Christmas post

I am very busy with Christmas here at home. Got safely to Portugal and followed up to a dream holiday and now it is family time, there was no chance for me to write here, I will up date soon. Now I couldnt miss posting my Xmas greetings to everyone:

I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year, dream and realize all your dreams, get as much love as you can and hope you have as much success as you deserve, personally and professionally, good health and happiness!

Flight mood

Dear readers and friends, I am sorry I have been absence for a while but I promise I still didnt give up writing my blog. It happens that I just haven't been sitting in front of the computer enough time for it as before. Christmas is time for shopping but apparently also for academic meetings and symposiums.. Therefore there has been a lot more to do beyond writing :) and thats just cool because as you may have followed the last two months I spent sitting on my own writing that report.. Thats all done now and a new era has begun! Today is just the last 2008 night in Nottingham. I didnt count how many nights I have spent here, they were quite a lot, but certainly none was as special as the one coming. I am going home for Christmas and New year, and I am just so happy!! Also I have got quite nice holiday time to enjoy, nearly three weeks, which are promising to be really nice, a lot of nice plans though!
I am so much looking forward, and now these are the last minutes in the office, already said goodbye to my supervisor and to the members of the lab. And I want to bugger off here and go packing and try to sleep, I might no be able to as I am too excited!!
I will keep you posted with regard to my holiday and holiday thoughts, so no PhD stuff for the next couple of weeks, ok?? ;)

And just because is Christmas time everywhere one goes are those Xmas songs all over (very irritating sometimes, because they play the same songs all the time and all the places bought the same CD, so the same songs all the time everywhere, just drives you crazy!!).. You can listen to one of those (ridiculously irritating) songs below. The lyrics are nice and romantic but there is something in the song that pisses me off.. I also found some variants.. see whether you like some of them ;)

Mariah Carrey sings:



My chemical romance does a rock version:



Olivia Olson in Love Actually:



Lisa Lavie(I dont know this person.. unknown version)



Miley Cyrus



etc...

LOOOL, all pretty much the same ..

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There's just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is...
You

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There's just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I don't need to hang my stocking
There upon the fireplace
Santa Claus won't make me happy
With a toy on Christmas day
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you
You baby

I won't ask for much this Christmas
I don't even wish for snow
I'm just gonna keep on waiting
Underneath the mistletoe
I won't make a list and send it
To the North Pole for Saint Nick
I won't even stay awake to
Hear those magic reindeers click
'Cause I just want you here tonight
Holding on to me so tight
What more can I do
Baby all I want for Christmas is you
Ooh baby
All the lights are shining
So brightly everywhere
And the sound of children's
Laughter fills the air
And everyone is singing
I hear those sleigh bells ringing
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need
Won't you please bring my baby to me...

Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas
This is all I'm asking for
I just want to see my baby
Standing right outside my door
Oh I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
Baby all I want for Christmas is...
You

All I want for Christmas is you... baby (repeat and fade)

The end of the first road

Tomorrow is the last day before the first road in my PhD life gets to an end. 9 months since I started are now gone. I thought this deserves a quick post to express my feelings. In January 2009 I will start a sort of a new era, not that I have passed the first check point named the first year viva, but I have now finally my ideas organized, the aims are defined so the way I look at science now is completely different: for good and for bad..
So, I feel more confident about me as a professional but a lot more realistic, therefore I know now that anything I do will never be a great contribution but just a tiny one.. :(
I feel that from now on it will get harder and more difficult since the demands are getting high - quality of the results and data, ideas, suggestions, publications, anything counts!
I feel I did a lot of mistakes until now but I know pretty much everyone gets to do that.. it just because when one starts the PhD feels that knows what to do and everything seems fine, motivation is on top and enthusiasm glitters all over.. after a while several questions arise and a lot of confusion too so it becomes messy and people question if its worth to continue since they are usually very lost. I do think I found myself now, (hopefully) it will alright :)

The report is done, didnt manage to bind the three copies I have to hand out, but I am taking them home with me that tomorrow morning I can do it before coming to the morning meeting about mathematical modelling and kinetics... the end of this first chapter, the begging of a long high way...

Before I forget: schedule of my Xmas holidays

Dear friends, before I forget I must post the schedule of my Christmas holidays, so that if you will be in Portugal (like me) for Christmas you will know when I am available to see you. Since I became an "emigrant" my time in Portugal is very restricted therefore I will try to see everyone just please be available :) and remember to book in advance lolololol

-Arrival on the 17th!! YEAHHH I cant wait to land in Lisbon airport!! This day is reserved for my parents and family. Fully booked!
- 18th Dec: Morning and afternoon I will go to the hairdresser (more or less the first thing I do once I get to Portugal every time, I cant risk going to the hairdresser here, I am afraid of two things: price but more important, the final result.. if you know me well you might know how complicated is to do something with my hair, cannot dispense my personal hairdresser also my friend);
-18th Dec in the evening I have dinner with my very best friends and we will go for a couple of drinks.
-19th Dec I leave Lisbon in the morning towards (I am not going to tell you) for a very relaxing time
- 23rd Dec I should be back in Lisbon in the evening
- 24th whole day and evening.. Xmas is for family
- 25th the same but in the evening is Xmas night out (friends!!!)
- 30th going to Alentejo for New years celebration
- 2nd Jan 2009!! Back in Lisbon
- 7th Jan departure, the end of Xmas holidays.

So basically, I still have time left between the 26th and the 29th of Dec and in the beginning of January.

And now I have to "enjoy" the last week before holidays., still so much to do here, report with the last few corrections, Xmas presents to buy, xmas cards to buy and to post, etc etc.. my God... Have fun!

One day in my (scientific) life

Because I havent got much time to write a post today but essentially because I dont have time to think about what to write, like a nice thing, I am passing you a little bit of my day today. Today my day was pretty much spent in meetings (remember my previous post?!).. its just continuing..
Ok my first meeting today was about kinetic modelling, so basically there were me and three other scientists, or three scientists and me since I am the only one who is not (yet?!) a doctor, and we were looking (like donkeys) at a new software we have got. Apparently it does really nice stuff such as solves differential equations and models hypothesised biological systems coupled with mathematical models.. you see, very nice indeed. Its just another software like Madonna, Matlab and octave that I used at the uni but unfortunately found it pretty boring and now I regret I didnt pay enough attention. In the end of the meeting we decide to have another meeting tomorrow... (LOL)
Following this meeting I had another meeting with my student about his project, which is also a tiny bit of my PhD- not too long.
Finally I met with my supervisor about my report, which is now finally finished. WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW :))))))
Since whatever I could write about my project sounds boring I thought that I could leave you with examples of figures we acquire here. My PhD project deeply relies on several microscopy techniques including a lot of cell live imaging and confocal microscopy that accounts on using fluorochromes to label specific molecules within the cell. I found these images beautiful and artistic despite we dont really intervene to create such picture, we just label the molecules what is even more amazing! DEspite they being meaningful for me I think that for a common person they are still worth to see, just like a painting or a poster. There you go.









