Sunday, 29 February 2004

The Bible says "Don't stress about tomorrow.."

Matthew 6 (NKJV)

Do Not Worry

25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;

29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?' or "What shall we drink?' or "What shall we wear?'

32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.


the 1st of March brings with it much challenge... but let's thrive and enjoy ourselves cos things will be ok... :)

Saturday, 28 February 2004

Discover what job suits best

this certainly would be too late, at least for now while i'm bonded to my job for the next three years, but it was still fun and interestingly quite accurate as well, with some being downright flattering! haha... still, like with all other such tests, take it with a pinch of salt... don't ever let any of these character analysis things dominate your life unless you are mature enough to handle them, ya?

try it yourself ... this is mine...

Ki System

Natal Year number: 8
Hwee Ling is a steady, responsible and reliable individual who dislikes change for change's sake. She is a solid family person who enjoys tradition, but is inclined to say exactly what she thinks. Such frankness can occasionally land her in trouble. Behind a somewhat ponderous exterior lies a deeply sensitive soul whose core is rarely exposed to public view.

Natal Month number: 1
Enjoying periods of time on her own, Hwee Ling's adaptable personality makes it easy for her to get along with others. She will examine fresh ideas in some depth, rejecting fashionable notions that fail to meet her substantive criteria. For this reason she should study philosophy, or one of its related disciplines. A perceptive individual who needs variety, and enjoys travel.

Natal House number: 3
With a high energy level, and ambitions to match, Hwee Ling will show early promise. Unless her tendency to expel this energy on too many projects can be overcome, a promising beginning may soon evaporate, giving way to anger and frustration. Hwee Ling is someone who enjoys a good time with an active social life, and needs the direction of more sober minds.

Comments based on Western Grid

11
Hwee Ling is a balanced individual who can understand and appreciate the views of others as well as her own. She can express herself fluently, and with persuasive conviction, whilst taking account of opposing views. This means that Hwee Ling will get on very well with colleagues at work, both senior and junior, as well as clients, customers, suppliers and external agencies.

5
Well-balanced, with an understanding and compassionate nature, Hwee Ling is a natural leader who can inspire others. But she needs a certain amount of freedom at work and at home. With a compassionate and caring nature, and with the ability to get on well with others, Hwee Ling will be a strong member of any team and will provide solid inspiration and support to her colleagues.

7
Hwee Ling will find life's lessons hard to learn. She will suffer from loss (of possessions or those she loves) before questioning the cause of that loss. It is likely that Hwee Ling will develop a faith of some sort, and although it need not necessarily be a religious faith, it will nevertheless be something that she holds onto against all the evidence. Potential employers need to find out what that faith entails.

8
Good with details and with a methodical approach, Hwee Ling nevertheless is someone who enjoys constant new challenges to maintain her interest. She is a methodical individual with attention to detail, but is inclined to leave tasks unfinished if her active mind alights on something of greater interest. Routine tasks that fail to challenge her intellect are at greatest risk, so Hwee Ling needs a job that offers variety.

9
Ambitious to improve her lot, Hwee Ling will constantly push forward to achieve something in her life, yet this ambition will be balanced by humanitarian ideals that will lead her to support causes that may demand self-sacrifice.

[The Arrow of Activity: the numbers 7, 8 and 9] Enjoying the outdoors, Hwee Ling is someone who will perform best by being busy. She dislikes confined spaces, and needs both physical and mental exercise. A good walk in fresh air is an intellectual catalyst like no other to Hwee Ling, whose need to be constantly occupied is an asset to any employer.

[The Arrow of Determination: the numbers 1, 5 and 9] Determined and persistent, Hwee Ling has the patience to wait until she has achieved her goal. She enjoys a progressive and enterpreneurial approach, and as such, will be an asset to any employer. If the number 4 (in the Western Grid) is missing, she will be inclined to lose her temper on occasions.

Comments based on Chinese Grid

111
Hwee Ling enjoys a positive and balanced approach to life and will be financially successful. If the Chinese version also contains 2 sevens, Hwee Ling is very fortunate.

