China Stakes Claim on Santa

Lavender Food Court, SINGAPORE - A China-born Singapore-based foreign talent explains today the genesis of Santa Claus.

According to the Chinese legend, "Sheng Dan Lao Ren", or old man Santa as we know him today, was a homeless old man in China who was so overcome by the cold one winter that every thing on him shrank, except (his) "eggs" (sheng dan).

- Fishy Slippery (Xin Hua) News Agency

眼泪成诗 Tears To Poems

I'm going to dedicate this to all those who are recently out of love. I particularly love the first stanza. The opening lines of describing the recovered wounds as roses and the reincarnation of teardrops into raindrops were particularly poetic.



<<眼泪成诗>>

我已经 已经把我伤口化作玫瑰
我的泪水 已经变成雨水早已轮回
我已经 已经把对白留成了永远
忘了天色 究竟是黑是灰

[I have already turned my wounds into roses
My teardrops have already reincarnated into raindrops
I have already turned our conversations into eternity
Forgotten if the skies were black or grey]

*分手伤了谁 谁把他变美
我的眼泪写成了诗已无所谓
让你再回味 字不醉人人自醉
因为回忆总是美*

[*Who was hurt when we parted ways Who made him look noble
My tears have turned into poems for I am past caring
If you remininsce it is not our words but your thoughts making yourself drunk
Because memories are the most beautiful*]

我已经 已经把绝情变成了恭维
因为不配 你就忽然自卑说声失陪
我已经 已经把沉默变成了忏悔
无路可退 只能无言以对

[I have already turned my unfeeling into mutual respect
Because of our unequal status you suddenly feel inferior and said goodbye
I have already turned my taciturn into remorse
With no where to back off I can only face everything with silence]

Repeat **

分手伤了谁 谁把他变美
我的眼泪写成了诗已是无所谓
让你再回味 字不醉人人自醉
你的品味总是美

[Who was hurt when we parted ways Who made him look noble
My tears have turned into poems for I am past caring
If you remininsce it is not our words but your thoughts making yourself drunk
Because your choice had been for the most beautiful]

Super Mario Galaxy

The Wii machine met a new friend last weekend. The new friend needs to be inserted into the machine's hole. And after inserting the friend, new pleasure results. In fact, it was so pleasurable that hours are spent trying to top each previosu climax as the positions got progressively more challenging and each round more tedious.

Welcome to my Super Mario Galaxy semi-addiction.

The game started slowly enough. The moves were initially clumsy and the movement slow. But trust me, at the grand old age of... heck, you'll figure out my age anyway. The point is, even if you can teach an old dog new tricks, you can't overcome the fact that aged joints and ancient habits are hard to overcome. I therefore concede: my moves are still clumsy and the movement slow. Trust me, you won't want to read how many times I steered Mario into the black hole. Ok, I didn't steer him into the black holes but the imprecision of my moves inevitably meant Mario became BH fodder one time too many. How many, you ask? Well, try from 15 lives to nothing and then from 10 to nothing and then another 1 more before I cleared some particularly difficult stages.

And you know what's even better about SMG? The programming folks allow you to return to the game from the last point you left off instead of requiring you to begin from scratch. So you get new frustrations when the positions and techniques don't work and new highs when they do. The mind keeps telling itself that it can top the stage and one reaches for the start button after each game over. The ass is rooted to the seat and the mind loses all track of time. (Maybe, Wii and a slower version of SMG can be introduced to old folks' home to keep the residents engaged. Maybe not; they might fight over who's turn it is.)

Yet, the amazing graphics aside, the trick is to know... the tricks. The programmers are not very smart. I've got them figured out mostly. In certain worlds or galaxies, I pick up so many lives that I was incredibly elated. At the same time, I knew the extras would never be enough; how does one pick up extra lives quickly enough a whole game when one needs 26 of them to clear some particularly tricky stage? I don't know how I managed to clear some of those inhuman stages, but I did.