Ok, and now I am sitting in my office doing the final corrections to my essay and still have a lot to do, to plan and to think of. Remember than to do a PhD is all about how you use the brain..
I dont know what time I am levaing here, but my day will then continue, I might have some shitty food for dinner in a local pub, I cant be bother to cook during the week and then a little bit of leisure, watching something to empty the brain. You know that when you are asked to used your brain every day in a very complex way, and do everything very complex, all this complex research with complex ideas and, seek complex answers... the things you enjoy the most are then the simple ones.. like simple moments, simple games, simple films, simple etc..

Addendum to Doctor of Philosophy

Long time no post.. I am sorry. At first my current life has been incompatible with any leisure. If you cannot see the reason try to concentrate on writing a thesis, selling your bloody results as the best research ever done and see how ruined your life can become.. Despite all the sacrifice I am now nearly finished (as I hope), actually the first deadline is gone and the next and last one is on due next week, therefore is time to get this thingy done, revised and most important over!! On the course of writing up my first year report sort of little baby thesis, of course I wondered how is that gonna be for the big one but thats another story. Being just writing I moved my stuff home and spent here the most of my time going to the uni just for meetings.. such as lab meeeting, journal club, school seminars and after all meeting with the supervisor/advisor/boss or whatever you want to call the person to whom your services of researcher sort of slave are addressed to. My post for you today is then an Addendum to another post I wrote some time ago that you can read here Doctor of Philosophy, PhD or How to get a complex life (sometimes is nice!!).

Through meetings and meetings ...

Meeting with your group, but is more with your supervisor.

Something that happens in one's PhD life are the group meetings. One goes there, sits, handles a notebook with something to say (or not), and usually, at least for me these seminars aim to put everyone to know what is going on in the lab, including major findings or disasters.. In my group we also have a second kind of lab meeting where from time to time, members of the lab present results and discuss them to see the direction of research and get some feedback. I think meetings in my group are work fairly well, but apparently it doesnt work for everyone the same, have a look into the cartoons and see whether you identify yourself with them:

Meeting with your supervisor.

When it comes to meeting with the supervisor the things change a lot from student to student and supervisor to supervisor. In my case I am quite happy with it but of course I tell you this in comparison with what I know on this regards.. As a matter of fact I do still identify myself with the following cartoons and to be honest I dont know a single person who is happy with their project and with their supervisors. Sooner or later both tend to become problematic.. Let see first.. when is the ideal time to meet with your supervisor?

Secondly, the supervisors have a very, but very bad indeed memory for whatever gives respect to their students.. There are the pro and cons for that.. here you are the cons (the bad comes first):

And here you find the pros:

The reason is obvious.. For the students, the supervisors are the most important person in the world, the one who will ultimately decide on their careers since he has the power to award them with the so much sought PhD. Therefore the supervisor becomes some sort of a God, to whom one prays very day, unconditionally obeys and try not to disappoint him at all costs... On the other hand, for the supervisor, the student is as insignificant as another student and another student.. Is just one more student from a bunch of students, etc.. The supervisor has his own life and his own friends and never remembers the student, why would he do so??

Eventually he will remember the face and the name but never ever will recall what has so ever talked about in the last meeting with the student.




Conferences:
At a certain time in one's PhD life there is the chance to apply for a conference. Conferences are usually scheduled in nice places and it is very expensive to pay to go (And what is the point to pay go to THE conference?). Therefore the sacrificed and miserable PhD students apply for conference funding through the writing of a conference paper that will be further presented at the conference, usually a 5 minutes talk. No one guaranties that writing the paper you get to the conference.. there is to a nice 1 week free vacation at Hawaii for example.. There you go a suggestion of how not to spend unworthy time and that also gives you the chance to apply for different conferences (Hawaii, Skiing in Canada, beach resort in Barbados, sightseeing in China, etc, etc) :

Mind I said Hawaii..

Apparently here you can find a list of conferences in your area and where are they gonna be.. See how much you can get, there is whether your school pays you the expenses to go and the conference itself. Obviously avoid to mention the skiing forfeit or the diving course... I personally still didnt find the conference to go, besides I haven’t spent much time looking for. Next year I will do that ;)

Good luck with your PhD, if that is the case, or with everything else exciting you are doing. Have fun. I will as soon as I get released.. I may say I have been visiting the hell during the past month and I find it rather cold and dark and empty place..

Visitors from the 5 continents!!

Dear readers, this post is dedicated to you as a reader, does not matter how much of my blog you read, if you came by chance or if you follow my blog. Obviously I care a little more about those who follow my blog but that is just natural I guess. Anyway I do thank you all for your visits and although I know my blog does not teach anything to anyone I try to give a record of a normal, sometimes boring, other times very exciting PhD student life. It goes also beyond my PhD as fortunately my life is not restricted to it but sometimes it does take a lot of time and life out of me indeed..

Today I looked carefully at the visitors map and realized I have got visitors from all over the world, actually from the 5 continents :) As expecting the majority of my reader are in the UK and in Portugal, where btw are my friends too. Nevertheless, my biggest surprise comes from the amount of visitors from Asia, very nice!

Overall, thank you very much! I am keeping you posted ;)

AHHHH I love you Google!

AHHHH I think I found the solution for my problems, yeahh Google's the best tool ever who didn't know that?? Doing FRAP experiments? Got lost and stuck, not sure what to do with your data?

Go here http://www.embl.org/cmci/downloads/FRAPmanual.htm

and the here http://www.wavemetrics.com/support/demos.htm

and at last here http://www.embl.org/cmci/downloads/frap_analysis.html

get this K_FRAPcalcV9e.ipf

and go on.. I assume you are smart enough to solve the puzzle from now on ;)
yeahhh

Time minus Time equals zero Time and results in serious brain damage!!

Today I just realized why I am so sick and feeling down.. Can you imagine I have got two opposite wishes!! Just noticed that today.. it is very contradictory and perhaps the source of all this sickness!

Ok, don’t get yourself confused, let me explain:

1. On one hand I wish I would have more time to finish my report, not that the time passed would not be enough but with my inspirational problems I have been stacking a lot and the words hardly and slowly come to my mind. I know what to write but many times don’t have the wisdom to do so. Therefore I am running out of time, need more time, don’t want the time to pass or to do it as slow as possible that I can concentrate and finish this bloody thing, I may say the most difficult report I have ever wrote and trust me, I wrote loads of stuff before!

2. On the other hand I am getting home sick and miss my family and friends very very much. I want the time to fly as quickly as possible the I can can go home for Christmas holidays! Cant wait for the day I put my feet on that plain that will take me back :) not forever, which is not a problem, I am happy here, but for a little while to see my loved ones :):):) I am counting down for that day and very much looking forward!!

So, now you see, I want the time to go slow but I also want it to pass quickly which is absurd and ultimately these two events mutually cancel themselves. It is the same as plus one (+1) minus one (-1) equals zero!

