new baby to the family



here's something for those who enjoy cacti with cheeky connotations..

subliminal? :p

	Cheer Bear You're the Care Bear cheerleader! Your spunky personality and optimisim lifts everyone's spirit. Though you want everyone to be happy, you stand your ground on issues you feel strongly about and this can bring disunity among your friends. Despite this, you are a true believer in working together.
Take the Which Care Bear Are You? Quiz!

Run Hwee Ling Run!

i just did half an hour of relaxed running in the cool evening breeze and the adrenalin cruising through my veins, coupled with the perspiration pouring forth easily on my skin and the straining of my leg muscles working hard as I pounded the pavement made me realise all at once why I've always loved running so much since my JC days..

cos when i run, I truly feel alive, like my body and my soul are connecting again..

so i've decided, hopefully not on impulse, that i'm gonna sign up for all of these running events that are coming up soon! haha...

1. The 2004 Terry Fox Run - 19 September 2004 - 8km run

2. Sheares Bridge Run & Army Half Marathon 2004 - 26 September 2004 - 5 or 12km run??

3. Singapore-Johor 2nd Link Bridge Run 2004 - 10 October 2004 - 10 km run

4. Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2004 - 05 December 2004 - another 10 km run (of cos not the marathon yet, silly! you think too highly of me... :p)

yeah!.. email me if u wanna join me for any of them... don't worry, we can run slowly.. we're not there to win.. just to take part... :)

International Coastal Cleanup, Singapore

take part! click here!

cacti & succulents

my sis and i have started a little cacti & succulent garden in the artist corner of the flat..

check it out.. nice? :)

sore throat

down with throat inflammation.. very inconvenient for a teacher...

from the web:

Sore throats are among the most common of ailments and concerns of those seeking health care. That itchy, scratchy, dry, raw feeling in the back of your throat can have many causes from a simple cold to serious infection.

TRADITIONAL TREATMENT

- Over-the-counter pain medication.

- Rest.

- Drink extra fluids.

- Gargle with warm salt water.

ALTERNATIVE

- CHAMOMILE, taken every few hours, will ease pain and reduce inflammation. Chamomile tea is particularly effective in treating pain because of its soothing nature, and can be taken by all age groups.

- SAGE is another popular alternative medicine used in the treatment of sore throats. Sage is beneficial in treating pharyngitis and other throat pains by reducing inflammation and protecting the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat.

- GARLIC, a natural antibiotic, can be helpful in the speeding up of recovery and removal of bacteria, especially if your sore throat is caused by the flu or bacterial infection. Garlic can be taken in pill form by all age groups.

- ICELAND MOSS helps to stimulate appetite and relieve dry, scratchy throats caused by inflamed tissue. Iceland Moss is best taken in tincture form, several times daily and works well on those with sore throats brought about by the flu or respiratory disease.

duplication of trash

look! an imposter!!

click: verbiage or garbage?:O

:O

some recent pics

Teachers' Investiture 2004 - official graduation ceremony for this year's graduates from NIE.. a zzzz event but great to meet up with some friends and classmates.



view from Admiralty Rd West to our glittering neighbours in the north.. hi hi JB! :)

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

i was clicking around on the links on my own website just now and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stopped me in my tracks.

i realised so few countries in the world, if any, could pride themselves on having fulfilled all, or even many, of the 30 articles stated.

in particular, one country (which i decline to name) comes readily to mind regarding the ones below:

Article 9

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 19

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

there is so much injustice and suffering in the world.. :( ... and besides, is it right for any of us to say that some people can forfeit their "basic human rights" just because of some things they have done wrong or some things they have said? i don't know...

my fever is making me melancholic..



com'on people, at least for now, click on thehungersite.com and make the world a little better just by your clicks..

swearing in of new PM



suckers for all things grand and historical, my whole family dutifully sat in front of the telly today at 7.50pm to watch the swearing in of our new Prime Minister.

pomp and circumstance aside, i personally feel that nothing captures the moment more accurately than my mother's running commentary during the entire ceremony. Below are (translated) excerpts (including the sound effects and slang, if any), just for the record..

"Ahh! Wah! (she did actually let out a worried yelp) Almost fall down! he's old already lah, that's why" - as Lee Kuan Yew stepped down gingerly from the stage after receiving his scroll for "Minister Mentor" from CJ Yung Pung How.

"Aiyoh, read from the script I also can lah.. If it's me, i'll make it short and sweet. So long and cheong hei..." - as the President read his carefully prepared speech for a good several minutes.

