Weekend in Bacolod

I count myself fortunate for having had enough time to spend a weekend with my mom's side of the family in Bacolod. Honestly, they're more than extended family to me - they're practically family since Mommy's eldest sister Mama was the one who raised me for the first three years of my life.  She also cared for my brother for about a year, until Mommy took us both to Davao.   Mama's own children, my cousins, would always introduce me to their friends as their youngest sister and have always treated me as such.  No wonder I grew up a little pampered and self-entitled because of their never-ending love and affection.  No wonder I always feel like a child again whenever I visit Bacolod and stay at their Victorina Heights home.

Compared to the month-long vacations I'd had in my childhood, this one was very short - only two days - and I had to rush from the office last Friday to catch the last flight from Manila to Bacolod.  Just this morning, I also took a cab from the airport straight to the office, where I have tons of work waiting for me.  This is not to say, however, that I regret those hours spent in commuting.  On the contrary, I consider them mere inconveniences that are part of the little sacrifices we have to make to spend time with the people who mean most to us.  

I had a great time bonding with my cousins and my aunts, who played a very important role in raising me and taking care of me when I was a baby.  In more ways than one, I'm still their baby even if I'm about to enter my fourth decade later this year.  There's the endless hugs and kisses that they would always shower on me whenever I'm there, the laughter, the endless talks, fussing over my stressful job and suggesting I quit it (hehe), attending church together, and eating delicious food - all these I enjoy and cherish whenever I'm with these people.  Of course, these people - Mama especially - never hesitate to give me sound advice on everything (from my presently nonexistent love life to my spiritual life).  All these I take to heart and heed because these people only want the best for me.  

I wish I were a child again, so I could spend several weeks in the company of the people who made a very big impact in my life.  I wish I had no commitments at work and at school so I could stay longer with them and really bond with them.  Perhaps, from now on, I'll make it a point to sacrifice a few precious work hours to be with my loved ones.  Family, after all, comes first.  

Molecule of the Day: Phenylalanine Hydroxylase

Other Names: PheOH, PAH, PheH
Classification: enzyme
EC: 1.14.16.1
Mass: 51.9 kDa
Form: monomer
Function: hydroxylation (addition of an OH group) of phenylalanine to tyrosine
Substrate: phenyalanine (an amino acid)
Product: tyrosine (another amino acid)
Diseases associated with: phenylketonuria (from lack of PAH)

Down the Food Memory Lane

I love to eat.  I guess it goes without saying that everybody's got to eat to continue his or her existence.  I have eaten different kinds of food and I have quite a long list of my favorites.  Most of these favorites have special memories attached to them, which is why I entitled this entry  Down the Food Memory Lane. 

1.  Chicken curry, dorm -style.  This evokes fond memories of my last semester in U.P.  I love the spicy-creamy taste of the dish, and I would often request the housemaids in my boardinghouse to prepare chicken curry for me.  I used to crave for a bowl even late at night.  Eventually, I was able to learn to prepare the dish myself, to the relief of Ate Inday and Ate Des and to my great delight.  At least, I would be able to make chicken curry anytime without ordering someone about.

2.  Canned tuna.   When my friend Ruby and I were roommates, we had had several cans of Century tuna in our cabinet as this was the only viand we knew to prepare back then.  We would saute the tuna in lots of garlic and onions for a decent meal.  This was our saving grace, since we were, and still are, never kitchen wizards. 

3.  Doughnuts.  It was my friend Kevin who greatly influenced me on all things donut.  I guess I would be eternally grateful to him for teaching me the ropes when it comes to choosing the best donuts in town.  During the early part of our thesis-proposal-hunting days, Ruby and I became so addicted to donuts that we would go to the nearest 7-11 at uncivilized hours or  spend our last money on a piece or two and never regret it. 

4.  Isaw and fishballs.  These were my favorite food in the academic jungle called U.P. Diliman.  There was a time when my college buddies and I went to the isawan near Bahay Kalinaw and ate all the isaw that we could possibly eat.    We have never had isaw stands in UP Manila; we had our snacks and meals in Robinsons Place, so the whole isaw experience was great for us. 

5.  Coke and chocolates.  These were always on my table during hell week in school.  A can of Coke and a bar or two of chocolate would be enough to supply all the energy I needed to be up all night. 

