spreadsheets. And curiously invisible dodgy cells that become apparent only after the fact. And cashflows, cashflows, cashflows. And converting millions to thousands. And making illogical assumptions sound perfectly reasonable. And then trying to translate into numbers. And trying to figure out formulas. And forgetting to stretch formulas across the entire project horizon after figuring them out. And horizons that move. And switching between countless versions of the same spreadsheet. And projecting forty years into the future. And then doing it all over again, repeatedly, until I get the NPV that won't get my head rolling. And being extremely careless in the meantime because after a while 4s look like 9s and 7s like 2s and dots look like commas and the subtotal row looks like the total-total row and everything JUST BECOMES ONE BIG UGLY CELL.
Beertime.
...
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
I wish
people would stop talking about the financial crisis. It's not going to boost confidence in markets, and that's not good for any of us (except those who were smart enough to cash out several months ago - DAMN YOU). I am sitting on (unrealised) losses that could otherwise go towards releasing me from indentured slavery. I hate the lazy American folk who couldn't keep up with their mortgage payments. I hate wanker bankers. I hate Republicans.
I especially hate the fact that the people around me are almost thankful for the crisis because it gives them something to talk about, other than food.
...
I especially hate the fact that the people around me are almost thankful for the crisis because it gives them something to talk about, other than food.
...
Monday, September 15, 2008
Keepin' the back where it belongs.
This morning I read that Jennifer Lopez finished a Nautica triathlon - a half mile swim, 18-mile bike and a 4-mile run - in 2 hours, 23 minutes and 28 seconds. If you recall, she had twins in February this year. Fathered by a man likely to be a vampire. (Matthew McConaughey also did the triathlon, and if you're having ripped-body-withdrawal, as I imagine most girls in The Pore do, I would strongly recommend checking out pics of him emerging from the swim.)
I haven't been to the gym in over a month and although I lost weight for P's weddings, it has slowly but surely crept back in the most unflattering places. So this is me making an online commitment to get back to the treadmill and weight machines, STAT. Because if I don't then you have the right to point and laugh at my saggy butt.
...
I haven't been to the gym in over a month and although I lost weight for P's weddings, it has slowly but surely crept back in the most unflattering places. So this is me making an online commitment to get back to the treadmill and weight machines, STAT. Because if I don't then you have the right to point and laugh at my saggy butt.
...
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
I'm...
...thinking of getting BOTOX injections to reduce my masseter muscles thus giving my jaw a slimming effect. Thoughts?
========
Every horoscope I've read predicts that my "ego energies", "physical energies" and "intellectual and mental energy" will be running at an all-time high for the next few weeks, putting me in the mood to be "cruising for a bruising". Just yesterday I very nearly succumbed to getting dragged into a (e-mail) fight with an astonishingly immature and bitchy man at least twice my age (who spends much if his office hours designing nets and traps for wild birds - another reason why he doesn't deserve to live).
Hence the need to identify various new insanities where I can channel this overflowing fountain of energies, instead of picking fights at work.
(Although I reckon I could give that wimpy bucket of lard a good beat down in five seconds flat. Even my colleague's nostrils - which are larger than his beady little eyes - are starting to offend me in a way that begs for some sort of physical remedy.)
...
========
Every horoscope I've read predicts that my "ego energies", "physical energies" and "intellectual and mental energy" will be running at an all-time high for the next few weeks, putting me in the mood to be "cruising for a bruising". Just yesterday I very nearly succumbed to getting dragged into a (e-mail) fight with an astonishingly immature and bitchy man at least twice my age (who spends much if his office hours designing nets and traps for wild birds - another reason why he doesn't deserve to live).
Hence the need to identify various new insanities where I can channel this overflowing fountain of energies, instead of picking fights at work.
(Although I reckon I could give that wimpy bucket of lard a good beat down in five seconds flat. Even my colleague's nostrils - which are larger than his beady little eyes - are starting to offend me in a way that begs for some sort of physical remedy.)
...
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
It's lunchtime.
And since I'm not eating and sick of work, it makes sense to spend time enriching myself with the vast but often useless or questionable information available on the interwebs.
Might I trouble you to direct your attention to this Wikipedia article?
I would also like to highlight the following para, for its unbeatable GROSS factor:
"The first lip balm was actually made out of earwax. It was functional, but the taste was undesirable. However, its popularity has grown in recent years. A small but growing fan base, committed to the use of all-natural products, touts its use as a superior organic alternative to other varieties of lip balm."
So what are you? Wet or dry?
...
Might I trouble you to direct your attention to this Wikipedia article?
I would also like to highlight the following para, for its unbeatable GROSS factor:
"The first lip balm was actually made out of earwax. It was functional, but the taste was undesirable. However, its popularity has grown in recent years. A small but growing fan base, committed to the use of all-natural products, touts its use as a superior organic alternative to other varieties of lip balm."
So what are you? Wet or dry?
...
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Ramadan Watch (I)
Day 2:
Light-headed with significantly diminished response time. Example being frantic search for mobile phone which was located literally right in front of me exposed on a white sheet of paper. Extreme air-conditioning not making it any easier. During three hour meeting, only thought in head was big bowl of steaming hot and extra spicy beef and kimchi noodle. I've never tried kimchi before. But I sure love beef. Also having to go to the loo fairly frequently despite not consuming anything. Rather embarrassing.
On bright side, belly has returned to flatness similar to that when was 18.
...
Light-headed with significantly diminished response time. Example being frantic search for mobile phone which was located literally right in front of me exposed on a white sheet of paper. Extreme air-conditioning not making it any easier. During three hour meeting, only thought in head was big bowl of steaming hot and extra spicy beef and kimchi noodle. I've never tried kimchi before. But I sure love beef. Also having to go to the loo fairly frequently despite not consuming anything. Rather embarrassing.
On bright side, belly has returned to flatness similar to that when was 18.
...
Monday, September 01, 2008
Hunger.
It's been too long for it to be jetlag; the dogs, frogs and other neighbourhood animals have let silence prevail; and the blasted beetle has finally been banished from my bedroom. And yet sleep is far removed. Is this - insomnia in a person who can usually fall asleep as long as there's something to lie on - a symptom of the quarterlife crisis I thought had been exorcised some months ago?
The spate of weddings this year, particularly that of a good friend in recent weeks, have forced me to question if I can continue believing that my life as is would satiate the hunger of my remaining 20s (and perhaps, early 30s).
It would be an easier question to answer, if I could first figure out what exactly I'm hungry for. Knowledge? I'd like to think that I've already, successfully, taken an active approach to fulfilling that need. Travel? I believe I'm doing as much as I can within the constraints of time and money. Job satisfaction? As before, getting as much as I can within the constraints of time and money. Money? I occasionally envy people with the infamous "hunger" to make a whole lotta money, simply because it makes life so much easier in terms of knowing what to do. But I do just lack that passion. Physical prowess? Work in progress. And then there's the social life - I have what I need and anything more depends on the quality of supply.
Oh yes, companionship. The sort that provides for solicitude and empathy, acceptance and understanding, with liberal lashings of sexual desire and gratification. Emotional sustenance you can't get from a cat (or dog), or any amount of alcohol or chocolates, or religion. Thus far I had embraced the belief that the Big Ones were knowledge, travel and job satisfaction (and physical prowess, although I'm certain the reader would disagree). Companionship was something that happened to most but not to others, and that even when it does, it's just something that comes along when you least expect it.
This afternoon I had lunch in a restaurant next to a table at which sat a man who looked to be in his 40s, and his parents who looked well into the twilight of their lives. The mother, stooped and trembling, just barely managed to slowly ease herself into a restaurant chair, while the father remained in his wheelchair. The man did not bother to run through the menu with his parents, possibly as his choices were limited to the few dishes that his parents could actually consume, given their advanced years. When the food arrived, the man took turns between arranging more manageable pieces on his mother's plate, and spoonfeeding his father with a broth into which some rice was mixed. Every now and then his father would let dribble what which he could not ingest, and the man would have to clean this up with a blue towel that must have been thoroughly soaked by the end of the meal.
How fortunate it was for the aged couple to have each other, and a son who clearly cared for them despite the obvious inconveniences imposed upon him.
What happens when I get that old? I'm doing what I can to ensure that I maintain physical and mental health in old age, but shit happens you know. And when it does, only a lucky few have the real option of ending it all. I've always thought it faintly disgusting that some parents, particularly Asian ones, have children as a sort of "insurance policy" for their enfeebled futures. But wait, children aside, can I really leave it to chance that I might spend the next 50 years devoid of companionship? Is "alone but not lonely" a sustainable concept? Is this PMT masquerading as a quarterlife crisis?
In any case, there's not much I can do about it. So I guess, proceed as is. I'm starting to feel sleepy anyway, and I haven't decided if I should go to Thailand or the Philippines next. Or maybe Laos?
Cambodia?
========
Enough of the broody soliloquy click here for some retro Japanese craziness!
...
The spate of weddings this year, particularly that of a good friend in recent weeks, have forced me to question if I can continue believing that my life as is would satiate the hunger of my remaining 20s (and perhaps, early 30s).
It would be an easier question to answer, if I could first figure out what exactly I'm hungry for. Knowledge? I'd like to think that I've already, successfully, taken an active approach to fulfilling that need. Travel? I believe I'm doing as much as I can within the constraints of time and money. Job satisfaction? As before, getting as much as I can within the constraints of time and money. Money? I occasionally envy people with the infamous "hunger" to make a whole lotta money, simply because it makes life so much easier in terms of knowing what to do. But I do just lack that passion. Physical prowess? Work in progress. And then there's the social life - I have what I need and anything more depends on the quality of supply.
Oh yes, companionship. The sort that provides for solicitude and empathy, acceptance and understanding, with liberal lashings of sexual desire and gratification. Emotional sustenance you can't get from a cat (or dog), or any amount of alcohol or chocolates, or religion. Thus far I had embraced the belief that the Big Ones were knowledge, travel and job satisfaction (and physical prowess, although I'm certain the reader would disagree). Companionship was something that happened to most but not to others, and that even when it does, it's just something that comes along when you least expect it.
This afternoon I had lunch in a restaurant next to a table at which sat a man who looked to be in his 40s, and his parents who looked well into the twilight of their lives. The mother, stooped and trembling, just barely managed to slowly ease herself into a restaurant chair, while the father remained in his wheelchair. The man did not bother to run through the menu with his parents, possibly as his choices were limited to the few dishes that his parents could actually consume, given their advanced years. When the food arrived, the man took turns between arranging more manageable pieces on his mother's plate, and spoonfeeding his father with a broth into which some rice was mixed. Every now and then his father would let dribble what which he could not ingest, and the man would have to clean this up with a blue towel that must have been thoroughly soaked by the end of the meal.
How fortunate it was for the aged couple to have each other, and a son who clearly cared for them despite the obvious inconveniences imposed upon him.
What happens when I get that old? I'm doing what I can to ensure that I maintain physical and mental health in old age, but shit happens you know. And when it does, only a lucky few have the real option of ending it all. I've always thought it faintly disgusting that some parents, particularly Asian ones, have children as a sort of "insurance policy" for their enfeebled futures. But wait, children aside, can I really leave it to chance that I might spend the next 50 years devoid of companionship? Is "alone but not lonely" a sustainable concept? Is this PMT masquerading as a quarterlife crisis?
In any case, there's not much I can do about it. So I guess, proceed as is. I'm starting to feel sleepy anyway, and I haven't decided if I should go to Thailand or the Philippines next. Or maybe Laos?
Cambodia?
========
Enough of the broody soliloquy click here for some retro Japanese craziness!
...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
*whine*
I don't wanna work in this cold crappy office anymore, I just wanna go home and play with my cat! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR???
Thursday, August 07, 2008
A list
of things I'd like to do while I'm in Berlin. Because the office is out for the rest of the day to observe national day. And I'm not (because I think it's silly).
In no particular order:
1. Mill about Brandenburg Gate for a bit and take a few photos.
2. Wander aimlessly through Die Berliner Museumsinsel.
3. Be a shameless tourist aboard a Trabi-Safari.
4. Pretend to understand the art in the Kunsthaus Tacheles.
5. Eat in the dark.
What about Prague? Everyone and his uncle has been telling me it's beautiful but getting far too commercialised. I'm thinking lots of beer (pivo), ice cream (zmrszlina) and desserts (moučníky), interspersed by casual sightseeing and gawking at the locals.
