I saw a cool kid

I saw a cool kid today. She must be around 5 or 6 years old. She was wearing an army cap, cool red snickers, sleeveless polo, slinging a Billabong bag, and listening to her iPod. And I thought, "Wow! This kid is cool!". Immediately I turned to see who's with her, her mom must be cool too to dress a kid like that and give her iPod at such a young age. She's okay. My mind brought me back to the image of myself when I was 5 or 6, so not that cool kid. So, I saw a cool kid today. It makes me smile.

Here she is.

Being compassionate

For some, it's just part of them, naturally. Others take years to develop. Have a good weekend.

The 15th

Great expectations

Time. I really wish I could have more.

Question is: where do you want to be?

A little perspective would be good

One of the many addictions

It's probably safe to say that most of us, my generation, are addicted to the Internet to some extent. Why? It's instant, and mostly free. It used to be that we had to go to library to find reference books, pick up the phone to book tickets, buy the papers for our daily dose of news, and a lot of other things. Of course, that all changed in the early 1990s. Internet, or its predecessor has been around for years by then, but only really picked up in the end of 80s. I remembered my disbelief when a classmate told me that I could get weather prediction, and be connected to people from around the world via this cool new technology they called 'Internet'. I didn't believe it was possible then. Such is the mind of a 13 year old. I soon found myself doing exactly that in a few years' time. Internet boomed faster than a supersonic jet.

Today, I spend a very unhealthy amount of time in front of my desktop. I switch it on when I got home. Dare I say it...I can't live without it here. On the occasions and days when I'm without it though, I feel those days and minutes are very well-spent.

Probably should get myself off Internet soon!

P.S.: Found these three people sitting next to each other on subway, all on iPods and all napping at the same time. These days, the chances are higher than you think.

Another dry day

I'm going out of my mind.

The 9th

Love, love, love

Recovering from a lull

I haven't snapped out of it.

I was looking at a TV screen the other day, Denzel Washington, the much-praised actor was saying a quote that stuck with me: "You gotta do what you had to do, so you can do what you want to do." Simple, universal truth!

Spring

The trees, in their full glory.

I am back from my holiday! It feels strange to be back, it seems like I have been away for a very long time. Things don't change that much but the change is in how I see them. Anyway, happy spring festival!

I am still stranded at the airport. Apparently bad, bad weather had to hit earlier, and what followed is a string of unfortunate events. It has been such long hours. I'm tired.

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...

Best of 2007

I can feel it! On my way home, I see less crowded trains, people anxious to reach their destinations, cars on the streets rushing by, shoppers doing their last minute shopping, numerous phone calls being made on people's plans for tonight. 2008 is coming and we will be saying our goodbyes to 2007 in a few hours.

I thought it would be fun to do a "Best of" list of my own for 2007. The list may not include things that came out this year, but things I really like that I discovered in 2007.

Best Travel Destination
Bali. It's called the island of the gods for good reason. No matter how many times I've been there (only three) I would always be captivated by its beauty each time and I long to go there again and again and again. I know some people who share the same sentiments, going back once a year even! If you haven't been to Bali, what are you waiting for? Call your travel agent now.

Best Fiction
Kite Runner. It's the first book that made me cry. It's just such a wonderful tale of two friends separated early in their years and how one seeks redemption for his own deeds later in life. Read it if you haven't. I am waiting for Khaled Hosseini's follow-up A Thousand Splendid Suns to come out in the paperback version.

Best Web Application
Picnik. I love Picnik for its simplicity of use and colorful graphic. You don't have to be an expert in navigating the web to use it. Now you can tweak your pictures all you want, anywhere you want, as long as you have internet access. It even lets you link to your Flickr or Facebook account for easy uploads and editing!

Best Soundtrack
Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the film Curious George by Jack Johnson and friends. Jack Johnson always has that soothing quality to his music and voice, and I think kids and adults alike will enjoy this perfect little CD. I found myself listening over and over again to his beautiful lyrics, full of optimism and child-like wonders. I even bought another one for a friend of mine who turned out to love it too! Though I haven't seen the movie itself, I can bet that the songs complement the movie nicely.

