fascinating intertidal creatures.. can grow up to 15cm long.
Monday, 11 July 2005
Tuesday, 5 July 2005
Tuesday, 14 June 2005
Saturday, 4 June 2005
Inventor of the quick, inexpensive meal bows out of limelight at age 95
TOKYO - Mr Momofuku Ando, the man credited with inventing instant noodles, will bow out of the business limelight at age 95, after seeing his cups of quick, hot and inexpensive meals sweep the world.
The entrepreneur - who entered the food business when Japan was hungry after World War II - lived to watch his invention stocked on the shelves of omnipresent convenience stores and become an international favourite for people on the go.
Mr Ando, who remains in excellent health and goes to the office every day, will resign as chairman and representative director at Nissin Food Products on June 29 at his own request, said the company in the western Japanese city of Osaka. The business tycoon, born in 1910, founded the predecessor to Nissin Food Products in 1948 and invented the world's first instant noodle - "Chicken Ramen" noodles sold in bags - in 1958. He launched the cup version in 1971. As "Cup Noodles" have swept the world - and been widely replicated - Nissin now boasts annual sales exceeding 300 billion yen ($4.6 billion).
"I am 95 years old. I have lived for nearly a century," said Mr Ando said in a statement on his resignation. "I decided to devote myself to the food business when I saw people starving to death amid a post-war food shortage. I was sure the world could be peaceful only after having enough food.
"I invented instant noodles ... because I could imagine how happy people would be if I delivered to households ramen they can eat any time, anywhere and safely. It was as simple as that," he said.
Mr Ando added he wanted to pass the baton to younger management while he was fine. The resignation does not mean he will retire, though. "The company accepted his resignation as he was firmly determined. But he agreed to hold a newly-created post of founding chairman and keep advising the company from a broad perspective," a Nissin spokesman said. - AFP
my all-time favourite instant noodles are:
Indomie Mi Goreng
Nissin Ramen Original (Sesame Oil)
Myojo Thai Tom Yam
Myojo Mee Poh Dry
Myojo Chicken Tanmen
Check out the Momofuko Ando Instant Ramen Museum
TOKYO - Mr Momofuku Ando, the man credited with inventing instant noodles, will bow out of the business limelight at age 95, after seeing his cups of quick, hot and inexpensive meals sweep the world.
The entrepreneur - who entered the food business when Japan was hungry after World War II - lived to watch his invention stocked on the shelves of omnipresent convenience stores and become an international favourite for people on the go.
Mr Ando, who remains in excellent health and goes to the office every day, will resign as chairman and representative director at Nissin Food Products on June 29 at his own request, said the company in the western Japanese city of Osaka. The business tycoon, born in 1910, founded the predecessor to Nissin Food Products in 1948 and invented the world's first instant noodle - "Chicken Ramen" noodles sold in bags - in 1958. He launched the cup version in 1971. As "Cup Noodles" have swept the world - and been widely replicated - Nissin now boasts annual sales exceeding 300 billion yen ($4.6 billion).
"I am 95 years old. I have lived for nearly a century," said Mr Ando said in a statement on his resignation. "I decided to devote myself to the food business when I saw people starving to death amid a post-war food shortage. I was sure the world could be peaceful only after having enough food.
"I invented instant noodles ... because I could imagine how happy people would be if I delivered to households ramen they can eat any time, anywhere and safely. It was as simple as that," he said.
Mr Ando added he wanted to pass the baton to younger management while he was fine. The resignation does not mean he will retire, though. "The company accepted his resignation as he was firmly determined. But he agreed to hold a newly-created post of founding chairman and keep advising the company from a broad perspective," a Nissin spokesman said. - AFP
my all-time favourite instant noodles are:
Indomie Mi Goreng Nissin Ramen Original (Sesame Oil) Myojo Thai Tom Yam Myojo Mee Poh Dry Myojo Chicken TanmenCheck out the Momofuko Ando Instant Ramen Museum
Sunday, 15 May 2005
| Cattell's 16 Factor Test Results
|
personality tests by similarminds.com
Saturday, 30 April 2005
| Your brain: 100% interpersonal, 140% visual, 80% verbal, and 80% mathematical! |
| Congratulations on being 400% smart! Actually, on my test, everyone is. The above score breaks down what kind of thinking you most enjoy doing. A score above 100% means you use that kind of thinking more than average, and a score below 100% means you use it less. It says nothing about how good you are at any one, just how interested you are in each, relatively. A substantial difference in scores between two people means, conclusively, that they are different kinds of thinkers. Matching Summary: Each of us has different tastes. Still, I offer the following advice, which I think is obvious:
|
 |
My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
|
| Link: The 4-Variable IQ Test written by chriscoyne on Ok Cupid |
Friday, 22 April 2005
Sunday, 17 April 2005
Just love these cows.. doncha??
grazing opposite Le Meridien
herd instincts behind Taka
loitering along Cluny Rd (in SMU)
don't ask me again.. these cows are part of ComfortDelGro’s new advertising arm - Moove Media's teaser advertising campaign...
see an interesting discussion about them on this forum.
don't ask me again.. these cows are part of ComfortDelGro’s new advertising arm - Moove Media's teaser advertising campaign...
see an interesting discussion about them on this forum.
