Trip to Batu Pahat 12 Nov



accompanied my mum and a gaggle of aunties (10 in all) some two weeks ago to Batu Pahat for their regular "Arapaima touching" plus temple visiting plus seafood eating excursion.. i love to join them 'cos they can be quite funny and they are all so nice to me.. hahhaha..

pretty amazed at the variety of rituals temples have devised to make aunties part with their money.. there were prayers for 4D and Toto numbers by spinning wheels of all kinds, touching the head of the gigantic south american arapaimas (which can grow up to 5 metres long - you can see my mama in the top picture with 2 of them), washing of feet and bathing with the special "well water" at the room designated for you depending on your chinese astrological sign (pic above), prayers for family safety and harmony by floating lotuses on the murky river next to a "floating temple"; and praying to a shrine with a hundred idols (very economical use of time).. there was supposedly even something called "hugging the pineapple" though i didn't see any auntie doing that.. haha..

some of the idols and prayer items are downright whimsical looking.. like the stylised drawings on the prayer paper and the ferocious looking statue on the top right hand with 4 sets of eyes on his body.... ummm... and the odd incense container in front of my mum as she lights the incense sticks.. there were many more (like gods with fish and shrmp heads and pearly white "buayas" (alligators)) but i couldn't fit them all in..

the last pic shows the really rustic kelong, with good coastal bird life like egrets and herons (just before a light drizzle), that i relaxed in front of as the aunties (including my mum) repeatedly cajoled the arapaimas to be touched in the two large ponds in the temple complex.. so i had a good 2 hours or so to just sit and chill.. :) it was a nice day out..

An Afternoon at Qian Hu Fish Farm

as a colleague of mine quite aptly puts it, I'm a real sucker for any heartland stuff that the Straits Times recommends (see here for newspaper article).. haha..

So here i was, right after the cruise last Sunday, at Qian Hu Fish Farm trying out the faddish fish spa thing with a bunch of friends, letting the "Turkish spa fish, of the Garra rufa species" nibble on the dead skin on our feet. It was a surprisingly rather therapeutic experience, albeit a little weird at the start. Haha.. anyway, quite hard to get pics cos it was very dark by the time we got there in the gloomy evening..

The Annual Cruise to Nowhere (16-18 Nov)



The view from the balcony of my cabin on my annual (now in its 3rd year) 3D2N cruise to nowhere (in other words, cruises that depart and return to Singapore without a port of call) with my parents on the gigantic Star Cruise Superstar Virgo. 13 storeys! whee...

For the unfamiliar, these cruises (with their endless buffet spreads, 5 meals a day, 24hour casinos, caberet shows and more) are a wonderful way to experience the seven deadly sins, all at once,in a hurry... me? ha, no, i stayed healthy and wholesome with visits to the gym, jacuzzi and pool and tried to moderate my dietary intake since the mass produced food was pretty bad anyway, believe it or not... :p..

But we got a little treat on the boat! the free evening music concert was by singer Cao Ge! Quite teeny bopper with screaming teenage fans and all but I must admit I was quite impressed by his vocal range and he straddled, rather effortlessly, a couple of octaves.. quite cool for a pretty boy..

a good getaway to reflect on the good and bad of the year that is coming to an end.. and more importantly, the possibilities that lie in the year ahead.. :)

Farm Visit with My Family

sometimes I forget to spend enough time with some of the most important people in my life....

finally brought my parents and sis to see the farms at Kranji and saw a couple of old and new things, such as the still pensive looking bullfrogs at the Jurong Frog Farm, Khai Seng Fish farm (with the strange boy and his eels plus the beautiful bonsai creations by his supposedly famous uncle), the bizarre pig-nosed turtle and motoro rays at Hausmann Aquarium amongst others.. it was a good day out and we ended the morning with some good teochew porridge at the Teochew Porridge place opposite Beauty World.. btw, that's my mummy hiding behind the bonsai plant! haha..

Cao Ge's version of My Way

I'll blog a little more later.. it's all in my head now bursting and I hope it'll be there for long enough for me to put it all down.....

Who Am I and What Do I Want?