6.  Chocolate chip cookies.  A large box of Chips Ahoy and a good book were my companions during rainy days when classes were suspended.

7.  Fried Chicken.  This reminds me of my freshman days when, after our 7am P.E. class,  my best friend Vannie and I would go to an eatery called EasyWay for their fried chicken and pearl shakes.  During the latter part of my university days, my friends and I often had lunch at KFC, where the fried chicken is really yummy and affordable. 

Food and memories.  Food and friends.  These add considerable spice to life and make it worth living.

Molecule of the Day: Hemoglobin

Type: protein (tetramer)
Components: mostly alpha helices connected by hydrogen bonds
Co-factor: heme (a heterocyclic ring with an iron ion at the center)
Function: oxygen transport
Diseases associated with: iron-deficiency anemia, sickle cell anemia, thalassemia

An Angel to Watch Over Me

"She watched by my cradle through long sleepless nights,
She taught me to pray as she knelt by my side,
She guarded my childhood, and all through the years,
She echoed my laughter, she counted my tears.
In the arms of my mother, I came to believe
That God sent an angel to watch over me.

She taught me the meaning of courage and faith.
She taught me to live with the Lord as my strength,
She taught me to follow the pathway He marked,
She guided my steps when the journey grew dark,
And I know there were dangers that I could not see,
But God sent an angel to watch over me.

She taught to serve with a spirit that sings,
She taught me to seek after heavenly things,
And because of her love and her kindness and faith,
Because of the place that I hold in her prayers,
And because of her goodness, I still believe
That God sent an angel to watch over me."
 - Sally DeFord

Molecule of the Day: Azulene

http://0.tqn.com/d/chemistry/1/0/G/B/1/Azulene.jpg

Systematic Name: bicyclo[5.3.0]decapentaene

Molecular Formula: C₁₀H₈  (an isomer of naphthalene)

Color: Dark Blue (from the Spanish word azul)

The azulene skeleton is found in nature as component of pigments in mushrooms and some marine invertebrates (as per Wikipedia). 

Molecule of the Day: Glucose

from: http://www.bmrb.wisc.edu/metabolomics/standards/D_glucose/lit/3565.png

Another Break

I've been reading and rereading my assigned articles for the past hour, my table is in total chaos, and I'm in dire need of a caffeine megadose to get me through the afternoon.  Unfortunately, I can't have another cup of coffee because I'd already had one this morning.  As a rule, I limit my coffee intake to one cup a day or I'd be spending a sleepless night.  I guess one cup of coffee every morning is enough to keep me awake and rev up my metabolism for the rest of the day.

I'm still on cloud nine, and I don't think I'm getting off it for the next few weeks.  Perhaps this is just a rebound reaction from last month's disaster or perhaps I'm on the verge of falling in love again.  I hope it's not the latter, because I want to give my broken heart chance to mend and recuperate before diving back into the game of love.  Lesson learned: I have to have my gaydar in tiptop shape the next time I meet a potential boyfriend, or last month's disaster will be repeated.  

Not that I've got anything against gays.  On the contrary, I have many gay friends and I get along superbly with them.  I'm just against gays who pretend to be straight, make girls fall in love with them, and afterwards come out of the closet.  It's a huge blow to any girl's ego and heart, and it's cost me a few sleepless and tearful nights.  It's just ego-crushing to fall in love with someone who turns out to be gay and who denies it. 

My heart deserves a detox and a rest, I guess, although I'm still on cloud nine over a guy I'd met a few days ago.  Sad to say, he wasn't able to ask for my number due to the circumstances at that time so I don't think I'll see him again unless some genuine miracle happens.  In that case, I'll let nature take its course and see what happens in the next few months. 

In and Out of the Lab

My life as a lab rat doesn't revolve around the lab alone.  There are times when the lab rats will have to come out of their nooks to mingle with fellow lab rats and ex-lab rats.  I've put together a few pictures of a lab rat's life inside the lab and out of it.  The short hair was deliberate, since I didn't want to be hassled by long tresses.  It was only in late 2009 that I decided to grow it long and attach extensions.  Haha.

2009 Graduate School lab class.  Learning how to use a miscalibrated micropipettor.  It's not obvious, but my hands were trembling while I was pipetting.  