========
Does anyone else have that "From London to Berlin" song running through your head? I looked up the lyrics thinking that the only thing worse than having a bad song stuck in your head is to have just one line from a bad song stuck in your head. Clearly, today's not optimal for thought because I was dead wrong.
...
In no particular order:
1. Mill about Brandenburg Gate for a bit and take a few photos.
2. Wander aimlessly through Die Berliner Museumsinsel.
3. Be a shameless tourist aboard a Trabi-Safari.
4. Pretend to understand the art in the Kunsthaus Tacheles.
5. Eat in the dark.
What about Prague? Everyone and his uncle has been telling me it's beautiful but getting far too commercialised. I'm thinking lots of beer (pivo), ice cream (zmrszlina) and desserts (moučníky), interspersed by casual sightseeing and gawking at the locals.
========
Does anyone else have that "From London to Berlin" song running through your head? I looked up the lyrics thinking that the only thing worse than having a bad song stuck in your head is to have just one line from a bad song stuck in your head. Clearly, today's not optimal for thought because I was dead wrong.
...
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Meh.
Back in primary school, filing was a BIG thing. Bigger than actually having brains. You could have intelligent conversation with a teacher one moment and thrown out of class the next, for having an "incomplete" file. Meanwhile, vapid classmates who wouldn't know shit if it flew in their faces would be fucking over the moon with glory hallelujah in their heads about getting a gold star sticker for their fantastic filing abilities. I hated that primary school. HATE.
What was it I wanted to get at when I started this post?
Oh yes. Multi-purpose. Back in primary school each student had to have a "multi-purpose" file for everything that couldn't be filed anywhere else. And now I AM the multi-purpose file. Anything and everything that doesn't fall neatly into anyone's portfolio always ends up on my desk instead. But suddenly I'm not so pissed off by that anymore and now I want to rant about how
KIDS FROM PRIMARY SCHOOL KEEP POPPING UP ALL OVER THE GODDAMN PLACE.
Seriously. It's like being on loop. I keep seeing the same faces, just older each time. Nothing's changed. Even if it's not the same face, it's the same type of person. A week ago an ex-classmate from primary school popped out of nowhere to apply for a job in my division. If he's accepted he will be my colleague. People keep telling me that they know so-and-so and oh-do-you-know-her-too and wow-it's-such-a-small-world and hey-we-should-have-lunch-sometime. (This is going to sound almost pathologically anti-social but...) NO WE SHOULDN'T. Not that I dislike you. Nor that I don't want to get to know you. More like I can't fucking believe it why can't I meet someone completely new and different for a change and I'm afraid this will show on my face or in my actions if I do have lunch with you so it's probably really not such a great idea.
And this is probably why I'm so attracted to people with issues. I love people with issues. Or rather, I love the fact that they have issues. I could breathe, eat, sleep, live issues. Meaty, multi-faceted, malleable issues. Parental issues are probably the best, because it means that the mind has been messed with for the entire lifespan of the issue-bearer. Trying to understand and deal with someone's issues is far more interesting than a conversation on which restaurant serves the best duck confit (sorry, I meant confit du canard...).
I tell you what though, it's bloody difficult finding someone with a good depth and breadth of issues in this country though. Everytime I think I've found one, I realise that he/she is just channelling stuff he/she watched in the movies or on Oprah or read from some book by Paulo Coelho or something. (I've never read Paulo Coelho and I don't think I ever will, ever since some broad in uni tried to have an intellectual discussion with me over whether or not the egg was a living thing that could exist independently of the rest of the world and hence isn't Coelho wrong in his book? I think oxygen transfers to the shell and is used by the embryo. Are you sure? Pretty much. Oh I guess he's right after all... Now everytime I see a Coelho I think about that conversation, shudder, and look away.)
Ugh. Time to go to the gym. Might find some issues there.
...
What was it I wanted to get at when I started this post?
Oh yes. Multi-purpose. Back in primary school each student had to have a "multi-purpose" file for everything that couldn't be filed anywhere else. And now I AM the multi-purpose file. Anything and everything that doesn't fall neatly into anyone's portfolio always ends up on my desk instead. But suddenly I'm not so pissed off by that anymore and now I want to rant about how
KIDS FROM PRIMARY SCHOOL KEEP POPPING UP ALL OVER THE GODDAMN PLACE.
Seriously. It's like being on loop. I keep seeing the same faces, just older each time. Nothing's changed. Even if it's not the same face, it's the same type of person. A week ago an ex-classmate from primary school popped out of nowhere to apply for a job in my division. If he's accepted he will be my colleague. People keep telling me that they know so-and-so and oh-do-you-know-her-too and wow-it's-such-a-small-world and hey-we-should-have-lunch-sometime. (This is going to sound almost pathologically anti-social but...) NO WE SHOULDN'T. Not that I dislike you. Nor that I don't want to get to know you. More like I can't fucking believe it why can't I meet someone completely new and different for a change and I'm afraid this will show on my face or in my actions if I do have lunch with you so it's probably really not such a great idea.
And this is probably why I'm so attracted to people with issues. I love people with issues. Or rather, I love the fact that they have issues. I could breathe, eat, sleep, live issues. Meaty, multi-faceted, malleable issues. Parental issues are probably the best, because it means that the mind has been messed with for the entire lifespan of the issue-bearer. Trying to understand and deal with someone's issues is far more interesting than a conversation on which restaurant serves the best duck confit (sorry, I meant confit du canard...).
I tell you what though, it's bloody difficult finding someone with a good depth and breadth of issues in this country though. Everytime I think I've found one, I realise that he/she is just channelling stuff he/she watched in the movies or on Oprah or read from some book by Paulo Coelho or something. (I've never read Paulo Coelho and I don't think I ever will, ever since some broad in uni tried to have an intellectual discussion with me over whether or not the egg was a living thing that could exist independently of the rest of the world and hence isn't Coelho wrong in his book? I think oxygen transfers to the shell and is used by the embryo. Are you sure? Pretty much. Oh I guess he's right after all... Now everytime I see a Coelho I think about that conversation, shudder, and look away.)
Ugh. Time to go to the gym. Might find some issues there.
...
Monday, August 04, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Chromesthesia.
Because everytime I hear my boss, I see red.
========
Alright, so this morning I was all about "streamlining" and "eliminating virtual and real clutter from my life". That included shutting down my facebook account, deleting thousands of e-mails, pulling my blog off the net, and packing half my room off to the Salvation Army. I'll still do most of that, but now I think I'll keep the blog - because it's my way of sharing with the world wonderful finds such as this.
I LOVE IT. And I want someone to come up with a "Crap Men" version. Pretty please? With cream and chocolate sprinkles and a cherry on the top???
========
Stop eating seafood, switch off that light and walk that last mile instead! SAVE PINGU!!!
========
Alright, so this morning I was all about "streamlining" and "eliminating virtual and real clutter from my life". That included shutting down my facebook account, deleting thousands of e-mails, pulling my blog off the net, and packing half my room off to the Salvation Army. I'll still do most of that, but now I think I'll keep the blog - because it's my way of sharing with the world wonderful finds such as this.
I LOVE IT. And I want someone to come up with a "Crap Men" version. Pretty please? With cream and chocolate sprinkles and a cherry on the top???
========
Stop eating seafood, switch off that light and walk that last mile instead! SAVE PINGU!!!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Thursday, July 03, 2008
RAWR!!!
I just watched all the parts to "Christian the Lion at World's End". My period cramps have completely disappeared and my stone cold heart has turned to putty. The reunion video is the coup de grâce . Must buy DVD. And then live amongst lions in Africa.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
-
Something for breakfast:
Fire in the sky : Tunguska at 100
If you, like me, had always thought that asteroids and comets were the same thing (or have never thought about them at all), well the following explains the difference:
The main difference between asteroids and comets is what they are made of. Asteroids are made up of metals and rocky material, while comets are made up of ice, dust and rocky material. Both asteroids and comets were formed early in the history of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago. Asteroids formed much closer to the sun, where it was too warm for ices to remain solid. Comets formed farther from the sun where ices would not melt. Comets which approach the sun lose material with each orbit because some of their ice melts and vaporizes to form a tail.
Fire in the sky : Tunguska at 100
If you, like me, had always thought that asteroids and comets were the same thing (or have never thought about them at all), well the following explains the difference:
The main difference between asteroids and comets is what they are made of. Asteroids are made up of metals and rocky material, while comets are made up of ice, dust and rocky material. Both asteroids and comets were formed early in the history of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago. Asteroids formed much closer to the sun, where it was too warm for ices to remain solid. Comets formed farther from the sun where ices would not melt. Comets which approach the sun lose material with each orbit because some of their ice melts and vaporizes to form a tail.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Redang!
Back and missing the sun, sand and sea sorely. The resort (Berjaya Beach) was a bit too resort-ish though, not really the demographic I was hoping for*, with ridiculously overpriced food (there aren't many options outside of the resort either). The accomodation itself was well worth it (imagine a maze of rustic wooden double-storey houses amidst gorgeous lush greenery that positively glow during the day's "golden hours"), and I'm a bit miffed about not having booked into the ocean-front rooms instead because the view must be breathtaking. The service staff are a bit slow but very friendly, and the resident spa was fantastic.
But the most important bit, the sea. The waters around Redang are plain amazing, the diving spectacular - at one point a black-tip reef shark approached the group and followed the guide for a short distance before disappearing into the blue/green. Incredible range of fish, nudibranches and corals, including these strange "caterpillar"-like creatures on some of the corals with transparent bodies and fluorescent yellow insides. Not many rays, although the bizarre devil-fish more than make up for it. Caveat lector: tonnes of jellyfish around the two best dive sites, preventing us from going in (well actually we did, got summarily stung and so we decided to abort the dive). The dive guide says that it's really unpredictable when they appear, so it's best to go for a long-ish diving trip to make sure you get to cover all the sites.
Gotta go back, but will probably base in the Perhentians where it's more backpacker-style. Wish diving wasn't so bloody expensive.
Oh and while Berjaya Air is really quite a fast and convenient no-frills service, note that they use the DeHavilland Dash 7 turboprops for which production ceased in 1988, i.e. they're at least 20 years old as of 2008. And the ones I was on didn't look too well maintained. Plus the windows have no covers, so if you brown easily like me, be prepared for an uneven tan. So it's quite a leap of faith getting on one of those. But since they cruise at a maximum of 17,000 feet, the view is awesome and may be well worth the risk.
========
* There were a lot of noisy and uncivilised packs of people from The Pore, but the resort is big enough to offer several ways of getting away from them. Aside from that, loads of young European couples on romantic summer getaways, and young expat families from the region. Solo travellers are definitely a minority, although that seems to make the service staff want to go out of their way to make sure you're doing fine. Which is rather nice.
But the most important bit, the sea. The waters around Redang are plain amazing, the diving spectacular - at one point a black-tip reef shark approached the group and followed the guide for a short distance before disappearing into the blue/green. Incredible range of fish, nudibranches and corals, including these strange "caterpillar"-like creatures on some of the corals with transparent bodies and fluorescent yellow insides. Not many rays, although the bizarre devil-fish more than make up for it. Caveat lector: tonnes of jellyfish around the two best dive sites, preventing us from going in (well actually we did, got summarily stung and so we decided to abort the dive). The dive guide says that it's really unpredictable when they appear, so it's best to go for a long-ish diving trip to make sure you get to cover all the sites.
Gotta go back, but will probably base in the Perhentians where it's more backpacker-style. Wish diving wasn't so bloody expensive.
Oh and while Berjaya Air is really quite a fast and convenient no-frills service, note that they use the DeHavilland Dash 7 turboprops for which production ceased in 1988, i.e. they're at least 20 years old as of 2008. And the ones I was on didn't look too well maintained. Plus the windows have no covers, so if you brown easily like me, be prepared for an uneven tan. So it's quite a leap of faith getting on one of those. But since they cruise at a maximum of 17,000 feet, the view is awesome and may be well worth the risk.
(Yeah, didn't take too many photos.)
========
* There were a lot of noisy and uncivilised packs of people from The Pore, but the resort is big enough to offer several ways of getting away from them. Aside from that, loads of young European couples on romantic summer getaways, and young expat families from the region. Solo travellers are definitely a minority, although that seems to make the service staff want to go out of their way to make sure you're doing fine. Which is rather nice.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Redang...
