talk is OVER! + { linkies }

I have probably done at least four presentations since I started my PhD in May. That's an average of one each month. I might actually get use to this.

I am knackered. And so I had spent most of my time after today's conference just surfing. Some interesting stuff:

+ [ car wraps by Access Agency ]

        Driving with this one on the road will be such a distraction!

    

+ [ artwork by Talita Hoffman ]

        I don't know how she mixes cute with morbid, but she does it anyways. 

    

+ [ Museum of Broken Relationships ]

        There are some quirky stuff in there!
        

+ [ Manholes in Milan ]

        Prettiest manholes yet! Grungy manholes are now a thing of the past!

        

+ [ Parkour ]

        Almost kung-fu, but not quite!
       

Maybe something more substantial tomorrow :)

Happy Friday!, xo

PS: Thank you Avee and Chochay17 for the follow! :)

scientists at cricket + { linkies }

I was naughty yesterday.

I had stubbornly decided to go shopping for summer apparel with Robbie, and then head over to Ben & Gabby's for a BBQ despite all signs showing that I was in for a day of hayfever at its worst. Unfortunately,I had also chosen to wear a pair of shoes that were wearing my feet instead, and so my feet were in blisters by the time we finished shopping. Note to self: That shoe is going into the Ebay pile!

One pair of sunglasses and a pair of board shorts later, we were on a mission to get to Ben and Gabby's.

A forty-five minute walk had taken us twice as long, even though I was in the company of friends who had (inadvertently) made the trip there before. By the time we got there, we were all feeling red and flustered from walking so long under the dry summer heat!

Although nothing could stop this group of plant scientists from a game of backdoor cricket and then some Guiness cake! Mmmmmmm cake!

     

Ben in action.

Robbie with his new sunglasses and Laura with bf Matt.

Gabby (in checkered dress) is most famous for her Guiness cake!

Soon after, Ben was flat on his bedroom floor grovelling in frustration from hayfever, while my right eye was red from sub-conscious rubbing. Time to go home.

I had spent the rest of the night waking up every alternate hour, gasping for air without feeling a single bit of regret on how my day was spent. 

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Some stuff from the web:

+ [ Born To Laugh, We Learn To Cry ]
So men are not that emotionless after all! They are just slow learners!

+ [ 3 Surprising Don'ts for Better Productivity ]
You will be surprise to find that counter-productivity increases productivity. Go figure!

+ [ 100 Ways To Show Boldness]

14. Delete files on your computer that you have kept there for a long while out of uncertainty regarding whether you want to keep them or not.

It is about time to delete those gigabytes of photos of me and my ex.

+ [ image by Kelly Montgomery via Flickr ]
Does anyone know if this is available anywhere in Australia? I am a die-hard fan of Nutella (view here and here)

+ [ The PEN Story by PENStory via YouTube ]

I love this stop-motion video and especially love the song! There are so many amazing people out there, yourself included!

Have a happy + lovely week ahead! :)

Sun-kissed and feverish, xo

PS: Thank you Pengo and Cindy for the follow!

seeing double / {Echo} entry + { linkies }

The most amazing thing happened yesterday (other than the fact that I managed to not get lost in the size-XL jumper my supervisor loaned me during my walk back in the rain).

I saw a rainbow.

Not just one, but TWO!

...and then, an elephant?

It was a total coincidence that I had happened to be admiring dusk after the rain yesterday evening. I think that looks like an elephant's eye. Maybe even a tusk! It might be the Hindu God Lord Ganesha making His way back to the Heavens after celebrating Diwali on Earth!

Hm, I am beginning to see things. Too much coffee.

** UPDATE: I have just submitted the second photo for {Echo} Week 24 - Liquid and third photo for {Echo} Week 26 - Clouds! Click -->here<-- to view more {Echo} entries for that week.



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Also, I promised linkies! :

+[ The Four Capacities Every Great Leader Needs (And Very Few Have) ]

An insight on why we choose our mentors (whether we know it or not).

+[ The 10 POWER-TIPS to Soulful Happiness ]

It is always good to be reminded of these things.

9) The Power of Authenticity

Happiness exists within your own Truth. Be the one you feel you are and not what others want you to be.

