Besides assigned books, I have been reading several books during this half term. I have read a biography of a now-deceased doctor, called “When breath becomes air”.  The words are really beautiful as the speaker draws ideas from classics that he has a passion for.  I got really inspired by the book, as the speaker was a really successful and well-known neurosurgeon, however, his life started going downhill when he got diagnosed with spine cancer. During the last few years of his life, he realized that there is no point of discontinuing what one used to do because one should utilize their time fully even though they could be taken away anytime. It has a really moving ending and it gives me insight into the ways other use to face challenges.

I have also read Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy, but my favorite is the first one “Northen lights”. I get really absorbed by the idea of having a close companion which is like your own consciousness, and I really enjoy the struggle of the protagonist Lyra choosing between her own family and her sense of righteousness. It is particularly heartbreaking when the people are trying to cut the link between Lyra and her companion Pantalaimon, which is considered to be the same as breaking apart of one’s body and mind. Although it is a fantasy trilogy, in my personal opinion it is much darker and more complex than the Harry Potter series as the author also explored themes such as the corruption of authority,  religions, puberty, freedom, and love. Through a series of thrilling adventures across different worlds, Lyra made friends and companions and sometimes was forced to say goodbye to them. By the end of the journey, Lyra transformed from a flimsy girl into a capable and wise teenager. It is a very enjoyable book for me and I would like to re-read it again sometime later.

Recently I have discovered that VSEPR Theory is also in nature, especially in fruits of plants. 

As you can see in the picture, the snowberries that are growing together adopt positions od maximum repulsion in order to maximise their space for growth. Two berries form a linear shape of 180 degrees, while four berries adopt a tetrahedral shape with a bond angle of 109.5 degrees. Three berries form a trigonal planar shape with a bond angle of 120 degrees.

One other fruit example for chemistry includes cherries, as they are known to form twin cherries when the tree is constantly exposed to the sunlight in warm temperatures. This results in fruits that are either “polar”  or “non-polar”.

From second to the left to right:

Polar: A twin cherry with a significantly bigger fruit and one smaller fruit. In chemistry, this is because of the electronegativity difference between the two elements in a bond. An example will be HCl.

Non-Polar: A twin cherry with two fruits approximately the same size. In chemistry, non-polar molecules form either because there is no difference in electronegativity, so there is an equal attraction of electrons or the bond itself is symmetrical so there is no net dipole.

Bibliography:

Brown, Catrin, and Mike Ford. “04 Chemical Bonding and Structure.” Higher Level Chemistry, Pearson Education, 2014, p. 163.

sunflower_nju. “在日本摘樱桃是一种怎样的体验.” 在日本摘樱桃是一种怎样的体验_一边写诗一边旅行-微阅读, Wechat, 22 June 2016, m.viyuedu.com/sunflowernju/13781.html.