New subjects like drama and economics may be offered in Secondary schools
Education --> more exciting changes to come... see news
"More variety, more choices are now the buzzwords in education."
Monday, 5 April 2004
Scrap A levels
MP Tan Cheng Bock said: 'Scrap A levels let all O level students go to the poly' - APRIL 4, 2004
'The A levels are a British heritage we have kept for far too long. The time has come to rethink this. My view is that we should scrap the A levels and let all O-level students go to the polys.'
the more i think about it, the more it makes sense... by golly, i think he's right..
MP Tan Cheng Bock said: 'Scrap A levels let all O level students go to the poly' - APRIL 4, 2004
'The A levels are a British heritage we have kept for far too long. The time has come to rethink this. My view is that we should scrap the A levels and let all O-level students go to the polys.'
the more i think about it, the more it makes sense... by golly, i think he's right..
Sunday, 4 April 2004
Thinking on your Feet
i'm reading a book now called "How to Think on your Feet" by Patrick Quinn and decided to surf the net to search for some more tips on how to develop this fundamental skill that I think all teachers need to have (and which i still sorely lack)...
check out this great story i found:
There was a boy who worked in the produce section of the market. A man came in and asked to buy half a head of lettuce. The boy told him that they only sold whole heads of lettuce, but the man replied that he did not need a whole head, but only a half head. The boy said he would go ask his manager about the matter.
The boy walked into the back room and said, "There's some jerk out there who wants to buy only a half a head of lettuce." As he was finishing saying this he turned around to find the man standing right behind him, so he added, "and this gentleman wants to buy the other half...
The manager okayed the deal and the man went on his way. Later the manager called on the boy and said, "You almost got yourself in a lot of trouble earlier, but I must say I was impressed with the way you got yourself out of it. You think on your feet and we like that around here. Where are you from son?" The boy replied, "Canada sir." "Oh really? Why did you leave Canada?" asked the manager. The boy replied, "They're all just whores and hockey players up there."
"Really," replied the manager, "My wife is from Canada!!" The boy replied, "No kidding! What team did she play for?
i'm reading a book now called "How to Think on your Feet" by Patrick Quinn and decided to surf the net to search for some more tips on how to develop this fundamental skill that I think all teachers need to have (and which i still sorely lack)...
check out this great story i found:
There was a boy who worked in the produce section of the market. A man came in and asked to buy half a head of lettuce. The boy told him that they only sold whole heads of lettuce, but the man replied that he did not need a whole head, but only a half head. The boy said he would go ask his manager about the matter.
The boy walked into the back room and said, "There's some jerk out there who wants to buy only a half a head of lettuce." As he was finishing saying this he turned around to find the man standing right behind him, so he added, "and this gentleman wants to buy the other half...
The manager okayed the deal and the man went on his way. Later the manager called on the boy and said, "You almost got yourself in a lot of trouble earlier, but I must say I was impressed with the way you got yourself out of it. You think on your feet and we like that around here. Where are you from son?" The boy replied, "Canada sir." "Oh really? Why did you leave Canada?" asked the manager. The boy replied, "They're all just whores and hockey players up there."
"Really," replied the manager, "My wife is from Canada!!" The boy replied, "No kidding! What team did she play for?
Saturday, 3 April 2004
what i learnt about the power of love over hatred
All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle
~ Francis Of Assissi
Love seeks healing, peace and wholeness. Hatred can never overcome hatred. Only love can overcome hatred and violence. Love is that light. It is that candle that cannot be extinguished by all the darkness and hatred in the world.
~ Francis Of Assissi
Love seeks healing, peace and wholeness. Hatred can never overcome hatred. Only love can overcome hatred and violence. Love is that light. It is that candle that cannot be extinguished by all the darkness and hatred in the world.
Friday, 2 April 2004
Life is Unfair...
... cos i get all the beautiful views of sunrise from my real table-sde window every morning and you can only view them from your Microsoft Windows...
wahhahahaha... see a close up of those lovely cranes (Singapore's National Bird) here.
Am i in a good mood? haha.. ya, I am.. how did you guess? :p ... been a good day. Thank God! :)
... cos i get all the beautiful views of sunrise from my real table-sde window every morning and you can only view them from your Microsoft Windows...
wahhahahaha... see a close up of those lovely cranes (Singapore's National Bird) here.
Am i in a good mood? haha.. ya, I am.. how did you guess? :p ... been a good day. Thank God! :)
Tuesday, 30 March 2004
Q-Car
the Takara Toy Co's Q-Car is so kawaii!!
and it actually runs! though for only 80 km .. umm.. enough to make it to Joo Chiat for the Black Pepper Crab and back? :p
check out short brief on Straits Times Interactive. it's priced only at US$10,000!
the Takara Toy Co's Q-Car is so kawaii!!
and it actually runs! though for only 80 km .. umm.. enough to make it to Joo Chiat for the Black Pepper Crab and back? :p
check out short brief on Straits Times Interactive. it's priced only at US$10,000!
Sunday, 28 March 2004
the labelling of economies
it was interesting to read from The Economist that a couple of years ago, "frustrated by the old labels" used to categorise countries in the world, they proposed a new three-way split of the world's economies: paralysed economies (mainly poor ones in Africa); progressing economies (notably China and India, which are growing rapidly); and the paranoid economies (rich economies, such as America, which fear competition from the progressives). these labels didn't really take off, for some reason, but they remain some of the most up-to-date ones i've come across so far.... the old and cliched ones being "developed/developing nations", "industrial/agricultural economies", "first world/third world/second world" etc..
incidentally, i was talking to a friend (visting from overseas, specifically Europe) last night over dinner and she told me that the fear and paranoia that Europe feels about Asia is very real indeed. As the population of Europe shrinks while that of giants like India and China continues to grow, with economies to match, much of Europe wonders about its future, as well as its competitiveness, especially with Asia, particularly China, being termed the "next economic superpower"...
yet, as it is obvious from the ongoing controversy over globalisation, many countries, not just Asian countries such as Singapore, still fret over this so called "cultural dominance" by the Western world, in particular, the worldwide spread and dominance of the American culture ("Americanisation") via the mass media. more often than not, the Western media is seen as reflecting and projecting values that are automatically (and most certainly unfairly) assumed to be negative, including but not limited to those regarding sexual attitudes, lifestyles, family relationships etc.. They are seen not only as a threat to local cultures but also conflict with so-called "traditional values" held near and dear by the older generation.
"outraged intellectuals .. are preoccupied with protecting their cultural industries and institutions from American preponderance, the elite in developing countries are warning against the threat of the homogenization of the world under the auspices of American pop culture or Western consumerism in general. In fact, the war against Americanization of cultures has become the leitmotiv of political parties, pressure groups and intellectuals in many countries around the world." (Source: Fear of US Pop Culture Dominance Drives Anti-Globalization Sentiment By Jerry Tardieu)
personally, my sense is that the flow of culture globally is definitely not a one-way thing: Europe and the US are embracing yoga, taichi and Bollywood movies in as great measure as Asian countries are soaking up Western sitcoms, streetside coffee joints and hamburgers (? Mickey mouse? Powerpuff girls?). At the same time, young people from both sides of the globe are starting to gain a firmer appreciation and sense of identity of who they are - the typical teenager in Singapore, Taiwan or HK probably has a greater knowledge of Jap-pop, 5566 and F4 as they have of US boybands, while the Western teen will have his equivalent in Hollywood stars and all... in so many ways, the culture exchange that is happening isn't bad at all if it does lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of cultures and ways of life vastly different from ours.. in some ways, i really like to think of it as the world finally learning to connect in a real, meaningful and mutually beneficial way..
wish i could explore this issue in greater depth but i think i should go and continue to do my lesson plans.. hah! :)
it was interesting to read from The Economist that a couple of years ago, "frustrated by the old labels" used to categorise countries in the world, they proposed a new three-way split of the world's economies: paralysed economies (mainly poor ones in Africa); progressing economies (notably China and India, which are growing rapidly); and the paranoid economies (rich economies, such as America, which fear competition from the progressives). these labels didn't really take off, for some reason, but they remain some of the most up-to-date ones i've come across so far.... the old and cliched ones being "developed/developing nations", "industrial/agricultural economies", "first world/third world/second world" etc..
incidentally, i was talking to a friend (visting from overseas, specifically Europe) last night over dinner and she told me that the fear and paranoia that Europe feels about Asia is very real indeed. As the population of Europe shrinks while that of giants like India and China continues to grow, with economies to match, much of Europe wonders about its future, as well as its competitiveness, especially with Asia, particularly China, being termed the "next economic superpower"...
yet, as it is obvious from the ongoing controversy over globalisation, many countries, not just Asian countries such as Singapore, still fret over this so called "cultural dominance" by the Western world, in particular, the worldwide spread and dominance of the American culture ("Americanisation") via the mass media. more often than not, the Western media is seen as reflecting and projecting values that are automatically (and most certainly unfairly) assumed to be negative, including but not limited to those regarding sexual attitudes, lifestyles, family relationships etc.. They are seen not only as a threat to local cultures but also conflict with so-called "traditional values" held near and dear by the older generation.
"outraged intellectuals .. are preoccupied with protecting their cultural industries and institutions from American preponderance, the elite in developing countries are warning against the threat of the homogenization of the world under the auspices of American pop culture or Western consumerism in general. In fact, the war against Americanization of cultures has become the leitmotiv of political parties, pressure groups and intellectuals in many countries around the world." (Source: Fear of US Pop Culture Dominance Drives Anti-Globalization Sentiment By Jerry Tardieu)
personally, my sense is that the flow of culture globally is definitely not a one-way thing: Europe and the US are embracing yoga, taichi and Bollywood movies in as great measure as Asian countries are soaking up Western sitcoms, streetside coffee joints and hamburgers (? Mickey mouse? Powerpuff girls?). At the same time, young people from both sides of the globe are starting to gain a firmer appreciation and sense of identity of who they are - the typical teenager in Singapore, Taiwan or HK probably has a greater knowledge of Jap-pop, 5566 and F4 as they have of US boybands, while the Western teen will have his equivalent in Hollywood stars and all... in so many ways, the culture exchange that is happening isn't bad at all if it does lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of cultures and ways of life vastly different from ours.. in some ways, i really like to think of it as the world finally learning to connect in a real, meaningful and mutually beneficial way..
wish i could explore this issue in greater depth but i think i should go and continue to do my lesson plans.. hah! :)
Saturday, 27 March 2004
nose pickers win the battle against discrimination
Ananova - Top doc backs picking your nose and eating it:
err.... bad news for parents?
Ananova - Top doc backs picking your nose and eating it:
err.... bad news for parents?
teaching an old dog new tricks
today, while having a large iced lemon tea at KFC and doing some lesson planning at the same time, I was suddenly gripped by this strange and very random fear..
what if i'm an old dog that can't learn new tricks?
according to this article: LiNE Zine - Old Dogs, New Tricks, and a Few Simple Opinions, one way to "move (old dogs) out of their comfort zones .... is to provide a challenging environment to simulate and encourage learning."
but that's exactly what i did to myself!
last year, i put myself in a new and challenging position (in terms of career) and forced myself to learn new tricks so i wouldn't be stuck being a so-called "One Trick Wonder", i.e. "the dog that knows that one amazing trick that pleases everyone, but he just can’t seem to master anything else." (i.e. if i know any amazing tricks at all..haha)
but now, i'm in this phase of self-doubt, fear and uncertainty.. it seems not that easy to pick up all these new "tricks" after all... i'm wondering if these tricks are really difficult to learn, or is it because i'm actually an old dog??? :O
anyway, there is no other way but to succeed... yep.. only one choice.. :|
Ganbatte, Hwee Ling!
today, while having a large iced lemon tea at KFC and doing some lesson planning at the same time, I was suddenly gripped by this strange and very random fear..
what if i'm an old dog that can't learn new tricks?
according to this article: LiNE Zine - Old Dogs, New Tricks, and a Few Simple Opinions, one way to "move (old dogs) out of their comfort zones .... is to provide a challenging environment to simulate and encourage learning."
but that's exactly what i did to myself!
last year, i put myself in a new and challenging position (in terms of career) and forced myself to learn new tricks so i wouldn't be stuck being a so-called "One Trick Wonder", i.e. "the dog that knows that one amazing trick that pleases everyone, but he just can’t seem to master anything else." (i.e. if i know any amazing tricks at all..haha)
but now, i'm in this phase of self-doubt, fear and uncertainty.. it seems not that easy to pick up all these new "tricks" after all... i'm wondering if these tricks are really difficult to learn, or is it because i'm actually an old dog??? :O
anyway, there is no other way but to succeed... yep.. only one choice.. :|
Ganbatte, Hwee Ling!