... oh beautiful Redang, I hear you calling my name. Just 72 more hours and I will be there, trapped in your warm embrace of pristine white sands and crystal clear azure waters...
Meanwhile I'm trying to get rid of this awful bloat. Actually, it's probably just fat...
(Also, I'm not entirely certain if the island pictured above is in fact Redang. But I will be sure to take photos from the dingy little 47-seater propeller plane when I do get there.)
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Timeliness.
Found this brilliant compilation of ridiculous office jargon on the Beeb:
"50 office-speak phrases you love to hate"
I'd add "blue sky R&D" (i.e. research with no positive market value in sight) and "domain mindshare" (a transmogrification of "info-sharing" that allows it to be used as a project objective, nebulous enough to contrive in case none of the project's quantitative targets are achieved).
"50 office-speak phrases you love to hate"
I'd add "blue sky R&D" (i.e. research with no positive market value in sight) and "domain mindshare" (a transmogrification of "info-sharing" that allows it to be used as a project objective, nebulous enough to contrive in case none of the project's quantitative targets are achieved).
Monday, June 16, 2008
Green-blooded.
For yonks I've been telling people to avoid consuming Chinese goods, particularly food products, but it's only been in the last year that people have started taking me seriously due to the deluge of mainstream news articles over health and safety hazards that have accompanied various Chinese exports. Now I'm telling you that it's seriously not a good idea to live/work/play anywhere close to the petrochemicals industry, i.e. if you're in The Pore then stay as far east as possible. And it looks like CSI's Grissom agrees with me:
(Grissom to Dr. Robbins) "You know atmospheric sulfur levels are on the rise? [In] a hundred years we will all be look[ing] like spinach."
Yes. There is actually a rare medical condition called sulfhaemoglobinaemia, where sulphur is incorporated into the oxygen-carrying compound haemoglobin in red blood cells, which can turn blood a dark green colour. And it's happened before.
The shipping industry has been a key user of sour (i.e. containing high levels of hydrogen sulfide) crude oil - the main source of bunker fuel - and much of the sulphur oxide created during the combustion of a ship's fuel is emitted all over the world along shipping routes. But now various politicians desperate for popular platforms are provoking regulatory changes that will force ships to use bunker fuels with much lower sulphur content.
So where's all that sulphur naturally lurking in crude oil gonna go? It's just a matter of time before all ships will have to use "cleaner" bunker fuel which has had most of its sulphur content removed in refineries. Which probably means that the level of sulphur oxides emitted by refineries will rise rather significantly. You see, nobody wants to use fuels with high sulphur levels because it damages engines and machines. The "invisible hand" has, over the past century, directed the use of high sulphur crude oil towards a use that minimises its cost to society. And now we're about to undo all its work.
The only way to reduce atmospheric sulphur levels is to reduce aggregate global consumption. That means, inter alia, no more bananas for you. Failing that, would you rather have unhealthy levels of sulphur in your body or randomly dispersed the world over? It seems that the latter would be the lesser of two evils.
========
I thought I'd post a stunning pic of hammerhead sharks in the sea around the Galapagos Islands because that's where I intend to celebrate my release from indenture in 2011:
(Grissom to Dr. Robbins) "You know atmospheric sulfur levels are on the rise? [In] a hundred years we will all be look[ing] like spinach."
Yes. There is actually a rare medical condition called sulfhaemoglobinaemia, where sulphur is incorporated into the oxygen-carrying compound haemoglobin in red blood cells, which can turn blood a dark green colour. And it's happened before.
The shipping industry has been a key user of sour (i.e. containing high levels of hydrogen sulfide) crude oil - the main source of bunker fuel - and much of the sulphur oxide created during the combustion of a ship's fuel is emitted all over the world along shipping routes. But now various politicians desperate for popular platforms are provoking regulatory changes that will force ships to use bunker fuels with much lower sulphur content.
So where's all that sulphur naturally lurking in crude oil gonna go? It's just a matter of time before all ships will have to use "cleaner" bunker fuel which has had most of its sulphur content removed in refineries. Which probably means that the level of sulphur oxides emitted by refineries will rise rather significantly. You see, nobody wants to use fuels with high sulphur levels because it damages engines and machines. The "invisible hand" has, over the past century, directed the use of high sulphur crude oil towards a use that minimises its cost to society. And now we're about to undo all its work.
The only way to reduce atmospheric sulphur levels is to reduce aggregate global consumption. That means, inter alia, no more bananas for you. Failing that, would you rather have unhealthy levels of sulphur in your body or randomly dispersed the world over? It seems that the latter would be the lesser of two evils.
========
I thought I'd post a stunning pic of hammerhead sharks in the sea around the Galapagos Islands because that's where I intend to celebrate my release from indenture in 2011:
Friday, June 13, 2008
Human Beings - EPIC FAIL.
When I've done my time I want to work with animals. You know, give up luxuries like food, electricity and running water, to save small brown mammals from extinction. Or maybe burnish my potential bitter old lady status by setting up a cat sanctuary that pisses off the neighbours.
Because people suck.
Because people suck.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Be afraid.
So yesterday I sat through six gruelling hours of the CFA exam and SURVIVED. Despite issues with my calculator, convexity and ethics, I'm feeling pretty good about it (or maybe it's just sheer relief). ANYWAY this means my weekends will no longer be devoted to textbooks and plagued by the pretence of studying!
And what better time to have the weekends to myself again than when I've found my psyche's near-doppelgänger. I'm really looking forward to indulging in possibly one of the highest forms of narcissism - self-validation (and perhaps a spot of exaltation) by spending time in the company of a Virtual Me. My dogma has been to learn to be happy alone, because if one can't be interested in one's own company then how can one expect others to be so? Now I'll get to "test" the results of my efforts by physically being in "my" own company!
No, I am not insane. But I must warn you that if you used to think I was selfish or/and that I believed the world revolved around me, well, you ain't seen nothing yet!
And what better time to have the weekends to myself again than when I've found my psyche's near-doppelgänger. I'm really looking forward to indulging in possibly one of the highest forms of narcissism - self-validation (and perhaps a spot of exaltation) by spending time in the company of a Virtual Me. My dogma has been to learn to be happy alone, because if one can't be interested in one's own company then how can one expect others to be so? Now I'll get to "test" the results of my efforts by physically being in "my" own company!
No, I am not insane. But I must warn you that if you used to think I was selfish or/and that I believed the world revolved around me, well, you ain't seen nothing yet!
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
US$10
So two weeks ago I was PMT-ing pretty badly and paying some Indian astrologer over the internet to tell me when I'd get married. I've finally received the report - a week after it was supposed to have arrived - not a good omen, on hindsight. Here're the key snippets from the report, for your reading pleasure:
The good news...
"denotes love marriage for the native which would be happy ... indicates approval from parents as well" (that's nice)
"assures a happy married life for the native"
...and then the bad news (in ascending order)...
"rules out the immediate realization of your query"
"points to certain delays and hindrances for your marriage" (hmm...)
"also some cause for concern" (okay...)
"a delay of one to two years for your marriage" (getting hitched at 28 ain't too bad)
(and again) "indicates a delay of a year or so for you to settle down in marriage"
"indicates that marriage is influenced by relations (eh??) and comes through correspondence or advertisement" (really can't imagine that)
"It also indicates difficulty in choosing a partner" (didn't have to pay to know that)
"usually delays marriage till around the late 70's." (late 2070s? or when I'm in my late 70s? either way, NOT GOOD)
Oh well, what the hell. At least now I know and never have to worry about it. And I can go off and pursue all sorts of activities that would be "irresponsible" if I were a married person. Like being unemployed or engaging in extreme sports such as doing water jumps out of a plane. Bright side of things people!
The good news...
"denotes love marriage for the native which would be happy ... indicates approval from parents as well" (that's nice)
"assures a happy married life for the native"
...and then the bad news (in ascending order)...
"rules out the immediate realization of your query"
"points to certain delays and hindrances for your marriage" (hmm...)
"also some cause for concern" (okay...)
"a delay of one to two years for your marriage" (getting hitched at 28 ain't too bad)
(and again) "indicates a delay of a year or so for you to settle down in marriage"
"indicates that marriage is influenced by relations (eh??) and comes through correspondence or advertisement" (really can't imagine that)
"It also indicates difficulty in choosing a partner" (didn't have to pay to know that)
"usually delays marriage till around the late 70's." (late 2070s? or when I'm in my late 70s? either way, NOT GOOD)
Oh well, what the hell. At least now I know and never have to worry about it. And I can go off and pursue all sorts of activities that would be "irresponsible" if I were a married person. Like being unemployed or engaging in extreme sports such as doing water jumps out of a plane. Bright side of things people!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
BIZARRO!
It's been weird today. I spent the first half of my day looking at charts, mulling over colourful lines and pontificating over rocks; being scandalised by the internecine squabbles of the nation's distinguished legal counsels, and rolling eyes over the military's paralysis provoked by the lack of clear and written instruction. My mission was simple - do not commit to anything we can't commit to. To display grit and backbone in the face of adversity by hiding in the lee of bigger ships when enemy cannons are afiring. Easy peasy.
Not that I care anymore, or have at all. Peace and brotherhood and respect for the common heritage of mankind, are more my kind of style.
Sped through lunch to make it to the next big meeting of questionable worth - a "dialogue" session with the King of the Ivory Towers, who wanted to better understand why we're finding it difficult to swallow all that's being rammed down our throats. There are many ways to make it easier - liquid form vs capsules (pound it to a fine powder if it's a tablet and stir it into food or water), honey-coated or administered with a spoonful of sugar, tilt your head back close your eyes and shove it in as far as possible, and if all that fails maybe we can try the intravenous route. But nobody's really explained why we're doing all this beyond a few motherhood statements that assume none of us have been to university.
Bah. I don't care. I do what I do (mostly) because I believe it's right and that's how I fall asleep at night. I'm just working each day to get closer to my next holiday - this time it'll be topping up my tan on the white sands and diving in the crystal clear waters of Redang! I love it when you're jealous. Of me. =)
Not that I care anymore, or have at all. Peace and brotherhood and respect for the common heritage of mankind, are more my kind of style.
Sped through lunch to make it to the next big meeting of questionable worth - a "dialogue" session with the King of the Ivory Towers, who wanted to better understand why we're finding it difficult to swallow all that's being rammed down our throats. There are many ways to make it easier - liquid form vs capsules (pound it to a fine powder if it's a tablet and stir it into food or water), honey-coated or administered with a spoonful of sugar, tilt your head back close your eyes and shove it in as far as possible, and if all that fails maybe we can try the intravenous route. But nobody's really explained why we're doing all this beyond a few motherhood statements that assume none of us have been to university.
Bah. I don't care. I do what I do (mostly) because I believe it's right and that's how I fall asleep at night. I'm just working each day to get closer to my next holiday - this time it'll be topping up my tan on the white sands and diving in the crystal clear waters of Redang! I love it when you're jealous. Of me. =)
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Bernoulli's Principle states:
The pressure in a fluid decreases as the speed of the fluid increases.
The Principle accounts for the fact that passing ships run the risk of a sideways collision. Water flowing between the ships travels faster than the water flowing past the outer sides, so the streamlines are more compressed. Water pressure is reduced between the ships. Unless the ships are steered to compensate for this, the greater pressure on the outer sides of the ships then forces them together.
More here.
========
I rather wish I had pursued a technical proficiency at university, instead of a catchall degree in economics. Not to say that being a generalist is strictly less desirable than being a specialist. But I reckon there's a stronger sense of satisfaction from the work done as the latter. There must be a delicious power in possessing an esoteric knowledge that necessarily shapes pivotal decisions by virtue of the fact that, like it or not, we're all subject to the laws of physics.
The Principle accounts for the fact that passing ships run the risk of a sideways collision. Water flowing between the ships travels faster than the water flowing past the outer sides, so the streamlines are more compressed. Water pressure is reduced between the ships. Unless the ships are steered to compensate for this, the greater pressure on the outer sides of the ships then forces them together.
More here.
========
I rather wish I had pursued a technical proficiency at university, instead of a catchall degree in economics. Not to say that being a generalist is strictly less desirable than being a specialist. But I reckon there's a stronger sense of satisfaction from the work done as the latter. There must be a delicious power in possessing an esoteric knowledge that necessarily shapes pivotal decisions by virtue of the fact that, like it or not, we're all subject to the laws of physics.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Secret (Signed & Encrypted)
Maybe it's just the hormones, the terrible heat or the ill-advised coffee, but these nights that are kidnapped by an endless cycle of the same questions and answers have become too frequent of late.