2
Hwee Ling has an average mind, and without the numbers 4 and 9 in the Chinese version will not enjoy a creative existence.

4
Intelligent and logical, Hwee Ling is not someone who acts rashly on the spur of the moment.

6
Hwee Ling is family-orientated, and needs a pleasant working environment as well as a comfortable home.

7
If the numbers 3 and 5 in the Chinese version are missing, Hwee Ling is something of a perfectionist who seeks to achieve detailed accuracy, and has a natural instinct to unearth the truth. If the Chinese Grid also contains the numbers 3 and 5, she will be attracted to work in a spiritual or humanitarian field.

9
Although Hwee Ling is ambitious, her ambition is tempered with humanitarian ideals.

[The Arrow of Action: The numbers 2, 6 and 7] Hwee Ling has an abundance of energy which is best released in competitive sport. She is also suited to careers such as the Armed Forces, farming, and adventurous activities like rock climbing or mountaineering.

[The Arrow of Intellect: The numbers 2, 4 and 9] Hwee Ling is intelligent, articulate and enjoys a first-class memory. She has a logical and analytical approach that suits her to the legal, medical or accountancy professions.


(via thE mOments...)

Friday, 27 February 2004

what was hammered home these past two weeks...


God truly works in mysterious ways...



Thank You God. :)

Thursday, 26 February 2004

What is Your Heart REALLY Made of?

crystal heart

Heart of Crystal
brought to you by Quizilla
Word of the Day for Wednesday February 25, 2004

flibbertigibbet \FLIB-ur-tee-jib-it\, noun:

A silly, flighty, or scatterbrained person, especially a pert young woman with such qualities.

We discover here not the flibbertigibbet Connolly describes but a serious reader (Goethe, Tolstoy, Proust) who found her cultural ideal in 18th-century France.
--Martin Stannard, "Enter Shrieking," New YorkTimes, November 28, 1993

He argues persuasively that Millay's reputation has been harmed not only by academics who dread and fear her heartfelt "simplicity," but by the very admirers who wished to promote her as a kind of whimsical flibbertigibbet, a poetical Anne of Green Gables.
--Liz Rosenberg, "So Young, So Good, So Popular," New York Times, March 15, 1992
_________________________________________________________

Flibbertigibbet is from Middle English flipergebet, which is probably an imitation of the sound of meaningless chatter.

Trivia: Flibbertigibbet originally meant a gossip or chatterbox, but it soon took on the idea of a light-minded or frivolous person. Flibbertigibbet was also the name of a demon; it appears in a list of 40 fiends in a book by Samuel Harsnet and also in Shakespeare:

This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet: he begins at curfew, and walks till the first cock; he gives the web and the pin, squints the eye, and makes the hare-lip; mildews the white wheat, and hurts the poor creature of earth.
--King Lear, iii. 4.

Wednesday, 25 February 2004

suggestive food



(from: Whip Me/Beat Me Shirt: ebaynham)

Tuesday, 24 February 2004

"Schools shaping elitist mindset"

Article: Schools shaping elitist mindset: STAR

an excellent article by Seah Chiang Nee, first published in Sunday Star, Feb 15, 2004, highlighting the ugly side of Singapore's school ranking system.

having graduated from some of these so-called "elitist schools" myself, i can fully understand how these misguided "elitist mindsets" might have come about. After all, when you are bombarded day and night, year after year, about how many As the school achieves every year, how many scholars the school produces, on top of achievements in other fields like science and maths olympiads, atheletics, and what have you, all that success can sometimes go to your head..

but fortunately, since i came out into the "real world" some 6 to 7 years ago, i now know something .... that a true mark of success in life is not what schools you come from, or what jobs you do, or who you rub shoulders with, or even how much money you have in your bank account.... deep down inside, what counts at the end of the day, what gives us peace of mind and a smile on our faces, is the quality of our lives, the relationships we have with the people around us, what we can give and have given to the people around us, what difference we have made, whether we can stay true to ourselves and what we believe in in this mad mad rat race, and above all, whether we can survive if one day, everything is taken away from us..... staying happy no matter our circumstances..

and i believe all that never had anything to do with paper qualifications.... not for me, at least..

