Overheard at a Conference
Excellent little speech by a caucasian speaking impeccable Mandarin, "Vinegar (cu4) is sour, being jealous (chi1 cu4) is bitter. Sour and bitter, I still can take, but hot (la4), I cannot stand it."
He was rebuking a Singaporean woman who was bragging about having sat beside a mutual friend on a long flight. She asked if he was jealous that she was sitting with other men.
I think the guy retorted well, but the "hot" part was something I disagree - given how slick he is (you2 qiang1 hua2 diao4), I'm sure he'll be able to neutralise all heat!
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
In Love...
In Love...
In love
two blissfully contented beings
joined in a never ending circle
of togetherness
In love
two blissfully ignorant beings
each a never ending circle
going their own direction
In love
two blissfully belligerent beings
joined in a never perfect circle
getting at each other
In love
two blissfully divergent beings
each looking for the missing bits to complete their circles
oblivious of each other
In love
two blissfully cheating beings
each having found another other
cheating on each other
In love
two blissfully married beings
not aware of...
having fallen out of love
In love
two blissfully contented beings
joined in a never ending circle
of togetherness
In love
two blissfully ignorant beings
each a never ending circle
going their own direction
In love
two blissfully belligerent beings
joined in a never perfect circle
getting at each other
In love
two blissfully divergent beings
each looking for the missing bits to complete their circles
oblivious of each other
In love
two blissfully cheating beings
each having found another other
cheating on each other
In love
two blissfully married beings
not aware of...
having fallen out of love
Random Thoughts
Random Thoughts
Too busy at work to write.
Good staffers may not make good leaders. They are either too much a worker and too little a leader or they fear their positions get usurped.
When given time, people will reinvent the wheel. (It is another take of an idle mind is the Devil's workshop.)
If I do well, it does not mean you have done badly. Doing well is not a zero sum game!
TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT! It is not as though I cannot get the work done. But I cannot read your mind.
Commonsense is not very common. (Such a cliche, but still applicable!)
I am still seeking the light.
Too busy at work to write.
Good staffers may not make good leaders. They are either too much a worker and too little a leader or they fear their positions get usurped.
When given time, people will reinvent the wheel. (It is another take of an idle mind is the Devil's workshop.)
If I do well, it does not mean you have done badly. Doing well is not a zero sum game!
TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT! It is not as though I cannot get the work done. But I cannot read your mind.
Commonsense is not very common. (Such a cliche, but still applicable!)
I am still seeking the light.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Quote of the Month
Quote of the Month
Early days yet, but I have a winning quote from a bro from NJ.
"When I try to teach, to improve someone, only to have it thrown back in my face as though I'm a total incompetent, my fuse doesn't grow short... it disappears."
Early days yet, but I have a winning quote from a bro from NJ.
"When I try to teach, to improve someone, only to have it thrown back in my face as though I'm a total incompetent, my fuse doesn't grow short... it disappears."
Saturday, January 06, 2007
The difference 20 years make
The difference 20 years make
Lest it makes me look extremely old, I am marginally on the wrong side of 30 physically. Mentally, I am probably in excess of 300 years old. Call me traditional but I have my beliefs and principles.
Went for lunch at the Geylang Serai market today. It was at the makeshift market opposite the Malay Village. The former market has been torn down to make way for a new housing development.
Geylang Serai had been a part of my growing up years. My maternal grandparents used to be fishmongers there and I dropped by during holidays to help. Or more accurately, to take a break from home. In the early 1980s, My grandparents bought a flat at the block in front of the market so that they were able to take a bath after a day of business at the market before they went home. It was never pleasant to be stared at or rejected by cabbies because of the fishy smell clinging on to the clothes. But why did these people not reject the money as well?
The market consists of a section which sells fresh or dried produce and another which sells cooked food. I won't dwell on the fresh or dried produce section today. I did not even walk near a single stall in that section but the cooked food section brought back many memories.
These memories are mine to savour and perhaps one day I may take my readers down memory lane. What I was amazed today was how much have changed in a span of 20 years.
The first thing that came to mind was price. Plain prata used to cost 40 cents each but now it costs 60 cents. Prata with egg used to be 70 cents. Now it is $1.20. Curry puffs used to go for 50 cents for a palm sized curried danish but they now cost more. And the sizes have shrunk. Nasi ayam (chicken rice) used to be $1.20. It is now $2 to $3. Oh, while my favourite drink used to be sold at 50 cents for a large glass (30 cents for a small one), it now costs $1.50 ($1). Takeaways are now in transparent cups which can be sealed at the top with a seal machine, different from the plastic carrier bags in the past. Even the straws are now "atas" (high class) compared to the easily bent flimpsy white straws. Geylang Serai has moved with the times!
Another observation was in dining habits. In the past, I would see a full set of nasi briyani (spiced rice) with mutton or chicken with an additional plate of rice to be shared between two people, I now see a full set of rice being shared between two, but with an additional serving of meat. A large plate of rice with a couple of side dishes have given way to smaller servings of rice with larger arrays and portions of sides. People are living better and eating better too.
Still on dining, in the past, most people would eat with their fingers. We now see most people eating with proper cutlery. I don't know if eating with fingers is a tradition for certain races but I do see that people have become more conscious of hygiene (I suppose) in public.
I also began to see more varieties of food. I found many many stalls selling ayam penyet (flattened fried chicken - to allow the sauces to seep more easily into the chicken flesh), one of the hottest item in Singapore at this moment. I see the almost entire embracing of the traditional Chinese cheng tng entering the culinary embraces of the Malays, I see bubur ayam (chicken porridge) too. Who would have expected that?
Even though the makeshift market is not exactly the cleanest or best designed as a cooked food place, the place is kept clean and inviting. Gone are the days where you see packets of rice tossed on the floor for the cats, curries spilled all over the table tops.
However, there are a few regrets.
I see fewer Chinese patrons. There used to be a more diverse crowd at Geylang Serai of the past. Racial integration comes most easily through food. Perhaps it is time to reintroduce the races to one another through their stomachs. I noticed the same at Kampong Glam too, by the way.
I see the repetition of a lot of popular food. I don't recall seeing the stall that sold my favourite lontong (curried vegetables and compressed rice) any more. I also could not find the few Chinese food stalls that I used to patron when I was younger. The stalls who sold my comfort food, often in stark counterpoint to the often fiery Malay dishes. There is a blind following in popular culture and this is slowly eroding away the traditional dishes of the races.
I see new faces. And some older ones. I think many torches have been passed on.
Before I went to Geylang Serai, where I eventually had my wonderful mutton briyani, ayam penyet, and roti prata meal, I remarked to my friend that we are perpeutally living in the turning point of history. This was spoken when he asked me about the furore over Saddam Hussein's execution.
I could not have spoken at a more opportune time.
Lest it makes me look extremely old, I am marginally on the wrong side of 30 physically. Mentally, I am probably in excess of 300 years old. Call me traditional but I have my beliefs and principles.
Went for lunch at the Geylang Serai market today. It was at the makeshift market opposite the Malay Village. The former market has been torn down to make way for a new housing development.
Geylang Serai had been a part of my growing up years. My maternal grandparents used to be fishmongers there and I dropped by during holidays to help. Or more accurately, to take a break from home. In the early 1980s, My grandparents bought a flat at the block in front of the market so that they were able to take a bath after a day of business at the market before they went home. It was never pleasant to be stared at or rejected by cabbies because of the fishy smell clinging on to the clothes. But why did these people not reject the money as well?
The market consists of a section which sells fresh or dried produce and another which sells cooked food. I won't dwell on the fresh or dried produce section today. I did not even walk near a single stall in that section but the cooked food section brought back many memories.
These memories are mine to savour and perhaps one day I may take my readers down memory lane. What I was amazed today was how much have changed in a span of 20 years.