Do you think that what you're doing is fundamentally right?
Not really.
Is there a possibility of changing things so they will become right?
Almost definitely no, at least not in my lifetime.
Do you at least try, even though you may know that it is in vain?
I'd like to think so, yes.
Do you feel good about what you've done today?
No.
Have you ever felt a sense of achievement from your work?
Relief, yes; material gratification, recently yes; personal vindication, on occasion; achievement, NO.
Describe your role defined by your work in the context of society-at-large.
Hypocrite?
(Sigh.)
Do you think that what you're doing is fundamentally right?
Not really.
Is there a possibility of changing things so they will become right?
Almost definitely no, at least not in my lifetime.
Do you at least try, even though you may know that it is in vain?
I'd like to think so, yes.
Do you feel good about what you've done today?
No.
Have you ever felt a sense of achievement from your work?
Relief, yes; material gratification, recently yes; personal vindication, on occasion; achievement, NO.
Describe your role defined by your work in the context of society-at-large.
Hypocrite?
(Sigh.)
Monday, May 19, 2008
Via con dios.
My heart skipped a bit when I saw the headline that a local group will shoot Point Break 2 in SE Asia. The article reports that the sequel will be financed and executive produced by a Pore-based production company - and that a certain Pore regulatory authority would also finance the film.
Now, Point Break was a movie that espoused the philosophy of a human spirit which cannot exist within the structural and psychological rigidities of prevailing social systems - a concept anathema to the Pore. I dread to see how the nexus would be drawn between PB2 and the Pore's own cold and soulless objectives. Already it has been suggested that part of the movie would be shot in the Pore, to show the - get ready for it - vibrant landscape of SE Asia. Somebody's gotta justify the financing hey.
Filming starts in mid-2008 and it looks like we won't be seeing Johnny Utah again, although some sites have suggested that Bodhi will be making a comeback. I'll try to reserve any strong feelings until I've seen the movie.
Brah!
Now, Point Break was a movie that espoused the philosophy of a human spirit which cannot exist within the structural and psychological rigidities of prevailing social systems - a concept anathema to the Pore. I dread to see how the nexus would be drawn between PB2 and the Pore's own cold and soulless objectives. Already it has been suggested that part of the movie would be shot in the Pore, to show the - get ready for it - vibrant landscape of SE Asia. Somebody's gotta justify the financing hey.
Filming starts in mid-2008 and it looks like we won't be seeing Johnny Utah again, although some sites have suggested that Bodhi will be making a comeback. I'll try to reserve any strong feelings until I've seen the movie.
Brah!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
!
This just made me want to go diving again, soon...
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/nudibranchs/holland-text
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/nudibranchs/holland-text
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Monday, May 05, 2008
-
I just felt that it was necessary to provide an excerpt from the most recent piece of tautological donkey shit an official document submitted by my former (but still very much nonsense) boss:
"...to increase our competitiveness vis-à-vis our competitors, it is critical that we broaden the breadth and deepen the depth of our services."
BRAVO!!! This woman has just claimed the position of being The Most Wasteful Waste of Space in this Spaciousness!!!
"...to increase our competitiveness vis-à-vis our competitors, it is critical that we broaden the breadth and deepen the depth of our services."
BRAVO!!! This woman has just claimed the position of being The Most Wasteful Waste of Space in this Spaciousness!!!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Moon in Aquarius.
The weather today has been rubbish. Shrouded by shimmering heat and viscous humidity, tormented by a fashionably guilt-provoked decision against switching on the A/C, and bullied by unrelenting rays streaming through west-facing windows (real estate has never been one of my parents' strongest points); I spent most of the afternoon lying supine, a human star against faded chequered cotton sheets, eyes focussed on glowing dust particles frozen in mid-air. When even reading became impossible, all I could do was think.
I have a secret to confess: I believe in astrology. Not that I use it to determine my daily schedule or divine the future, but I do spend a lot of time reading about it on the internet and drawing comparisons with my reality. In many ways, it's like having an online psychotherapist, or a virtual support group.
The first thought that gained form and emerged from the dense fog of my mind, was that sitting for the CFA really won't do much for what I want to do with my life. I have no attraction to the world of finance. The only career option I'd consider which would benefit from studying for the CFA, would be one in ethical investing (and then that's only to make up for all the earth-unfriendly money-hungry evildoings I've been forced into by The Sore).
The second thought was, what the hell is it that I want to do with my life? If I had to answer that, I'd say "travel the world". Then I recalled the hot Scottish architect - in whom I had confided that architecture really was my first choice but then the overwhelming desire to get out of The Sore led me to study economics instead. His response was something trite like "if that's what you really want to do then you should just do it".
But I'm not about to devote another five years of my life to studying for another degree, then starting from scratch all over again. And truth be told, it wasn't architecture per se that appealed to me, it was its implied promise that my work would allow me to create something beautiful. M and S were right - I used to be pretty good at art and stuff back in high school. But I wouldn't consider myself an artist. I haven't got a definitive style, as an individual I'm just not quirky enough, and my childhood hadn't passed the "fucked up" bar that so many other so-called artists' have.
The third thought was, I really REALLY want to move my arse to Aus, possibly for good. Maybe get a job with one of the numerous commodities houses there (although I expect that it would be terribly competitive). But that won't be for a few more years. First, I'll need to save up loads of cash (which becomes quite easy when one gives up luxuries such as "a social life"), gain more experience, get all my traveling desires out of the way, etc etc.
The only logical conclusion now is to wait. Hopefully I can preserve myself well enough in the meantime to look as fresh as a 25-year old once I'm out of it.
========
I give up on trying to figure out the lines spacing on this blog. Just take it as me exercising my artistic license to create varying depths of nothingness in between excerpts of my life.
========
How bizarre.
I have a secret to confess: I believe in astrology. Not that I use it to determine my daily schedule or divine the future, but I do spend a lot of time reading about it on the internet and drawing comparisons with my reality. In many ways, it's like having an online psychotherapist, or a virtual support group.
The first thought that gained form and emerged from the dense fog of my mind, was that sitting for the CFA really won't do much for what I want to do with my life. I have no attraction to the world of finance. The only career option I'd consider which would benefit from studying for the CFA, would be one in ethical investing (and then that's only to make up for all the earth-unfriendly money-hungry evildoings I've been forced into by The Sore).
The second thought was, what the hell is it that I want to do with my life? If I had to answer that, I'd say "travel the world". Then I recalled the hot Scottish architect - in whom I had confided that architecture really was my first choice but then the overwhelming desire to get out of The Sore led me to study economics instead. His response was something trite like "if that's what you really want to do then you should just do it".
But I'm not about to devote another five years of my life to studying for another degree, then starting from scratch all over again. And truth be told, it wasn't architecture per se that appealed to me, it was its implied promise that my work would allow me to create something beautiful. M and S were right - I used to be pretty good at art and stuff back in high school. But I wouldn't consider myself an artist. I haven't got a definitive style, as an individual I'm just not quirky enough, and my childhood hadn't passed the "fucked up" bar that so many other so-called artists' have.
The third thought was, I really REALLY want to move my arse to Aus, possibly for good. Maybe get a job with one of the numerous commodities houses there (although I expect that it would be terribly competitive). But that won't be for a few more years. First, I'll need to save up loads of cash (which becomes quite easy when one gives up luxuries such as "a social life"), gain more experience, get all my traveling desires out of the way, etc etc.
The only logical conclusion now is to wait. Hopefully I can preserve myself well enough in the meantime to look as fresh as a 25-year old once I'm out of it.
========
I give up on trying to figure out the lines spacing on this blog. Just take it as me exercising my artistic license to create varying depths of nothingness in between excerpts of my life.
========
How bizarre.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Uroplatus (Flat or Leaf-tailed gecko)
In addition to cats and goats, I have a certain fondness for lizards. (I have often thought that they behave a whole lot like cats.) Check out this little bastard, a uroplatus fimbriatus (giant leaf-tailed gecko), taken from from a BBC news article on wildlife hotspots:
According to Wikipedia, all of the species of the Uroplatus genus are found in primary and secondary forests on the island of Madagascar, and some on islands off Madagascar, such as Nosy Be. They are endemic to Madagascar, and found nowhere else on earth.
========
Another country to add to the list (including the island of Nosy Be). Given that its first human settlers came from this part of the world, it would almost be like visiting the house of a long (loooong) lost great great great (greeeaaat) grand uncle.
According to Wikipedia, all of the species of the Uroplatus genus are found in primary and secondary forests on the island of Madagascar, and some on islands off Madagascar, such as Nosy Be. They are endemic to Madagascar, and found nowhere else on earth.
========
Another country to add to the list (including the island of Nosy Be). Given that its first human settlers came from this part of the world, it would almost be like visiting the house of a long (loooong) lost great great great (greeeaaat) grand uncle.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Another One Bites the Dust.
Everybody's leaving. Just today a colleague forked out over $150k as a penalty for terminating his contract with the organisation with three years to go. Another colleague has confided in me that he has received alluring offers from companies willing to pay an increase of 50% over his current salary. No doubt he would be leaving sometime soon too. As B would say, it's a candidate's market. Particularly so for the maritime sector.
What do I do about it? If there was a time for me to seek a new job, this would be it. But I simply cannot bear the thought of forking over a quarter million dollars to the organisation (that's what it would cost now), no matter how attractive the competing offer is. And as long as the exodus continues, the diminishing competition here means that my opportunities in the organisation are improving.
Or am I just afraid of finding out that I'm not wanted out there?
What do I do about it? If there was a time for me to seek a new job, this would be it. But I simply cannot bear the thought of forking over a quarter million dollars to the organisation (that's what it would cost now), no matter how attractive the competing offer is. And as long as the exodus continues, the diminishing competition here means that my opportunities in the organisation are improving.
Or am I just afraid of finding out that I'm not wanted out there?
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Holidays Make Me Happy :)
I've spent every lunch hour since getting back trawling the internet for information about where I'm travelling to next. (Well, after the planned forays into Teutonia.) I've decided on doing Cambodia (temples, killing fields) and Thailand (beaches, diving) in January, when the weather's supposed to be dry and cool, after the majority of New Year revellers have returned to the Western hemisphere. I'll be carrying over the remaining days of leave from this year to the next, so it means I should still be able to head for Tanzania/Zanzibar at the end of 2009 (the animals would've buggered off to Kenya at that point but that just means I'll have to plan a Kenya trip during migratory season at a later point in my life).
========
I've also decided to add the Scottish Highlands to the list of places I want to visit within the next decade. Tedious link: I was reading an article about piracy and the increasing use of armed escorts for merchant ships, noticed a mention about how some private security agencies have employed Gurkhas to meet the demand, wiki-ed Gurkhas to find out why they're so fearsome, read that the British imperialists had included the Gurkhas in their list of "martial races" which were supposedly naturally superior soldiers, noted that the Brits had first taken notice of "martial races" when they observed that Scottish Highlanders fought more bravely than the English (à la Braveheart), looked up the Scottish Highlands and stumbled upon the Lonely Planet entries about them, fell in love with the photos and decided that I must go there within the next few years.
And who knows, I might find a hot architect husband while I'm there.
OR a hot and broody immortal of royal lineage with long dark hair and a sword and a penchant for using said sword to wantonly lop off the heads of other immortals before being engulfed in a bedazzling display of lights that would bring him to his knees. I had the hugest crush on Adrian Paul. Yummy.
========
I've also decided to add the Scottish Highlands to the list of places I want to visit within the next decade. Tedious link: I was reading an article about piracy and the increasing use of armed escorts for merchant ships, noticed a mention about how some private security agencies have employed Gurkhas to meet the demand, wiki-ed Gurkhas to find out why they're so fearsome, read that the British imperialists had included the Gurkhas in their list of "martial races" which were supposedly naturally superior soldiers, noted that the Brits had first taken notice of "martial races" when they observed that Scottish Highlanders fought more bravely than the English (à la Braveheart), looked up the Scottish Highlands and stumbled upon the Lonely Planet entries about them, fell in love with the photos and decided that I must go there within the next few years.
And who knows, I might find a hot architect husband while I'm there.
