Friday, March 21, 2014

Smell a rat? Of course you don't :P

There's this general belief that prolonged exposure to our dear beloved Sun messes the head, maybe that's what has happened to me. No, I don't think I was dropped on the head as a baby, in case you're wondering, Bertie ;)

Anyway, to the actual post :

I seem to have grown "braver" ;) 

First things first - there have been a few rats running about in our lab, and we've been trying to get rid of them. We've been using a trap, and releasing the rats far away from our labs (though sometimes they end up being eaten by the cats around). 

And so, yesterday, I found a rat scuttling around the lab, and was talking to JJ about it. He then showed me the rat trap and we brought it into it. Later, JES came by and set it up properly, with a piece of carrot as bait. And when we came back from lunch, NW & I found a big fat inside the trap. She wanted to put the trap outside, while I was trying to see if the latch was secure enough, to prevent the rat from escaping on the way. I finally took some paper and rolled it to make an impromptu lock, and each time I tried to check if it was thick enough to secure the latch, I could see the rat moving about inside. But being the brave girl that I am ( ;) ), I managed to secure the lock, and NW dragged it outside (I was giving her moral support :P ). I don't know what happened to the rat, but a little while later, I found another little one scuttling around - why, it even kept darting up to my table and back! 

With neither JES nor JJ around, yours (brave) truly decided (!!!) that the time had come for her to set the trap. And so, I put in another piece of carrot as bait, the way I'd seen JES do. And after a few minutes of examining the "contraption/apparatus" (yes, I studied science ;) ), I figured out what had to be done, and then proceeded to wait for the rat to be trapped. (All the while marveling at how I'd learnt yet another 'mechanical' task and was willing to get down and do things, even if they involved getting my hands dirty!)

When NW left, I went along with her, and the rest of the evening just passed by. In the morning, I reached the lab (early, after ages!), and what do I find? The bait gone, but the trap still open :P

So much for my rat-trapping abilities... Maybe I should just try going the Pied Piper route :P

Sigh! Such bravery, to no avail... Such is life...

P.S.: I didn't really have much to write about, but reading BK's blog suddenly made me feel that I should be writing as well, and this is the result.

P.P.S. : I hope there is at least one soul in this extremely populated planet who finds the title funny/amusing, at least half as much as I do.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Attention, please *

It just occurred to me that I might have selective attention after all... But I guess it depends on who you ask... For instance, if you ask SM, she'll deny it. (She knows believes I lack attention almost completely, not just selectively :P ). If you ask the Senor, you might get the mistaken impression that I pay attention in class. (Senorita B. & I know how much attention we paid in class (a lot, I assure you ;) )

The other day, my prof told me, "Take a break and work on this", and like a good girl, I happily took a break. It was only later that I remembered that there was a second part to the sentence, which was actually what was necessary... But still...

I'm not sure if it's an instance of the cocktail party effect (wow, jargon?!), or if there are only certain things that catch my attention. Once, I was taking a walk with my friend, when a girl crossed us while talking on her phone. I was just about to continue talking to my friend, when I suddenly heard, "Barcelona, Madrid". I'll leave you to imagine what effect it had on me.

I think I'll stop writing now, as I suddenly remembered (thanks to SM!) that my selective attention is not restricted to things, but also extends to people... And washing dirty laundry in public isn't good, no? ;)
 (Err, truth be told, I can't think of anything more to say right now...)

So, goodnight... 

(And Gai-jin, my attention is all yours now :P)

(* - apologies for the pathetic title)