Wednesday, 23 March 2005
Tuesday, 22 March 2005
Friday, 18 March 2005
You Are 24 Years Old |
24 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax. |
how bizarre!!
Thursday, 17 March 2005
KL Get-Away..
hot as usual.. KL..
(from top.. the most photographed building in KL - Sultan Abdul Samad Building - next to Independence Square, supposedly the tallest flagpole in the world, some unnamed building, the Textile Museum, stir fried mee, sotong kangkong, fish & alphabet fries, Petronas Towers with the Force of Nature banner, view from the skybridge)
hot as usual.. KL..
(from top.. the most photographed building in KL - Sultan Abdul Samad Building - next to Independence Square, supposedly the tallest flagpole in the world, some unnamed building, the Textile Museum, stir fried mee, sotong kangkong, fish & alphabet fries, Petronas Towers with the Force of Nature banner, view from the skybridge)
Fort Tanjong Katong 1879
An old colonial fort, built by the British more than 125 years ago, to prevent possible Russian invasion from the sea. (The Commies!!)
A century later, the fort was buried as part of land reclamation, apparently forgotten, the surrounding area turned into a nice little park, and only discovered recently (less than a year back?), when this particular resident, living just across Tanjong Katong Park noticed bald patches running in neat continuous strips all across the grass and suspected a fort beneath (this area being just off "Fort Road" after all!)
A civic minded individual, he informed the National Archives or something like that and research, tracing records all the way to London, finally confirmed the existence of such a fort.
That began all that digging and what a splendid find it was!
So being curious and all that, I went to see it.. they're still digging and finding more and more stuff.. Isn't that just so cool?!
An old colonial fort, built by the British more than 125 years ago, to prevent possible Russian invasion from the sea. (The Commies!!)
A century later, the fort was buried as part of land reclamation, apparently forgotten, the surrounding area turned into a nice little park, and only discovered recently (less than a year back?), when this particular resident, living just across Tanjong Katong Park noticed bald patches running in neat continuous strips all across the grass and suspected a fort beneath (this area being just off "Fort Road" after all!)
A civic minded individual, he informed the National Archives or something like that and research, tracing records all the way to London, finally confirmed the existence of such a fort.
That began all that digging and what a splendid find it was!
So being curious and all that, I went to see it.. they're still digging and finding more and more stuff.. Isn't that just so cool?!
Tuesday, 8 March 2005
always a good read... The Difference Between The Brain of A Man & A Woman..
At a hospital the relatives gathered in the waiting room, where a family member lay gravely ill. Finally, the doctor came in looking tired and serious.
Surveying the worried faces, the doctor said, "I'm afraid I'm the bearer of bad news. The only hope left for your loved one at this time is a brain transplant. It's an experimental procedure, very risky, you will have to pay for the brain yourselves."
"It makes sense that brains vary between the sexes."
The family members sat silent as they absorbed the news. After a great length of time, someone asked, "Well, how much does a brain cost?"
The doctor quickly responded, "$5,000 for a male brain, and $200 for a female brain."
The moment turned awkward. Men in the room tried not to smile; avoiding eye contact with the women, but some actually smirked. One man, unable to control his curiosity, blurted out the question everyone wanted to ask, "Why is the male brain so much more expensive?"
The doctor smiled at the childish innocence and said to the entire group, "It's just standard pricing procedure. We have to mark down the price of the female brains, because they've been used."
Monday, 7 March 2005
Wednesday, 2 March 2005
Death and living
"The fear of death stops you from living, but not from dying"
Two mornings ago (at 6am no less!), my sis shared with me the above quote over breakfast, which is so good I know I simply have to share it...
If the fear of death and dying can be so paralyzing as to stop anyone from fully embracing and enjoying what life has to offer, isn’t it time to see what all this is really costing us?
As I mused over why and when this fear of death came into our humanly lives, I shared with her what my school principal told us recently, a small gathering of new teachers in an informal chitchat session with him. In his own words, he said, “We (teachers) must be the ones to decide how much risk can be allowed in any activity. Kids this age (17/18) will take all sorts of risk. They think they cannot die”.
He went on to share with us two incidents in his past experience as principal of two other schools, one of where an unfortunate incident occurred in which a boy either leaned too far out or actually climbed onto a fourth-floor railing to untie a banner and fell, hitting the ground head-on. The poor boy didn’t survive.