One can usually progress after mentally working through the algorithm required to clear that stage; keeping Mario alive long enough to clear the stage is the larger problem for me. Unfortunately, though, mental dexterity did not make up for the lack of finesse in the finer movements. The fingers were not stiff - digital (pun intended) gravity works differently, I'd say. Of course there are many excuses. This is where I spend all my time moaning about my exciting life, regardless how exciting it really is. Did you expect otherwise?

For all the fun and pleasure it brings, SMG is a silent time killer. I take anywhere between 45 minutes and 3 hours to clear a stage and I've sat in front of the Wii for almost 6 hours yesterday. That is bad. Extremely bad, if you ask me. And at 1.30 am this morning, when I tried to sleep after my shower, all I saw when I shut my eyes were the stars and the coins I was supposed to pick up in the games. My mind was all hyperactive; I can't get to sleep. The brain was devising ways to pick up stars and coins in the various configuration set by and for itself.

At that moment, I think I'm getting out of control. I need to do something quick. I got out of bed, removed the Super Mario Galaxy CD, returned it into its cover and asked for it to be returned. I can't be addicted to it. I can play other things like Wii Sports. That's fine, because there is a limiting factor called physical exhaustion. Wii Sports require you to mimick the actual sports action and with such physical activity, you get worn out and at the opportune moment, you'll decide you've got enough of a workout, turn off the Wii and resume life. SMG does not wear you out. It makes you addicted. And I worry about addiction.

So, there'll be come cold turkey today. And I'll be back to Wii Sporting.

Oh, did I tell you I chose Princess Peach as my avatar? I wanted to choose Queen Bitch if it (Note at edit: Oh man, that's a Freudian slip!) existed. But then what would I do with Q**nsy? Sigh. So, Princess Peach... that's right. Sounds like Princess Bitch anyway.

This semi-addiction seems worse than I imagine...

Recuperation

It's week 2 of being officially off all work. During this period, I have gone swimming, gone for long walks, cooked up one storm, watched a lot of television, slept a lot.

I guess I'm servicing a debt of some sort. Few people can imagine how tired their bodies are until they can finally take a breather (without money worries). Retirement is way too late. By the time one waits for retirement, one's body is crippled; it is ravaged beyond repair, waiting to be condemned.

I begin to see the wonders of a time out half way into a person's career. Many people wait for something tragic to take stock of their lives. I take stock every day. Especially when you live a somewhat tragic life anyhow.

Ok, I'm a drama-mama but hey, I've a right to live my kind of life. I'm not a pest to society. In fact, I contribute by passing on knowledge. I share my joys and over here, I talk about my life and how things should be lived.

One of the bloggers I read, BHD, talks about his life and each and every one of his blog posts end with some kind of urging to tell people life is short, do something they should or deserve. He is a well-balanced man. Many other people whose blogs I read also have this trait except that they have been unconsciously or subconsciously tacit about it.

Writing a blog is an exercise where one uses or abuses words to restore balance in their lives. Logophiles or wordsmiths, you call them. Just like people swim, paint, dress up, go to high teas or even go for retail therapy, they are doing something that they hope can restore balance in their lives. Some people I know do more than one of those activities.

Alas, there could be adverse effects: some people shop too much, for instance. But such extremes also suggest that these people's lives are much worse than they would admit. Neither would we cut them the slack they need to find a balance. So, in their own time and space, they need to find their means of restoring that balance.

While work and money are important, keeping oneself sane is of a higher priority.

Life is short: Live it like my bud, BHD.

What I don't know about Karma

Probligo and I had had a wonderful conversation about my problem-child status. We came to the conclusion that neither of us were Smarties.

A Programmer and an Engineer were sitting next to each other on an
airplane. The Programmer leans over to the Engineer and asks if he wants
to play a fun game. The Engineer just wants to sleep so he politely
declines, turns away and tries to sleep. The Programmer persists and
explains that it's a real easy game. He explains,"I ask a question and
if you don't know the answer you pay me $5. Then you ask a question and
if I don't know the answer I'll pay you $5." Again the Engineer politely
declines and tries to sleep.