+ time (for the report) = + 1 time
- time (to go home) = -1 time

+1 time - 1time = 0 time

0 (zero) time is what I actually have in my head since I am putting both the same wishes at the same time together. And what becomes a wish is 0 (zero) time, which conversely means I have got no time to live (in my wishes), and that cannot be a wish! That’s very awkward; thereby it is like I do not exist anymore. Combining this idiot deduction with my physical state that actually makes sense. As a matter of fact I am feeling ill and very down, perhaps due to this conflict of inputs in my brain. It is similar to give two opposite orders which obviously cannot exist at the same time. I guess a computer would came out with an ERROR message, I feel I am coming out with an ERROR message too.. Don’t know how to solve this equation differently, dont know how to overcome my wishes because they are both very strong and I cant give up any of them..
I have got a problem.. and probably I have to live with it until both the wishes are fulfilled, basically until the time passes and when the time is gone I will be good again :)
Be patient is probably what I can recommend myself…


To finish I leave you with my soundtrack for today, a bit more of Placebo, quite like these guys! And of course I hope the very end of this story is like in a fairy tail, pink and full of love ;)

Pips' ill :(

I have got ill :(
Managed to leave the bed, but I am feeling down. The weather in Nottingham since last Friday is killing me, it is so cold! It snowed yesterday and it was so cold on Saturday night.. my God, I can hardly believe that the girls here in Nottingham were still wearing, or actually not wearing any clothes despite the cold outside they were still smiling and shouting like crazy. I was wearing quite a lot and even though I am in bed or in a bed mood, sore throat, headache, body aches all over :S feeling bad indeed. Hope you are feeling better than I am and also that it will pass soon, I hate being like that. I am bored, haven’t got nothing interesting in my mind to post today so there you go I share my mood. Have Fun, I think I will have some fun next time in Portugal :) I am looking forward for Xmas and to see my family (miss them so much) and my friends (miss them all so much as well).. Kisses and hugs for you all, Love you xx

The Chinese Experience

Yesterday evening after leaving work I was wondering where to go for food, I was far too tired to cook anything, and eventually to go to the supermarket to get food to cook, therefore had only the choice to get dinner from somewhere else.
Coming from the University heading home, for those who dont know I have a few choices although they are not that many, I have tried them all, some are good, others are ok and there are still the ones one can't taste (e.g. Popa Pizza.. the worst Pizza ever! I can hardly believe that such a pizza can be done and sold)..
Well carrying on my adventure yesterday I had the idea of going to the Really Chinese restaurant. There are two Chinese restaurants in Beeston, one is for everyone and the other is for the Chinese people (and other Chinese-like people). I noticed this restaurant a while ago when walking around the centre of Beeston (which is the capital of the world on Saturdays.. I wonder how can such a small place become so busy on Saturdays.. ok, fair enough, there's a lot of shops and some are quite ok, for food).. Back on the Chinese thing I noticed a panel placed on the middle of Beeston high road but all written in chinese with an arrow pointing inside a building, very dodgy at the first sight. One day I decided to take the risk and went there; At first everyone was asian inside but the waiter managed to find an english menu and I decided through a fairly occidental meal which as very good indeed! That restaurant stayed in my mind as a good one and went there another time, the second. That wasnt so good, but still alright. The third time I went there I risked a bit more and went for something I didn’t know and the disappointment arose. Anyway, any experience before wasnt as remarkably bad as the one from yesterday...What the hell came to mind I still dont know but as a matter of fact I went to that restaurant yesterday and because before I saw people having a sort of a fondue but with chinese stuff, I thought I could have that too! Who doesn’t love fondue? Meat fondue, cheese fondue, chocolate fondue, there are all so yummy!! But forget about Chinese fondue... I cannot really explain by words how bad it is. If you have some spare 13 pounds and want to try, go there but dont tell I didnt advise yoU!

The following photos were taken in the end (after trying up everything and getting very sick), but you can have an idea, lets comment on them:


FIRST: here you are the sauces.. well they would just make the things a lot worse. Tastes varied amongst a sandy flavour, one spicy kind of and a water where someone boiled some onions before...



Second: this shows the only occidental piece of thing present on that dinner.. A pint of coke served in a Stella Artois glass.

Third: Here you have a plan of the table. In the middle, there is sort of a soup which is the fondue pot. It contains water with some unflavoured vegetables.. Very disgusting and next to it you can find the sides.. some sort of noodles plus sea weed, other sort of horrible vegetables and a very strange meat that looks like very thinly sliced Parma ham but tastes like shit.

That was my face doing the effort to eat something. It was a bit of a shame to leave mostly everything uneaten. Couldn’t manage it, I lost my appetite just as soon as I started. All the taste and smells were horrifying..

OK, this is the mess! Basically you would drop everything inside this witch pot and fish it with a little basket.. look at the picture. How disgusting is that?

Finally a few more of the raw food ready to boil inside the witch pot.. arrrgghhh

This was "the plate", because you are meant to eat from the bowel, basically drop everything there mix and eat and no more questions please.. There is no place for discarding anything like the edge of the plate.. eat everything now!!

Hope I didnt ruin your apetite ;)

Christmas Presents (any ideas??)

How complicated is to find the ideal Christmas present?
I enjoy Christmas and the presents but it is never easy to buy the perfect present to anyone and it is not even a question of money. I realize now even having bigger budgets it is still a problem to decide what to buy.
That is always that paradigm with the useful present versus the useless present: That’s always a question for me, how useful is what I am buying? How funny is it? How disappointing will be the moment one unwraps the present and finds what is inside?
Well, perhaps that’s not such a big deal but I like my friends to be happy with my presents

As a result, today I spent a good time looking for presents and present ideas, Mum, Dad, Granma, best friends, friends, not that special friends, someone.. there is a big list, I am afraid someone is going to stay outside ‘cause the budget is limited. In the meantime, I managed to buy nearly half of my presents, for the first time on my life I didn’t let it to the last minute.. I guess because I want to buy the presents in England therefore I have to hurry ! :)
I welcome any suggestions about presents, for instance for me is always difficult to buy presents for men, dad, boyfriend, male friend.. HELP!

McBeth, Blackout and SuperBOCK in Nottingham UK

Yesterday evening I decided to make a brake on my report progress (not that it is progressing very fast) and went to enjoy a short time with some friends and get a bit of a relief from this painful life I have got.
We went to the theatre in Nottingham. It was the first time I have been to the theatre besides Nottingham has a massive cultural offer, there's always events going on. There is a big stage, called Nottingham arena where concerts take place, and all the famous international bands come here from time to time. There will be a Metallica concert here in February, for example and I just realize Prodigy is coming in April, I have to go! I went there to see Whitesnake, in July.

