Jeff Dunham comedy

Yong introduced me a comedian few days ago, and I really feel funny watching his act.





Enjoy with these show.

Mentor and disciple spirit

Autumn wind is breezing and it turns cold and rainy more often. I have been in Melbourne a month, got everything I need to do my PhD, so I have no more lame excuses to be slack in my PhD progess. I kicked started my project, but still challenging my literature review with burning passion spirit like my supervisors and peers around me.....


Having passionate supervisors is really wonderful...... Maybe some of you guys are not agreeable with my statement, I still stand firm with my words, maybe it is also depend which aspect you view it.

My current Principle Investigator (PI) is Prof Tan Seong Seng, and the second one is Dr Jason Howitt. Both of them are really good supervisor and researchers and I am eager to learn from them as much as possible.














Prof Tan in his lab
(photo source: HFI webpage)













Dr Jason Howitt
(photo source:www.leadernews.com.au)

I attended many of the motivational seminar for successful people wannabe, collective data from those seminars show the factors which could lead you to be successful are:
1) To be hardworking
2) Keep learning
3) Environment
4) Peers
5) Mentor
6) Chance

The factors are not in order and each of these factors are equally important. But today I will just talk about the mentor factor.

Before I came to Melbourne, I have been introduced many time about this word: Mentor and disciple spirit. Much often, when I read Ikeda Sensei article, he always stress a lot of this Mentor and Disciple spirit, and how he and his mentor Toda Sensei strife together for world kosen-rufu and world peace. However, as much I wanted to understand what is the true meaning of this, I find myself don't feel much about this spirit before I came to Melbourne.

I doesn't give up with my quest for searching for the true meaning of Mentor and disciple relationship. And it is not something which has a standard definition and fit for everyone. After I come to Melbourne, this mentor and disciple spirit seem to show with my current situation
After reading only 2 volumes of "Human Revolution" which I brought to Melbourne, I always feel there are resemblance of how a disciple should work the utmost for the common goal for both the mentor and disciple. The spirit that I have been long searching, is actually reflected in my daily life. Maybe this is just another wonder reason for me to be in Melbourne, to understand my mission in life, in my career and in kosen-rufu.

The more I read Ikeda Sensei's guidance, I am really touched by how his fighting spirit from his early days even now, it flaming passion it still on. I shall also pledge to work hard for my scientific career mentor and also my kosen-rufu mentor.

I have learn a quote from Ikeda sensei's, which I used it for the M16 performance couple of week ago.
"True character is forged only through hardship and suffering. Moreover, it is the mentor disciple relationship, not organizational structure that builds character. Many scholars, pioneer and leaders of the world have come to know how crucial this mentor and disciple relationship is"

I guess I am fortunate enough to be able to strife harder every day with my mentor, seeking the fighting spirit to challenge every task and build my character as a youth.

A letter to my little brother Ley Yeow

Yo Bro,

Loosen up a bit, dont let those kind of dissapointment feeling affect your emotion.

Even though your situation is not as good as you expected, yet the main reason for you to be not really happy in your situation or in your life in within your heart. It is the way you think which make a decision whether you want to be happy or not.

Many people think that, well, I had paid my school fees, why didn't I get these, why the lecturer is like that, why everyone get all the lecturer notes and I dont have it etc etc etc......

To be happy, is not only though chanting, no doubt chanting is the first step, but after chanting, you need to also transform the way you think. For example, you learn how to appreciate things the best way no matter what. Make it your best moment in your life although it is not in your favour.

Nichiren Daishonin say in his writting in Happiness in This World: Suffer what you have to suffer, and enjoy what you have to enjoy. There is no other true happiness than chanting Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo. Because when you chant, you will understand that you are creating happiness or creating sadness. You are the cause, but not the environment which cause you the sadness. When you are creating good cause and good mindset, then you will feel happy no matter what situation it is. It is not a fantasy escape mindset which people created to escape their problem. But Nichiren Daishonin buddism is teaching us to be happy and face our challenges with full of courage and fighting spirit,

When you chant, you also have to set your mind set and telling yourself that you are truely bless in many ways, and reciprocate and bless the people around you to be happy. It is not possible to be happy when people around you is sad. So maybe you try to chant for the happiness of people that you love, then more importantly, you MUST chant for the people that give you the most trouble. They give you trouble is because they are not happy in the first place, then only they give out on you.

