it's always about the journey

In the evolutionary battle between virus and host, the virus has a major advantage. The human genome evolves at a snail-like pace over millions of years while the virus, with its tiny genome, compressed generation time, and propensity toward replication errors, nimbly eludes the sophisticated defenses of the host adaptive and innate immune systems, developing genes that neutralize host defenses and structural genes that encode highly plastic structural proteins. In the end, however, the host will win out, not by evolving new immune defense mechanisms, but by virtue of the genes that have endowed us with the ability to understand our surroundings and to develop the means to thwart even the most sophisticated viral accessory genes and molecular escape mechanisms—we hope.

I love this last paragraph taken from a review article I'm reading (for exams soon meh). For copyright reasons: Gramberg et al. 2009. Current HIV/AIDS Reports, 6:36–42.

It is ironic though and I can't help but marvel at God's sense of humour in this: millions of people die from AIDS/HIV every year-as we all know, and it's all because of this little persistent virus whose diameter is more than 50,000,000 times smaller than our height. Yeap that's a ratio of 1 to 50 million.

I guess sometimes, size doesn't matter huh.

***

Anyway thanks for keeping me sane yesterday: most of you know I had trouble sleeping 2 nights ago. I TRIED sleeping (yeah I know drinking coffee at 11pm didn't help, but I wanted to sleep at around 3 or 4am anyway), but ending up studying till 6am-ish, then FORCED myself to sleep, which ended up just lying on the bed with my brain wide awake with severe palpitations. Tried taking a nap during the afternoon but just couldn't sleep again.

But yeah, I managed to sleep last night: not 8 hours but yeah it was quality rest.

The palpitations stopped too today. Yay! I still drink coffee, heh, old habits die hard. Or shall I say, I took a vow to never part with caffeine on the day I became a uni student. But I'm limiting myself to just 1 coffee/day now, unless absolutely necessary aka just before exams.

Speaking of which, dissertation is due on Oct 2, next Friday. Discussing with my supervisor re another set of draft again tomorrow. Presentation on Thursday. 25% oral exam on the 7th. 12.5% assignment due on the 12th. Finals on the 29th and 30th. Gosh gosh gosh.

Maybe that was why I had the pre-panic attack symptoms.

Therefore, I am self-prescribing retail therapy. :D Country road will be having their cardholders special sale today (wednesday) with extra 20% off discounted items!!! I will be there, for sure. After applying for more phd scholarships and banking in my tax refund cheque $$$ WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

*looks up at that graduation countdown counter above & smiles* not too far away now...