Year 2008 and Resolution for yr 2009

Today is 31st Dec, 08... a good time to reflect on the last year :).
Professionally, published another conference paper, submitted 1 journal and one more conference paper. The high point was the TAship in SMA course, which came along nice and I learned few very important things.

In June, had a good India trip. Great to be with family after 1.5 yrs. Personally, I improved myself, became more confident and adventurous. Along the way, made few new friends in year 2008 and few good friend left S'pore to achieve their dreams. Started reading books/novels.

Malaysia trip was another highlight of the year as I went there first time. Water-rafting was awesome fun, and would like to go for it again. Recently, went for 10 km long Southern Ridge Nature walk. I simply love walking. :)

For year 2009, I need to continue with improving my inner character. Professionally, a single rule - "Publish more" (Taken from another good friend's post :) ). Need to increase frequency of reading good books. Another Malaysia and India trip. Explore S'pore more. Start doing some physical exercise.

BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR

This piece is from 'Science' magazine (Vol. 322. no. 5909). Reprogramming cells will certainly have a major impact on the future of human disease drug development and therapies. It is a new tool to study the cellular processes responsible for disease. Though there are many aspects which need careful and detailed consideration, this technique has potential to change the way we treat disease. Please refer Science article for more references.

Interestingly, they also mentioned about runners up for 'breakthrough of the year' research. These are:
2. Seeing Exoplanets - related with Astranomy
3. Cancer Genes - biology and medicine
4. New high temperature superconductors - Physics
5. Watching Proteins at work - Biology, Computer Science and Physics
6. Water to Burn - Chemistry and renewable energy source
7. The video Embryo - Medicine, Computer Science and Physics
8. Fat of a different color - Medicine
9. Proton's mass predicted - Physics
10. Sequencing Bonanza - Biology

Unsurprisingly, 'Phenomenon of the year' was given to LHC, CERN.

There is another article on 'areas to watch' for 2009, and what happened to areas which were predicted as hot last year. There is a good list of reference for each area.

The Road not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-- Robert Frost (Taken from Wikipedia :) )

Above poem was quoted by Robert Langer in his interview to Nature Magazine. He won US$2 million worth prizes this year. He completed PhD in chemical engineering in 1974, and instead of working in Petrochemical Engg, which was an obvious option at that time, he went on to work in a Surgery Lab in Children hospital. Can you imagine a hardcore chemical engineer working in a surgery lab that also in 1974??? From there on, he started liking for biomedical field, and combining it with his chemical engineering knowledge, he is doing some fascinating research.

The whole point is that it is worth exploring the uncharted paths. Surely, there will be hurdles, obstacles and lots of disappointments, but with right inspiration and perspiration, one may succeed. This is what I want to remember, and hence this blog post. :)