After patiently hearing my story to the end, my wise sister said, “Ah! That is part of developmental psychology.” She elaborated further on how kids at different ages slowly develop their understanding of death, from a non-existent concept, to a concrete one, and eventually to the abstract notion of what death is. It’s pretty interesting.. read this..
Infant to Toddler (0-2)
The terms "death" or "forever" or "permanent" may not have real value to children of this age group. Even with previous experiences with death, the child may not understand the relationship between life and death. Death is not a permanent condition.
Preschool (3-5)
This is the age of "Magical Thinking". This age group may view death as temporary or reversible, as in cartoons. Death is often explained to this age group as "went to heaven." Most children in this age group do not understand that death is permanent, that everyone and every living thing will eventually die, and that dead things do not eat, sleep, or breathe.
School-age (6-12)
School-aged children are developing a more realistic & concrete understanding of death. Although they attempt to ascribe a more comprehensible meaning to the event by personifying death as a "devil", "God", "ghost", or "bogeyman", this age group is beginning to understand death as permanent, universal, and inevitable. Children (9-12) may experience fears of mutilation and personal injury. They may hence externalize these by focusing on the "gruesome" details of dying and death. Externalizing equals control.
Adolescent (13-18)
Most adolescents understand the concept that death is permanent, universal, and inevitable. Yet, due to adolescent egocentricity, it is accompanied by disbelief in the possibility of one's personal death. A predominant theme in adolescence is feelings of immortality or being exempt from death. Hence, they are least likely to accept the cessation of life, particularly their own. Their rejection of death is understandable developmentally because the adolescents' tasks are to establish an identity by finding out who they are, what their purpose is, and where they belong. Any suggestions of being different or non-being is a tremendous threat to the answer to such questions.
So I guess, sometime after that age, was when most of us typical "adults" started to realize our mortality. Yet, instead of making us merely more cautious and careful, or in the case of risky sports or activities, to be more skilful (which is not a bad thing at all), it very often can become a situation of excessive anxiety, disproportionate apprehensiveness or, as Singaporeans love to say, just plain “kiasi” (one of the three ks, including kiasu and kancheong)
So the quote again:
"The fear of death stops you from living, but not from dying"
is indeed a timely reminder… or perhaps just a new way in which we can look at man’s greatest fear – death... because ultimately, dying, without having actually lived, may be an even riskier choice....
(pardon the morbid topic … it’s been sitting on my mind for a while so I have to put it somewhere..)
"The fear of death stops you from living, but not from dying"
Two mornings ago (at 6am no less!), my sis shared with me the above quote over breakfast, which is so good I know I simply have to share it...
If the fear of death and dying can be so paralyzing as to stop anyone from fully embracing and enjoying what life has to offer, isn’t it time to see what all this is really costing us?
As I mused over why and when this fear of death came into our humanly lives, I shared with her what my school principal told us recently, a small gathering of new teachers in an informal chitchat session with him. In his own words, he said, “We (teachers) must be the ones to decide how much risk can be allowed in any activity. Kids this age (17/18) will take all sorts of risk. They think they cannot die”.
He went on to share with us two incidents in his past experience as principal of two other schools, one of where an unfortunate incident occurred in which a boy either leaned too far out or actually climbed onto a fourth-floor railing to untie a banner and fell, hitting the ground head-on. The poor boy didn’t survive.
After patiently hearing my story to the end, my wise sister said, “Ah! That is part of developmental psychology.” She elaborated further on how kids at different ages slowly develop their understanding of death, from a non-existent concept, to a concrete one, and eventually to the abstract notion of what death is. It’s pretty interesting.. read this..
Infant to Toddler (0-2)
The terms "death" or "forever" or "permanent" may not have real value to children of this age group. Even with previous experiences with death, the child may not understand the relationship between life and death. Death is not a permanent condition.
Preschool (3-5)
This is the age of "Magical Thinking". This age group may view death as temporary or reversible, as in cartoons. Death is often explained to this age group as "went to heaven." Most children in this age group do not understand that death is permanent, that everyone and every living thing will eventually die, and that dead things do not eat, sleep, or breathe.
School-age (6-12)
School-aged children are developing a more realistic & concrete understanding of death. Although they attempt to ascribe a more comprehensible meaning to the event by personifying death as a "devil", "God", "ghost", or "bogeyman", this age group is beginning to understand death as permanent, universal, and inevitable. Children (9-12) may experience fears of mutilation and personal injury. They may hence externalize these by focusing on the "gruesome" details of dying and death. Externalizing equals control.
Adolescent (13-18)
Most adolescents understand the concept that death is permanent, universal, and inevitable. Yet, due to adolescent egocentricity, it is accompanied by disbelief in the possibility of one's personal death. A predominant theme in adolescence is feelings of immortality or being exempt from death. Hence, they are least likely to accept the cessation of life, particularly their own. Their rejection of death is understandable developmentally because the adolescents' tasks are to establish an identity by finding out who they are, what their purpose is, and where they belong. Any suggestions of being different or non-being is a tremendous threat to the answer to such questions.