Friday, 26 March 2004
Wednesday, 24 March 2004
Tuesday, 23 March 2004
habitat news
due to increasing workload, i've been way way too busy to blog properly.. which isn't really much of an issue anyway since I doubt I'll be abe to blog about much else than my lesson plans, stress, coping with stress, stuff I've learnt in my new work environment, people i've met and their impact on me etc.. which i've been discussing to death with people around me anyway..
but check out habitat news - Natural history news for the busy Singaporean - a blogsite of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (RMBR) - a site i've been religiously following since it was started not long ago by Siva, a.k.a. Otterman, an individual passionate about all things nature, especially in Singapore. If you do recall, he commented once about my pet leeches?.. haha... :p
nonetheless, reading the wonderful stories of "leatherjacket filefish, large cuttlefish, plenty of butterfly fish, nudis, lots of crabs, and 2 cat sharks" off Pulau Hantu, "fantastic viz of incredible 4m (!!!!) - something which I've never experienced in all of the five dives I've done in Singapore to date, 3m long giant Hydroids, flatworm galore, as well as "Otters at Kranji mangroves" and "Hornbills on Kent Ridge" is sure to create much disbelief but also joy to those of us who for a moment are sure to imagine we are reading of a place that is definitely not the concrete jungle we call Singapore..
wonderful news! :) Keep them coming!
due to increasing workload, i've been way way too busy to blog properly.. which isn't really much of an issue anyway since I doubt I'll be abe to blog about much else than my lesson plans, stress, coping with stress, stuff I've learnt in my new work environment, people i've met and their impact on me etc.. which i've been discussing to death with people around me anyway..
but check out habitat news - Natural history news for the busy Singaporean - a blogsite of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (RMBR) - a site i've been religiously following since it was started not long ago by Siva, a.k.a. Otterman, an individual passionate about all things nature, especially in Singapore. If you do recall, he commented once about my pet leeches?.. haha... :p
nonetheless, reading the wonderful stories of "leatherjacket filefish, large cuttlefish, plenty of butterfly fish, nudis, lots of crabs, and 2 cat sharks" off Pulau Hantu, "fantastic viz of incredible 4m (!!!!) - something which I've never experienced in all of the five dives I've done in Singapore to date, 3m long giant Hydroids, flatworm galore, as well as "Otters at Kranji mangroves" and "Hornbills on Kent Ridge" is sure to create much disbelief but also joy to those of us who for a moment are sure to imagine we are reading of a place that is definitely not the concrete jungle we call Singapore..
wonderful news! :) Keep them coming!
Sunday, 21 March 2004
20-30-40
i've always been a great fan of Sylvia Chang's movies.. and 20-30-40 was no letdown.
a masterpiece. truly.
girls, don't miss it.
i've always been a great fan of Sylvia Chang's movies.. and 20-30-40 was no letdown.
a masterpiece. truly.
girls, don't miss it.
Saturday, 20 March 2004
alternative house parties
i attended a "prata party" last night at someone's place and it was a lot of fun. There were a lot of instant pratas (from NTUC Fairprice) toasted on the spot on buttered hot frying pans, eaten with someone's delicious home-made curry (shiok!) and with tubs of ice-cream. We laughed and talked about everything from keeping leeches as pets, to flawed govt policies, to environmental protection, to a comparison between singapore and UK medical schools and everything irrelevant or otherwise....
Though i'm not a great host myself when it comes to house parties, i do think that, especially as age catches up with me (:O ... ), they can be such a fantastic alternative to eating out at expensive restaurants. for one, they can go on for as long as we want without worrying about waiters giving us that "look".. you know what i mean?
here are some "food-themed" house parties that i've either attended, hosted or thought of hosting before:
- cockles and D24 durian (this one actually took place at my house, with much success.. haha)
- spagetti & selection of wines from DFS
- Still Rd Black Pepper Crab (take-away) plus beer
- Lorong 9 Beef Kway Teow, plus tau hway (take-away)
- Popiah Party
- Sushi Party
- Steamboat Party
- Selection of famous take-away foods we know (e.g. chicken pie from Don Fast East Square, brownie from dunno-where, tau kwa pau from Hock Ann Eating House along Joo Chiat Rd or East Coast Park lagoon food centre, durian puffs from Puteri Mas at No. 475 Joo Chiat Road etc.).. something like that..
- Salads and Smoothies (for those who want to stay lean despite all the feasting)
- Bak Chang (Dumplings) Party
- Mooncake and Chinese tea (which must be accompanied by poetry recital, either self-written, the Tang period kind or the Charles Bukowski type.. shouldn't be fussy.. :p)
parties can be themed with photo viewing and exchange, slide shows, to look (and ooh and ahh) at someone's new baby, to watch VCDs, or just as simple get-togethers.. the idea is that it should be stress-free not just for the people attending (i.e. not too much pot-lucking and coordination) but also for the host (i.e. not too much cooking, cleaning, preparation)...
another "Great Idea from Hwee Ling" ® (hahahhaha...)
ok ok.. just taking a break from work..
i attended a "prata party" last night at someone's place and it was a lot of fun. There were a lot of instant pratas (from NTUC Fairprice) toasted on the spot on buttered hot frying pans, eaten with someone's delicious home-made curry (shiok!) and with tubs of ice-cream. We laughed and talked about everything from keeping leeches as pets, to flawed govt policies, to environmental protection, to a comparison between singapore and UK medical schools and everything irrelevant or otherwise....
Though i'm not a great host myself when it comes to house parties, i do think that, especially as age catches up with me (:O ... ), they can be such a fantastic alternative to eating out at expensive restaurants. for one, they can go on for as long as we want without worrying about waiters giving us that "look".. you know what i mean?
here are some "food-themed" house parties that i've either attended, hosted or thought of hosting before:
- cockles and D24 durian (this one actually took place at my house, with much success.. haha)
- spagetti & selection of wines from DFS
- Still Rd Black Pepper Crab (take-away) plus beer
- Lorong 9 Beef Kway Teow, plus tau hway (take-away)
- Popiah Party
- Sushi Party
- Steamboat Party
- Selection of famous take-away foods we know (e.g. chicken pie from Don Fast East Square, brownie from dunno-where, tau kwa pau from Hock Ann Eating House along Joo Chiat Rd or East Coast Park lagoon food centre, durian puffs from Puteri Mas at No. 475 Joo Chiat Road etc.).. something like that..
- Salads and Smoothies (for those who want to stay lean despite all the feasting)
- Bak Chang (Dumplings) Party
- Mooncake and Chinese tea (which must be accompanied by poetry recital, either self-written, the Tang period kind or the Charles Bukowski type.. shouldn't be fussy.. :p)
parties can be themed with photo viewing and exchange, slide shows, to look (and ooh and ahh) at someone's new baby, to watch VCDs, or just as simple get-togethers.. the idea is that it should be stress-free not just for the people attending (i.e. not too much pot-lucking and coordination) but also for the host (i.e. not too much cooking, cleaning, preparation)...
another "Great Idea from Hwee Ling" ® (hahahhaha...)
ok ok.. just taking a break from work..
Friday, 19 March 2004
Which book of the Bible are you?
You Are Romans
almost impossible to read.. what a strange combination of colours to choose for the font and background.. umm....
brought to you by Quizilla (via kungfubaby)
You Are Romans
almost impossible to read.. what a strange combination of colours to choose for the font and background.. umm....
brought to you by Quizilla (via kungfubaby)
Photo journal....
of a spunky Ukrainian girl's ride thru Chernobyl on her 1100cc Kawasaki 18 years after the disaster..
PRIPYAT ghost town (1970-1986)
absolutely fascinating.. straight out of a sci-fi movie.. or a B-grade horror movie ala The Omega Man (1971).. one of my all-time favs..
of a spunky Ukrainian girl's ride thru Chernobyl on her 1100cc Kawasaki 18 years after the disaster..
PRIPYAT ghost town (1970-1986)
absolutely fascinating.. straight out of a sci-fi movie.. or a B-grade horror movie ala The Omega Man (1971).. one of my all-time favs..
Thursday, 18 March 2004
Quotes from Lewis Mumford (1895 - 1990) - US architect & sociologist
The final test of an economic system is not the tons of iron, the tanks of oil, or the miles of textiles it produces: The final test lies in its ultimate products – the sort of men and women it nurtures and the order and beauty and sanity of their communities.
Modern Man is the victim of the very instruments he values most. Every gain in power, every mastery of natural forces, every scientific addition to knowledge, has proved potentially dangerous, because it has not been accompanied by equal gains in self-understanding and self-discipline.
A day spent without the sight or sound of beauty, the contemplation of mystery, or the search of truth or perfection is a poverty-stricken day; and a succession of such days is fatal to human life.
Forget the damned motor car and build the cities for lovers and friends.
see web and more quotes.
funny how coincidental this is.. was just pondering on the urbanscape and artificial, concrete jungle surrounding me as I was coming home today and i stumbled upon quotes by this famous urban planner minutes ago.. umm..
Modern Man is the victim of the very instruments he values most. Every gain in power, every mastery of natural forces, every scientific addition to knowledge, has proved potentially dangerous, because it has not been accompanied by equal gains in self-understanding and self-discipline.
A day spent without the sight or sound of beauty, the contemplation of mystery, or the search of truth or perfection is a poverty-stricken day; and a succession of such days is fatal to human life.
Forget the damned motor car and build the cities for lovers and friends.
see web and more quotes.
funny how coincidental this is.. was just pondering on the urbanscape and artificial, concrete jungle surrounding me as I was coming home today and i stumbled upon quotes by this famous urban planner minutes ago.. umm..
metallic beauty
this car has sent my parents into a tizzy... but i admit its really beautiful.. :)
got lots on my mind but have just been way too busy to blog them down.... not that the lack of blogging is so much of a problem in itself.. what is more annoying is that I've found that thoughts are really quite a funny thing... usually, in the course of a day, i'll read, hear or think about something interesting (at least to me) that i know i want to write down, or check up on the Internet or talk to people about.. but then, I'll be too lazy or distracted to scribble it down in my 3x4 notebook (no more PDAs for me! :p)...
but put thoughts aside or ignore them for a while and suddenly, they just vanish.. do our minds really work like computer CPUs? If we forget to click on the "Save" button and turn off our computers, all the memory is "lost"? Or is it like what they say.. something about our day-to-day events being more "RAM" vs "ROM" (Random Access Memory vs. Read Only Memory")??? Or maybe the thoughts just float around in the mass of greymatter in our heads and get lodged somewhere.. Unorganised thoughts = No thoughts so it's as good as not having them there at all! worse still, it ends up "clogging our brains", reducing "brain performance"..
Other random musings:
Can there be memories that are forever inscribed and can never be erased? I mean, like traumas and stuff? What if we try really hard to forget something? Will it backfire and we end up remembering them even better?? Like the file is constantly "in use" and defies deletion... we're talking "closure" here.. haha
Maybe we need to "replace" old/outdated (read: regressive) memories with new ones..
Can there also be things that we are constantly trying to remember but somehow never get "recorded" in our minds no matter how hard we try? Like some kind of blockage..
haha... ok, i'm going nutz.. back to work.. thanks for your time.. :p
this car has sent my parents into a tizzy... but i admit its really beautiful.. :)
got lots on my mind but have just been way too busy to blog them down.... not that the lack of blogging is so much of a problem in itself.. what is more annoying is that I've found that thoughts are really quite a funny thing... usually, in the course of a day, i'll read, hear or think about something interesting (at least to me) that i know i want to write down, or check up on the Internet or talk to people about.. but then, I'll be too lazy or distracted to scribble it down in my 3x4 notebook (no more PDAs for me! :p)...
but put thoughts aside or ignore them for a while and suddenly, they just vanish.. do our minds really work like computer CPUs? If we forget to click on the "Save" button and turn off our computers, all the memory is "lost"? Or is it like what they say.. something about our day-to-day events being more "RAM" vs "ROM" (Random Access Memory vs. Read Only Memory")??? Or maybe the thoughts just float around in the mass of greymatter in our heads and get lodged somewhere.. Unorganised thoughts = No thoughts so it's as good as not having them there at all! worse still, it ends up "clogging our brains", reducing "brain performance"..
Other random musings:
Can there be memories that are forever inscribed and can never be erased? I mean, like traumas and stuff? What if we try really hard to forget something? Will it backfire and we end up remembering them even better?? Like the file is constantly "in use" and defies deletion... we're talking "closure" here.. haha
Maybe we need to "replace" old/outdated (read: regressive) memories with new ones..
Can there also be things that we are constantly trying to remember but somehow never get "recorded" in our minds no matter how hard we try? Like some kind of blockage..
haha... ok, i'm going nutz.. back to work.. thanks for your time.. :p
Wednesday, 17 March 2004
the movie i can't wait to watch!
The Passion of the Christ : official movie site
read also: Civilization Watch - February 29, 2004 - The Passion of the Christ -- Three Reviews and a Letter - The Ornery American
The Passion of the Christ : official movie site
read also: Civilization Watch - February 29, 2004 - The Passion of the Christ -- Three Reviews and a Letter - The Ornery American
Tuesday, 16 March 2004
Till Pixels Do Us Part
When he wasn't snapping pictures, he was uploading them. When he wasn't uploading, he was editing. When he wasn't editing, he was enhancing. He became a devotee of Photoshop. And Photoshop became his mistress."
lamentations of a wife whose husband was and is obsessed with digital photography.. really funny.. :p .. incidentally,he`s got an exhibition of his photos this month in a gallery in California...
how cool is that! :)
When he wasn't snapping pictures, he was uploading them. When he wasn't uploading, he was editing. When he wasn't editing, he was enhancing. He became a devotee of Photoshop. And Photoshop became his mistress."
lamentations of a wife whose husband was and is obsessed with digital photography.. really funny.. :p .. incidentally,he`s got an exhibition of his photos this month in a gallery in California...
how cool is that! :)
Dolphins sighted off St John's Islands
click on Habitatnews for more information on this astounding and delightful discovery!! this proves that there is certainly much nature in Singapore to be conserved and protected! Hooray! :)
click on Habitatnews for more information on this astounding and delightful discovery!! this proves that there is certainly much nature in Singapore to be conserved and protected! Hooray! :)
Monday, 15 March 2004
Tasks that Make Life Worthwhile
Take time to dream
It hitches your soul to the stars.
Take time to worship
It is the highway of reverence and
washes the dust of earth from your eyes.
Take time for health
It is the true treasure of life.
Take time to laugh
It is the music of the soul.
Take time to think
It is the source of power.
