AMAZING HOR

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A Busy Week Passes By

After one week of non stop assignment rush,

we are finally on the last race.

On monday, our seed propagation report is due.

Here i am sitting in front of the laptop, doing it.

i was wondering what to blog.

well, pangeelapong members are busy as usual.

the usual blogger minnie is MIA.

in order to keep the blog alive, i tried to blog :)

this week was definitely tiring.

i usually slept at 3 something, rushig assignments.

i overslept a couple of time.

usually i woke up just in time for classes.

btw, the other day, there was a large beehive on a

tree in front of my house in tts.

i have the photo but i am too lazy to update it.

maybe some other time.

anyway, we were all in awe because we never noticed it before.

in fact, i think the hive wasnt there the day before.

bees are my greatest phobia.

i did not use my room's bathroom because there was a bee inside it.

however, the next morning, no buzzing sound greeted us.

we went out and saw the hive smashed on the floor.

bees were buzzing silently around the remnants of their "home".

i pity them although i despise them.

no organism should be deprived from their home.

Wet Floors

Ah, the reason for the title is due to the fact

that it is raining again.

Anyways, i had mcd's just now with daniel.

i drove there and on the way there, i met with

a ridiculous driver.

i was minding my own business on my lane and out of nowhere,

a small silver kelisa swerve into my lane and cut me

off.

of course i went and"pin, pin" that fella la.

Then i saw 3 ladies in the car.

it was more of 2 ladies and a bitch.

of course the bitch is the driver la.

and that bitch aint young so i dont

bother with my courtesy.

well, because of my "pin, pin", of course the

bitch showed me her bitch power la.

she kept on staring at her rear mirror, peering at me.

i was wondering, wtf is she doing that because it was her mistake.

she did the turn into my lane without any signal.

besides that, the turn she made was abrupt.

if it wasnt for my uber quick reflexes, i'd be alive while

she.....( you know la )

so.... all i wanted to conclude is,,,, do use the signal lights to avoid

any conflicts on the road.

imagine i am was some psychopath....

i wonder what you have happened to the

3 lovely ladies :)

Rainy Days At Nottingham

Rain drops fell down on a plastic container containing

fenugreek outside my

temp house in tts.

The wind blew and raindrop patters on the window pane.

I stared at the dull sky wondering if this is going to

continue till noon.

Today at uni, i had an argument --.

An argument only fools get into --

yes.. i am a fool...

it started off with a metal ruler.

my teacher told me once that metal rulers

are banned from school because it

could be a lethal weapon.

i never knew how true it was till today.

Usually i have a short temper..

but today, the fuse was short and i big banged during

a break interval.

i sorta confronted the person and exploded.

big mistake?

i think so ==

it took away my mood the whole day.

i was only paying half attention in winnie's class --

i even forgot what spermaceti is for ==

i ate waffles for lunch.

just waffles ==

sometimes apologizing is a much better

way than going through the stage of

feeling guilty.

PCR Amplification in Plant Genome

It was at the preparation room when we were approached by her, a familiar figure as a representative. Wrapped by her arms was a stack of paper which she then distributed amongst the students of Year 1's Plant Biotechnology course. PCR Amplification in Plant Genome; we were slightly lost - was this a procedure which we would have to perform, despite often being comfortable from just watching? We flipped through and read the procedures and was led to bewilderment; this was an interesting lab manual with the most confusing procedures - almost alien to us. Yet, we looked up the top right corner to find a name so familiar and we sighed with relief - with her, we could do this. And we read the procedure one last time before we approached the laboratory in the Bioscience Research Centre.

We were grouped into pairs and the pairs shared great similarity to the other laboratory practicals. I was paired with Stefanie, whom I am most familiar with as a lab partner. We picked a location opposite of Kian Min's while Kenneth and Carmen's group worked side by side. The members of Pangeelapong of the Bioscience tribe were already present; I looked out for another individual and could not find her there :( Bearing perseverance, I focused on the first protocol of the 3 parted experiment.

Plant Genomic DNA Extraction Protocol. We were given a piece of cabbage each. Stefanie and Kian Min first assumed that they were gas masks given. Yet, eventually they realised that they were actually cabbages, as mentioned by the lecturer, Dr. S. We began our experiment obtaining a small portion from the cabbage and mincing it into small slices and eventually inserting them into a microcentrifuge tube. We then began mincing it further using a sterile homogenizer which looked much like a small blue torpedo. Initially, Kian Min's group and I were manually 'mortaring and pestling' the cabbage pieces until we were introduced to an automated device which acts like an egg beater. It did assist in the process of mincing it. When I first heard its loud sound caused by its vibration, I knew Kenneth would be having different thoughts of this apparatus :x

Lab Dancer, the Vortexer

Next, we inserted various solutions into the sample and were requested to vortex it. Vortexing, apparently, was a procedure where the tube was introduced to an apparatus which also acted as a vibrator. And hence, we vibrated the contents in the tube for approximately a minute. Next, we brought our tube to the incubating tub and inserted into a flotation device to incubate our little solution. This was to promote lysis, or in other words, disintergration of the cell (I think @@). And next was a process new to us - centrifugation.