Best movie
Ratatouille. This is hard, I don't really have a best of the best this year, as I couldn't recall a title that left a huge impression on me like Before Sunset or The Incredibles did. Among my other choices are The Lives of Others, Freedom Writers, Thank You For Smoking, and Bourne Ultimatum. Ratatouille stands out for its strong story line (however unbelievable, but hey! it's a fantasy), excellent directing, and powerful graphics - I still can't believe the richness of details in this movie, I am a big Brad Bird fan now. So, there you have it.

Best Webmail
Gmail. Nothing beats my good ol' favorite. Hotmail and Yahoo are making a lot of upgrades recently, offering up to 5 GB of storage and sleeker graphics, but Google is still like a dear old friend to me. In my opinion its best features are the conversation-like email grouping, nice simple colors, and the embedded Google Talk application. If you look around the web, most applications are clamoring to include Gmail as extensions for their products due to its popularity. That tells you something right?

Best Mobile Device
Blackberry. Now I'm a little biased because I haven't tried a lot of other phones that could do millions other stuff (I own a chunky Nokia with a round dialpad - beat that). Its wide design may just be its advantage as it allows us to type more comfortably with our fingers, though it may not be so when you're doing calls. Its best feature is of course its push-mail technology; I haven't seen any other devices that push mails as efficiently as the Berry. Another great feature is the Messenger, it saved me a lot of troubles when I'm overseas.

Best Internet Browser
Firefox. Can't live without it. It's the browser that introduced "Tabs" to me, and I've been using it ever since. Plus, a lot of applications on the web such as DivX player, del.icio.us extensions, work perfectly with Firefox.

Best OS Design
Leopard. Sleek, stylish, superior. I'm still getting used to it, though in the beginning I encounter a few hiccups with some of the applications. But design-wise, this is the best in the market. It applies to Apple's hardwares too.

Best Place to Have Your Afternoon Tea in Singapore
Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge. I discovered this little gem tucked in the corner of a major department store some time ago. It serves delightful desserts, great pastas, and high-quality teas in beautifully made Chinas. The ambiance lends a Danish feel to it (at least a friend who stayed there said so) and the setting is lovely. Just be careful not to drop those fragile things.

Okay, there you go. Not only because I am running out of time but if I continue, there is still a long list to go. Most of my "bests" are technology or entertainment-related, that pretty much sums up where I spent a lot of my time on...(alright, I need to pick up a new hobby soon). Hope you enjoy it and Happy New Year 2008!

father & son, morning Danba

I do a post of blog of note from time to time. Today it's Raul Gutierrez's Heading East. A brilliant photographer (check out his portfolio here and here), his pictures are rich in nuances of the subject's environment, taking captures of their lives, their homes, their streets, their emotions. He likes photographing people because they are more exciting...to do it well and to take great pictures of people, now that takes some skills. I love his pictures!

In addition, he's a talented writer, his blog at www.mexicanpictures.com/headingeast tells of his family, especially his two cute sons, other photographers' works, his own experiments with time-shift pictures among many others. It's his family accounts that got me hooked, I just like how he writes stories about his sons (numero uno and numero dos), even putting rich detailed account of each son's birth. I can't help but being touched by those stories. So, enjoy. Have a great Sunday.

Thoughts about charity at the end of the year

I remembered I read a blog post a few months ago about how Bill and Melinda Gates foundation becomes the most successful philanthropy foundation in the world. He has helped more people than most of us claimed to do. Why? They ran it like a business. Exactly how Bill Gates ran his Microsoft to be the biggest software giant in the world. Funds are withdrawn if projects do not achieve the objectives they set out to do. Simple rule of business. This kind of bigger-picture management is what we need to save the world. Help sponsoring a child in Africa is a noble thing to do, yet it is not as effective as thinking how to eradicate AIDS in Africa, or stopping genocide in Darfur. Have a read of Clive Thompson's Wired article I was referring to earlier or click on my shared items. I found myself nodding my head to what it said.

I remembered this because I was present at a charity event very recently (to say involved is a discredit to the hard-working, passionate organizers - big thank you if you are reading this). It was a successful event; great food, games, and presents for all the kids. As first-timers, the organizers did a great job preparing for the event, putting in many hours and ideas into making sure the kids would enjoy it. The amount of money raised was mostly used for the event and the presents, the remainder 20% for the organization the kids are from. Whilst the presents are useful items that would definitely make any kid happy, I wonder if we overspent the money for the rest, or was it simply that we did not raise enough to donate more. What if bigger portion of money is donated to the management, for they are the people who run the place, who would know what the kids need and provide for them. I had no benchmark to measure this against, so my thoughts are probably unjustified. I would love to hear from you if you have experience in this area. However, the event was definitely a good start for future charities, I for one learned a lot as an observer. Congratulations you! I am very proud of you.