Take time to play
It is the source of perpetual youth.
Take time to read
It is the fountain of wisdom.
Take time to pray
It is the greatest power on earth.
Take time to love and be loved
It is a God-given privilege.
Take time to be friendly
It is the road to happiness
Take time to give
It is too short a day to be selfish
Take time to work
It is the price of success.
-- Author Unknown
In all our mindless busy-ness, getting our priorities right becomes more important than ever. David McNally calls this the "enlightened attitude towards the scheduling of our daily lives." A timely reading of his book "Even Eagles Need A Push" was just what I needed to remind me to keep a positive attitude in life, and to regard life as "an adventure where the rewards are in the risks and the pleasure in responding to the challenge"... here's leaving you will this lovely story from the book to remind you that you were, like me, made to soar... and of course, to lead carefree lives free from worry and care..
EVEN EAGLES NEED A PUSH
The Eagle gently coaxed her offspring toward the edge of the nest. Her heart quivered with conflicting emotions as she felt their resistance to her persistent nudging.
"Why does the thrill of soaring have to begin with the fear of falling?" She thought. This ageless question was still unanswered for her.
As in the tradition of the species, her nest was located on the shelf of a sheer rock face. Below there was nothing but air to support the wings of each child. "It is possible that this time it will not work!" she thought. Despite her fear, the eagle knew it was time. Her parental mission was all but complete. There remained one final task-the PUSH.
The Eagle drew courage from an innate wisdom. Until her children discovered their wings, there was no purpose in their lives.
"Until they learned how to SOAR they would fail to understand the privilege it was to have been born an EAGLE."
The PUSH was the greatest gift she had to offer. IT WAS HER SUPREME ACT OF LOVE. So one by one she pushed them, and THEY FLEW!!
Like the EAGLE, we don't know where the push will send us, but without it we wouldn't have the opportunity to grow and SOAR.
Take time to dream
It hitches your soul to the stars.
Take time to worship
It is the highway of reverence and
washes the dust of earth from your eyes.
Take time for health
It is the true treasure of life.
Take time to laugh
It is the music of the soul.
Take time to think
It is the source of power.
Take time to play
It is the source of perpetual youth.
Take time to read
It is the fountain of wisdom.
Take time to pray
It is the greatest power on earth.
Take time to love and be loved
It is a God-given privilege.
Take time to be friendly
It is the road to happiness
Take time to give
It is too short a day to be selfish
Take time to work
It is the price of success.
-- Author Unknown
In all our mindless busy-ness, getting our priorities right becomes more important than ever. David McNally calls this the "enlightened attitude towards the scheduling of our daily lives." A timely reading of his book "Even Eagles Need A Push" was just what I needed to remind me to keep a positive attitude in life, and to regard life as "an adventure where the rewards are in the risks and the pleasure in responding to the challenge"... here's leaving you will this lovely story from the book to remind you that you were, like me, made to soar... and of course, to lead carefree lives free from worry and care..
EVEN EAGLES NEED A PUSH
The Eagle gently coaxed her offspring toward the edge of the nest. Her heart quivered with conflicting emotions as she felt their resistance to her persistent nudging.
"Why does the thrill of soaring have to begin with the fear of falling?" She thought. This ageless question was still unanswered for her.
As in the tradition of the species, her nest was located on the shelf of a sheer rock face. Below there was nothing but air to support the wings of each child. "It is possible that this time it will not work!" she thought. Despite her fear, the eagle knew it was time. Her parental mission was all but complete. There remained one final task-the PUSH.
The Eagle drew courage from an innate wisdom. Until her children discovered their wings, there was no purpose in their lives.
"Until they learned how to SOAR they would fail to understand the privilege it was to have been born an EAGLE."
The PUSH was the greatest gift she had to offer. IT WAS HER SUPREME ACT OF LOVE. So one by one she pushed them, and THEY FLEW!!
Like the EAGLE, we don't know where the push will send us, but without it we wouldn't have the opportunity to grow and SOAR.
Sunday, 14 March 2004
Saturday, 13 March 2004
You are a forest shadow. Your essence is that of
the tree or beast that casts you upon the
earth. You feel a purpose to be in balance
with the cycles of life and are wise and
beautiful in your submission to the justice of
Mother Nature. You are peaceful in nature and,
though you feel small, your spirit is precious,
strong, and mighty as the (green) forces with
which it is affiliated.
What Kind of Shadow Are You? (with gorgeous pics)
brought to you by Quizilla
Thursday, 11 March 2004
handling stray thoughts
going through one of my most traumatic and stressful period of Unconscious Incompetence in my living memory.... this is bad.. really bad... my head's already chock-full of self-doubt, fear and anxiety and then my mom just added to it by saying something totally tactless.. but something that struck to the core of my fears and stress.. .. i guess it was a totally innocent question on her part, off the top of her head but that sent me free-spinning into a total mental rollercoaster.... pms? umm.. i don't know.....
i'm blasting music through my earphones to try and drown out my thoughts... i'm tapping my fingers to help in the distraction.... i'm watching my fingers moving to add to the sensory overload... i'm twirling my mouse cursor on the computer screen so i can have other things to look at while i watch the computer screen... maybe i should drink raw lemon juice... or stab myself in the arm with a pencil or something...
oh damn! I'm so stressed!!!! :,(
i need to retreat to a natural sanctuary.... urggh!!!!!
going through one of my most traumatic and stressful period of Unconscious Incompetence in my living memory.... this is bad.. really bad... my head's already chock-full of self-doubt, fear and anxiety and then my mom just added to it by saying something totally tactless.. but something that struck to the core of my fears and stress.. .. i guess it was a totally innocent question on her part, off the top of her head but that sent me free-spinning into a total mental rollercoaster.... pms? umm.. i don't know.....
i'm blasting music through my earphones to try and drown out my thoughts... i'm tapping my fingers to help in the distraction.... i'm watching my fingers moving to add to the sensory overload... i'm twirling my mouse cursor on the computer screen so i can have other things to look at while i watch the computer screen... maybe i should drink raw lemon juice... or stab myself in the arm with a pencil or something...
oh damn! I'm so stressed!!!! :,(
i need to retreat to a natural sanctuary.... urggh!!!!!
Wednesday, 10 March 2004
Classic '80s Games
wow! i so miss playing these 80s computer games!!! highly pixellated and all that...
I remember having a bunch of them on my very first green monitor Commodore 64 computer!
These games came in all these giant 5 1/4" really fragile floppies!!
My second computer was an XT my parents bought for me when i was 13 and the third and fourth (?) i can't remember... definitely some early non-Pentium computers.. I think the computer I have now must be the fifth or something.. umm... lost count after a while.. :p
anyway, i wish i kept the first one! would have made it into the IT museum for sure! but then, i will be such a karang guni (rag and bone) collector.. haha....
(via filterpaper)
wow! i so miss playing these 80s computer games!!! highly pixellated and all that...
I remember having a bunch of them on my very first green monitor Commodore 64 computer!
These games came in all these giant 5 1/4" really fragile floppies!!
My second computer was an XT my parents bought for me when i was 13 and the third and fourth (?) i can't remember... definitely some early non-Pentium computers.. I think the computer I have now must be the fifth or something.. umm... lost count after a while.. :p
anyway, i wish i kept the first one! would have made it into the IT museum for sure! but then, i will be such a karang guni (rag and bone) collector.. haha....
(via filterpaper)
new tagboard
hey look over there on the right column!! ---------------->
i've got a new post-it board!
tell me something! anything! blah blah blah... you can even use smilies - :), :-), :(, :-(, :|, :-|, :D, :-D, ;), ;-) ...
Talk to me, tell me your name
You blow me off like it's all the same
You lit a fuse, and now I'm ticking away
Like a bomb... yeah baby ......
hahaha.. look what teaching can do to me...... HHHEEEEELPPPPP!!!!!
hey look over there on the right column!! ---------------->
i've got a new post-it board!
tell me something! anything! blah blah blah... you can even use smilies - :), :-), :(, :-(, :|, :-|, :D, :-D, ;), ;-) ...
Talk to me, tell me your name
You blow me off like it's all the same
You lit a fuse, and now I'm ticking away
Like a bomb... yeah baby ......
hahaha.. look what teaching can do to me...... HHHEEEEELPPPPP!!!!!
Tuesday, 9 March 2004
teaching
This child whose life
I touch with mine
Is like a piece of clay
I take his gentle will in hand
And shape it day by day.
Maybe, teaching really is the "last noble profession".... (no offense to anyone out there who believes his/her profession is also highly noble) ... via email from my classmate who is also out there "in the fields" now....
To all teachers out there: let's cherish this chance we have to make a real difference to the world.. :)
I touch with mine
Is like a piece of clay
I take his gentle will in hand
And shape it day by day.
Maybe, teaching really is the "last noble profession".... (no offense to anyone out there who believes his/her profession is also highly noble) ... via email from my classmate who is also out there "in the fields" now....
To all teachers out there: let's cherish this chance we have to make a real difference to the world.. :)
Take life at a slower pace
by Whitney Stock
I found this from The Snapper:
"What is wrong with the people today? Why are we always in such a rush? Sometimes it seems I am rushing my life away. When I finally stop to take a breath I realize I am missing all the little things.
Everyone knows what I am talking about. We constantly hear ourselves say, “I cannot wait until the end of the week,” or “I cannot wait until the end of the year.” There is constantly something we cannot wait for. In the end, when we look back, we are going to realize we have wished our lives away.
I have realized that in all my rushing I have missed so much. I have always wanted to live my life and look back and have no regrets, but I do have them. I lost someone very close to me not so long ago. After she passed away, I realized how much time I could have spent with her if I was not always on the go. If I had it to do over again I would not have been too busy to have lunch to talk on the phone or to just sit around the house and veg out.
I would have spent more time just wasting time with her, instead of just rushing out the door. It seems that all I wish for now is to just have one more day with her, because I realized all the days I wasted, not taking the time to care. I will always regret missing the time I could have spent with her. If I just had stopped rushing, I would have seen that I could have gained so much.
In the midst of our busy everyday lives, we need to stop and look around us. It is the little things that are important, and it seems those are the things that we are constantly missing.
Think of all the things you could do if you were not always in such a rush. Think of all the little things that you would not be missing if you just slowed down.
You need to appreciate the time you have with the people you care about today, not when it’s too late. Do not wait, do not put it off until tomorrow, tell them and show them today that you care.
I heard once, “Even if you win the rat race, you are still a rat.” So think about it, what could you do if you were not always in such a rush?"
I found this article online after I absentmindedly keyed in "Pace of Life" in Google just now.. I don't even remember why I did that.... maybe it was because I'm still subconsciously frazzled by the health scare my sister had yesterday when she almost fainted after spraining her back badly the day before. After lunch, she turned all pale and started seeing flashes of white. I wasn't at home at that time and didn't get to know about it till much later. However, she had to be sent to the hospital as "all colour had drained from her face" and she turned ghostly white and couldn't even stand up. When I finally got home in the evening (thankfully she had returned and was better and resting), I spent the evening deep in thoughts....
For a relatively long time, I'd been so absorbed in what I was doing that I became stressed, irritable, and impatient with the people around me. Sadly speaking, it had been about me, me, me. I wanted to sort out all the insecurities and stresses in my life until I was ready to go out into the world and smile again. Soon enough, I stopped caring about the people around me. I wanted to run the rat race again, or at least to prove that I was still in for the running..
but now i'm starting to ask myself again: Is all the sacrifice worth it? Was everything supposed to be so stressful? Or was it supposed to be enjoyable and carefree? Challenging, yes, but endlessly hair-losingly stressful? No, I don't think so...
I think it's time to re-evaluate my priorities, before it's too late.... :|
a related article: Modern pace of life: is it killing us off?
by Whitney Stock
I found this from The Snapper:
"What is wrong with the people today? Why are we always in such a rush? Sometimes it seems I am rushing my life away. When I finally stop to take a breath I realize I am missing all the little things.
Everyone knows what I am talking about. We constantly hear ourselves say, “I cannot wait until the end of the week,” or “I cannot wait until the end of the year.” There is constantly something we cannot wait for. In the end, when we look back, we are going to realize we have wished our lives away.
I have realized that in all my rushing I have missed so much. I have always wanted to live my life and look back and have no regrets, but I do have them. I lost someone very close to me not so long ago. After she passed away, I realized how much time I could have spent with her if I was not always on the go. If I had it to do over again I would not have been too busy to have lunch to talk on the phone or to just sit around the house and veg out.
I would have spent more time just wasting time with her, instead of just rushing out the door. It seems that all I wish for now is to just have one more day with her, because I realized all the days I wasted, not taking the time to care. I will always regret missing the time I could have spent with her. If I just had stopped rushing, I would have seen that I could have gained so much.
In the midst of our busy everyday lives, we need to stop and look around us. It is the little things that are important, and it seems those are the things that we are constantly missing.
Think of all the things you could do if you were not always in such a rush. Think of all the little things that you would not be missing if you just slowed down.
You need to appreciate the time you have with the people you care about today, not when it’s too late. Do not wait, do not put it off until tomorrow, tell them and show them today that you care.
I heard once, “Even if you win the rat race, you are still a rat.” So think about it, what could you do if you were not always in such a rush?"
I found this article online after I absentmindedly keyed in "Pace of Life" in Google just now.. I don't even remember why I did that.... maybe it was because I'm still subconsciously frazzled by the health scare my sister had yesterday when she almost fainted after spraining her back badly the day before. After lunch, she turned all pale and started seeing flashes of white. I wasn't at home at that time and didn't get to know about it till much later. However, she had to be sent to the hospital as "all colour had drained from her face" and she turned ghostly white and couldn't even stand up. When I finally got home in the evening (thankfully she had returned and was better and resting), I spent the evening deep in thoughts....