The Programmer, now somewhat agitated, says, "O.K., if you don't
know the answer you pay me $5 and if I don't know the answer I pay
you $50!" Now, that got the Engineer's attention, so he agrees to the
game. The Programmer asks the first question, "What's the distance from
the earth to the moon?" Then Engineer doesn't say a word and just hands
the Programmer $5.

Now, its the Engineer's turn. He asks the Programmer,"What goes up a
hill with three legs and comes down on four?" The Programmer looks at
him with a puzzled look, takes out his laptop computer, looks through
all his references and after about an hour wakes the Engineer and hands
the Engineer $50. The Engineer politely takes the $50 turns away and
tries to return to sleep.

The Programmer, a little miffed, asks, "Well what's the answer to the
question?" Without a word, the Engineer reaches into his wallet, hands
$5 to the Programmer, turns away and returns to sleep.

Yeah, we both don't know. But I can guess he's probably a programmer or an engineer while I'm just the manager pushing the buttons. Heh!

So, the new Fermat's (Last + 1) Conjecture is now: What next to seek so that Enlightenment is possible.

The issue of karma was probably obliquely mentioned somehow but I am sure if it did, we did not give it a good airing.

So, my question will be: Who is in charge of calculating Karma? I don't know if this is rhetorical. But there is a belief that if you kill a cockroach (for example) so that by ending its life, you could help it get reborn into a higher realm of existence, apparently, it won't happen. Part of the explanation is that the cockroach is so used to its existence that it could not adjust its mindset fast enough to allow it to move out of that realm of existence.

I want to know if there is another way out of rebirth other than Enlightenment and finally Nirvana.

The New iPhone

The iPhone advertisement in Singapore made many claims, that almost everything on the iPhone is very fast.

The advertising folks forgot to tell the users that the iPhone will also help you work up a bill with your phone companies VERY FAST!

The Bucket List

I watched The Bucket List last night. The Day After Tomorrow was showing free on air. Having watched TDAT at least twice and youthful Jake was no longer as eye candy as before, I decided to take on the offer to do TBL instead.

To say that it was a great movie would not do it justice. It has inspired me to make up my own bucket list as I move along in life. I only wish I had someone rich enough to help me fulfill most of them.

It is amazing, to say the least, watching two very brilliant actors - Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman - duelling in a simple movie that tugged at heartstrings. It would have been a low-budget flick but I bet Jack and Morgan took the roles with the caveat that they get to travel to and visit Italy and some swanky restaurant on top on a hill, watching sunset over dinner, South Africa (Johannesburg) and a safari (hey, they even watched the wildebeest crossing - and I only get to see that on Discovery!) and Egypt and the Egyptian pyramids, India and the Taj Mahal, Nepal and almost Mount Everest, and Hong Kong.

Both raced in Shelby Mustangs in the US, did sky diving, Jack got a tattoo, Morgan nearly got laid (but his loyalty to his wife kept him from taking up the offer), both jetsetted in Jack's private Learjet... Perks galore!

Read here to find out what the movie is really about.

While critics generally panned the movie, I liked it. I am typically not your everybody movie goer. I judge by a different set of standards. First on my list - should the movie even be made? Readers who've seen my other movie reviews know my stand that a movie should not be made for the sake of being made. But I digress.

Emotional dramas are typically panned regardless of how good they are. Remember Titanic? The critics hated it big time: waif-like Leonardo DiCaprio getting to hug busomy Kate Winslet on a palace created to be sunk probably fuelled their jealousy. But what's there to really hate the TBL, even if it had surpassed reality for a little? It merely asked viewers two simple questions:

1. Are you happy?
2. Have you made people happy?

These were brought to the forefront when at the top of some ruins, Carter (Freeman) mentioned that the ancient Egyptians believed that when they died, they would go to the gates of heaven where their final fates depended on their answers to the two questions above. Carter asked Edwards (Nicholson) for his reply. It was there and then that Edwards let on about his estranged relationship with his only daughter.

It took Carter some prodding and perhaps also his death to get Ed and his daughter to reconcile. But Edward did do it.