Have a wonderful weekend.

2007's acts of kindness and courage

From One Laptop Per Child project which was featured in TED to a would-be mom who trained up until her 9th month of pregnancy, these stories are inspiring and heartwarming. They tell us that with determination, we can achieve anything we set our mind to; with courage, we can overcome everything that comes in our path. From education, child soldier, global warming, to the decrease of infant death rate; they show us the world is still capable of doing a lot of good. The message is clear: the world always needs saving, as long as we're alive. My only wish is, if only this wasn't too Western-centric...It would be great to show stories from heroes around the world as well.

Check out the stories here.

December 25

It's the holiday season, and I wish you and your family all the best in life. I wish you good health and great life with each and every new day. It's so great to wake up in the morning knowing that your life is not so bad after all, you have a wonderful family, some great friends, a roof over your head, and meals three times a day. What more can an ordinary person ask for?

I look forward to 2008. I look forward to exciting new things that I'm going to do, wonderful new lives that are going to be born, great people I am going to meet, and amazing new locations I am going to be.

Whatever your wish may be, if you're reading this, I wish your wish would come true. So, enjoy, have fun, and be happy!

Let me share a little something delightful I found today. Click on My shared items to the right and watch the sweet little video on music and math.

Doing too much

Alright, that's it.

We got to stop. In a culture fueled by the drive for excellence and doing things the efficient way, all occuring the same time, we often times forget exactly why we are doing those things. In a frenzy of tasks, meetings, generating ideas, we get caught up with the busy-ness and forget to question anymore. In the excitement of living in the concrete and steel world, we forget how good it feels to be out in the nature and connect with ourselves (Lost is my inspiration!). Oh! What have I done?

Take me for example, the effect of my own doing is terrible. Things get so piled up I just want to forget they exist and start doing something else, something that would take my mind off it. It's not the first time, but each time it happens I am on the verge of losing sight of what's important. Very dangerous, I might say.

In theory, we all know the solution to our issues. In reality, you know how well it turns out sometimes...

Limiting my choices

I recently turned vegetarian. I also recently bought my first Apple product. I don't have any mp3 player to date whereas my friends have bought their 5th generation iPods. I'm only using my second cell phone after 6 years, and that's because my brother insisted to pass it down to me and took my first cell phone, which was working perfectly alright. I didn't plan this actually. I wanted to try out how being a full-time vegetarian is like, I instantly made that decision one afternoon and that's it. Plus hopefully I'm executing the most effective way to stop global warming and stop killing animals. I feel good about it. Buying Apple is easy, I don't have to compare prices from the various PC vendors and choose from the oh-so-many models out there. I prefer not to spend that much time on the research and decision-making process.

Then I thought, hey, by being a vegetarian or buying a Mac I am limiting my choices! Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing. When I go out, I don't have to fuss about what to eat because there's only so many vegetarian options in one place. I don't upgrade my phone if it's still working. Now I'm starting to think if I can apply this to aspects of my life I would be a happier person than I am now. By limiting our own choices, we are sort of forced to take the very few alternatives that are available to us. Therefore, we stop worrying and start living. Going on with our lives. Once a decision is made and there is no turning back, it's like a burden is lifted off your shoulder. When you know you don't have other choices, you would resign and accept whatever path that lies in front of you. Of course people will say we always have choices, but what if we proactively limit our choices?

We can apply this in almost anything: careers, spending, food, schools, anything you can think of. Start building a habit of limiting our choices and we might just be on our way to be happier individuals.

Racism

Someone wise said: "If we could all laugh off racism jokes in the world, wars wouldn't be started and fights between people wouldn't happen."

Are we taking ourselves too seriously?

Oh human. We are sensitive creatures. Smart as we are, we are so easily manipulated. Mind controls are weak. Words can start a war. Words can also stop wars.

Exercise mind control and non-violence. Let us all be happy and peaceful.

Happy Sunday.

Nice

That's probably the most generic description of a thing out there. Not to mention the most overused of all descriptive words. I have to confess I use it all the time. What can I say?

