Lock-up's okays

Here are some info which is "legal" (despite the sense of humiliating and breaching human rights), which i got from www.nst.com.my.

Anyway, while squatting may "help expel/discharge hidden objects", i don't see how ear-pulling can expel any. from where?! the ears maybe? or nose even? or other natural orifices which contract/relax upon ear-pulling?

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Meanwhile, it is learnt that ear squats in the nude, shocking as they may be, are allowed under police procedures.
The New Sunday Times learnt it was also "standard operating procedure" among enforcement agencies and in prisons in several countries.It is among other procedures, including "pat downs" or emptying of pockets, carried out at the time of arrest and before handcuffs are applied. A more thorough search is performed at the police station.

A strip search is when an individual under arrest is required to remove all clothing. This is to facilitate visual inspection of the body together with a search of the clothing.

A body cavity search (a form of strip search) is carried out when an individual under arrest would have the orifices (rectum, vagina, etc) examined for contraband, objects and drugs. It normally involves visual inspection or actual manual probing.

"Squatting is a form of body-cavity strip search which women undergo before being confined at an immigration detention centre, police lock-up or prison cell," a source said. It would seem that repeated squats are supposed to "force" women detainees to discharge concealed objects.

"In some instances, some of them are hosed down — with strong jets directed at them — to remove items hidden in locks of hair, etc."

This issue (to search or not) has been one which continues to trouble enforcement agencies, and in the US a majority of lawsuits were over strip and body cavity searches. "The source said strip and body cavity searches were performed as such acts were allowed and necessary."

Some may argue it is improper, but it applies to the daily operations at prisons. "However, the source said nobody talked about it or was willing to narrate their experiences.

Body and cavity searches are also common during Narcotics Department raids and, in some instances, officers use surgical gloves. However, there are "general rules" which apply to all strip and body cavity searches of arrested persons. Among them are that:

• a strip or body cavity search must be performed by officers of the same sex as the individual under arrest;
• officers of the opposite sex should not be allowed into the room where the search is being done;
• the room where such search acts are performed should provide privacy from outside observation to ensure dignity and a degree of privacy;
• a body cavity search which involves actual manual probing should be done by qualified personnel, except under urgent circumstances; and,
• individuals being searched should be asked if there were conditions, medical or otherwise, which may affect the search.

research

Some times it doesn't take much to crack my brain to start me thinking n wondering, like why do ppl pursue their masters n phD degrees. For most company researchers they have a motive in mind, so are these masters and phD ppl. but i really wondered, how fun can researchin be?

as they say, researching means, to search and search and search and search and search.....

I used to tell myself, tat's my last resort of job on Earth, i'll never step into it no matter wat. of course, unless if my research would be able change the world. hehe.. which has yet to happen, so rub tat off first.

Sadly and obligatorily, i'm now walking in the line of researching - project. (@#$%^^&&*!) at first i tot that it's gonna be okay.. but one hurdle emerge after another.. and now if ppl ask me, "wat's the title of ur project?" k.. i'll be able to answer tat! =) "to use copepods as biological control for mosquito larvae." but if they start asking, "how do you do tat?" or "wat r u doin?" it kinda dig all the frustrations built up in the process. let me tell you the details.

copepods are actually zooplanktons. well, to make things easy, big fish eat small fish, small fish eat copepods. so imagine how small are they?

procedures

a) the best part is i have to culture these copepods first, but how to culture them? i must first filter the pond water, then observe the 3 litre of water ml by ml under the stereo microscope! ok. let's not mention the hours spent in doing that.

b) after isolating the copepods, i culture them. surprise!! they died. now how does tat happen?

c) i honestly duno, so i'll have to rule out differentials one by one.. which of course, takes time. i really must thank my frens who helped me think of the CODs (cause-of-death). but all these are tentative, and confirmation is done by experimenting. to experiment this, i have to repeat procedure (a) and (b) which definitely takes more than 24 hours.

d) i finally came to the thought tat, perhaps they can't eat the fish powder i gave. unwillingly, i'll have to resort to the conventional paramecium feeding. but how to feed paramecium? culture them.

e) i get the paramecium from the same pond samples.. and look under microscope again.. this time not stereo, but compound microscope (40-100x). gosh.. my eyes.. my eyes..

f) if i did find the paramecium, how to breed them? culture bacteria. how to culture bacteria?

g) tat's exactly wat i'm doing now.

so ask again, wat project am i actually doing now? i cant really answer, i'll lose my breath explaining. some ppl have follow-up questions, like, "why did you choose this project in the first place?"

*gulp* let's cut the long story short.

To the vets, "to reduce the prevalence of heartworm."
To Malaysians, "Let's control the dengue outbreak."
To the researches, "I like challenges."
To the copepods, "You're cute, i like you. Sorry for causing numerous deaths."
To the mosquitoes, "It's time for revenge."

draining away

A week ago i experienced the second trial of my life - how long can you stand for sleeping just an hour? That's what happened when i did my last minute studies for the equine test. The test went ok.. but my physiological needs were drastically abrupted. I was nauseous almost all the time, heart pounding, dizzy at times, lethargic and restless, anorexic.. well.. it all went wrong until i went to my dear bed and had a cosy sleep for 15 hours.

Few days later, while my coursemates were enjoying themselves, or the non-last-minuters were starting to revise the ruminants disease, i was trapped in the library and aquatic lab, contemplating of my project. All of a sudden, a big log just fell a head of me, thank God not on my head.. coz i just realize the problem before the holiday begins (our project should start officially once the 4-week holiday starts). I can't find my subjects! I spent an hour trying to trap copepods using my socks (innovative, uh?). Then spent the whole day trying to look for any copepod in my collection. The result was negative. I have had to get more copepods and collections, or my project's stuck! The day before the exam, i was at a pond early in the morning, thanks to HMeng, i was not alone this time. We managed to collect a lot of water... i wonder is there any copepod in it? I'll find out soon. tomorrow.