Though an emo-drama, a viewer does not get the gloom and doom feeling of watching a show where the two male leads are inevitably going to die. The Bucket List is really a list of things they want to do before they kick the bucket. Edwards was introduced to this philosophical list when Carter thrashed his half completed list after he received his death sentence from his oncologist. Apparently, this list was mooted by Carter's philo professor when he was an undergraduate in some college; he had to drop out after an unplanned pregnancy and low funds disrupted his plans to become a history professor. Edward added to the list and soon, it came a to-do list where both men embarked on with every intention of completing.

The unlikely friendship between Carter and Edward was amazing. The stoic and measured Carter is the complete complete opposite of the emotional and explosive Edward. The counterbalances in the movie are well-calibrated and I tell you, Jack could act with just eyes - he lay on the hospital bed when the doctor came in with a grim prognosis. Viewers could only see Jack's eyes through the lenses of a periscope mounted on his glasses to allow him to read newspapers and watch TV when fully reclined. Man, those expressive eyes said it all. "You're blocking me," he told off the doctor after he delivered the diagnosis and prognosis, showing his strength of character.

It is always encouraging when you see two people nearing the ends of their lives living to the fullest. I guess time is wasted on the living. Perhaps when people know they are going to die that they start treasuring time, in case there is no tomorrow. But wouldn't that be too late?

"A survey asked people if they wanted to know exactly when they would die. 96% said no. I guess I am one of those 4% who wanted. I think it would be good. But when it happened, I am not so sure anymore." Carter narrated this as he got his death sentence. But hey, life began for him after this!

People should have their bucket lists. It is not a list to showcase what they have achieved in life but to give meaning to life. The list may grow as the items get struck off. But taking action rather than to wait for an impending doom to act is perhaps one of the best way to live.

Case in point

The New Paper Headline today:

SINGAPORE MOTORIST DIES IN CRASH
He beats red light while fleeing from police.
Sister says: He has no licence but he loves to speed
He rides like he wants to die

And I think he's only 17.

I suddenly feel a teeny weeny bit smarter already!

Crazy crazy roads

Yesterday, there were three road incidents that I saw on the Pan Island Expressway. Incredible.

In the first incident, a pick-up careened suddenly three lanes (from middle right all the way to the extreme left lane), and then past the road shoulder hit against the roadside fences along the shoulder lane and richocheted off. The pick-up then came to a stop in the road shoulder. Amazingly, no other car was involved despite there being cars before and following the pick-up all the way. Incredibly, no one had to brake or take evasive actions! Go figure. Right after I passed the pick-up, not more than 100 m later, there was a loud bang.

(A change in plans led me right back to the opposite side of the expressway). There, I saw the source of the loud bang. A lorry's back tyre has exploded. Go figure. It rests in the traffic island right after the exit to the expressway.

And late in the evening, after my shopping and dinner, on the way home, we saw a 12 car pile-up although the newspapers said that there were two separate incidents involving 10 cars in all. I counted and there were 12!

So exciting. Except there were no deaths. We could increase our IQ by a lot if these folks voluntarily removed themselves from the gene pool!

Post Sichuan quake thoughts

Long before (well, about 3 to 4 days before) the quake, I was already feeling unwell. I knew something big was coming. It wasn't different from the 2004 tsunami. But I only wished I knew where it was going to be.

Or would that have made a difference?

It's been almost three weeks after the quake. News are still coming in about the death toll, the quake lakes threatening to burst their barriers and the arduous reconstuction journey ahead.

These are normal, although, honestly, fatiguing to hear so much of all these... I somehow have this thought that come 1 Jun, there might be another biggie. It'll be 68 days to the Olympics. I don't know... It seemed to be a rather bad year for China.

Another development that is getting rather out of hand is fund raising for the quake victims. I guess Singaporeans have to capacity to be overflowing with love, since the last major catastrophe we had was the New World Hotel collapse. After that, we hardly had anything to bleed the country's coffers or the gullible Singaporeans' wallets. We weren't hit by the tsunami or any other natural disasters, except for ever increasing oil and food prices.