A very biochem Christmas in 2008.  See that arch behind us?  We made it  using our native materials and our suppressed creativity.  :)

Down time = goofing time 

My simple 26th birthday celebration at the NIH-NIMBB office .  

Yes, I can cut my cake and eat it, too.  Hehe. 

An annual tradition - watching the 2008 Oblation Run with my  lab buddies.  

In a ketogenic state during a long meeting.  

Going home after overnight work in the boss's house.  

Goofing around the conference room of Century Park Hotel.  If everything goes well, I'll be doing it for real in 20 years.  

Secretariat duties happily over, we went for a cruise on Manila  Bay.  

The lab geek in action.  I'm isolating and purifying immunoglobulins from chicken eggs.  Cool huh?

Told you, our lives don't revolve around the lab.  Here we're getting ready to attend a simple dinner party.  

We're also capable of creating love triangles.  Hahahaha. 

I miss my slimmer self.  :)

Salcedo Hall hallway that leads from the lab to the front door.  

This is a blatant violation of the wear-your-lab-gown rule.   

Brought to you by Biorad... 

The soon-to-be PhD, CJ - my batchmate, classmate, dormmate and labmate.  

The mini electrophoresis tank.  This is used for visualizing DNA and RNA.  

This is how we visualize DNA and RNA.  

A sexy real-time PCR plot.  

I'm so old school.  I prefer taking notes using pen and paper.  

Our best friend the PCR machine.  

Preparing for the 2010 PSBMB convention a.k.a. convention for lab rats and  lab geeks.  :)

Coke to replenish our lost glucose.  

Registration stuff for PSBMB 2010.

Taking a picture of myself in our Century Park Hotel room, where PSBMB secretariat were billeted.  

We dismantled the double beds so there'd be plenty of sleeping room for everyone.  

Up at the crack of dawn to prepare for Day 1 of the convention.  

A fresh-off-the-bed me.  

Busy, busy, busy... 

At the registration table.  

The Lighter Side of Things

Despite an almost-sleepless night (read previous entry), I'm still grateful for the little things that I consider as blessings.  Such as...

1.  The fact that I'm slimming down without food deprivation.  Three weeks ago,  I tried on an old blazer and was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was able to close all three buttons without holding my breath.  I paired that blazer with a sheath dress and wore it to a recent interview where I met what my gay friends refer to as potential papas.  Unfortunately,most of these supposedly potential papas wore shiny gold rings on their right hand, so I wasn't able to do any subtle flirting because I knew it would be futile.  I simply smiled at them and made small talk with the other ladies who were also awaiting their turn to be interviewed.  Hahaha. 

2.  Glowing skin and minimized fine lines despite being sleep-deprived.  I have Human Heart Nature to thank for this.  Their products are wonderful to my skin.  I also love that they use local ingredients like passion fruit, moringa and lemongrass in their products and that these products do not contain harmful chemicals like parabens, pthalates and lead. As a chemist and a biochemist, I am very particular about the chemical contents of everything I eat or put on my skin.  Discovering Human Heart Nature products is really something I'm grateful for because their products are safe (I read the labels several times before buying) and that in buying their products, I'm also supporting local farmers and the economy.  Human Heart Nature's website is at http://www.humanheartnature.com/.  I highly recommend their moisturizing night cream, day cream and their yummy lip balms. 

3.  Less stressful job.  I might be sitting in front of a computer for at least nine hours a day, but I don't feel stressed or harrassed.  I actually am more stressed by my travel routine than by my new job.  This doesn't mean, however, that my job is a breeze.  It's actually like an extension of Chem 31, Chem 35 and Biochem 131 - my most dreaded courses in college - and I really have to review some basic concepts. Still, I find this job less stresful and more fun than a lab job. 

4.  Being on cloud nine.  I don't want to elaborate on this.  Hehe. 

5.  Being alive.  Again, no explanations needed.

:)

TGIF... and I mean it

Thank God it's Friday!  This has become a cliche among working professionals and students, yet today I'm really and truthfully thankful that it's Friday.