OR a hot and broody immortal of royal lineage with long dark hair and a sword and a penchant for using said sword to wantonly lop off the heads of other immortals before being engulfed in a bedazzling display of lights that would bring him to his knees. I had the hugest crush on Adrian Paul. Yummy.
Friday, April 18, 2008
My Lungs are Sacks of Phlegm.
This cough is now over a week old and really rather embarrassing during meetings. People look at me as if I'm about to keel over and die, and are afraid of coming too close to me (and from the looks on their faces, queasy about shaking my hand).
Remember how I said that Mt Kinabalu was the last mountain I'd climb? Well, since I'm back at work it means I've been scoping out future travel ideas over lunch (and sometimes, outside of lunch...). And yeah, I'd still really like to give Mt Kilimanjaro a try. Seven days for the ascent and descent, mingling with the cheetahs, then off to the sandy white beaches of Zanzibar. Sounds like a plan for 2009!
(Meanwhile, looks like I have 7.5 days of leave left for this year. I hadn't realised I'd carried over so many from last year. So I'm thinking of a quickie in Thailand in early December 2008 or early January 2009. Koh Phi Phi and Similans maybe. Now that I've become an expert sexpat dodger. Bloody East Europeans. Kinda sad though, it seems like all they want is companionship which they can't get at home. Weird though, since East European chicks are hott. I was at the supermarket the other day and forced to queue behind a trio of stunning East European models. Never felt so hideous in my life.)
Remember how I said that Mt Kinabalu was the last mountain I'd climb? Well, since I'm back at work it means I've been scoping out future travel ideas over lunch (and sometimes, outside of lunch...). And yeah, I'd still really like to give Mt Kilimanjaro a try. Seven days for the ascent and descent, mingling with the cheetahs, then off to the sandy white beaches of Zanzibar. Sounds like a plan for 2009!
(Meanwhile, looks like I have 7.5 days of leave left for this year. I hadn't realised I'd carried over so many from last year. So I'm thinking of a quickie in Thailand in early December 2008 or early January 2009. Koh Phi Phi and Similans maybe. Now that I've become an expert sexpat dodger. Bloody East Europeans. Kinda sad though, it seems like all they want is companionship which they can't get at home. Weird though, since East European chicks are hott. I was at the supermarket the other day and forced to queue behind a trio of stunning East European models. Never felt so hideous in my life.)
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Sabah (Kinabalu) - Trip Post 5
That will be the first and LAST mountain I will EVER climb. I have quite possibly had more climbing in those 24 hours than I have ever had in a lifetime. My lungs, already coping with some mysterious persistent and phlegmy cough probably brought on germs from the rented scuba gear, will never forgive me. I, will never forgive me. I will ESPECIALLY not forgive the makers of my fucking camera batteries for failing me AT THE PEAK OF MOUNT KINABALU. I fail to understand why the batteries lasted less than a day when the previous pair lasted for over a week. (I have also kicked myself for hesitating over whether or not to bring spare batteries, and then deciding against it because the zero-point-nothing grams that they weigh would have bogged me down during the climb.)
Flying back to The Sore tomorrow morning. I will miss this place (except the mountain climbing bit). Now I will attempt to stand up without screaming in pain.
Flying back to The Sore tomorrow morning. I will miss this place (except the mountain climbing bit). Now I will attempt to stand up without screaming in pain.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Sabah (Kinabalu) - Trip Post 4
ARGH my sinus is still bogged up and I can't tell if my ears are blocked or if I'm now just partially deaf. So yesterday I obtained my Advanced Open Water Diver certificate, woo hoo! The deepest I went was 30m and I don't think I want to do that again. Didn't get nitrogen narcosis (if the ability to write out the alphabet forwards and backwards does indeed prove that), but did feel mildly claustrophobic, kneeling on the sandy bottom with nothing but greenblue all around and the weight of the ocean quite literally on my shoulders.
Visited a pyramid reef (so-named given its pyramid shape emerging from the ocean floor, unattached to any island) on my last dive and was lucky enough to spot a stream (is that the right collective noun?) of barracuda doing the same. They were juvenile ones though, each only about a foot and a half long. Still a pretty specky sight, definitely gotta get a waterproof case for my camera before I go back in the water next.
Will take it easy this weekend. Turns out that the train I was planning to hop on today didn't just break down, but had actually derailed and crashed into the river I was planning to raft on. So I guess I'm not doing that. Will take it easy instead and rest up for the mountain on Monday. Photographs!
========
Now that I've got my diving certs, I'm gonna learn to keel sail and pick up a powerboat license. Then buy a yacht (or rather, marry someone who will). Yay!!!
Visited a pyramid reef (so-named given its pyramid shape emerging from the ocean floor, unattached to any island) on my last dive and was lucky enough to spot a stream (is that the right collective noun?) of barracuda doing the same. They were juvenile ones though, each only about a foot and a half long. Still a pretty specky sight, definitely gotta get a waterproof case for my camera before I go back in the water next.
Will take it easy this weekend. Turns out that the train I was planning to hop on today didn't just break down, but had actually derailed and crashed into the river I was planning to raft on. So I guess I'm not doing that. Will take it easy instead and rest up for the mountain on Monday. Photographs!
========
Now that I've got my diving certs, I'm gonna learn to keel sail and pick up a powerboat license. Then buy a yacht (or rather, marry someone who will). Yay!!!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Sabah (Kinabalu) - Trip Post 3
I am gently bobbing up and down, swaying from side to side like seagrass, sound surrounds me in beautiful bursting bubbles... Is it from the one million (seven) dives that I've been on the past three days or a side effect of whatever toxin or venom it was that whichever animal or vegetable decided to inflict upon me in self-defence? Clearly I can't focus on typing, I'll go watch TV instead.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Sabah (Kinabalu) - Trip Post 2.
First dive today. Was amazing, water so clear you didn't have to be in it to see the bottom, fancily-coloured fish swimming in my face, rays skimming over the sandy bottom, rockfish blending in with the coral reefs, puffer fish ballooning as I inadvertently approach them (still haven't got the buoyancy control bit right yet), those eel-like fish with only their heads sticking out of the sand waiting for prey, jellyfish bubbling to the surface that you don't see until it's too late, sea urchins that kinda make you crave some good Japanese...
Bloody tiring though. Headed off for the island (Mamutik) at 9am and was in the water not long after. Broke for lunch at noon, back in the water an hour and a half later, then out again at 4pm. Most difficult bit was taking the mask off 6m underwater, swimming about 20m with my eyes closed, then putting my mask back on again and clearing it of water. That and taking my weight belt off at the bottom and putting it back on again. Everything's just a lot heavier down below. Swallowed so much water I feel like human jerky now. Was glad to leave the island.
Had a very early dinner (massive, really cheap meal at the Eros Ramazotti-lovin' Pizza Hut around the corner) before passing out. But I find you can't sleep for long here - the traffic is constant and very very loud. Got up at 9pm and ended up watching Apocalypto (Oh Mel, why Mel? But it was good. I always felt I should only watch movies where books wouldn't do justice to the script/plot. But blood spurting out of a split skull? Isn't that pushing it a little?). Chatted with a really good-looking James-Bond-like architect whom I'd met a couple of days ago through a really cool Japanese lady who's married with a 7 year old kid yet continues to travel lots and alone. Single travellers rule.
My beer's almost finished (it's so cheap here) and I really should be getting to bed now. More diving tomorrow, and the Open Water exam. Back later.
Bloody tiring though. Headed off for the island (Mamutik) at 9am and was in the water not long after. Broke for lunch at noon, back in the water an hour and a half later, then out again at 4pm. Most difficult bit was taking the mask off 6m underwater, swimming about 20m with my eyes closed, then putting my mask back on again and clearing it of water. That and taking my weight belt off at the bottom and putting it back on again. Everything's just a lot heavier down below. Swallowed so much water I feel like human jerky now. Was glad to leave the island.
Had a very early dinner (massive, really cheap meal at the Eros Ramazotti-lovin' Pizza Hut around the corner) before passing out. But I find you can't sleep for long here - the traffic is constant and very very loud. Got up at 9pm and ended up watching Apocalypto (Oh Mel, why Mel? But it was good. I always felt I should only watch movies where books wouldn't do justice to the script/plot. But blood spurting out of a split skull? Isn't that pushing it a little?). Chatted with a really good-looking James-Bond-like architect whom I'd met a couple of days ago through a really cool Japanese lady who's married with a 7 year old kid yet continues to travel lots and alone. Single travellers rule.
My beer's almost finished (it's so cheap here) and I really should be getting to bed now. More diving tomorrow, and the Open Water exam. Back later.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Sabah (Kinabalu) - Trip Post 1.
To be fair, la Nina has been gracious enough to only pelt me with rain in the evenings, and hadn't ruined my trip at all. Trip-wise, things are going great, so far have survived whitewater rafting with a bunch of crazy overweight Ukrainian parachutist soldiers whose knowledge of the English language were restricted to "lobster", "kangaroo", "bamboo" and "bonsai". They must be naturalists. Spent the entire day in the classroom learning how not to die while diving, and off for my first open water dive tomorrow. Hooray! Tired. Back later.
Friday, April 04, 2008
La Nina...
... is screwing up my holiday plans. Thunderstorms in the afternoon for the next five days. Sigh. I hope they'll be short ones.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
I do believe...
...that things are falling into place rather nicely indeed. Approved.
========
I'm leeeaaaaaaavvvvvvvviiiiinnnnnnnnnggggggggg on a jet plaaaane...
...in approximately 72 hours. So exciting! But I still haven't ticked off all the items on my shopping list for the trip. Sigh. Stop doing everything at the last minute Earrci! (Even though you do it so well...heh)
========
I'm leeeaaaaaaavvvvvvvviiiiinnnnnnnnnggggggggg on a jet plaaaane...
...in approximately 72 hours. So exciting! But I still haven't ticked off all the items on my shopping list for the trip. Sigh. Stop doing everything at the last minute Earrci! (Even though you do it so well...heh)
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Sucked in?
It all started when I looked back fondly on my teenage years and realised that although music played a definitive role in my life back then, it had been reduced to a bit part a decade later. So began the raids on the virtual and old-school music stores for the beats from which I was wrought, and the creeping desire to have in my possession an mp3 player. With my purchase of an electric toothbrush, partly to motivate myself to look good for the office, I had hoped that voices urging me to be au courant would be silenced. And so it was - for approximately 24 hours. Now with my next holiday just round the corner, I find myself contemplating the purchase of a digital camera. For years I have avoided these very trappings of a generation brought up on instant gratification and a burning hunger for excess. I have defended my abstinence (to myself more than anybody else) by reasoning that there really is no need for these things, that such possessions create the demand for themselves. Sigh.
I've kicked the cosmetics habit only to grow an electronics one. Bleurgh. Damn you internet, it's all your fault!
I've kicked the cosmetics habit only to grow an electronics one. Bleurgh. Damn you internet, it's all your fault!
Packing List!
It's less than two weeks till I hit the beaches of the South China Sea again, so I feel it's time to start on my packing list. Why blog it? Well so I can't exactly lose it, and also cos I'm currently undertaking the mammoth task of clearing out the monstrosity that is my e-mail inbox. (I've actually come across a couple of e-mails from people overseas who've tried to catch up with me while here in S________, but who obviously didn't manage to because I never checked my e-mail. That's what fb's there for dummies! I'm also shocked by the number of newsletters I may or may not have subscribed to. These things are like mold. Or snails. Or gnats. You know, useless stuff that appear out of nowhere. I'm thinking of shutting this e-mail account down and starting afresh. Which means I'll probably lose contact with some people forever, but hey, it's a brand new year for me - 26 years and a day - and any number of women's magazines could tell you that I MUST declutter in order to move ahead.)
ANYWAY. This packing list is going to be extranerdy special because there'll be a general one and three others according to the stuff I'll be doing while there. (LABELLED ZIPLOC BAGS!) So exciting!
Rafting
Sandals
Swimming gear
Diving
Sandals
Swimming gear
Climbing
Shoes
Sandals
Torch
Socks
Trousers
Long-sleeved t-shirt
Gloves
Windbreaker
General
Undies
Bikinis
Big towel
Small towel
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Shampoo
Conditioner
Shaver
Moisturiser
Sunblock
Handphone charger
2-pin adaptor
Laundry detergent
Contact lenses
Saline solution
Plasters
Tea tree cream
Tweezers
Extra batts for torch
Antihistamines
More singlets than you can shake a stick at
Shorts
Insect repellent
Haversack
A book
Hmm, I think that's it. Shopping time!
