Another new year

I'm off to more than a week-long holiday. I will stop posting for a while and I hope to catch up when I'm back. Here I am wishing you a great lunar new year and a fantastic rat year ahead. To infinity and beyond!

Death by sushi

Perched on top of the lifeless block of wood for too long a time, P finally decided to take charge and never let anyone control its life again. P crawled on its two-clawed toes. Hours passed by. It grew tired, thirsty, and hungry. It began to think "Was this a mistake?". Its newfound sense of freedom grew more and more insecure. Just when P decided to give up and head back to its comfortable life, it saw those red specks. The specks grew larger as P approached closer. Then P's eyes opened up wide in wonder at the sight of those amazing round plates. It has been years. OH! How P longed for those delicious forms! The feel of that succulent juice in its mouth. Those green-tinted substance that made P's eyes filled with tears and wanted to beg for mercy. At last! P enjoyed the happiest moment of its life for exactly 3 minutes and 14 seconds. Then it passed out and never woke up again.

Drawing and Painting Google

I ranted about my own misfortune with Google and how it has surprised me months ago. Yet there's one thing Google consistently do well which made me remain their fan despite that incident: their creativity. Check out Google's logo for Lego's 50th anniversary (soon to appear on this page). Thanks, Kiran for pointing it out. I love love love love Google Doodles and holiday logos, especially their April Fool's brilliance. :D

Freaky Fries at 2

There is this small cafe that occupied the center of a medium-sized compound near my neighborhood. I walk past the sight of it every single day and I had thought about going in but that never happened for the longest time. So the other day I was on my way somewhere else, for some reason I turned my head to the right and spotted a picture. As soon as I took a picture, I noticed the cafe and thought to myself, maybe today is the day. So my legs took me there. Sometimes I think my legs are faster than my head. I found a seat next to the window amidst the European style-furnitures, sat down, ordered the most wonderful hot chocolate, got my books out and had a jolly good time. Can't believe I missed that experience for years. The place is literally a few steps away from my front door. That led me to think if I just ventured two steps further out of my ordinary path, I might just discover something great. Places we pass by, people we said hi and bye to. The world just got interesting again.

Ten years since

I received the news that Soeharto, second President of Indonesia, the infamous long-time dictator (so the media says) who ruled the archipelago for 32 years, died this afternoon. In 4 months, it will already be 10 years since the riot that changed the country forever. My mind immediately recalled that night. Etched into my memory are the two scenes of that silent evening. I was in my parents' bedroom and my father came in and looked for something solid that could be used as weapon of defense. The neighbors had convened earlier and the men of the family would go out at the back of the alley and waited out with the rest, including all of us. The only thing we could use was a long wooden bat resembling a baseball bat, I had no idea how it was in the house, it was always...there. Then we were all gathered in the back alley. The alley was sealed from both sides, it was where the rear of houses from two parallel streets meet. And we waited just in case the crowd made their way to the neighborhood. Rumors ran amok earlier during the day, parts of the city had seen looting and houses destroyed. The unspoken fear occupied our minds and hearts during those moments of wait. Waiting, I learned, is worse than execution.

Nothing happened. We were relieved. I can't remember the rest. If anything else, those days were probably the few days after the students took to the streets and shouted "Reformasi!" (Indonesian word for reform) repeatedly, demanding to oust Soeharto. Much more horrible things happened (a Wiki entry of the riot is short, but it tells everything). People lost their houses, livelihood, and most importantly they lost their wives, daughters, fathers, and their loved ones.

The currency dipped lower since and never got back to the same level. Our economy suffered. Today, the woes the country faced after numerous changes of presidents and parliaments are never quite resolved. Is this the reform we were fighting for?