So I guess, sometime after that age, was when most of us typical "adults" started to realize our mortality. Yet, instead of making us merely more cautious and careful, or in the case of risky sports or activities, to be more skilful (which is not a bad thing at all), it very often can become a situation of excessive anxiety, disproportionate apprehensiveness or, as Singaporeans love to say, just plain “kiasi” (one of the three ks, including kiasu and kancheong)
So the quote again:
"The fear of death stops you from living, but not from dying"
is indeed a timely reminder… or perhaps just a new way in which we can look at man’s greatest fear – death... because ultimately, dying, without having actually lived, may be an even riskier choice....
(pardon the morbid topic … it’s been sitting on my mind for a while so I have to put it somewhere..)
Sunday, 20 February 2005
Seven Wonders of the World
A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders of the World." Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall
..........
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many.
The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."
The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World' are:
1. To See
2. To Hear
3. To Touch
4. To Taste
5. To Feel
6. To Laugh and
7. To Love
.........
The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
The things we overlook are simple and ordinary; and that we take for granted are truly wondrous!
A gentle reminder that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.
(via email)
what a lovely reminder - to love and to laugh and to live life with our senses engaged.... :)
A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders of the World." Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall
..........
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many.
The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."
The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World' are:
1. To See
2. To Hear
3. To Touch
4. To Taste
5. To Feel
6. To Laugh and
7. To Love
.........
The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
The things we overlook are simple and ordinary; and that we take for granted are truly wondrous!
A gentle reminder that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.
(via email)
what a lovely reminder - to love and to laugh and to live life with our senses engaged.... :)
Monday, 14 February 2005
Mr Blobby Visits Botero 2005
brought Mr Blobby out on a visit of Botero's massive bronze sculptures as well as a fine collection of the Colombian artist's paintings at the Singapore Art Museum.
Blobby definitely had as much fun as I did. It was great!
see more pics of Blobby's arty day out.
(Who the !@#$^%&*%#% is Mr Blobby??)
ok ok.. he's my friend from way back in 1994 when i was in London... i think that was when he was still a great TV hit ... hahahaha... believe it or not, he used to be most commonly found as a huge inflatable doll (or balloon i think) outside this particular sex shop off Leicester Sq.. hahahaha..
brought Mr Blobby out on a visit of Botero's massive bronze sculptures as well as a fine collection of the Colombian artist's paintings at the Singapore Art Museum.
Blobby definitely had as much fun as I did. It was great!
see more pics of Blobby's arty day out.
(Who the !@#$^%&*%#% is Mr Blobby??)
ok ok.. he's my friend from way back in 1994 when i was in London... i think that was when he was still a great TV hit ... hahahaha... believe it or not, he used to be most commonly found as a huge inflatable doll (or balloon i think) outside this particular sex shop off Leicester Sq.. hahahaha..
Saturday, 5 February 2005
k.d.lang concert @ the esplanade
k d lang's concert was nothing short of amazing... although i paid a lot more than what i would normally pay for watching any 1 to 2 hour concert (and this supposedly being only 70mins long without intermission), i didn't quite expect it to be THIS good..
i was mesmerised...
from the moment she stepped onto stage (looking, i have to admit, a lot older and "wider" than i thought), through her repertoire of songs from past and present, her teasing of the crowd (she tried to get everyone of us to hold hands with the people next to us - which i just couldn't cos the slightly balding guy on my left was such an uptight middle-age figure who was obviously rather uncomfortable with the gender-bending allusions she sometimes made - he shouted out "This is Singapore!" when she urged us on a little more), and at moments, engaging the audience in some cheeky bantering (which clearly only certain "alternative" portions of the crowd could really catch and enjoy), she made it clear that she was going to make it well worth every cent we paid..
being not much of a k d lang fan myself, i found that i couldn't recognise most of the songs that were powerfully and very often playfully belted out (except for Constant Craving, of course :))... yet, her voice had this pure, ethereal quality that made it just impossible to not love..
her stage setup was simple. there were no costume changes halfway. and all she had with her was her great 4 piece band and a nice chamber orchestra of 22. on top of that, k d lang's occasional playful skipping was meant more to amuse than to impress us with her (or rather lack of) dancing talent.
yet, she had all of us fascinated.. enraptured by her music.. hypnotised by her magnetic stage presence..
and of course she got a standing ovation from me.
i am convinced she's one of the greatest performers of our time.
update: here's a picture of what she wore that night... and of course beneath that amazing shiny gown-suit and sly smile was a.. SKIRT! :p
see more reviews of the concert here.
k d lang's concert was nothing short of amazing... although i paid a lot more than what i would normally pay for watching any 1 to 2 hour concert (and this supposedly being only 70mins long without intermission), i didn't quite expect it to be THIS good..
i was mesmerised...
