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♥ 200th Post
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
5:22 PM

Wow. This post marks my 200th post on this blog.
I'm sure this is not an awesome figure compared to some of you who are avid bloggers. I 'm really more like the "fair weather" blogger--> only when the sun gets out and makes me happy or when i have time, i would blog. But nonetheless, looking back on the posts that I had since J1 ( damn that's like 3 years ago) I sense a marked change in almost everything about me. Certainly hope thats for the better!

I have been wanting to do this for a long time. To send out an email and blog post to update all you friends/ people on how my 3rd semester at UofM has been getting along. Just that those silly time consuming assignments , mind boggling midterms, as well as SSA events, social life has been getting in my way. Here we go!

House:
Well, I moved into an apartment this year from Stockwell Girls Dorm. The apartments which I'm staying at is called WillowTree apartment and it is indeed a pretty apt name for that because there is a huge pond right outside my apartment and there are dozens of willow trees surrounding the pond. Me and my fellow sophomores staying in Willow Tree did this pretty fun outdoor BBQ before the cold streaks starting hitting Michigan and ~voila about 60-70 people turned up!

Whenever I tell people i am from LS&A (literature science and arts) faculty and I stay in WillowTree( which is nearer to North where the engineering fac) is, people throw back horrified looks as if I made the greatest mistake in 5000 years of China history haha. But the fact is I really appreciate my spacious living conditions now, for the amount of rent i am paying. And the fact that I am so near north ( not a engineer wanna-be of course), simply forces me to keep heading back to the serene north campus to burn more midnight oil!
And of course.. next point,

Car:
Yes i got my car finally after days and nights of head scratching and trying to learn the car jargon. Start talking to me about Hondas Toyotas and Nissans I might just be able to keep up a conversation with you. So I got a pretty Honda LX Accord 2001 coupe, which is a pretty sweet deal, by KBB (Kelly Blue Book) standards. My car drives awesome and it has moved up to one of happiest things in my life right now: mobility, anytime and anywhere.

Academics:
This semester Im starting to move away from acad classes and focus more on research. Courses wise, which wouldn't make any sense to you btw and im just listing them for the sake of listing, are MCDB 427, 411 and HIST 132. I really enjoy MCDB 411 Protein Structure and Function and HIST 132, People of the middle East. You know all those cool colourful crystal structures you see in your biology textbook? Thats what im creating now for MCDB 411. Its a course that really deals with the most up to state bioinformatics stuff and with so much applicability in the real world, how can i not possibly feel excited about the course! Hist 132 is also another course which I really enjoy. Never knew why the hell the Sunnis and Shi'i are in two separate factions and what the Quran says. But now I learnt theres a wealth of knowledge about the modern Middle East out there waiting for me to devour, coupled with freshly acquired knowledge on the ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia etc.

Research:
So the last missing piece of the previous paragraph is research. I'm doing MCDB 300, Independent Research. This basically means I am an undergraduate who gets to do cool experiments at my own pace, from designing the experiment, to doing the experiment and writing regular reports. This, I must say, is the coolest thing is have ever done! I am currently working on cloning 2 fly gene called, Hid and Reaper. (Apparently Drosophila fly geneticists get to name their fly whatever names they want to. Theres a fly gene that is called A-go-go the dance, because the mutation in that gene causes the fly to twitch like its doing an A-go-go!) So anyway, Hid and Rpr are two inhibitors of cell apoptosis (cell death) and I am investigating the mechanism of the phosphorylation ( some jargon you don't have to know) with the inhibitors. My job scope includes designing PCR Primers, doing PCR, making and running tons of gel electrophoresis, restriction enzyme and ligase (that we learnt in high school during those boring stern Bio lectures), transformation, cell culture, agar plating, protein column chromatgraphy, Western blotting...... and the jargon goes on. I shall spare you from the specifics. You really get the idea, this research means a lot to me.
i am really fortunate to have great mentors and fellow lab mates who joke and talk with me (the only undergrad in the lab) with almost anything under the sun. From religion to food to journal papers, I certainly don't feel an age gap between all these PhD candidates ( who are mostly married or..gasp..already divorced) and I even have the privilege of having a whole lab bench to myself! That part is really wondrous b/c I don't think any undergrad has that=)

Non-academic stuff:
So I ve been part of the exco for UMSSA ( singaporeans in Umich) and we plan dozens of activities like Fall GM, MAF, Halloween, Midwest Games, SEA Games, Singapore Food Fest just to raise a few. And these events are piling up every weekend like crazy. I am so glad that fa-cai, what my exco calls ourselves and even names our group email after, has grown so much stronger and more capable through these 8 mths that we've together. Our events are getting so professional sometimes, that I feel so proud of it. I feel proud to invite my friends to the events and show them what Singapore is about. And to truly live up to our name fa-cai, we have been generating (quite a bit) of income for the SSA, and so indeed it has been a prosperous year for fa-cai!