The first thing that came to mind was price. Plain prata used to cost 40 cents each but now it costs 60 cents. Prata with egg used to be 70 cents. Now it is $1.20. Curry puffs used to go for 50 cents for a palm sized curried danish but they now cost more. And the sizes have shrunk. Nasi ayam (chicken rice) used to be $1.20. It is now $2 to $3. Oh, while my favourite drink used to be sold at 50 cents for a large glass (30 cents for a small one), it now costs $1.50 ($1). Takeaways are now in transparent cups which can be sealed at the top with a seal machine, different from the plastic carrier bags in the past. Even the straws are now "atas" (high class) compared to the easily bent flimpsy white straws. Geylang Serai has moved with the times!
Another observation was in dining habits. In the past, I would see a full set of nasi briyani (spiced rice) with mutton or chicken with an additional plate of rice to be shared between two people, I now see a full set of rice being shared between two, but with an additional serving of meat. A large plate of rice with a couple of side dishes have given way to smaller servings of rice with larger arrays and portions of sides. People are living better and eating better too.
Still on dining, in the past, most people would eat with their fingers. We now see most people eating with proper cutlery. I don't know if eating with fingers is a tradition for certain races but I do see that people have become more conscious of hygiene (I suppose) in public.
I also began to see more varieties of food. I found many many stalls selling ayam penyet (flattened fried chicken - to allow the sauces to seep more easily into the chicken flesh), one of the hottest item in Singapore at this moment. I see the almost entire embracing of the traditional Chinese cheng tng entering the culinary embraces of the Malays, I see bubur ayam (chicken porridge) too. Who would have expected that?
Even though the makeshift market is not exactly the cleanest or best designed as a cooked food place, the place is kept clean and inviting. Gone are the days where you see packets of rice tossed on the floor for the cats, curries spilled all over the table tops.
However, there are a few regrets.
I see fewer Chinese patrons. There used to be a more diverse crowd at Geylang Serai of the past. Racial integration comes most easily through food. Perhaps it is time to reintroduce the races to one another through their stomachs. I noticed the same at Kampong Glam too, by the way.
I see the repetition of a lot of popular food. I don't recall seeing the stall that sold my favourite lontong (curried vegetables and compressed rice) any more. I also could not find the few Chinese food stalls that I used to patron when I was younger. The stalls who sold my comfort food, often in stark counterpoint to the often fiery Malay dishes. There is a blind following in popular culture and this is slowly eroding away the traditional dishes of the races.
I see new faces. And some older ones. I think many torches have been passed on.
Before I went to Geylang Serai, where I eventually had my wonderful mutton briyani, ayam penyet, and roti prata meal, I remarked to my friend that we are perpeutally living in the turning point of history. This was spoken when he asked me about the furore over Saddam Hussein's execution.
I could not have spoken at a more opportune time.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
LSSU 2007 List of Banished Words
Lake Superior State University 2007 List of Banished Words
GITMO -- The US military's shorthand for a base in Cuba drives a wedge wider than a split infinitive.
"When did the notorious Guantanamo Bay Naval Base change to 'Gitmo,' a word that conjures up an image of a fluffy and sweet character from a Japanese anime show?" -- Marcus W., St. Louis, Missouri.
COMBINED CELEBRITY NAMES -- Celebrity duos of yore -- BogCall (Bogart and Bacall), Lardy (Laurel and Hardy), and CheeChong (Cheech and Chong) -- just got lucky.
"It's bad enough that celebrities have to be the top news stories. Now we've given them obnoxious names such as 'Bragelina,' 'TomKat' and 'Bennifer.'" -- M. Foster, Port Huron, Michigan.
"It's so annoying, idiotic and so lame and pathetic that it's 'lamethetic.'" -- Ed of Centreville, Virginia.
AWESOME -- Given a one-year moratorium in 1984, when the Unicorn Hunters banished it "during which it is to be rehabilitated until it means 'fear mingled with admiration or reverence; a feeling produced by something majestic." Many write to tell us there's no hope and it's time for "the full banishment."
"The kind of tennis shoes you wear, no matter how cute, don't fit the majestic design of the word." -- Leila Hill, Damascus, Maryland.
"That a mop, a deodorant or a dating service can be called 'awesome' demonstrates the limited vocabularies of the country's copywriters." -- Tom Brinkmoeller, Orlando, Florida.
"Overused and meaningless.' My mother was hit by a car.' Awesome. 'I just got my college degree.' Awesome." -- Robert Bron, Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand.
GONE/WENT MISSING -- "It makes 'missing' sound like a place you can visit, such as the Poconos. Is the person missing, or not? She went there but maybe she came back. 'Is
missing' or 'was missing' would serve us better." -- Robin Dennis, Flower Mound, Texas.
PWN or PWNED -- Thr styff of lemgendz: Gamer defeats gamer, types in "I pwn you" rather than I OWN you.
"This word is just an overly used Internet typo. It has been overused to the point that people who play online games are using it in everyday speech." -- Tory Rowley, Corunna, Michigan.
NOW PLAYING IN THEATERS -- Heard in movie advertisements. Where can we see that, again?
"How often do movies premiere in laundromats or other places besides theaters? I know that when I want to see a movie I think about going to a shoe store." -- Andrea May, Shreveport, Louisiana.
WE'RE PREGNANT -- Grounded for nine months.
"Were men feeling left out of the whole morning sickness/huge belly/labor experience? You may both be expecting, but only one of you is pregnant." -- Sharla Hulsey, Sac City, Iowa.
"I'm sure any woman who has given birth will tell you that 'WE' did not deliver the baby." -- Marlena Linne, Greenfield, Indiana.
UNDOCUMENTED ALIEN -- "If they haven't followed the law to get here, they are by definition 'illegal.' It's like saying a drug dealer is an 'undocumented pharmacist.'" -- John Varga, Westfield, New Jersey.
ARMED ROBBERY/DRUG DEAL GONE BAD -- From the news reports. What degree of "bad" don't we understand? Larry Lillehammer of Bonney Lake, Washington, asks, "After it stopped going well and good?"
TRUTHINESS -- "This word, popularized by The Colbert Report and exalted by the American Dialectic Society's Word of the Year in 2005 has been used up. What used to ring true is getting all the truth wrung out of it." -- Joe Grimm, Detroit, Michigan.
ASK YOUR DOCTOR -- The chewable vitamin morphine of marketing.
"Ask your doctor if 'fill in the blank' is right for you! Heck, just take one and see if it makes you 'fill in the blank' or get deathly ill." -- R.C. Amundson, Oakville, Washington.
"I don't think my doctor would appreciate my calling him after seeing a TV ad." -- Peter B. Liveright, Lutherville, Maryland.
CHIPOTLE -- Smoked dry over medium heat.
"Prior to 2005 . . . a roasted jalapeno. Now we have a 'chipotle' burrito with 'chipotle' marinated meat, 'chipotle' peppers, sprinkled with a 'chipotle' seasoning and smothered in a 'chipotle' sauce. Time to give this word a rest." -- Rob Zeiger, Bristol, Pennsylvania.
i-ANYTHING -- 'e-Anything' made the list in 2000. Geoff Steinhart of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, says tech companies everywhere have picked this apple to the core. "Turn on...tune in...and drop out."
"Banish any word that starts with it. i am just tired of it. it's getting old. -- Brad Butler, Adrian, Michigan.
SEARCH -- Quasi-anachronism. Placed on one-year moratorium.
"Might as well banish it. The word has been replaced by 'google.'" -- Michael Raczko, Swanton, Ohio.
HEALTHY FOOD -- Point of view is everything.
