Who developed a program for large-scale text analysis of protein-protein interactions from published literature to mine potentially novel hypotheses for the regulation of gene expression in the mammary gland of several experimental models. His work has examined the limitations of the existing text mining programs and now enables a generic and rapid survey of published data.
Walking towards the Chancellor to collect my testamur, every step is both heavy and light. Images of the 6 years in Melbourne streamed by – of fun, of happiness, of pain, of agony. I had been through. Standing here, 8 years from the day I laid my feet on Melbournian soils.
I am finally conferred my doctoral degree, dowsing my bonnet towards the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies as I walked off the stage, I am finally Dr. Maurice Ling. It is the morning of 21 August 2010 – a very chilly spring day as Edwin told me later.
It is coincidential that I managed to get a break from school due to the Youth Olympics Games in Singapore and we had a 3 week break in the middle of the term. Hence, I managed to squeeze in this 9-day trip to Melbourne and get my testamur together with Phil – my old time friend back in Zoology.
There is nostalgia when I dragged the luggage across the university to University College when I arrived back at Melbourne on 19 August. However, there is also anxiety this time round. On the official side, I was back for my convocation but on the unofficial side, I was looking to relive some of the old times – to meet up the people that I know, as well as finding potential career directions. So I will say that this trip is not one to unwind myself and I do not hope to return back Singapore feeling more tired.
It soon became obvious that reliving the old times was not possible – the same people had moved onto different chapters of their lives. Edwin is now working at Richmond. Joly is in Prince Henry’s Institute with Monash. Phil is with Sydney IVF. Essentially, my daily coffee-mates are all gone – no longer can I ask them for coffee at Brunetti’s or Blue Zone in between experiments. Even the honours and postgraduates in Zoology looks alien to me – nevertheless, I had physically left the department more than 2 years ago. Mentally and intellectually, maybe I had not left. Just as Derek Chan said to me about 3 years ago – at this stage, I will not leave totally and all I need is to touch base regularly. Kevin’s hair and beard had greyed considerably.
Not only people had moved, environment too. Over the last 2 years, the rock formations at The 12 Apostles along Great Ocean Road had changed with at least 1 apostle crumbled into the straits below.
I booked a road trip to Grampians (about 200km west of Melbourne) the day before we were due to fly back to Singapore. It is a place that was reputed to be more fascinating that Great Ocean Road. Having been there this time round, I agree.
Of all the scenic spots, I vote for MacKenzie Falls, followed by The Balcony. Perhaps The Balcony was the last spot to see, the path to it was a bit audacious as it was drizzling and very cold when we were there. The entire path was filled with igneous rocks formations.
Standing at The Balcony and looking across the vast plains of mountain ridges, one cannot help but feel the insignificance of a single human. The sky cleared up for a few minutes for us to take some photographs. Our guide said that Grampians was created probably around 350 million years ago as trilobite fossils were found along the Grampians. Trilobites dated from the early Cambrian (525 million years ago) and extinct by end of Permian (250 million years ago). It was said that Grampian ranges could probably rival the current Swiss Alps which is about 4600 metres when it was created. Over the last quarter billion years, it had lost more than half of its height to the wind and rain.
Gentle waters can grind even the toughest rock and the Grampians had lost its massive top. What can I say about humans? Maybe the change of a person is just part of the natural order of things and holding on is not.
Bill Clinton did mention in his autobiography that a moon-rock in his Oval office to remind them to put things into perspectives. Looking at the vastness of this range, I find it difficult to reconcile the idea of losing most of its original majesty. Then again, am I just being obstinate even though I know very well about the impermanence of things?
Maybe it is much better to accept the permanence of impermanence, the perfection of imperfections, as things will change. Nevertheless, the Jaw of Death is a result of impermanence. New features can only be formed when the old collapse.
It is time for me to start a new life after my doctorate. As the sun rises each day, there will be a new step to take.