First Day of Spring...?

Seriously, the weather conditions here in this side of the Low Countries drive me mad at times...

Happy Spring Equinox, folks. (goes back to data processing)

Lusus Naturae - The Rise of the Homo Zapiens

From my tumblr.

Beware of the rise of the homo zapiens...!

Or should we?

The terminology "homo zapiens" was taken by yours truly from the weekly academic news alert I get from KU Leuven: "The trick to learning on the go? Keep it simple".  Because we've gone beyond Generations X & Y...it's Generation ZAP! with all the current electronic technobaubles nowadays--laptops, smartphones, tablet PCs, mp3 players, to name a few.  But coupled with these gadgets is the pull of going on a multimedia multitasking in terms of learning.

Now, the article talks about how "multitasking" nowadays is a myth, because our brains aren't built that way. Well, as Daniel Kahnemann discusses in his seminal book "Thinking, Fast and Slow", there are two modes of thinking--Systems 1 (fast) and 2 (slow).  Try to mix those modes and you're bound to trip over your proverbial shoelaces...not unless you do slow thinking (and learning) while doing something routine and repetitive (but not necessarily boring), like running.  Definitely not Facebook-ing, Tumblr-ing, Tweeting...or surreptitiously checking on my blog.

Leven in Leuven - Almost Spring

We're gaining back the days.

Dear Labby - Frying Pan or the Fire?

From Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson.

Welcome to our weekly agony-column for confused (post)grad-students--Dear Labby!  This week's letter is about how we deal with curmudgeons-in-chief (i.e., your boss...es).

Dear Labby,
I think I'm losing my sanity bit by bit every time my two thesis advisers call me for a one-on-one meeting. Not only do they "highly" suggest that I do additional experiments, they contradict each other when it comes to my project planning! Prof. A wants me to jump, but Prof. B wants me to sit--just to illustrate my point, if you know what I mean. Hnnnnnngh! What am I to do??? 

Torn Between Two Mentors

Lusus Naturae - Persistent as the Common Cold

From GiantMicrobes. You'd want to cuddle up with a fluffy version of the cold bug you have right now.

This transitional time between late winter and early spring is one of the most miserable times in the year.  Not only is the view from the lab office window dreary (a literal 50 Shades of Grey, without the prurient lexicon)--the season is accompanied by a loud cacophony of sneezes.

Yes, it's the cold-and-flu season. And, despite the vaccine I got last November, I still got floored by the bug in mid-February. Whether it's the flu virus or the more pesky rhinovirus (a family of virus behind the bane called "the common cold"), I had no idea. Being a stubborn woman with a PhD-student-guilt, after spending one day at home, I forced myself to report to the lab the next day, with near-disastrous results (i.e., ending up sicker than the day before).

But one email alert caught my eye during that time--a very informative article discussing about the role and mechanism of rhinoviruses responsible for the common cold.  What made me smile is that the secret behind the speed of mutations for these bugs (hence their persistence in infecting us) is their inherent simplicity in structure.

We should be as persistent as the common cold when working for our goals, it seems.

Leven in Leuven - Dusk Silhouette

Exhale, and perhaps the sunset spell will break. Moments like this jolt me into realizing that I am in the Old World, after all.

The Grapevine Speaketh - Naamdag

Date: March 5th
Reverse:
"Live long and prosper" - Many bodily processes depend on the presence of zinc. Zinc also plays a crucial role in preventing arteriosclerosis. Elderly (but also young) people can often suffer from zinc deficiency. Foods like oats, cheese, red meat, oysters, sesame seed, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, wheat flour, brazil nuts and almonds contain zinc.
Joke of the day--
"Let's say that you have lots of money--what shall you buy with it?" the father asks Ella.
"I'll buy a white dress, with a little white jacket, gloves, stockings and shoes."
"And then?"
"And so it'll be nicer to go rolling in the mud!"

The Sartorial Scientist - Skin Deep

From futurity.

I can hear the "uh-oh" coming from some of you.  Yes, let me get this straight and out of the way--this is the TSS version of a skin care post for busy, harried (science) grad students.  Because there's more to it than just grabbing the first-aid kit in case of minor lab accidents.

From salonnordic.

I'm talking about actually caring for your skin, if not daily, then weekly.

Again, I could hear your thoughts about the matter: "Who cares? I spend 10 hours a day in front of the lab bench, if not the office desk, so who's going to notice if I look like a million bucks?" Or, "Gee, I don't even have time on weekends to spare for myself because I have equipment-use time during those days and hell yeah if the instrument cares about my skin."  Even perhaps, "Vanity has no room in my intellectual pursuits."  And so forth.

Vrij(e)dag Friday! - Food-tripping at De Blauwe Schuit

One of the nicest things about living in a tiny burg like Leuven in Flanders is that it often has a lot of things to surprise you even though you've been a resident for some years.  This takes the form of oft-overlooked cobblestone alleys leading to cul-de-sacs with a cute and cozy cafe with a charming terrace and hearty comfort food.