Secondly, you must also chant for the courage to face your challenges in your study. Mom told me that you face a lot of challenges which you feel like helpless in many ways and also feel like going over to India to study. Well, I guess you have to ask yourself what is the reason you want to study dentistry. Think of the mission that you first started to do your dentistry. You studyin this course because you have a wonderful mssion in this field, and you are going to help other with their dental problem. So are you going to defeat by your challenges and forget about your great mission?

Please chant for your success, chant for your courage, chant for your faith to grow and chant for your happiness.

I would like to share this quote by Ikeda Sensei:

"There is a saying that the earth upon which we fall is the same ground which enables us to push ourselves up again. There's another which maintains that barley grows better after it has been trampled on. Human relationships are sometimes painful, but there is no such pain from which we cannot recover. It is up to us to decide to live a life free from self-doubt and despair in spite of our failures. Indeed, it is during our most humbling moments that we should show greatest poise and grace. Then the dignity of our lives will truly shine"

There is no reason for you to be sad while facing challenges. Sometime we win and sometime we lose, but never the less, we shall never feel defeated, because we will be standing up again in no time. Remember Ikeda Sensei's guidance and use it in your daily life

Speed master challange!!!!

I remember about 10 years ago, when the so-called the latest technology was introduced to handphone - the SMS (short message service), it was such a WOO HAA during those days. Many great new breeds of warriors was born. And these warriors specialized in SMS with their infamous speed.

And I also remember MAXIS was so eager to have these SMS speed masters challenge. Because the more you send the SMS, they will sure untung (n. malay, profit) more la. I wonder why I don't see any of these challenge anymore. Maybe things are pretty different those days, as people are so bored and tired with their non-coloured screen and mono-function handphone, and their only entertainment is SMS, play snake and also miss call.

Well, I decided to hold a Speed Master Challenge to resurrect our dream 10 years ago..

This is the Speed Master Challenge - Keyboard Special Edition.

60 words

Speedtest

Oh.... I am such a lame typist...

To enter this challenge, please click HERE

Please tell your friends to have this challenge. and post back what is your typing speed in the comment box.

This challenge will last for 2 week (until 8/4/2008).

Gambate to all my friends with this challenge haha!!!

Easter Party.... + Birthday Party + Welcome Party

Easter holiday, and Melbourne city is quiet, my lab is quiet, even my hostel is quiet. While it remains quiet, I enjoy the quietness and I can take my own sweet time in the lab and in the hostel resting and doing my labwork.

However, the hostel cafe is not serving any dinner, so on Friday (21/3/2008) I decided to call my friend out for dinner together. Kien Yew, he is my CHKL brother. We used to study in 5S3. I still can't forget the good memories that our class have during that year. Nostalgic image keep entering my mind....

Kien Yew he is a nice guy, and you could feel how sincere he is when you talk to him. And he has a pair a good looking eyes. haha... Don't worry mom, I am still straight....

At first we wanted to go somewhere to eat, but ended up he invited me to his house and have home cook dinner with him, his sister, sister's bf (Ah Lo) and their friend (Han Guang).

Kien Yew told me that after 5 years staying in Melbourne, everyone can cook. And I shall let you see how serious is he when he is cooking.






















































Man at work.... Do Not Disturb!!!!! haha...


After that dinner, he even invited me for a second treat which was yesterday (22/3/2008) for his home BBQ party. That event for to celebrate Han Guang's birthday, which was 3 days ago, then also welcome Ah Lo, the fun guy for his arrival to Kien Yew Place for a short visit and also to have easter break party..... The event was fun, and seriously, it was the 2nd most highly interactive session with so many Malaysian in Melbourne (1st highly interactive was during the JPA meeting in the city)

So these are some of the photo with them.














Ah Lo and Kiew You having a dart shooting competition for a sip of whisky.




















And Ah Lo won.

















Mah Jong Session for the girls. The girl in white T-shirt is Kien Yew's sister Pei Lu.
