Nottingham has got two main theatres, a modern and an old one; Yesterday, I went to the modern one to watch McBeth by William Shakespeare. My expectations were quite high because I had the idea that I watch it before, as an adapted version for opera in Moscow. However, I soon understood I was completely wrong and it has nothing to do with that. The play was generally pretty boring; I did not fall asleep as I could but found myself thinking about my life several times instead of following the play, but did not miss the story or its content. Indeed it could have been done in 15 minutes instead of two hours.. actually it took a little bit more (ihihihi).. I dont want to spoil you the story, perhaps you want to go and see it but in the end I have got the impression that whatever genius present on that script was lost with time and nowadays there is nothing much interesting in couples of monologues about power, life and sorrow, stupid fake murders followed by psychological depressive monologues ending with a sword battle done by two apprentices on their first class which made me feel sorry for them.
So what could happen to make it really different? Add a bit of a special effect, put the actors interacting with the public or interrupt the play with a trembling voice encrypted by fear after a sudden blackout and tell everyone to evacuate the room as soon as possible! (Was a bit creepy, everyone thought there was a big deal) This is very unusual in England where people is a hundred toms more civilized than anywhere else, people left the building very quickly (but still orderly), someone had a panic attack and in the end that was just a blackout indeed! I was expecting something a lot more exciting, fire or bomb.. bah, we had to go back then to watch the 5 minutes of boringness remaining…

Just one more line comment about Mcbeth, I struggled a bit to understand the language (English I suppose).. some sort of archaic English and I bet you that most of the English people present didn’t understand much more than me I am afraid.. that made it even more boring..

The whole thing was not that bad but I will be sure I will not go again and next after comes my favourite part. We went to Nandos, which pretends to be a Portuguese chain restaurant, but at least they sell portuguese beer! We got there at 10:25 and hardly got served, you know here in England dinner its served from 5 pm to 7pm usually and I am afraid they only serve until later sometimes because of the foreigners here.. It’s ridiculous!! And so annoying!!
We could get the food and I have got my SuperBock! Very nice though :)

When one can't sleep because is too tired

Today I am devastated, too tired but cant sleep because I am too tired. It sounds contradictory but it is true; Sometimes one gets so tired that it is hard to fall asleep. I havent been to bed since saturday night and I cant sleep.. How spooky is that? I am too cold, it is freezing, miss my extra duvet which went on a trip and left me, cant wait until it is back.. Bloody flying duvets.. Been spending too many nights no sleep enchanted by the world of STATs, my very best proteic friends which either agonize me or make me happy; These time they got me trapped, I see them everywhere, I am so sick already. Could it just become a bit lighter? For now I just want to sleep, have got too much coffee perhaps, the heart beat is weird, bit of and orchestra, brain is numb, feeling like I am going to pass out.. but no, it is just too much running out, gonna try again, good night :)

Enlightened by blindness

Hope that all the blind actions done by means of love are devoted to happiness and goodness indeed, mesmerized by the greatest of the feelings, wisdom downs, senses may go blur, and for the best of my intentions what I am not allowed to see under this state of unconsciousness will ultimately build me or be part of me, and for that, there is usually only one way to be forgiven upon disregard of any other choices.

_____Pips _____


If I could tear you from the ceiling,
And guarantee a source divine,
Rid you off possessions fleeting,
Remain your funny valentine.

Don't go and leave me,
And please don't drive me blind,
Don't go and leave me,
And please don't drive me blind.

If I could tear you from the ceiling,
I know the best have tried,
I'd fill your every breath with meaning,
And find a place we both could hide.

Don't go and leave me,
And please don't drive me blind,
Don't go and leave me,
And please don't drive me blind.

You don't believe me, but you do this every time,
Please don't drive me blind.
Please don't drive me blind..

I know we're broken,
I know we're broken,
I know we're broken.

If I could tear you from the ceiling,
I'd freeze us both in time,
Find a brand new way of seeing..
Your eyes forever glued to mine.

Don't go and leave me,
And please don't drive me blind,
Don't go and leave me,
And please don't drive me blind.

Biochemists versus Geneticists

"In general, assemblies of proteins have been analyzed using two complementary approaches: the biochemical and the genetic. In the well-known analogy to understanding how car runs, biochemists disassemble the engine, transmission and body, characterize all the pieces and attempt to rebuild a working vehicle. Geneticists, by contrast, break single components, turn the key and try to determine what effect the single missing part has on the car’s operation. This implies that genetic methods often require a specific phenotype before they can be carried out." (in Biol Proced Online. 1999 Oct 4;2:1-38).


Found this definition on my readings, quite nice one, I am both of them.

How to be the perfect girlfriend

I couldn’t resist putting this video on my blog and thats dedicated to all my male friends! You guys are a bit of a pre-historical beings right? Look at the amount and sort of things that make men happy and self realised... Its unbelievable how can you use the brain sometimes..




PS: Women still love men.
PS1:Women will always love men.
PS2: Men cannot live without women.
PS3: there are perfect girlfriends but not perfect men!

The world's new face

A quick post to congratulate Barack Obama couldn’t be omitted from my blog. The ones that know me properly also know that I am not a politics lover although I like to be generally informed. For instance I didnt give proper attention to the whole US presidentials, didnt follow it since the beginning and only started to pay attention to it 3 or 4 months ago becoming a Obama supporter, because for any citizen in the world it DOES matter whoever is the US president and that is not something that gives exclusive respect to the USA and its people; I am happy Obama is now the new USA president. I think yesterday was a very important day to the world's history and I hope this new president will make the difference in how the USA are playing the dice in the world context. I am happy young minds arose and gave place to what I believe will be a withdrawal of the US tyranny that was spread all over during the past 8 years. From now let’s watch it!
Get more info: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/americas/2008/vote_usa_2008/default.stm

Geek but cool !

Ok, this is not time to write a post in the blog and I tell you I am doing this; its 6.20am, wednesday the 5th, I am still in the office waiting for a bit of a bright dawn to get off here, I am bloody tired, did not yet sleep and have been working the whole night with no stops until right now. In the meantime I chatted with Boavida (a friend of mine with a funny name.. translating "Boavida" means "Good life") whether good or not today his life was better than mine but was nice to have his company for half the night whereas he was following the American elections (Obama is getting there), reporting me the results I was hardly working on my report, before he left he shout me "geeeeeeeeeeeeek", "PhD geeeeeeeeeek" that was at 3.30am, and additionally he added to his nick on MSN "Pips is the most geeeeekest PhD ever" !! Well, I am actually not even a proper geek, therefore not the most ever and whether eventually you want to consider me geek just because I do science, I work on my PhD until morning (see that I have the deadline coming) and I enjoy computer games (but I am now forbidden to play any thing, discipline imposed for the sake of my PhD), I am not and I am cool. Dont believe my friend, although nowadays to be geek is a way to be cool still dont get to be stereotyped with a remotely negative connotation. Ok, my brain is breaking down, I cant go much further with this post, I may just say Good Morning!

Wherever I May Roam

Some time ago I wrote a post about the place to settle down, the place to live, to grow a family, the place to get old, a place called HOME and I wrote that I still haven’t found that place.
Nothing changed so far..

I do not feel myself home where I am currently living as I did not feel myself home where I used to live, with my parents, where I spent my whole life. I like moving, travelling, discovering new places, arriving and departing, roaming around the world would have been a dream for me.. and isn’t it anymore? Well, the thing is that although I am enjoying moving around, meeting new people, facing new cultures, challenging myself against the eventually most extreme situations I am indeed a social person and I cant travel alone or with the uncertainty of being alone a good part of my journey and that is my handicap for all these dreams of discovering the world!