"Aiyah, why the cabinet wives dress until liddat? even the aunties in the market dress better than that..." - commenting on the dressing of the VIP ladies sitting in the first row.

"His eyes shift and shift... must be so nervous.. and see now got double chin, must be having a good life.. i think within two or three months his hair will turn all white from the stress.. haha.." - on the new PM himself.

"eh, how come this one like a hippie.. you know hippie right? people with long hair?" - comment on Lim Swee Say

"how come all so old?" - while the cabinet ministers were being sworn in as a group.

"haha.. i think some are not saying it lah.. not all will say right? i mean, who knows? not like if only one person then you can easily tell, right?" - my mum gleefully suspecting there are free riders amongst the ministers who are swearing in in groups.

"haha.. he smile until liddat.. must be thinking "Finally the wait has ended" (this is a lot funnier in Chinese) - on why the new PM smiles so broadly when he is giving his speech..

and as he said "we have to be grateful for what the elderly generation has given", my mum spontaneously chirped "of course lah! elections coming mah!"

as the camera moved around and paused on Goh Chok Tong and Lee Kuan Yew, my mum rather boldly called Mr Lee an "ah pek" and said he fidgets a wee bit too much, mimicking his forehead scratching, before she let out two mighty yawns and said the new PM is so "lor sor" (long-winded), "just like his father"..

sigh.. with a running commentary like that from my mum, who needs commentary in the four national languages? :p

Singapore Idol



I hope I haven't lost my sense of humour, but I didn't think Singapore Idol was any funny. Not even a bit of it.. or at least the bits that everyone seemed to be talking about .. like the Bananaman, and the Whisperer.. and the William Hung Lemon Tree impersonator.. (now, now, don't throw things at me..hear me out..)

Frankly speaking, I didn't quite get what's so intriguing about watching really bad dancing, singing or costumes on primetime television. Neither did I turn on the telly to hear Simon Cowell impersonators with Singaporean accents. Maybe it's just because I don't like to laugh at people who are putting their heart and soul into doing something, and believing so much in it..

Call me square (or even weird.. or gulp.. boring..) but I watched Singapore Idol because I wanted to hear how well some people could sing.. and I watched it because I wanted to see the positive side of why people tried so hard, and felt and believed so much in what they did, even if they couldn't actually carry it off.. which fortunately, this last episode I watched minutes ago managed to show a balanced amount of. Believe me, I was truly touched by why some people are taking part and what taking part means for them, particularly the ones who were crossing a personal or social hurdle..

Yes.. And actually, the bits I really disliked were the hypocritical and nasty comments that the four judges felt compelled to make, clearly to evoke an emotional response from the contestants. As Dick Lee says

"We would hantam (whack) them like mad and they are just so thankful"

"I'm not saying we purposely try to provoke them. We know what makes good television, and we try to get it out of them."

and also how the judges start showing these really guilty and empathetic looks when the hapless rejects start crying there and then...

I don’t know how much longer I'll go on watching Singapore Idol.. Maybe I'll start watching it again a bit later on, when they have wittered down the contestants to the slightly better ones.. who don't embarrass themselves on national television or get laughed at by the people who sit around me at work everyday..

maybe I'm just a cynic. An old boring cynic with weak knees. Sigh.. pardon the old grump.. just sprained my knee a couple of days ago and have to lay off running for a little while.. grr..

Australian Girls Choir

thanks to Andrew who sent us the following link...

http://www.ausgirlschoir.com.au/highlights_qantas.htm

so we can see where.. errhmm.... the NDP team got their inspiration from....

:D

National Day 2004



i still can't get over how bizarre this year's NDP 2004 Music Video is... for those who need to see it again, click here..

i don't think i can get enough of it.. it's addictive.. hahaha

i mean, seriously, the whole idea of getting little children in black and white samfoos to run along the Singapore River, with determined looks on their faces, or standing in perfectly coordinated formations in front of the city skyline.. just seems so .. inappropriate?? ok, maybe i'm just spooked by it.. but just look at their costume! is National Day a joyous occasion or is a day of mourning?? maybe the Government is just trying to remind us of the bleakness that passed us by last year, SARS and all? well.. i don't know.. grrr...

anyway, don't listen to it to much.. i hear it sticks in your head.. as the website says..