Someone told Joy Wiltzius of Fort Collins, Colorado, that the tuna steak she had for lunch "sounded healthy." Her reply: "If my lunch were healthy, it would still be swimming somewhere. Grilled and nestled in salad greens, it's 'healthful.'"
BOASTS -- See classified advertisements for houses, says Morris Conklin of Lisboa, Portugal, as in "master bedroom boasts his-and-her fireplaces -- never 'bathroom apologizes for cracked linoleum,' or 'kitchen laments pathetic placement of electrical outlets.'"
LSSU accepts nominations for the banished-words list throughout the year. To submit your nomination for the 2008 list, go to http://www.lssu.edu/banished/submit_word.php.
Lake Superior State University is Michigan's smallest public university with an enrollment of 3,000 students. It is known for its academic programs such as fisheries and wildlife management, engineering, teacher education, nursing, criminal justice, fire science and business management.
For admissions information, go to LSSU's admissions web site, www.lssu.edu/admissions.
GITMO -- The US military's shorthand for a base in Cuba drives a wedge wider than a split infinitive.
"When did the notorious Guantanamo Bay Naval Base change to 'Gitmo,' a word that conjures up an image of a fluffy and sweet character from a Japanese anime show?" -- Marcus W., St. Louis, Missouri.
COMBINED CELEBRITY NAMES -- Celebrity duos of yore -- BogCall (Bogart and Bacall), Lardy (Laurel and Hardy), and CheeChong (Cheech and Chong) -- just got lucky.
"It's bad enough that celebrities have to be the top news stories. Now we've given them obnoxious names such as 'Bragelina,' 'TomKat' and 'Bennifer.'" -- M. Foster, Port Huron, Michigan.
"It's so annoying, idiotic and so lame and pathetic that it's 'lamethetic.'" -- Ed of Centreville, Virginia.
AWESOME -- Given a one-year moratorium in 1984, when the Unicorn Hunters banished it "during which it is to be rehabilitated until it means 'fear mingled with admiration or reverence; a feeling produced by something majestic." Many write to tell us there's no hope and it's time for "the full banishment."
"The kind of tennis shoes you wear, no matter how cute, don't fit the majestic design of the word." -- Leila Hill, Damascus, Maryland.
"That a mop, a deodorant or a dating service can be called 'awesome' demonstrates the limited vocabularies of the country's copywriters." -- Tom Brinkmoeller, Orlando, Florida.
"Overused and meaningless.' My mother was hit by a car.' Awesome. 'I just got my college degree.' Awesome." -- Robert Bron, Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand.
GONE/WENT MISSING -- "It makes 'missing' sound like a place you can visit, such as the Poconos. Is the person missing, or not? She went there but maybe she came back. 'Is
missing' or 'was missing' would serve us better." -- Robin Dennis, Flower Mound, Texas.
PWN or PWNED -- Thr styff of lemgendz: Gamer defeats gamer, types in "I pwn you" rather than I OWN you.
"This word is just an overly used Internet typo. It has been overused to the point that people who play online games are using it in everyday speech." -- Tory Rowley, Corunna, Michigan.
NOW PLAYING IN THEATERS -- Heard in movie advertisements. Where can we see that, again?
"How often do movies premiere in laundromats or other places besides theaters? I know that when I want to see a movie I think about going to a shoe store." -- Andrea May, Shreveport, Louisiana.
WE'RE PREGNANT -- Grounded for nine months.
"Were men feeling left out of the whole morning sickness/huge belly/labor experience? You may both be expecting, but only one of you is pregnant." -- Sharla Hulsey, Sac City, Iowa.
"I'm sure any woman who has given birth will tell you that 'WE' did not deliver the baby." -- Marlena Linne, Greenfield, Indiana.
UNDOCUMENTED ALIEN -- "If they haven't followed the law to get here, they are by definition 'illegal.' It's like saying a drug dealer is an 'undocumented pharmacist.'" -- John Varga, Westfield, New Jersey.
ARMED ROBBERY/DRUG DEAL GONE BAD -- From the news reports. What degree of "bad" don't we understand? Larry Lillehammer of Bonney Lake, Washington, asks, "After it stopped going well and good?"
TRUTHINESS -- "This word, popularized by The Colbert Report and exalted by the American Dialectic Society's Word of the Year in 2005 has been used up. What used to ring true is getting all the truth wrung out of it." -- Joe Grimm, Detroit, Michigan.
ASK YOUR DOCTOR -- The chewable vitamin morphine of marketing.
"Ask your doctor if 'fill in the blank' is right for you! Heck, just take one and see if it makes you 'fill in the blank' or get deathly ill." -- R.C. Amundson, Oakville, Washington.
"I don't think my doctor would appreciate my calling him after seeing a TV ad." -- Peter B. Liveright, Lutherville, Maryland.
CHIPOTLE -- Smoked dry over medium heat.
"Prior to 2005 . . . a roasted jalapeno. Now we have a 'chipotle' burrito with 'chipotle' marinated meat, 'chipotle' peppers, sprinkled with a 'chipotle' seasoning and smothered in a 'chipotle' sauce. Time to give this word a rest." -- Rob Zeiger, Bristol, Pennsylvania.
i-ANYTHING -- 'e-Anything' made the list in 2000. Geoff Steinhart of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, says tech companies everywhere have picked this apple to the core. "Turn on...tune in...and drop out."
"Banish any word that starts with it. i am just tired of it. it's getting old. -- Brad Butler, Adrian, Michigan.
SEARCH -- Quasi-anachronism. Placed on one-year moratorium.
"Might as well banish it. The word has been replaced by 'google.'" -- Michael Raczko, Swanton, Ohio.
HEALTHY FOOD -- Point of view is everything.
Someone told Joy Wiltzius of Fort Collins, Colorado, that the tuna steak she had for lunch "sounded healthy." Her reply: "If my lunch were healthy, it would still be swimming somewhere. Grilled and nestled in salad greens, it's 'healthful.'"
BOASTS -- See classified advertisements for houses, says Morris Conklin of Lisboa, Portugal, as in "master bedroom boasts his-and-her fireplaces -- never 'bathroom apologizes for cracked linoleum,' or 'kitchen laments pathetic placement of electrical outlets.'"
LSSU accepts nominations for the banished-words list throughout the year. To submit your nomination for the 2008 list, go to http://www.lssu.edu/banished/submit_word.php.
Lake Superior State University is Michigan's smallest public university with an enrollment of 3,000 students. It is known for its academic programs such as fisheries and wildlife management, engineering, teacher education, nursing, criminal justice, fire science and business management.
For admissions information, go to LSSU's admissions web site, www.lssu.edu/admissions.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Scissors Sisters
Scissors Sisters
The Happy Tree Friends of pop. With their catchy tunes, it's easy to love the Scissors Sisters. But read their poison pen lyrics below. (I think it makes them even more lovable!)
Almost Sorry
If anyone was headed for the gates of hell I know you'd be first.
I used to picture your obituary and I wished you the worst.
The danger of the playground. The radio'd said you drowned.
and I'm sorry, almost. Almost sorry.
No sympathy is given to the perpetrator charged with the crime.
(Ahhh ahhh)
I'm willing to admit that it feels good to be a victim sometimes.
I won't ever get to thank you for the terrible things you said.
I'm sorry, almost, that you're-
dead to the world, where I hoped you would be.
I never imagined you'd live on in me.
You gave me destination, but I payed for the ride.
The place you punched my ticket left a crater inside.
Where I cried.
(He cried)
Where I cried.
(You died)
Where I cried from the bruises, learned to live with the scars.
Now you live in the mirror. When I look, there you are.
You're the shadow on the faces of the people I meet
Have you claimed eternal shotgun in my passenger seat?
Well, I'm sorry.
(Almost)
Almost sorry.
(Ahhh ahhh)
Sometimes the best design is done by damage.