De Blauwe Schuit is an example of this kind of hidden gem.

The anata and I met up with dear friend T at this establishment, tucked away in an almost nondescript corner of the Vismarkt.  For a plain facade, it actually makes it up with the cute sailing-and-flying-travel-themed interior (de blauwe schuit - the blue barge) and an indoor garden (open during summertime) with centuries-old gingko trees and the resident peacock, Joos.

From my tumblr.

The place has a good selection of Belgian beers (with a stray German one, Erdinger)--from the big-hitters of AB InBev (e.g., Stella Artois), Trappist brews and various streekbieren (I swear by the honey beer Barbar and the sweetly smooth Slaapmutske from the western part of Flanders).  But since we came here at around lunchtime, we opted for a more culinary type of get-together.

De Blauwe Schuit offers typical Belgian pub fare--gegratineered ajuinsoep (gratinized onion soup, which has my stamp of approval), croque monsieurs and its variants, pastas, bolletjes met tomatensaus (meatballs in tomato sauce)--but I often judge the place by its stoofvlees, Flemish beef stewed in beer, served with fries and a side-salad.

Butter-soft beef that melts in your mouth? Check. Richly flavored sauce, redolent of onions, laurel, thyme with the interesting prickle of mustard and pepper? Check. Crisp fries and fresh salad? Double check.  Their stoofvlees passed my muster with flying colors, even though I think the fries could have been cut thicker.

Price-wise, for onion soup and the main dish, plus their homemade iced tea, the meal cost around 20 EUR.  Not bad for a weekend lunch, but for students on a budget, this qualifies as an occasional extra treat.

--
De Blauwe Schuit

Vismarkt 16
3000 Leuven, Belgium
+32 16 22 05 70

Lusus Naturae - A Vacant Seat

Definitely a non-science related post. Like the rest of the Catholic Church, we are now in the transitional phase of Sede Vacante. It's somber enough that it's also Lent, so I dug up my old photos and found these.

Lusus Naturae's science news posts will resume next week.

Leven in Leuven - Cubicle Ephemera

Today I am off to the land of Brussels to visit my embassy for some important errands.  For now, a glimpse of a part of my lab office desk.

"Clutter, clutter everywhere, not a myth left from the ghetto," is what I would say, twisting a bit from what David Bowie once sang in "Young Americans".

The Grapevine Speaketh - February 28th

Date: February 28th
Joke of the day:
A young boy went to a restaurant with his parents for the first time in his life. While dining there, he kept on smacking his lips that it disturbed the other patrons of the establishment.
"You shouldn't smack your lips like that, dearie," said the mother. "You don't usually do this at home."
"No, mother, but there the food isn't that great," replied the boy.

(I did not pick this date just because of the joke. It was because of the resignation (and retirement) of Pope Benedict XVI on that particular day.)

Dear Labby - A Career-Changing Dilemma?

From photo-dictionary.

Welcome to your weekend agony-column for confused (post)grad students--Dear Labby! Today's letter is from a worried lady with two children--her PhD thesis AND her own unborn kid:

Dear Labby, 

I have a boyfriend for 3 years now and I am at the last leg of my PhD. I just found out that I got pregnant, but I am afraid my PI will not renew my contract next year because of funding issues. I am so close to finishing my thesis, but I don't think she understands the joy/responsibilities of having a baby.

Mommy-in-waiting

Vrij(e)dag Friday! - Choco-fix in Leuven from Quetzal

Leuven, despite being a student town, is tiny compared to the bustling metropolises like those comprising the Flemish Triangle (Brussel - Antwerpen - Gent). Hence, looking for a good place for sweeties like chocolate, can be daunting. I've mentioned dewerf before as a good cheap place to get warme chocolade and other desserts, but I wonder--are there other places which offer a variety of chocoholic goodness?

So far, the only one I've spotted is right across the Faculty of Law at Tiensestraat - Quetzal.

This chocolate bar is rather on the small side, with its simple, streamlined interiors warm and inviting (the lines look vaguely Scandinavian, but with the hip Flemish twist of using bright colors).  The menu has a small but interesting selection of hot and cold chocolate drinks--I settled for a dark chocolate Mexicana, hoping perhaps that it would be my Flemish version of thick Azteca chocolate from Cafe Xocolat back in Manila.

They were prompt in serving my order, with a nice touch of adding a nicely decadent square of homemade brownie.

But the chocolate drink? My eyebrow rose a bit when I saw that they served their chocolates in paper to-go cups.  Ah, well.  Then I took a sip.

It was OK.  But I must have set my expectations higher than usual.  The drink, which had a lovely mix of cumin, nutmeg and other earthy spices, did not really match up to the Azteca from my memory.  Despite the dark chocolate, it was milky and liquid--drinkable, approachable like a friendly puppy--but without the rich, unctuous texture I was hoping for as an advanced chocoholic.

If you want to introduce friends to interesting blends of chocolate drinks, Quetzal is a good place to start choco-newbies.