Though I've often heard of this and seen this in movies, having first-hand experience was a different approach. We watched as the lab assistant inserted the tubes into the centrifuge. She then keyed in the degree of revolutions and its duration. Moments later, the device was switched on and the loud sound emitted was noticed. With 5 minutes on the countdown timer, we left the centrifuge to return to our benches to prepare for the other procedures. Around this time, Dr S. began checking on every group to ensure that at least a member of every duo knew how to use the micropipette. Due to the lack of attention paid, I am unavailable for comments in regards to Carmen's and Kenneth's group. However, I must say that my group did give a good show to deserve a nod from Dr S.! Dr S. also gave a similar response to Kian Min's group.

Centrifugation was performed various times to separate the substances within the tubes. Later on, the solution was placed in a spin column. This was done to lay the DNA onto a thin membrane in the spin column which shares a high affinity for the DNA. Hence, centrifugation was done and the flow-throughs were removed. Finally, after applying the final solutions, we obtained our DNA in the purest form as a flow-through. And into the ice it went... Hence, our extraction protocol was brought to an end.

The Micropipettes

Next was the main of our entire experiment; we were to be performing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on the DNA obtained. This task was relatively easy - we were required to mix a special PCR cocktail with a small portion of the DNA. Stefanie had no problem performing this task when she attempted to. And hence, having mixed the cocktail with the DNA, the small tube was then inserted into the PCR Machine. This saves us the trouble of having to heat the temperature of the mixture to 95°C for 45 seconds, then reducing the temperature for 49°C for another 45 seconds and then raising the temperature to 72°C. All for the sake of denaturation, annealing and extension. We moved on after that to lunch. And it was at this moment my lunch offer was turned down :(

We returned after lunch to proceed with Gel Electrophoresis. This was another highlight of this experiment - we rarely get to do this so do ignore the excitement gained from such simple procedures. Stefanie and I opted for the first group - to have our sample of the DNA inserted right next to the ladder. This was my first time inserting a mixture into the well of the agarose; hence, I was slightly nervous. The procedures were as shown as the lab assistant from a year ago - we were required to pipette 10µl of DNA to be mixed with 2µ of the loading dye. This was then released onto a thin parafilm sheet. I mixed both the solutions and pipetted the mixture into the well. My attempt was successful, despite being slightly flawed - I had poked the agar :O but then, it wasn't that disastrous and hence, it was still good to carry on. After this, groups took turns to insert the wells and the rest of us were left with nothing to do. And hence, Kenneth began his moments of crapping again.

DNA, Proteins and Enyzmes in Ice!

When the PCR Machine was done with our little tubes, we obtained them and repeated the process. This time, it was Stefanie's turn for my group. She performed the task remarkably well and hence, deserves much praise which I include here :) And our well was filled perfectly this time, as compared to the first attempt.

When the first gel's run was complete, it was taken into a huge transilluminator to examine the migration of the DNA. The DNA appeared smeared and dragged towards the opposite end. Dr S. then mentioned that she was never so confident about the DNA which was being examined. She also explained that it could be due to the flaws in our techniques which had led the DNA to be denatured. Despite all the bad news brought upon us, she unveiled the greener side of the grass; she told us to wait for our PCR-ed DNA to be viewed under the transilluminator and hinted to us that it would appear better. Hence, we kept our hopes high as the lab assistant transferred the 2nd agarose.

The Transilluminator, featuring the Gel and Lab Assistant

And alas, we were showed the 2nd agarose, run with the PCR-ed DNA. It was of a greater quality and even Dr S. admitted that she was very much satisfied and amazed with its quality :)

Gel Electrophoresis of DNA expressed via Polymerase Chain Reaction

Our lab then ended with the few of us deciding to check on our tissue cultures. However, the room lacked the special casings for our shoes and hence, we had to forfeit our plan. We then bid our goodbyes to the lecturer, the lab assistants, she, and the others and left. Today had been quite a fair day - I had my mood lifted tremendously. And I wonder why (;