Soeharto was probably one of the most corrupt leaders of any nation. His family benefited from his power and capacity of being president in office. Thirty-two years of accumulated nation's wealth, that's some fortune, I imagine. He was never tried, citing health reasons each time he's supposed to appear in court. Investigation stopped after years of going nowhere. These years, he resided in his house most of the time, rarely making any public appearances. The man just faded away. I didn't think much of him actually. But I do remember during his years of being in office, we enjoyed a relatively stable economy and peaceful life. Even though he did a lot of things to get to where he was, I did not resent him. The man is gone. The very symbol of cronyism and corruption. Yet his legacy of corruption and graft lived on and still spreading rampantly like wildfire.

"I am your Father Luke!"

A series

I'm using pictures to compensate for the lack of words.

One of these days

We live our lives each day, often not paying much attention to our surroundings and what's in front of our eyes. For some reason, today I noticed reds all around me. Everywhere I turn my head, red becomes apparent, it's there on my calendar, on my keys, on my shirt, on the pictures, it's everywhere! I suppose if we concentrate hard enough, our vision will be cleared just like the scene in the opening of the movie when the fog drifts away and we see the magical kingdom, our mind will slowly be unblocked, clearing the path for the "one", and everything else falls into place to help us reach it. Maybe this is what meditation is like?

Early morning

Got my new toy today

I know it's a bit thick-skinned to show off material belonging like this. But I just got a new toy today!! I have yet to test it outside, looking forward to roughing it up a bit. I have to say, converting to Mac is not without its frustration, but I hope the days will get better. Thank you, you!!

Living the red life

The season is here again! People are buying wall decorations lined with "Prosperity" word that will be hung upside down. Or phrases that probably mean may all riches come to this house. I see seas of red in the bazaar the other day. Chinese loves red. Red means so many things; passion, blood, luck. It's a color of celebration, and that, we always do. Here is one of the famous lao po bing store in the area. I have not tried the one from the store though...if you have, you would know how it would get stuck in your mouth!

Alas! Such is life

Many many years ago...

It's starting in 15

Welcome to the state

25

The place still retains its old charms, although I cannot vouch for it since I wasn't there when it was new. Red windows, seats, wooden signs, old paintings. It's the essential old in the midst of new. At lunch, you see men with suits and ladies with heels cramped around its premises, taking a respite from busy day at work to chit chat and joke with one another.

What's the deal?

Why are babies named, January, April, May, June, July, August but rarely March, September and not February, October, November, and December?

Juno

So I saw "Juno". What a great movie! Good story, great acting, funny lines, and amazing soundtrack. In fact, during the opening sequence, as soon as I heard the soundtrack, I knew this is going to be a good movie. And it didn't disappoint. At the end of it, I feel the world is sweet and I am optimistic towards life. Okay, so it's a feel-good movie.

What made a great song is most of the part, great lyrics. Here are two of the featured songs and my favorites: the actors Michael Cera and Ellen Page's version of "Anyone Else But You" (lyrics here) and Kimya Dawson's "Loose Lips" (lyrics here).

So if you wanna burn yourself
Remember that I LOVE YOU
And if you wanna cut yourself
Remember that I LOVE YOU
And if you wanna kill yourself
Remember that I LOVE YOU
Call me up before you're dead
We can make some plans instead
Send me an IM, I'll be your friend

Looks like the clouds aren't moving anywhere else soon.

Project 365

I'm doing a project that I read on Photojojo the other day as part of new things to do this year. Take a picture every single day, for a year. Didn't read it before new year came so started on January 9, 2008. Decided not to label it 365 (although it's 366 this year) anymore since you, my dear readers, are the ones who will keep me going. These few months are the rainy season in the region, so if you plan to travel to South-East Asia during January or February, come prepared. There might be floods if you're traveling long distance by road (take Indonesia for example). One good thing is, the weather is cooler though.

The art of consumerism

Most of us are all slaves to consumerism. Most of us actually don't mind and succumbed to it. Some procure things that are necessities of life, some take it to the extreme (I am talking about, of course, things like diamond bras, 150-inch TVs, or 5-year handbag wait list). Oh, things that we sacrifice our time and money for. When we say value, were we simply referring to the priority of things for our survival or the price tag of the goods? How much is enough?