And now, I just finished my Feed and Feeding test, where i spurted out ideas on how to improve feedings and importance of this and that in feeding livestocks. ruminants, mainly. I hope the kind, cute lecturer accepts all my ideas and give me an A.. :P But, 12 hours before the test, i was busy restructuring my net - tying and sewing up my sock around a broken net. Then 3 hours before the test, i was busily scooping my college pond water, "Copepods copepods koochi koochi gooo.. come to mama...". Poor Pyin was squatting next to me, just in case i trip into the pond. :P

Exactly at this moment, I'm really tired.. my entire body ached. I have not have my lunch (the faculty's cafe is closed! i wonder why.), and i'm scheduled for a discussion and a meeting. But my heart was with my mind yelling at my body, "We wanna go home and rest!"

Oh God.. i'm draining away..

masquerade-wannabe

i've recently finished another book by the great author, sidney sheldon. Doomsday Conspiracy. It kinda gave me an idea tat we must really becareful when talking to strangers.. well, maybe they won't harm u directly, but they may pass on ur info to someone they thought is fine, but whom may harm you. It's really scary, come to think of the story line.

Better still, through out my trip in bangkok, many people inquired on my nationality - japanese (top of the list), thai, and china. none of those strangers nominated malaysia. funny, huh? back in my faculty, numerous ppl thought tat i'm from sabah! Gosh, where does tat idea come from?

Now these incidences gave me an idea tat perhaps i could be a masquerade, esp in front of strangers. well.. at least to protect myself in strange or foreign places. i'd just have to brush up my hokkien to be a penangite, learn good japanese to be a japanese, learn good thai to be a thai.. wat else? oh, practise that china accent to be a CBC - china-born-chinese. practising sabahan accent.. hmm... i doubt i can do it. But I'll try.. i'll try anyhow. won't ditch any chance to be a good masquerade.

while i was planning all these on the train, a stranger greeted me, and started asking personal questions like who am i, where do i stay and many more. My mind was running wild, ok, which personality should i impersonate? This is a good chance for me to start my practice. While my mind was doing the thinking, my silly mouth blurted the truth out, one after another, until the extent tat i told him i stay in kepong. Goodness! i couldnt help cursing myself then. Of course he'll be able to trace me if he wanted, for i'm the only final yr vet student from kepong! @#$@!

nevertheless.. i don't think anyone wil harm me as in Doomsday Conspiracy. I've not seen or heard anything peculiar so far.. But the idea of being a masquerade does thrill me a great deal!

i'll see to it tat i brush up my hokkien.. learn japanese.. brush up my thai.. brush up my french.. brush up.. brush brush up.. .. ;) accents... accents..

Goodbye doesnt mean forever

saying goodbye (esp to someone whom i cared for) has always been hard to do. regardless of who's the departing person - me or him/her. it had never been easy for me. And what could be worse? nvr even had the chance to bid goodbye.

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She had went all the way to the railway stn, just to bid goodbye. At the stn, her friend was no where at sight. She looked up at the giant clock. The minute hand struck 35. It was 2.35pm. 10 minutes before her friend's train departure. There should be enough time to get her a biscuit, then she can munch munch on the train. Quickly she rushed to a nearby grocery and picked a nicely packaged biscuit. This will be good. She smiled. Just then, she felt her mobile vibraint. She quickly fidgeted her bag. She looked at her mobile - Tassy..

"Hey i cant find you. i'm on the way to train now.. where r u?"
"Where's ur train?" She started running to the platforms. "Which is your train?" There were 4 similar trains lining side by side anticipating their passengers.
"Platform 5.. er.. car 2.. mmbrrrr.." The train ambience was deafening.
"Hello?"
"Brrmm..."
"I can't hear you.."
"Brrmm.." The line went dead.

She was standing at platform 5. the train had at least 12 couches. Which one? She urgently scanned through the passengers in each couch. Then her phone vibrated. Tassy.

"Tassy! which coach are you in?"
"2! brrr.. far.. brrrr..." The line went dead.

Tassy hurried out of her couch, hoping to catch a glimpse of Crystal. The couch captain who was standing at the doorstep gave an annoyed look and mumbled some Thai words which Tassy didn't bother to decipher. I know, u want me to get back in right? i know i know.. just a moment.. it won't hurt u no..

Crystal felt her phone vibrated again.

"Where r u? my train's moving soon.. brrrmm..."

At the very same time the train blew its horm and the captain rushed Tassy back into the train. All the doors closed at once. Inch by inch the train creaked into motion. Crystal quickly passed the biscuit to a couch captain, "Pass this to Tassy please," She gave a short description of Tassy and soon, the train was out of sight.

Tassy looked hard through the window. Crystal.. I'm sorry i had to leave without saying goodbye..

Tassy never received the biscuit.
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Tat's a vy simple example. Sometimes when someone i cared for bade goodbye, i pretended i didn't care, when in fact i hated so much to see him leave at all. I knew for sure that i was gonna miss him, bt if i ever let my feeling show, i knew, my world will be shrouded with sadness... well, at least temporarily. And that will affect my composure, which i didn't like, esp. in the public.

Nevertheless, i have learned now that, it will be wiser to show that you cared, that you'l mis him while u stil have the chance to do so. Even thought it's gonna cost me an ocean of tears, it's worth it. For i may never have the chance to so again.

After all.. good bye doesn't mean forever. ;)