ANYWAY. This packing list is going to be extra
Rafting
Sandals
Swimming gear
Diving
Sandals
Swimming gear
Climbing
Shoes
Sandals
Torch
Socks
Trousers
Long-sleeved t-shirt
Gloves
Windbreaker
General
Undies
Bikinis
Big towel
Small towel
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Shampoo
Conditioner
Shaver
Moisturiser
Sunblock
Handphone charger
2-pin adaptor
Laundry detergent
Contact lenses
Saline solution
Plasters
Tea tree cream
Tweezers
Extra batts for torch
Antihistamines
More singlets than you can shake a stick at
Shorts
Insect repellent
Haversack
A book
Hmm, I think that's it. Shopping time!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Delayed Monday Morning Effect.
I am now paying the price of having a cheerful and invigorated Monday morning with a crappy Tuesday one instead. It doesn't help that I have a potentially long (and painful) meeting later with some folk from the ivory towers of the civil service telling me how my division can manage our knowledge better. (It's difficult enough getting my colleagues to keep records of stuff, I can't imagine persuading them to save it all to a fancy central database full of wonderful helpful features that you MUST use, because if you don't it just WON'T WORK AND THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT WILL CRUMBLE TO PIECES BEFORE THE UNIVERSE CEASES TO BE.)
Bazza highlighted to me over the weekend her disbelief that, N years on, I still continue to spend marathon lengths of time in the mornings (well, afternoons and evenings too...) just getting ready. It's true - I spend at least half an hour in the bathroom each morning and a further 10min just putting clothes on. I know why I spend so much time in the bathroom - I mean, it takes me FIVE whole minutes just to brush my teeth. I'm not sure why it takes so long for me to put clothes on though, I don't recall getting really confused by it in the mornings and my clothes are pretty standard items of attire. Maybe the wormhole in my room does more than suck in my socks...
So I've decided to buy an electric toothbrush that promises to cut down my teethbrushing time to a mere TWO minutes. Unfortunately my (no longer) trustworthy toiletries store doesn't have much of a range to choose from. I want one of those fancy Oral B ones that threaten to shut down the entire power grid if you switch it on, not any of the wussy "affordable" ones that share the same shelf space as conventional manual toothbrushes.
Shit I forgot to buy floss.
Bazza highlighted to me over the weekend her disbelief that, N years on, I still continue to spend marathon lengths of time in the mornings (well, afternoons and evenings too...) just getting ready. It's true - I spend at least half an hour in the bathroom each morning and a further 10min just putting clothes on. I know why I spend so much time in the bathroom - I mean, it takes me FIVE whole minutes just to brush my teeth. I'm not sure why it takes so long for me to put clothes on though, I don't recall getting really confused by it in the mornings and my clothes are pretty standard items of attire. Maybe the wormhole in my room does more than suck in my socks...
So I've decided to buy an electric toothbrush that promises to cut down my teethbrushing time to a mere TWO minutes. Unfortunately my (no longer) trustworthy toiletries store doesn't have much of a range to choose from. I want one of those fancy Oral B ones that threaten to shut down the entire power grid if you switch it on, not any of the wussy "affordable" ones that share the same shelf space as conventional manual toothbrushes.
Shit I forgot to buy floss.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
My Mother...
... has well and truly returned to her Psychotic self, the same monster that I spent my childhood and teenage years battling. The only person who can help her now is herself - reason is clearly lost on her, as proven by today's hysterical episode. I can't even bother with keeping my personal opinions to myself anymore. Protecting her from what are her real issues isn't going to make things any better. My father seems desperate to stick to quick, short term solutions that pacify my mother, to accede to her crazy demands and to allow her to wallow in self-inflicted misery. I'll let him know what I think - that this will only make things worse, that what we should be doing is to discuss the fundamental issues that are feeding the maelstrom of negativity that she seems to thrive on. He'll probably respond with the stock reply that at the end of the day she's my mother and I have to let her be as she wants to be even if she's in the wrong; that if she gets angry with me I should seek her forgiveness - even if she's in the wrong. And then I'll reply that accepting today's spurious demand would in fact take away the one thing that's she's known as the reason for her being; that allowing her to languish at home doing absolutely nothing will merely increase the sense of irrelevance she already feels; that ultimately both her physical and mental health will be at stake.
He would just say that we should just give it a try, and see what happens.
========
When I was a child and then a teenager, I had no choice but to deal with my mother's demons. Returning from London, I told myself to wait things out first before making the decision to move out. Rental prices are after all astronomical and I wasn't earning much, plus by moving out I would create a rift in the family. After two years of normalcy I felt that things were good and that there was no need to move out, then I adopted a kitten.
Maybe that tempted Fate, who decided my sanity needed a challenge. Now that I can afford to move out, I'm faced with the dilemma of choosing between paying a huge premium for a place that would accept both human and feline; and continuing to live under the same roof as my mother, unsure of which one of us would lose her mind first.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Smelling good...
...may be having an adverse effect on my productivity. I've noticed that mornings where I expend considerable effort carefully anointing myself with a selection of perfumes and scented products, are often followed by days in the office that are surprisingly free from personal desire for urgency in my work. It appears that the redolent fortress that I have built around myself against the olfactive offences that plague public transport, is also protecting me from meeting my deadlines. Each time I think, "right, this can't go on, I've got to get that e-mail done now", I am suddenly distracted by another thought: "Good Heavens what is that absolutely divine fragrance?" ... And then I realise it's just me.
========
Ha ha ha ha ha whoop dee doo thank beer it's Friday!!!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
IF...
...Ihappenedtodrinktoomuchcoffeeaboardaboatinthemiddleofsharkinfestedwaters
andfellintotheseagashingmyarmintheprocessthusattractingthesharksandwaseaten
byonewouldthecaffeineeventuallymakeitswayintothesharksbloodstreamandwhat
effectwouldthathaveonit?
Maybe that's why sharks have started sleeping again, because pussies the world over are switching to decaf.
Cacacacaffeinate Me...
Big Brother wants me to stay later and work longer - by stocking the pantry with "Intense" instant coffee mixes. When I first came in there was just normal instant coffee and lots of teas. The teas started to phase out, but the coffee grow stronger - from unspecified to "Dark" to "Rich" to "Intense". I've just had a couple of sips of "Intense" and already I'm certain that I will never sleep again. (Perhaps that's also the triple-shot non-fat tall latte I had this morning.) If I finish the whole mug I may just explode. In fact I think that's happening right now.
* S P L A T *
* S P L A T *
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Scorpio Rising.
I would say that I am in a pretty good mood today, largely because of the surprisingly large bonus that appeared in my bank account, in addition to the sudden and fairly significant increase in my salary. I guess I am appreciated after all.
And not immune to the allure of money.
========
I am totally in love with Brett Anderson. I feel almost like a melancholic, angst-ridden teenager again.
And not immune to the allure of money.
========
I am totally in love with Brett Anderson. I feel almost like a melancholic, angst-ridden teenager again.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Friday, March 07, 2008
:(
I feel bloody guilty. If I had been thinking clearly, if I had left work at the office the way I keep telling myself to, I would have reacted immediately the moment my cat brought the bird in. I would have taken an hour, not a day, to figure out how to keep it alive, and I would have taken the day off today to make sure it would happen.
Sigh.
Sigh.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
24H
This time last night I received an e-mail at work which effect on me had symptoms similar to that of a heart attack. I had just wrapped up things for the day and was looking forward to getting home to have an early-ish night. Adrenaline kicked in and within a couple of hours I had nearly typed my fingers to bloody stumps. My boss was still at dinner so I headed home knowing that I would have an hour or two before I started receiving his (missed) calls and infamously one-lined e-mails.
Got home, put my dinner on a plate and set up the laptop for a final burst of productivity for the day. I had barely gotten through one e-mail when my cat jumped in through the window with something(s) caught between his jaws. I shrieked. It looked small and brown and too much like a fat cockroach. He dropped it(them) at my feet and I realised that they were two tiny nestlings, each smaller than my (smaller than average) big toe. He picked the smaller one up and ran off to a corner to "play" with it.
The urgency of work however made me delay stopping the wretched feline from his terrible diversions. Once done, Bob the cat found himself ignominiously incarcerated in the bathroom shower stall, and I found myself with one dead nestling and another barely alive. The search for their nest proved futile, and I forced myself to accept that it too would die shortly. I left them in separate flowerpots, had a shower and fell asleep.
Morning was a blur. Rushing several changes for an 11am deadline while battling a cold-from-nowhere left me breathlessly making my way to Parliament for the debates. The cold raged on, aided and abetted by what must be air-conditioning designed to deter terrorist attacks. I could not focus on anything and my only thought was an overwhelming desire to ensconce myself in a thick, fluffy towel in a sauna somewhere really really hot.
I was the first person out of there when it all ended.
It was only when I picked up my mobile from the legions of policemen guarding a glorified freezer, when I was reminded of last night's incident by a text from my mother saying: "The bird is still alive." Half an hour later I was sat in the kitchen observing a miraculously still-alive nestling sat amidst a mountain of shredded tissues, a syringe full of catfood (organic salmon and trout) in my hand.
It's not easy feeding a nestling. I don't even know what sort of bird it is. (It has not feathers - it's that young.) Great accuracy and impeccable timing is required to catch the exact moment it opens its mouth (beak?) for food. Battling a cold and a curious cat made it incredibly difficult to control my fingers on the left hand - so that it didn't exert unnecessary pressure on the bird -and to the right thumb - to ensure that I wasn't choking the bird with too much salmon and trout at a go.
I've never been more relieved watching a bird poop (head down and butt up - I really wish I had recorded it). I've taken it as a sign that it's well on the path to recovery. The bird - I think I'll call him Birdie - now sits in a mound of tissues, in an ice-cream tub, in the only part of the house beyond Bob's reach.
If I've made a lot of mistakes in this post, or if you find it meandering and purposeless, it's probably because I'm having difficulty focussing because of this cold. I just really wanted to tell everyone about the bird. That's all. I'm off to bed now. Tweet tweet.
Got home, put my dinner on a plate and set up the laptop for a final burst of productivity for the day. I had barely gotten through one e-mail when my cat jumped in through the window with something(s) caught between his jaws. I shrieked. It looked small and brown and too much like a fat cockroach. He dropped it(them) at my feet and I realised that they were two tiny nestlings, each smaller than my (smaller than average) big toe. He picked the smaller one up and ran off to a corner to "play" with it.
The urgency of work however made me delay stopping the wretched feline from his terrible diversions. Once done, Bob the cat found himself ignominiously incarcerated in the bathroom shower stall, and I found myself with one dead nestling and another barely alive. The search for their nest proved futile, and I forced myself to accept that it too would die shortly. I left them in separate flowerpots, had a shower and fell asleep.
Morning was a blur. Rushing several changes for an 11am deadline while battling a cold-from-nowhere left me breathlessly making my way to Parliament for the debates. The cold raged on, aided and abetted by what must be air-conditioning designed to deter terrorist attacks. I could not focus on anything and my only thought was an overwhelming desire to ensconce myself in a thick, fluffy towel in a sauna somewhere really really hot.
I was the first person out of there when it all ended.
It was only when I picked up my mobile from the legions of policemen guarding a glorified freezer, when I was reminded of last night's incident by a text from my mother saying: "The bird is still alive." Half an hour later I was sat in the kitchen observing a miraculously still-alive nestling sat amidst a mountain of shredded tissues, a syringe full of catfood (organic salmon and trout) in my hand.
It's not easy feeding a nestling. I don't even know what sort of bird it is. (It has not feathers - it's that young.) Great accuracy and impeccable timing is required to catch the exact moment it opens its mouth (beak?) for food. Battling a cold and a curious cat made it incredibly difficult to control my fingers on the left hand - so that it didn't exert unnecessary pressure on the bird -and to the right thumb - to ensure that I wasn't choking the bird with too much salmon and trout at a go.
I've never been more relieved watching a bird poop (head down and butt up - I really wish I had recorded it). I've taken it as a sign that it's well on the path to recovery. The bird - I think I'll call him Birdie - now sits in a mound of tissues, in an ice-cream tub, in the only part of the house beyond Bob's reach.
