So yet again I am making preparations to leave the land of the long white cloud. I have the UK visa (also known as "The very expensive sticker" in my passport. I have my tickets booked - Wellington to Napier. Spend a couple of weeks with peeps I love. Then on October 15th Napier - Auckland and then Auckland to Heathrow via Hong Kong.
I like flying via Hong Kong it's generally shorter and you can get out and walk about the massive complex that is Hong Kong International. Compared to LAX it's heaven. Although I must say Singapore-Changai was really nice but AirNZ (who were cheapest) doesnt fly through Singapore on the way to London. Am excited must say. Just organising little things now such as getting a new drivers license and possibly organising a little care package for me to be posted before I leave NZ but in time to be back in time for the postie to deliver it to me. Have been looking at jobs in the UK and writing apps - Yay - hope the job is forthcoming quickly!
And of course I have made a list of books that may accompany me on the plane :D at the moment it is only two: The Passage and Americans in Paris.
It was freezing last night and its colder than cold tonight brrrr! But warm on the inside cause my UK visa came through - hallelujah and thank the baby jesus! Not necessarily well planned my timing as I will be enjoying three winters this year, but with double glazing and a hefty set of thermals I sense no real problems ahead. Ewww and highly likely I will get a paper out of six months of work - which works for moi - Im liking that.
Have been reading a lot lately - I found out that around 15 books is the max my brain can tolerate in a two week period before I need a break. Good to know my limits - will review them later.
I'm quoting Eminem - nice! It has been grey, rainy and gloomy lately. Not surprising really it's winter in the deep dark heart of the southern hemisphere. Today was lovely though - blue, blue sky, but so cold if you came too close your eyes would be in danger. Snow on the hills was the spectacular reason for the very low temperature last night. So what does one do when it's cold and rainy and you have no car and the bus service to your suburb doesn't run on Sunday and public holidays? You read lots of books, listen to music and watch fun movies.
La faute a Fidel! (Blame it on Fidel!)
A lovely wee movie by Julie Gavras about the upheaval a young girl goes through when her thoroughly bourgeois parents decide to take a step sideways and become far more proactive in left leaning humanitarian causes such as abortion in France and advocating for Chilean activists. It's a really cool look into 1970's French society and social change from a child's perspective. It is also a look at how parental choices affect children, no matter how well meaning they are. I really liked the conversation about how group solidarity was different to be a sheeple.
I would say watch it! It is in French with subtitles in English.
Lungs - Florence and the Machine (2009)
I love Florence's voice. I love strong interesting female vocalists and Florence is definitely one of them. I have to say Dog Days Are Over is my favourite song - that and Rabbit Heart (Raise it up). I also quite liked Hurricane Drunk. There is a very modified 80's feel going on in this album. I keep thinking I can hear Talking Heads in Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up). I like the harp in the background and the fact that she can sing is a definite plus. Nice to have a boogie and chill out music on the same album.
We saw her live on Jules Holland's New Year's Hootenany and frankly it rocked - this album was a birthday present for my 30 mumblemumble birthday - thank you darling man!
As an aside I-tunes has flung up Fly My Pretties and Fur Patrol - I think I need to have a chillax music night me thinks.
Now I like her - I like that she writes her own lyrics and music and I like her crusty rusty voice. It is a plus she is good looking and hails from New Zealand. She does get a bit thrashed on the radio but Im okay with that cause when Im in the lab doing monotonous stuff singing helps drive away the lab bench blues :D. Her songs have strong beats and they are very catchy songs that worm their way into your head such that you find yourself singing away to them all day. I really like Oh My and Too late for Lovers. She's funky and kinda hot - it will be interesting to see how she develops as a musician. Her earliest offering Hallelujah was good and I think she's brewing like a nice nana tea.
The live video isn't that flash, you can find another better version here. She wrote the song when she was 16 - I couldn't write my name at that age :D.
In the world of Wideacre (the first of a trilogy), it pretty much sucks to be a woman, with no real rights to anything in 18th century England. Beatrice Lacey loves her bit of land farmed by her semi gentry father - he takes her everywhere teaching her the lay of the land and how to take care of it. Turns out she is good at it, but she's a bit of a sociopath who will do anything to control that land and see her children inherit that land. Anything includes murder (twice), attempted murder, fraud, incest, starvation of people on her land and lots of sex. Oh and she forces her husband to become alcoholic and steals his inheritance. It is not for the faint of heart and she isn't a particularly likeable character but it's a great to see a strong, dark character in the pages of a nicely, nicely author. It was a good tale, it got a bit phaffy at the end of the book, felt a bit rushed. I would possibly read it again. I think I have to read the rest of the trilogy now.
It started out as "Yes dear readers - your very absent blogger returns." AFRIKAANS : Ja liewe lesers - jou baie afwesig is teruggekeer het blogger.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes dear readers - your very absent returning blogger.
ALBANIAN : Po i dashur lexues - bloger shumë mungon tuaj kthyer.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes dear reader - the blogger much miss your turn.
ARABIC : نعم عزيزي القارئ -- المدون افتقد كثيرا دورك.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - the blogger much I miss your turn.
BELARUSIAN : Так, дарагі чытач - блогер я тугу ваша чаргу.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - I blogger anguish is your turn.
BULGARIAN : Да, драги читателю - аз блогър мъка е ваш ред.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - I blogger grief is your turn.
CATALAN : Sí, estimat lector - que pena blogger és el teu torn.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - it's your turn penalty blogger.
CHINESE : 是的，亲爱的读者 - 轮到你了刑罚的blogger。
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - it's your turn penalties blogger.