The accident can cease.
A rainbow still looks pretty when it bleeds.
I Can't Decide Lyrics
It's not easy having yourself a good time
Greasing up those bets and betters
Watching out they don't four-letter
If I could kiss you both at the same time
Smells-like something I've forgotten
Curled up died and now it's rotten
I'm not a gangster tonight
Don't want to be a bad guy
I'm just a loner baby
And now you're gotten in my way
I can't decide
Whether you should live or die
Though, you'll probably go to heaven
Please don't hang your head and cry
No wonder why
My heart feels dead inside
It's cold and hard and petrified
Lock the doors and close the blinds
We're going for a ride
It's a bitch convincing people to like you
If I stop now call me a quitter
If lies were cats you'd be a litter
Pleasing everyone isn't like you
Dancing jigs until I'm crippled
Slug ten drinks I won't get pickled
I've got to hand it to you
You've played by all the same rules
It takes the truth to fool me
And now you've made me angry
I can't decide
Whether you should live or die
Though, you'll probably go to heaven
Please don't hang your head and cry
No wonder why
My heart feels dead inside
It's cold and hard and petrified
Lock the doors and close the blinds
We're going for a ride
Oh I could throw you in the lake
Or feed you poisoned birthday cake
I wont deny I'm gonna miss you when you're gone
Oh I could bury you alive
But you might crawl out with a knife
And kill me when I'm sleeping
That's why
I can't decide
Whether you should live or die
Though, you'll probably go to heaven
Please don't hang your head and cry
No wonder why
My heart feels dead inside
It's cold and hard and petrified
Lock the doors and close the blinds
We're going for a ride
Small wonder the radio ain't playing much of them. But honestly, I think they must have thought throgh very carefully to put together such interesting lyrics.
The Happy Tree Friends of pop. With their catchy tunes, it's easy to love the Scissors Sisters. But read their poison pen lyrics below. (I think it makes them even more lovable!)
Almost Sorry
If anyone was headed for the gates of hell I know you'd be first.
I used to picture your obituary and I wished you the worst.
The danger of the playground. The radio'd said you drowned.
and I'm sorry, almost. Almost sorry.
No sympathy is given to the perpetrator charged with the crime.
(Ahhh ahhh)
I'm willing to admit that it feels good to be a victim sometimes.
I won't ever get to thank you for the terrible things you said.
I'm sorry, almost, that you're-
dead to the world, where I hoped you would be.
I never imagined you'd live on in me.
You gave me destination, but I payed for the ride.
The place you punched my ticket left a crater inside.
Where I cried.
(He cried)
Where I cried.
(You died)
Where I cried from the bruises, learned to live with the scars.
Now you live in the mirror. When I look, there you are.
You're the shadow on the faces of the people I meet
Have you claimed eternal shotgun in my passenger seat?
Well, I'm sorry.
(Almost)
Almost sorry.
(Ahhh ahhh)
Sometimes the best design is done by damage.
The accident can cease.
A rainbow still looks pretty when it bleeds.
I Can't Decide Lyrics
It's not easy having yourself a good time
Greasing up those bets and betters
Watching out they don't four-letter
If I could kiss you both at the same time
Smells-like something I've forgotten
Curled up died and now it's rotten
I'm not a gangster tonight
Don't want to be a bad guy
I'm just a loner baby
And now you're gotten in my way
I can't decide
Whether you should live or die
Though, you'll probably go to heaven
Please don't hang your head and cry
No wonder why
My heart feels dead inside
It's cold and hard and petrified
Lock the doors and close the blinds
We're going for a ride
It's a bitch convincing people to like you
If I stop now call me a quitter
If lies were cats you'd be a litter
Pleasing everyone isn't like you
Dancing jigs until I'm crippled
Slug ten drinks I won't get pickled
I've got to hand it to you
You've played by all the same rules
It takes the truth to fool me
And now you've made me angry
I can't decide
Whether you should live or die
Though, you'll probably go to heaven
Please don't hang your head and cry
No wonder why
My heart feels dead inside
It's cold and hard and petrified
Lock the doors and close the blinds
We're going for a ride
Oh I could throw you in the lake
Or feed you poisoned birthday cake
I wont deny I'm gonna miss you when you're gone
Oh I could bury you alive
But you might crawl out with a knife
And kill me when I'm sleeping
That's why
I can't decide
Whether you should live or die
Though, you'll probably go to heaven
Please don't hang your head and cry
No wonder why
My heart feels dead inside
It's cold and hard and petrified
Lock the doors and close the blinds
We're going for a ride
Small wonder the radio ain't playing much of them. But honestly, I think they must have thought throgh very carefully to put together such interesting lyrics.
Some things I like
Some things I like
I am totally addicted to Crickler. I wait with bated breath for the next puzzle to be published. I read the news religiously in hope that it would help me crack the puzzle and lower my handicap score. And I have been learning new words.
I am deeply in love with the fusion/experimental/rearranged music of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. They are good.
I love watching cable TV programmes. I catch, in no particular order, Desperate Housewives, House, Grey's Anatomy, Third Watch (on and off), Doc Martin, Strong Medicine, ER (showing now), Scrubs, and almost anything good between 7 pm to 10 pm each day.
I like country music and classical pop. Soft rock (ballads) and sentimentals too. Anything with good lyrics will get my attention first. Tunes do not matter that much. But if both lyrics and tune are good, they enter my favourites list.
I love a good cup of Chinese tea.
I would love to have stretches where I have nothing to do except to curl up and read a book. I want to lose myself in a world offered to me by another person, a world where decisions need not be made myself. I just want to feel the flow and ebb of emotions through the characters in the story. I can do without the guilty feeling from a bad decision sometimes.
I like my work. It sustains me and pays me. And it is an avenue where I grow professionally.
I like a good puzzle that challenges me sufficiently, makes me think but allows me to succeed in the end.
I like singing along to songs I know. In a way, the song is a conduit to my days past, allowing me to reminisce and relive those days.
I love a hot cup of strong coffee in the morning. There is nothing better to wake me up.
I love the way I can ad-lib in a blog and not worry about structure or subtance. I can be myself and not live up to what others expect of me. The true state of my mind is in a state of agitated, accelerated Brownian motion. Thoughts are flying around and then they slow down, vibrate in their places a little and then the pattern changes again.
I love change and I love to hate change.
I like chatting with friends who share my belief system and values. I like to have my biases measured against similar thinkers to see how far off I am from rationality.
I like analysing things I see or experience or feel. I want to know that my hunch is correct.
I like projects that start suddenly and ends as quickly. Long drawn processes bore me.
I like changing my mind. So don't be surprised if this list changes right after I publish it.
I am totally addicted to Crickler. I wait with bated breath for the next puzzle to be published. I read the news religiously in hope that it would help me crack the puzzle and lower my handicap score. And I have been learning new words.
I am deeply in love with the fusion/experimental/rearranged music of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. They are good.
I love watching cable TV programmes. I catch, in no particular order, Desperate Housewives, House, Grey's Anatomy, Third Watch (on and off), Doc Martin, Strong Medicine, ER (showing now), Scrubs, and almost anything good between 7 pm to 10 pm each day.
I like country music and classical pop. Soft rock (ballads) and sentimentals too. Anything with good lyrics will get my attention first. Tunes do not matter that much. But if both lyrics and tune are good, they enter my favourites list.
I love a good cup of Chinese tea.
I would love to have stretches where I have nothing to do except to curl up and read a book. I want to lose myself in a world offered to me by another person, a world where decisions need not be made myself. I just want to feel the flow and ebb of emotions through the characters in the story. I can do without the guilty feeling from a bad decision sometimes.
I like my work. It sustains me and pays me. And it is an avenue where I grow professionally.
