Iraq on YouTube

Go do a search on YouTube for Iraq... check out the home videos put up there by the American soldiers. I warn you, some of them are real downers.

To cheer yourself up, check out this clip - it's a very Monty Python-esque interview of Iraqi resistance. Well, fake Iraqi resistance, I would imagine.

It's been a reeeeeaaally long time...

And it's Hug Week!!! But it's also exam week, so I can't devote all my time to hugging everyone i know. And you know I would if not for the exams. But one thing's for sure, I'm damn well gonna be hugging some Euro chicks next year this time.. hahaha... My parents would die of shame reading this blog.

It's a 4am study session now, and I'm blogging. Just because. Can't sleep so well nowadays, probably the exam pressure. Gotta sort it out, cos I'm waking up at 1am and 2am before my 4am study session wake up. That doesn't do me any good. Gotta get enuf sleep before the session, else I'll be a zombie the rest of the day... No good.

It's to the books for me now, will update as soon as possible. Thanks for the visit anyway.

Roaches, an article as seen in NineMSN

Are cockroaches as dirty as we all believe?
When you think of cockroaches, you've got to admit you think filth and squalor. But are these traditional beliefs that cockroaches are dirty, disease-spreading bugs entirely accurate? There are nearly 4000 species of cockroaches in the world, but only 25 to 30 actually have a pest status.
Cockroaches love to live in filth — but does that make them dirty?
Reporter Dr Andrew Rochford has volunteered to test just how dirty cockroaches are in relation to a human being and other things we have daily contact with. To get started, Andrew visits Liz Harry, a microbiologist at the University of Technology. Liz will take two swabs of germs. Firstly, a cockroach will run across a dirty surface, such as the kitchen floor, and will then be left for two hours before the swab is taken. Andrew's fingers will then walk across the same surface and he won't wash his hands for two hours before his swab is taken. Both samples are then put into separate Petri dishes, then turned upside down and put into an incubator at 37 degrees to be left overnight. If there are any germs, they'll easily be seen in the morning.


Cockroach sample

Andrew's sample

Twenty-four hours later it's time to compare the cultures and find out who's the king of clean.

First swab: a control swab was added to the experiment to guarantee the experiment is accurate. There is no bacteria growing on this plate.

Cockroach's swab: There are a few colonies of bacteria there.

Andrew's swab: There's a lot more bacteria on the plate where Andrew's hand was swabbed.

The cockroach is actually cleaner than Andrew. Why? Because cockroaches actually clean themselves fastidiously — all the time.
"Most species of cockroaches are kind of like cats. Cats are considered to be a very clean animal because it's always grooming itself. And cockroaches do that also," says bug collector Darrin Vernier. He lives in the US state of Arizona and is crazy about creepy crawlies. Darrin's got 10,000 roaches in his personal collection and he claims that his roaches are invaluable in breaking down dead and decaying matter in the eco-system.

So cockroaches could be seen in the insect world as the obsessive compulsive fastidious cleaner?

Darrin says this is a great way to look at it: "Sometimes I walk in from the outside and I track in dirt under my feet accidentally. That's really the only thing the cockroach does that has any relation to filth at all and it's because we've already left it there. If we clean it up it's not a problem."

So if roaches are so clean, what sort of dangers do they really pose?
Dr Noel Tait is an honorary professor in invertebrae zoology at Macquarie University. He says the problem with cockroaches are those nasty little deposits they leave behind.

"The allergens are cockroach allergens themselves. They are in the faeces because they are chemicals from the bodies of the cockroaches. And people who are susceptible to allergic situations can become hyper sensitised to them," says Dr Tait.

There are no available Australian statistics, but in the United States, up to 60 percent of asthma sufferers are affected by cockroach allergens.
If you're one of them, you could get skin rashes, watery eyes, nasal congestion and even asthma attacks.

Therefore, if you don't want cockroaches taking up residence at your house — clean up. Cockroaches in homes are only as dirty as the environment they are living in. If you have a filthy house, they will spread that filth around your kitchen, but if your kitchen is clean and hygienic, you won't be providing them with a food source and they won't bother so much. But if the odd cockroach does show up, at least you know they're not that bad. They're actually quite hygienic.

Ever heard the one about cockroaches being able to survive a nuclear war?
Well, it's true, they can. For humans, a lethal dose of radiation is about 800 rems but some roach varieties can withstand doses up to a hundred times bigger, and as long as they're not in the blast zone, they'd survive the radioactive fallout of a nuclear explosion.

What hope has mankind?