As producers of goods/services through our jobs and as consumers, how do we balance our want of consumerism? Was the satisfaction worth it? How long will it last? Will I still like it two months from now? Was that 200-dollar meal really that great? Do I just have to buy it or I'll lose sleep over it?

Worth...is so relative it boggles the mind. We tend to justify every thing we do / purchase as "worth" it somehow. What is worth?

P.S.: This uncle works every single day of the year, I have never seen him off his little stool at any time of the day, be it 6 am or 11 pm. Makes me think twice if I want to complain next time!

Day 3

KIASI
(kee-ah-see)
Hokkien term literally meaning, "afraid of death". Used to admonish someone for being cowardly. "Raining only, cannot go out, meh? Why you so kiasi one?"
(from talkingcock.com)

It is rainy day.

Isn't she pretty?

Saw this on my walk today...part of an advertisement for "Halibur-Liver Oil With Viosterol" in front of a noodle shop. Pretty Chinese lady, wonder if the painter modeled her after someone?

Duh!

Ever had the feeling that you completely missed out on something that has been right in front of you for years? Then one day, we found out that it's too late to go back or silently cursed out "Why didn't I know this before? Duh!". For years, you are aware of its existence, you pass by one building every single day on your way back to home, or you know this person as an acquaintance for a long time. One day, something sparked in your head that made you want to explore around. You go in the store and find out it has the exact thing that you've been wanting to find for a long time. A voracious reader walks by a nondescript building but didn't realize it has a bookstore inside. Or you live by a building that offers a multiple array of interesting courses that you could have signed up years ago. Or you got to know a person really well, and realized you've been missing on years of great relationship with that person when you were acquaintance. They say, we don't treasure things until they're gone. Sad fact is, if realization hit when they're thisclose to being gone, then you scramble.

Duh!

Superstition

Do you believe in ghost stories?

Do you believe in the other worlds?

Suffice it to say, it is generally agreed that someone who believes that touching a locket she has since childhood brings good luck is superstitious. In modern times, people were labeled as superstitious as if their belief is something idiosyncratic. It's a concept familiar to that one person but makes the others uncomfortable or unsure how to deal with. It makes the word "superstitious" sound dirty. I guess everyone has their own beliefs, and everyone is subject to superstition in that case. What makes believing in the other worlds different than our beliefs in our gods? Perhaps this is just another kind of supernatural forces.

People are always unsure how to deal with different concepts than the familiar, different realities than the ones their eyes see. We call them 'radical' sometimes. But they are more or less matters of perspective I suppose. Yet I am unable to tear myself away from the world views that I grow up with and look at ghost stories differently. I still have a long way to go...

One hundred

Today I've reached a new milestone. This is my 100th post. I know, to many people this is not something new, because everyone of them passes this moment at one point. To me, it's something I did not expect to see until a few days ago when the number crept up to the nineties. So it's a happy occasion and I hope to see the next 100.

Anyway, to continue on the last post, the thing about us adults is as we grow older, we lost capability to look at the same things anew every time. We are no longer, for the lack of better word, fresh. I remember a long time ago we were electing a new president for a club, and the person who got elected delivered a speech saying she can bring a new, fresh perspective on how to run the club. It's the same in the corporate world, a new person is seen as being able to bring new changes, to come up with different and presumably, better ways of doing things. And I suppose it's the same with us adults. Children ask the most surprising questions, and reply us with the most honest and creative answers. They are fun to be around, because we are attracted to their freshness. We like to be delighted by their innovativeness, straightforwardness, and their bright-eyed curiosity of the world because we no longer have those qualities.

Now new people on a job may be fresh, but like fruits and vegetables, freshness doesn't last long. In most aspects of life, be it friendships, marriages, careers, people eventually settle and form a habit. It's so very easy to get trapped into assuming we have figured out all our environment and there's nothing left to be explored. It's a tough challenge to look at your friends and think to yourself that perhaps what you have formed in your mind, the "idea" of this particular friend, may not be true at all. That's why people find it easy to open up to complete stranger and talk about their darkest secrets, aspects of their lives that their closest friends or family don't know about. Our friends and family have made up an "idea" of us just like we have made of them and we do not want to jeopardize those "ideas" of us we project consciously or unconsciously.

