happened to stumble upon a chat friend, Kuzid.. His older brother had his convocation too on the same day. We managed to bump each other during lunch at a restaurant nearby. We made plans and met up for drinks at night.

He is a a cat owner too. Kuzid's friend named this cat Kuzid also :D. Its an America short hair according to them :) judging by the size and pattern on the fur

This picture was stolen from Hamdi's facebook account. What are we doing?

We were having a birthday dinner for a local blogger and friend, Saharil Conteng on Tuesday.

The birthday boy was bullied for little bit by the sporting staff of TGIF.

After the meal we headed to Coffee Bean for some hot drinks.

I very rarely stepped into coffee bean and tea leaf. I wanted some tea so I chose Moroccan mint. It was the perfect choice since the medium strength tea and cool peppermint was soothing for my full stomach :).

On Wendesday, I accompanied my mother to the Jusco Sale. Can you imagine, we arrive at 9 am. The parking lot was already full..

So we had to park at an empty land beside Jusco Cheras Selatan.

The congestion continue on inside the store, since people were lining up to by really cheap stuff. Dynamo 5 liter was 10 ringgit cheaper than usual.

Soo many people :(

Even existing the mall was quite the hassle. I had to drive into the mall parking to pick up my mother because we had so much stuff.

My back seat was full with all the stuff my mother bought.

At least there were the guards to take control of the traffic.

On Wednesday I went to see a movie with a friend.

We bought the premier tickets. This is the first time I set foot in these type of cinema. They have couple seats for couples to sit and snuggle. Very comfortable.

The place we went to, was called GSC signature at The Gardens midvalley

I forgotten to take my laptop along, only after 45 minutes into the movie I realised the horrible mistake I made. At least the laptop was safe. I saw Max Payne and thought the movie sucked. Its a movie based on a video games. Since I know the video game, I can't helped to biased against this movie.

Today on Thursday, I finally went ahead to do my SDS PAGE electrophoresis.

This the first tiem I am doing this, and I was kinda of nervous

Hopefully it will work..

Please work :(