I got TAGGED

Name 20 ppl u can think of and then tag 5 more ppl to do the survey. do not read the questions before you write.
1. Trish
2. Timothy
3. Sylvia
4. Rhina
5. Krish
6. Vishznu
7. Samantha
8. Huei Ling
9. Daphne
10. Parvin
11. Premjit
12. Joanne
13. Brandy... my puppy
14. Diana
15. Jhanglynn
16.Queenie
17. Bacardi... my 2nd puppy
18. Yu Jian
19. Chi Huan
20. Ms. Goon hahaha

1. How did u meet #14 (Diana)?
~She's my classmate.. we have had some common friends over the years though...

2.What would u do if u haven't met #1 (Trish)?
~Wouldn't have broken humeruses(arm bones)... ><

3. What would u do if #20 (ms goon) and #9 (Daphne)dated?
~Wouldn't be at all surprised.. Made for each other, those two... I see the chemistry... *evil grin*

4. Would #6 (Vishznu) and #17 (Bacardi) make a good couple?
~Yeah lol.

5. Describe #3 (Sylvia).
~Much smarter than I am. Wish she was following us to UK. If we go, that is.

6. Do you think #8 (Huei Ling) is attractive?
~Yeah, she is... the girl can DANCE.

7. Tell me something about #7 (Samantha)
~She bullies me. But only after I bully her.

8. Do you know anything about #12 (Joanne)'s family?
~Well, no actually. How boring.

9. What is #1 's (Trish) favourite?
~favorite what? gym? CF i think... of the three i know her to have joined...

10. What would you do if #11 (Premjit) confesses that he/she likes you?
~Freak out big time. And throw Daphne towards him.

11. What language does #15 (Jhanglynn) speak?
~I don't think she's a banana, sure she speaks at least English and Hokkien

12. Who is #9 (Daphne)going out with?
~I decided against being mean... she's... *ahem*.... single. REALLY. *ahem*

13. How old is #16 (Queenie) ?
~19 i think... or 20

14. When was the last time you talked to #13 (Brandy)?
~just a few minutes ago, when i shushed her...

15. Who is #2 (Timothy)'s favourite singer?
~erm, Gary Moore? He just mentioned Gary yesterday, but for us rock enthusiasts, it's not so much about the voice...

16. Would you date #4 (Rhina)?
~I'd hate for her to leave, but would love to watch her run away at such a suggestion. Leaving the pool of puke at my feet. *mental note* Wash shoes.

17. Would you date #7 (Samantha)?
~She's got someone for her own now...

18. Is #15 (Jhanglynn)single?
~nope.. she's got a bf i think

19. What is #10 (Parvin)'s last name?
~wow, i don't know.

20. Would you consider being in a relationship with #19 (Chi Huan)?
~Oh for God's sake Daphne, stop laughing. We're just friends, aren't we darlin'?

21. What schools did #17 (Bacardi)go to?
~Needs to go to puppy school.. still keep crapping all over the front yard

23. What is your favourite thing about #5 (Krish)?
~Sure of himself. Good to have in your corner in an argument.

24. What do you think about #13 (Brandy)?
~Really smart bitch. What?!? She is... stop looking at me like that...

25. What do #4 (Rhina) and # 18 (Yu Jian) have in common?
~both studied at IPG for at least 3 years, erm... not much else I think?

26. What special qualities does #5 (Krish) hold in your life?
~This is gay.. how many questions about the same guy am i supposed to answer...? Well, he's a Free... My fellow Frees are all excellent people. Scholars, Sportsmen and Gentlemen? Well... at least some are.

Tagging Yu Jian, Trish, Ben, Sugs, Queenie and all other bloggers out there...

New post for the new month...

It's been a while. A long while. Y'all still here?

Good then. Lots has happened, Hitz.fm party, French Festival, World cup fever and sore throat. Mock exams done with, only after doing me in. Lotsa personal controversy too. Alien feelings swarming through my headspace, moral debates banging their fists in protest(nothing new there), advice from all around poking at my scalp, much like sperm trying to claim the egg for it's own. I'm no egghead though.

I think I've managed to maintain clarity though, goals still in place, studying for exams, gotta get them marks, gotta make those Benjamins, gotta own them bitches. Oops. Oh, and I channell Dave Chappelle's thoughts at times.

I now know what it's liked to be liked in that particular way. I know now how so many girls have felt about me. Well, not that many, countable on one hand, but that's quite a number for 1 1/2 years. Anyway, a big THANK YOU to bibbles for helping me sort my feelings from my thoughts. I did do what was contrary to her advice, but doesn't that prove all the more that my thoughts were clear? My dear little sister... what would I do without her...? Hope her eyes are OK, she's just gone to the optometrist. Should I call? Nah, let her relax and lemme know online when she gets back.

Classic rock soothes my tired, tired brain. AC/DC, Bad Company, CCR, Dire Straits (ABCD, anyone noticed that? The first letters of each band name? The epitome of brilliance, aren't I?). Thanks to Simren for introducing me to the latter group. Sultans of Swing is a helluva song. I'm managing to pick some tunes out on my guitar now, easy ones though they may be, it's enough for me for now. Therapeutic effects of music. Aah...

Gotta get to studying. No more messing around.