For a relatively long time, I'd been so absorbed in what I was doing that I became stressed, irritable, and impatient with the people around me. Sadly speaking, it had been about me, me, me. I wanted to sort out all the insecurities and stresses in my life until I was ready to go out into the world and smile again. Soon enough, I stopped caring about the people around me. I wanted to run the rat race again, or at least to prove that I was still in for the running..
but now i'm starting to ask myself again: Is all the sacrifice worth it? Was everything supposed to be so stressful? Or was it supposed to be enjoyable and carefree? Challenging, yes, but endlessly hair-losingly stressful? No, I don't think so...
I think it's time to re-evaluate my priorities, before it's too late.... :|
a related article: Modern pace of life: is it killing us off?
Monday, 8 March 2004
International Women's Day - 8 March 2004
International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. Established in 1977 by the United Nations, this special day provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress made to advance women's equality, to assess the challenges facing women in contemporary society, to consider future steps to enhance the status of women and, of course, to celebrate the gains made in these areas.
It's a day to honour women! Let's celebrate, sisters! :)
links:
- International Women's Day Website
- United Nations History of International Women's Day
- United Nation's Cyberschoolbus
International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. Established in 1977 by the United Nations, this special day provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress made to advance women's equality, to assess the challenges facing women in contemporary society, to consider future steps to enhance the status of women and, of course, to celebrate the gains made in these areas.
It's a day to honour women! Let's celebrate, sisters! :)
links:
- International Women's Day Website
- United Nations History of International Women's Day
- United Nation's Cyberschoolbus
Sunday, 7 March 2004
tested and proven
music on my blog can be a bane, till i figure out how to do it properly.. . so i'm taking it out at least for now..
but it was fun while it lasted.. haha..
for those who missed it, just imagine it's like music suddenly playing when you come to my site... it's a bit of a shock, really... when you least expect it..
thanks for the tips, michs!!
music on my blog can be a bane, till i figure out how to do it properly.. . so i'm taking it out at least for now..
but it was fun while it lasted.. haha..
for those who missed it, just imagine it's like music suddenly playing when you come to my site... it's a bit of a shock, really... when you least expect it..
thanks for the tips, michs!!
Saturday, 6 March 2004
Word of the Day for Saturday March 6, 2004
pettifogger \PET-ee-fog-ur\, noun:
1. A petty, unscrupulous lawyer; a shyster.
2. A person who quibbles over trivia.
A more respectable-looking individual was never seen; he really looked what he was, a gentleman of the law -- there was nothing of the pettifogger about him.
--George Borrow, [1]Lavengro
The nitpickers, the whiners, the pettifoggers are everywhere.
--Bill Kraus, "Without Health Care Reform, Forget It," Capital Times, December 15, 1993
The case... opened my eyes to a problem that doesn't get half the ink lavished on unprincipled pettifoggers but is arguably twice as important.
--Max Boot, [2]Out of Order
_________________________________________________________
Pettifogger is probably from petty + obsolete fogger, "pettifogger."
pettifogger \PET-ee-fog-ur\, noun:
1. A petty, unscrupulous lawyer; a shyster.
2. A person who quibbles over trivia.
A more respectable-looking individual was never seen; he really looked what he was, a gentleman of the law -- there was nothing of the pettifogger about him.
--George Borrow, [1]Lavengro
The nitpickers, the whiners, the pettifoggers are everywhere.
--Bill Kraus, "Without Health Care Reform, Forget It," Capital Times, December 15, 1993
The case... opened my eyes to a problem that doesn't get half the ink lavished on unprincipled pettifoggers but is arguably twice as important.
--Max Boot, [2]Out of Order
_________________________________________________________
Pettifogger is probably from petty + obsolete fogger, "pettifogger."
The Story of Your Life
'When we are dead, seek not our tomb in the earth, but find it in the hearts of men.' - Jelaluddin Rumi
I walked out of master story-teller Tim Burton’s Big Fish yesterday feeling light-hearted and yet thoughtful, reminded in the two hours of the beauty of human existence, the richness of life’s possibilities, and the magical art of good storytelling..
Doubtless to say, whether subconsciously or otherwise, our lives are constantly surrounded by “bad stories” such as gossips, scandals, wars, fighting and lies, so much so that we forget that there are good real life stories to be told as well… even our own stories… We escape to the cinemas, eager to pay good money to watch endless movies churned out by Hollywood showing “everlasting love”, “one man saves the world” etc, so we can forget the real world for a while.. Yet, all the while, we firmly keep in our minds that these are but tall tales that are meant to entertain, nothing more… after all, wouldn’t it be “terrible” if we suddenly started to believe life could be “more than just the way things are now”? Wouldn’t it mean “uncertainty, self-doubt, fear?” or worse still, discontent with our lives and what we are blessed with?”.. So we shun these thoughts as quickly as they arise and carry on with existence the way we always knew how.. mundane but safe…
Yet, incidentally, after I read the story of the woman doctor who won the Young Woman Achiever Award for 2003 (in today’s Straits Times) for her voluntary medical work around the world, I was more than ever convinced life is an adventure to be lived, a story to be written and told, both to entertain and to inspire... in fact, making sure that our lives are stories worth tellng isn't just something we can hope for.. it's an absolute "must"...
As Mandy Aftel questions in one of my favourite self-help books, “The Story of Your Life”, “Every life is a story… Is your life a page-turner? A yawner? A clichéd story you’re tired of repeating?” She reminds us that “even ordinary lives have the elements of great literature, and we can revise trite or destructive story lines to craft a new narrative of courage, fulfillment and imagination.” Throughout the book, she suggests that the story of our lives doesn’t have to read like bad novels, filled with guilt, anger and hopelessness that “limit our understanding of the past and close off possibilities for the future”…
I wouldn’t say that everything that happens in our lives is within our control.. (and thankfully, that is the way!) But I do know, as well as anyone of us out there, that our decisions and our choices can make or break the possibility of our lives turning out to be more than just boring narratives or worse still, personal recounts with few elements of interest. Looking at our lives from the perspective of “story-telling” is actually nothing new… Remember how you once thought to yourself, as you were deciding whether to do something that required you to step out of your comfort zone, or to just “stay safe and give the experience a miss” and in the end, the deciding factor that won you over to courageously take the “road less traveled” was, amusingly, the simple thought that it’ll be a “good story to tell your grandchildren?” We all want to leave behind stories we can tell, not just mere recounts.
So we have two points here:
- How to retell our own stories, but with colour, action and imagination.
- How to create an “artful existence”, full of the richness of experience, complexity, insight, and excitement of a great novel
Writing our lives as fairytales...
Wouldn’t that be fun? :)
'When we are dead, seek not our tomb in the earth, but find it in the hearts of men.' - Jelaluddin Rumi
I walked out of master story-teller Tim Burton’s Big Fish yesterday feeling light-hearted and yet thoughtful, reminded in the two hours of the beauty of human existence, the richness of life’s possibilities, and the magical art of good storytelling..
Doubtless to say, whether subconsciously or otherwise, our lives are constantly surrounded by “bad stories” such as gossips, scandals, wars, fighting and lies, so much so that we forget that there are good real life stories to be told as well… even our own stories… We escape to the cinemas, eager to pay good money to watch endless movies churned out by Hollywood showing “everlasting love”, “one man saves the world” etc, so we can forget the real world for a while.. Yet, all the while, we firmly keep in our minds that these are but tall tales that are meant to entertain, nothing more… after all, wouldn’t it be “terrible” if we suddenly started to believe life could be “more than just the way things are now”? Wouldn’t it mean “uncertainty, self-doubt, fear?” or worse still, discontent with our lives and what we are blessed with?”.. So we shun these thoughts as quickly as they arise and carry on with existence the way we always knew how.. mundane but safe…
Yet, incidentally, after I read the story of the woman doctor who won the Young Woman Achiever Award for 2003 (in today’s Straits Times) for her voluntary medical work around the world, I was more than ever convinced life is an adventure to be lived, a story to be written and told, both to entertain and to inspire... in fact, making sure that our lives are stories worth tellng isn't just something we can hope for.. it's an absolute "must"...
As Mandy Aftel questions in one of my favourite self-help books, “The Story of Your Life”, “Every life is a story… Is your life a page-turner? A yawner? A clichéd story you’re tired of repeating?” She reminds us that “even ordinary lives have the elements of great literature, and we can revise trite or destructive story lines to craft a new narrative of courage, fulfillment and imagination.” Throughout the book, she suggests that the story of our lives doesn’t have to read like bad novels, filled with guilt, anger and hopelessness that “limit our understanding of the past and close off possibilities for the future”…
I wouldn’t say that everything that happens in our lives is within our control.. (and thankfully, that is the way!) But I do know, as well as anyone of us out there, that our decisions and our choices can make or break the possibility of our lives turning out to be more than just boring narratives or worse still, personal recounts with few elements of interest. Looking at our lives from the perspective of “story-telling” is actually nothing new… Remember how you once thought to yourself, as you were deciding whether to do something that required you to step out of your comfort zone, or to just “stay safe and give the experience a miss” and in the end, the deciding factor that won you over to courageously take the “road less traveled” was, amusingly, the simple thought that it’ll be a “good story to tell your grandchildren?” We all want to leave behind stories we can tell, not just mere recounts.
So we have two points here:
- How to retell our own stories, but with colour, action and imagination.
- How to create an “artful existence”, full of the richness of experience, complexity, insight, and excitement of a great novel
Writing our lives as fairytales...
Wouldn’t that be fun? :)
Friday, 5 March 2004
How Do You Get To Heaven? (via email)
I was testing the children in my Sunday school class to see
if they understood the concept of getting to heaven.
I asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big
garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would
that get me into Heaven?"
"NO!" the children answered.
"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and
kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?"
Again, the answer was, "NO!"
By now I was starting to smile. Hey, this was fun!
"Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to
all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me
into Heaven?" I asked them again.
Again, they all answered, "NO!"
I was just bursting with pride for them.
Well, I continued, "then how can I get into Heaven?"
scroll down...............
A five-year-old boy shouted out,
"YOU GOTTA BE DEAD."
I was testing the children in my Sunday school class to see
if they understood the concept of getting to heaven.
I asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big
garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would
that get me into Heaven?"
"NO!" the children answered.
"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and
kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?"
Again, the answer was, "NO!"
By now I was starting to smile. Hey, this was fun!
"Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to
all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me
into Heaven?" I asked them again.
Again, they all answered, "NO!"
I was just bursting with pride for them.
Well, I continued, "then how can I get into Heaven?"
scroll down...............
A five-year-old boy shouted out,
"YOU GOTTA BE DEAD."
Thursday, 4 March 2004
dive season looms..
aiyah.. the dive season is here again ... i wanna go diving...
i want to see whale sharks, manta rays and all things big and beautiful and small and wonderful underwater...
:(
dunno whether got time anot... :(
aiyah.. the dive season is here again ... i wanna go diving...
i want to see whale sharks, manta rays and all things big and beautiful and small and wonderful underwater...
:(
dunno whether got time anot... :(
Wednesday, 3 March 2004
No Pants Day
more such random stuff:
1. A 17-year-old boy jumped out of a second-floor window at Miami Beach High last week after betting his teacher he was strong enough to do it and not get hurt...
2. cartoon maggots... it's Korean and really cute.. but it does contain..err... comic poo... turn UP or DOWN the volume depending on where you are (i.e. home or office..)
3. Court orders mother to not expose child to "homophobic" religious upbringing ... just when you thought you could teach your kids anything..
4. see strange creatures of the deep.. including the long nose chimaera pup
5. and goody... "The Disney Company has signed a deal to co-finance and distribute a new film of CS Lewis's children's classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. "
6. and did you know that M&Ms come in some 21 different colours??
surfing the web.. that's the way i relax and unwind.. just in case you need to know..
more such random stuff:
1. A 17-year-old boy jumped out of a second-floor window at Miami Beach High last week after betting his teacher he was strong enough to do it and not get hurt...
2. cartoon maggots... it's Korean and really cute.. but it does contain..err... comic poo... turn UP or DOWN the volume depending on where you are (i.e. home or office..)
3. Court orders mother to not expose child to "homophobic" religious upbringing ... just when you thought you could teach your kids anything..
4. see strange creatures of the deep.. including the long nose chimaera pup
5. and goody... "The Disney Company has signed a deal to co-finance and distribute a new film of CS Lewis's children's classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. "
6. and did you know that M&Ms come in some 21 different colours??
surfing the web.. that's the way i relax and unwind.. just in case you need to know..
Tuesday, 2 March 2004
so I belong to that 0.02% of all web users...
CNN.com - Study: Very few bloggers on Net - Mar. 1, 2004: "NEW YORK (AP) -- Despite the potential of turning every Internet user into a publisher, relatively few have created Web journals called blogs and even fewer do so with regularity, a new study finds. "
"Weblogs/Blogs
In this survey, we found that a mere 2% of Internet users in this survey reported writing a weblog or online diary. Earlier surveys and a follow up check in early 2004 indicate that between 2% and 7% of Internet users publish a ‘blog. Within this tiny group, only about 10% report updating their blog daily. Most weblog writers update their blogs once a week or less often.
Even though only a small number of Internet users are writing blogs, a slightly larger number of Net users are visiting them. Eleven percent of Internet users report visiting blogs written by others. And of these blog readers, a third report posting to or commenting on the blog entries that they have read.