Hang Guang and Ah Lo are good buddies.































I really appreciate I was invited by Kien Yew. Thank you brother!

P/S: I left my handphone in you car also... pai seh la haha

Lab pigs....

For such a long time, I wanted to write something about my lab. But I didn't really have the time to take photo. Today is Easter holiday and my lab will be having break from today onward until Tuesday. Since I am a kiam siap guy, and I don't really want to spend to have a vacation to Great Ocean Road or Philip Island, I am contented to stay in my hostel and do some lab work.

I wanted to call myself a Lab Rat, but I don't think that it suits me..... So I will call myself a Lab Pig. Haha... Born in the year of Pig.

Today, I brought my camera along to capture some bacteria plate picture, and finally have a chance to take some nice photo about my lab. hehe.. it is a wonderful lab, and I enjoy working in this lab.
















I shall start with this building. This is the Alan Gilbert Building. My lab is not in this building, but some of the administrators and professors are sitting in this building. The Centre of Neuroscience is in this building as well. I have to come to this building once a week to have combined lab meeting. It is fun and very useful to listen the progress every week.

Then now I shall show you another building, which is the lab building. The institute name is Howard Florey Institute. It is named after Sir Howard Florey, who was the Nobel Prize Laureate for his contribution of spreading the research and development of penicillin. Aussies text book will say he is the person who discovered of penicillin, well, I would suggest otherwise that he is just the one discovered ways of using penicillin hehe.






























To enter this building, I have to use a passcard. It is quite easy to use and very convenient. However, there are times where I forgot the bring my passcard, and it really is a pain to get into this building during those time.















My lab is quite big area, and more often, it is like a war zone for us to work. However, today no one is working, then I manage to sneak in and take some nice photo to show you guy, without my peers hehe.









































































Yeah, this is my lab space.. I quickly tidy it so that it looks neat. But Eng Tat will sure laugh and tell you guys that my working habit is totally not neat at all. I work in random and inspirationally guided. If I think of some experiment that I want to tryout, immediately I will start preparing my work. Haha, messy bench is a good place to start because I can find almost everything that i need on my bench.


















Here I am with my sterile gown preparing for my cell culture procedure.















And my lovely office space for me to do some literature search and writting. Haha, but most of the time I am just browsing the internet without doing much.

M16 Musical Performance

Last Sunday, Yarra Yarra Region Youth Member had mark a victorious performance, whereby we did our best in performing the musical dance.



Since I am glad that I am one of the performers, which contribute to this performance.

I wanted to edit this video on Sunday night, but then I only realized that my notebook is not able to edit the video due to lack of performance. Anyway, I manage to squeeze some time during my weekday and edit this video with my institute computer at night.

Hope this will bring us to refresh the memories we had in this performance. And hope more performance will come soon haha.

M16 Performance Practise + Rehearsal

Tomorrow will be a day for our Yarra Yarra region performance. I guess shall do the best for tomorrow. I just edited a video clip. Hope you guys like it.




I shall take my rest now.. and prepare for a victorious performance tomorrow

I am physically challenged!!!!

It has been a warm week in Melbourne, and today is quite hot.

Struggling with the warm weather it is very physically demanding. You think Malaysia is hot, I used to think that too. But it seem like the heat wave in Australia is worse. Let me reason it out for your discussion: -

I have heard before that people die from the heat wave in Australia... But I never ever heard of people staying in Malaysia die because of the heat in Malaysia.

As I am not in my comfortable home in Malaysia, there are many challenges ahead that i need to overcome. I need to do my human revolution. The biggest challenge is my work is physically demanding work. Maybe I am still new in this science and research business, but it is not easy at all. Running around from one corner to another corner, and yet need to do my experiment, and then at night need to do reading and writting. The most amazing part is that you see all your peers in the lab will still keep their engine moving from 8.30 am to 6pm, and write at home, make me really feel like I am incompetent at all. In fact, I am the one who choose to come here, so I shall take the challenge to overcome this situation.

In the morning, I could be super energetic and determine to carry out all the task. Everyday, in front of the mirror, I tell myself today it is a good day to work and make breakthrough result. haha.... good attitute huh..... Just like a full blown balloon.




