Update: Found the forum with the "elitist-speak".. check it out.. 516 replies.. umm...
"Create your own South Park Character"



South Park Studios: Games: Create a Character: "Create your own South Park Character"

Monday, 23 February 2004



Discover the cultural treasures from the splendid land of Andhra Pradesh in India. Spicy curries, beautiful saris and exquisite crafts await you at the vibrant food and crafts fair. Specialty crafts including Bidri wares, filigree silver and Hyderabadi bangles are available for sale.

Not to be missed for fans of Shahrukh Khan is Chalte Chalte, a movie about the trials and tribulations of marriage.
Capricorn: Refocusing Your Intensity

since i am a Capricorn myself, i yanked this off Enid's website, though i'm admittedly not a regular reader of horoscopes (i've read only two in the last 8 years, including this one...:p)..

"Capricorn is one sign that enjoys working, and when faced with stress, their instincts tell them to work harder, longer and with more focused intensity. Your ruler, Saturn, causes you to take responsibility to heart. You value practical and realistic solutions, and having a cardinal quality, you like to get on with things. Certainly, you are action-oriented. Yet while tap-dancing faster can make you feel better, the danger is that you can get so lost in busywork that you lose sight of the bigger picture. Just be sure what you are working on so intently is worthy of that amazing Capricorn output! Also, if your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend keeps complaining that you're never around anymore--that's a sign to rethink your schedule.

Capricorn is an earth sign, so you would probably enjoy taking a breather in the mountains more than at a seaside setting. A day of hiking, mountain climbing or exploring caves would make a new person out of you. Play a game of touch football or start a softball team with your pals (Capricorn rules teamwork), but be sure to bandage that trick knee of yours, the part of the body that gives Capricorns physical stress.

You are quite a social animal (which is why you eventually rise to the top of your field) but you don't like hanging out in rundown or cheap places. So when you book a lunch with an friend choose a restaurant in a club, or has a club-type aura, complete with wood paneling and fireplaces. The goat also likes heights, so a restaurant with a view is just your speed, but be sure it has a calm atmosphere. Be determined to talk about general things--not all lunches have to be major negotiations! Sports with social twist are good too, so you might think about taking up tennis or golf.

Most Capricorns like to play the stock market and make investing a hobby. Give yourself some time off to hear a lecture by an expert, surf the net for interesting financial sites, check out cable stations for good shows which tackle investments in depth. Other Capricorns might like collecting rare coins or stamps (or start a collection of new ones).

Since Capricorn likes history, you can relax in front of the Discovery Channel, check out the natural history museum or visit the historical society museum of your city. Many Capricorns enjoy browsing antiques. Auctions are another good bet, and even if you don't bid, you'll have fun fingering the valuable objects and documents--objects that are usually under glass in museums! Don't expect to chill out immediately. It may take weeks of vigorous fun to loosen you up!

Most Capricorns are close to one parent (while Gemini rules siblings, Capricorn rules parents). If this is true for you, tying flies with Dad in the workshop, or keeping Mom company in the kitchen as she makes an apple pie for you could be so wonderful. After all, they know you very well. You may be amazed how they say something which "hits home" and helps you out of a current jam.

Finally, renting a funny movie--either a new release or a golden oldie--could also be the best medicine. Other ways to tickle your funny bone would be to check out funny sites on the web like cartoon Dilbert (www.dilbert.com) or click into Comedy Central on cable. Tell a few jokes to your friends (if you can't remember any good ones, go to a comedy club and crib a few for friends and family.) Hang out with a witty, funny friend--or a dimwitted friend (you'll be the star). "


much of it is interestingly somewhat true, like i do tend to work even harder when i am under stress, to the point of overworking... action? i don't know about action, though some people tell me i am "animated".. haha.. but i like the mountains as much as i like the oceans, lakes and seas, so that bit is not really true..... social animal? umm.. i wouldn't really call myself that too, though i do like to hang out with groups of my close friends... but it's true, i love history and am actually quite interested in the stock market though i'm not really into investing at the moment.... close to one parent... umm.. i'm close to my mum.. and the last bit about hanging out with witty, funny frens or dimwitted frens.. hahaha.. that's so true!!
quote + photo project

i like this quote very much:

"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence." - Robert Frost

and here's something interesting to do on the 29th Feb 2004 (a leap year doesn't come around so often...):

a day in the life : the leap day - Photo Project for 29 Feb 2004

Sunday, 22 February 2004

photographic irony

a case of lousy photo-shopping??

this picture was scanned from a newspaper i brought back from India last year - The Times of India. Look at the guy I pointed at with the red arrow .. doesn't he look like he was just Photoshopped in after the picture was taken???

hahahaha...

had a good laugh the first time i saw it because it happened that this particular article was about an important photo conference called Photofair 2004 held by the All India Photographic Trade and Industry Association (AIP-TIA), supposedly "one of the three largest (photographic equipment) exhibitions in the world" .... "exhibiting state-of-the-art gadgets"..

hahahaha....

ok ok... sorry.. i'm so mean... :p

Saturday, 21 February 2004

Siamese Bananas

while i was looking around me at all the yellow things, i noticed these Siamese bananas in the bunch hanging from one of the dining chairs.



they were different but i realised that's what made them stand out...

how strange but how interesting....
Lives in Limbo

City of God (Brazilian)



Last Life In The Universe (Thai-Jap)



two incredible films in two days.

the Oscar period is a busy time for movie buffs..

Friday, 20 February 2004

Samuel Ullman's "Youth"

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.


These words, written by Samuel Ullman of Birmingham, Alabama at the age of 70-plus, are credited with inspiring a generation of Japanese citizens, businessmen, and government leaders who were faced with rebuilding their country after World War II. Ullman died in his chosen hometown in 1924 at the age of 84 never knowing that his poetic essay would be quoted by politicians and generals, appear in Dear Abby and Ann Landers columns, and be read and loved by people all across the world.
strange steps

jhunjhunu, rajasthan

Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan (India) December 2003

Thursday, 19 February 2004

the ensconced moon

Look! The moon’s almost completely gone!! -->

"Women have a mystique, a reputation for never being exactly like they appear, much like the Moon who changes size and shape in relation to the horizon nightly."

have you ever heard about the mystic connection between women and the moon? here's one ... there are several others but i don't have time and energy to look them up now.. not that i'm much of a believer in this but well, what's the harm of a little knowledge of folklore and legends, eh? :)

some people even buy and sell stocks according to phases of the moon!

Wednesday, 18 February 2004

rather stressed

i don't normally blog about how i feel unless it's in superlatives..

but this is an exception... cos i'm feeling mildly stressed..

maybe i'm actually feeling really stressed but keeping everything under control to a certain extent so it isn't blowing up..

but ya, i'm feeling stressed... grr...

for some reason, i recall reading somewhere once that if something makes you upset (or stressed, i guess), you should pause for a little while and just focus on the colour "YELLOW"

search around you for things that are yellow. Do that for 10 minutes or so until you calm down.

should make you feel better..

Tuesday, 17 February 2004

3D Pavement Art

friends are sending me all these really amazing stuff via email...

check this out!! 3D Pavement Art

flat but doesn't look flat at all!!

wow!

did a quick search online... this other guy Kurt Wenner does it as well...

Update: The first set of 3D pavement art is done by an artist called Julian Beever.. his website is here

Monday, 16 February 2004

Clifford Pier

the revolving restaurant

knowing this 71-year-old Singapore landmark on Collyer Quay was going to be demolished soon, i trotted down last Friday afternoon to shoot a couple of pictures of this retro-style place... there were only a few people there - the ah peks sitting around chatting, some cleaners and the occassional boatman returning from sea or tourists in twos and threes getting onto Chinese junkboat cruises... the serenity made it almost an oasis in the middle of Singapore's busy financial district..

sadly, we'll soon have very few of these historical places left.. places that the 70s/80s generation grew up visiting and seeing.. i remember especially fondly going with my parents and siblings to the "Satay Club" at the "old" Esplanade to enjoy satay and sugar cane juice, with the salty breeze from the sea blowing in our faces and a walk to the Merlion after dinner a definitely must... sigh.. simple joys of life..

nostalgia..