But what bugs me is the fact that people are organising fund raising events wave after wave after wave... like many small little tsunamis that take turns to hit different coasts, each time requiring a mass evacuation. It's plain tiring to be constantly bombarded. And there are confidence tricksters out to make a quick buck. Fraudsters apart, people raising money begin to look at you in a funny sort of way when you decide and tell them that you have had donated enough to such causes.

Hey, how much can ONE person donate? I am neither Jet Li or Jackie Chan. How am I going to find so much moolah to give away, especially when I need to worry about where my next meal is coming from? I don't go around telling people that I gave $x at y to the Sichuan victims, do I? So, don't assume that if I say I am not giving, I hadn't given.

The Chinese, as with many other peoples, are very expressive people and know how best to tug at heartstrings. The two poems below, with their laymen translations (from me), are case in point. If you need drama-mamas, try getting the Chinese. It some times make me wonder how people in Singapore could be bawling their eyes out when the only things they recognise in Sichuan are the pandas. And yet they speak of their suffering and their misery, as though they were a part of the entire catastrophe. To outsiders looking in, this is so... hilarious.

I am not a callous person. But I believe to be believable and to be above board, you need to temper your willingness to help with good sense and good taste. Otherwise, your emotions are most ill-placed.

孩子快抓紧妈妈的手 (Child, quick grasp Mother's hand)

孩子快
抓紧妈妈的手
去天堂的路
太黑了
妈妈怕你
碰了头
快
抓紧妈妈的手
让妈妈陪你走
妈妈
怕
天堂的路
太黑
我看不见你的手
自从
倒塌的墙
把阳光夺走
我再也看不见
你柔情的眸
孩子
你走吧
前面的路
再也没有忧愁
没有读不完的课本
和爸爸的拳头
你要记住
我和爸爸的摸样
来生还要一起走
妈妈
别担忧
天堂的路有些挤
有很多同学朋友
我们说
不哭
哪一个人的妈妈都是我们的妈妈
哪一个孩子都是妈妈的孩子
没有我的日子
你把爱给活的孩子吧
妈妈
你别哭
泪光照亮不了
我们的路
让我们自己
慢慢的走
妈妈
我会记住你和爸爸的模样
记住我们的约定
来生我们一起走

Child, quickly grasp Mother’s hand
The road to heaven is turning dark and Mother’s afraid you’ll hurt yourself along the way.
Quick, grasp Mother’s hand
Let mother accompany you
To walk to heaven before it gets too dark and I not to be able to see your hand
Ever since the walls collapsed, I am no longer able to see again your thoughtful eyes
Go on, Child. There is no more misery in the road ahead, no more endless books and daddy's fist
I want you to remember Daddy and my looks
So that we can carry on our journey in our next life.

Mother, don’t worry. The road to heaven is a little crowded.
My friends and I have resolved not to cry
Each child’s mother is everyone’s Mother
Each mother’s child is every Mother’s child
In your days without me around, please give your love to all the other children
Mother, please don’t cry, for your tears will not light up our path to Heaven.
Let us find our way to complete our own journeys
Mother, I will remember Daddy and your looks
And remember our promise
So that we can carry on our journey in our next life.

妈妈别哭 (Mother, do not cry)