If I've made a lot of mistakes in this post, or if you find it meandering and purposeless, it's probably because I'm having difficulty focussing because of this cold. I just really wanted to tell everyone about the bird. That's all. I'm off to bed now. Tweet tweet.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
All in a name.
In recent weeks my life at work has been plagued by the remarkable vacuousness of a certain girl in my office.
But I guess I can't put the blame entirely upon her. After all, her parents showed an equally remarkable lack of undifferentiated consciousness when they decided to bound their daughter to what must be insuperable confines of the name "Pristine".
Yes, Pristine she is. Untouched and uncorrupted by intelligence, sound judgment or common sense.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Guess where?
My favourite line ever in the news over the past 24 hours:
"...triggering a massive manhunt across the island nation for a man who walks with a limp."
Moments like these deserve an ice cold beer. I am thus fortunate that there's one in the office pantry.
"...triggering a massive manhunt across the island nation for a man who walks with a limp."
Moments like these deserve an ice cold beer. I am thus fortunate that there's one in the office pantry.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Vicarious Suffrage.
You know what I'm talking about.
I've started on The Audacity of Hope and am very impressed. I'm really looking forward to Super Tuesday.
I've started on The Audacity of Hope and am very impressed. I'm really looking forward to Super Tuesday.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
"Peaches" by PUSA.
This is the sort of song that you (okay, I) sing to myself while at work, realise that you've (sorry, I meant I've) forgotten part of the lyrics and take advantage of the free and ready internet connection to Google look up the lyrics.
This may be old news: turns out some dude did a pretty cogent Marxist interpretation of the lyrics which attracted a lot of attention. Click here to read it.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Drama Mama.
(My, what a busy day it's been for my blog.)
I fed the cat and quietly retired to my room.
I fed the cat again (what a porker) and went back upstairs.
How did I end up so emotionless?
And all they had to do was tell me to take a cab instead (the cat is asleep now).
========
I'm never having kids. Or getting married. All this madness might be hereditary, you never know.
I got tired of the office early and left work at 6.30pm today, skipped the gym and headed for home hoping for some productive time to get some work done. As is my usual practice before 10pm, I give my parents a call to find out if they could give me a ride home from the train station (I live about 30 - 40 min away from it). They're both retired and had agreed to this sort of arrangement when I suggested that I might move out to somewhere closer to work and further from the-middle-of-nowhere. But good Asian girls aren't supposed to move out until they're married (and rental prices here are sky high).
I hadn't the slightest inkling of the histrionics that would ensue.
That didn't last long though as my dad decided to tell me unequivocally the moment I got into his car never ever to ask for ride home between 7pm and 8pm because that's when he's praying and stuff. Alright, so I overlooked that, but instead of getting all worked up about it just TELL me over the phone and I'll catch a cab home instead. It's not like that's never happened before and I never kicked up a fuss when it did. I'm quite happy to take cabs and I only ask for a ride because (i) it's cheaper and (ii) my parents are constantly telling me off for spending too much.
But of course I didn't say any of that as it would only provoke more ire and leave me stranded at the side of the road. So silence hung over us like an evil miasma all the way home.
Home was where the real drama happened. One look at my mother's face and I knew that she'd had an argument with my dad before he left the house. And that she wasn't about to let it end at that.
The words tumbled out of her like a derailed train off its tracks, exploding into huge balls of flame as it rushed its target. My dad would not stand down, coolly delivering his deliberately pointed salvos like jet-powered fighters with a single-minded focus. My mother grasped at her hair in despair, as she called the wrath of God upon my dad.
I fed the cat and quietly retired to my room.
I could hear my mother coming up the stairs spewing forth vitriol all the way to her bedroom. After a few moments of wondering if my closed door would be perceived as another slight to her being, I decided to leave it open instead. Not long after my mother appeared in my doorway, wailing and clutching at her abdomen complaining of a sharp unbearable pain deep inside. I head to the kitchen, past the trenches that my dad has quickly dug up for himself, to get some warm water and lots of painkillers for my mother.
I fed the cat again (what a porker) and went back upstairs.
My mother is sat cross-legged on the floor, clutching at her stomach, complaining of the pain she couldn't take anymore, swaying back and forth, asking whoever would listen how my dad could have said such things to her and how would she ever be able to forget those words. I ask her to get off the floor and lie down on the bed, the pain is from the stress and if she relaxed it would get better. Look here I have some warm water and painkillers and all you have to do is take a couple and you'll fall asleep and forget everything and tomorrow everything will be ok again.
My mother says she needs a shower so she goes to her bathroom and I stand around with a mug of warm water and painkillers in my hands. My cat starts to wail for me and I head past the trenches again (where my dad is watching the football) to pick the fat critter up and bring him upstairs to my room away from all the madness.
My mother is out of the bathroom and sat on her bed looking lost and rueing the day she married my dad and oh the pain it's deep inside where does it come from I can't take it. I coax her into taking some painkillers and she does. I switch the ceiling fan on for her and she tells me to switch it off because she's cold. She complains that she's warm so I switch it back on again. She switches on the air-conditioning and I switch the fan back off again. I tell her to lie down and sleep it will take the pain away and she doesn't listen. I ask her if she wants more water and she says no. I take the pills and leave her room, closing the door behind me. I'm in my room now (the cat is cleaning himself).
How did I end up so emotionless?
I felt so awkward dealing with my mother and was more comfortable in the icy silence of my dad's fortress. I was almost tempted to roll my eyes on several occasions during my mother's dramatic displays of pain and distress and victimisation.
I mean, each argument had a point. My dad said that my mother has no right of accusing him of treating her like a slave, and I can't argue with that. My mother has been financially supported by my dad since they got married, my dad has always helped out around the house, the kids cleaned up after themselves most of the time. Of course my dad really shouldn't have gone that step further by then accusing my mother of being lazy and doing nothing at all, when that's clearly not true. (My mother retorted that she'd been working hard taking care of my dad's products - that would be me and my brothers - and that she'd only quit her job because he told her too, blah blah blah.)
And all they had to do was tell me to take a cab instead (the cat is asleep now).
========
I'm never having kids. Or getting married. All this madness might be hereditary, you never know.
WOOLLYBUTT
How can that name not bring a smile to your miserable mug? And you have to thank the Aussies for that. It would definitely be on my hypothetical list of favourite words.
Where does the name "Woollybutt" come from? Well the website www.woollybutt.com.au (so it must be true) tells us the following:
"In Victoria and Tasmania, Woollybutt is the name given to Alpine Ash or Eucalyptus delegatensis. As a timber, Alpine Ash is highly regarded and very important to the hardwood industry. To foresters, Alpine Ash is often referred to as 'the foresters’ friend because it is so easily regenerated after harvesting operations.
Woollybutt mostly forms beautiful pure stands of straight timber with a grass and fern understorey. In best conditions it can reach up to 80 metres in height, making it one of the tallest Eucalypts in the world behind Mountain Ash. The bark is thick and fibrous (woolly) at the base [butt?] and pure, smooth white above peeling in ribbons. The smaller branches often have a silver colour and the bark is usually covered in distinctive “scribbles” from insect larvae."
Ok, that wasn't quite as interesting as I'd hoped it to be.
Woollybutt is also the name of an oil field discovered on the North West shelf of Australia in April 1997. If I adopt another cat I'd call it Woollybutt. Hell I'll probably start calling the one I have Woollybutt. I might even call my nephew Woollybutt (behind his mother's back, of course).
Woollybutt Woollybutt Woollybutt!!!
So Exciting!
Heidelberg! P's wedding! Berlin! Prague! In August! La la la la la...
Helicopter? Please???
Helicopter? Please???
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Mmrraaooww!
This isn't Handsome Bob (my baby) although he's a black n white tabby with a pink nose too (who's so special he catches birds in pairs).
(image from icanhascheezburger.com)
Who needs men when there are cats?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
But does it make oral sex any better?
Some time ago I was accused of having a forked tongue. About 10 minutes ago I found out that if it were true, it would not only have made me pretty damn "cool" in the bod mod circuits, but also some kind of yogameister.
Yes. Tongue forking (or splitting or bifurcation) is a cosmetic body modification procedure that's been around for yonks. Now banned in some U.S. states, tongue forking as a medical procedure is achieved using a surgical laser but can also be achieved by one's self using the fishing line method (use your imagination for that one). With practice, it is even possible to move the resulting halves of the tongue independently of each other.
Tongue forking also has a historical background in the practice of yoga. To some it is the pinnacle of "Khechari Mudra", a part of Hatha and Kumbhaka yoga where the tongue is split and then "milked" until it is long enough to be turned back inside the mouth and flipped up to the epiglottis. It then is used in breathing exercises, the goal being to seal the body's energy leaks and become aware of only the internal thus entering a catatonic state, crossing back and forth between death and life.
Loads more info on the web. And in case you're wondering, no, I'd never get it done.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Random Cool Thing:
========
Today's Random Cool Thing:
The Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus)
According to ARKive,
Ooh sexy. Speaking of which,
As of today, I will try to post a new random cool thing that I've come across on the internet, each day. If not because each item's inherent Coolness deserves special mention, then just to prove to the world that I'm not all about gloomy introspection and whinging about Life :)
========Today's Random Cool Thing:
The Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus)
"Fucking ugly bastard!" you say. And I agree. It's like a giant flatworm with legs (remember that X-Files giant tapeworm episode?) But tell me that you don't secretly want to have one as a pet and I'd call you A Liar.
According to ARKive,
"The Chinese giant salamander is the largest salamander in the world, and is fully aquatic, with many adaptations for this lifestyle. It grows up to 1.8 metres in length, though most individuals found today are considerably smaller. The skin is dark brown, black or greenish in colour and irregularly blotched. It is also rough, wrinkled and porous which facilitates respiration through the skin as this large amphibian lacks gills. This species has an elongated body, and two pairs of legs which are roughly similar in size. The snout is less rounded than that of the related Japanese giant salamander and the tail is a little longer and broader. Both species have tubercles on the head and throat, though their arrangement is different. The Chinese species has small, paired tubercles arranged in rows parallel with the lower jaw, while the Japanese species' tubercles are mostly single and irregularly scattered. The eyes are tiny, with no eyelids, and positioned on top of the broad, flat head, providing the salamander with poor vision."
Ooh sexy. Speaking of which,
"Reproduction appears to take place from late August to September, when hundreds of individuals congregate at nest sites..."
Picture that. Or maybe, don't. An orgy of giant tapeworms with legs. Yuck. Apparently people also eat these things. Super yuck.
..?
Maybe it's because I don't have that one thing that the principal from high school kept raving about - PASSION.
I have none.
...
Debilitatingly frustrating?
I need to pee.
Pish.
I really don't know why I bother to bring work home anymore, cos it never gets done. I just end up starting Monday morning feeling like I've completely arsed away my weekend (which I have). I'd like to think that I'm pretty productive at work, turning over as much if not more than my colleagues. Whatever. Nobody's gonna die if I don't get this shit done on time anyway. It's all just about keeping the rich folks rich and making the politicians look good. I have no right to live really.
I need to pee.
Yeah, so, this Being Bored Thing. What can I do about it? Travel seems to be the only way to get out of my routine, but then I'm greatly limited by the pittance that I earn and annual leave that's almost a crime to human rights. Fortunately I get to meet a lot of different people in my line of work, and drink lots of free booze, so that sorts out the socialising-in-an-inebriated-atmosphere aspect of life. Wacky retired parents, little brother I secretly love to spoil and a fat cat with attitude. Access to the gym, yoga, the internet, cable tv and a lot of good bookstores.
I want to go skydiving. Maybe I'll do just that. Sometime in December. Yeah. I can't wait for my next holiday: diving and mountain-climbing in Sabah. 75 days (approx.) and counting.
Ramble ramble ramble. Keeping pee in gives me a headache. I can't believe I have to write a report on a three hour meeting where the key - and only - takeaway is the confirmation that nothing needs to be done. What a noble use of taxpayer money. I could have pulled that out of my arse in 30 seconds.
Pish.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
I'M BORED.