Update: I found some old photos of Clifford Pier.. so cool...
The Art of Bill Dan

Rock-On

a friend of mine was in San Francisco over the weekend and managed to catch a performance of amazing rock-balancing by Bill Dan - see more of the rock-balance artist's strange artwork here.

no glue! just some nimble balancing work!

pretty cool, huh?? :D

Sunday, 15 February 2004

ascii movies

cool.... ascii movies - i love the ones on "The Matrix"

Saturday, 14 February 2004

"To climb Mount Everest, you first have to climb Bukit Timah"

.. so said Mr Khoo Swee Chiow at the motivational talk i was invited to attend today, organised by folks from Cybercare (local charity) for a group of teenagers from around Singapore (I, of course, wasn't there as a "teenager" even if I wanted to pretend to be one.. haha.. was there to learn how to motivate young people.. :))... of course he said quite a bit else but I don't seem to be able to remember much of it now.. must have been the late nights.. haha.. oh ya, he also shared

1. How to train the mind... (this was really cool!) .. his method:

- run 20 km at East Coast Park (he started by doing this, which he achieved without too much difficulty)
- run 20 km on a track (400m x 50 - this was a lot more difficult as i imagine, as a runner myself, it must have been pure drudgery compared to running from pt A to B)
- run 20 km on the spot (i.e. treadmill!! i can't even believe this can be done! he was basically teaching about how, when you have to run for such a long time (literary) "on-the-spot", you have no choice but to "focus your mind" and concentrate on just "putting one foot in front of the other", a skill which came in handy on his long treks to the North and South Poles)

2. The importance of teamwork (he used the analogy of how he had to stop to wait for his teammate to "dump" on the snow while they were all tied together by rope on the way up to Mt Everest. He even had a picture of it to demonstrate his point - got the kids laughing.. haha.. but it's quite apt i have to admit)

3. i didn't listen to this one properly.. but it was either (a) Courage = "daring to do what has never been done before/try something new"; or (b) Courage = "daring to do something even if no one else believes in it"

4. Some goals take more than one attempt to succeed, i.e. the message of Determination (this was related to his 2 attempts before he succeeded in reaching the North Pole, the first time failing because he suffered from frostbite after only 9 days into his expedition)

i was quite impressed by how he managed to simplify his message to get it across to these 15, 16 year-olds..

i admit i was rather sceptical of him at first as well, particularly because of all the media hype that surrounds him everytime he embarks on yet another one of his new "adventures".. but after seeing how inspired the kids were at his talk today, i had a new impression of him.. he is at least someone who has given to others part of what he has been blessed with, proving himself to be much more useful to society than probably many of his critics..

see a pic of him on the mountains.

Friday, 13 February 2004

good friends, strange friends

golden mane meets golden mane

this is Kai. i mean the one on the right (in case you are wondering..)

Kai is one of my best friends. And doubtlessly one of the strangest.

indeed, most of my closest friends are pretty strange, by conventional standards....

chatting over a cuppa at the new Jack's Place at Bras Basah this afternoon ala tai-tais, we chatted on everything from hopes and dreams, to personal mastery, to spectacular career moves, to travel, to art galleries, to correct pronunciation of "cheem" words, to ang mohs, to oral hygiene, to dead sea salt facial cleansers and toners, to fortune-telling using rose petals, to good gel ballpens, to health, exercise and vegetarian diets, to parents, and even to sex!! ok ok, we spoke about the harmful effects of sex in the media on teenagers, ya? don't get the wrong idea.. i've been doing research for my essay.. haha.. do you believe me? :p

anyway, random chatting is such fun!

everyone needs a good friend like Kai... :) thanks pal!
School Essay #2

Essay #2

Thursday, 12 February 2004

Obsessive Compulsive Hoarding

this has got to be the most amazing real-life case of hoarding (also known in Singapore as "karang guni-ism") i've ever seen!!!

check this out - The Awful Forums - My mother is insane (~5M of photos)

blew my mind! hahaha...

Wednesday, 11 February 2004

School Essay #1

someone just sent me this via email. Is this for real??