But by mid day... i become lau kui, (n. Hokkien, tired, flaccid) and can't event think properly. Just like a flatten balloon.


































When I think back, it could be my fundamental darkness, where I am used to be too relaxing from the place I come from. And I remember from Grey Johns lecture last week, he told us that getting a benefit from chanting Nam myo ho reng ge kyo is not the end, but it is just a beginning. It is a beginning as we have the chance to do human revolution. For example: A person chanted for getting a good job, and eventually he got it. And he happily goes to work everyday, but then found out that the job is actually very complicated and full of difficult task. Then he stated blaming of his job, also started thinking why did he prayed for this job. In which this person didn't do make full use of his chance at all.
















Grey Johns shared with us that once we got the benefit is a point that we have larger responsibility to maintain the benefit by transforming ourself to be a better person. The real benefit is the inconspicuous benefit where our character has transformed, and to convert our karma. Then this will only lead to have greater benefit, greater responsibility and larger form of character building and karma conversion.

For my example, I did my prayers with 3 person prayer objective in the past whole year, which are:
1) Get the best supervisor for my PhD
2) Get the best university
3) Get the best scholarship

In fact, I have everything I prayed for, meeting with Prof Tan, get into Melbourne University and of course not forgetting to mention that super prestigious JPA scholarship. So now the responsible is on my shoulder, and I have to march with vibrant pace, to ensure that my responsibility is fulfilled.

There is a reason for me to be able to come to Australia safely and without financial worries. I belief that the mission behind is not only to work in my Neuroscience PhD, but it is a chance for me to able to do worldwide kosenrofu (n. Japanese. World peace mission) with Ikeda Sensei and to grow in my faith.

How to change a character, I might ask all the time. And I found this guidance is quite useful. and I would like to quote Ikeda Sensei word:
" The human spirit is the strongest force there is. As long as our spirit remains unbroken, there is no defeat. In life, spiritual defeat always precedes actual defeat. Guard against laziness, cowardice, carelessness, impatience, resignation and despair which corrode the human spirit and sow the seeds of defeat."

Let strife our life with our full passion and compassion.

Antibody and Antigen

I remember when I come across with topic related about antibody, it was usually drawn as Y-shape. How come all antibody is figured as Y-shape?

This is because antibody are structured with 2 subunits (Heavy chains, and light chain)

I shall link a typical antibody structure (from wikipedia):



























And now, I have some atypical antibody photo to show you (modified from google map satelite photo):















It was a wonderful thougt to have the "antibody"-architectured Medical faculty building. And apperantly, my research lab (Howard Florey Institute) is the "antigen" of the antibody.


















And my hostel is just close by to my research institute, which is good, because I could work till late night and still be able to walk back to my hostel easily and have enough rest.

Chong Hwa friend in Melbourne

Meeting old friends or home town friend in a foreign country is always delighting. because you will feel a sudden warmth with that person who speak your language, or just happen to know you long enough, make you feel really comfortable with it.

I meet with Shiang Wei (my Chong Hwa classmate, and also studying in Monash for IT) last weekend (sorry guys, I know my blogging speed is way too slow, just bear with it). I invited Shiang Wei to visit my campus, and then have lunch together.

So we just walk around the campus, and I just grab this chance to take more photo of those unexplored places.

















This piece of model seem like an orbit to electron......., maybe my guess is true as this structure is located just beside the Old Physics building.









































The building in University of Melbourne is not standardize, there are some old building, and also a mixture of new building. These are some classical design of an old building.

And then we went further up to the sports arena.























































There are so many arena for sport, every weekday it is crowded. But since it was a weekend when we went there to explore, it seem empty.

The swimming pool is just few lane and you need to book the lane if you want to use it.

After our walk in the campus, I suggested to have lunch near the campus. And the best part of that restaurant is it is a Malaysian cuisine restaurant. What is a probability of meeting a Malaysian friend in Melbourne and having Malaysian food together? I guess it is quite rare to be honest.


