I like a good puzzle that challenges me sufficiently, makes me think but allows me to succeed in the end.
I like singing along to songs I know. In a way, the song is a conduit to my days past, allowing me to reminisce and relive those days.
I love a hot cup of strong coffee in the morning. There is nothing better to wake me up.
I love the way I can ad-lib in a blog and not worry about structure or subtance. I can be myself and not live up to what others expect of me. The true state of my mind is in a state of agitated, accelerated Brownian motion. Thoughts are flying around and then they slow down, vibrate in their places a little and then the pattern changes again.
I love change and I love to hate change.
I like chatting with friends who share my belief system and values. I like to have my biases measured against similar thinkers to see how far off I am from rationality.
I like analysing things I see or experience or feel. I want to know that my hunch is correct.
I like projects that start suddenly and ends as quickly. Long drawn processes bore me.
I like changing my mind. So don't be surprised if this list changes right after I publish it.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Stocktake 2006
Stocktake 2006
I've delayed this stocktake for a long time. Either the internet connection was too slow (maybe thanks to the Taiwan earthquake that affected the submarine fibre optic cables) or I was too busy. Sometimes I was not in the mood to take on the massive task of pondering over the past 365 days. I kept telling myself that I have until 31 Dec 06. Now that I am barely 40 minutes before the new year arrives, I am going to mull over what I have done for the past 525 600 minutes (that is a year measured in minutes).
This may be a very fragmented entry, just like the episodes that pepper my life are. The only continuity is life. It flows like a smooth curtain of water and the events are like stones thrown at the water screen. There are splashes, some big, some small and most fade away, just like the curtain is restored after the disturbance dies down. I had earlier wanted to do a line-item stocktake but it would read like a never ending laundry list. Perhaps I should summarise the takeaways for 2006 instead.
I have a better understanding of the idea of work-life balance. I have also become better at achieving work-life balance. I have time for myself to do the things I like, I have learnt to take in information and news in tandem to the work I have to do. I have learnt to separate work and my private life well. I try my level best to keep it that way and whenever I had to work in my spare time, I know that such work is justified.
I have found a better equilibrium with my surroundings. This is a little difficult to explain but it is the innate sense of security that provides you with a protective. I don't feel invincible but I am more at peace with not having to prove what I am capable of.
I have lost even more rough edges. And with that, I am less piqued or angry with events that do not go as planned or with things which should but do not come my way. There are some things that I know I need to influence indirectly and so I try to make the best of the situation and steer it back. It is hard but it is a skill that needs to be honed.
And I have completed thinking about my next 5 years. It will be exciting!
I've delayed this stocktake for a long time. Either the internet connection was too slow (maybe thanks to the Taiwan earthquake that affected the submarine fibre optic cables) or I was too busy. Sometimes I was not in the mood to take on the massive task of pondering over the past 365 days. I kept telling myself that I have until 31 Dec 06. Now that I am barely 40 minutes before the new year arrives, I am going to mull over what I have done for the past 525 600 minutes (that is a year measured in minutes).
This may be a very fragmented entry, just like the episodes that pepper my life are. The only continuity is life. It flows like a smooth curtain of water and the events are like stones thrown at the water screen. There are splashes, some big, some small and most fade away, just like the curtain is restored after the disturbance dies down. I had earlier wanted to do a line-item stocktake but it would read like a never ending laundry list. Perhaps I should summarise the takeaways for 2006 instead.
I have a better understanding of the idea of work-life balance. I have also become better at achieving work-life balance. I have time for myself to do the things I like, I have learnt to take in information and news in tandem to the work I have to do. I have learnt to separate work and my private life well. I try my level best to keep it that way and whenever I had to work in my spare time, I know that such work is justified.
I have found a better equilibrium with my surroundings. This is a little difficult to explain but it is the innate sense of security that provides you with a protective. I don't feel invincible but I am more at peace with not having to prove what I am capable of.
I have lost even more rough edges. And with that, I am less piqued or angry with events that do not go as planned or with things which should but do not come my way. There are some things that I know I need to influence indirectly and so I try to make the best of the situation and steer it back. It is hard but it is a skill that needs to be honed.
And I have completed thinking about my next 5 years. It will be exciting!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Negation
Negation
Invitations open for anyone game enough to try negating the following statement.
Original statement
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice.
My negation
There is at least a married man with misfortune who must be in want to get rid the wife.
Invitations open for anyone game enough to try negating the following statement.
Original statement
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice.
My negation
There is at least a married man with misfortune who must be in want to get rid the wife.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Black Humour
Black Humour
Watched Scrubs on Christmas and a part of the show had this little ditty. It is Christmas in the eyes of an Emergency Room resident.
Twelve Days Of Christmas: Sacred Heart Version:
On the first day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
A drunk who drove into a tree
On the second day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Two shattered skulls
And a drunk who drove into a tree...
Twelve beaten children
Eleven drive-by shootings
Ten frozen homeless
Nine amputations
Eight burn victims
Seven strangled shoppers
Six random knifings
Five suicides
Four beaten wives
Three O.D.'s
Two shattered skulls
And a drunk who drove into a tree
Watched Scrubs on Christmas and a part of the show had this little ditty. It is Christmas in the eyes of an Emergency Room resident.
Twelve Days Of Christmas: Sacred Heart Version:
On the first day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
A drunk who drove into a tree
On the second day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Two shattered skulls
And a drunk who drove into a tree...
Twelve beaten children
Eleven drive-by shootings
Ten frozen homeless
Nine amputations
Eight burn victims
Seven strangled shoppers
Six random knifings
Five suicides
Four beaten wives
Three O.D.'s
Two shattered skulls
And a drunk who drove into a tree
Something Christmassy
Something Christmassy
I've spent Christmas or the period before overseas but never in the northern hemisphere in the west. Even though the planes that I flew in had seasonal decorations like little wreaths tied to the windows, the feel is very different when you get surrounded by the Christmas spirit entirely.
This time around, when I visited US, it was already Christmas season and everywhere was decked out and ready for the Christmas holidays.
On the radio, Christmas carols and songs were played almost non-stop. Douglas fir was seen outside many houses. The more creative owners put out lit caricatures such as the deer, the Nativity scene, and Santa Claus. Christmas was in the air.
In New York, the Macy's shop windows were so well-decorated that shoppers and revellers alike stopped to ogle at the wonderful set-up and incredible feats of small scale large scale engineering (a lot of engineering works within a small frame). People were carrying shopping bags and everyone looked as if they can't wait for Christmas to come.
In DC, there were Christmas trees decked out with lights and livery in the lawn in front of the White House. Unfortunately, I was not aware of the significance of those trees and missed them. Apparently, there was a big tree and 49 smaller trees. That I know. What I didn't know what that the 49 smaller trees were decked out with the produce of the individual states to represent the state outside the White House. What a waste. The only consolation was that the fog came when we arrived at the tree at about 10 in the night. We would not have been able to get a good look.
Wreathes were laid at the Arlington Cemetary, a sight we missed. Instead, we had a great time at the Iwo Jima memorial. And we got a fresh prespective of the Federal Triangle and its buildings from across the Potomac River. Interesting, indeed.
This year, I found out about the Trans Siberian Orchestra. I became a fan and listened to their recordings even back home. Now that Christmas is over, I'm keeping the discs till the next year.
Christmas 2006 has great and I hope for more great Christmases to come.
I've spent Christmas or the period before overseas but never in the northern hemisphere in the west. Even though the planes that I flew in had seasonal decorations like little wreaths tied to the windows, the feel is very different when you get surrounded by the Christmas spirit entirely.
This time around, when I visited US, it was already Christmas season and everywhere was decked out and ready for the Christmas holidays.