I'd had only four short hours of sleep last night - or rather at 2:00 this morning - because I had to fill out some agonizingly long forms that are required by UP Manila's ethics committee so they can give my proposal the green light.  It's taken me a really long time to complete all those forms, and when I submitted them last week, I was told that the committee has required new forms.  I was, of course, tempted to get mad but there was nothing else I could do except to comply with the new requirement.  Which led to a sleepless night, panda-like eyes, bulging eyebags and a not-so-good temper when I woke up to the shrill ringing of my phone's alarm clock.

I'm thankful, however, that CJ (my classmate, dormmate, and labmate) volunteered to submit the forms for me today. He really is a lifesaver, and has always been like that ever since we started graduate school.  If it weren't for him, I would've panicked because today is the deadline for submission of those wretched forms and I can't afford to miss a day a work (because I love my job... hehehe). 

And so I made it to the office before ten, gave my USB to CJ (he'll be the one to print the forms) and am now about to continue excerpting the article I'd started yesterday.  I'm also looking forward to a much-deserved sleepathon starting tonight. 

Quote of the Day

"What exactly does that expression mean, 'friends with benefits?' Does he provide her with health insurance?"
 - Dr. Sheldon Cooper

Back in the Day

Before we were professionals, we were sleep-deprived undergrads who tried to balance life inside and outside the lab.  Before some of us terrorized students, we were the ones who were terrorized by our profs (okay, I need not mention names here).  This little entry somehow summarizes our experiences as biochem majors back in the day when wifi, social media and laptops were unheard of, and when lectures were on overhead projector instead of Powerpoint.  It's nice to reminisce those relatively carefree days when all we worried about were passing our courses and graduating.  

note: this entry comes from www.peyups.com, but is actually written by vannie and me during the critical period our undergraduate days in UP manila.  we then submitted it to the peyups website and it got published. 

the year was 2002, and for us,  it was the best of times and the worst of times.  it was an age of relaxation, it was an age of toxicity (at least for us biochem majors).  we were going straight to heaven, we were going straight to hell (because of exams)....

TOXIC LIVES - typical scenes in the life of an unfortunate biochem student

SCENE 1: GAB104 (CHEM35)

“Our discussion today will be about reactions at the carbonyl carbon…by the way, our exam will be next week. It will cover reaction mechanisms.”

(Outside classroom): Great! Just great! I won’t be able to sleep for two weeks.

SCENE 2: GAB105 (BIO140 LEC)

“Get 1/4 sheet of paper. Numbers 1 and 2: differentiate DNA and RNA in terms of structure and function. Number 3, what are the building blocks of nucleic acids? Number 4, compute % A and % T given that (G+C)=60%. Number 5, what are the three stop codons?…pass your papers. We’ll start our lecture.”

“Mr.Dagbay, what are the functions of the genetic material?”

“Ms. Genelsa, what is a frameshift mutation?”

“Our exam will be on February 28. It will cover DNA replication, transcription and translation, etc. Bring your own copy of the genetic code as well as 1 bluebook.”

Strudent 1: Grrrrr…

Student 2: Ang hirap nyang magpa-quiz.

Student 1: Ang tanga ko! Glucose yung sagot ko as building blocks of nucleic acids.

Student 3: Ha?

Student 1: I have no business being a biochem student…

SCENE 3: GAB303 (PHYISCS72)

“Magnets have 2 poles- the north and the south. The north pole corresponds to the geographic south pole, while the south pole corresponds to the geographic north pole..”

“Your exam will be on March 1,4-6 pm. You my go now.”

Student 1: Exam na naman?!

Student 2: This is HORRIBLE.

SCENE 4: A. GARCIA LECTURE HALL @ THE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE (STS)

“Our topic is war, ethics, and the environment. What are really the reasons for war? In ancient times, people go to war to gain more land and resources.”

“Your case study is due on March 13. Let’s call it a day.”

Student 1: ‘YOKO NA!!! Tama na!!!

SCENE 5: RH 323 (BIO140 LAB)

“Please tabulate your TRC’s on the board.”

Class: Yes ma’am.

“Dagbay, what’s your TRC? 88??!!! You have Dagbay syndrome, a condition where all chromosomes are defective.” (to Dagbay, peace bro!!! ^_^v- ed.)

“Ms. Calizo, your TRC’s 159? Do you have any barr body?”

