A Mutation of Sorts - Hedgehog Survival

"Mutation - it is the key to evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-cell organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, normally taking thousands and thousands of years... But every few hundred millenia, evolution leaps forward... ... And while our bodies may be gone, our lessons are eternal."

- Charles Xavier, from the novelization of X-Men III: The Last Stand

Mutation actually means an unexpected, and often extreme, changes in the genes of living beings that produced one or many individuals with different characteristics compared to the "normal" majority of the species. However, should the said change affects the majority of the population, it will take less than a couple of generations for the mutation to remain the norm. (Eg. teens using short forms when chatting online now starts to affect even formal writing)

Yet, this is not the kind of mutation I'm talking about, to explain it fully, let me start with some stuff about hedehogs. Well protected even under normal circumstances by spines on their backs, hedgehogs fully utilised their defence mechanism when threatened by curling up into a ball. This proves to be nearly flawless, as only the most cunning and patient predators can outwait and outsmart the spiny balls.

Nowadays, though, as urbanization begins to invade the woodlands that made up hedgehog habitats, particularly in UK, hedgehogs' best defense strategy had proved fatal to them.

Try to imagine this scenario: a hedgehog crossing a road was noticed by a passing car, but not in time to slow down or swerve out of the way before the hedgehog gets ran over. The driver still floors the brakes, while honking loudly. The animal senses the danger, naturally, and reacts as it would to a predator - curling up. Needless to say, the outcome was not pretty.

Now, though, animal lovers may rejoice. reports from a certain HogWatch shows that hedgehogs now develop a kind of "mutation" in the development of their defense stratagems, after centuries without tampering with. When hedgehogs felt threatened on hard tar roads, they no longer curl up. Instead, they run, even though they are not built to mive quickly. Only when their feet encounter soft earth do they resume curling up. Some still don't make it to the other side, but it's a start that they are adapting to survive.

This, is their "mutation" - not in a genetic way, but a fast adaptation nevertheless for the survival of their species, and one that will surely become more and more common, as human population take over increasingly more habitats of these animals.

Diamonds - how d'you choose 'em?

Try to ask a jeweller this question, "How much does a diamond cost?" A typical one would sigh, then started to explain profusely the factors affecting a diamond's price. More often than not, The answers you'd get would leave you more confused than before. (Laughs)


Although, at the very least, you should have heard about the "4Cs" - Carat, Cut, Clarity and Colour. Any jeweller worth the trade never misses out these factors that plummets or rockets skyhigh the price of any diamonds. (If the one you meet did not mention any of the above, he/she is probably a fake jeweller. Its likely that his/her gems are hoaxes, too)


Carat, of course, means weight. (1 carat equals about 0.2 grams) When compared, a 2 carat diamond is rarer than a 1 carat diamond of the exact properties. However, as a diamond's volume does not increase in proportion to the weight, You'd rather get one with a weight that looks good enough on your finger as well as one that don't burn you moneybags into ashes.


Cut stands for the way the diamond is polished and proportioned so that the diamonds' brilliance may be shown fully. It also stands for the shape the diamond has been cut into. The most popular cut is known as the Round Modern Brilliant Cut, which contains different varieties such as heart shapes and pear shapes. A subtly cut diamond can refract light from any direction to all directions, which gives the diamond a sparkling brilliance.

Colour is also an important element when choosing a diamond. Not for the sake of the gem itself,
but rather as the diamond's colour may well reflect your personality as an accessory (albeit an expensive one). A diamond with a colour that suits you on the inside shows on the outside, meaning when you wear a jewellery with a diamond you like a lot, it sort of enhances your flair in life, an aura that some may find breathtaking.

Lastly, there's the clarity of the stone. Generally, clarity means imperfections within the diamond that may affect the beauty of the diamond. If I may, I stressed the word may, since the said imperfections are microscopic, i.e. normally unnoticed under the naked eye. Starting from flawless, and going down to rejection, higher-graded diamonds are, of course, rarer and more expensive than their low-graded counterparts. Still, for normal consumers, a diamond that seems perfect enough is, well, perfect enough. I personally don't think its wise for those with a slightly tight budget to go for a IF (Internally Flawless) diamond.

In a nutshell, if I were to go and buy a diamond for my girlfriend, I'd take her along, let her choose the colour that's to her liking, then take the best cut, seemingly-without-imperfection, best-sized-for-her-finger diamond. I'll pay by cheque, and request to the bank for an unlimited overdraft beforehand. (I'm joking! Really!)

Got the balls to floor it?

So, if you're from Asia, partucularly Malaysia, let me introduce you to a sport - floorball. If you're an European, I don't see any reasons why you don't know this game - unless you've been too busy to care about anything in the world, that is.

Now, back to floorball. It's sort of like floor hockey, only the sticks are lighter (no more serious injuries) and the puck is replaced by a hollow plastic ball (safe projectile to hit in games). YOU play it in teams of threes or fives, give or take the keeper. The team who scores the most in the three 20-minutes session wins (duh!)

Well, I got to know this game two years ago, when the local club actually come to my high school in my first year there to ormote the sport. However, my interests are sparked only about three months ago in a fit of deja vu when the same local club put up an article on the newspaper. I went to check it out with 'couple of my friends, and voila! I got hitched on and am playing regularly now.

What the game requires is a stick per player (about 80 USD each), a ball (<5>, as it's equipments are made for floorball enthusiasts, by floorball enthusiasts. You can check out the Canadien official website for more details, such as your local retailer or even special events.

All in all, this is a sport like many others - sportsmanship, teamwork and personal skills being of the same importance and all that - but it is actually fun. As it isn't very popular yet, you had a great chance in making it a hit. Should you suceeded, you could take it on to a higher level and become a bigger star. Think of this - the first members of the teams of the English Floorball League! How awesome is that?