the last four weeks

so life slowed down a little recently when i swapped bedside for bench. there's lots of talk about bench to bedside but when i first told visiting friends about my (then) next placement, accidentally said "bench & bar", freudian slip referring to the competition between judges and lawyers. we all had a good laugh (friends used to be bench but are now bar) before i quickly corrected myself. old habits die hard! had the privilege of doing elective at a london lab and it's been an eye-opening experience. grateful to supervisor and poor phD student tasked with babysitting me because i've not been in a lab in ten years and had to be taught everything from scratch. tried to stay out of their way best as i could and be an extra pair of hands when allowed. felt a bit like stumbling onto the big bang theory (art imitates life!) and getting to know all these wonderful science-y types has been broadening. 

the change of pace was the first thing i noticed, because biology cannot be rushed. and if cells need x hours to grow, then they're going to take x hours to grow and no amount of TLC will make it any faster (yesyes, after adding the inducer there's really little more i can do!). was also struck by how the topdawgs were totes unassuming. was introduced to someone on my first day who looked like part of a band. was bantering in a group and having a laugh, all good. a few days later i learnt he was a super senior professor who made a ground-breaking discovery that's since changed the course of medicine. i mean, legend. and there i was talking about how geordie girls use so much fake tan they look like oompa loompas, or something inane to that effect. wanted to dig a hole and die? would've been totes starstruck fangirl had i known before and just thankful i didn't venture anything pseudo-scientific. there would have been nothing more 班门弄斧. not many instances where i can't express myself better in english, but this is one of them!

also lucked out and was allowed to go to the national sychrotron with the team for 12h of beamtime. AHMAGAHDD. which of course was license to release inner nerd. too cool for words and was besides myself with glee, being trusted to drive all this amazing kid. never mind it was an 18h day! sleep is for the weak... i mean the world is such an amazing place and i know so very little, am constantly reminded about how small and insignificant we are, humbled by the wealth of knowledge out there and inspired, really, to keep learning and doing and learning. it's inexhaustible and what we know is the tiniest drop in the ocean. love being in a position to take it all in, to be allowed wide-eyed wonder and coming home with stories and much to process each day. steep learning curve, semi-tempts me down the phD path (HAHA) and just wanting to make the most of it all.