“Kanino yang 188 na TRC? Ano yan, paa?”

“Your exam will be next week. Coverage will be Experiments 8-10.”

Student 2: This is horrible.

SCENE 6: RH 119 (CHEM31)

“O, class, alin dito yung mas mag-rereact sa nucleophile?”

“Tagal nyo naman…sa exam dapat mabilis na kayo sa reaction mechanism, ha?”

“O sige, hanggang dyan na muna tayo.”

Student 3: Pwedeng pahiram nung notes nya kanina bago ako dumating?

Student 4: Uy, kailan pala exam?

Student 3: Umm…I dunno. Hindi ka na naman pumasok? Late na naman ako. He he.

SCENE 7: RH 114 (MATH170)

“Type this…then format the…to…tapos anong makikita nyo???”

(Students flock together at one computer and read): Dear Heart, Itago nyo po ako sa pangalang…may problem kasi ako sa aking sinisintang si…Ano kayang mangyayari kay…tune in again same time, same computer…

SCENE 8: RH 222 (PHYSICS 72.1)

"This is our set-up for circuit number 4..."

Student 2: Ok, let's measure the resistance.

Student 1: 0

Student 2: Let's adjust the voltmeter from 20V to 6V...

Student 3: 0

Student 2: 0 again? Adjust...

Student 1: 0

Student 3: Tanong na natin kay sir...

"O bakit 0 yung reading? I think sira na yung mga voltmeters natin...umm...I think we should change the set-up for the circuit..."

Student 2: Try natin sa brain ko (puts the end of the wires to temples)

Student 3: Aba!!! May voltage na!!! Paano nangyari yun?

Student 1: The brain is composed of nerves & nerves transmit impulses...

Student 2: Mali noh! Ibig sabihin lang nun, may laman pa utak ko. He he he.

SCENE 9: RH LOBBY (3 students recite the poem: “Three”)

Student 1: I think that I shall never see

Student 2: A grade as lovely as a “three”

Student 3: A three that’s earned by blood and sweat

Student 2: When failing is a serious threat

Student 1: A three that I’ve asked God all day

Student 3: Knowing that praying is the only way

All: Exams are taken by fools like me, but only God can give a “three”.

“WHAT MATTERS MOST IS THAT WE PASS AT ALL.”

“TO HAVE PASSED AND TO HAVE GOTTEN A 3.0 IS BETTER THAN NEVER TO HAVE PASSED AT ALL.”

Central dogma of molecular genetics: DNA--->RNA--->proteins

DNA makes RNA make proteins

###############

Shye & Vani. ฉ (Shye 022502, Vani added something 030102)

25 Random Things About Me

Pardon the pink font color, I just can't help it.  Hehehe.