Blog readers most frequently visit the online diaries of friends (56% have done so), strangers (46% have visited the blogs of people they have never met) and family members (a quarter report visiting family blogs). "
see detailed report by Pew Internet and American Life
CNN.com - Study: Very few bloggers on Net - Mar. 1, 2004: "NEW YORK (AP) -- Despite the potential of turning every Internet user into a publisher, relatively few have created Web journals called blogs and even fewer do so with regularity, a new study finds. "
"Weblogs/Blogs
In this survey, we found that a mere 2% of Internet users in this survey reported writing a weblog or online diary. Earlier surveys and a follow up check in early 2004 indicate that between 2% and 7% of Internet users publish a ‘blog. Within this tiny group, only about 10% report updating their blog daily. Most weblog writers update their blogs once a week or less often.
Even though only a small number of Internet users are writing blogs, a slightly larger number of Net users are visiting them. Eleven percent of Internet users report visiting blogs written by others. And of these blog readers, a third report posting to or commenting on the blog entries that they have read.
Blog readers most frequently visit the online diaries of friends (56% have done so), strangers (46% have visited the blogs of people they have never met) and family members (a quarter report visiting family blogs). "
see detailed report by Pew Internet and American Life
Monday, 1 March 2004
Beware the Kalends of March
>> Interview With God
not the first time i'm receiving this via email but it's still nice everytime i see it.. thanks! :)
thus begins my first week of Teaching Practice with a week of intense observation followed by 8 weeks of teaching. as i wring my hands in a mix of mild anxiety and great anticipation, i have to constantly remind myself why i decided to go into this line in the first place and what i hope to achieve, which is not all that easy when everything seems so overwhelming at first..
all those eager faces keen to clear their doubts and confusions.. looking to their teacher, the seeming source of all knowledge and wisdom, backed no doubt by experience but also loads of hidden preparation work and hours of tireless thinking...
i'm suddenly feeling that rush of gratitude to my own teachers for having worked that hard in the past to make sure we learn something from every class we go to.. but also gripped by a mild fear that i cannot live up to the expectations of this vocation...
teaching... never been in a job that keeps asking me why i want to do it in the first place.. for the millionth time, i got another list of questions from my supervisor, among them one asking us "Why do you want to be a teacher?"... *ponder*
seems like today's the big day that Terence is launching his megaproject United Artist Network as well.... take a look... it's quite impressive... :)
>> Interview With God
not the first time i'm receiving this via email but it's still nice everytime i see it.. thanks! :)
thus begins my first week of Teaching Practice with a week of intense observation followed by 8 weeks of teaching. as i wring my hands in a mix of mild anxiety and great anticipation, i have to constantly remind myself why i decided to go into this line in the first place and what i hope to achieve, which is not all that easy when everything seems so overwhelming at first..
all those eager faces keen to clear their doubts and confusions.. looking to their teacher, the seeming source of all knowledge and wisdom, backed no doubt by experience but also loads of hidden preparation work and hours of tireless thinking...
i'm suddenly feeling that rush of gratitude to my own teachers for having worked that hard in the past to make sure we learn something from every class we go to.. but also gripped by a mild fear that i cannot live up to the expectations of this vocation...
teaching... never been in a job that keeps asking me why i want to do it in the first place.. for the millionth time, i got another list of questions from my supervisor, among them one asking us "Why do you want to be a teacher?"... *ponder*
seems like today's the big day that Terence is launching his megaproject United Artist Network as well.... take a look... it's quite impressive... :)
Sunday, 29 February 2004
The Bible says "Don't stress about tomorrow.."
Matthew 6 (NKJV)
Do Not Worry
25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?' or "What shall we drink?' or "What shall we wear?'
32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
the 1st of March brings with it much challenge... but let's thrive and enjoy ourselves cos things will be ok... :)
Matthew 6 (NKJV)
Do Not Worry
25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?' or "What shall we drink?' or "What shall we wear?'
32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
the 1st of March brings with it much challenge... but let's thrive and enjoy ourselves cos things will be ok... :)
Saturday, 28 February 2004
Discover what job suits best
this certainly would be too late, at least for now while i'm bonded to my job for the next three years, but it was still fun and interestingly quite accurate as well, with some being downright flattering! haha... still, like with all other such tests, take it with a pinch of salt... don't ever let any of these character analysis things dominate your life unless you are mature enough to handle them, ya?
try it yourself ... this is mine...
Ki System
Natal Year number: 8
Hwee Ling is a steady, responsible and reliable individual who dislikes change for change's sake. She is a solid family person who enjoys tradition, but is inclined to say exactly what she thinks. Such frankness can occasionally land her in trouble. Behind a somewhat ponderous exterior lies a deeply sensitive soul whose core is rarely exposed to public view.
Natal Month number: 1
Enjoying periods of time on her own, Hwee Ling's adaptable personality makes it easy for her to get along with others. She will examine fresh ideas in some depth, rejecting fashionable notions that fail to meet her substantive criteria. For this reason she should study philosophy, or one of its related disciplines. A perceptive individual who needs variety, and enjoys travel.
Natal House number: 3
With a high energy level, and ambitions to match, Hwee Ling will show early promise. Unless her tendency to expel this energy on too many projects can be overcome, a promising beginning may soon evaporate, giving way to anger and frustration. Hwee Ling is someone who enjoys a good time with an active social life, and needs the direction of more sober minds.
Comments based on Western Grid
11
Hwee Ling is a balanced individual who can understand and appreciate the views of others as well as her own. She can express herself fluently, and with persuasive conviction, whilst taking account of opposing views. This means that Hwee Ling will get on very well with colleagues at work, both senior and junior, as well as clients, customers, suppliers and external agencies.
5
Well-balanced, with an understanding and compassionate nature, Hwee Ling is a natural leader who can inspire others. But she needs a certain amount of freedom at work and at home. With a compassionate and caring nature, and with the ability to get on well with others, Hwee Ling will be a strong member of any team and will provide solid inspiration and support to her colleagues.
7
Hwee Ling will find life's lessons hard to learn. She will suffer from loss (of possessions or those she loves) before questioning the cause of that loss. It is likely that Hwee Ling will develop a faith of some sort, and although it need not necessarily be a religious faith, it will nevertheless be something that she holds onto against all the evidence. Potential employers need to find out what that faith entails.
8
Good with details and with a methodical approach, Hwee Ling nevertheless is someone who enjoys constant new challenges to maintain her interest. She is a methodical individual with attention to detail, but is inclined to leave tasks unfinished if her active mind alights on something of greater interest. Routine tasks that fail to challenge her intellect are at greatest risk, so Hwee Ling needs a job that offers variety.
9
Ambitious to improve her lot, Hwee Ling will constantly push forward to achieve something in her life, yet this ambition will be balanced by humanitarian ideals that will lead her to support causes that may demand self-sacrifice.
[The Arrow of Activity: the numbers 7, 8 and 9] Enjoying the outdoors, Hwee Ling is someone who will perform best by being busy. She dislikes confined spaces, and needs both physical and mental exercise. A good walk in fresh air is an intellectual catalyst like no other to Hwee Ling, whose need to be constantly occupied is an asset to any employer.
[The Arrow of Determination: the numbers 1, 5 and 9] Determined and persistent, Hwee Ling has the patience to wait until she has achieved her goal. She enjoys a progressive and enterpreneurial approach, and as such, will be an asset to any employer. If the number 4 (in the Western Grid) is missing, she will be inclined to lose her temper on occasions.
Comments based on Chinese Grid
111
Hwee Ling enjoys a positive and balanced approach to life and will be financially successful. If the Chinese version also contains 2 sevens, Hwee Ling is very fortunate.
2
Hwee Ling has an average mind, and without the numbers 4 and 9 in the Chinese version will not enjoy a creative existence.
4
Intelligent and logical, Hwee Ling is not someone who acts rashly on the spur of the moment.
6
Hwee Ling is family-orientated, and needs a pleasant working environment as well as a comfortable home.
7
If the numbers 3 and 5 in the Chinese version are missing, Hwee Ling is something of a perfectionist who seeks to achieve detailed accuracy, and has a natural instinct to unearth the truth. If the Chinese Grid also contains the numbers 3 and 5, she will be attracted to work in a spiritual or humanitarian field.
9
Although Hwee Ling is ambitious, her ambition is tempered with humanitarian ideals.
[The Arrow of Action: The numbers 2, 6 and 7] Hwee Ling has an abundance of energy which is best released in competitive sport. She is also suited to careers such as the Armed Forces, farming, and adventurous activities like rock climbing or mountaineering.
[The Arrow of Intellect: The numbers 2, 4 and 9] Hwee Ling is intelligent, articulate and enjoys a first-class memory. She has a logical and analytical approach that suits her to the legal, medical or accountancy professions.
(via thE mOments...)
this certainly would be too late, at least for now while i'm bonded to my job for the next three years, but it was still fun and interestingly quite accurate as well, with some being downright flattering! haha... still, like with all other such tests, take it with a pinch of salt... don't ever let any of these character analysis things dominate your life unless you are mature enough to handle them, ya?
try it yourself ... this is mine...
Ki System
Natal Year number: 8
Hwee Ling is a steady, responsible and reliable individual who dislikes change for change's sake. She is a solid family person who enjoys tradition, but is inclined to say exactly what she thinks. Such frankness can occasionally land her in trouble. Behind a somewhat ponderous exterior lies a deeply sensitive soul whose core is rarely exposed to public view.
Natal Month number: 1
Enjoying periods of time on her own, Hwee Ling's adaptable personality makes it easy for her to get along with others. She will examine fresh ideas in some depth, rejecting fashionable notions that fail to meet her substantive criteria. For this reason she should study philosophy, or one of its related disciplines. A perceptive individual who needs variety, and enjoys travel.
Natal House number: 3
With a high energy level, and ambitions to match, Hwee Ling will show early promise. Unless her tendency to expel this energy on too many projects can be overcome, a promising beginning may soon evaporate, giving way to anger and frustration. Hwee Ling is someone who enjoys a good time with an active social life, and needs the direction of more sober minds.
Comments based on Western Grid
11
Hwee Ling is a balanced individual who can understand and appreciate the views of others as well as her own. She can express herself fluently, and with persuasive conviction, whilst taking account of opposing views. This means that Hwee Ling will get on very well with colleagues at work, both senior and junior, as well as clients, customers, suppliers and external agencies.
5
Well-balanced, with an understanding and compassionate nature, Hwee Ling is a natural leader who can inspire others. But she needs a certain amount of freedom at work and at home. With a compassionate and caring nature, and with the ability to get on well with others, Hwee Ling will be a strong member of any team and will provide solid inspiration and support to her colleagues.
7
Hwee Ling will find life's lessons hard to learn. She will suffer from loss (of possessions or those she loves) before questioning the cause of that loss. It is likely that Hwee Ling will develop a faith of some sort, and although it need not necessarily be a religious faith, it will nevertheless be something that she holds onto against all the evidence. Potential employers need to find out what that faith entails.
8
Good with details and with a methodical approach, Hwee Ling nevertheless is someone who enjoys constant new challenges to maintain her interest. She is a methodical individual with attention to detail, but is inclined to leave tasks unfinished if her active mind alights on something of greater interest. Routine tasks that fail to challenge her intellect are at greatest risk, so Hwee Ling needs a job that offers variety.
9
Ambitious to improve her lot, Hwee Ling will constantly push forward to achieve something in her life, yet this ambition will be balanced by humanitarian ideals that will lead her to support causes that may demand self-sacrifice.
[The Arrow of Activity: the numbers 7, 8 and 9] Enjoying the outdoors, Hwee Ling is someone who will perform best by being busy. She dislikes confined spaces, and needs both physical and mental exercise. A good walk in fresh air is an intellectual catalyst like no other to Hwee Ling, whose need to be constantly occupied is an asset to any employer.
[The Arrow of Determination: the numbers 1, 5 and 9] Determined and persistent, Hwee Ling has the patience to wait until she has achieved her goal. She enjoys a progressive and enterpreneurial approach, and as such, will be an asset to any employer. If the number 4 (in the Western Grid) is missing, she will be inclined to lose her temper on occasions.
Comments based on Chinese Grid
111
Hwee Ling enjoys a positive and balanced approach to life and will be financially successful. If the Chinese version also contains 2 sevens, Hwee Ling is very fortunate.
2
Hwee Ling has an average mind, and without the numbers 4 and 9 in the Chinese version will not enjoy a creative existence.
4
Intelligent and logical, Hwee Ling is not someone who acts rashly on the spur of the moment.
6
Hwee Ling is family-orientated, and needs a pleasant working environment as well as a comfortable home.
7
If the numbers 3 and 5 in the Chinese version are missing, Hwee Ling is something of a perfectionist who seeks to achieve detailed accuracy, and has a natural instinct to unearth the truth. If the Chinese Grid also contains the numbers 3 and 5, she will be attracted to work in a spiritual or humanitarian field.
9
Although Hwee Ling is ambitious, her ambition is tempered with humanitarian ideals.
[The Arrow of Action: The numbers 2, 6 and 7] Hwee Ling has an abundance of energy which is best released in competitive sport. She is also suited to careers such as the Armed Forces, farming, and adventurous activities like rock climbing or mountaineering.
[The Arrow of Intellect: The numbers 2, 4 and 9] Hwee Ling is intelligent, articulate and enjoys a first-class memory. She has a logical and analytical approach that suits her to the legal, medical or accountancy professions.
(via thE mOments...)
Friday, 27 February 2004
what was hammered home these past two weeks...
Thank You God. :)
God truly works in mysterious ways...
Thank You God. :)
Thursday, 26 February 2004
Word of the Day for Wednesday February 25, 2004
flibbertigibbet \FLIB-ur-tee-jib-it\, noun:
A silly, flighty, or scatterbrained person, especially a pert young woman with such qualities.
