transposable element

out of curiosity, i took an iq test and it appears that i’m bright, but not quite gifted. based on the test:

Your age adjusted IQ score is 126 and the average score of all test takers is 100.

Your IQ score is the result of a formula based on the number of questions answered correctly on the test. This score has been further adjusted to account for the differences in capabilities among various age groups.

that’s despite my star sign (apparently leos score low on IQ tests) and hair color (black). maybe it has helped that i hate waking up early.

are YOU gifted?

if someone asks me today to describe our place in one word, i’d probably choose noisy. somewhere to the left of our flat, a new building is rising; somewhere below there is a wake and there are gongs-and-drums going off every so often. for some reason, the grounds cleaning crew also decided to cut grass today, which adds an equally irritating whirring accompaniment to the music. the flat above us is undergoing renovations, and another from the block to our right seems to be intent on breaking down an entire wall with a borer (mesothelioma, anyone?). a block away, there’s construction going on for a new mrt station, and our next door neighbor’s 2-year old brat is screaming his head off as he is wont to do every single time he is let out of the flat (don’t ask me why).

after having lived in germany for nearly 7 years, i think my eardrums are experiencing shock.

we bought a car. but spare the congratulations. it’s the kind you won’t need to look into ads saying “auto insurance quote no personal information“. pics and details later.

forget barney, forget amadeus. mia’s favorite melody? the background music to western union’s “yes!” commercial.

i’ve googled til i found the title and artist of the song, and from there it was easy to find an audio file. apparently it is a remix of a song by morrocan artist hindi zahra. here’s the original:

the song has been playing on repeat mode on my pc, hehe.

speaking of music, i’ve been missing sarah g on asap, but i’ve discovererd a new favourite (hey, i now spell in british english!): i love, love, love sitti! i was especially awed by her bossa nova version of lanca perfume she performed on asap a few weeks ago. i found an audio file online, but the quality doesn’t do justice to sitti’s voice. i find her smooth operator really smooth and groovy too. heck , i love all of them. i’ll be downloading ‘em all onto my mobile phone’s micro-sd card. um, well, as soon as i figure out how to do it, hehe.

or i can borrow jan’s mp3 player. but i’ll need to use my own memory card, though; his is full of german audiobooks, chinese recordings from his tutor, and c’mon barbie, let’s go party, hehe. the last has already been there when we bought the mp3 player and he loves it so much he has even transcribed the song. but his favourite music? eddie, aka iron maiden. it’s on his y-chromosome, i suppose.

it’s somehow ironic that after moving to a hot and humid climate, i started having cracked heels. it must be from wearing sandals and flip-flops all year round. since we arrived here, i have worn socks probably less than five times, and “proper shoes”, even less. i bought yet another pair of ballerinas last weekend, in the hopes of training my feet to wear proper shoes again, and perhaps improve the condition of my heels, but nah. now, aside from cracks, i’ve got blisters to contend with as well, arrgh.

a friend of mine recommended aloe vera; another, paw paw ointment. apparently, they are absorbed faster by the skin compared to petroleum jelly, so you can do away with the cling wrap modus operandi. i know aloe vera is an excellent moisturizer, and papaya (from which paw paw is derived) is good for sloughing off dead skin, so they might just work. looking at my raw and painful heels, i’m ready to try anything!

i’m not really sure what colorful eggs have to do with easter, but we make them anyway. gotta keep little hands busy!

have a good long weekend!

i’ve been attending power yoga classes for the second week now and i’m taking to it quite well. i thought i’d find it boring but i’m surprised how it suits me. i love the fact that the movements are minimal but well-thought out, refined and deliberate. it doesn’t have the thumping and pumping of aerobic exercise or thai-bo, so it probably wouldn’t be as effective a substitute for weight loss pills, but i think if done regularly and correctly, it can result to a more toned, more flexible body. i also love it that i come out of the class relaxed and mentally refreshed, rather than huffing and puffing, sweaty and hot.

but then, it’s just been the second week. we’ll see if yoga can actually do something for my jelly belly.

i may have enough for one, but definitely not both: a Sony Vaio or a canon dslr?

my machine’s about 5 years old now and in human years, that must be equivalent to 75 years, judging by my computer’s speed. the hard disk as well as the external disk are getting full with all the photo and video files and i wouldn’t be surprised if there are malwares and spywares in here either. besides, jan is starting to take over this pc (the asus’ arrow keys are difficult to use with games), so a replacement is getting due.

on the other hand, i really miss the functionality and creativity of an slr camera. until now, i prefer the quality of the baby photos i’ve made of jan using my film slr compared to the thousands i’ve made of mia using my point and shoot digital camera. and gee, just about everyone has a dslr nowadays and the prices for the older models have already dropped quite significantly.

but to choose. arrrgh.