from the moment she stepped onto stage (looking, i have to admit, a lot older and "wider" than i thought), through her repertoire of songs from past and present, her teasing of the crowd (she tried to get everyone of us to hold hands with the people next to us - which i just couldn't cos the slightly balding guy on my left was such an uptight middle-age figure who was obviously rather uncomfortable with the gender-bending allusions she sometimes made - he shouted out "This is Singapore!" when she urged us on a little more), and at moments, engaging the audience in some cheeky bantering (which clearly only certain "alternative" portions of the crowd could really catch and enjoy), she made it clear that she was going to make it well worth every cent we paid..
being not much of a k d lang fan myself, i found that i couldn't recognise most of the songs that were powerfully and very often playfully belted out (except for Constant Craving, of course :))... yet, her voice had this pure, ethereal quality that made it just impossible to not love..
her stage setup was simple. there were no costume changes halfway. and all she had with her was her great 4 piece band and a nice chamber orchestra of 22. on top of that, k d lang's occasional playful skipping was meant more to amuse than to impress us with her (or rather lack of) dancing talent.
yet, she had all of us fascinated.. enraptured by her music.. hypnotised by her magnetic stage presence..
and of course she got a standing ovation from me.
i am convinced she's one of the greatest performers of our time.
update: here's a picture of what she wore that night... and of course beneath that amazing shiny gown-suit and sly smile was a.. SKIRT! :p
see more reviews of the concert here.
Wednesday, 26 January 2005
Monday, 24 January 2005
Saturday, 22 January 2005
Test Drive Galore!
went test driving a whole bunch of S$60k - S$70k cars yesterday... (clockwise from top-left) Peugeot 206, Suzuki Swift, Honda Jazz, Mazda 2 ... Can you see how incredibly similar all of them look??
even tried....
the ultimate ah-beng car.. the Subaru Impreza
and the (also very identical-looking here) Skoda Fabia from the Czech Republic, though i tried the Sedan version and not the hatchback..
but mom says I shouldn't buy Continental cars cos maintenance is difficult (hard to find parts) and costly (which unfortunately is true..).. I am also very resistant to buying the Toyota Vios and the Nissan Sunny (two admittedly very great value cars now @ $59k) cos they are so incredibly common on the road... think about it: what's the point of buying an expensive new dress and then finding everyone else on Orchard Road wearing the same thing?? you know what i mean?? :p (no offence to those driving Vios and Sunnies.. ha)
which do you think it will eventually be?? :) place your bets!
went test driving a whole bunch of S$60k - S$70k cars yesterday... (clockwise from top-left) Peugeot 206, Suzuki Swift, Honda Jazz, Mazda 2 ... Can you see how incredibly similar all of them look??
even tried....
the ultimate ah-beng car.. the Subaru Impreza
and the (also very identical-looking here) Skoda Fabia from the Czech Republic, though i tried the Sedan version and not the hatchback..
but mom says I shouldn't buy Continental cars cos maintenance is difficult (hard to find parts) and costly (which unfortunately is true..).. I am also very resistant to buying the Toyota Vios and the Nissan Sunny (two admittedly very great value cars now @ $59k) cos they are so incredibly common on the road... think about it: what's the point of buying an expensive new dress and then finding everyone else on Orchard Road wearing the same thing?? you know what i mean?? :p (no offence to those driving Vios and Sunnies.. ha)
which do you think it will eventually be?? :) place your bets!
Wednesday, 12 January 2005
Sunday, 9 January 2005
"Saudi cleric blames gays, sin for tsunamis"
"In comments that have angered gay rights groups and liberal Muslims across the world, a Saudi professor and Islamic cleric has drawn links between Indian Ocean tsunami disaster and what he terms "sexual perversion."......
"These great tragedies and collective punishments that are wiping out villages, towns, cities and even entire countries are Allah's punishments of the people of these countries, even if they are Muslims," the professor at Al-Imam University said.
He said that the timing of the disaster -- just a day after Christmas -- was a "sign from Allah."
read more of this "...... " (fill in your own adjective) article
..... more "religious explanations" on the tsunami for the curious and brave.... or maybe, as this article says, "Let our primary question in the wake of this tragedy be not "Why did it happen?" but rather "What can I do to help?"..
well said.
"In comments that have angered gay rights groups and liberal Muslims across the world, a Saudi professor and Islamic cleric has drawn links between Indian Ocean tsunami disaster and what he terms "sexual perversion."......
"These great tragedies and collective punishments that are wiping out villages, towns, cities and even entire countries are Allah's punishments of the people of these countries, even if they are Muslims," the professor at Al-Imam University said.
He said that the timing of the disaster -- just a day after Christmas -- was a "sign from Allah."
read more of this "...... " (fill in your own adjective) article
..... more "religious explanations" on the tsunami for the curious and brave.... or maybe, as this article says, "Let our primary question in the wake of this tragedy be not "Why did it happen?" but rather "What can I do to help?"..
well said.