As for my position for the Southeast Asian Representative, I stepped down as the President of SEA-Network this semester but took over as V-President instead. This certainly takes quite a bit of work load off my shoulders. I am most happy to say that the SEA-network has become much more structured this semester, with new initiatives like SEA SA Exco Retreat, Internal Showcase for SEA-N, fresh ideas and much better friendship. Friendship from friends Alda, Fareza, Pat, Dan who inspires me to embrace my Southeast Asian roots more strongly and friends where there is no need to put on a pseudo-American accent.
SEA Games 07 is coming up this Fri and Sat. And i certainly hope it goes smoothly. SEA Cultural Night which I did last winter semester was probably one the most challenging leadership experience in my life thus far.

Breaks and holidays:
Over Fall break I did hit Toronto and Niagara Falls in Canada over 2 days. It was a truncated trip for me because i was bound by guilt with the impending midterms and returned to Ann Arbor earlier than my travel mates. Niagara Falls was pretty much a disappointment to me, with all that commercialization while Toronto really reminded of Singapore in some ways. It was a short and sweet trip nonetheless, I must say.
Upcoming breaks are Thanksgiving, which I'm gonna stay in Ann Arbor because I am bound by my monetary concerns and Lala is coming to visit me anyway!
For Winter Break I am planning to visit both my parents who are in Beijing, China and gorge myself with some real good chinse food before returning the great land of America for fries, burgers, quesadillas and their fellow high-calories accomplices.
For Martin Luther King weekend in Jan, I am really looking forward to the annual skiing trip and for Spring Break, I am hoping to do some volunteer experience with ASB ( Alternate Spring Break) around Detroit or Midwest region.

Bank accounts and gifts:

Bank account figure is running low, with all the rent, food, hefty car insurance and of course fuel price hikes which simply doesnt seem like it would stop heading north anytime soon. Would appreciate it if anyone of you sends a check/ sponsorship for Liyu or simply send me some food/gifts from motherland Singapore. The latter is not optional, by the way.

Finally, i congratulate you for having read through this rambling stuff that I wrote. And please please do write me an email to tell me how you have been getting along! liyutan@Umich.edu or liyutan_87@hotmail.com . If you like to make international calls to hear my voice, buzz me at 1-734-709-4044 to catch up (its really not that expensive) or even better, I would be expecting that gift at my doorstep. 1845 Lake Lila Lane, Apt #C2, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.

Thanks for reading this b/c I know that only those who are genuinely concerned about my life will read on till here. Hope all is well and stay in touch!!=)




♥ Happy Saturday
Saturday, October 27, 2007
11:21 PM

Yayy a happy Saturday for me. Lab, erhu session cum catching up with Xuanzhong@ Pierpont Commons, followed by shopping with Izzie & Marg@ Briarwood Mall and then finally dessert@la dolce vita with Ruth!!=)

I got the music that I desired, the company that I loved, the shoes that I needed, the watch repaired and the catching up that I really have been looking forward to.

Its rare that I get great Saturdays like this. But at the same time, I feel really guilty cos I did really really badly for my MCDB 427. SIGH. Liyutan you shall study really hard for this course from now on and like try to score full marks for the exams.

Halloween tmr! Excitingness!




♥ new blogskin
Thursday, October 25, 2007
1:10 AM

Aye I dunno why I have so many things to do but I ended up doing a new blog skin.
I hope this looks okay on both PCs and laptops, because I realised that blogskins look differently somehow! Tell me if it looks weird on ur comp, cos it looks perfectly fine on my laptop.

Actually, heee, I think I'm quite smart to figure out all this html language on my own. Lalalala=)

But wait till I have time on Friday, I will improve on the colours.




♥ Brief respite
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
12:29 PM

Finally, finally done! With all my midtermns. It has been an utterly crazy week for me, with sleeping hours and meal times that are completely screwed. No wonder my body started dysfunctioning over the weekend, which also robbed me of precious time to prepare for my MCDB427 exam today!=(

Do I deserve a good rest? Maybe. If I wasn't so lazy and started studying only the night before the exam, I wouldn had to torture myself into stretches of 20 hours studying marathon and eventually turning my biological clock topsy turvy.