The same extends to our family and career. I suppose we will never "get" something as a whole. Our assumption of ourselves and our environment makes us resistant to changes and prone to denials. There will always be gaps left unexplored, rooms we overlook. If you look at things differently each time, sometimes the result might disappoint you, sometimes it might delight you, and a lot of times it might surprise you. It's tough, yet I couldn't help but wonder, what if we do that? Would it be tiring? Yes. Would it be overwhelming? Probably. Would it generate more questions? Most definitely. Would it be fun? Let's find out. The kids don't seem to have a problem having fun with it.

Older but none the more creative

We were watching a game show called "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?" and then came the question on English subject: Count how many adjectives there are in this sentence: "After playing in the hot sun, he drank two glasses of cold drinks." Or something like that.

TWO!!! We all screamed with utter confidence. We were so sure, this is a show called "Are you smarter than a 5th Grader?" after all. Alright, the contestant proceeded to answer "three". We were convinced she's going to lose the money she earned. The host revealed that three was indeed the correct number. We were all stunned.

"Two" is an adjective. There are quite a few adults in the room and all are dumbfounded. How could we not know? It's ingrained in the mind that when we say adjectives, we think of word that modifies a noun...words like cold, hot, sunny, red, etc. Little did we know that number is a modifier as well. Two modifies glasses. I am sure this was taught in my primary school. It totally taught me a lesson.

We, grown adults, are not wiser than a 5th grader, or a 3rd grader. We are brainwashed with fixed ideas of our world, presumptions of our environment and of people, rendered inflexible with our social parameters, ingrained with knowledge of things that are supposed to make us more educated yet powerless when confronted with questions a 3rd grader can answer easily.

What makes it so?

More tomorrow...

Changes

I have not been the most low temperature-tolerant person, I love the tropics for its sun, sand, and wind. Though I admit winter has its charms, I have not spent long enough time in very cold weather to really take it all in. Singapore, as you know, is hot all-year round; not as hot as Bangkok or Jakarta, but still, quite hot, with humidity around 94%. That's some sweat on the street. I'd be worried if I couldn't generate a drop of sweat if I walk to subway. There is something amiss if that happens. You would be thinking "eww", but it's true.

Anyway, the temperature for the past month has dropped a bit here, which is unusual. Perhaps it's the rain, perhaps it's the wind, but this wasn't a December Singapore that I remembered for the past years. And today, I keep saying it's getting colder and colder each day. Overseas, people have been saying the weather wasn't what it used to be around the same time of the year. This definitely is global warming in action. Yet I have been ignorant until the signs became too apparent. But are we too late?

Take action now. Simplest things we can all do:
- Use less electricity - unplug your cables from power outlet when not in use
- Use less paper, opt for electronic bills whenever possible
- Recycle your old stuff - clothes, shoes, newspapers, magazines, CDs, DVDs, plastic bottles are some things we can recycle regularly
- Bring your own groceries bag to the supermarket, don't use plastic bag if your purchases can fit into your own bag
- Don't take home unnecessary things. Flyers, free gifts (evaluate whether you really need it) are some of the culprits

Harder one: become a vegetarian. Vegetarianism is the most effective way to fight global warming. To quote this article, "In a groundbreaking 2006 report, the United Nations (U.N.) said that raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined. " I invite you to read the article for more information. Well, I have also lost some weight since I started, that's the added benefit. Vegetarianism may not be for every one, but with conscious effort, we can eat less meat every day, that will save lives too.

:)

Hello 2008!

So first day is almost over. I am looking forward to the next 365 days. Kind of relieved the holiday season with all its frenzy is coming to an end. I sense things are settling down once again. It's the same isn't it? We are living through cycles, just like the seasons, the months, our lives, all in circles. To break free is to be enlightened. Wahhhh...