"These songs are so ingrained in our hearts and minds,
They can truly be called Singapore Songs - Our Songs...".. :O

Update: Just found some extra stuff! apparently, Mr Brown wrote on this too! (Read here).. according to him, the reason for the bizarre costume, according to official statements is:

"We'd like a uniform for the children to wear, something like will capture the ethnic diversity of our country, while not emphasising one race over the others. And it has to make the children look disciplined and well-behaved examples of upright young citizens, while showing their cute and spontaneous sides."..

ummm... *rubs chin with suspicion*

Cashflow 101

Get out of the rat race

SLR pinhole cam

>> this is for shumei (who commented on my message box over there) --> :) .. for an slr pinhole cam, u first need to buy or find a black body cap for ur slr camera.

Step 1: Drill a 1-cm hole in the middle of the black body cap (using an electric drill). Make sure it’s smack in the middle (use a ruler). You can get a camera repair shop or Phua Chu Kang to help you.

Step 2: Cut a small square piece of metal from a Coca-Cola can (larger than the hole you drilled earlier) and poke a tiny hole in it using just the tip of a normal sewing needle or a pin. Make sure this hole is really really small.

The trick to doing this step well is to start by gently drilling one side of the metal first by twisting the needle side to side gently, holding the needle with your thumb and index finger, without piercing the metal all the way through. As the metal is slightly indented by the poking, sandpaper the other side to thin the area. Keep repeating this until you poke the tip of the needle through the metal. In this way, you can get a really nice small hole which is surrounded by metal that has been thinned by the sandpapering. (This is something to do with reducing possible interference to the rays of light entering the camera, from the area surrounding the hole).

Sandpaper the hole neatly on both sides and blow out the dust.

Step 3: Attach the piece of metal to the body cap using strong glue, taking care not to get any glue on the hole. Once you’ve attach it properly, use a black permanent marker to darken the shiny metal that is exposed on the inside of the cap. This ensures there will be no unnecessary light reflection inside the camera.

Step 4: Take pictures using ISO400 film! :) I found that I had to adjust some settings on my Minolta 700si in order to overwrite some preset function that disallows me from taking pictures without a proper lens.

Happy snapping!

What Color Are You?

BLUE You give your love and friendship unconditionaly. You enjoy long, thoughtful conversations rich in philosophy and spirituality. You are very loyal and intuitive. Find out your color at Quiz Me!

Are you burning out?



according to this online "Are you burning out?" test...

my score ...

"indicates that you have no signs of burnout.

People that score in this range are typically happy and well-balanced. They are full of energy and are able to meet the demands of daily life. They are able to manage stress. They are able to set realistic and attainable goals. They are positive about their work and future. They are able to relax and enjoy their non-working time. They are capable of separating work life and home life.

People that score in this range are typically able to control and recognise their feelings and act on them appropriately. They are able to learn from their mistakes. They have compassion and respect for other people. They are able to get on with their workmates and enjoy being part of a team.

People who score in this range are typically good workers. They are able to control their workload and do their work to the best of their ability. They know what is expected of them and live up to those expectations.

So, if you’ve scored in this range, just keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll continue to thrive!

so as i've said before to some of you, i'm quite happy at my work now.... it's the non-work aspects of my life that need sorting out.. don't worry.. :)"

me, the confounder. me, the confounded.

i think i've become very confused.

in fact, i think i've finally thought too long and too hard and about too many disparate and profound things and have short-circuited my brain.

which means i'm the cause of my own confused psyche. i blame no one..

usually, when something is on my mind, or i'm pondering over an issue that confounds me, a solitudinal weekend, with a nice long meditative walk, 15 laps of the pool or a quiet evening run would suffice in having everything fall nicely into place again, usually for the better.

but that didn't happen the weekend before. nor the one that just passed.

so there are all these unsorted, uncatagorised, unprocessed thoughts in my head, clogging up my neuron channels.. (ha, i'm so going to be scolded by my neuro scientist friend Lynn for this unscientific nonsense.. :p)

or maybe it was the weekend gluttony (having survived the week on school canteen food). or maybe it was because i never actually had the weekend to really rest, having packed it with trying to finish work that i brought home, meeting people, doing all sorts of random things, and worst of all, squeezing with the weekend crowds in one of the many "EVERYONE IS HERE!" places (namely Orchard, Suntec, City Hall, East Coast..)

this Monday was no better than the last. i entered the week feeling rather drained, with an energy level definitely below optimum level, and an enthusiasm level to match...

still trying to find my ideal balance in life.

at this stage, i'm working on my diet, my exercise, my spirituality and aspects of my career ... i'll update you all when it sorts out.. :) i'm optimistic it will all be clear soon..

in the meantime, remember.. DON'T CONFOUND YOURSELF!