I enjoyed so much the times where I left home with no plan where to go, got my car, a good CD playing and drove for hours.. only me and the road and the landscapes and the wind coming through the window, very lonely, on the mood to revise my life, my plans and my fantasies but it only made sense because I could quickly go back home. I am not sure whether I could do it for real, with no turning back for a long time... I couldn’t stay like that forever, I always had to go back to the "reality", to my friends and people, to my life, those moments became just like silent screams same effect whether you go on the top of a hill and scream; that makes one feel so free!
That sort of fantasy of going around the world, driving with no destiny, flying to an uncertain part of the earth; this will never happen. I cant do it alone and that is not something to do with someone. There’s a lot of contradiction, but that is a bit of me again and dreams not always have to be true!
There are dreams one rises in his head that are absolutely incompatible and they cant happen together, its an option of one or another and that’s the same here! Rather stay home than go roaming, or go roaming rather than stay home? Both would apparently make me happy but both have consequences and to me the first seems a lot more comfortable. Human tend to chose the easy ones, isn’t it? I am so human!
On the other hand I just think that my choice makes me mentally fairly healthy then I will not probably go roaming around the world, I will stay wondering how it could have been, that will make me happy because at the end of the day I am closed to the ones I do love and that’s is beautifull.

Unfortunately I end up coming a little further that I would like to be but I know it is close enough to be back for any special event or a simple hello.

And this is a post mainly for those who may be afraid of me going further in the future and not returning and to those who like to have me near by :)

However for the memory of those times where I would be roaming, one of my favourite songs:

And this is like the icing on the cake!

And just because "there is not one without two and two without three" in a proverb inspired post I am posting my third post of today!
Proverb wise I just recalled that today I had to attend for a workshop in Designing research and statistics since my PhD course/school requires me to attend some sort of PhD courses and accomplish 20 credits in the end of my first year and because I did not yet complete that since I got lazy in the first months I am now in a rush to get the bloody credits.

This all story is to tell you that what I always thought that would be the expression "to put the cherry on top of the cake" is actually a WRONG english translation of a portuguese proverb being just a plain translation word by word whereas proverb wise is riscky and mostly of the times it doesnt work!
In fact, and during the workshop of today, the teacher used the RIGHT version of that expression in good english coming with, "and that is brilliant therefore is such as icing on the cake!" Suddenly some light came into my brain and then I remembered that last time I used the expression "the cherry on top of the cake", my house mate, Chris didn’t seem to quite understand me.. and now I know! Its a shame they dont teach us this at school.. grrrrr

Inspiration?!

Now a proper post, or not, to be honest I have been lacking proper inspiration or what I think is inspiration to write in my blog.. This writing up (my first year PhD report) is basically killing me and I cant see the day I finish this up and go on holiday, rewarded though!
I remember when I was doing only lab work I wanted to have some time to write something, and actually I think that should be the right way to do a good research not only performing bench experiments but intercalating them with a good reading and writing. However I reckon very little amount of people have that disciple and mostly everyone sticks to either do experiments or writing/reading but basically while doing one of them I seek to do another one (very human though).
My lack of inspiration is then not only regarding my blog but the bloody thesis-like report where I drop a few lines per hour, sort of a slow motion writing with the uncertainty of the sense of whatever I am writing plus the certainty that I will regret not having had more time to write it when time meets the deadline.. I feel that I am very good working under pressure and only when something is on due I am able to brilliantly make it happen (although always with a significant amount of psychological and physical effort like skipping night sleep and so on..)

For now I just feel so numb, most of my feelings are asleep and just a few of them are awake but just in a certain form of awareness, well, I cant explain, feelings are hard to explain and suddenly I just found the perfect song for today.. (yet out of the classics I said I would collect here and I WILL with time .. )



Unable so lost
I can't find my way
Been searching, but I have never seen
A turning, a turning from deceit

Cos the child roses like
Try to reveal what I could feel

I can't understand myself anymore
But I m still feeling lonely
Feeling so unholy

Cos the child roses like
Try to reveal what I could feel
But this loneliness
It just won't leave me alone

I'm fooling somebody
A faithless path to roam
Deceiving to breath this secretly
This silence, a silence I can't bear

Cos the child roses like
Try to reveal what I could feel
And this loneliness
It just won't leave me alone
And this loneliness,
It just won't leave me alone, ohh no

A lady of war

A lady of war

Halloween for the record

As I promised in the post about the Halloween I would leave one or two photos to let you know how I looked like on a death woman costume (I think I did not mention what exactly I was going to dress up) but now you know, there was place for everything, I saw all kind of costume but here you are me and my friends:

Not that scary right???

Happy Halloween

A quick post about the Halloween today, I am so happy I am going to celebrate it, I haven’t ever done so! Remember that in Portugal, as well and in Spain, France, Italy.. Germany (?), maybe a lot more places the Halloween does really exist and whatsoever is nowadays celebrated it has been imported from the US such as like a lot of other things.

But then it means that once a kid I didnt enjoy dressing up as a pumpkin and go knocking the doors scaring the neighbours and get a lot of sweets! Well, since I am 24 it just not applies to me anymore but at least I can go out at night dressed in a spooky, creepy manner and scaring (or not) whoever passes by.. (or there is also some girls who defend that the Halloween is suppose to be sexy! Then I would have to dress as a sexy dirty witch but then I think I would be even scarier! At least I am sure my friends would be a bit scared about whatever would be happening to me, not that I dont like to dress sexy but this sexy I am talking about is beyond what I find sexy and instead goes towards what is dirty almost pornographic.. you should come and see me in Nottingham and I will show you what I am talking about if you dont believe me... girls here are far too much...and too many!)

Alright, so I am going out tonight and celebrate the Halloween and I am happy about that! I wish you a very terrifying Halloween! Have fun! And I will put a photo of me later ;)

And because of the Halloween I found a very sadistic thing, quite funny though, remember these cruel bunnies?? Check them in the You Tube, there are several 30'' movies like the one I am posting, have a look whether you are bored!

Chronicles of the (re)discovery of the (GREAT) all times' classics

Yesterday, and not only yesterday, it happens every time I am with someone who has got a really vast musical culture, I felt really dull. The reason is just because I actually think I lack quite a lot of musical knowledge. It is not that I dont know a lot of songs and artists, not that I dont like music, because I love it and all parts of my life have great soundtracks but it just seems that I dont memorize very well either the lyrics or the artists or bands' names or actually I perhaps didnt spend a fairly good time listening to them! Maybe I just listened to the radio some time or it was at a friends' place, in the car, in a party or in a random concert.. but not in my walkman, Discman, mp3 player or i-pod (I havent got one yet, please dont make fun of me)..
Maybe I did not used to carry any of these sort of device with me.. (thats quite true.. although I have got them all).. Nevertheless, dont take me wrong, I listen to music at least once a day, all days of my life, therefore I do know a lot of music but havent got much selectivity, if thats the word, or for instance I cant really tell you my all time favourite band, my favourite song, my current favourite band.. etc etc.. I could make a massive list of bands I like, but I cant promisse I would know a lot about them.. and the worst is that I like a lot of stuff that I dont know the name!