We discover here not the flibbertigibbet Connolly describes but a serious reader (Goethe, Tolstoy, Proust) who found her cultural ideal in 18th-century France.
--Martin Stannard, "Enter Shrieking," New YorkTimes, November 28, 1993
He argues persuasively that Millay's reputation has been harmed not only by academics who dread and fear her heartfelt "simplicity," but by the very admirers who wished to promote her as a kind of whimsical flibbertigibbet, a poetical Anne of Green Gables.
--Liz Rosenberg, "So Young, So Good, So Popular," New York Times, March 15, 1992
_________________________________________________________
Flibbertigibbet is from Middle English flipergebet, which is probably an imitation of the sound of meaningless chatter.
Trivia: Flibbertigibbet originally meant a gossip or chatterbox, but it soon took on the idea of a light-minded or frivolous person. Flibbertigibbet was also the name of a demon; it appears in a list of 40 fiends in a book by Samuel Harsnet and also in Shakespeare:
This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet: he begins at curfew, and walks till the first cock; he gives the web and the pin, squints the eye, and makes the hare-lip; mildews the white wheat, and hurts the poor creature of earth.
--King Lear, iii. 4.
flibbertigibbet \FLIB-ur-tee-jib-it\, noun:
A silly, flighty, or scatterbrained person, especially a pert young woman with such qualities.
We discover here not the flibbertigibbet Connolly describes but a serious reader (Goethe, Tolstoy, Proust) who found her cultural ideal in 18th-century France.
--Martin Stannard, "Enter Shrieking," New YorkTimes, November 28, 1993
He argues persuasively that Millay's reputation has been harmed not only by academics who dread and fear her heartfelt "simplicity," but by the very admirers who wished to promote her as a kind of whimsical flibbertigibbet, a poetical Anne of Green Gables.
--Liz Rosenberg, "So Young, So Good, So Popular," New York Times, March 15, 1992
_________________________________________________________
Flibbertigibbet is from Middle English flipergebet, which is probably an imitation of the sound of meaningless chatter.
Trivia: Flibbertigibbet originally meant a gossip or chatterbox, but it soon took on the idea of a light-minded or frivolous person. Flibbertigibbet was also the name of a demon; it appears in a list of 40 fiends in a book by Samuel Harsnet and also in Shakespeare:
This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet: he begins at curfew, and walks till the first cock; he gives the web and the pin, squints the eye, and makes the hare-lip; mildews the white wheat, and hurts the poor creature of earth.
--King Lear, iii. 4.
Wednesday, 25 February 2004
Tuesday, 24 February 2004
"Schools shaping elitist mindset"
Article: Schools shaping elitist mindset: STAR
an excellent article by Seah Chiang Nee, first published in Sunday Star, Feb 15, 2004, highlighting the ugly side of Singapore's school ranking system.
having graduated from some of these so-called "elitist schools" myself, i can fully understand how these misguided "elitist mindsets" might have come about. After all, when you are bombarded day and night, year after year, about how many As the school achieves every year, how many scholars the school produces, on top of achievements in other fields like science and maths olympiads, atheletics, and what have you, all that success can sometimes go to your head..
but fortunately, since i came out into the "real world" some 6 to 7 years ago, i now know something .... that a true mark of success in life is not what schools you come from, or what jobs you do, or who you rub shoulders with, or even how much money you have in your bank account.... deep down inside, what counts at the end of the day, what gives us peace of mind and a smile on our faces, is the quality of our lives, the relationships we have with the people around us, what we can give and have given to the people around us, what difference we have made, whether we can stay true to ourselves and what we believe in in this mad mad rat race, and above all, whether we can survive if one day, everything is taken away from us..... staying happy no matter our circumstances..
and i believe all that never had anything to do with paper qualifications.... not for me, at least..
Update: Found the forum with the "elitist-speak".. check it out.. 516 replies.. umm...
Article: Schools shaping elitist mindset: STAR
an excellent article by Seah Chiang Nee, first published in Sunday Star, Feb 15, 2004, highlighting the ugly side of Singapore's school ranking system.
having graduated from some of these so-called "elitist schools" myself, i can fully understand how these misguided "elitist mindsets" might have come about. After all, when you are bombarded day and night, year after year, about how many As the school achieves every year, how many scholars the school produces, on top of achievements in other fields like science and maths olympiads, atheletics, and what have you, all that success can sometimes go to your head..
but fortunately, since i came out into the "real world" some 6 to 7 years ago, i now know something .... that a true mark of success in life is not what schools you come from, or what jobs you do, or who you rub shoulders with, or even how much money you have in your bank account.... deep down inside, what counts at the end of the day, what gives us peace of mind and a smile on our faces, is the quality of our lives, the relationships we have with the people around us, what we can give and have given to the people around us, what difference we have made, whether we can stay true to ourselves and what we believe in in this mad mad rat race, and above all, whether we can survive if one day, everything is taken away from us..... staying happy no matter our circumstances..
and i believe all that never had anything to do with paper qualifications.... not for me, at least..
Update: Found the forum with the "elitist-speak".. check it out.. 516 replies.. umm...
"Create your own South Park Character"
South Park Studios: Games: Create a Character: "Create your own South Park Character"
South Park Studios: Games: Create a Character: "Create your own South Park Character"
Monday, 23 February 2004
Discover the cultural treasures from the splendid land of Andhra Pradesh in India. Spicy curries, beautiful saris and exquisite crafts await you at the vibrant food and crafts fair. Specialty crafts including Bidri wares, filigree silver and Hyderabadi bangles are available for sale.
Not to be missed for fans of Shahrukh Khan is Chalte Chalte, a movie about the trials and tribulations of marriage.
Capricorn: Refocusing Your Intensity
since i am a Capricorn myself, i yanked this off Enid's website, though i'm admittedly not a regular reader of horoscopes (i've read only two in the last 8 years, including this one...:p)..
"Capricorn is one sign that enjoys working, and when faced with stress, their instincts tell them to work harder, longer and with more focused intensity. Your ruler, Saturn, causes you to take responsibility to heart. You value practical and realistic solutions, and having a cardinal quality, you like to get on with things. Certainly, you are action-oriented. Yet while tap-dancing faster can make you feel better, the danger is that you can get so lost in busywork that you lose sight of the bigger picture. Just be sure what you are working on so intently is worthy of that amazing Capricorn output! Also, if your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend keeps complaining that you're never around anymore--that's a sign to rethink your schedule.
Capricorn is an earth sign, so you would probably enjoy taking a breather in the mountains more than at a seaside setting. A day of hiking, mountain climbing or exploring caves would make a new person out of you. Play a game of touch football or start a softball team with your pals (Capricorn rules teamwork), but be sure to bandage that trick knee of yours, the part of the body that gives Capricorns physical stress.
You are quite a social animal (which is why you eventually rise to the top of your field) but you don't like hanging out in rundown or cheap places. So when you book a lunch with an friend choose a restaurant in a club, or has a club-type aura, complete with wood paneling and fireplaces. The goat also likes heights, so a restaurant with a view is just your speed, but be sure it has a calm atmosphere. Be determined to talk about general things--not all lunches have to be major negotiations! Sports with social twist are good too, so you might think about taking up tennis or golf.
Most Capricorns like to play the stock market and make investing a hobby. Give yourself some time off to hear a lecture by an expert, surf the net for interesting financial sites, check out cable stations for good shows which tackle investments in depth. Other Capricorns might like collecting rare coins or stamps (or start a collection of new ones).
Since Capricorn likes history, you can relax in front of the Discovery Channel, check out the natural history museum or visit the historical society museum of your city. Many Capricorns enjoy browsing antiques. Auctions are another good bet, and even if you don't bid, you'll have fun fingering the valuable objects and documents--objects that are usually under glass in museums! Don't expect to chill out immediately. It may take weeks of vigorous fun to loosen you up!
Most Capricorns are close to one parent (while Gemini rules siblings, Capricorn rules parents). If this is true for you, tying flies with Dad in the workshop, or keeping Mom company in the kitchen as she makes an apple pie for you could be so wonderful. After all, they know you very well. You may be amazed how they say something which "hits home" and helps you out of a current jam.
Finally, renting a funny movie--either a new release or a golden oldie--could also be the best medicine. Other ways to tickle your funny bone would be to check out funny sites on the web like cartoon Dilbert (www.dilbert.com) or click into Comedy Central on cable. Tell a few jokes to your friends (if you can't remember any good ones, go to a comedy club and crib a few for friends and family.) Hang out with a witty, funny friend--or a dimwitted friend (you'll be the star). "
much of it is interestingly somewhat true, like i do tend to work even harder when i am under stress, to the point of overworking... action? i don't know about action, though some people tell me i am "animated".. haha.. but i like the mountains as much as i like the oceans, lakes and seas, so that bit is not really true..... social animal? umm.. i wouldn't really call myself that too, though i do like to hang out with groups of my close friends... but it's true, i love history and am actually quite interested in the stock market though i'm not really into investing at the moment.... close to one parent... umm.. i'm close to my mum.. and the last bit about hanging out with witty, funny frens or dimwitted frens.. hahaha.. that's so true!!
since i am a Capricorn myself, i yanked this off Enid's website, though i'm admittedly not a regular reader of horoscopes (i've read only two in the last 8 years, including this one...:p)..
"Capricorn is one sign that enjoys working, and when faced with stress, their instincts tell them to work harder, longer and with more focused intensity. Your ruler, Saturn, causes you to take responsibility to heart. You value practical and realistic solutions, and having a cardinal quality, you like to get on with things. Certainly, you are action-oriented. Yet while tap-dancing faster can make you feel better, the danger is that you can get so lost in busywork that you lose sight of the bigger picture. Just be sure what you are working on so intently is worthy of that amazing Capricorn output! Also, if your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend keeps complaining that you're never around anymore--that's a sign to rethink your schedule.
Capricorn is an earth sign, so you would probably enjoy taking a breather in the mountains more than at a seaside setting. A day of hiking, mountain climbing or exploring caves would make a new person out of you. Play a game of touch football or start a softball team with your pals (Capricorn rules teamwork), but be sure to bandage that trick knee of yours, the part of the body that gives Capricorns physical stress.
You are quite a social animal (which is why you eventually rise to the top of your field) but you don't like hanging out in rundown or cheap places. So when you book a lunch with an friend choose a restaurant in a club, or has a club-type aura, complete with wood paneling and fireplaces. The goat also likes heights, so a restaurant with a view is just your speed, but be sure it has a calm atmosphere. Be determined to talk about general things--not all lunches have to be major negotiations! Sports with social twist are good too, so you might think about taking up tennis or golf.
Most Capricorns like to play the stock market and make investing a hobby. Give yourself some time off to hear a lecture by an expert, surf the net for interesting financial sites, check out cable stations for good shows which tackle investments in depth. Other Capricorns might like collecting rare coins or stamps (or start a collection of new ones).
Since Capricorn likes history, you can relax in front of the Discovery Channel, check out the natural history museum or visit the historical society museum of your city. Many Capricorns enjoy browsing antiques. Auctions are another good bet, and even if you don't bid, you'll have fun fingering the valuable objects and documents--objects that are usually under glass in museums! Don't expect to chill out immediately. It may take weeks of vigorous fun to loosen you up!
Most Capricorns are close to one parent (while Gemini rules siblings, Capricorn rules parents). If this is true for you, tying flies with Dad in the workshop, or keeping Mom company in the kitchen as she makes an apple pie for you could be so wonderful. After all, they know you very well. You may be amazed how they say something which "hits home" and helps you out of a current jam.
Finally, renting a funny movie--either a new release or a golden oldie--could also be the best medicine. Other ways to tickle your funny bone would be to check out funny sites on the web like cartoon Dilbert (www.dilbert.com) or click into Comedy Central on cable. Tell a few jokes to your friends (if you can't remember any good ones, go to a comedy club and crib a few for friends and family.) Hang out with a witty, funny friend--or a dimwitted friend (you'll be the star). "
much of it is interestingly somewhat true, like i do tend to work even harder when i am under stress, to the point of overworking... action? i don't know about action, though some people tell me i am "animated".. haha.. but i like the mountains as much as i like the oceans, lakes and seas, so that bit is not really true..... social animal? umm.. i wouldn't really call myself that too, though i do like to hang out with groups of my close friends... but it's true, i love history and am actually quite interested in the stock market though i'm not really into investing at the moment.... close to one parent... umm.. i'm close to my mum.. and the last bit about hanging out with witty, funny frens or dimwitted frens.. hahaha.. that's so true!!
quote + photo project
i like this quote very much:
"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence." - Robert Frost
and here's something interesting to do on the 29th Feb 2004 (a leap year doesn't come around so often...):
a day in the life : the leap day - Photo Project for 29 Feb 2004
i like this quote very much:
"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence." - Robert Frost
and here's something interesting to do on the 29th Feb 2004 (a leap year doesn't come around so often...):
a day in the life : the leap day - Photo Project for 29 Feb 2004
Sunday, 22 February 2004
photographic irony
this picture was scanned from a newspaper i brought back from India last year - The Times of India. Look at the guy I pointed at with the red arrow .. doesn't he look like he was just Photoshopped in after the picture was taken???
hahahaha...
had a good laugh the first time i saw it because it happened that this particular article was about an important photo conference called Photofair 2004 held by the All India Photographic Trade and Industry Association (AIP-TIA), supposedly "one of the three largest (photographic equipment) exhibitions in the world" .... "exhibiting state-of-the-art gadgets"..
hahahaha....
ok ok... sorry.. i'm so mean... :p
this picture was scanned from a newspaper i brought back from India last year - The Times of India. Look at the guy I pointed at with the red arrow .. doesn't he look like he was just Photoshopped in after the picture was taken???
hahahaha...
had a good laugh the first time i saw it because it happened that this particular article was about an important photo conference called Photofair 2004 held by the All India Photographic Trade and Industry Association (AIP-TIA), supposedly "one of the three largest (photographic equipment) exhibitions in the world" .... "exhibiting state-of-the-art gadgets"..
hahahaha....
ok ok... sorry.. i'm so mean... :p
Saturday, 21 February 2004
Siamese Bananas
while i was looking around me at all the yellow things, i noticed these Siamese bananas in the bunch hanging from one of the dining chairs.
they were different but i realised that's what made them stand out...
how strange but how interesting....
while i was looking around me at all the yellow things, i noticed these Siamese bananas in the bunch hanging from one of the dining chairs.
they were different but i realised that's what made them stand out...
how strange but how interesting....
