Earthquake Lounge

Blogger, why did you have to change the layout? Why?

Whinge finished. I'm sitting in a departure lounge in Kansai Airport. Every now and then an aeroplane lands, and the whole place shakes. It's like there's an earthquake every five minutes.

I've been in Japan for the past two weeks, first for a conference and then a short holiday. Japan is an interesting country. It's true, when they say that Japanese are extremely polite. It's not just the bowing and the greetings, but also the extreme care everyone takes to keep public spaces clean, and to keep services as efficient as possible.

I also understand why so many expatriates, in spite of living in Japan for some time, are unable to speak the language fluently. It is so easy to get by without understanding Japanese, because almost everyone is willing to accommodate a helpless foreigner. (Although I did learn to read katakana and hiragana before coming here - I didn't fancy being completely helpless!)

I loved the regions in the Kansai region I visited, especially Kyoto. I wish I had spent more time there. Tokyo wasn't bad, but I found I preferred the areas which had an old-fashioned feel, such Asakusa and the Imperial Palace gardens, rather than modern districts like Shibuya, Ginza and Akihabara. Maybe I just like temples and nature. Less than a day into my stay in Kyoto and it already felt like home.

I did get to see Mt. Fuji with my own eyes (and camera), and felt all the more privileged when I was later told that it is hard to see the mountain at this time of the year, since it tends to be covered up by clouds. I did indeed see Mt. Fuji covered up by clouds later in the day - it completely disappears from view. Amazing that such a large mountain can vanish just like that .

Anyway, photos may be forthcoming at some point. For now, I'll enjoy this shaking room.

Jetsettin'

Flying off to a country where you can't even speak the language has to be the craziest, most daring thing you could ever do. It's already been a huge adventure, and we haven't even left yet. (Ahh, visas, will there ever come a time when I won't hate you...?)

Oh, I don't think anything bad will happen, per se. It's just going to be something I've flat-out never done before, because I like to plan everything out, and there are just some things you can't plan sometimes.

Hmm, I haven't really said anything clear, have I? Forgive me, but my mind is in a strange place.

(Lazy) Recipe: Cream of Whatever Soup

My father likes to make something he calls "Stone Soup." Much like the story, it consists of "whatever we found in our refrigerator/storeroom". (Unless it's largely potatoes, then it's Irish Stew.) Although he did take exception once when I poured in a quarter-cupful of grated parmesan.

Anyway, this recipe is largely to get rid of sour cream leftover from making other stuff, since I hate it and never know how to deal with it. Also, this should show you what kind of ingredients I routinely keep in my kitchen.

Cream of Whatever Soup
I made this up myself.

Ingredients
1 potato
1 small onion, chopped
Chicken, bacon or any other meat, cut into small pieces
Broccoli or cauliflower (or both), cut into small florets
1/2 cup hot water
Chicken stock cube
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cornflakes

Prick the potato with a fork. Place on a plate, cover with a sheet of paper towel and microwave on medium-high for 5 minutes. Turn over and microwave on medium-low for another five minutes. Allow to cool, then peel and mash.

In a medium saucepan, heat up a little oil or butter over moderate heat. Fry onions until lightly browned. Add meat and fry until just cooked, about five to ten minutes. Lower heat and add potato mash and vegetables. Stir around for a bit for about two minutes.

Separately, dissolve the stock cube in the hot water. Mix in the sour cream. Pour mixture into the saucepan. Add mustard powder, chilli powder, salt and pepper; cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 min, or until the vegetables are soft. Stir occasionally.

Take soup off the heat. Crush the cornflakes with the back of a spoon and sprinkle on top. Serve warm.

Western Blot (The Movie)

Haha oh my goodness.



Gilsons are indeed the workhorse pipette. Not as comfortable as an Eppendorf or as simple as a Finnpipette, but they're rugged and they get the job done. Just what a mercenary needs. (Incidentally, the multichannel shown in the video was a Finnpipette F2.)

I also just noticed the dry ice on the floor, for dramatic effect when Vitto steps into the lab. These chaps sure were having fun!

May 25

It's slightly odd to be talking about this now, but anyway - the local newspaper used to have a feature, on the same page with the horoscopes - about which famous person you shared a birthday with. And every year, I got Mike Myers. It was very irritating - I wasn't overly fond of Mr Myers's brand of humour, so it wasn't something I'd brag about.

But now we have Wikipedia, and its tendency to make lists of everything, and so I find that the writers of that newspaper feature simply lacked imagination. From the May 25 page, a selection of the cool people with birthdays on that date:

• Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton - he of "the pen is mightier than the sword", and the infamous "it was a dark and stormy night" opening line which inspired two contests.
• Igor Sikorsky - pioneer of the modern helicopter.
• Sir Ian McKellen - famous actor how can you not have heard of him.
• Frank Oz - the puppeteer who plays Miss Piggy (and other characters) on The Muppet Show.
• Stan Sakai - creator of Usagi Yojimbo.
• Frank Klepacki - I admit I jumped when I saw this, because he composed several tracks for the Command & Conquer series of video games, including Hell March 2.

Also, May 25 is Geek Pride Day, because in 1977, that was the day the (real) first Star Wars film was released. Take that, newspaper section written by an underpaid journalist!

Baked Beans

I used to love baked beans when I was very young, and then, for some reason, I started to hate them. I couldn't stand it when I ordered something from the Western food stall at school, and there were baked beans on the plate. They were yucky and watery and... ugh!

Fast forward to now, 24 year old me watching old episodes of QI (a fantastic show, go watch it). In one episode, permanent panelist Alan Davies asked, somewhat randomly, "Why can't other bean manufacturers make their beans taste like Heinz beans?" While not meant as an advertisement, it did have the effect that the next time I was in a supermarket, I went out of my way to include a can of Heinz baked beans in my shopping. And you know what?

Heinz baked beans are bloody delicious.

(MLIA)

And Sometimes, Dispassionately...

...they had to weed.

I remember preparing for my confirmation of candidature. I remember the sheer terror, that when you come into the room after the panel has convened, they'll tell you that you're not up to scratch. It doesn't matter that most students do get confirmed. You're always thinking you'll be the one who doesn't.

I remembered this today, sitting on the panel for another student, as the panel chair calmly informed her that she would not be confirmed.

The panel chair explained it to her, explained why, explained that the panel would re-convene in a few months and make a second decision, based on any further progress she had made. But looking at her face, I knew she hadn't heard a word after he had stated the panel's decision.

Confirmation of candidature happens after the student's first year. It's an assessment of whether a student appears to be able to handle another two or three years of a PhD course. Stopping someone from wasting a lot of effort on something they can't handle is a kindness, really. And if the title of Doctor is to mean something, it can only go to those who deserve it.

Not that it makes dropping the axe any easier.