Yesterday, one of these persons who knows a LOT about music, in this case I would repeat, really a lot .. got me into a very nice "trip" (with the help of YOUTUBE - this so much nice tool, I cant believe the humanity survived 10 thousand years without it..) through what everyone knows as the classics, those songs that mostly everyone can sing at least the refrain, mostly everyone likes it, and it perfectly fits with some point in one's life!

Obviously or not, BUT in fact I knew over 95% of the songs besides I just realized that most of them I had no idea about the song's name and not even the singer! I just thought that was pretty shameful and embarrassing being 24 and neglecting all this information! OMG!
The funniest thing was that the beginning of the saga through the old time best classics ever did not start with a proper classic but with a song that is suddenly now playing in my head (Thanks!) and that I find appropriated to use as the great beginning for this chronics about the all times classics!

So expect me to publish that really romantic song from the 80s or that 90s dance floor hit but today, I am going to leave you with... this one:



So Gosto de ti, Porque?
Nao sei
Mas tou bem assim
e tu tambem ;)

Its not a brilliant song (At all!), but it gave place to a brilliant time! A very good time to share and burn a very nice CD (I hope I will do)!

Have fun! (I am writing up my first year PhD report, dont expect me to make much sense ;)

What day is it?

Funny!

The Science of TODAY is NOT the Science of before

I think everyone who is involved with science nowadays and I don’t even say as involved as I am, but anyone who actual likes science or read scientific news on a magazine, someone who is generally interested on what is going on about new discoveries in physics, mathematics, genetics.... new technologies or whatsoever brings up a breakthrough on what is known so far may have thought the same thing:

The Science of TODAY is very different from what it used to be 10 years ago!

(In the past, but past in science is a very short time due to the speed of how things evolve and change and grow and.. ufff is exhausting!)

The reasons:

The most striking one is obvious: There was a lot more done in the past ten years than possibly in the 50 years before! It is just crazy the amount of findings that came out during the last decade! And of course, every time a step goes forward a new question arises or a new need arises taking the topic a lot further and further and then it’s just like a snow ball that goes faster down the mountain as soon as it gets bigger and bigger!

Also obvious is that the topics researched 20 years ago were different than what is going on now and that's always changing very quickly according to what comes out and what becomes needed and required and on the fields of medical research, pharmaceutics and IT it goes particularly more more fast!

Another big reason to explain this entire boost is INVESTMENT! Despite of the big economic crisis that is now spreading all over the world and the small ones that affected the USA and Europe, the principal scientific investors, there was a lot of money invested in science in the past decade. I am not going to tell you numbers but the results talk by themselves and since a lot more has been done it means there was money for that and that also generated more money! For instance, I noticed the amount of charity funded research provided by institutions fighting against cancer and other malignancies.

The chart below explains how science, technology and society talk among each others and the arrows connecting them, thanks to the big development in the IT fields are getting shorter and shorter and everything just happening very very fast.

The issue:
My personal reason why I am writing about this topic is because of my concerns on how do people are actually actively involved in this very fast circuit and how do they feel about it!

With everything moving and evolving very fast it is hard to stay on the front line and for a scientist that is absolutely essential! There makes no sense to research something that has already been unveil and published by someone else! That takes one to read and read and keep himself very up-to-date but that is a lot of time and then where is the time to perform the experiments? That is also a lot of time either! Shall we scientists become human robots and be design to perform science at the same speed it goes and forget about what behind it makes us human beings and not heartless machines?

How can a scientist succeed in THIS kind of life, professionally, having at the same time a family, a kid and a spouse? Most of them will definitely suffer. I just think that to be fairly recognized in this world one needs to work at least 16 hours a day, half of them reading and the other half performing experiments and the remaining 8 hours will be to eat/sleep and of course there will not be days off or holidays!
Personally I don’t feel programmed for that and I can’t cope with this fast, exhausting, pointless style of life, can you?

But then, since I have chosen that science is what I want to do, as my profession not as my whole live, I might not be taking it serious or enough serious and that means I might not get a job and then I might not work at all and then I cant have my private life because I wont be able to support it.. bla bla bla bla.. That is over then!

So, what way to choose? How far is this gonna be? How people are going to face this and cope with it?

The Little Red Riding Hood written according to the Portuguese Ortographic agreement 2058 (ya tásse)‏ ..

Once upon a time...

Tás a ver uma dama com um gorro vermelho? Yah, essa cena! A pita foi obrigada pela kota dela a ir à toca da velha levar umas cenas, pq a velhatava a bater mal, tázaver? E então disse-lhe:
- Ouve, nem te passes! Népia dessa cena de ires pelo refundido dasárvores, que salta-te um meco marado dos cornos para a frente e depois tenho a bófia à cola!
Pá, a pita enfia a carapuça e vai na descontra pela estrada, mas a toca davelha era bué longe, e a pita cagou na cena da kota dela e enfiou-se pelobosque. Népia de mitra, na boa e tal, curtindo o som do iPod...É então que, ouve lá, salta um baita dog marado, todo chinado e bué uglymêmo, que vira-se pa ela e grita:
*- Yoo, tá td? Dd tc?*
- Tásse... do gueto alí! E tu... tásse? - disse a pita- Yah! E atão, q se faz?- Seca, man! Vou levar o pacote à velha que mora ao fundo da track, que tákuma moka do camano!- Marado, marado!... Bute ripar uma até lá?- Epá, má onda, tázaver? A minha cota não curte dessas cenas e põe-me depildra se me cata...- Dasse, a cota não tá aqui, dama! Bute ripar até à casa da tua velha, até te dou avanço, só naquela da curtição. Sem guita ao barulho nem nada.- Yah prontes, na boa. Vais levar um baile katéte passas!!!E lá riparam.

Só que o dog enfiou-se por um short no meio do mato e chegou à toca da velha na maior, com bué avanço, tázaver? Manda um toque naporta, a velha 'quem é e o camano' e ele 'ah e tal, e não sei quê, que eusou a pita do gorro vermelho, e na na na...'.

A velha abre a porta e PIMBA, o dog papa-a toda... Mas mesmo, abre a bocarra e o camano e atéchuchou os dedos...O mano chega, vai ao móvel da velha, saca uma shirt assim mêmo à velha quea meca tinha lá, mete uns glasses na tromba e enfia-se no VL... o gajo tava bué abichanado mêmo, mas a larica era muita e a pita era à maneira,tásaver? A pita chega, e tal, e malha na porta da velha.- Basa aí cá pa dentro! - grita o dog.- Yo velhita, tásse?- Tásse e tal, cuma moca do camâno... mas na boa...- Toma esta cena, pa mamares-te toda aí...- Bacano, pa ver se trato esta cena.- Pá, mica uma cena: pa ké esses baita olhos, man?- Pá, pa micar melhor a cena, tázaver?- Yah, yah... E os abanos, bué da bigs, pa ke é?- Pá, pa poder controlar melhor a cena à volta, tázaver?- Yah, bacano... e essa cremalheira toda janada e bué big? Pa que é acena?- É PA CHINAR ESSE CORPO TODO!!! GRRRRRRRR!!!!