But after all, midterms are all done!=) I can slightly relax for 2 weeks before more stuff pops out. OH WAIT. Prof Bardwell is handing out (killer) MCDB 411 assignment in 1 hour!!!!!!!!!!!

Had Singapore Food Festival over the weekend, which was truly a marvellous event. I htink large part of it can be attributed to the fact that the ENTIRE exco was involved in it right from the start and preparations were made way back into Singapore. Im glad the helium balloons signboards worked in the end! But a pity we didn get down to playing with the arch-shaped entrance. But what made me really happy was to see the happy contented faces of not only Singaporeans, but the local Americans as they came, tried the food, watched the Singapore videos and left with smiles on their faces.

NOW, its truly time for me to do all the random stuff that I ve been putting off for so long.
0. Study for MCDB427 quiz tmr. Start on MCDB411 assignment.Do my readings for middle East studies.
1. Do my laundry
2. Clean up my apartment, buy vacuum cleaner for apartment
3. Settle bills for house. Pay rent for next month.
4. Pay school fees and chase accounts.
5. Watch some grey's or Scrubs or TopChef, which I ve been missing out on!
6. Go hit the gym!!!!
7. Send my car for servicing- wax and wash.
8. Cook some really nice food to make myself and people who took care of me when I was sick all happy
9. Go shoppping for shoes (with Sel whom i miss so much?). Or use up that sephora gift card. Buy Siyu's bday gift maybe?
10.Call my parents, brother and sister and have a good chat to catch up.
11.Find places to bring LALA the queen around when she comes for thanksgiving!!!
12. Book room for SEA SA exco meeting on Friday and buy food and drinks.
13. Collate T-shirt orders for SEA Games 07.
14. Prepare slides for presentation on Friday. prepare for SEA meeting on Thurs.
15. Do a mask tonight. (gosh i think i aged 10 years in 2 weeks)
16. Finish my cloning expt! And write my reports.
17. Apply for GIEU? ASB.
18. Buy airticket to Beijing in Dec.
19. Bank in check.

Did i just say I was free?

But at least half of the list is non-acad stuff!




Tuesday, October 16, 2007
9:31 PM

Uhhh...something really weird just happened. I opened up a mail that came with a $25 bucks Sephora Gift Card, ( which is one of those that comes with credit card rewards), but I certainly did not exchange for any thing recently.
I swear i checked all my credit cards accounts and i did NOTHING recently!

And the weirdest thing is,its not sent wrongly. It was clearly addressed to me, got my US address and even telephone number right. HURH!?!? im really puzzled.

Christmas is still quite far away, isnt it?




♥ Toronto and Niagara Falls, Canada
Monday, October 15, 2007
3:26 PM

It was indeed a hit-and-run visit to Canada over one and half days. It took us 6 hours to get to Niagara Falls, which is at the border of Canada and States. I guess to summarize it all, I was really disappointed with the visit to the Niagara Falls. In retrospect, I can churn out a couple of reasons for that. For the most striking one, the over-commercialization of Niagara Falls certainly does not do justice to her. Imagine a tourist spot thats cluttered with Planet Hollywood, Hilton hotels, and stretches of casinos, clubs right beside the great Niagara Falls! Aren't these natural beauties meant to be appreciated in their greatest wilderness?

By certain circumstances (which theres no need to elaborate anyway), I spent quite a bit of time on my own at the Niagara Falls. Simply standing at the Falls, hearing the thundering sound of the water falling from the overwhelming heights of 90 feet and feeling the rain of mist caressing your cheeks simply created a great vacuum to reflect. (alas all the commercialized landscape at the background!). I think I'm one of those who needs a long personal reflection once in a while to put things back into perspective.

At Niagara Falls, I was reminded of the times last year with the girls at Victoria Falls. Yes, the awe-inspiring, one of the seven natural wonders of the world Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, whom I promised the Zim people that I would definitely return for my honeymoon(haha). At that point of time, I had not learned to truly appreciate the dynamic and complexity of the Victoria Falls, which is indeed such a pity! Over the past year, I've learned to fend for myself, make life decisions myself and learned to protect myself from those people who can inadvertently hurt me. It's been a pretty painful process but I'm glad I got it through and I swear- Im much stronger now~!