Actual student's essay??
Take Free Career Inventory Personality Test

Extroverted (E) 58.97% Introverted (I) 41.03%
Imaginative (N) 61.54% Realistic (S) 38.46%
Emotional (F) 55.56% Intellectual (T) 44.44%
Easygoing (P) 58.82% Organized (J) 41.18%
Your type is: ENFP
You are an Inspirer, possible professions include - conference planner, speech pathologist, HR development trainer, ombudsman, clergy, journalist, newscaster, career counselor, housing director, character actor, marketing consultant, musician/composer, artist, information-graphics designer, human resource manager, merchandise planner, advertising account manager, dietitian/nutritionist, speech pathologist, massage therapist, editor/art director.
Take Free Career Inventory Personality Test


i've done the test THREE times before and I was always either an INTP or an ENTP. How did i suddenly become an ENFP?? Emotional/Feeling (F) rather than Intellectual/Thinking (T)?... umm..

Tuesday, 10 February 2004

project manzil website

did up the Sikkim Project 2003 Team Website with the weirdest colour scheme i could think of.... all in the midst of my busy-ness trying to complete a million and one other tasks..

Project Manzil (NIE-YEP Sikkim) 2003

haha.. believe it or not, i just picked colours off the web friendly palette randomly and didn't even bother changing them after that.. what to do? this is the work of an untrained web designer..hah..

uploaded quite a lot of photographs of the team before, during and after the project - they don't show much of the local Sikkimese culture, or scenary or flora and fauna cos we're reserving that for the other website our team is designing for them..

oh well, if you're interested, take a look.. at least the front pic of the 3rd highest mountain Khangchendzonga is nice (haha.. shameless self praise..)... :)

Monday, 9 February 2004

Irreversible - le movie



After watching Irreversible yesterday, I was asked by my movie companion "So what will you write on your blog?"

I realised I didn't know. At least not yet.

After all, this movie wasn't your usual run-of-a-mill Hollywood flick, complete with cliched romances, tacky scripts and yawn-inducing plots. Or at best, good looking actors performing heroic but unbelievable feats to thrill and entertain. Instead, this 95min movie makes the audience walk out pensive, disturbed, disoriented or at the very least, deeply absorbed in their thoughts.. So I decided to wait a day or so before writing about it, mainly to find out for myself what I DO remember the following day. I reckoned, if anything sticks in my mind for long enough, it surely means something, whatever it is.

And sure enough, the movie was still clear as crystal in my mind this morning. The way the movie was filmed was enough to talk about - every scene executed to discomforting perfection, either to disorientate, or to set our pulses racing, or to raise us to intolerable anticipation. Not to mention the intensity of the visual and audio effects, the no-holds barred display of brutality and realism. I remember every scene as vividly in my mind as if I watched the movie only minutes ago.

If that was what the movie was supposed to do, I guess it worked.

One word: Powerful.
anti-valentine



these cards could come in handy.... haha..

Saturday, 7 February 2004

something to think about...

"We have killed pigs. We have killed civet cats. We are now killing birds. We have also killed our sense of morality.

Impressionable children will grow up thinking that killing is the answer to any threat to our survival. Is this the future we want?

We should stop blaming other species for our woes. If only we had been less indulgent in our gastronomic pleasures, more compassionate in the farming of animals, and less arrogant and not think that we are the masters of this fragile planet, then perhaps there is still hope for this earthly home we share with other living beings.

We want to live. So does every other living being on this planet."


(excerpt from Dr Tan Chek Wee's letter to the Straits Times forum letter entitled, "Stop blaming civet cats and chickens for our woes")
What is your rating?

My BBFC rating is:

Click to find out your rating!

What does this mean?

Suitable for 18 years or older. This is real life. Anything in this category is considered to be of subject matter relating to adult life, that happens day in and day out. Walking down the street is an 18 certificate. You have a life, well done.

Examples: American Beauty, Scary Movie

See what your rating is!

(via michelle f10)

Friday, 6 February 2004

leech hop



turns out that taking leeches from the jungle is a crime!

received a helpful email from Siva, another potential member of the Singapore Leech Club (which I am in the midst of setting up), who works at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. He told me that "You are not supposed to take things out of the forest so technically you are guilty of poaching."