妈妈别哭，我现在已没有痛苦

不用再看我，你一辈子也会记住

地震来得那么唐突

没有什么可以遮护

幸存的同学真让人羡慕

那一刻，求生的愿望强烈却茫然无助

妈妈别哭，我不能陪你走今后的路

这么多人陪我我不会孤独

却担心你悲痛地泪流如注

我多么希望你能幸福

我多想长大了孝敬父母

我真的不想早走这一步

妈妈别哭，地震是大地在发怒

也许是它一时糊涂

才伤害了这么多无辜

我只是不幸中的一卒

还有更多的人惨不忍睹

泪水掀不起压我的混凝土

妈妈别哭，别再抱着我幼小的身躯

我已没有往日的温度

呼吸和心跳已经止住

请给我换上爱穿的衣服

拿来我爱读的书

假如天堂里还有学府

我会在梦中告诉你考试的分数

妈妈别哭，天灾人祸是对圣灵的荼毒

你柔弱的身躯无法挡住

只要妈妈你还活着

就是上天对我们的眷顾

因为有你，每年清明那小坟上，会多一锹土

Mother, do not cry. I am no longer in pain now
You will not need to look at me again to remember me for a lifetime
The earthquake came suddenly;
Nothing could shield us from its destruction
We really envy our schoolmates who survived
At that moment, the desire to fight for life was intense but alas, futile
Mother, do not cry. I cannot accompany you on life’s road any more
There are many people with me and I won’t be lonely
But I worry that sorrowfully tears flow endlessly
How I hope that you can be happy
How I want to grow up and be filial to you
I really do not want to leave this early
Mother, do not cry. The earthquake is but Earth’s anger
Perhaps it was muddled for a while
Not realizing how it wrought misfortune to that many
I was only one of the unfortunate ones;
There are more worse off than me
Your tears cannot raise the concrete slabs off me
Mother, do not cry. Do not hold my young body
I no longer have the warmth of the days past
Breaths and heartbeats have already stopped
Please put on my favourite clothes
And bring me my favourite books
If there is a school in the heaven
I will tell you my examination score in your dream
Mother, do not cry. Natural and man-made disasters are our tribulations
Which your delicate body is unable to block
So long as, Mother, you are also living
It is Heaven’s blessings on us
Because of you, at each All Souls, a new layer of soil will be added to our little graves

May is almost over

Hard to believe but May 2008 is almost over. I've left my job for more than a season already.

And the euphoria of not being held back by the unreasonable demands of a job still invigorates me tremendously.

Freedom Air... it's something I wish I would never have to give up!

Lemon balm tea

The lemon balm leaves make an excellent infusion when you steep them in hot water. I got flavoured water which tasted like lemon grass tea.

I now can make lots of it for drinking. To think it costs $2 or more per glass outside! And what you usually get is a coyingly sweet drink with just that hint of lemon grass. Now I can have it often and cheaply and best of all, without the sugar.

My herb garden is indeed an excellent decision!

Oolong Tea

Just made a large pot, I really mean pot - soup pot, of tea because I don't have a teapot. Don't laugh. I really don't have a teapot.

I love the tea I made for two reasons. First, a close friend gave it to me at a barbecue some time back. It is a treasured gift. Second, the tea tastes wonderful. Smells heavenly. And it cleanses the palate very well.

Then when the tea was steeping in the pot, I checked my email and the following email came in. A little on the emotional side but it does have its value. Indeed, it is in heat that you know the true strength of character. I'll share it nonetheless. Oolong tea - an obvious Chinese slant to it - mainly because the Chinese are one of the few races who delight in the bitter tastes of various tea because at the end of it, a faint sweetness lingers on the tongue. There is a Chinese saying for that: Sweetest comes after the most intense trials. Here's the story:

OOLONG TEA

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of Oolong tea. You will never look at a cup of Oolong the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed Oolong tea. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the Oolong out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, 'Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and Oolong tea,' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the Oolong. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The Oolong tea was unique, however. After they were in the boiling water , they had changed the water color and taste.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a Oolong tea?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the Oolong tea? The tea actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the tea, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a Oolong tea?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Share this message to those people who mean something to you; to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose friendship you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life.

Don't Forget to Smell the Flowers!

Amazing what it means to become ordinary again.

This idea of becoming ordinary can be explored a little more in another entry but it is about having the life back in my life.

Purpose. Value. Honesty.

These are hallmark of the work I do these days. And despite doing three jobs to replace one, I have found time to smell the flowers.

The busy-ness is a fruitful one and it comes with happiness. And I now know why I am rushing and if I should be. One thing that I have been most relentless in doing is to gulp in breaths of air and marvel at the abundance of freedom, joy and lightness of being now that my loads are removed.