Walking into that Nasi Lemak House, it seem nostalgic with the aura of the restaurant. Everything seem so "Malaysian". The food looks like food back home, the customers in the restaurant seem like the people back home, the tauke's (n. hokkien, boss) constipated look, and even how the tauke treat the employee also feels like back home...... haha...

This story start when I ordered my nasi lemak, and tauke seem like any normal malaysian food stall owner face... and not even joyful for me buying her nasi lemak.. Maybe she had a bad weekend. And so Shiang Wei and me just wait for our nasi lemak, and keep talking to each other.

In a sudden, the tauke shouted:" How many time have I teach you to do this way, you still make mistake after so many months. Next time, if you make the same mistake again, I will deduct 5 dollars from your salary each time you make the same mistake"

Well, again, it really sounds like Malaysian tauke style,
it really looks like Malaysian tauke style,
But I am not sure whether she is Malaysia-styled Australian tauke or Australian styled Malaysian tauke... (haha.. please compare and contrast)

The fact is she is in Australia, and yet still inherited, and continue using the Malaysian way of doing business. Well done, Syabas, MALAYSIA BOLEH!!!! (especially tomorrow is the polling date for Malaysia)

Finally, after my long waited nasi lemak, I start to enjoy my first Malaysian cuisine in Melbourne.


















It looks nice, and really delicious. But the bad thing of this nasi lemak is the price of this nasi lemak is equivalent to approximately 20 bungkus of nasi lemak (those brown packed, 1.50 riggit / bungkus type of nasi lemak). It cost 9 dollars...... Anyway, I just have to treat the nasi lemak as gold plated rice and not to waste even a single rice.

Finally, we just took a photo as mementos.

How to get exponential phase for your learning curve?

For you guys who study microbiology, I am sure that you will come to know that bacterial growth will go through 4 phases, which are:
1) lag phase
2) exponential phase
3) stationary phase
3) death phase

For your learning curve, has anyone come accross with how to get or maintain exponential phase all the time?

I guess the best way of learning is: To throw you into a big pool full of sharks... and let you swim back alone.

I am experiencing this kind of experience now.

I am currently working in a lab with all the techniques that I never dream of using it, but it has become reality. And before I even know there is such a machine which do that technique, my personal tutor in my lab, Anh (she is a vietnamese and working as RA for my supervisor) will start telling me what to do and start delegating works for me and work independently. As if throwing me into the pool to let me swim back.

I find this experience is thrilling, and full of excitement. Of course, the risk is high, but it can be rewarding if you are careful and lucky in your work. So, I am determine to work double time to read up the theory of the technique once I start using that technique.

I am very fortunate that there is someone in the lab can guide me to kickstart my project. And I shall express my greatest gratitute to my lab tutor, Miss Anh.

Switching room

Staying in a graduate house is good in many ways, like:
1) it is catered with buffet style breakfast and dinner (but the rule book says that we are only entitle for 1 serving of food every meal) (Hello Graduate House warden, ANG MOH’s and ASIAN’s definition for 1 serving can be very different.),

2) Cleaning up your room once a week,

3) Coin operated laundry facility,

4) Just 500 meter from my lab and etc.

And after comparing with my friends who are staying in the city central and want to find a good apartment out there in the city with all these facilities, I think my room rates is one of the best that I could get.

But I had to switch room, to a bigger room (queen size bed, with a tv lounge), but you know, harga bilik put naik……

This is because the rooms are fully booked by the time I booked my room back in January. So they had arranged in this way, and they will settle me down 15 days after I stay in this big room. It cost AUS 413.00 per week, which is quite a pain in the ass to this Kiam Siap Ma Lat Lou. If I have my way, I would just take the cheapest room (single room, shared bathroom), which is AUS 280 per week.

Previously, I have stayed in another room, which I find quite satisfying. It is a single room with bathroom. And that was AUS 343 per week. Looking forward to switch back to my single room with bathroom again (shared bathroom even better, haha), so that I will not need to carry all my heavy luggage up and down again.

Does this look familiar? Could it be the dog in Stephen Chow new movie, CJ7?

Just let you have a look of my room.

Single bed with bathroom:

Current room (Double bed, shared bathroom and with tv lounge)