On the radio, Christmas carols and songs were played almost non-stop. Douglas fir was seen outside many houses. The more creative owners put out lit caricatures such as the deer, the Nativity scene, and Santa Claus. Christmas was in the air.
In New York, the Macy's shop windows were so well-decorated that shoppers and revellers alike stopped to ogle at the wonderful set-up and incredible feats of small scale large scale engineering (a lot of engineering works within a small frame). People were carrying shopping bags and everyone looked as if they can't wait for Christmas to come.
In DC, there were Christmas trees decked out with lights and livery in the lawn in front of the White House. Unfortunately, I was not aware of the significance of those trees and missed them. Apparently, there was a big tree and 49 smaller trees. That I know. What I didn't know what that the 49 smaller trees were decked out with the produce of the individual states to represent the state outside the White House. What a waste. The only consolation was that the fog came when we arrived at the tree at about 10 in the night. We would not have been able to get a good look.
Wreathes were laid at the Arlington Cemetary, a sight we missed. Instead, we had a great time at the Iwo Jima memorial. And we got a fresh prespective of the Federal Triangle and its buildings from across the Potomac River. Interesting, indeed.
This year, I found out about the Trans Siberian Orchestra. I became a fan and listened to their recordings even back home. Now that Christmas is over, I'm keeping the discs till the next year.
Christmas 2006 has great and I hope for more great Christmases to come.
Bread Maker
Bread Maker
Finally, after months and months of reminiscing about my gorgeous bread, I bought myself a bread maker machine.
I am still in the midst of experimenting with the machine but I'm pleased to say that the experimental loaves are still nice. The touch is still there. Now it is to keep the loaves from collapsing during baking.
That will take a little time to figure out exact proportions.
Finally, after months and months of reminiscing about my gorgeous bread, I bought myself a bread maker machine.
I am still in the midst of experimenting with the machine but I'm pleased to say that the experimental loaves are still nice. The touch is still there. Now it is to keep the loaves from collapsing during baking.
That will take a little time to figure out exact proportions.
Just the important points
Just the Important Points
I had intended to write a lot more about my trip to the East Coast but life stood in the way. I cannot believe it but LIFE indeed stood in the way.
For some reason, I could not convince myself to sit by the computer and write. I just had to get moving, get things done. If I'm at the computer, I'm playing Crickler.
Still, there are some important people whom I met during my trip that deserves mention.
In no particular order, the following people made a difference.
1. BL, MZ, Lucy and Schroeder. You guys know who you are. Thank you for:
Picking us up at the train station. It wasn't much of a station but pulling up in that tank of a car really made my eyes pop out.
Bringing us to a welcome dinner at McLoones, beside the Atlantic Ocean. It was beautiful although the sun had set.
The wonderful room to rest our "soles/souls" and the completely furbished toilet.
The daily breakfasts. We enjoyed going "In Between" and having the gorgeous eggs benedict smothered with lots of cheese.
Your city tour. It had been interesting learning about your home state. I only wish I had more time there.
Bringing us to Whole Foods. You guys are responsible for my supermarket withdrawal symptoms. And cooking dinner after that.
Making the Circle Line NYC cruise happen. It was one of the best highlights of the trip.
Showing us what your town was named after. And having dinner at the diner beside it.
Zipping us around in your Corvette.
Sending us to the airport.
Being such gracious hosts who have set the bar so high.
2. The manager of the NYC hotel for giving me a letter to indirectly say that I've been cheated by some unscrupulous internet booking agent. The agent took my money and then cancelled my booking. From what I last heard, the agent owed the hotel in excess of hundreds of thousands of unpaid room reservations.
3. The many people with whom we only had a fleeting encounter.
4. The day manager of the Washington DC hotel. Your kind heartedness was definitely not appreciated - at least when I was making my way to Union Station and pulling my luggage along the less than pleasant upslope, you were definitely well-cursed.
5. The DC Metro duty manager for letting me use the toilet.
6. The excellent guide on the NYC cruise, for making the entire 90 minute cruise a joy. Thank you for sharing your hometown with us.
I had intended to write a lot more about my trip to the East Coast but life stood in the way. I cannot believe it but LIFE indeed stood in the way.
For some reason, I could not convince myself to sit by the computer and write. I just had to get moving, get things done. If I'm at the computer, I'm playing Crickler.
Still, there are some important people whom I met during my trip that deserves mention.
In no particular order, the following people made a difference.
1. BL, MZ, Lucy and Schroeder. You guys know who you are. Thank you for:
Picking us up at the train station. It wasn't much of a station but pulling up in that tank of a car really made my eyes pop out.
Bringing us to a welcome dinner at McLoones, beside the Atlantic Ocean. It was beautiful although the sun had set.
The wonderful room to rest our "soles/souls" and the completely furbished toilet.
The daily breakfasts. We enjoyed going "In Between" and having the gorgeous eggs benedict smothered with lots of cheese.
Your city tour. It had been interesting learning about your home state. I only wish I had more time there.
Bringing us to Whole Foods. You guys are responsible for my supermarket withdrawal symptoms. And cooking dinner after that.
Making the Circle Line NYC cruise happen. It was one of the best highlights of the trip.
Showing us what your town was named after. And having dinner at the diner beside it.
Zipping us around in your Corvette.
Sending us to the airport.
Being such gracious hosts who have set the bar so high.
2. The manager of the NYC hotel for giving me a letter to indirectly say that I've been cheated by some unscrupulous internet booking agent. The agent took my money and then cancelled my booking. From what I last heard, the agent owed the hotel in excess of hundreds of thousands of unpaid room reservations.
3. The many people with whom we only had a fleeting encounter.
4. The day manager of the Washington DC hotel. Your kind heartedness was definitely not appreciated - at least when I was making my way to Union Station and pulling my luggage along the less than pleasant upslope, you were definitely well-cursed.
5. The DC Metro duty manager for letting me use the toilet.
6. The excellent guide on the NYC cruise, for making the entire 90 minute cruise a joy. Thank you for sharing your hometown with us.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Eating in US
Eating in US
It's always an incredible experience eating at US diners or restaurants. The portions are always that huge. I normally have problems with a standard 3 course meal (starter, main course, dessert). I normally have at most 2 of the three and I may not even finish the carbo on the main.
There were a few great dishes that I just want to list up here. Many of them were not found in Singapore.
Roast/BBQ Chicken - For some reason, chicken in US tastes excellent. They taste like they are semi-kampung chicken. The meat is firm but extremely succulent. It is one great dish to order any time.
Pork chops/ribs - Incredibly flavoursome and tender cuts. There is something about US pigs that keeps their meat free from the odour that curse Australian pork. The cuts are generally generous and they will never taste dry or hard, like what we normally get in SIngapore.
Fish - salmon and tuna are generally superior. Had a pan seared tuna with wasabi potato at McLoone's (a restaurant right on the Atlantic coast in New Jersey). The rare tuna was incredible.
Vegetables - sweet, juicy, flavoursome. How else does one describe the wonderful produce there?
Bagels - my Archilles' heel. I love my bagel and can eat a couple of them in a sitting. Then I overheard from some yakking women that a bagel is equal to five slices of bread. Ok, time to shut out my mind. I will walk out to get my bagel with scallion cream cheese. I will walk out to get my bagel with scallion cream cheese...
Pizzas - Pretty amazing stuff, those pizzas. There are a lot of Americans with Italian ancestry. If anything, they have perfected their breads and cheeses well.
Desserts - to die for. What else do I say?
Is everything all good? Not exactly. There were some misses too, but in general, the good stuff are more what we get.
I've got to stop writing this. I am feeling so hungry now.
It's always an incredible experience eating at US diners or restaurants. The portions are always that huge. I normally have problems with a standard 3 course meal (starter, main course, dessert). I normally have at most 2 of the three and I may not even finish the carbo on the main.
