Handle Like Eggs

One of my labmates received a parcel today from Sydney, containing some chemicals in glass containers.
Instead of the usual bright-orange 'Fragile' sign on the box, there was a bright-yellow sticker that said :

'HANDLE LIKE EGGS'.

Was so amused by it, that we tore it off to keep. It's now sitting above my desk, an egg-xample of Australian creativity.
Yes, the inane little things we do to amuse ourselves...That's life in the labs for you... :)

Graduation quirks

Although it's the uni holidays now, the carpark is still crammed full of vehicles, the uni cafeteria is filled with queues of people, and almost everyone around is wearing a formal suit or dress. No, they're not super-hardworking students... they're enthusiastic graduands. Yes, it's graduation week again :)

It's that time of the year, when the uni is filled with bright, starry-eyed former students, celebrating (or mourning) their last day at the uni. Quite the opposite of the scene during exams ;) . Some, like myself, look forward to further studies, while some bravely explore the new world of work and industry. Whatever the future each has planned for themselves, everyone comes together on that one special day, sharing in the joy and pride of knowing that they've survived yet another challenge in their life, revelling in the thrill of standing up on stage, being recognised for their achievement, and enjoying their chance to shake the Chancellor's hand.

Luckily for me, Flinders holds 2 convocations each year, one in December (for the international students), and one in April (for local students). I had my convocation in December last year, which was good, as my family could come over during the Christmas break to attend it. Also, I could now afford the "luxury" of enjoying myself and relaxing while all my other batch-mates ran around frantically (and excitedly) yesterday, the day of their convocation. And it was a good excuse for me to take a break from my experiments anyway... *grin*

Someone actually proposed on stage at yesterday's ceremony :) One of the graduands walked up on stage to receive her roll, and at that very moment, her boyfriend stepped onto the stage with a HUGE bouquet of roses, bent down on one knee, and proposed to her. She accepted, they kissed, and walked off the stage together. The MC was rather surprised, and said : "Well, over here at Flinders, we do things a little differently..." :) The whole audience murmurred "Awwww..." and some of the girls nudged one another and whispered that their boyfriends should have done the same. A few of us were just chatting after that : imagine what it would have been like if she'd said 'no', and honestly, and she might have felt a little obliged to say 'yes', especially when they were up on stage in front of so many people. The gesture was sweet, but it was very cliched and soap- opera-like. There were probably better or more appropriate times for such 'grand' gestures... and he was wearing trackpants and a shirt... it may have been better if he'd been wearing a suit... but still, I guess the gesture was sweet.

Apparently, the whole drama was reported in today's paper. Shall try to get a copy of it later, after I finish my work in the lab. Why didn't anything interesting like that happen at my graduation ceremony? The only 'eventful' bit occurred when the speaker mispronounced one of the graduand's names, which ended up sounding like 'Mahjong Master'. Our family had a bit of a laugh about it after the ceremony, but that was about the most exciting bit in the ceremony. That, and me getting up on stage to receive my roll ... and I was first to go up too, which was quite cool :) .

Another good thing about graduation is the celebration that follows. I've just returned from two 'celebration teas', and two rounds of cake. Mmmm... *pats stomach* :) Celebrated Su Hui's arrival and graduation, then ran back to the lab to celebrate my batch's graduation. I think all the sugar is starting to kick in, so please forgive me if I don't make any sense :)

Hmm... Seems like almost everyone else has had an early day and gone home, mostly after we had the cake. Maybe I'll do the same, it's only 10 minutes to 5pm anyway. Then I can grab the newspapers and read about the graduation all over again... :)

Update

Yes, I've returned to Adelaide, and am currently in the process of figuring out the direction that my new PhD project should take (which depends on which of the preliminary experiments I carry out actually work).
Not many things have changed since last year, I'm still living in the same place, using the same phone number, same phone, working under the same supervisor, in the same lab... But some things have changed too. Most of my friends have graduated and gone home or overseas to work, and the close group of buddies I used to hang out with at uni have all gone back to their different home countries. I've also met and gotten to know groups of new first-year uni 'fresh-ies'. Although we still keep in touch, I miss my friends and the times we shared, but we all have to move on, and I hope for the best for them. Things are still the same, and yet they're different.
It's strange. I've gone through 4 years of shuttling between Singapore and Adelaide. After returning to Adelaide from my visit back home in Singapore, the transition back to life in Adelaide gets easier and quicker each year... but each year, the feeling of homesickness kicks in much faster after I arrive in Adelaide. Now, just 2 months after starting experiments, I'm already looking forward to the day that I can graduate and return home (which could be between 3 to 5 years from now...how am I going to last?!). Who knew? Back when I first arrived here 4 years ago, I'd never have expected myself be so eager to return home.
I guess it goes to show that people do change, and maybe leopards can change their spots after all... :)

But one thing hasn't seemed to change... I still need more sleep...

I'm Baaaaack... :)

The last entry was written early in March... and it's now nearing the end of April...
My apologies, I know that it's been more than a month since I've entered anything. Time has just been flying by, the days are getting shorter, and I'm getting busier (and lazier... :) now that winter is approaching.
Hit a period of 'writers block' for a while. Although quite a number of things have been happening, all my thoughts have centered around the people I know (and who would also probably be reading this blog), so most of those thoughts have been written down in a private journal instead. I don't want this blog to turn into a breeding ground for gossip or rumours, or for others to misunderstand my ponderings...
Also didn't want my blog to turn into one of those 'dear diary' sites (e.g. : Dear diary, today I dragged myself out of bed, hiked to the lab, did a few experiments, came home, read some journal papers, wrote down a few thoughts, and went to bed). Although that pretty much summarises a typical day, and would definitely fill up my blogging space, I'll spare myself and the readers from having to go through such inane and boring stuff.
So where do we go from here?
Only time will tell (haha, I hate those lines, but couldn't help putting them in... :)

A defininte sign that I need more sleep...