So in my solitary walk along the Niagara Falls, I was wondering who would be this person who CAN and who WILL be with me to appreciate all these esoteric side of life. I'm in no hurry to find this person, because I think all good things in life are worth waiting for. And being the person who believes in signs, I think my solitary walk along Niagara Falls is indicative that I have to search harder, deeper within myself before I am ready.

Another sign which i chose to pick up was to keep in touch with my friends who are currently scattered around the world. Uncannily, I met two of my sec sch classmates at Niagara Falls, both who were studying at UPenn. Is this a sign? Coincidentally, Niagara Falls brought back rushing memories of the Victoria Falls and the girls and Lam. Is this another sign?
.
.
.
.

In all, I wasnt really impressed with Toronto. It's just another city, another city with streets of lights that resembles Singapore or another more cosmopolitan city.

I think I need a travel to Africa, Middle East or India really soon. I need to embrace some nature so much more than this damn bustling city-cosmo life.

Now listening to: 落叶归根 by 王力宏
This Chinese song does actually sound good! And the lyrics are really meaningful. http://mp3.baidu.com/m?tn=baidump3lyric&word=%CD%F5%C1%A6%BA%EA+%C2%E4%D2%B6%B9%E9%B8%F9&ct=150994944&lm=-1&lf=3




Saturday, October 13, 2007
12:19 AM

Fall Study break!!
As the name suggests, should be spending time studying for my upcoming three midterms.

But Im going to Canada, Niagara Falls and Toronto over the weekend.

Play first. Study hardER, Liyu Tan!




Monday, October 08, 2007
10:03 PM

Finally. Done with my killer 411 assignment after nights at the Dude!

I think im going for a night run now. Scared its dangerous though. Maybe I will just go to the gym.

When I'm back later, I will start clearing homework for the rest of the week! Lol.

Oh anyway, talking about Lol, one of the complex that i was writing on for lipoprotein processing is called LolA LolB Lol CDE. LOL!!!

:)




♥ housewarming party
Sunday, October 07, 2007
2:18 PM

Im taking a short break from my MCDB 411 Assignment. Almost there!!!!
Had a really great housewarming bbq at Willow Tree yesterday. I counted, about 60 plus people turned up! Had no time to take pictures though, and doing parties are DAMN tiring. But totally fun lar=)

check this out, its dork-ish sweetness =D




Wednesday, October 03, 2007
1:11 AM

At this time you are feeling 'uptight' and you are urgently in need of rest and relaxation; but perhaps even more than that you need to overcome that feeling that you have been 'hard done by' and treated with a complete lack of consideration. Maybe you have, but whatever may have been the cause of your inherent anxiety, you regard the situation as intolerable. Your are, however, sufficiently competent to turn that situation around - you have overcome similar problems in the past, and really this one isn't too different.

You are looking for excitement and stimulation and you are ready to try anything - but be careful not to take too many risks.

All the problems that you have been experiencing of late seem to have become a part of your life and there is little that can be done to change the situation. Your emotions run high - but even though you feel as if at times you are about to burst this situation will pass. Try to release your pent-up emotions by participating in some extra physical activities like running, swimming, whatever. There must be some favourite pastime, not necessarily strenuous, that can help you to relax.

You are feeling full of uncertainty and worrying over what you consider as missed opportunities. This is causing considerable stress and tension. You feel that there must be more to life than the constant pressures and anxieties - that surely life must hold far more opportunities than that which it has to date presented to you. You sincerely believe that there must be a simpler way to tap life's hidden recourses and should you be able to find that way - you could achieve your hearts desire. It's the not knowing 'how' that is affording you the constant worry. You are constantly probing and seeking - trying to ensure that at all times you are on your guard against missing any opportunity. 'Enough is enough'. You are anxious to avoid further setbacks. You are strenuously trying to make sure that you will not be overlooked and you badly need security.

