yet another lunch

Another one of those lunches. This was actually from two weeks ago. just didnt have time to upload the pics, which are about half I took. If the images are too dark for viewing, go out and buy yourself an LCD and throw that CRT away. This blog is optimized for high class viewers.
Went to Sakura, the new outlet at the back of Kent Vale, in the middle of Clementi Woods. $20 per person nett. Cheap and good.
The appearance of Mr. UK and Mr. Germany (+GF) made this lunch more special. It was actually to welcome the new honours students. The pictures below are all self explanatory I guess.








This is kimchiboy:












This is Bhu finding it difficult to squeeze between Fio and the table after second helpings.


This is Fio laughing at Bhu.


This is SR finding the commotion slightly entertaining.


This distracted me away from the jabbering crowd


When working with mice, we must make sure the mouse being killed is not in direct view of the other mice, but here, when prawn A dies, the rest of the population of prawns watch for free. Where is justice?


Mr. UK next to prof


My trademark multiple shots:






Happy family, nuclear and distant.

Tuk

Kimchiboy's birthday that 'just' passed got celebrated again. His mum made some glutinous rice cake balls coated with green bean and red bean crumbs. Sort of like the Korean Muah Chi, they call it 'tuk'. Tasted good to me, well, then again everything tastes good to me when I'm hungry.
Enough blabbering, on with the pictures:

At first sight everyone thought 'chocolate and cheese balls?'


Food always look good on macro. Wonder why...


an elated birthday boy


Lab SOP of distributing C-fold paper towels:


The discerning reader will remember our friend KC from Uni-Kay-Ell


nibble nibble

Nac's treat

Nac left the lab but gave us a treat to wrap it up.

Thai Express Holland V. Prawn rolls and fried tofu for starters. The tofu garnishing tasted good.


Bhu's soft shell crab


SR's fried fish


Fio's curry something


Nac's pineapple rice


Closer view


No more lab stress; can smile.


My beef. Bliss.


Bored:


Deep fried banana with ice-cream and mango with glutinous rice. Didnt take a pic of the tapioca which was pretty good. The banana at staff canteen better than this one, not to mention cheaper.

Bday boy

Kimchiboy's birthday last last week and prof made it up to him by baking a fudge cake yesterday. He ate up half of it and ended up so sick today he couldn't come to lab.


Got stuff inside the cake, but don't know what. I only know how to eat and then say 'very nice hor.'


Gobble gobble...


Blur...erm, picture, not the girl.


Didnt escape the camera this time


Prof warmed up the cake and cut it up for the boy.


Besides the cake, Prof also brought back some chocolates from OZ.
This is before:


This is after:

away

Flaviguy was away for a week so there were no posts. Sorry dudes. But now he's back!

stone

Didnt know such a stone existed until a few days ago.

New paper

Virology Volume 349, Issue 2 , 5 June 2006, Pages 463-475

Analysis of the endocytic pathway mediating the infectious entry of mosquito-borne flavivirus West Nile into Aedes albopictus mosquito (C6/36) cells

J.J.H. Chu^a, P.W.H. Leong^a and M.L. Ng<sup>, a,

a</sup>Flavivirology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, 5 Science Drive 2, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore

Received 21 November 2005; revised 28 December 2005; accepted 18 January 2006. Available online 21 February 2006.

Abstract

The initial interaction between mosquito-borne flavivirus West Nile and mosquito cells is poorly characterized. This study analyzed the endocytic and the associated signaling pathway that mediate the infectious entry of West Nile virus (WNV) into mosquito cell line (C6/36). Pretreatment of C6/36 cells with pharmacological drugs that blocks clathrin-mediated endocytosis significantly inhibited virus entry. Furthermore, the transfection of functional blocking antibody against clathrin molecules and the overexpression of dominant-negative mutants of Eps15 in C6/36 cells caused a marked reduction in WNV internalization. WNV was shown to activate focal adhesion kinase (FAK) to facilitate the endocytosis of virus but not the mitogen-activated protein kinases (ERK1 and ERK2). Subsequent to the internalization of WNV, the virus particles are translocated along the endosomal pathway as revealed by double-immunofluorescence assays with anti-WNV envelope protein and cellular markers for early and late endosomes. Specific inhibitor for protein kinase C (PKC) was shown to be highly effective in blocking WNV entry by inhibiting endosomal sorting event. The disruption of the microtubule network using nocodazole also drastically affects the entry process of WNV but not the disruption of actin filaments by cytochalasin D. Finally, a low-pH-dependent step is required for WNV infection as revealed by the resistance of C6/36 cells to WNV infection in the presence of lysosomotropic agents.

Keywords: Flavivirus; Virus entry; Clathrin-mediated endocytosis; Endosome; Cytoskeleton

EM

Was doing electron microscopy viewing the other day while half asleep due to some ahem... night activities the previous evening.

Saw alot of dirt, as usual. And then saw this



Hallucinating, I saw this:
Monster!!!


Hahhaah

Then I saw this;



Hmmmm
Mickey Mouse!!!