Indeed,

"There is more to life than increasing its speed." - Mohandas Gandhi

Vengeful kid

A pupil in my English Language class wrote in his journal that his parents had high expectations for him but his sole aim in life at this stage is to shatter their dreams to smithereens.

He said they had wanted him to study hard and get promoted to the 4-year Express Stream rather than to stay on in the 5-year Normal (Academic) Stream. But he would like to fail every subject and get himself demoted to the 5-year Normal (Technical) Stream where it would be impossible to further one's studies after the 4th year in the stream.

This boy has an abusive father and is often walloped by senior.

I loved his idea. I absolutely loved it! What melodrama unfolding right in front of your very eyes - the oppressive father and the vengeful, calculating, spiteful son whose sole existence is retaliation and revenge. Or rather, mutual destruction. I love it, I tell you. How many 13-year-old kids can elucidate plans of such viciousness in such detail so succinctly? My summary in the front failed to do his journal entry any justice. However, professional etiquette prevents me from reproducing the journal entry at all.

Still, I was expected to comment. I had written that "I loved your idea". Then I realised I might get into trouble with the school authorities. So I taped out "I loved", writing the following in essence.

Your idea... the only flaw is that you will not live with your parents forever. Your parents would also not be with you forever. You will either leave them or they will leave you behind eventually. Shortchanging yourself in education now will simply hinder you from having a good future for yourself. The most effective revenge is to do so well that you are able to stand on your own two feet, walk away and lead a better life than your parents.

I can't remember what else I had written, but I hope I could make headway bit by bit to turn this boy around. While I might not be able to lead him to salvation, perhaps I could at least lead him away from self-destruction.

Am I getting soft?

Do I look like I am flying?

Returned to the office today after a break in Perth. All around, things look good.

17 Feb is going to be my last day at work. I start at my new job on 18 Feb.

While I was not at all exhilarated since I had to go back to work and worse, I just had a blood test, someone told me I look so happy, like I was flying.

I know happiness can be infectious but certainly, I am given more credit than I really deserve. I didn't think I was flying. I was back at work as usual.

Really looking forward to some normality returning to my life nonetheless. I think I have earned my right to demand that.

Is Hell Necessarily a Bad Place?

I wonder what hell is like for a celibate baddie.

Do you think his punishment would be non-stop forced orgies?

I just can't get this out of my head now.

Church members to picket Heath Ledger's funeral

A US church says actor Heath Ledger is in hell because he played a gay cowboy in one of his films, and has vowed to picket his funeral.

The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), a Kansas-based congregation known for its demonstrations outside funerals for US soldiers killed in Iraq, said the Perth-born Australian actor who died yesterday was "now in hell".

"WBC will picket this pervert's funeral in religious protest," the group said in a statement on its website.

"God hates the sordid, tacky bucket of slime seasoned with vomit known as Brokeback Mountain – and He hates all persons having anything to whatsoever to do with it.

"Heath Ledger is now in hell, and has begun serving his eternal sentence there."

In a later interview, church spokeswoman Shirley Phelps-Roper said on Fox News that demonstrations would be limited to memorial services held in the US.

"He got on that big screen with a big, fat message: God is a liar and it's OK to be gay," Ms Phelps-Roper said.

The church, which has been classified by the Southern Poverty Law Centre as a "hate group", also planned to demonstrate outside the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony.

Ledger, 28, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment yesterday. A post-mortem examination has been inconclusive and toxicology tests are being performed to determine what, if any, drugs were in his system when he died.

Ledger was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of gay cowboy Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain, a role for which he was widely admired.

Source

Oh please! It's a movie and he was merely an actor. Although I am not a HL fan either, I didn't feel right for such actions to be taken. There should be better things for these people to do, for instance, picketing at some serial killers' or serial rapists' funerals.

If HL is off to hell, I now wonder where those pedophilic bishops and sex-predatory priests would go after death. By the way, they had abused their position to satisfy their needs. Their acts are committed "in the name of god". Does that therefore mean that they had submitted a request to him and he gave them the green light to go-ahead? I doubt they had and I doubt if they had, god would have permitted it.

So, who will picket their funerals?