That day when you're trapped under a glass by a giant

September 12, 2015

It has long been on my bucket list to be captured in a glass by a giant joker.

Well seriously -- whose bucket list ISN'T that on? No ones.

My mate, 'mite

September 6, 2015

When I arrived home one evening, I discovered I had been sent a box of magic. Raw, spreadably glutenous, brown yeast extract magic in six incredible different varieties. The note that came with it was clear: "I expect a full review".

IAU, gender does not dictate skillset

August 16, 2015

The closing ceremony for the International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly marks not only the culmination of a two week science conference, but also the official change of the Executive Committee. This did not go well.

Pearl Harbor

August 10, 2015

I took paltry few photographs at Pearl Harbor. This was because each time I viewed the scene through my phone's camera, I mentally captioned it: "Me at the site where 2,500 people met their end!"

#DistractinglySexy

June 15, 2015

Today, I became annoyed by an article in 'The Guardian'. It was a piece discussing the consequences for the Nobel Laureate British biochemist, Sir Tim Hunt, after his disastrous speech at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Seoul last week.

#GirlsWithToys

May 17, 2015

Today, twitter exploded with the hashtag #GirlsWithToys , showing a plethora of pictures of female scientists standing next to the tools of their trade.

Cat island

May 8, 2015

Everyone has a weakness. One that will make them abandon the common sense ingrained from years of primary school doctrine and follow random strangers into situations from which they could not possibly escape.

I sleep in a coffin

May 7, 2015

I knew it was going to be a great trip when a guy in a spiderman mask grilled the cheese on my takoyaki with a blow torch.

The cat who would be king

May 4, 2015

When Kishi Station in the Wakayama Prefecture of Japan was faced with closure, it took the only logical step: it employed a stray cat as station master.

I flirt with the head of department

May 4, 2015

"This sentence is very nice" --my head of group told me-- "But, if you use this sentence for some young boy, he might feel that you have very good impression about him and you want to feel him very close to you."

'Protein World' are a bag of shit, but not for their ads

April 26, 2015

This weekend, everyone got mad at 'Protein World' for the wrong reasons. And they weren't nearly mad enough.

Overheard in Academia...

April 20, 2015

Aah, I do not know how you study galaxies. They are so far away and small!

I decide my job is OK

April 7, 2015

"And then this fungus just took root in my leg and I could not get rid of it!"

This was my first time at an interdisciplinary meeting and I was really starting to see the benefits. And possible my dinner for a second time.

Bunks on a train

March 10, 2015

What would you say if your friend asked for your help to move to Kobe with her toddler daughter and two cats?

You'd say no.

The throne hall of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

I leave my stomach in Cambodia

March 6, 2015

"I feel so awful!" I was sprawled on the bathroom floor, wrapped around the base of the toilet as if it were a giant ceramic egg I had recently laid.

The Hunger Games

March 5, 2015

"Just trust your driver."

And so saying, I was deposited on the back of a Vespa and sent off onto the streets of Saigon.

The unwinnable war

March 4, 2015

The Vietnamese / American war occurred when all the might and firepower of the west went up against a cluster of farmers with hoes. And lost.

Tailor, tailor

February 20, 2015

Poverty-reduction campaigner, Clint Borgen once said, "When overseas, you learn more about your own country, than you do the place you're visiting."

I realised he was right the first time I was gathered into a bear hug in America by a near-stranger who did not seem to be after my wallet.

Bobbing up and down

February 17, 2015

Nestled amongst the limestone protrusions in northern Vietnam's Halong Bay are people living in floating houses.

Visiting hours for the deceased

February 15, 2015

On reflection, not stuffing the Queen Mother was a missed opportunity.