Women who matter
Women who impressed, inspired and/or amused me recently:
Margaret Cho and her article "Why must I bleed alone?" (via Otterman)
Dr Jane Goodall and the Roots and Shoots program (at the Jane Goodall Institute) to inspire youths of all ages to make a difference by becoming involved in their communities.
Miranda Mimi Kuo and her photographs of women in China (her exhibition is now on at the linkway to the Esplanade - go see it! it's fantastic!)
Women who impressed, inspired and/or amused me recently:
Margaret Cho and her article "Why must I bleed alone?" (via Otterman)
Dr Jane Goodall and the Roots and Shoots program (at the Jane Goodall Institute) to inspire youths of all ages to make a difference by becoming involved in their communities.
Miranda Mimi Kuo and her photographs of women in China (her exhibition is now on at the linkway to the Esplanade - go see it! it's fantastic!)
Happy Birthday To Me and A Letter From Singapore
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me-e
Happy Birthday to me
finally, i've hit the big 3.. to another great decade of adventure and learning! kai says it best - read here ..
anyway, someone just forwarded me this personal account of the relief efforts going on now in Singapore, which I can only describe as wonderfully truthful, appropriately emotional, fantastically insightful and definitely a good read, no less, capturing perfectly the mood, excitement, tears and joys of a moment (in history) such as this one.. I'll put it here to share it with you all..
"I started smoking again, and am living off of whatever scraps of tidbits I had hoarded at my desk and cans of expired beer I find in corners. We are all beginning to stumble and slur from exhaustion.
But somehow we can still manage to get things done. Yesterday, we just delivered a mobile air traffic control tower to Banda Aceh. A MOBILE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER - who even knew there were such things?
Banda Aceh Airport was badly hit, and they've been trying to control air traffic out of tents! Now, with this tower (worth millions, but I can't disclose), the airport will have all-weather capability and we will have essentially established another link from the world into Indonesia.
I say another, because over the last week, we established TWO landing sites off the coast of Meulaboh. This is pretty fucking phenomenal. Until then, the worst hit parts of Indonesia were inaccesible to the world. You couldn't reach it by air, sea, or land. With great difficulty and danger, we beached two Helicopter Landing Ships off the coast, and half or more of our national strength of Chinooks and Super Pumas are ferrying supplies and people non-stop into the place. This is not counting the C-130s that have already been deployed to fly supplies over to Indonesia and Thailand. I think we also loaned two landing craft to the TNI Navy. Among the things we bring in are ambulances, tracked vehicles (for riding straight over debris which cant be cleared), medical supplies, water bags, etc. Around now, a portable water desalination plant is being delivered to the Maldives. It will produce enough water every day to feed 1/3 of the population of the Maldives. More desalination and purification plants are on their way to the Maldives and Indonesia. Holy mother, isn't this incredible? And that's just the Singapore side of things - the mind reels when thinking about the global aggregate of action going on.
And people. We are supplying people. What people! We have disaster assistance and relief teams, medical teams, forensic teams, consular teams, disaster victim identification teams, counselling teams. We even set up a field hospital with surgical capability. As I watched a video yesterday of our boys in blue saluting the Commissioner of the Singapore Civil Defence Force before they went off to Aceh, I choked. We are now sending 2nd and 3rd waves of people to relieve the 1st teams, but the 1st teams don't want to come back.
Back home, we all wish we could be there clearing rubble with our boys, but there is work that needs to be done too. Like manning the consular lines for next of kin who are panicking and distraught. And trying desperately to piece together a big picture of all that's happening. Receiving and trying to meet the requests for relief pouring in from the different countries, and also trying to make the logistics work for the dozens of companies and individuals who want to fly/ship out millions of dollars' worth of relief to the affected countries. So our air and sea ports are waiving all charges related to moving relief supplies, which will soon rack up to millions of dollars, I'm sure. Our air and naval bases have been opened to the world, and crafts from all over the world are stopping over for refuelling, etc. And our national carrier is stocked to spilling carrying supplies for free to tsunami-hit places. And every so often we will get millionaires telling us their private jets and staff are at our disposal.
All this is incredibly human work. You want to break down in tears, you are exploding with adrenalin. For example, someone might call and ask you what they should do with the body of their baby which they just found. Or beg you to search such and such an island for their missing relative. And you need to translate that desperation into the deployment of helicopters and armed forces personnel - if we had the time to stop and reflect on it, we would be struck dumb by what we are all doing. We would probably be paralysed.
Of course, the next generation of work must already be underway even as the emergency relief continues. By that, I mean things like the Regional Coordination Centre - everyone can see that the recovery and reconstruction work will take over a decade and billions of dollars, AND the combined effort of the world. Things like getting a UN Special Rep appointed to oversee this. Like banging down bureaucratic and political doors to make agencies and governments work together. Or even little lackeys like me quickly figuring out a way to stay alive, coherent, and useful on this amount of sleep.