Translation from website:

Take a look at your priorities and your goals. Where did they come from? Are they the products of soul-searching, self-analysis and careful planning? Or are they a reaction to pressures from other people? Did you find them within yourself or within the pages of a magazine? The answers to these questions are important because they tell you if the person you’re becoming is someone you want to be. Here’s another way to look at it: do you want it (whatever it is), or do you just think you should want it? It’s not easy to follow your own direction in life. But it’s more possible than you may think. Question everything. Everything in your life needs to justify why it’s there. If you can’t come up with a good reason that actually comes from YOU, maybe it doesn’t belong.

Incidentally, this is what I have been mulling over for the past 2 to 3 months since I was hit by what i felt at that time to be a torrent of problems; and what I will likely continue to think about till the end of the year as I go on my various trips and have many (planned and unplanned) moments of solitude to ponder with. Nonetheless, I don't really agree that finding out what we want for our lives from within books or magazines or from talking to friends is entirely wrong because I believe different people discover things differently and seek different sources of inspiration... and besides, if we keep questioning everything, we may never actually get around to doing anything... In my view, sometimes, we just have to take a leap of faith.. besides, many things or people don't make sense at the point in time they exist or appear and can only be understood retrospectively... haha.. ok.. easier said than done, speaking from my own experience...

it's something to think about nonetheless.. before 2008 begins. :)

(continuation from above...)
last night, something (which i shall not elaborate on further) happened that triggered me to ponder more on the above topic, which is about searching for who we are and what we should be or do in our lives... whatever happened made me realise that at many points in our lives, we might have been blessed with glimpses or given clues of what makes us really really happy, or contented, or at peace... be it a beautiful friendship or relationship, beautiful moments spent with others, a nice trip somewhere, or doing something we enjoy... for these wonderful "things" in our lives, we may find ourselves wanting to capture or reminisce on those times, either in photographs, or diaries, or in conversations with others.. by so doing, we conjure up the good feelings again and soak in the sentimentality and all.... which is all well and good, i suppose... except that it just feels to me to be indeed a great pity if we do not see in these the opportunity to learn something about ourselves... about what is really important to us; and what makes us ultimately happy... i know of many people (including the individual who made me think up this bit of my blog entry) who spend their lives looking back at times of the past, at photographs, remembering the happiness they felt.. i wonder to myself, isn't making the future happy as important, if not perhaps more, than looking at a past that was? Not that i'm not a sentimental person myself (cos i do read my past blog entries too), but sometimes, holding on to the past (and not learning from it) just isn't going to help us build the future we want for ourselves...

indeed, life is full of lessons to be learnt with open eyes and open hearts, don't you think?

Kudos to Catherine Lim

as impressive, if not more, than all the great literature of hers i had to study in sec school.. like.. umm.. Little Ironies??

An open letter to the Prime Minister

Your Inner Child Is Surprised

You see many things through the eyes of a child. Meaning, you're rarely cynical or jaded. You cherish all of the details in life. Easily fascinated, you enjoy experiencing new things.

How Is Your Inner Child?

Another way of worship



this is pretty amazing..

Thanks JS for the drawing!



i love it!!

Horseshoe Crab Watch with NSS

Joined super enthusiastic Nature Society members and NIE students at Mandai mudflats (off Kranji) yesterday afternoon (see event) to "rescue horseshoe crabs trapped in discarded nets" and to bring in horseshoe crabs for further study. Managed to find quite a lot of them, some really tiny (less than 2cm wide) and some big spiny ones (almost 20cm wide).. many were embedded in the calf-deep mangrove mud and i sustained multiple shallow cuts on my fingers digging them out :(

The area we were searching was right next to an interesting hindu shrine.. and before we went for our search, we were given a briefing by this lady (Lesley Cartwright-Taylor - shown in the pic below holding the molted shells of horseshoe crabs) who appeared to know quite a bit about them.