He shared with me this article he wrote several years ago, on leeches, which included this funny paragraph:

"It is always amusing to watch the scene enacted by a group of people travelling together when one member discovers a leech on his person. His reaction could vary from a helpless wail with ineffective attempts to flick the leech off to more dignified attempts like attempting to keep his voice steady while asking for help. His friends, however, are usually more interesting to watch as they go into a frenzy of checking with obviously worded faces. Once sure that they are free of bloodsuckers, the group converges on the poor animal to stamp on it, burn and/or hack it to pieces. This is done with a great deal of viciousness even by normally mild-mannered people."

i can so relate to this! no matter how calm and unfazed you are normally, leeches just have a way of throwing you off...haha...

... read rest of article by N. Sivasothi from RMBR

must be careful not to take things back from the forest next time, just photographs..

on another note, i caught Bud's Youth Theatre's energetic part musical-part play performance of Hip Hopera (written by Malaysian Writer-director HUZIR SULAIMAN - who first showed it to fullhouses in Malaysia) at Mox Cafe this evening... it features my coursemate and friend Badpuppie in the lead role!

a spirited performance by a bunch of young people...a good effort, doubtless to say.. last performace tomorrow, go grab tix if you wanna watch!

Flying Inkpot has a nice review of the performace..

Thursday, 5 February 2004

Personality Disorder Test - Take It!

Disorder | Rating

Paranoid: Low

Schizoid: Low

Schizotypal: Moderate

Antisocial: High

Borderline: Low

Histrionic: High

Narcissistic: High

Avoidant: Low

Dependent: Low

Obsessive-Compulsive: High

-- Personality Disorder Test - Take It! --

so i score high on being Antisocial, Histrionic, Narcissistic and Obsessive-Compulsive... umm.... that's not good... see the Personality Disorder Information Page for info on these traits... personality disorders.. umm...
leeches & translations

i have a confession to make..

i brought back 3 leeches from the malaysian jungle... and here they are.. see picture of peter 1, peter 2 and sarah..

yep.. i know it's bizarre.. but before i decided to keep them as pets, i was planning to just show them to folks back home or, if i decided to keep them, to soak them in formaldehyde to preserve the bodies.. but these little creatures have proven to be a lot more hardy and they haven't died even after many days... and since i'm receiving more and more requests from friends to view them, i reckon i have to keep them alive for a while more, so i fed them with fresh chicken liver and they seem quite receptive.. haha.... jokes aside, leeches are really amazing to watch...they can extend their bodies to amaziing lengths (like ten times the regular size) when they move around... they don't seem popular as pets though, cos a search on Google for "leeches + pets" yields zero results.. umm.. still, my classmates were absolutely fascinated, albeit grossed-out by them..

ok, leeches aside, i caught Lost In Translation just now and think it's a brilliant movie indeed. gentle and subtle. absolutely delightful.

just like my leeches. hahahaha....

com'on, be open-minded! leeches can be pets too (as long as you drop the 's' in pest.. 's' being "scepticism"??)

Tuesday, 3 February 2004

jungle weekend

Selai Endau Rompin

pics here

back from 3 days out in the wilderness of the Selai Endau Rompin - Johor National Park

what a fabulous weekend!

our simple wooden jungle huts were surrounded by towering trees, cool freshwater creeks, thundering waterfalls, exotic fungi, strange moths and butterflies, and medicinal plants. we tried out orang asli food, tribal puzzles and blowpipes.. many hours were spent relaxing by or splashing about in the river in the cool shade of the luxuriant forests that lined either bank of the gently flowing creek. at night, we slept with the windows open to the sound of crickets and water and the sweet smell of dew...

other than the pesky and frankly rather vicious leech attacks (of which there were surprisingly plenty) when we did a short trek up to the Takah Tinggi waterfall and even when we pottered around our jungle camp in our flipflops, the place was actually very clean, highly liveable, and (wow!) mosquito-free!

check out digital pictures here (please note: only one of the pictures can be clicked on)