Here & There

Yellow! You know how sometimes we just need to step away from the usual routine and breathe for a while? That's exactly what this little trip to Maine turned out to be a pause, a reset, and a reminder that life has its own gentle rhythm. Surrounded by fall colors, laughter, and quiet moments, I ended up learning more than I expected about change, letting go, and simply being present.  I recently traveled to Maine with my roommates and friends to witness the fall colors and honestly, every mile we drove felt like moving closer to something sacred. As if we were slowly entering a quiet, gently heaven painted in shades of amber, rust and gold. The trees stood there like patient artists, each leaf an intentional brushstroke.  Fall always amazes me. Nature performs this dramatic transformation every year, and yet we never stop being in awe of it. We celebrate the changing colors of leaves, but when it comes to humans, we struggle to accept change in each other. Isn't it strange? Th...

Hello everyone! Lately, I have been stuck in this weird loop of thoughts. You know, that “late night, can’t sleep, overthinking about life” phase. And somewhere in between scrolling reels and sipping tea, I realize we all live a lot of our lives in Khayali Pulao. Yeah, imagination. Daydreams. “One day, I will do this” kind of thoughts. We’re constantly planning; "If Plan A doesn’t work, I’ll try Plan B. If not B, then C" .  We create backup plans for our backup plans. Our lives start feeling like a PowerPoint presentation of “what ifs” and “maybes.” We think we are being practical, but honestly, are we really living or just preparing to live? Sometimes I feel like life itself is a grand illusion, a dream within a dream. We are all running so fast to accomplish our dreams before we fall asleep, but maybe the real question is - what if we’re trying to WAKE UP from one? We chase success, love, validation, that perfect health, that dream job like they are the ultimate destination...

Working with sequencing data is a lot like opening a mysterious treasure chest; there is the thrill of discovery, but also the risk that what is inside might not be as valuable as you hoped. Hidden within those files could be the genomic equivalent of gold or just a lot of noise. This is where  Quality Control (QC)  becomes indispensable. In my recent learning from NASA's Genelab On-demand course, we focused on S equencing data QC,  the crucial first step before diving into analysis. No matter how advanced your downstream methods are, poor-quality input will always produce unreliable output. In bioinformatics, the saying  “garbage in, garbage out”  couldn’t be more true. Why QC Matters? When we get raw data from sequencing machines i.e. FASTQ files, it is not perfect. Errors creep in due to base-calling mistakes, adapter contamination, overrepresented sequences, or even leftover PCR duplicates. If we skip QC, we might spend hours or days analyzing flawed da...

A man once placed a bird in my hands, Saying, “You might save a life.” With a heart full of hope, And a will to do good, I gently took it in. The moment I held that fragile form, It no longer felt like a bird But a bond, A life entrusted to me. I named it Sky, A name that whispered freedom, That spoke of soaring heights. I asked, I learned, I did everything I could. Food, warmth, care, Prayers whispered like lullabies, Under sleepless stars. All I wanted was to see it fly, To see it live like it was meant to, Free and fearless. But as dawn approached, So did the truth. Fate had a different plan. Sky took its last breath, Cradled in its so called "home" A silent goodbye. In that moment, I broke Not just in grief, But in understanding. Responsibility is heavy When a life depends on you. And sometimes, Even love isn't enough To change what’s written. Still, I hope Hope that in another life, Sky will fly Higher than ever before. Stronger. Bri...

Hello Everyone! As a Master's student in Bioinformatics, now stepping into my third semester, I have realized just how much hands-on practice matters in this field. Whether you are new to bioinformatics or somewhere along the way like me, I want to share something that really boosted my learning this summer: the  NASA GeneLab On-Demand Course . It's a fantastic, self-paced program that introduces core bioinformatics tools using real-life space biology data. And yes it’s completely beginner-friendly. Why I Chose #GL4U? Even as a graduate student, it’s important to keep refreshing the fundamentals especially when dealing with Unix, R, and data analysis environments. What stood out to me about the #GL4U course is: 1. It breaks down big concepts into approachable lessons. 2. It uses actual NASA datasets, which makes the learning feel meaningful 3. And best of all, it now offers  GL4U Office Hours  every  Monday and Thursday  for extra help! 🧑‍🏫 If you're just gett...

For the longest time, I never explored anime. I assumed it just wouldn’t be my thing. But today, that changed. I finally gave anime a shot and now I truly understand why anime fans are so devoted. The plots, the stories, the characters... everything is just amazing. My appreciation has grown for the writers and creators who bring these worlds to life. To mark the beginning of my anime journey, I chose  One Piece,  one of the most famous and longest-running anime series, as many fans have told me. From Doubt to Dedication: At first, I doubted myself. Could I really commit to watching such a long series, one with over a thousand episodes and counting? But after watching just the first episode, my doubts vanished. I am now certain that not only will I continue watching  One Piece , but I will also stick with it until I reach the very latest episode, no matter how long it takes. The Story That Hooked Me: The first episode introduces Monkey D. Luffy, a confident young boy with...