Some interesting things i learnt about horseshoe crabs:

• they are not really crabs but more closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions
• they have been around for over the last 350 to 400 million years, and have been described as "living fossils" and "remnants of the age of dinosaurs"
• despite their intimidating appearance, horseshoe crabs are not dangerous
• a horseshoe crab's tail, while menacing, is not a weapon. Instead, the tail is used to plow the crab through the sand and muck, to act as a rudder, and to right the crab when it accidentally tips over
• the medical profession uses an extract from the horseshoe crab's blue, copper-based blood to test the purity of medicines and to detect any bacterial contamination as it clots when it comes into contact with bacteria (pretty cool, huh?)
• and for that ever popular Singaporean/Chinese question on everything and anything that moves... i.e. "can it be eaten?"... check this out ... nonetheless, i am aware that they are a protected species..

The Value of a Good Getaway

My dad believes that travel is bad for us.

Yes, he really does. And we’re not just talking about the money spent.

A person of routine, including eating the same dishes from the same stall every time he has to buy his lunch or dinner from outside, waking up and sleeping at the same hour (as far as possible) every day, engaging in the same activities in the week (his taichi sessions every wed evening), keeping a meticulous record of his expenditures and daily happenings without fail every evening, buying the same brand of toiletries, biscuits and for a while, even cars (he used to only buy Hondas!)..

And so he hates having the routine broken up by going to a new place and with it, having to eat new things, to see new things and to wake and sleep at a different hour. As I was bugging him today to bring mum traveling cos I know she had been waiting for him for many years to retire so that they can go sightseeing together, he quipped:

“aiyah, what for? whenever we go traveling, we always end up overspending, overeating and everything is in excess. our life is disrupted and when i come back, I always feel that the money wasn’t well spent. Just walking around, seeing things and eating, for what? Can do the same thing in Singapore what”

I suppose he has his point. If that’s all travel is to someone, watching National Geographic and Discovery Channels would certainly be enough and definitely much more comfortable and infinitely safer. Which then set me thinking..

Why do I travel?

Why don’t I just stick to watching Channel 16 (Discovery Travel and Living, in case you don’t know), which incidentally is one of my favourite SCV channels?

but the problem with this channel is, instead of satiating my lust for travel, it tends to evoke it even more! Seeing on screen the sights, sounds and “adventures” of the travel hosts, I wish myself to experience the same, usually as soon as possible, before “things start to change”.. as I always tell my friends.. Quick! See Potala before they shut it cos it’s made of wood and it is going to collapse soon with all that human traffic brought in by the new Qinghai-Tibet railway!! Or.. Lhasa is changing! soon there won't be anyone left prostrating! Or I always share with them that I read from the papers how the amazing rare painted storks that i had seen in the Keoladeo National Park n Rajasthan are no longer visiting the park because their annual migratory flight patterns have been disrupted by global warming or by the droughts that now plague the state (see article).. or how lucky i am to have seen romantic Pichola Lake in Udaipur before it dried up after three continuous years of no monsoon rains visiting the area...

and that is of cos based on my assumption that people care about seeing these things at all! And the fact is, I probably take traveling a tad bit too seriously as compared to many others, who really just want to get away and relax and for whom the company is more important than the actual destination..

and that is certainly entirely valid and good enough reason to travel too…

Oh well, to each his/her own. Guess the best thing is for us to all keep an open mind and encourage each other to do what we want.. :)

onwards to the next destination in Dec! whee!!

Section 377a vs. Section 498

While debate raged fiercely over whether Section 377A (Outrages on decency): It is an offence for any male person, who in public or private, commits an act of gross indecency with another male person. should be repealed, with the main views diverging on whether:

"Homosexuality is something you do"; vs. "Homosexuality is something you are."; and on whether the govt should "lead change" vs. "reflect the view of majority of society"...

the govt went ahead and repealed Section 498 (Enticing or taking away or detaining with a criminal intent a married woman): It is an offence to entice, take away or detain a married woman with the intention of having illicit intercourse with her. (i.e. adultery), on grounds that "it is an archaic offence which is no longer relevant in today’s context."

In contrast, as we all know by now, it was at the same time decided that Section 377A should be retained, with the key reasoning being that the repeal of 377A would run counter to the govt's stand on "the family (being) the basic building block of this society... and by family in Singapore we mean one man, one woman marrying, having children and bringing up children within that framework of a stable family unit." (PM Lee)...