Of course, Singapore is just one of many countries, all of whom are doing fantastic work. I can only tell you what Singapore is doing, because that's where I am. But everyone, everyone is in overdrive. I am always told I make a lousy diplomat because I get moved by such things, but I can't help it. You should be here. You should feel this. There is, expectedly, politics going on when so many countries are involved.
But there is also marvellous humanity and generosity at work. For an innocent like me, I only hope that the latter do not get too corrupted by dark clouds which are already beginning to gather, like the actions of terrorists and separatists, tussles between governments, games of hollow one-up-manship.
If you can't be here, find a way to do something.
Lobby your politicians to drop the games, put the news out there that what we need is regional and international coordination (whatever modalities work best, we should take them, this is not the time to split hairs), speak up for a long-term sustained commitment (I dread the next natural disaster or celebrity lawsuit, when all eyes will turn from tsunami-hit Asia), don't let people continue to talk along artificial lines like the UN vs the US (the buggers have been working together since Day 1, you can believe it), correct this unfair notion that Indonesia is not doing well in getting the supplies out to the people (understand that the roads are inaccessible, and practically the whole of the freaking health and administrative service in Aceh are wiped out), and all kinds of things.
You may not hear from me again in a while. I have a feeling I may descend further in stupour. But at a time like this, I think and miss you. I hope you all take care of yourselves and do something to help the poor and the vulnerable. If anyone knows someone who will build a home for orphans, I will run it."
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me-e
Happy Birthday to me
finally, i've hit the big 3.. to another great decade of adventure and learning! kai says it best - read here ..
anyway, someone just forwarded me this personal account of the relief efforts going on now in Singapore, which I can only describe as wonderfully truthful, appropriately emotional, fantastically insightful and definitely a good read, no less, capturing perfectly the mood, excitement, tears and joys of a moment (in history) such as this one.. I'll put it here to share it with you all..
"I started smoking again, and am living off of whatever scraps of tidbits I had hoarded at my desk and cans of expired beer I find in corners. We are all beginning to stumble and slur from exhaustion.
But somehow we can still manage to get things done. Yesterday, we just delivered a mobile air traffic control tower to Banda Aceh. A MOBILE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER - who even knew there were such things?
Banda Aceh Airport was badly hit, and they've been trying to control air traffic out of tents! Now, with this tower (worth millions, but I can't disclose), the airport will have all-weather capability and we will have essentially established another link from the world into Indonesia.
I say another, because over the last week, we established TWO landing sites off the coast of Meulaboh. This is pretty fucking phenomenal. Until then, the worst hit parts of Indonesia were inaccesible to the world. You couldn't reach it by air, sea, or land. With great difficulty and danger, we beached two Helicopter Landing Ships off the coast, and half or more of our national strength of Chinooks and Super Pumas are ferrying supplies and people non-stop into the place. This is not counting the C-130s that have already been deployed to fly supplies over to Indonesia and Thailand. I think we also loaned two landing craft to the TNI Navy. Among the things we bring in are ambulances, tracked vehicles (for riding straight over debris which cant be cleared), medical supplies, water bags, etc. Around now, a portable water desalination plant is being delivered to the Maldives. It will produce enough water every day to feed 1/3 of the population of the Maldives. More desalination and purification plants are on their way to the Maldives and Indonesia. Holy mother, isn't this incredible? And that's just the Singapore side of things - the mind reels when thinking about the global aggregate of action going on.
And people. We are supplying people. What people! We have disaster assistance and relief teams, medical teams, forensic teams, consular teams, disaster victim identification teams, counselling teams. We even set up a field hospital with surgical capability. As I watched a video yesterday of our boys in blue saluting the Commissioner of the Singapore Civil Defence Force before they went off to Aceh, I choked. We are now sending 2nd and 3rd waves of people to relieve the 1st teams, but the 1st teams don't want to come back.
Back home, we all wish we could be there clearing rubble with our boys, but there is work that needs to be done too. Like manning the consular lines for next of kin who are panicking and distraught. And trying desperately to piece together a big picture of all that's happening. Receiving and trying to meet the requests for relief pouring in from the different countries, and also trying to make the logistics work for the dozens of companies and individuals who want to fly/ship out millions of dollars' worth of relief to the affected countries. So our air and sea ports are waiving all charges related to moving relief supplies, which will soon rack up to millions of dollars, I'm sure. Our air and naval bases have been opened to the world, and crafts from all over the world are stopping over for refuelling, etc. And our national carrier is stocked to spilling carrying supplies for free to tsunami-hit places. And every so often we will get millionaires telling us their private jets and staff are at our disposal.
