Ganbate Sem 1 2006!!!! Here Weeeeeee Goooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

Oh gosh man! feeling like a fucking nerd. i'm actually reading my notes everywhere i go now! bloody hell... if i don't fucking score a disctinction... i really dunno what to do or say lo. uni life was never easy but then... sigh! doing all this studying is tiring. i find myself getting exhausted though all i do is climb stairs to my apartment, go to classes, eat, sleep, debate with the engineers about retarded topics and struggle to make sure i won't be as lazy as last semester. so far i'm staying true to my schedule. requiring a helluvalot of discipline la...

so far, to date, i think i've been studying quite well... i think la. at least i'm remembering things i studied in the lecture theaters. planning to sleep properly so i can stay awake in the lectures... not that i dare sleep liao la... just that i get rather tired... and the brain can't absorb much in that state.

today, for genetics, we learnt of a genetic disease, it's called Tay-Sachs and basically, what it is, is just one missing letter in our DNA structure. this missing letter, is crucial in the coding of a enzyme. the lesson didn't go into detail about what this missing letter was, but the effects of one missing letter was lethal.

basically what happens is that the baby that is born with this disease is doomed from the moment he/ she opens their eyes to the world. this letter missing in their HEXA gene is crucial in producing an enzyme required in the breaking down of the fat in the developing brain of a baby. without this enzyme, as the baby grows, there is no room for the brain to grow, thus damaging all learning processes. most children born with this condition do not live past 5.

watching the anguish of the parents for this child made me want to cry. i was biting back every single tear with every fibre in my body. one reason, i was imagining if my child was in that condition. the baby shown had deteriorated from a happy laughing bubbly baby boy to a vegetable. he couldn't even smile or laugh. can you imagine your son in that condition? and the worst thing is that both the parents were carriers, making it very possible that their next child be another victim. for a mother, it is the worst thing. to have your child die due to a faulty gene in your DNA make up(if she decides it's her fault la).

to explain the severity of the disease, lets just say that your child, a happy baby slowly deteriorates. he used to be able to crawl, sit up and poke the bubbles you blew in his face. suddenly, one by one, he can't. he can't even smile anymore. then one day, he starts having seizures, then he grows blind by age 2. along the way, he can't suck on his milk bottle anymore and doesn't know how to swallow, then by 3, he's deaf. and deep inside, you know he's doomed to die by 5 years...

any woman out there would rather have no children than have their child subjected to this. really. that's why i recommend a full blood DNA check up before marriage. both you and your fiance. this disease, as with many others, are only capable of affecting your offspring in pairs as they are repressive. both you and your partner would have to be carriers of this faulty gene.

according to most scientists, the disease, thank God, isn't common in asians but more of those with Ashkenazi (eastern and central European) Jewish background and Amish people. even so, it's a mutation, and seriously, shit happens. i sure as hell am going to test my DNA before having babies. i don't want my child to be hit by some shitty disease that i learnt of while doing my degree... and i was ignorant enough to be hypocritical to whatever i would recommend to others.

oh, btw, the poor baby that was made the case study has passed on. Rest his soul, at least he'll be laughing and happy again in heaven. if ever you find out that you have family with jewish ancestory, though slim (i'm talking about M'sians generally), do do do ask them to check themselves up. even as an asian, we also have quite a few genetic diseases i'm sure. it's better to be safe than sorry.

ps.... symptoms that your baby may suffer from this disease is that he/she would be extremely jumpy and responds drastically to surprises. for more info, use... the internet!!! muahahah! :P