"The one with creating a SPARK in both tummy and mind..."

La Trobe's SPARK Association held a Turkish kebab BBQ this week. Which, meant that we had the opportunity to another free-food fest of cholesterol-laden, grease-filled menu of meat and kofta. Being the ever so opportunists that we (proudly) are, I was joined by Yusri and Fendi to bask in the little sun that Melbourne offered that day for a visit to their stall.

We've decided to have our Zuhur prayers prior before lunch, seeing that there wasn't a crowd by the time we've got there. Hmm, probably because they'd just started the grill and food won't be ready till the next couple of minutes. So we decided to play it smooth and go pray first.

A good 20 minutes later, the compound of the La Trobe lawns were already filled with people and therefore we took no obligation to wait until the crowd grew.

Knowing those Turks, they really know how to cook their meat. The menu of the day was kofta and lamb kebabs, but this ain't your usual serving that you'd get in Kebab King Putrajaya or Kyros Kebab KLCC. This is the real deal - Arab style.

The lebanese bread itself can be used to cover your whole face, albeit it also serving as a tophat through the rain, if you may. There's generous servings of all-you-can-fit-into-your-huge-bread vege's and meat, apart from a few traditional Turkish herbs and spices as well as your usual chili, tomato and bbq sauce.

The whole BBQ served halal meat, so you'd expect a lot of Muslims to flock the place of course.


The one fascinating thing that I like about the campus grounds is that you can have your meal anywhere you'd like - be it on the ground itself. La Trobe takes great care of its landscaping, and settling yourself in such a scenic spot in the midst of decaying trees in Autumn really gives you that 'authentic-overseas' feeling. Kalau kat Malaysia buat camni orang kata buang tebiat pulak.




We're good friends with most of the Muslim community here in La Trobe - so our lunch that day was surrounded by very warm, exciting people from all over the globe.

(Pictures are all courtesy of Yusri's awesome Nikon D90.)

All in all, it was a very full and definitely filling feast. Great company, ambient surroundings and good food. What would you expect more on a chilly Autumn day?

On a rather more serious note;

Last Wednesday culminated one of (what I assume) my last brainstorming sessions with my committee. I had called the meeting to commence on finalizing matters relating to the overall outreach of the project and pathways involved, as well as agreeing upon foreseen budget-responsibilities on both parties. Seeing that the project would be a joint-collaboration between the Physics and Biochemistry department of La Trobe, it was a priority that no side had exclusivity when it comes to cost control.

A good two-hours of rough ideas and intricate (often inexplicably) detailing, this is what I could summarize being the great picture of the project;

To deter you from the details of how it'd was transcribed onto paper, it's suffice to say that the project, as a whole would be a bold step towards cancer drug targeting. I'm happy with the outcome of the meeting, and I'm sure my committee is as well. I just hope I'd have the stomach to perform. Materials and reagents are already on the order and I have a forthcoming July 2nd to come up with initial data following the project's fabrication.

All in the great agony that is science. I'm ever so looking forward, and excited of what's to come in the next few weeks.

Autumn is in full spring people, and the landscape is a serene mix of yellow and red.

-JeP

P/S : Did I mention that I have a futsal tournament this Sunday, and that I made first team? Bundoora must be VERY desperate for players this season.