transposable element

hot. humid. cars on the wrong side of the road. clean. hot. bright. am sleepy. it’s too bright. coke with ice cubes. gee, it’s hot.

but it already feels like home.

i think i have never really written an explanation for the title of this blog. considering our upcoming move to singapore in a few days, perhaps it’s about time.

transposable elements, or jumping genes, are DNA segments that move from one location in the chromosome to another point. much like cutting-and-pasting text from a part of a document to put into another. in the process of transferring, or transposing, it cause changes in the genome, especially since the cut is often not precise, bringing bits of its neighboring sequences each time it moves. i don’t want to get too technical, but i guess, even with a over-simplified explanation as that, one can see the parallelism of these mobile genetic elements to my life as a wanderer. from asia, to europe, and next week, back to asia. with each move, i am no longer the previous me, and to a minute extent, i guess the places i’ve left are also no longer the same without me.

cut. severed. and yet surprisingly, i’m taking a lot of germany with me.

speaking of cuts, our telephone line will be cut in a couple of days. the next time i blog, i’ll be in singapura.

to everyone who emailed and expressed their interest on the book exchange i planned, sorry guys, but i just don’t have the time and energy anymore to organize it. i’m in panic mode already, and those books that didn’t go into the shipping boxes, i simply gave away to an american friend.

i still find the idea of a book exchange really cool, so maybe when the dust has settled on our new home (we first have to find one), i’ll take it up again.

i’m thinking of getting me a laptop soon. but since i am not really a computer geek (in fact i call myself techno-apathetic), i require a different set of specs than what the tech experts consider important. i’m not a gamer, and i don’t require much software other than the very basic. a colossal disk space is not that important. i just want two things: 1. it must be able to connect to the internet real fast with a wifi, and 2. it has to be small and light.

finally, something that fits my needs and most of all, my budget: the asus’ eee PC 701. according to the press release:

Built-in WLAN connectivity allows users to stay connected for dynamic Internet usage on the go. With the Eee PC empowers users to share photos without waiting till one gets home; connect face to face with just a few clicks; enjoy online entertainment live; stay on top of emails for high work efficiency and more!

The 7” Eee PC 701 weighs at a featherlight 0.89 kg, with large flash-based storage capacity and built-in webcam for compact mobility with wireless freedom.

according to the tech blogs which are abuzz with this laptop, the 2GB model will retail for just $200. if that’s true, you bet i’ll grab one! maybe even two, haha. looks like i have to wait til august to get one, though.

with my boys off to my in-laws for the weekend, i sneaked a few hours of window shopping in the city today. i was supposed to continue packing but the weather was simply too good to be spent all indoors! so off i went and browsed the shops for summer stuff.

as i entered one shop, though, my anticipation for shopping was quickly doused as i saw myself reflected from one of the glass windows. arrgh, the bulges are disgusting. it’s been 3 weeks, and obviously, none of the adjustments i made in eating and exercise are not paying off. no surprise there, though, as i haven’t religiously followed any regime. i started jogging… but then it started raining. did crunches, but man, nobody warned me it wasn’t just for the abs, it was also a test of perseverance! and although i switched to coke zero (yeah, as if) and started eating right (started being the operative word), i love food too much to torture myself with a weight-loss diet. and anyway, i’m not (that) overweight. i’m just awfully-shaped. i guess i was hoping the fats would melt away from sheer willpower, heh.

but dang, i swear, when this relocation business is over, this is going to be my top priority. there, i wrote it. let’s see if this public declaration will make a diff.

and the countdown begins! less than 3 weeks to wrap up and though we’ve accomplished more tasks than ever before, it seems the list of things-to-do is still a long way from all getting ticked off. but we’re getting there, one task at a time.

quit apartment. check.
quit kindergarten. check.
settle car lease. check.
quit water/electricity. check.
quit ADAC. check.
quit magazine subscriptions. check.
quit telephone.
quit internet.
quit mobile phones.

city de-registration. check.
post office mail forwarding.

get shipment quotes. check.
schedule shipment pick up. check.
pack jan’s stuff. check
pack ruth’s stuff.
pack hubby’s stuff.
pack household stuff.

see ob-gyn. check.
see dentist.
see pedia.
quit health insurance.

organize storage. check.
schedule pick-up of stuff for storage.
organize final garage sale.
schedule pick up of bulky trash.
organize flat renovation/clean-up. check.
pack suitcases.

visa applications. check.
book flights. check.
jan’s kindergarten. check
find flat.
settle.

three weeks. you know that tight feeling you get when the panic surges but you’re desperately trying to push it all back in?