AND IT'S FRUSTRATINGLY DEBILITATING. The highlight of my entire weekend was accidentally catching "Children of Men" on cable. (Brilliant movie - Alfonso Cuarón might just me the only director whose name I'd know, Michael Caine still rocks the silver screen, Clive Owen is The Hotness, it's made me almost look forward to a post-apocalyptic future; according to IMDB.com it was never released here - figures!) Shopping was HELL; this country is seriously overpopulated and noisy noisy noisy and it smells (OMG it's the apocalypse!); I've done an embarrassing number of online tests (Apparently if I were a dictator I'd be Nicolae Ceauşescu.) Even the Hot Young Intern was disappointing, reminding me too much of, well, ME when I was 20.
Fuck this Chris Evans and Jason Statham are on the telly. Back later.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Question:
How do I spin a convincing argument for my bosses to send me to Greece for three weeks during the summer to hit the beaches and party do a course on modern oceans law and policy?
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Not just sliced bread.
There are many things in this world that are underrated. Little things that, in their own special ways, make me happy. This post is in honour of all the mini-wonders that have helped me survive a dry weekend spent pretending to study for the CFA:
1. Arnott's mint slices
2. Tea
3. The electric kettle
4. Cheddar cheese nachos/pretzel bits/anything
5. Instant coffee
6. Cotton buds
7. Instant noodles
8. Eggs
9. Free pens that come in corporate goodie bags
10. Toothpaste in flavours other than mint
11. Economy packs of no-frills black thongs that fit perfectly
12. Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger"
Thursday, January 10, 2008
...
I either need to stop staring the booze at 6pm ojust say no to it.
Did I mention that Commander (not commodre, apparentluy) is really seally HOT?!
Did I mention that Commander (not commodre, apparentluy) is really seally HOT?!
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Aww...
I love US navy officers. I try really hard not to because I disagree with US foreign policy, but I can't help being absolutely charmed by them. The ones I've met have all been really cheerful, earnest guys who genuinely believe that what they're doing is right and for the benefit of all mankind. Their optimism and eagerness to learn and do stuff are almost infectious. Maybe it's from being stuck at sea for most of the year, that it's just humanly impossible for them not to find the sheer state of being on land The Most Exciting Thing Ever. I couldn't help but break into an indulgent grin when I heard the commodore I met today say "Wow" like a 5 year old kid when he was informed that the Greeks were influencing Chinese art as far back as the 10th century. SO CUTE. Damn, most of the men I know probably wouldn't have given a shit!
Hell, they probably wouldn't have been caught dead in a museum!
========
In other news, I just caught the last half hour of Predator, which I think is one of the Best Movies Ever, and now I really REALLY want to get my hands on a tri-beam laser pointer which would look so absolutely effing COOL when I make my presentations. I WANT.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Breakthrough and Conquer.
Remember American Gladiators? Sure you do, you used to watch it as a kid. I sure as hell did. Loved it, couldn't miss it. I even had a tiny crush on one of them, his name was Nitro or Laser or Uranium or something (guess which one I made up). Well they've brought it back! To the States at least. I wonder if it'll ever come out here. It's so much better than the wrestling though (yes, I used to love that too, and thought that The Undertaker was the coolest dude ever).
So embarrassing!
Friday, January 04, 2008
*Grrr*
It's barely quarter past nine in the morning and already Wimpy Colleague, who craves stress and pro-actively creates problems for himself (often fucking up the work of other people for whom these are real responsibilities), has ticked me off. As if listening to his quavering voice and spineless complaints all day long isn't enough! I am fed up with people who, with the lack of instruction from their rank superiors, are incapacitated by the unexpected demands of decision-making. I have no sympathy for people who implode under the weight of endless unnecessary concerns. The sooner, the better, I say.
Monday, December 31, 2007
2007 in Review
Although procrastination has always been my favourite vice, it abuses me - forcing me to make a meaningful assessment of the past year and to outline my objectives for the next, in just one hour... But I have always worked best under pressure, expending the least efforts necessary to achieve desired results. I am after all an economist by training and a business school graduate by accident; yet born into a creed that observes relaxation, personal space and balance.
In the spirit of lean operations for best results, I will reduce my world in 2007 to the five key events that would shape my future. In chronological order, they are:
1. I got a new job.
By far the most significant turning point in my life since leaving business school. Suddenly I was motivated to wake up for work every morning and for the first time, considered it possible to survive six years of legal bondage to the government. The new job came with far more responsibilities and much heavier workload; but in return I get real opportunities to influence consequential decisions, and respect for my efforts and my principles (including an increasingly leftist political approach). Oh yeah and I got to go to Hamburg, Copenhagen, Oslo, London and Paris.
2. I kicked the D habit.
Well, really, the habit kicked me. Like a country imploding under the pressures of impasse en route to a change of leadership, I needed a violent upheaval to purge myself of a destructive past and to introduce a brighter future.
3. I got a cat and boob job!
I accepted the responsibility of another creature's life and irreversibly changed my own. Now I can do ANYTHING!
4. I went to Goa.
And everything material has seemed immaterial to me ever since.
5. I finished reading War and Peace.
The words "A Life Changing Novel" ensconced in a very authoritative red circle scream out from the book cover. I dare not challenge it. I also read: Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, the Queen of Spades and other Stories, My Name is Red, Industrial Society and its Future, Hegemony or Survival, and a history of Africa's independence since 1950. So those are probably the reasons why I may have seemed overbearingly broody in 2007.
========
I'll work on my expectations for 2008 tomorrow. Meanwhile, I've decided to get a prowling cougar tattooed on my right thigh. I've been trawling the internet for appropriate designs, and it keeps telling me that cougars are signs of courage, loyalty and leadership. And here I was thinking it was a sign that I want to get naked with the Hot Young Intern from the 19th floor!
HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Guffing in Cars.
You've probably been through this before. You go out for lunch with colleagues, have a good meal and make convivial conversation. Before long, it's time to get back to the office and the bunch of you pile into one car. There's small talk - there's always a pressing need for some sort of conversation to take place when a group of people get in the same vehicle, even if there's really nothing to be said. Usually someone makes a reference to that universal post-lunch stupor, jokes about shutting the office door to kip for a bit. We're all secretly thankful for this as it gives everyone in the car an excuse for not participating in the conversation thereafter.
And then it happens. At first you think it's just a figment of your imagination. You look out the car windows, maybe you've driven past a dump or swamp or really large outdoor toilet. But then it becomes clear that someone in the car has let out a secret stinker, you just don't know who. You try to look around for a guilty face without making it look like you've noticed - you don't want the culprit to feel too bad about himself, and you certainly don't want others to think it's you. You start to get really conscious of your movements, your facial expressions. You become wary that anything you do might be misinterpreted as guilt.
You start to wonder if it's appropriate to break the almost respectful silence by cracking a joke about what just happened. But then you hold yourself back: surely that would seem too defensive and might inadvertently cast suspicion upon yourself. You take into account the fact that the people with you are colleagues - you wouldn't want to offend someone you have to work with. You feel downright uncomfortable and the thought of making eye contact with anyone in the car becomes unbearable.
While your mind races thinking about the appropriate reaction to the situation, you realise the malodourous veil has disappeared (or perhaps you've just gotten used to it). The rigor mortis that had seized your body quickly fades away. You furtively take a long, deep breath to clear your mind and the black spots that were beginning to cloud your vision from all that shallow breathing. You begin to relax and shyly turn to the person next to you.
"You got any meetings on this afternoon?"
Monday, December 24, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Things to Do Before I Die.
I blame it on my fascination with Russian fiction and, well, general non-fiction, in the past year. Provoked by the need for retrospect that time forces upon us towards the end of every year; and the sense of hope that Christmas tends to bring round. That things are slow in the office also helps.
Yes, this is (part of) a list of stuff I'd like to do (in no particular order) before I die. It's likely to evolve over time, with more items changing than being ticked off. A crude manifestation of my life's objectives and ambitions. Maybe (hopefully?) even a prototype epitaph. So here goes:
Yes, this is (part of) a list of stuff I'd like to do (in no particular order) before I die. It's likely to evolve over time, with more items changing than being ticked off. A crude manifestation of my life's objectives and ambitions. Maybe (hopefully?) even a prototype epitaph. So here goes:
1. Be choppered onto an offshore oil rig, preferably a new-ish one, in the North Sea (or wherever's sexy at the time), and choppered off, of course.
2. Cross the Bering Strait in a kayak.
3. Watch herds of migratory animals from a hot air balloon somewhere over Africa.
4. Do all that travelling I mentioned in the previous two posts.
5. Live and work in London.
6. Live and work in Russia.
7. Find a humanitarian cause and acting on it.
8. See the establishment and worldwide recognition of a contiguous and viable Palestine state capable of sustaining a nation.
9. Raise intelligent and useful kids.
10. Skydive.
...and lots of other stuff. That I can't be bothered to think about right now, when it's time to leave the office.
========
I was reading TIME's list of people who have left us in 2007, and was shocked to find out that Kurt Vonnegut passed away this April. Vonnegut was my favourite critic of modern society and a major influence on how I think today. He's said and written countless memorable things, but I think the following is most apt for my blog:
"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be."
R.I.P. K.V.
Hello Traveller! (II)
Russia! Central Asia! North West China and Mongolia!
The Trans-Siberian Railway!
The Trans-Siberian Railway!
Hello Traveller!
It's a slow post-public holiday end-of-year Friday morning in the office, and work is the last thing on my mind.
Having browsed through Dio's list of places she would like to visit before she dies, I too feel compelled to make public my travelling desires. Bearing in mind that my days as an indentured slave would end sometime in 2011, here are my plans till then:
2008 > International Year of the Sanitation (?) and the Potato (I kid you not)
Climbing Mount Kinabalu and diving off Layang-Layang, Sabah; Mulu Caves in Sarawak
2009 > International Year of Astronomy and Natural Fibres (??!)
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania; feeling the Freddie in Zanzibar; maybe diving off Mozambique
2010 > International Year of Communications
Trek to Mount Everest Base Camp and getting some culture in Nepal
2011 > International Year of Forests
South America! More high altitude adventures in Machu Picchu! Don't forget Lake Titicaca! A boat ride on the Amazon River, parties in Rio de Janeiro! And culture in Buenos Aires :)
Yeah so there's a lot of physical activity up there, but what better time to do that than when I'm still young?
La la la la la...
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Brown as a Berry!
That's me! Got back from a one week getaway to Goa last night, and I'm missing it already *sniff*
Here's a pic from the trip:
It pretty much sums up my Goan experience :)
========
I think I've also figured out what I want. You know, from life. Yay!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Good Idea:
Sleeping during the lunchtime. Rainy weather, a private room, a yoga mat, a half-empty office... zzzz... I might even make this a daily ritual. All I need are a blanket and a pillow to complete the job. Brilliance.
Tick tock?
I want to marry an architect. A naval architect will do too. A man with the ability to weave the elegance of math and starkness of physics with wood metal stone glass mortar anything - to immortalise a beautiful idea in a functional form.
Where do I find him?
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
I love this city!
Arsey immigration officer, train delays due to a fatality on the track; brazen cold and spiritless rain; blustering moustaches staring sullenly out of kebab stores; Caribbean, Mediterranean, Eastern European voices moving through the streets... it's good to be home :)
It surprised me how easily I slipped into the swing of things here, after being away for over two years. I've paid respect to the city, revisiting streets that have long heard my footsteps and buildings that continue to influence my dreamscapes, catching up with old friends and recalling a culture shaped by freedom, acceptance and intemperate weather.
I leave in two days but now I am certain of returning, for the long run.
========
It amuses me that my Big Boss, a man of political office and foreign affairs, despises small talk as much as I do.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Are you a logophile?
Or do you fancy yourself a cunning linguist? Do you have multiple online dictionaries in your list of "Favourites"? Do you open the "Word of the Day" e-mail every morning, before anything else? Does your everyday speech comprise esoteric words and are you often frustrated by blank looks of incomprehension on the faces of those around you? Does it pain you to have to articulate your thoughts in a manner less intellectually demanding for the sake of your audience? Do you bear with stoic resignation the recognition that your keen linguistic abilities will never be fully appreciated by the hoi polloi (or do you wear this knowledge with pride and a sneer)?
If any of these questions resonates through your being, then Your Time Has Come.
FreeRice is an internet word game that tests the vocabulary of participants. For every correct answer, companies advertising on the website will donate money to buy and distribute 10 grains of rice. 1 billion grains of rice is enough to feed 50,000 people for one day.
So, for instant gratification and altruistic well-being, click on the following:
http://www.freerice.com/
http://www.freerice.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG)