Lives in Limbo
City of God (Brazilian)
Last Life In The Universe (Thai-Jap)
two incredible films in two days.
the Oscar period is a busy time for movie buffs..
City of God (Brazilian)
Last Life In The Universe (Thai-Jap)
two incredible films in two days.
the Oscar period is a busy time for movie buffs..
Friday, 20 February 2004
Samuel Ullman's "Youth"
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.
Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.
Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.
When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.
These words, written by Samuel Ullman of Birmingham, Alabama at the age of 70-plus, are credited with inspiring a generation of Japanese citizens, businessmen, and government leaders who were faced with rebuilding their country after World War II. Ullman died in his chosen hometown in 1924 at the age of 84 never knowing that his poetic essay would be quoted by politicians and generals, appear in Dear Abby and Ann Landers columns, and be read and loved by people all across the world.
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.
Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.
Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.
When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.
These words, written by Samuel Ullman of Birmingham, Alabama at the age of 70-plus, are credited with inspiring a generation of Japanese citizens, businessmen, and government leaders who were faced with rebuilding their country after World War II. Ullman died in his chosen hometown in 1924 at the age of 84 never knowing that his poetic essay would be quoted by politicians and generals, appear in Dear Abby and Ann Landers columns, and be read and loved by people all across the world.
Thursday, 19 February 2004
the ensconced moon
Look! The moon’s almost completely gone!! -->
"Women have a mystique, a reputation for never being exactly like they appear, much like the Moon who changes size and shape in relation to the horizon nightly."
have you ever heard about the mystic connection between women and the moon? here's one ... there are several others but i don't have time and energy to look them up now.. not that i'm much of a believer in this but well, what's the harm of a little knowledge of folklore and legends, eh? :)
some people even buy and sell stocks according to phases of the moon!
Look! The moon’s almost completely gone!! -->
"Women have a mystique, a reputation for never being exactly like they appear, much like the Moon who changes size and shape in relation to the horizon nightly."
have you ever heard about the mystic connection between women and the moon? here's one ... there are several others but i don't have time and energy to look them up now.. not that i'm much of a believer in this but well, what's the harm of a little knowledge of folklore and legends, eh? :)
some people even buy and sell stocks according to phases of the moon!
Wednesday, 18 February 2004
rather stressed
i don't normally blog about how i feel unless it's in superlatives..
but this is an exception... cos i'm feeling mildly stressed..
maybe i'm actually feeling really stressed but keeping everything under control to a certain extent so it isn't blowing up..
but ya, i'm feeling stressed... grr...
for some reason, i recall reading somewhere once that if something makes you upset (or stressed, i guess), you should pause for a little while and just focus on the colour "YELLOW"
search around you for things that are yellow. Do that for 10 minutes or so until you calm down.
should make you feel better..
i don't normally blog about how i feel unless it's in superlatives..
but this is an exception... cos i'm feeling mildly stressed..
maybe i'm actually feeling really stressed but keeping everything under control to a certain extent so it isn't blowing up..
but ya, i'm feeling stressed... grr...
for some reason, i recall reading somewhere once that if something makes you upset (or stressed, i guess), you should pause for a little while and just focus on the colour "YELLOW"
search around you for things that are yellow. Do that for 10 minutes or so until you calm down.
should make you feel better..
Tuesday, 17 February 2004
3D Pavement Art
friends are sending me all these really amazing stuff via email...
check this out!! 3D Pavement Art
flat but doesn't look flat at all!!
wow!
did a quick search online... this other guy Kurt Wenner does it as well...
Update: The first set of 3D pavement art is done by an artist called Julian Beever.. his website is here
friends are sending me all these really amazing stuff via email...
check this out!! 3D Pavement Art
flat but doesn't look flat at all!!
wow!
did a quick search online... this other guy Kurt Wenner does it as well...
Update: The first set of 3D pavement art is done by an artist called Julian Beever.. his website is here
Monday, 16 February 2004
Clifford Pier
knowing this 71-year-old Singapore landmark on Collyer Quay was going to be demolished soon, i trotted down last Friday afternoon to shoot a couple of pictures of this retro-style place... there were only a few people there - the ah peks sitting around chatting, some cleaners and the occassional boatman returning from sea or tourists in twos and threes getting onto Chinese junkboat cruises... the serenity made it almost an oasis in the middle of Singapore's busy financial district..
sadly, we'll soon have very few of these historical places left.. places that the 70s/80s generation grew up visiting and seeing.. i remember especially fondly going with my parents and siblings to the "Satay Club" at the "old" Esplanade to enjoy satay and sugar cane juice, with the salty breeze from the sea blowing in our faces and a walk to the Merlion after dinner a definitely must... sigh.. simple joys of life..
nostalgia..
Update: I found some old photos of Clifford Pier.. so cool...
knowing this 71-year-old Singapore landmark on Collyer Quay was going to be demolished soon, i trotted down last Friday afternoon to shoot a couple of pictures of this retro-style place... there were only a few people there - the ah peks sitting around chatting, some cleaners and the occassional boatman returning from sea or tourists in twos and threes getting onto Chinese junkboat cruises... the serenity made it almost an oasis in the middle of Singapore's busy financial district..
sadly, we'll soon have very few of these historical places left.. places that the 70s/80s generation grew up visiting and seeing.. i remember especially fondly going with my parents and siblings to the "Satay Club" at the "old" Esplanade to enjoy satay and sugar cane juice, with the salty breeze from the sea blowing in our faces and a walk to the Merlion after dinner a definitely must... sigh.. simple joys of life..
nostalgia..
Update: I found some old photos of Clifford Pier.. so cool...
Sunday, 15 February 2004
Saturday, 14 February 2004
"To climb Mount Everest, you first have to climb Bukit Timah"
.. so said Mr Khoo Swee Chiow at the motivational talk i was invited to attend today, organised by folks from Cybercare (local charity) for a group of teenagers from around Singapore (I, of course, wasn't there as a "teenager" even if I wanted to pretend to be one.. haha.. was there to learn how to motivate young people.. :))... of course he said quite a bit else but I don't seem to be able to remember much of it now.. must have been the late nights.. haha.. oh ya, he also shared
1. How to train the mind... (this was really cool!) .. his method:
- run 20 km at East Coast Park (he started by doing this, which he achieved without too much difficulty)
- run 20 km on a track (400m x 50 - this was a lot more difficult as i imagine, as a runner myself, it must have been pure drudgery compared to running from pt A to B)
- run 20 km on the spot (i.e. treadmill!! i can't even believe this can be done! he was basically teaching about how, when you have to run for such a long time (literary) "on-the-spot", you have no choice but to "focus your mind" and concentrate on just "putting one foot in front of the other", a skill which came in handy on his long treks to the North and South Poles)
2. The importance of teamwork (he used the analogy of how he had to stop to wait for his teammate to "dump" on the snow while they were all tied together by rope on the way up to Mt Everest. He even had a picture of it to demonstrate his point - got the kids laughing.. haha.. but it's quite apt i have to admit)
3. i didn't listen to this one properly.. but it was either (a) Courage = "daring to do what has never been done before/try something new"; or (b) Courage = "daring to do something even if no one else believes in it"
4. Some goals take more than one attempt to succeed, i.e. the message of Determination (this was related to his 2 attempts before he succeeded in reaching the North Pole, the first time failing because he suffered from frostbite after only 9 days into his expedition)
i was quite impressed by how he managed to simplify his message to get it across to these 15, 16 year-olds..
i admit i was rather sceptical of him at first as well, particularly because of all the media hype that surrounds him everytime he embarks on yet another one of his new "adventures".. but after seeing how inspired the kids were at his talk today, i had a new impression of him.. he is at least someone who has given to others part of what he has been blessed with, proving himself to be much more useful to society than probably many of his critics..
see a pic of him on the mountains.
.. so said Mr Khoo Swee Chiow at the motivational talk i was invited to attend today, organised by folks from Cybercare (local charity) for a group of teenagers from around Singapore (I, of course, wasn't there as a "teenager" even if I wanted to pretend to be one.. haha.. was there to learn how to motivate young people.. :))... of course he said quite a bit else but I don't seem to be able to remember much of it now.. must have been the late nights.. haha.. oh ya, he also shared
1. How to train the mind... (this was really cool!) .. his method:
- run 20 km at East Coast Park (he started by doing this, which he achieved without too much difficulty)
- run 20 km on a track (400m x 50 - this was a lot more difficult as i imagine, as a runner myself, it must have been pure drudgery compared to running from pt A to B)
- run 20 km on the spot (i.e. treadmill!! i can't even believe this can be done! he was basically teaching about how, when you have to run for such a long time (literary) "on-the-spot", you have no choice but to "focus your mind" and concentrate on just "putting one foot in front of the other", a skill which came in handy on his long treks to the North and South Poles)
2. The importance of teamwork (he used the analogy of how he had to stop to wait for his teammate to "dump" on the snow while they were all tied together by rope on the way up to Mt Everest. He even had a picture of it to demonstrate his point - got the kids laughing.. haha.. but it's quite apt i have to admit)
3. i didn't listen to this one properly.. but it was either (a) Courage = "daring to do what has never been done before/try something new"; or (b) Courage = "daring to do something even if no one else believes in it"
4. Some goals take more than one attempt to succeed, i.e. the message of Determination (this was related to his 2 attempts before he succeeded in reaching the North Pole, the first time failing because he suffered from frostbite after only 9 days into his expedition)
i was quite impressed by how he managed to simplify his message to get it across to these 15, 16 year-olds..
i admit i was rather sceptical of him at first as well, particularly because of all the media hype that surrounds him everytime he embarks on yet another one of his new "adventures".. but after seeing how inspired the kids were at his talk today, i had a new impression of him.. he is at least someone who has given to others part of what he has been blessed with, proving himself to be much more useful to society than probably many of his critics..
see a pic of him on the mountains.
Friday, 13 February 2004
good friends, strange friends
this is Kai. i mean the one on the right (in case you are wondering..)
Kai is one of my best friends. And doubtlessly one of the strangest.
indeed, most of my closest friends are pretty strange, by conventional standards....
chatting over a cuppa at the new Jack's Place at Bras Basah this afternoon ala tai-tais, we chatted on everything from hopes and dreams, to personal mastery, to spectacular career moves, to travel, to art galleries, to correct pronunciation of "cheem" words, to ang mohs, to oral hygiene, to dead sea salt facial cleansers and toners, to fortune-telling using rose petals, to good gel ballpens, to health, exercise and vegetarian diets, to parents, and even to sex!! ok ok, we spoke about the harmful effects of sex in the media on teenagers, ya? don't get the wrong idea.. i've been doing research for my essay.. haha.. do you believe me? :p
anyway, random chatting is such fun!
everyone needs a good friend like Kai... :) thanks pal!
this is Kai. i mean the one on the right (in case you are wondering..)
Kai is one of my best friends. And doubtlessly one of the strangest.
indeed, most of my closest friends are pretty strange, by conventional standards....
chatting over a cuppa at the new Jack's Place at Bras Basah this afternoon ala tai-tais, we chatted on everything from hopes and dreams, to personal mastery, to spectacular career moves, to travel, to art galleries, to correct pronunciation of "cheem" words, to ang mohs, to oral hygiene, to dead sea salt facial cleansers and toners, to fortune-telling using rose petals, to good gel ballpens, to health, exercise and vegetarian diets, to parents, and even to sex!! ok ok, we spoke about the harmful effects of sex in the media on teenagers, ya? don't get the wrong idea.. i've been doing research for my essay.. haha.. do you believe me? :p
anyway, random chatting is such fun!
everyone needs a good friend like Kai... :) thanks pal!
Thursday, 12 February 2004
Obsessive Compulsive Hoarding
this has got to be the most amazing real-life case of hoarding (also known in Singapore as "karang guni-ism") i've ever seen!!!
check this out - The Awful Forums - My mother is insane (~5M of photos)
blew my mind! hahaha...
this has got to be the most amazing real-life case of hoarding (also known in Singapore as "karang guni-ism") i've ever seen!!!
check this out - The Awful Forums - My mother is insane (~5M of photos)
blew my mind! hahaha...
Wednesday, 11 February 2004
Take Free Career Inventory Personality Test
Take Free Career Inventory Personality Test
i've done the test THREE times before and I was always either an INTP or an ENTP. How did i suddenly become an ENFP?? Emotional/Feeling (F) rather than Intellectual/Thinking (T)?... umm..
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i've done the test THREE times before and I was always either an INTP or an ENTP. How did i suddenly become an ENFP?? Emotional/Feeling (F) rather than Intellectual/Thinking (T)?... umm..