You have so many ideas that you would like to revitalise but you need to realise a stable and peaceful condition to do so. Once you can free yourself from all the aggravation and tension around you, you will make strides that may amaze you. You will not be prevented from achieving all the things you so desire.

http://www.paulgoldinresearch.com/cg/index.htm




Tuesday, October 02, 2007
12:13 AM

CLUSTAL W (1.83) multiple sequence alignment


gi|91214006|ref|YP_543992.1| SYSQAMWILVGVMIVVLAVILAVWFGIKASLVAPMNRLIDSIRHIAGGDL 237
gi|1736539|dbj|BAA15702.1| DYRFAQWQLAVIALVVVLILLVAWYGIRRMLLTPLAKIIAHIREIAGGNL 235
gi|1736538|dbj|BAA15701.1| NYQISALVFISMIIVAAIYISSALWWTRKMIVQPLAIIGSHFDSIAAGNL 233
gi|1742320|dbj|BAA15044.1| RTRLGGMFMIGAFVLALVMTLITFMVLRRIVIRPLQHAAQRIEKIASGDL 245
gi|26249379|ref|NP_755419.1| -------------------------MMRKMLLAAALSVTAMT---AHADY 22
: :: . * .:

gi|91214006|ref|YP_543992.1| VKPIEVDGSNEMGQLAESLRHMQGELMRTVGDVRNGANAIYSGASEIATG 287
gi|1736539|dbj|BAA15702.1| ANTLTIDGRSEMGDLAQSVSHMQRSLTDTVTHVREGSDAIYAGTREIAAG 285
gi|1736538|dbj|BAA15701.1| ARPIAVYGRNEITAIFASLKTMQQALRGTVSDVRKGSQEMHIGIAEIVAG 283
gi|1742320|dbj|BAA15044.1| TMNDEPAGRNEIGRLSRHLQQMQHSLGMTVGTVRQGAEEIYRGTSEISAG 295
gi|26249379|ref|NP_755419.1| QCSVTPRDDVIVSPQTVQVKGENGNLVITP-----DGNVMYNGKQYSLN- 66
. : : : * * ..: :: *

gi|91214006|ref|YP_543992.1| NNDLSSRTEQQAASLEETAASMEQLTATVKQNAENARQASHLALSASETA 337
gi|1736539|dbj|BAA15702.1| NTDLSSRTEQQASALEETAASMEQLTATVKQNADNARQASQLAQSASDTA 335
gi|1736538|dbj|BAA15701.1| NNDLSSRTEQQAASLAQTAASMEQLTATVGQNADNARQASELAKNAATTA 333
gi|1742320|dbj|BAA15044.1| NADLSSRTEEQAAAIEQTAASMEQLTATVKQNADNAHHASKLAQEASIKA 345
gi|26249379|ref|NP_755419.1| ----AAQREQAKDYQAELRSTLPWIDEGAKSRVEKARIA--LDKIIVQEM 110
::: *: : ::: : . ...::*: * *

gi|91214006|ref|YP_543992.1| QRGGKVVDNVVQTMRDISTSSQKIADIISVIDGIAFQTNILALNAAVEAA 387
gi|1736539|dbj|BAA15702.1| QHGGKVVDGVVKTMHEIADSSKKIADIISVIDGIAFQTNILALNAAVEAA 385
gi|1736538|dbj|BAA15701.1| QAGGVQVSTMTHTMQEIATSSQKIGDIISVIDGIAFQTNILALNAAVEAA 383
gi|1742320|dbj|BAA15044.1| SDGGQTVSGVVKTMGAISTSSKKISEITAVINSIAFQTNILALNAAVEAA 395
gi|26249379|ref|NP_755419.1| GESSKMRSRLTKLDAQLKEQMNRIIETRS--DGLTFHY------KAIDQV 152
.. . :.: : . ::* : : :.::*: *:: .

gi|91214006|ref|YP_543992.1| RAGEQGRGFAVVAGEVRNLAQRSAQAAREIKSLIEDSVGKVDVGSTLVES 437
gi|1736539|dbj|BAA15702.1| RAGEQGRGFAVVAGEVRNLASRSAQAAKEIKALIEDSVSRVDTGSVLVES 435
gi|1736538|dbj|BAA15701.1| RAGEQGRGFAVVAGEVRNLASRSAQAAKEIKGLIEESVNRVQQGSKLVNN 433
gi|1742320|dbj|BAA15044.1| RAGEQGRGFAVVASEVRTLASRSAQAAKEIEGLISESVRLIDLGSDEVAT 445
gi|26249379|ref|NP_755419.1| RAEGQ------------------QLVNQAMGGILQDSINEMG-AKAVLKS 183
** * . : : .::.:*: : .. : .