There were a few great dishes that I just want to list up here. Many of them were not found in Singapore.
Roast/BBQ Chicken - For some reason, chicken in US tastes excellent. They taste like they are semi-kampung chicken. The meat is firm but extremely succulent. It is one great dish to order any time.
Pork chops/ribs - Incredibly flavoursome and tender cuts. There is something about US pigs that keeps their meat free from the odour that curse Australian pork. The cuts are generally generous and they will never taste dry or hard, like what we normally get in SIngapore.
Fish - salmon and tuna are generally superior. Had a pan seared tuna with wasabi potato at McLoone's (a restaurant right on the Atlantic coast in New Jersey). The rare tuna was incredible.
Vegetables - sweet, juicy, flavoursome. How else does one describe the wonderful produce there?
Bagels - my Archilles' heel. I love my bagel and can eat a couple of them in a sitting. Then I overheard from some yakking women that a bagel is equal to five slices of bread. Ok, time to shut out my mind. I will walk out to get my bagel with scallion cream cheese. I will walk out to get my bagel with scallion cream cheese...
Pizzas - Pretty amazing stuff, those pizzas. There are a lot of Americans with Italian ancestry. If anything, they have perfected their breads and cheeses well.
Desserts - to die for. What else do I say?
Is everything all good? Not exactly. There were some misses too, but in general, the good stuff are more what we get.
I've got to stop writing this. I am feeling so hungry now.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Chasing Trains
Chasing Trains
Our first host is a rail road enthusiast. He had written about 30 books about trains and aptly, for the next morning, he brought the two of us to New Hope, Pennsylvania to "chase" a historical engine making short excursion trips for visitors.
We did not take any rides on the train - I was not entirely excited, knowing that I would be taking return train rides to Washington DC later - and the timing was a little late. By the time we had our brunch and had driven about a couple of hours to New Hope, the next available train ride was going to be the 3.30 pm. I really dread losing whatever daylight I have remaining from the tremendously short winter days.
Host thus brought us to places beside the tracks where we could take great pictures of the historic engine as it comes past.
In fact, we chased it all the way back to the originating station at New Hope and then followed it to "North Pole", where Santa Claus boarded and distributed candies and hugs to the kids, to Buckingham, the end station where the trained turned round.
While I am no rail road buff, I knew just enough to keep conversation.
And for the record, the standard gauge track is 4 feet 8.5 inches. It is an ancient measurement. In fact, it is the distance between two the assholes of two horses placed side by side. This goes all the way back to the Roman days. So what we rely on for a great form of transportation today still depends on something used centuries ago.
Train chasing was interesting and it was an immense test of the patience. You must trust that the trains were going to run, if a bit early or late. And get your camera and get ready to shoot. Me? I prefer a ring side seat in the car.
Our first host is a rail road enthusiast. He had written about 30 books about trains and aptly, for the next morning, he brought the two of us to New Hope, Pennsylvania to "chase" a historical engine making short excursion trips for visitors.
We did not take any rides on the train - I was not entirely excited, knowing that I would be taking return train rides to Washington DC later - and the timing was a little late. By the time we had our brunch and had driven about a couple of hours to New Hope, the next available train ride was going to be the 3.30 pm. I really dread losing whatever daylight I have remaining from the tremendously short winter days.
Host thus brought us to places beside the tracks where we could take great pictures of the historic engine as it comes past.
In fact, we chased it all the way back to the originating station at New Hope and then followed it to "North Pole", where Santa Claus boarded and distributed candies and hugs to the kids, to Buckingham, the end station where the trained turned round.
While I am no rail road buff, I knew just enough to keep conversation.
And for the record, the standard gauge track is 4 feet 8.5 inches. It is an ancient measurement. In fact, it is the distance between two the assholes of two horses placed side by side. This goes all the way back to the Roman days. So what we rely on for a great form of transportation today still depends on something used centuries ago.
Train chasing was interesting and it was an immense test of the patience. You must trust that the trains were going to run, if a bit early or late. And get your camera and get ready to shoot. Me? I prefer a ring side seat in the car.
Where had NYC gone?
Where had NYC gone?
When I last visited NYC in Aug, I flew in on a direct flight to Newark.
As the plane approached Newark, I had an excellent view of NYC. It was majestic looking steel and concrete city. The buildings were shimmering under the setting sun and it looked so un-San Francisco. I couldn't think of a better comparison then. I still can't. It is about the densest built up city I have seen. The tall sky scrapers and the shorter buildings that fill in all the gaps in between simply made any photo opportunity a good one.
When the plane turned to land, I had a sneak peak of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. While she looked smaller than a thumb nail, the green copper oxide covered statue is obvious to anyone who has seen images of the SOL before. The Land of the Free. It felt amazing to visit the US again, having just gone to the west coast in Jul.
So, with those fond memories in mind, this visit, my travelling partner (TP) and I booked ourselves on the port side seats and waited to take the long awaited shots at NYC.
Guess what! As it was winter, the days were very short. When we arrived, NYC was lit up with street lights and nothing could be seen from the plane. We landed in almost pitch black darkness, the (early) night punctuated by guiding lights on the ground. When we finally touched down, the cabin was slightly illuminated with the lights along the highway.
TP was disappointed. I felt cheated.
But hey, who am I to fight nature?
When I last visited NYC in Aug, I flew in on a direct flight to Newark.
As the plane approached Newark, I had an excellent view of NYC. It was majestic looking steel and concrete city. The buildings were shimmering under the setting sun and it looked so un-San Francisco. I couldn't think of a better comparison then. I still can't. It is about the densest built up city I have seen. The tall sky scrapers and the shorter buildings that fill in all the gaps in between simply made any photo opportunity a good one.
When the plane turned to land, I had a sneak peak of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. While she looked smaller than a thumb nail, the green copper oxide covered statue is obvious to anyone who has seen images of the SOL before. The Land of the Free. It felt amazing to visit the US again, having just gone to the west coast in Jul.
So, with those fond memories in mind, this visit, my travelling partner (TP) and I booked ourselves on the port side seats and waited to take the long awaited shots at NYC.
Guess what! As it was winter, the days were very short. When we arrived, NYC was lit up with street lights and nothing could be seen from the plane. We landed in almost pitch black darkness, the (early) night punctuated by guiding lights on the ground. When we finally touched down, the cabin was slightly illuminated with the lights along the highway.
TP was disappointed. I felt cheated.
But hey, who am I to fight nature?
USA 8 - 17 Dec 06
USA 8 - 17 Dec 06
Visited New Jersey, New York City and Washington DC.
During the trip, I took down interesting events to blog about but as luck would have it, I misplaced the list. I should have known better than to take notes on a piece of paper napkin from the Chinese buffet restaurant in NYC. No harm still, I suppose. This is after all a ranting ground - I'll be damned if I had written anything more important.
So what I intend to do is perhaps to do a segmented running commentary of some of the more interesting things that registered in my then tired and cluttered mind. What I cannot recall is probably not worth remembering.
Visited New Jersey, New York City and Washington DC.
During the trip, I took down interesting events to blog about but as luck would have it, I misplaced the list. I should have known better than to take notes on a piece of paper napkin from the Chinese buffet restaurant in NYC. No harm still, I suppose. This is after all a ranting ground - I'll be damned if I had written anything more important.
So what I intend to do is perhaps to do a segmented running commentary of some of the more interesting things that registered in my then tired and cluttered mind. What I cannot recall is probably not worth remembering.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
The Nightmare
The Nightmare
I ditched writing this post just now when I realised that the airline did not allocate me the seat that I was asking for. The back end service is getting atrocious. I really dread to be offered endless "beef" meals again on the flight.
