Welcome to my 'Fun Stuff' page! Here, I’m sharing some of the hobbies and interests I enjoy, as well as anything cool I feel like sharing. I believe that having fun is key to a balanced life and a healthy mindset. Engaging in different activities and experiences is not only fun but I believe it also broadens my perspective. Often sparking fresh ideas and new ways of looking at scientific questions.
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
I love fermented foods, maybe because I studied biochemistry (and was forced to memorize each step in glycolysis) or maybe because the flavor packs a tart punch! One hobby I share with my family is making an ancient fermented Mexican drink called pulque. This drink is extremely hard to find in the U.S., but because of the knowledge passed down in our family, we are able to make small batches some seasons. The drink itself comes from an agave plant called 'Maguey' or Agave salmiana (Picture 1). The process requires the plant to mature, which typically takes 10 years. When the plant is ready, the upper meristematic tissue is removed and hollowed out. The plant will ooze sap into the hollowed out cavity (Picture 2) and it can be collected. This liquid is called "aguamiel" (which translates to honey water) and is rich in sugars! This aguamiel is then fermented to become a white, almost milky liquid (Picture 3). The drink itself has a very unique taste that is silky smooth with a sweet and sour bubbly taste.
While learning how to use the confocal microscope I used some of my mutant plants to see if the shapes and sizes of their chloroplasts were different. To do that we can take advantage of the auto-fluorescence emitted by chlorophyll. I thought the z-stack look nice enough. I often hear from people outside the plant community that they look like blood cells! 🩸
During a visit to the optometrist, I had the back of my eye scanned. The optometrist showed them to me while pointing out that they were healthy (thankfully). Fascinated, I asked if they could email me the pictures. They agreed and also admitted that I was the first person to ask for these pictures. 😂