Will I ever grow old? ;-)
Meet at least three new Indonesians today.
* excerpt, NOT word-by-word accurate, but the whole context of the conversation is preserved *
— ONE —————-
A: I am A, I am from Chiba.
Me: I’m Zalfany. I am from Tokodai here in Tokyo.
A: An undergraduate student?
Me: * grin * Well … actually I am starting my PhD study this October.
— turn out that A is graduated from high school at the same time as me —
— TWO —————-
Me: Just came to Japan?
B: Yes, actually it was a week ago.
Me: Joining what program?
B: I am an exchange student at Todai. I am from UGM, class of 2001.
Me: I am at Tokodai, starting my PhD study just this month.
B: Waa.. I thought you’re at the same age as I am …
Me: * grin * He.. he.. I am at least 5 years older than you …
— THREE ————–
(Talking to C, a senior at Tokodai, to whom I’ve only met once before, and never had a chance to talk)
Me: I am starting my doctorate study this October.
C: You do not look old enough to be a PhD student.
Me: * grin * [Thinking: “Hello .. hello .. I am 25 and will be 26 next month. Even my will-be colleague in my PhD research is a year younger than me!!”]
Those stories are very typical of me 
. Been always BLESSED with a ‘delayed-physical-development’ of my body. Blessed, because like about four months ago when I joined a bunch of newly graduated high school students from Riau, I can pretend that I am one of them and nobody seems to disagree 
.
Will I ever grow look older than who I am? 
[not that I am discontent with this, as long as I am mentally well-developed; well-matured, I will still have more than enough reason to always be grateful to Allah SWT.]
This is a cool idea — using “light bulb” to communicate?
Why would I consider this as cool? What stood out between inventors and ordinary people are how they see things from different angle, and be able to exploit it. You, me and everyone else switched light bulbs on and off everyday … raise your hand if you ever think of using that to communicate! Anyone?
— quote —
While the technology sounds far out, the concept was minted long ago. Alexander Graham Bell conceived of a similar idea in 1880. The Photophone consisted of a mirror that vibrated when someone spoke. The vibrations were then captured by a subsequent receiver and turned into electrical impulses.
“It worked for 200 meters,” said Nakagawa, adding that Bell predicted it would be one of his biggest achievements.
So why haven’t optical technology companies tried this? Most have spent their time trying to wring more performance out of fiber. “Maybe the blind spot was invisible light. It is kind of an irony,” Nakagawa said. “Very few people did research on the free space.”
— end quote –
Olfaction
Ever heard the word ‘olfaction’? I only heard this today, and that’s why I (and you too) are not the next Nobel Price laurates in field of Medicine or Physiology :-p.
– quote —
Our ability to smell, known as ‘olfaction’, is a potent yet often neglected player in our sensory world, and a surprising 3% of our genes are dedicated to fine-tuning its subtleties.
…
But, as the pair went on to show, any receptor can be activated by a handful of related scent molecules at different intensities. And most odours are composed of many molecules, which activate different receptor-bearing cells. The researchers revealed a combinatorial code, often likened to the colours on a patchwork quilt, that allows us to recognize, and form memories of, around 10,000 different odours.
— end of quote —
Hmm… so this is why I could still remember mom’s ‘yellow soup’ or ‘ayam kecap’ .. nyam .. nyam …
This is the link to the official Press Release: The 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
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