The fact that one act (i.e. that covered under Section 498 - adultery), which in my opinion would clearly break down the "stable family unit, family values and social fabric," was repealed; while another (i.e. that covered under Section 377A - consensual, private sex between two adults) whose so-called adverse impact on the "stable family unit" is still under great debate and study was nonetheless retained, made the recent changes all the more difficult to comprehend, even for a fairly open-minded and somewhat intelligent person like myself....

i am all for good debate as it helps all of us to have a clearer picture of the diversity of views present... but i am also for consistency in the reasoning used to justify any actions carried out by those in power... and i'm afraid i had difficulty seeing it this time.... :(

Check out this incredible little boy! my godson! :)



he already looks like he wants to say something, doesn't he?? haha...

welcome to the world little Dylan! you'll be much loved.. :)

(and check out his sister's pic taken about a year back! will take new pictures of her again soon!)

Canon Photomarathon 2007 - my (uninspired) entries



Themes: Passion; Challenge; Playtime!

couldn't bring myself to the right mood to shoot all of yesterday.. morose and unimaginative, i shot no more than 30 shots in total (i'm sure others did hundreds or even thousands!) and handed in all my photo assignments way before time (we're given 3 hours to shoot each theme before the next one is announced).. i'm ashamed of how i let my emotions overwhelm one of my greatest interest and passion.. but i am after all, only human..

*hangs head in shame*

Left Brain or Right Brain?



she spins both ways.. apparently, if you see her going anti-clockwise, you're a predominantly left-brained person...clockwise means u're more right brained.. technically should be able to see both after a bit of effort..

Tip:
if you really can't, try this - cover her torso including her bottom with a paper or card and just stare at her legs going round and round (plus the shadow). after a while you can suddenly see the switch in direction.. with a bit of practice, you can switch the direction easily..

control! wahahaha...

Visit to the SPCA



doing my part to showcase just a small selection of the many dogs there waiting for good homes... all with sweet personalities, very obedient and wagging their tails... :)

A random joke (Not for children below 21)



A male whale and a female whale were swimming off the coast of Japan when they noticed a whaling ship.

The male whale recognized it as the same ship that had harpooned his father many years earlier.

He said to the female whale, "Let's both swim under the ship and blow out of our air hole at the same time and it should cause the ship to turn over and sink."

They tried it and sure enough, the ship turned over and quickly sank.

Soon however, the whales realized the sailors had jumped overboard and were swimming to the safety of shore.

The male was enraged that they were going to get away and told the female, "Let's swim after them and gobble them up before they reach the shore."

At this point, he realized the female was becoming reluctant to follow him.

"Look", she said, "I went along with the blow job, but I absolutely refuse to swallow the seamen."

The average blue whale produces over 400 gallons of sperm when it ejaculates, but only 10% of that actually makes it into his mate. So 360 gallons are spilled into the ocean every time one unloads, and you wonder why the ocean is so salty...

Canon Photo Marathon Asia 2007

i've signed up for the above.

see link

sms or email me if u would like to join me on that day for some sighseeing and shooting.

what a powerful image



how many of us have courage like this?

Pengerang... Of roadkill, pillboxes, pink chendol and other such wonders..

today I went to Pengerang in Johore for a 1-day cycling trip.. the way i did it was: i went to changi village early (about 8.30am) for a yummy nasi lemak breakfast and to rent a bike from one of the numerous bike shops there (whole day rental $10-$15).. then we transported our bikes via bumboats from changi ferry terminal (the same one that has bumboats bringing you to Pulau Ubin) to pengerang ($8 +$2 for transporting the bike).. we took the boat at about 9.30am.. the journey is about an hour. once we hit the jetty on the other side and cleared customs (quite fast), it was a pretty straight road all the way to the main town Sungai Rengit, with a need to make only a single right turn, well-marked, along the way.. distance is about 19km one-way (takes roughly 1 and a half hours), pretty flat road with occasional traffic.. we got there in good time for a delicious but affordable lunch at the ever-popular-with-singaporeans crystal jade (no affiliation) seafood restaurant. then we spent some time exploring the town before heading back to the jetty, visiting a mango farm along the way to buy honey mangoes (RM5 per kg). latest boat leaves pengerang for changi at 4pm. don't miss the boat else have to stay overnight in pengarang.. :p

anyway, here are some pics...

on the way there...


on the way to largest town Sungai Rengit...


in Sungai Rengit itself...


anyway, i've decided not to post pics of the roadkill.. have decided it is a bit too distasteful.. :)

forgot to include for last weekend..