E o dog manda-se à pita, naquela mêmo de a engolir, né? Só que a pitadá-lhe à brava na capoeira e saca um back-kick mesmo directo aos tomatesdo man e basa porta fora! Vai pela rua aos berros e tal, o dog vem atrás edá-lhe um ganda-baite, pimba, mêmo nas nalgas, e quando vai pa engolir agaja aparece um meco daqueles que corta as cenas cum serrote, saca demachado e afinfa-lhe mêmo nos cornos.

O dog kinou logo alí, o mano china abelly do dog e saca de lá a velha toda cheia da nhanha. Ina man, e a maltaa gregoriar-se toda!!!E prontes, já tá...


And that's it.. because it is about the portuguese ortographic agreement there makes no sense for me too translate this, but to those who can understand I quite think that there are not many differences between this old story written as it is here and an episode of Rebelde Way (SIC), therefore this ortographic agreement might eventually happen earlier than expected !!

Thought of the day (Two thoughts of the day actually)! (.....) The desert, the crisps and the monkey shows off!

First thought of the day:
While working after 11 hours with no breaks at all, even lunch I had sitting in front of the lap top while analysig my FRAP data (FRAP stands for fluorescence recover after photobleaching.. a very boring technique by the way although quite useful and the results turned to be interesting but to sit in front of the computer acquiring the data is very painful and analysing the data is another pain.. therefore it suits the rhyme "FRAP is CRAP".. thats what always comes to my mind.. sorry!), but ok, today I just came here to complain, bahh,

The (first) thought of the day ..

I did know the PhD would be a lonely jouney but I didnt know I was going to do it in the desert!

Second thought of the day:
The english food (in my opinion! sorry by the second time) has serious problems and in general is hard to find something nice to eat - I dedicated a post, some time ago, to the english culture where I expanded my thoughts about english food but today I have got to know that for christmas, therefore a seasonal speciallità, one of the crisps companys here in the UK, will sell a new flavour dedicated to the Christmas season which seems to be a cocktail of christmas flavours in a pack of crips!! It is reasonable to say WOW! How far are crisps taking us? Crips are becoming like meal tablets nowadays! There are every flavour for crisps, everything you can imagine, almost every day I find a different flavour! You have salty, cheese and onion, salt and vinegar and these are what I consider the NORMAL flavours but then it starts to becoming really creative coming with prawn cocktail, followed by greek kebab, feta cheese, sweet chili, roasted turkey with bla bla bla, roasted beef, dark souce whatever, tomato ketchup... four cheese and red onion (which is apparently different than cheese and onion!), bacon on toast.. sausage bla bla bla, turkey and thyme, etc etc etc, its ridiculous! It never ends!

SO.. some time ago every one would think that one day there would come some sort of tablets with flavours to replace the food in a plate taking much less time to eat and less effort as well and also could be helpful in a diet BUT instead of light tablets full of nutrients and with food tastes we have got plenty of tasty crisps possible to make a four or five course meal with all the flavours on it, (and a lot of calories though!)

Thus, concerning this reality, the second thought of the day is:

Even the monkey loves them!

and in a Jose Cid style.. the monkey loves crisps as I love you - even though it didn't improve.. Oh poor Jose Cid, you've got no chance! And who is Jose Cid? It's a must see ! ... (google it!)

And just a brief third thought of the day:

I ate three packs of crips today and they were nice and they are more or less the best thing I can eat in the desert...

In the meantime I try to have fun and hope you also do!

Got the counter and got a map BUT not the place..

Ok,
Dear readers,
finally got the visitors counter that I mentioned a few posts ago and even better!! Instead of a normal basic counter I have got a map counter that not only tell us how many visitors did come to this blog but also where they are from in the world! I hope I dont get too disappointed and the map will be getting red dots soon :) (At least my effort of writing in english for everyone should be worthwhile !)..

The point of today is.. ITS SUNDAY, I am sleepy, very tired though, going to bed after this, cant be bother working any further, I am death, has been such a busy time now and its just going worse and worse towards the first report and the Xmas holidays when before I must get a lot more work done than I have.. uff And just in sequence with my busy life of nowadays the following song reflects what I felt in a quite distant past (regarding that with my age one year is a long time and then I can also tell you that it takes me back to 2006)@ that time this song would be a great soundtrack, today it is one of my favourite Linkin Park's songs (therefore still makes part of life!): The place I belong I still dont know and I cant predict when I will know that, I have a special passion for moving and travelling although recently more than ever I have been feeling a need to go back at a certain point which was something I primarily discarded in the past affirming I would never go back to Portugal.. How and Why my mind is changing it is out of my conscious control under world influences (maybe astral ?!..) but you know time changes everything (and love as well!) so, from the uncertainty of my life for long terms I enjoy my PhD time and look forward to, sooner or later, travelling and or settle somewhere I belong ...

RE-DO MANGA

Apparently someone (who is not a stranger but someone I do really care of course, otherwise I would not come back to the blog today for this up-dating, besides I have got "nothing" to do then a lot of time for another post.. lolol.. actually I have got a lot to do but no motivation at all, I can't even believe that I brought my work laptop with me - teorectically because I was gonna work hard tonight, but really, I cant do anything else today apart from resting my brain that is really tired..like steaming.. bahh) then, decided that my Manga version did not match with the actual Pippa (me).

There you go Pips Manga strikes back :)

Actually I look much better now, ihihihih, Thanks =)))

Its seems that went to one of those TV shows where they transform people like Before/After!

Pippa Manga

Following suggestion from Miss Pipeta @http://caopatadeborracha.blogspot.com/ decided to check whether I could find me in a Manga world. Get a try, its funny when you have nothing to do or waiting the western blot to go home @http://www.faceyourmanga.com/ !!

Have fun, I do ;)

Crying Out Loud for Love

My post for you today is a Ode to love and to lovers. There is not much to say about feelings unless you put it into a nice poem otherwise it just sounds silly. An extensive description in a formal text about feelings and love sounds boring and does not make sense anyway.. therefore I cannot extend my topic of today ;P (which is great because I dont feel like writing that much) but I wanted to say something and I listened to this song today and went through the poem which is brilliant and really romantic and feel so much like that.. wanted to share, I am happy :)

"
I would die for you
I would die for you
I’ve been dying just to feel you by my side
To know that you’re mine

I will cry for you
I will cry for you
I will wash away your pain with all my tears
And drown your fear

I will pray for you
I will pray for you
I will sell my soul for something pure and true
Someone like you

See your face every place that I walk in
Hear your voice every time I am talking
You will believe in me
And I will never be ignored
I will burn for you
Feel pain for you
I will twist the knife and bleed my aching heart
I’ll tear it apart
I will lie for you
I can steal for you
I will crawl on hands and knees until you see
You’re just like me

Violate all my love that I’m missing
Throw away all the pain that I’m living
You will believe in me
And I can never be ignored

I would die for you
I would kill for you
I will steal for you
I’d do time for you
I would wait for you
I’d make room for you
I’d sail ships for you
To be close to you
To be a part of you
’cause I believe in you
I believe in you
I would die for you

Freaky weather, shity food and facebook

What makes England such an attractive place for students all over the world?
That question comes to my mind from time to time, because actually there are loads of students coming to England every year to stay for their degrees either undergraduate or post graduate degrees, also for Erasmus or other sort of exchange programs not yet to mention all those other people who emigrate here to work!