1.  I have two names- Sharon Beaulah.  I rarely use my second name - the exceptions being official documents, exam papers, and my Yahoo  - because it always gets misspelled or mispronounced, making me cringe every time either happens.  For everyday dealings, I use my first name and my surname, and I like it that way.
2. When I was about five years old, I was forced to attend a staff meeting in my dad's office because the big boss had closed the main door  and I was too scared to open it.  Since then, I've never liked meetings. 
3. My piano teacher sat beside me the first time I played in church because I was petrified with fear.   I played "Hear Those Lovely Bells".
4. The violin has never been my best friend.  I was specifically told by my violin teacher that my fingers were meant for the piano and the piano alone. I played the violin on only one occasion - my brother's graduation from grade school - and I had to be coaxed by my piano teacher. 
5. The saying "what you see is what you get" has never been  applicable to me.
6. I was mistaken for a foreigner by the graduate program coordinator of the Dept of Biochem in UP Manila.  I was asked to present my student visa during my interview at the grad school.  Hahahaha.
7. When I was doing my undergrad thesis, I cried my little heart out in the animal room because my once-flawless legs were riddled with bites from parasites that lived in my rats' fur.
8. I spend inadvertently long periods of time when shopping for things for my kikay kit because  I always check the ingredients of each item before buying it.  The effort paid off when, one day, I found out that a popular local brand of cosmetics listed polyacrylamide as one of the ingredients in their products. Polyacrylamide is one of the ingredients for making PAGE and SDS-PAGE gels (for protein separation).  I always wear double gloves when handling such gels for fear of getting Parkinson's later in life.  There's no way that reagent's getting within 10 meters of my face. 
9. I like matching sleepwear, for some weird reason.
10. I like matching sheets.  They look orderly and neat.  Hehe.
11. I've never had a crush on any of my profs from college to grad school.
12. I love everything pink.  If I could, then I would probably formulate an SDS-PAGE staining solution that would give pink-colored bands.
13. Having my nails done is something I do often because it makes me feel soothed and rejuvenated.
14. I splurged my first salary from my first job on a whole-body scrub.  It was worth the expense.
15. I can always be relied on to consume large amounts of sweets - particularly chocolates.
16. Since I'm never good with numbers, I've developed this compulsion to solve a single problem for at least 10  times.  The results have to be the same, or I'll start all over again.  I suppose I'll never grow out of that. :D
17. I gorge on food whenever I get upset.
18. I can't go to sleep without putting on my eye cream, a must-have for every woman above 25 (that's according to my best friend Vannie).
19. Shopping is one heartbreak therapy that works wonders for me. 
20. I heart gay lingo.
21. Spending an entire night in the lab is something I'm really looking forward to next semester.  It's not all work, you know.  I can always watch movies and eat while waiting for my sample run to be complete.
22. I've always been attracted to intelligent guys with a great sense of humor.  They're an endangered species.
23. When I obtained my first SDS-PAGE gel, I felt as if I were looking at an tiny work of art - one that I painted myself.   The bands were so beautiful that I thought I was looking at perfection itself.
24. Item # 23 may seem corny to some people but it's quite an achievement for me, given that fact that I spent  long hours trying to find which protein isolation method worked best under the present lab conditions. 
25. I'm happily single and unattached.  I don't give myself a deadline on getting married (I know some people who do) because I believe that a woman can have roles in life other than those of being a wife and mother.  Satisfaction, contentment and happiness can also be achieved in other areas.  I would rather stay single for the rest of my life and discover something that would benefit future generations than the other way around.  Hehe. 

Short Break

I've been drawing compounds and complex compounds (cyclopentadienes connected to one zirconium atom) for the past 3 hours, and I feel like what little energy I have left is slowly being zapped away.  Add to that the ever-confusing reaction schemes and texts that are making my head spin.  Why, oh why, are some authors so sadistic?  Do they deliberately write one thing on the main article and another on the supplementary information just for the heck of it?  If there's one thing I learned from my new job, it is to aim to be as crystal-clear as possible when it'll be my turn to publish my research (that's around 20 years from now).  Not only will it enlighten the readers, but it'll also make things easier for excerptors. 

\

Break's over.  Gotta get back to my compounds.  Grrr...

Of E and Z, R and S, Cis and Trans

I hated organic chemistry with a passion when I was in college.  I hated it when I was reviewing for the chem licensure exams seven years ago.  And I still hate it now, even if my job revolves around it. Surprisingly, though, I got the highest score in organic chemistry when the results of the licensure exams came out.  The greatest irony of all is that I'm a biochemistry major who loathes organic chemistry, which happens to be the foundation of my field of specialization.

Of all the possible topics of organic chem, I loathe isomers the most.  Perhaps it's because of the fact that my visualization skills are almost zero and I can't mentally twist a molecular structure to save my life.  I have to draw the structure on paper, or use some computer software to make my task easier and less traumatic. 

To my everlasting horror, my new job has compelled me to review and recall the basic concepts that I despised so much, particularly isomers.  I'm therefore currently befriending E, Z, R, S, cis and trans - terms used to differentiate compounds with the same molecular formula but with different arrangements.  And it turned out to be quite interesting, as I can now appreciate the gibberish and its purported significance.  Learning to distinguish one isomer from another is actually fun and I'm starting to enjoy drawing them using special software (of course) and naming them using the same software.

And so I'm learning and learning about things that I'm supposed to have down to an art by now.  Who knows, perhaps I'll love org chem enough to specialize in it for my PhD.  :))

Welcome To My World

It's been quite sometime since I'd blogged seriously.  Since then, my writing skills have disintegrated and I'm hoping that they'll be revived as I attempt to fill this blog with stories and entries about my crazy life in this part of the universe.