I was shown this childhood photo of myself during a visit to Aunt Sook Porh’s place today – she’s my mum’s dad’s brother’s wife.

Pardon the lack of sharpness – I think the phone camera isn’t too great for photo reproduction .

Posted via Shozu, using my new Nokia E65’s wifi access. This is way cool. Mobblogging here I come!

I find myself the latest member of a new Order. One that seeks to propagate the truth, and allow its membership of science communicators to meet firstly, for drinks; secondly for communicating; and ultimately for networking.

Hmmm, don’t know if I’m really into drinking, since alcohol makes me more sleepy than happy. Communicating and networking with fellow like-minded individuals sounds absolutely swell though!

With that, I award myself the following badges:

The “talking science” badge	The “I may look like a scientist but I’m actually also a ninja” badge	The “sexing up science” badge	The “I know what a tadpole is” badge
Because I believe in the Big Bang more than I believe in “…and let there be light!”	Because I’ve been through too much schooling and 2.5 years of army	Because I’ve thrice photographed organisms in the act of mating – dragonflies, tigers and monkeys	Because I couldn’t get the “knows how to collect semen from more than one species” badge
The “experienced with electrical shock” LEVEL III badge
I think it was when I was 10 years old – I delivered a 9-volt shock to my tongue. *ZAPPP*

Join me in the coolest Order ever!

Ba Ba Reeba, a lovely restaurant in downtown Barcelona, near Las Ramblas that my colleagues Amy, Vivien and I visited one of the nights while we were at Barcelona for 3GSM World Congress 2007.

Not your latest brand of mosquito spray, for sure.

In fact, it would’ve been a lot nicer if it was just an aerosol spray. At least you get to zap some pesky critters. For the record, I absolutely ABHOR mosquitoes. If you’re one, you better not bzzt too close to me, lest you end up in a violent spray of blood – MY blood. Yeah, I’ll let you suck some, before splattering your guts out with my bare hands.

But I digress.

There’s really nothing right or wrong about the entire issue. *hears a collective dismay* Yes yes, I’ve chosen not to take a stand. If you seek my personal opinion on abortion, I would say it’s horrid and absolutely do not stand for it. But seriously, who am I to say whether entire countries or cultures are right or wrong in doing what they do?

At least future generations of Indian guys won’t have it as tough as future generations of Chinese guys in finding a mate.

Unless of course, interracial love becomes the norm of the 21st century. Or, gay/lesbian marriages and surrogate pregnancies gain widespread approval. Or we all become part of the Matrix and procreation isn’t really something we need to be bothered with.

HMMMmmmmm…not very likely is it? Then maybe it’s time to start an investment fund to invest in matchmaking companies targeting the China market, start a business to tuition Chinese males in the finer arts of female seduction, and create a killer Web 2.0 company whose sole objective is to sign up every single SINGLE Chinese female in this world.

Multi-prong approach + diversified portfolio = guaranteed success high returns!

in·fan·ti·cide (ĭn-făn‘tĭ-sīd‘)
n.

1. The act of killing an infant.
2. The practice of killing newborn infants.
3. One who kills an infant.

[Late Latin īnfanticīdium, the killing of a child and īnfānticīda, killer of a child : Latin īnfāns, īnfant-, infant; see infant + Latin -cīdium and -cīda, -cide.]

foe·ti·cide (foē‘tĭ-sīd‘)
n. Destruction of the embryo or foetus in the uterus. Also called embryoctony.

As reported by BBC News, the Indian government is planning to set up a network of cradles around the country where parents can leave unwanted baby girls. The idea is to reduce the rate of female foeticide and female infanticide.

We will have cradles strategically placed all over the place so that people who don’t want their babies can leave them there,” Ms Chowdhury told the BBC News website.

They will be collected and put into homes,” she said. “There are plenty of existing homes and we will be adding some more also.

My initial dismay at such a move quickly turned into support, as I read and gained an understanding of the situation in populous countries such as India. Historically and culturally, the preference for boys over girls have been alluded by various texts to be due to:

1. The family’s inability to support the child financially
2. Population control e.g. Amazonian, China’s one-child policy
3. Traditional customs
   • In the Solomon Islands, some people were reported to kill their first-born and adopt a child from another island
   • In certain cultures, males are viewed to be more important: ability to carry family name, work on farms, support parents in their old age
4. In times of adversity, e.g. famine, extreme poverty, parents have to choose which of their children will live or starve
5. Social unacceptance of newborn e.g. children of incest or illegitimate origins, cross-caste
6. Mothers’ psychological depression combined with unreadiness to care for child
7. The guy’s unwillingness to stand by his gal…
8. And whatever other shitty reasons people can think of

All of the above thus leads to either abortion (foeticide), or infanticide.

My thoughts to come shortly.

Conferences are such a pain in the butt, for the following reasons:

1. You’re on your feet almost all the time – total opposite from being on your butt in the office
2. Sustenance is hard to come by – demand usually outstrips supply and prices of even a simple sandwich skyrockets
3. You get people-spammed left right centre – all sorts of people try to convince you that your company needs their products and services
4. You meet too many new people, too quickly – before you know it, the person in front of you gets replaced by someone new, and you’ve forgotten what his/her name was. How absolutely impersonal
5. Your weekends get burnt preparing for a successful trade show
6. Worse than that? Your Valentine’s day gets burnt as well! Sweet…

But but but but but…if you dig deeper, it ain’t that bad:

1. Free plane ticket to ’scope out’ the destination city/country – not quite enough time to tour the place proper, but pretty good to just get your feet wet and know where to go the next time you come back
2. Nice change of pace – from the humdrum of the white-collared worker’s life
3. The thrill – of helping the companies you bring up to exhibit score a lead
4. Daily allowance from IDA! $$$$$ you can save a bit if you scrimp some here and there

*work-in-progress post*