+[ John Sculley on Steve Jobs, The Full Interview Transcript ]

Steve Jobs was a minimalist? (WARNING: Heavy reading!)

+[Melancoloric at Behance]
I am liking the simplicity of this puff of cloud!

+[ Halloween Light Show 2010]

Was your Halloween last weekend anything near this exciting? Because mine sure wasn't!

Best of luck to all those having exams this week and next!
I am off to chase some datelines! Eeek!

Yay again for double rainbows!, xo

lab-bound + { linkies }

Whats been up lately?

Well, Heather (our lab technician and mother/caretaker of all lab occupants) is leaving soon, so we had an extravagant farewell afternoon tea for her today. And then there is my report and presentation due next week; and my mom is going to Macau this weekend with her grown-up friends. Lucky woman.

The saddest thing is that lately I have been so busy with lab experiments that I have had to cancel dinner with a dear friend. Also, I have had less time to blog and catch up with what has been going on in the blogosphere. I know -- its saddening (well, it saddens me at least).

Being lab-bound is awfully dreary. Sometimes, I would look out from our tissue culture laboratory and really wished I was on the other side of the glass pane.

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Despite all that, I have managed to gather some linkies over the past few days:

[ The XIX Commonwealth Games - New stories in photographs by Boston.com] 

Amazing pictures for those who were absolutely ignorant of the nineteenth Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi this year:

+[ How To Declutter Your Home ]
My favourite bit of the article:

Holding onto ANYTHING that doesn't have a working role in your home won't allow you to create new space for ANYTHING new to come into your life — things, jobs, people, opportunities, etc. Even as we bring new things in, we need to bring old things out. In this way, we ensure a vital life flow in our lives.

+[ 30 True Things You Need to Know Now ]
Another one of those list on life lessons to be learnt. I am highly addicted to these things!

29. Mental health requires freedom of choice. No matter how bleak or desperate a situation may appear to look, we always have choices. Even with the absence of answers or direction, we do have the power to choose what our next action is. We can choose to ask for help; we can choose to pray; we can choose to get up in the morning, get dressed and forge ahead. The ability to choose gives us power. We can use that power to begin removing the obstacles that confront us

+[ Sébastien Preschoux's '9 colors' ]

Sébastien Preschoux is a French artist/designer who creates artwork based on spirographs, thread tensions and acrylic paint. 

This '9 colors' installation was done in France, whereas his other works have been done in the forest of Argentina and also in Germany. Check out his other installations and artwork --> here <--

        

 +[ Simon's Cat 'Cat-Man-Do' ]
And how evil is this kitty!!

Note-to-self: useful in near future for lazy mornings at boyfriend's.

 HappyDDiwali / Deepavali to y'all! 

No idea what Diwali is? Click --> here <-- to visit Wikipedia!

OMG its Friday!, xo

PS: My heartiest thank you to ShutterYakLady, beaverpoop2 ( I personally think your nickname is uber funny + cool!) and awesomely chic for the follow! Also to Melissa Arnold! :)

cravings + { linkies }

A few of us gathered for a last-minute birthday celebration almost one month ago. And one month later -- I am left craving for that very same tiramisu cake.

I got the 'day' piece!

Aren't these candles adorable (excuse the cake smudges) ?? 
They remind me of the movie 'Madagascar'!

So, whose birthday is it next?

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Also, I was going through my inbox today and found some really random links from the past that I thought would be fun to share:

• { Show Me How! } How to booby trap a bathroom?
• { Color-and-Me } A personality test on how you prefer your objects coloured.
• { 88 Important Truths I've Learnt About Life } I live by 2 and abide by 83.
• { Past Life Analysis } Absolutely fun and funny if you believe in reincarnation!
• { How to Make 3 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake } No more excuses to not bake!

Ah, and then there was this picture of two starfishes making love on the beach:

(phlog that!)

Random entry, I know. 

Though with that said, this week has been a week of (lovely) random events for me. So much so that I am actually feeling sorry to see this week come to an end. I hope next week will be just as entertaining!

Happy Saturdays!, xo 

PS: Kudos to DyllaFadzil the Biotechnologist and MaR for the follow!