Amazing!

Waterfest 2007 Bedok Reservoir

and our local wakeboarding representatives - Max and Sasha!

One of Life's Most Important Lessons

read on a blog today:

"life's like that sometimes. we try our best, but there will come a point when we need to recognise it is time to let go and move on."

it's hard.. but what a good reminder..

yes, dammit.. but it's time to move on..

run run run...

My Life in Pictures

Those who know me well enough know these two months haven't been too easy for me.. particularly since there were all these visits to hospitals, some planned, some unplanned.. btw, the last pic shows the pulling cord that patients in ward toilets are supposed to be able to use to get help if necessary.. my sis tells me patients (or even their visitors) often mistake it for the toilet flush, which is pretty amusing to us but definitely not to the nurses who are already running around like headless chickens during their busy shifts... :p



but thank God for all the much needed support from some wonderful people like my best fren kai.. who knows, even better than me, what it really means to be "there for me when i need it"... thank you..:,> .. here's us having hotpot lunch at Hey Hey Hotpot, with her precious other half who looks like the store mascot.. he's very game to pose like this for my amusement.. haha..


when i'm feeling down i tend to notice buildings and scenery around me more... here's my all time favourite "condom building" (of cos it is NOT as 'phallic' as these..) and the view from above Labrador Beach..


and also a splendid view from a friend's condo taken recently; as well as the cranes and construction of the ION Orchard, like temporary sculptures erected against the deep blue sky.. i think construction can be quite pretty sometimes..



and then of course there is my lovely goddaughter Daphne who's growing up so beautifully and quickly! She's gonna turn 1 soon!! :) umm... wonder what i shall buy for her.. can't wait to teach her art and craft once she stops putting everything into her mouth.. :p



and have slowly but surely returned to my all time favourite pasttime.. running! starting really slow though cos technically not allowed to do any vigorous sport yet...



so that's a summary of my life recently.. it's a pretty personal post but I use my blog as a diary, so it's more for me than for you.

Yoga for Special Needs Children


if you know anyone (parents, teachers etc etc) who may benefit from this, please do help to spread the word.. this is a rare opportunity to make a difference to the special children around you!! :)

check out also www.specialyoga.com

Mr Mao

it's been an eventful past month filled with many personal and family incidents and events, not all pleasant but each nonetheless perspective changing in its own way.. but last night's painting session was a blast and here's my version of the ever-popular mr mao done in acrylics (16x20)..

The Cruelty of Foie Gras

I've tried it and I must say the taste is heavenly.. but since I found out how cruel it is some 2 to 3 years ago, I've stopped eating it, alongside with sharks' fin .. but only a video can let us see what the fuss is all about.. nonetheless, there is now "ethical foie gras"..



Synopsis of Video: Most people that have a problem with foie gras, have a problem with the way the French force-feed their goose. There is good news though. What’s really pissed the French off, is that Spanish producers of foie gras have won the prestigious medal for innovation at the Paris international food salon for their product, an ethical version of foie gras. It’s supposed to have all the yummy goodness, without the force-feeding cruelness. According to Gordon Ramsay, there is still a big difference in taste, and he will continue to use ‘real’ foie gras in his restaurants instead of the ethical foie gras made by Patería de Sousa.

Mid Autumn Festival is here again!



i know the mid-autumn festival is here whenever my lovely sister brings back these cartoon-based piglet biscuits for my amusement..

thank you sis! :)

What Car Matches Your Personality?
Brought to you by Tickle


You're driven by adventure

That's not to say we'd necessarily find you rafting wild rivers or climbing tall peaks — it's just that you're curious and enjoy exploring the world around you. You're probably more likely to be out hiking a mountain path or wandering an urban trail than sitting at home watching someone else do it on the Discovery Channel. There's a part of you that just loves a thrill — whatever form it comes in. That's why you're not afraid to try out new things, even if it means taking a risk or two.