CHINESE_SIMPLIFIED : 是的，亲爱的读者 - 轮到你了处罚的blogger。
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - it's your turn punishment blogger.
CHINESE_TRADITIONAL : 是的，親愛的讀者 - 輪到你了處罰的blogger。
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - it's your turn punishment blogger.
CROATIAN : Da, dragi čitatelju - na redu si kazna bloger.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - it's your fine blogger.
CZECH : Ano, milý čtenáři - je to vaše pořádku blogger.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - it's your right blogger.
DANISH : Ja, kære læser - det er din ret blogger.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - it is your right blogger.
DUTCH : Ja, lieve lezer - het is uw recht blogger.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - it's your right blogger.
ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - it's your right blogger.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - it's your right blogger.
ESTONIAN : Jah, kallis lugeja - see on teie õigus blogger.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - it is your right to a blogger.
FILIPINO : Oo, mahal na mambabasa - ito ay ang iyong karapatan sa isang blogger.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear readers - it is your right to a blogger.
FINNISH : Kyllä, rakkaat lukijat - se on sinun oikeus blogger.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear readers - it is your right blogger.
FRENCH : Oui, chers lecteurs - c'est votre droit blogueur.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear readers - it's your right blogger.
GALICIAN : Si, caros lectores - que é dereito seu blogger.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, my dear readers - that's right your blogger.
GERMAN : Ja, meine lieben Leser - das ist richtig Ihrem Blogger.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, my dear readers - that's right your blogger.
GREEK : Ναι, αγαπητέ αναγνώστη - ότι είναι σωστός blogger σας.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - the blogger you are right.
HEBREW : כן, קורא יקר - בלוגר אתה צודק.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - a blogger you're right.
HINDI : हाँ, प्रिय पाठक - एक ब्लॉगर तुम सही हो.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - a blogger, you're right.
HUNGARIAN : Igen, kedves olvasó - egy blogger, igazad van.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - a blogger, you're right.
ICELANDIC : Já, kæri lesandi - a blogger, ert þú til hægri.
Back to ENGLISH : Yes, dear reader - a blogger, you are right.
If you are a microbiologist or evolutionary biologist don't read Virolution by Frank Ryan. It's pop science repetitive vomit. If you have had any sort of genetics learning it becomes very boring very quickly. Pity because I thought it would be good. Now Im not a great decryer of pop science - I just like well written science books that dont read like a massive ego boost on the authors behalf. For a really cool pop science book on microbiology read these books - I have read them and they are good. Yes I am a scientist - so you know they're good. The bold ones are written by author's I just could kiss - they are just that good.
10 Good popular science books (emphasis on the micro side)
The Coming Plague - Laurie Garrett (Awesome book - been out a while but still very, very good. It is on the long side but dont let that stop you very good book)
Parasite Rex- Carl Zimmer (one of my favourite pop sci books - really well written and the parasites are just cool)
Yes dear readers - your very absent blogger has returned. So what have I done since I last posted? Got married, promptly ran away to a faraway land, started a new work contract and moved house. Not much really. I have been reading - lots of science guff but also a few books as well.
Moral corruption, theft of bodily tissues and the multi-million dollar business that is of the world that is HeLa. HeLa cells are quite frankly God's gift to this world - they have enabled a very large amount of life saving science to proceed eg Polio vaccine, cancer research etc. None of it would have happened if Henrietta Lacks had not contracted the HPV virus which caused cervical cancer. The tumour grew wildly and spread throughout her body eventually killing her. The short and the long of it was that the doctor who first cultivated the cells took them from her pathology without patient permission or any sort of informed consent. He then proceeded to send the cells around the world for a fee. Did I mention this occurred at John Hopkins? It is a really, really interesting book about the life and death and immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks. Oh and the really slack, pass the buck culture that has occurred within the Science community at large and at John Hopkins and Invitrogen in particular.
Who doesnt love a bit of Zombie gore and biowarefare? I liked it - good for reading on a plane - which is what I did. It is all about our main character chasing, killing and generally blowing up the terrorists and their pet zombies. Not too hard out Im in a thinking mood kinda book - but we all need a blow em up book every now and then.
I like Tess Gerritsen. I like her slight fluff style of murder thriller novels. I liked this one too. It has nuns, blood and gore, and dirty secrets. Dr Isles and Detective Rizzoli on the case. Good for killing time.
Eww and I have been watching some movies and docos:
Compelling and disturbing is an accurate description of this documentary. It revolves around the San Francisco Bay Bridge and the people who are determined to jump off it. Literally the stood and filmed for a year people walking the bridge, some stopping, some jumping, some being hauled back over the bridge by worried citizens. They took note of the jumpers and then went and interviewed the relatives and friends of the jumpers. In one case it was a guy who stopped a female jumper, in another it was one of the jumpers who decided half way down he didn't want to die and changed his position on the way down, so instead of dying he just shattered most of the bones in his body. It was really weird watching these people walk across the bridge trying to pick the one who was going to jump - odd. It also worried me that they were waiting for these people to jump to film it and not doing anything to stop them - icky ethical issues. If you get the chance watch it.
Im a microbiologist - I inherently wanted to watch it. A space shuttle crashes bringing a type of alien virus with it and it spreads through blood or body fluid contact (loved the vomiting into coffee pots at a CDC conference). Enter Nicole Kidman, psychologist and her son (who by rare coincidence has had a type of chicken pox from which he almost died and so is now immune to the scary virus). The virus enters the human host and become symbiotic once the human enters REM sleep, they then start talking and feeling as one and talk about being harmonious because there is no Other - so no fighting or wars just everyone working together minus the emotions. The fight is to keep Nicole awake and her boy from his infected father. Fluff movie but I liked it.