Tuesday, 10 February 2004
project manzil website
did up the Sikkim Project 2003 Team Website with the weirdest colour scheme i could think of.... all in the midst of my busy-ness trying to complete a million and one other tasks..
Project Manzil (NIE-YEP Sikkim) 2003
haha.. believe it or not, i just picked colours off the web friendly palette randomly and didn't even bother changing them after that.. what to do? this is the work of an untrained web designer..hah..
uploaded quite a lot of photographs of the team before, during and after the project - they don't show much of the local Sikkimese culture, or scenary or flora and fauna cos we're reserving that for the other website our team is designing for them..
oh well, if you're interested, take a look.. at least the front pic of the 3rd highest mountain Khangchendzonga is nice (haha.. shameless self praise..)... :)
did up the Sikkim Project 2003 Team Website with the weirdest colour scheme i could think of.... all in the midst of my busy-ness trying to complete a million and one other tasks..
Project Manzil (NIE-YEP Sikkim) 2003
haha.. believe it or not, i just picked colours off the web friendly palette randomly and didn't even bother changing them after that.. what to do? this is the work of an untrained web designer..hah..
uploaded quite a lot of photographs of the team before, during and after the project - they don't show much of the local Sikkimese culture, or scenary or flora and fauna cos we're reserving that for the other website our team is designing for them..
oh well, if you're interested, take a look.. at least the front pic of the 3rd highest mountain Khangchendzonga is nice (haha.. shameless self praise..)... :)
Monday, 9 February 2004
Irreversible - le movie
After watching Irreversible yesterday, I was asked by my movie companion "So what will you write on your blog?"
I realised I didn't know. At least not yet.
After all, this movie wasn't your usual run-of-a-mill Hollywood flick, complete with cliched romances, tacky scripts and yawn-inducing plots. Or at best, good looking actors performing heroic but unbelievable feats to thrill and entertain. Instead, this 95min movie makes the audience walk out pensive, disturbed, disoriented or at the very least, deeply absorbed in their thoughts.. So I decided to wait a day or so before writing about it, mainly to find out for myself what I DO remember the following day. I reckoned, if anything sticks in my mind for long enough, it surely means something, whatever it is.
And sure enough, the movie was still clear as crystal in my mind this morning. The way the movie was filmed was enough to talk about - every scene executed to discomforting perfection, either to disorientate, or to set our pulses racing, or to raise us to intolerable anticipation. Not to mention the intensity of the visual and audio effects, the no-holds barred display of brutality and realism. I remember every scene as vividly in my mind as if I watched the movie only minutes ago.
If that was what the movie was supposed to do, I guess it worked.
One word: Powerful.
After watching Irreversible yesterday, I was asked by my movie companion "So what will you write on your blog?"
I realised I didn't know. At least not yet.
After all, this movie wasn't your usual run-of-a-mill Hollywood flick, complete with cliched romances, tacky scripts and yawn-inducing plots. Or at best, good looking actors performing heroic but unbelievable feats to thrill and entertain. Instead, this 95min movie makes the audience walk out pensive, disturbed, disoriented or at the very least, deeply absorbed in their thoughts.. So I decided to wait a day or so before writing about it, mainly to find out for myself what I DO remember the following day. I reckoned, if anything sticks in my mind for long enough, it surely means something, whatever it is.
And sure enough, the movie was still clear as crystal in my mind this morning. The way the movie was filmed was enough to talk about - every scene executed to discomforting perfection, either to disorientate, or to set our pulses racing, or to raise us to intolerable anticipation. Not to mention the intensity of the visual and audio effects, the no-holds barred display of brutality and realism. I remember every scene as vividly in my mind as if I watched the movie only minutes ago.
If that was what the movie was supposed to do, I guess it worked.
One word: Powerful.
Saturday, 7 February 2004
something to think about...
"We have killed pigs. We have killed civet cats. We are now killing birds. We have also killed our sense of morality.
Impressionable children will grow up thinking that killing is the answer to any threat to our survival. Is this the future we want?
We should stop blaming other species for our woes. If only we had been less indulgent in our gastronomic pleasures, more compassionate in the farming of animals, and less arrogant and not think that we are the masters of this fragile planet, then perhaps there is still hope for this earthly home we share with other living beings.
We want to live. So does every other living being on this planet."
(excerpt from Dr Tan Chek Wee's letter to the Straits Times forum letter entitled, "Stop blaming civet cats and chickens for our woes")
"We have killed pigs. We have killed civet cats. We are now killing birds. We have also killed our sense of morality.
Impressionable children will grow up thinking that killing is the answer to any threat to our survival. Is this the future we want?
We should stop blaming other species for our woes. If only we had been less indulgent in our gastronomic pleasures, more compassionate in the farming of animals, and less arrogant and not think that we are the masters of this fragile planet, then perhaps there is still hope for this earthly home we share with other living beings.
We want to live. So does every other living being on this planet."
(excerpt from Dr Tan Chek Wee's letter to the Straits Times forum letter entitled, "Stop blaming civet cats and chickens for our woes")
What is your rating?
My BBFC rating is:
What does this mean?
Suitable for 18 years or older. This is real life. Anything in this category is considered to be of subject matter relating to adult life, that happens day in and day out. Walking down the street is an 18 certificate. You have a life, well done.
Examples: American Beauty, Scary Movie
See what your rating is!
(via michelle f10)
My BBFC rating is:
What does this mean?
Suitable for 18 years or older. This is real life. Anything in this category is considered to be of subject matter relating to adult life, that happens day in and day out. Walking down the street is an 18 certificate. You have a life, well done.
Examples: American Beauty, Scary Movie
See what your rating is!
(via michelle f10)
Friday, 6 February 2004
leech hop
turns out that taking leeches from the jungle is a crime!
received a helpful email from Siva, another potential member of the Singapore Leech Club (which I am in the midst of setting up), who works at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. He told me that "You are not supposed to take things out of the forest so technically you are guilty of poaching."
He shared with me this article he wrote several years ago, on leeches, which included this funny paragraph:
"It is always amusing to watch the scene enacted by a group of people travelling together when one member discovers a leech on his person. His reaction could vary from a helpless wail with ineffective attempts to flick the leech off to more dignified attempts like attempting to keep his voice steady while asking for help. His friends, however, are usually more interesting to watch as they go into a frenzy of checking with obviously worded faces. Once sure that they are free of bloodsuckers, the group converges on the poor animal to stamp on it, burn and/or hack it to pieces. This is done with a great deal of viciousness even by normally mild-mannered people."
i can so relate to this! no matter how calm and unfazed you are normally, leeches just have a way of throwing you off...haha...
... read rest of article by N. Sivasothi from RMBR
must be careful not to take things back from the forest next time, just photographs..
on another note, i caught Bud's Youth Theatre's energetic part musical-part play performance of Hip Hopera (written by Malaysian Writer-director HUZIR SULAIMAN - who first showed it to fullhouses in Malaysia) at Mox Cafe this evening... it features my coursemate and friend Badpuppie in the lead role!
a spirited performance by a bunch of young people...a good effort, doubtless to say.. last performace tomorrow, go grab tix if you wanna watch!
Flying Inkpot has a nice review of the performace..
turns out that taking leeches from the jungle is a crime!
received a helpful email from Siva, another potential member of the Singapore Leech Club (which I am in the midst of setting up), who works at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. He told me that "You are not supposed to take things out of the forest so technically you are guilty of poaching."
He shared with me this article he wrote several years ago, on leeches, which included this funny paragraph:
"It is always amusing to watch the scene enacted by a group of people travelling together when one member discovers a leech on his person. His reaction could vary from a helpless wail with ineffective attempts to flick the leech off to more dignified attempts like attempting to keep his voice steady while asking for help. His friends, however, are usually more interesting to watch as they go into a frenzy of checking with obviously worded faces. Once sure that they are free of bloodsuckers, the group converges on the poor animal to stamp on it, burn and/or hack it to pieces. This is done with a great deal of viciousness even by normally mild-mannered people."
i can so relate to this! no matter how calm and unfazed you are normally, leeches just have a way of throwing you off...haha...
... read rest of article by N. Sivasothi from RMBR
must be careful not to take things back from the forest next time, just photographs..
on another note, i caught Bud's Youth Theatre's energetic part musical-part play performance of Hip Hopera (written by Malaysian Writer-director HUZIR SULAIMAN - who first showed it to fullhouses in Malaysia) at Mox Cafe this evening... it features my coursemate and friend Badpuppie in the lead role!
a spirited performance by a bunch of young people...a good effort, doubtless to say.. last performace tomorrow, go grab tix if you wanna watch!
Flying Inkpot has a nice review of the performace..
Thursday, 5 February 2004
Personality Disorder Test - Take It!
Disorder | Rating
Paranoid: Low
Schizoid: Low
Schizotypal: Moderate
Antisocial: High
Borderline: Low
Histrionic: High
Narcissistic: High
Avoidant: Low
Dependent: Low
Obsessive-Compulsive: High
-- Personality Disorder Test - Take It! --
so i score high on being Antisocial, Histrionic, Narcissistic and Obsessive-Compulsive... umm.... that's not good... see the Personality Disorder Information Page for info on these traits... personality disorders.. umm...
Disorder | Rating
Paranoid: Low
Schizoid: Low
Schizotypal: Moderate
Antisocial: High
Borderline: Low
Histrionic: High
Narcissistic: High
Avoidant: Low
Dependent: Low
Obsessive-Compulsive: High
-- Personality Disorder Test - Take It! --
so i score high on being Antisocial, Histrionic, Narcissistic and Obsessive-Compulsive... umm.... that's not good... see the Personality Disorder Information Page for info on these traits... personality disorders.. umm...
leeches & translations
i have a confession to make..
i brought back 3 leeches from the malaysian jungle... and here they are.. see picture of peter 1, peter 2 and sarah..
yep.. i know it's bizarre.. but before i decided to keep them as pets, i was planning to just show them to folks back home or, if i decided to keep them, to soak them in formaldehyde to preserve the bodies.. but these little creatures have proven to be a lot more hardy and they haven't died even after many days... and since i'm receiving more and more requests from friends to view them, i reckon i have to keep them alive for a while more, so i fed them with fresh chicken liver and they seem quite receptive.. haha.... jokes aside, leeches are really amazing to watch...they can extend their bodies to amaziing lengths (like ten times the regular size) when they move around... they don't seem popular as pets though, cos a search on Google for "leeches + pets" yields zero results.. umm.. still, my classmates were absolutely fascinated, albeit grossed-out by them..
ok, leeches aside, i caught Lost In Translation just now and think it's a brilliant movie indeed. gentle and subtle. absolutely delightful.
just like my leeches. hahahaha....
com'on, be open-minded! leeches can be pets too (as long as you drop the 's' in pest.. 's' being "scepticism"??)
i have a confession to make..
i brought back 3 leeches from the malaysian jungle... and here they are.. see picture of peter 1, peter 2 and sarah..
yep.. i know it's bizarre.. but before i decided to keep them as pets, i was planning to just show them to folks back home or, if i decided to keep them, to soak them in formaldehyde to preserve the bodies.. but these little creatures have proven to be a lot more hardy and they haven't died even after many days... and since i'm receiving more and more requests from friends to view them, i reckon i have to keep them alive for a while more, so i fed them with fresh chicken liver and they seem quite receptive.. haha.... jokes aside, leeches are really amazing to watch...they can extend their bodies to amaziing lengths (like ten times the regular size) when they move around... they don't seem popular as pets though, cos a search on Google for "leeches + pets" yields zero results.. umm.. still, my classmates were absolutely fascinated, albeit grossed-out by them..
ok, leeches aside, i caught Lost In Translation just now and think it's a brilliant movie indeed. gentle and subtle. absolutely delightful.
just like my leeches. hahahaha....
com'on, be open-minded! leeches can be pets too (as long as you drop the 's' in pest.. 's' being "scepticism"??)
Tuesday, 3 February 2004
jungle weekend
pics here
back from 3 days out in the wilderness of the Selai Endau Rompin - Johor National Park
what a fabulous weekend!
our simple wooden jungle huts were surrounded by towering trees, cool freshwater creeks, thundering waterfalls, exotic fungi, strange moths and butterflies, and medicinal plants. we tried out orang asli food, tribal puzzles and blowpipes.. many hours were spent relaxing by or splashing about in the river in the cool shade of the luxuriant forests that lined either bank of the gently flowing creek. at night, we slept with the windows open to the sound of crickets and water and the sweet smell of dew...
other than the pesky and frankly rather vicious leech attacks (of which there were surprisingly plenty) when we did a short trek up to the Takah Tinggi waterfall and even when we pottered around our jungle camp in our flipflops, the place was actually very clean, highly liveable, and (wow!) mosquito-free!
check out digital pictures here (please note: only one of the pictures can be clicked on)
pics here
back from 3 days out in the wilderness of the Selai Endau Rompin - Johor National Park
what a fabulous weekend!
our simple wooden jungle huts were surrounded by towering trees, cool freshwater creeks, thundering waterfalls, exotic fungi, strange moths and butterflies, and medicinal plants. we tried out orang asli food, tribal puzzles and blowpipes.. many hours were spent relaxing by or splashing about in the river in the cool shade of the luxuriant forests that lined either bank of the gently flowing creek. at night, we slept with the windows open to the sound of crickets and water and the sweet smell of dew...
other than the pesky and frankly rather vicious leech attacks (of which there were surprisingly plenty) when we did a short trek up to the Takah Tinggi waterfall and even when we pottered around our jungle camp in our flipflops, the place was actually very clean, highly liveable, and (wow!) mosquito-free!
check out digital pictures here (please note: only one of the pictures can be clicked on)
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