But what does this mean about the perfect car for you? Your car better be able to keep up with your unpredictable pace, and unpredictable circumstances. You need a vehicle to get you into, and out of, the thick of things — not to mention a car that can haul all the necessary gear around with you. Your four-wheeled friend needs to perform just as well in the snow and rain as it does in your everyday routine. You can't experience the thrill of a new adventure if you can't get there!

Who's the perfect car companion, the vehicle to fit your adventurous lifestyle? It's an SUV or sports wagon like the Ford Explorer, the Subaru Outback, or the Chevy Avalanche. Your ideal ride might be more affordable than you'd think! And adventures await.

Fake fake bun story!

everything in china is fake! even stories about fake buns! read here..

in case u haven't seen the original video...



so anticlimactic!! but so hilarious! :D

i love that country! i'm soooo going to visit china again soon! wahahaha

Sir Ian McKellen on Channel NewsAsia



Description: Singapore is known for being extremely straight-laced, a city where homosexuality is frowned upon and oral sex is a criminal offense. On the other hand, Singapore has also in the last few years tried to promote creative thinking and the arts. Singapore's dual personalities collided rather embarrassingly when acclaimed actor Sir Ian McKellen appeared live on Channel NewsAsia's morning show. An innocuous question by co-host Suzanne Jung (no doubt suggested by the Singapore Tourism Board itself) led to this unexpected answer...

hahaha..

Watched King Lear just this weekend.. it was EXCELLENT! Ian McKellen was such an amazing actor... whee... :)

here's a clip i found on youtube..

Good and Bad Me

i know i sometimes annoy you...
i know i can be a pain in the a**
and i know i need to improve..

but maybe i have some plus points too i don't know about?
blind spots perhaps?
maybe there are some reasons why u still wanna be my friend?

if you happen to be a personal friend or close acquaintance of mine, or even someone who has had a certain amount of interaction with me in the past or currently, can you kindly do my Johari Window (Angel-me) and Nohari Window (Devil-me) please..?

Thanks a bunch.. :p (last ditch effort to get more plus points for my Johari window.. wahahaha..

Homosexuality in Singapore

MM Lee Kuan Yew recently said that "homosexuals are mostly born that way." The Government has in effect adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. With Singapore becoming more cosmopolitan, should society also be more open towards homosexuality?

Take the ST Poll

iLove iProducts



haha... not that i'm not a fan myself... :p

Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.

cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy,

it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on !!

i've seen tihs brfeoe sroemhwee but its so cool so let's eonjy! :)

where i went in June



more pics later.. :) school's just started and madness has begun..

Recent sightings...

pics from my samsung x820 .. what strange images i document on seemingly average days.. sometimes i don't even remember until i see the pics again for downloading...



from top (left to right): 'L' from Deathnote acting all aloof, a goldfish ignores ChannelnewsAsia, new HDB blocks, a gathering of chihuahuas, cold cream noodles from waraku (ummm.. nice..), a standard poodle pensive and pondering, reflections on Riverside Point, overhanging clouds, a bizarre soft toy, hideous crow paper decor hanging in the NIE canteen (couldn't figure out if it was for attracting or to ward off the crows??), a frighteningly enormous moth, leaf silhouettes outside suntec mall

Wings: A Tribute



This is so terribly touching....

Visit to the Esplanade area

yet another visit to this definitely over-photographed tourist spot but this time with an excited group of photo club students and no tripods :p.. made good use of railings, lampposts and steady hands... pardon me if these pics are rather cliché.. i wasn't particularly imaginative on Friday nite..haha...

A Rather Amazing Dog

Domokun Ipod Case


someone make me a Domokun Ipod casing pleeeeaaaseee!!!! this is sooooo cute!!! the "furry monster ipod casing" tutorial is here..

on the side.. am waiting for the "other colours" of the Creative Zen Stone to come out.. S$69 for 1gb.. something to accompany me on my runs... :)

finally.. i'm persuaded to switch from Ipod... :p .... half the price leh!! (instant lesson for econs students: consider cross elasticity of demand for ipod with respect to the price of creative's mp3 players..:p)

The Bird Outside The Office Window



the nest's been built and the olive-backed sunbird mother awaits her babies... she sits staring out from the tiny window for hours patiently..