The Singapore-Newark sector is notorious for beef meals. It is like going on a mad-cow flight. Lunch, there is a beef dish and something else. Dinner, there is a beef dish and something else. Breakfast, beef noodles and something else. Something else is normally not savoury and I really really don't take beef. So I had to get my travel agent to help. Let's hope she can do better than me.
Well, back to the nightmare. I know to call it the nightmare is a little overdramatic but if I tell you that I am flying out to Newark tomorrow, you might indulge me a little.
It was night and I was near my former junior college when I saw a plane take off, fly in my direction and started wobbling. It was dipping up and down and before long, it came into view. It was a weird plane. It has two propellers mounted on top of the roundish plane and something like an extended passenger cabin below.
It was painted in familiar livery. The next thing, the plane dipped and crashed. There was no smoke, no explosion, no fire.
I remember running to the long staircase where I saw a lot of people standing by the side of the road opposite it. On the slope, there were charred pieces of the broken up plane. Some smoke was billowing out from the burnt pieces.
Suddenly, the sky was lit with flares and I awoke suddenly.
Don't ask me how or why things turned out this way. The last I saw a plane act this way was when the hydraulics were entirely disrupted and the plane has lost all ability to be steered. And autopilot will cause the plane to move in a sinusoidal manner in order to maintain height and fight granvity.
Still, it is very weird that I should have dreams like these. It is really a nightmare I could do without.
But well, I'm just going to do my packing tonight and get ready for my trip.
Que sera sera. What will be, will be.
I ditched writing this post just now when I realised that the airline did not allocate me the seat that I was asking for. The back end service is getting atrocious. I really dread to be offered endless "beef" meals again on the flight.
The Singapore-Newark sector is notorious for beef meals. It is like going on a mad-cow flight. Lunch, there is a beef dish and something else. Dinner, there is a beef dish and something else. Breakfast, beef noodles and something else. Something else is normally not savoury and I really really don't take beef. So I had to get my travel agent to help. Let's hope she can do better than me.
Well, back to the nightmare. I know to call it the nightmare is a little overdramatic but if I tell you that I am flying out to Newark tomorrow, you might indulge me a little.
It was night and I was near my former junior college when I saw a plane take off, fly in my direction and started wobbling. It was dipping up and down and before long, it came into view. It was a weird plane. It has two propellers mounted on top of the roundish plane and something like an extended passenger cabin below.
It was painted in familiar livery. The next thing, the plane dipped and crashed. There was no smoke, no explosion, no fire.
I remember running to the long staircase where I saw a lot of people standing by the side of the road opposite it. On the slope, there were charred pieces of the broken up plane. Some smoke was billowing out from the burnt pieces.
Suddenly, the sky was lit with flares and I awoke suddenly.
Don't ask me how or why things turned out this way. The last I saw a plane act this way was when the hydraulics were entirely disrupted and the plane has lost all ability to be steered. And autopilot will cause the plane to move in a sinusoidal manner in order to maintain height and fight granvity.
Still, it is very weird that I should have dreams like these. It is really a nightmare I could do without.
But well, I'm just going to do my packing tonight and get ready for my trip.
Que sera sera. What will be, will be.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Teach me how to dump
Teach me how to dump
- Dedicated to someone who knows who she is -
How does a partner in a relationship end the relationship?
I think this is a very challenging question to answer. It is easier to answer questions such as "Under what conditions should a couple consider break up?" or "When do I know I should dump him or her?" But this is not the reason for the post.
I believe there are many ways of saying those words. Perhaps we need to point out what is troubling us and how we think the issue will lead to irreconcilable difference in the end.
Character
After a quarrel, you will know whether you are still compatible. If after quarrelling, both sides can put aside the differences and go for a meal, then there is a chance. If halfway through, someone storms off or chases the other away, end it.
What to say: I do not think we are able to communicate effectively. When we quarrel, we are impervious to reason and I do not think we will be able to go on in the relationship since we will be quarrelling more often as we get to know each other better. And if we cannot get past knowing each other, we should find someone else whom we can better relate to. Goodbye.
Money
If both are penny pinching and fair, it is ok. If both are generous, it is ok. If one is generous and does not expect returns, it is ok. If one is petty and fair, it is ok. If one is dishonest, end it.
What to say: Darling, I'm broke. Because you have been spending a lot of money and I have also had to spend money on you, my finances have been cut off because I am told I am not supposed to throwing all the money into this relationship. A relationship cannot be sustained by money alone. If you think it can, you'll have to start supporting me from now. Otherwise, I think we need to reconcile our expenses in our own way and I need to regain my financial standing soon. Can you? No? Goodbye.
Habits
If there is no way to accept or break the partner's habits and they are bothering you, then it will only get worse as the relationship progresses and one starts taking the other for granted. Especially if the habit has progressed to a point where you really cannot stand it any more.
What to say: It's my way or the highway. Your choice. In any case, I've chosen the highway. Goodbye.
n-Timing, where n > 1
If your partner cheats on you, then it may be time. It really depends on how tolerant you want to be.
What to say: Goodbye.
You've Lost That Loving Feeling
By and by, the fireworks will die out. The passion may die off. The libidoes wane. The groin doesn't get excited anymore. You need to decide if this is the person you can spend your life with or not. Because spending your life with someone does not require the loving feeling all the time. There should be just enough embers to last. You can't burn high and nigh all the time. Even the grandest bonfires burn out.
What to say: If you no longer feel for me, then do you want a time out?
Poor Sex
What to say: Darling, I'm a slut. Dump me, please.
- Dedicated to someone who knows who she is -
How does a partner in a relationship end the relationship?
I think this is a very challenging question to answer. It is easier to answer questions such as "Under what conditions should a couple consider break up?" or "When do I know I should dump him or her?" But this is not the reason for the post.
I believe there are many ways of saying those words. Perhaps we need to point out what is troubling us and how we think the issue will lead to irreconcilable difference in the end.
Character
After a quarrel, you will know whether you are still compatible. If after quarrelling, both sides can put aside the differences and go for a meal, then there is a chance. If halfway through, someone storms off or chases the other away, end it.
What to say: I do not think we are able to communicate effectively. When we quarrel, we are impervious to reason and I do not think we will be able to go on in the relationship since we will be quarrelling more often as we get to know each other better. And if we cannot get past knowing each other, we should find someone else whom we can better relate to. Goodbye.
Money
If both are penny pinching and fair, it is ok. If both are generous, it is ok. If one is generous and does not expect returns, it is ok. If one is petty and fair, it is ok. If one is dishonest, end it.
What to say: Darling, I'm broke. Because you have been spending a lot of money and I have also had to spend money on you, my finances have been cut off because I am told I am not supposed to throwing all the money into this relationship. A relationship cannot be sustained by money alone. If you think it can, you'll have to start supporting me from now. Otherwise, I think we need to reconcile our expenses in our own way and I need to regain my financial standing soon. Can you? No? Goodbye.
Habits
If there is no way to accept or break the partner's habits and they are bothering you, then it will only get worse as the relationship progresses and one starts taking the other for granted. Especially if the habit has progressed to a point where you really cannot stand it any more.
What to say: It's my way or the highway. Your choice. In any case, I've chosen the highway. Goodbye.
n-Timing, where n > 1
If your partner cheats on you, then it may be time. It really depends on how tolerant you want to be.
What to say: Goodbye.
You've Lost That Loving Feeling
By and by, the fireworks will die out. The passion may die off. The libidoes wane. The groin doesn't get excited anymore. You need to decide if this is the person you can spend your life with or not. Because spending your life with someone does not require the loving feeling all the time. There should be just enough embers to last. You can't burn high and nigh all the time. Even the grandest bonfires burn out.
What to say: If you no longer feel for me, then do you want a time out?
Poor Sex
What to say: Darling, I'm a slut. Dump me, please.
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