All this is incredibly human work. You want to break down in tears, you are exploding with adrenalin. For example, someone might call and ask you what they should do with the body of their baby which they just found. Or beg you to search such and such an island for their missing relative. And you need to translate that desperation into the deployment of helicopters and armed forces personnel - if we had the time to stop and reflect on it, we would be struck dumb by what we are all doing. We would probably be paralysed.
Of course, the next generation of work must already be underway even as the emergency relief continues. By that, I mean things like the Regional Coordination Centre - everyone can see that the recovery and reconstruction work will take over a decade and billions of dollars, AND the combined effort of the world. Things like getting a UN Special Rep appointed to oversee this. Like banging down bureaucratic and political doors to make agencies and governments work together. Or even little lackeys like me quickly figuring out a way to stay alive, coherent, and useful on this amount of sleep.
Of course, Singapore is just one of many countries, all of whom are doing fantastic work. I can only tell you what Singapore is doing, because that's where I am. But everyone, everyone is in overdrive. I am always told I make a lousy diplomat because I get moved by such things, but I can't help it. You should be here. You should feel this. There is, expectedly, politics going on when so many countries are involved.
But there is also marvellous humanity and generosity at work. For an innocent like me, I only hope that the latter do not get too corrupted by dark clouds which are already beginning to gather, like the actions of terrorists and separatists, tussles between governments, games of hollow one-up-manship.
If you can't be here, find a way to do something.
Lobby your politicians to drop the games, put the news out there that what we need is regional and international coordination (whatever modalities work best, we should take them, this is not the time to split hairs), speak up for a long-term sustained commitment (I dread the next natural disaster or celebrity lawsuit, when all eyes will turn from tsunami-hit Asia), don't let people continue to talk along artificial lines like the UN vs the US (the buggers have been working together since Day 1, you can believe it), correct this unfair notion that Indonesia is not doing well in getting the supplies out to the people (understand that the roads are inaccessible, and practically the whole of the freaking health and administrative service in Aceh are wiped out), and all kinds of things.
You may not hear from me again in a while. I have a feeling I may descend further in stupour. But at a time like this, I think and miss you. I hope you all take care of yourselves and do something to help the poor and the vulnerable. If anyone knows someone who will build a home for orphans, I will run it."
Wednesday, 5 January 2005
Two places not mentioned much in the news...
More than 400 could be dead in Burma
More than 400 people could be killed in Burma by the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis which struck the coasts surrounding the Indian Ocean on 26 December, according to reliable reports received by DVB.
read more
50,000 need assistance in Somalia
NAIROBI, Kenya - At least 50,000 people in Somalia urgently need food, water, shelter and medical care a week after deadly tsunamis slammed African shores, officials said Monday.
Some 24 countries, including the United States, have pledged to send relief supplies to Somalia, but nothing has arrived on the ground, said Somali presidential spokesman Yusuf Mohamed Ismail. He said survivors urgently need help after losing their homes and livelihoods.
read more
More than 400 could be dead in Burma
More than 400 people could be killed in Burma by the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis which struck the coasts surrounding the Indian Ocean on 26 December, according to reliable reports received by DVB.
read more
50,000 need assistance in Somalia
NAIROBI, Kenya - At least 50,000 people in Somalia urgently need food, water, shelter and medical care a week after deadly tsunamis slammed African shores, officials said Monday.
Some 24 countries, including the United States, have pledged to send relief supplies to Somalia, but nothing has arrived on the ground, said Somali presidential spokesman Yusuf Mohamed Ismail. He said survivors urgently need help after losing their homes and livelihoods.
read more
Tuesday, 4 January 2005
Tsunami SMS hoax
wicked and/or gullible individuals are passing around sms hoaxes trying to destroy the credibility of Mercy Relief's fund raising efforts for the Tsunami victims..
one of these poorly-worded messages reads: "Please Do not call this 2 no. 19009111110 to donate $10 or 1900-9111150($50)This is a cheated money calls, confirmed by SRCS Pls help 2 pass e msg"
Mercy Relief is genuinely helping the Singapore Red Cross Society (SRCS) to raise funds. I've checked with the Red Cross directly on the phone and they're aware of this hoax going around.
it's so unfortunate and unbelieveable that certain individuals out there can see this as an opportunity for a childish prank, capitalising on the fears of others out there.
wicked and/or gullible individuals are passing around sms hoaxes trying to destroy the credibility of Mercy Relief's fund raising efforts for the Tsunami victims..
one of these poorly-worded messages reads: "Please Do not call this 2 no. 19009111110 to donate $10 or 1900-9111150($50)This is a cheated money calls, confirmed by SRCS Pls help 2 pass e msg"
Mercy Relief is genuinely helping the Singapore Red Cross Society (SRCS) to raise funds. I've checked with the Red Cross directly on the phone and they're aware of this hoax going around.
it's so unfortunate and unbelieveable that certain individuals out there can see this as an opportunity for a childish prank, capitalising on the fears of others out there.
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