Returnees Night

Yesterday marked the end of the uni semester, and our final Flinders OCF meeting of the year --- the long - awaited Returnees Night ... A time of celebration for the year that passed, a time of reminiscence and nostalgia, and a time of commissioning the returnees (graduates) as they prepared to return to their home countries.

There were smiles and laughter as we watched a slideshow featuring pictures of the returnees, prepared by li'l Esther, which brought back treasured memories for many of us.
(And speaking of photos, due to unforeseen circumstances, I am now in possession of a camera but without a memory card... Will have to do without photos for now, although I did feel slightly handicapped without a camera in my hand that day :)

Many of them shared their experiences and lessons learnt during their stay in Adelaide, giving pearls of wisdom, and speaking words of encouragement.
Vanessa then spoke and expounded on Micah 6 : 8 (another of my life verses :) , and it was eye-opening to see so many more aspects to it ...

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6 : 8

May we do our best to live by these principles... not just the returnees, but all the rest of us too...

So, we celebrate the closing of this chapter, and the opening of an exciting new chapter in their lives. They'll be missed very much :) but no matter where they go, and no matter where they'll be, we can also find joy in knowing that we will always be held close by a bond that transcends all things ...


Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

Before our Father's throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other's woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

This glorious hope revives
Our courage by the way;
While each in expectation lives,
And longs to see the day.

From sorrow, toil and pain,
And sin, we shall be free,
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.


' Blest Be The Tie That Binds ' - John Fawcett



May each and every one of us live out the purposes and calling that God has for our lives...

Feeding Trial Harvest 2

First, it was 75 zebrafish. Now, it's 120 yellowtail kingfish...

Feeding trial #2 :

Went out to Sardi yesterday to harvest 120 yellowtail kingfish, which we'd been feeding different diets and antioxidants for 3 months...

Mel, Alex, Jeff, and I, before the butchering... I mean... filleting began

12 tanks, with 10 yellowtail kingfish per tank

Couldn't take any pictures while we were filleting and gutting the fish, because our hands were just too slimy and bloody. Weighed, bagged, and tagged the fillets and livers from each fish, and tried to finish the whole process quickly, before we moved on to scrubbing and cleaning out the tanks. You'd be amazed how much poo the fish can produce... :) Eeewww...

The whole process took about 6 hours altogether. Thank goodness there were 4 of us doing it, otherwise who knows how long we would've taken if there had been fewer people to help :P

The end product : 120 left fillets for biochemical analyses at 4 degrees celsius.
Livers and remaining fillets stored at - 80 degrees for more lipid and antioxidant analyses.

All of us smelled of fish at the end of the day, and Kathy had so much practice with filleting and gutting the fish, that she wanted to take up fishing (to fillet and gut more fish...). I think I know some people who could help teach her to fish, just that they're not here at the moment ;)

Went home with a strange desire to have fish for dinner that night.

Sashimi, anyone? :)

Lupe's Bridal Shower

Shared a fun all-girls' night together at Lupe's surprise bridal shower yesterday. A few of us chipped in to buy her a make-over and some lingerie before the celebration, and Lupe didn't suspect a thing... even during the make-over! So it was a good surprise for her :)

Rowshni admiring the finger food, while Priya, Toni, and Yamini helped themselves to the drinks

Kate and Michelle whispering while Lupe opened her first present

Lupe's excitement over the second pressie :)

Showcasing Lupe's gifts... Yamini, Vicky, Toni, Lupe, Jeannie, Suria, and Ting

Our picture with the Bride-to-Be ... Me, Lupe, Suria, and Emi

Everyone was so relaxed and chatty last night, it didn't feel like we were in the midst of the exam period :) We talked, teased, laughed, ate, viewed her wedding dress, and it seemed like no one wanted the night to end. However, most of us reluctantly made our way back after a few peals of lightning and thunder... we didn't want to be caught out in the middle of a thunderstorm at night. Had a really enjoyable time, and heard that poor Lupe couldn't sleep last night from all the excitement after the party :)

~~~

Celebrated Frances and David's engagement party last month too, but couldn't post the photos, since Blogger was playing up and wouldn't let me upload any pictures. A couple of us gave them a surprise party at Charlie's Diner (after luring them to Brighton beach), then returned home to continue the celebration with a cake and some drinks.

The Golden couple cutting their 'Engagement Cake' (which had a pair of rubber duckies that flashed coloured lights :)

~~~

Many congrats too, to dear friends who have gotten engaged, and/or are getting married this year or next year :) How exciting! And I'm eagerly awaiting announcements from more friends :)

" The three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. " - 1 Corinthians 13 : 13

Finished TA-ing for this Year

It's Swot Vac (study week), and suddenly, the hallways and tutorial rooms are filled... not with chatter or scurrying students, but with something different : a still sort of silence.

Practical classes have ended, and I've finished all my TA teaching and marking for the year (yes! no more marking! :) Came across an amusing answer in one of the final 1st year Biology prac reports :


Qn : How would you determine if a blood sample is compatible to transfuse from one individual to another in an emergency situation, if blood typing serum is not available?

Student's answer : You get blood from both people and mix it (in a container, not in the person!), and see if the blood agglutinates (clumps).

I paused, grinned, and gave him the mark :)


Last week, after the final prac, one of the students came over and gave me a huge bear-hug (she's taller than me) Which then turned into several bear-hugs from the other girls around me :)

I'm going to miss demonstrating for the prac classes. *Wistful sigh*

But at least it means I don't have anymore marking for the rest of the year (Yes! :)

And I can now concentrate fully on completing my experiments for this year...

before I go home :)