England or shall I say the United Kingdom although Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales seem not to be as attractive as England nonetheless they also get a fairly good amount of foreigners looking forward for a good education and a better work.. for such a phenomena that must be a good explanation of course!
From my experience and since I came to England anyway, my reasons rely on the very high standard research with state-of-art facilities open to everyone permitting top world research specially in my field where a lot of equipment is required to do a proper project with no restrictions, therefore there is a lot of investment in the universities and there is, indeed, a lot of Money!
Secondly, what makes England more attractive than other countries in Europe with as good research conditions as England? The language of course! Doing a PhD is already a lot of work; I personally could not be bother learning another language in the meantime, which would be crucial for my thesis and project. These are my personal reasons and I am pretty sure that whether I would come out with a survey about this everyone would pretty much go for the same reasons as the top ones.
There might be other good reasons to move here but honestly I can’t see any other strong reasons to bring me here for living, not that I wouldn’t come for visiting because the country is nice at some points, but that’s it! Please feel free to express yourself whether you feel you had other reasons to come here ;)

And now let’s face the culture... tcharan: Freaky weather, shity food and facebook are the key words when you are a foreigner. (I could make a song, a poem about this! maybe later)

There is not ever best subject for a conversation that British weather! Portuguese whether is boring, any other weathers... BORING, BUT, British weather is so crapy that there is always a wish to complain about it and because it varies a lot you can have twice or trice many conversations about the weather than in any other country like:
In the morning waiting for the bus: "Oh, its sunny today but its freezing!" and after one or two hours in the morning break for a shity coffee (that’s another issue by the way) "its becoming warmer isn’t it but the sun is gone, its completely overcastted and it seems that will be raining soon" and later on when going for lunch with the colleagues "its so humid, because has been raining for two or three hours and there's no chance we eat outside" in the end of the day when heading for the lift a lab neighbour "the weather today is pretty rubbish it has been changing all over the day", etc, etc.. At least, it is always possible to break the silence and just in a Monthy Python's style "always Look on the Bright Side of Life"!!

Second reason one cannot avoid coming to England is the food (and it also includes the Coffee!). The food it’s just horrible! Sometimes I have to starve because nothing seems eatable! Mostly everything they have is chips (former French fries) and crisps (former chips) and other rubbish like a lot of grease everywhere, a lot of processed food, the cheese is bad, the bread is very bad, the ham is ok but very stupidly expensive, then they are a island but they don’t eat fish (can you get this???), and the fish they eat its fried on batter so again a lot of grease, them they mush peas and eat it with a big half boiled half roasted potato that they call jacket potato, and usually its accompanied by they lovely beans.. baked beans which are, seriously, really bad! And because their food its always bad anyway they end up putting a lot of sauces (and what they call gravy) in everything to hide the real flavour and give it an even more artificial flavour.. then their sandwiches with its inexplicable awful mayos and mustard.. thats just too bad. So traditionally a good lunch here is composed of a packet of crisps with a coke and a triangular sandwich, that in Portugal you only find in the gas stations and that even though are better then these here... The coffee.. its another issue, I cant count how many time I ordered a coffee and had to trough it away immediately because I couldn’t drink it even with 3 or 4 packs of sugar on it.. where are they getting the coffee from???

And now the really tcharan thingy which completes the story here and represents up to 1/3 of the time spent by a normal worker on its normal working day: The Facebook! this is a real phenomena.. moving to England? First question would be: Did you set up your facebook account? Not that you have got accommodation and a job, you might not get a job if you are not on face book! This is a serious issue! What is meant to be a leisure thing becomes more and more an important part of people’s life and its own part of the society by how do they interact on facebook. FAcebook is the tool to know more people therefore to enlarge your network, to be invited to the events to be noticed and to be known! there is no other place in the world where a gadget like facebook has been gone so far, and here its just a fundamental tool!




And now the overview of what I have got in England (from the country):

- Nice university that being part of my CV can give me a very nice job in the future wherever I go.
- All the conditions for my research as far as I am concerned there’s nothing missing!
- The opportunity to improve the English language and to become almost a native speaker, a skill recognized all over the world and that makes me able to communicate with a lot of people.
- Shity depressing weather
- awful food
- a strange society, actually I forgot to mention the alcohol which is a big part of the issues in this country but I will talk about that in another post later.

Any questions why?

The sides of people's life (are their choices)

It is incredible how social dependent we are, human beings and how important is for us to be loved by the others and have a good network of friends and people in general. And whether you think otherwise you must see a doctor. Healthy minds need other minds and alive hearts need other hearts, and just such like ants and bees, humans live happy in societies sharing experiences and thoughts towards a building up of what is meant to be a nice life there is a place on top of Maslows’ pyramid that I posted some days ago! That’s self satisfaction that makes us smile in a way that is possible for the others to see that we are confident of ourselves and that makes us recommendable people. People dont neither want nor like to co-live with people lacking self confidence, surrounded by problems and expressing sadness and pains unless they are their friends (and even though must be truly friends.). Nevertheless in the social routinely environment meeting people everyday one will always approach a positive looking person rather than a problematic obscure one hiding behind what seems to be a black curtain full of troubles within.

Overall, this in part useless conversation that is actually my post for you today is to state that my moody days are gone for now and that I feel good again. Not gonna go into details of what happened but Im simply summarizing the reasons for these changes as changes in perspectives and general overviews of my current life and life style. Such as like the moon, everything has a light and a dark side ("Star wars" additionally explains it pretty well: when you are in the light side you look good and people like you but if you turn to the dark side you will become ugly and everyone will avoid you). Basically after a fairly long reflection I concluded that whatever happened was because I couldnt, for a while, see the light side of my life despite all the good, positive points present everywhere! And thats why people one loves is so important here, because they are patient enough to listen to you when you are good and also where you are down and it just helps you so much changing sides, improving and recovering!
I am happy I have got the right people to talk to, and I am happy because I have got the right people to be with. I feel I am growing up really fast at the moment and my life becoming full of challenging situations where I have to manage to respond to them and keep going and for one spoiled girl like me, I may say, it was difficult to cope with it in the beginning but I do believe that things will be alright.

When it comes to time to decide and make decisions it is really striking whatever you choose because it might change your life forever either for good or for hell! I feel I went through that way a few months ago when I decided to completely change my life coming to Nottingham and leave a lot of people I love behind me and face a totally new world where I only knew a very few people. But nowadays I feel that my decisions are even more compromising. I grew up, evolved and belong now to an adult life where I don’t eventually find myself but indeed I have to, forced by the circumstances. I didn’t think it would be so quick and when I look 10 years back I was fourteen and had started thinking a lot more than before with questions raising everyday about life and stuff and now mostly all those questions seem very simple while a several more turn to be flashing around waiting answers that I will not probably ever have time to answer unless I live forever!!

Since I don’t believe I will live forever, except I get a special power such as one of those from Heroes (really enjoyed watching it), I am content with what I have now whereas being challenged and facing the demanding s of life from where I try to squeeze the best out of it! Therefore I am telling you: Have fun, I do!