Dolphin Slaughter



i dont' know if this is going to offend anyone but if it is the truth and the truth offends, so be it..

nonetheless, maybe the eating of meat will always be an act of cruelty.. and in that sense, i am a hypocrite... :(.. i don't know.. maybe one day, i'll turn vegetarian after all..

in case u wanna petition.. u can try this site or this one, both are addressed to the "Prime Minister of Japan".

Otters holding hands



i've been meaning to post this up for a while but never got round to it.. more than 5 million views, in case u haven't seen it..enjoy :).. the lighter coloured one is asleep and just floating around, held on by the dark grey one...watch it till the end, it gets really really cute!!

i want to be an otter too!! :) hold hands, float around and get fed.. no more marking!! wheeeee...

The Nest Outside My Office Window

when this female olive-backed sunbird began building its flask-shaped nest a couple of days ago, just a mere 10cm from my office cubicle window, i couldn't believe how lucky i was...


it's so incredibly lovely..

i still can't believe how lucky i am... from what i read, it looks like she's going to be around for at least another month or so... :)

life is made up of little pleasures just like this one :">

You say it is a frog and I say it is a horse!


We have to respect each other's opinion;

You're not wrong but neither am I! I'm not wrong but neither are U!

We just need to wait and listen actively to others' point of view;

Make a conscious choice to figure out why the other person sees it the way they do..

We might just discover something new for ourselves too! :)

Farm Visit to Kranji Countryside



yet another visit to the farms of the far (then again, how far can far be??) north of Singapore ... but still quite fun.. :) the area has some nice new eateries around worth dropping by for lunch or a snack.. check out Petals & Leaves Bistro (Ngee Phoe) - food's pretty ok and great ambience, open only in the weekends... and there's of cos Poison Ivy Bistro at Bollywood Veggies.. a good morning out before the midday showers came :)

SPCA visit



dropped by SPCA yesterday afternoon to rub the tummies of the doggies, scratch the faces & necks of the kitties and pat the furry heads of the bunnies.. the cats were sleepy, the dogs were frisky and the rabbits were .. err..quiet..

therapeutic. :) albeit the crowd...

lots of beautiful and friendly pets awaiting good homes.. please don't buy pets from the pet shops. Please adopt if you can.

Kiwi!



the youtube award winner, in case you haven't seen it.. so meaningful... the kind of stuff i like.. :">

"Kiwi!" is an animation about a Kiwi - a type of bird that cannot fly, who spends its whole life working towards achieving his dream. The kiwi strived to create the illusion that it was flying over a forest as it soared down through the sky from the top of a cliff. Thus, the kiwi spent what must have been its whole life nailing trees to the side of a cliff. All this, to fulfil its one dream of flying, even though it was technically unable to. There are several powerful messages behind Kiwi, but mainly, it makes you think: no matter how absurd and seemingly out of reach your dreams are, what's stopping you from achieving them?

something to encourage all of us dreamers out there.. :)

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Sand Art



you may have seen this before somewhere on youtube but i'll put it up here to let a friend of mine find it more easily..

Forces at work and at play



i love watching stuff like this.. reminds me of the amazing Honda Accord commercial that was done entirely without the use of computer animation and made up of all the different parts of a Honda Accord car.. here it is (below) for those who missed it.. and of course for my friends who were there with me back in my London days, you may remember the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre in Covent Garden to be one of my all time favourite places... ah...with these amazing toys, i think i'll never see the need to grow up.. :p

krabi getaway



thanks to tigerairways, managed to grab return air tix to krabi for $50 (excluding taxes of $90)! apparently not the lowest it can go but still a steal.. sun sea and lots of snorkling plus lots of bowls of tom yum goong, plates of phad thai and jugs of Singha... ha.. nice..

post more pics in a while.. :)