gi|91214006|ref|YP_543992.1| AGETMAEIVSAVTRVTDIMGEIASASDEQSRGIDQVGLAVAEMDRVTQQN 487
gi|1736539|dbj|BAA15702.1| AGETMNNIVNAVTRVTDIMGEIASASDEQSRGIDQVALAVSEMDRVTQQN 485
gi|1736538|dbj|BAA15701.1| AAATMIDIVSSVTRVNDIMGEIASASEEQQRGIEQVAQAVSQMDQVTQQN 483
gi|1742320|dbj|BAA15044.1| AGKTMSTIVDAVASVTHIMQEIAAASDEQSRGITQVSQAISEMDKVTQQN 495
gi|26249379|ref|NP_755419.1| GGNPLQNVLGSLG---GLQSSIQTEWKKQEKDFQQFG------------- 217
.. .: ::.:: : .* : .:*.:.: *..

gi|91214006|ref|YP_543992.1| AALVEESAAAAAALEEQASRLTEAVAVFRIQQ----QQREASAVVKTVTP 533
gi|1736539|dbj|BAA15702.1| ASLVQESAAAAAALEEQASRLTQAVSAFRLAASPLTNKPQTPSRPASEQP 535
gi|1736538|dbj|BAA15701.1| ASLVEEAAVATEQLANQADHLSSRVAVFTLEE-------HEVARHESVQL 526
gi|1742320|dbj|BAA15044.1| ASLVEEASAAAVSLEEQAARLTEAVDVFRLHK------HSVSAEPRGAGE 539
gi|26249379|ref|NP_755419.1| ----KDVCSRVVTLEDSRKALVGNLK------------------------ 239
:: . . * :. * :


Some exciting stuff going on inside there! On my way to proposing a function for unknown protein yggN in E. Coli




Monday, October 01, 2007
7:06 PM

Both Mesopotamians and Egyptians used religious authorities to legitimize their rule. This is understandable, considering that in ancient time, concepts of religions were deeply entrenched amongst the locals, as with many other civilizations in antiquity. However, there must be distinction made between the divinity endowed on the human kings in authority in Egypt and Mesopotamia.

It must be highlighted that in Egypt,“official history began with dynasties of "gods, demigods, and spirits of the dead" who preceded the first mortal rulers” (Murname). Therefore, kingship in Egypt itself was innately associated with divine power. Consider that “the symbol of the falcon god Horus …… as an image of kingship throughout Egyptian history” was used to imply the ruler's official nature as the divine "Horus of the Palace" (Murname). Menes, who was attributed to being the first to unify Eygpt probably derived his name from Amun, the leading god and divine ancestor of the New Kingdom pharaohs. This conveniently serves as a powerful justification of his kingship, being the unique son of god designated by the higher divine authority to rule over the land, and whose powers must not be belittled. Menes was not alone in using divine authority to consolidate his power. Amenhotep IV of Dynasty 19, took over the kingship of an Egypt that was heavily inclined towards the cult of Amun. However, he advocated for the cult of Aten instead, of which reason still baffles us, and changed his name to Akhenaten- "He Who Is Effective for Aten". Once again, this illustrates the importance of having a religious divine authority as a strong back up for power play.

On the other hand, in Mesopotamia, amongst the different city states arose one king, who was usually empowered by his performance in wars. The rising of an empire in Mesopotamia was not seen so much as an endowment on a particular human being as in Egypt, but since there were evidence of “earlier local oligarchies before” (Murname) empire rule began, kingship was perhaps seen more as a credit to a war leader’s ability to unify the country. Thus, it is no surprise that these Mesopotamian kings were revered as gods only after their death. I offer my interpretation: Only after completion of his contribution as a leader to his empire, does a king deserve to be exalted as a divine god.

However, in later times of Mesopotamia, Naram-sin and his successors started to self-deify themselves even while they were living. Perhaps Naram-Sin craved for recognition or perhaps he was truly a brilliant leader worthy of that, but what stands out is that, the divine authority once again is seen as the ultimate authority of control over any kingship. This is also supported by Shulgi’s move to build a temple to exalt the power of divine kings and temple households were not only political landmarks, but economic forts for safe distribution of rations to Mesopotamians. The power of divine authority is indeed, despite their difference in embodiment, equal in both Egypt and Mesopotamian civilizations after all.


One of my hist for middle east reflection essay. My bio Prof, Ken, has a strong interest in the Middle East region as well, and we talked so much in lab today. Amazing memory he's got! On my way back home I took the same bus as Mikyung and I discovered shes married!!!!!!!

Quote of the day: you have done a great job of submerging yourself in the lab ~ Ken

Lol. I laughed at Ken and said he made it sound as though I was drowning in it. haha.