On someone doing something cool: "That's nice"
On someone going on holiday: "So nice!"
On someone getting something cool: "NICE!"
On someone asking how the food was: "It's nice"

Kinda boring, isn't it? That's as safe an answer as we can get. For all it's worth, it allows us to not say anything else afterwards and the other party will be more or less satisfied with the comment. Genius!

Now I know

What a blue screen of death is like.

Annoying.

I think out of more than a decade of using Windows, I have never seen a real Blue Screen of Death. This isn't exactly sudden too, I kinda expected it, since I innocently put the login executable file in a virus vault due to virus alert! I mean, how stupid could one be?

Anyway, I'm left with no back up, no nothing. This is just perfect.

:D

Hypersensitive

With every heartbeat, I think it's earthquake. Recent years have been the most productive period for mother nature. Aih.

Memory Lapse

I wrote about my rapidly declining memory some time ago. I also wrote about buying the memory exercise book by Tony Buzan around the same time. With sadness I have to report that I have failed to read the book in its entirety. It was already lost in the midst of other abandoned books in my shelf. Why do I thought of this again? Earlier this evening, I was at shower and at one point, I reached out to grab shampoo. Suddenly I was lost on whether I had or hadn't shampooed my hair. I totally couldn't remember! If I had, it must have happened 2 minutes back. If I hadn't, I couldn't be sure. So unaware of my immediate past actions I took that I'm shocked. So unaware of my surroundings that I'm horrified.

I'm not very old. I shouldn't be having memory lapses like this! Why do we forget things? Why do we remember things? Consciously, we tried to remember certain things but can't commit them to memory. Subconsciously, we remember things that come naturally to us. Our subconscious play such an important role in deciding which facts to remember that I believe 99.99% of our memory are controlled subconsciously. I wish I can perfect the ability to control our minds fully. It'll make life so much easier.

Understated numbers

4.5 billion years.

10 to the power of -24 seconds.

60 billion light years.

26 dimensions.

I have to say, these numbers are truly beyond me. Even that is a great understatement. And by that, it's a terribly enormous understatement. And so on...

Human brain is not capable to imagine these things. It took us about 6000 thousand years of civilization to reach here. Yet there are tremendous other things waiting for us to be discovered or understood. I guess learning is never enough. Imagination never has a limit. Who knew this glob of flesh and liquid had the power to think? Great people like Einstein, Newton, and Hawking had the power to think beyond what normal humans can do, and that sets them so far ahead. We need these people, the pioneers who would propel us to (yet to be achieved) golden age. A friend once said, we only use a tiny little fraction of our brains and if we train our minds we could achieve so much more. Our potentials are so great nobody knows what we're capable of yet. In this fast age of communications, few of us really sit down and think each day. All we do is breeze through the day in work and random things. It's no wonder I had such short attention span. There's just so much things to do. Was there ever so little time to think?

Imagine if all 6 billion people sat down and think. Just like the Great Serengeti Migration, over a million animals move at one direction each year and they seem to know where they go when in herds. Leave one alone and it will be lost not knowing its way. Individual can absolutely be great just like the names mentioned earlier. Potentials of collective thoughts must be overwhelmingly greater.

I still can't imagine how long 4.5 billion years were. B I L L I O N years. Nine zeros. Goodness. Enjoy Sunday!

The Beat

One beat, it reverberates through your being.
One beat, you jump up with newfound joy.
One beat, it pounds like your heart.
One beat, you are back in your mother's womb.

Feel it.

For the first time in my life

I cried upon hearing a song.

I was shocked to the core. It sent me sobbing.

Love

What is love, really? Specifically, what interests me is how does a child "understand" the concept of love?

It is often said that all parents in the world love their children. I have no doubt of the truth of that statement. It is then presumable that the parents either say it verbally or say it with actions that we considered 'loving'. Love is a concept. It is - for the lack of better description, as quoted from my favorite source of knowledge Wikipedia - a constellation of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection or profound oneness. I am perplexed by how a child, a young child, if you may, grasp this whole concept of love.

Assume you say, "I love you", to your child every day. They start to develop language skills since 12 months old, but when do they start to understand concepts? I'm sure child expert can easily answer that question. I am not a parent, but let me try. I suppose, in child-rearing, when we say we will do something, it's very important that we do it. In fulfilling our promises, we gain the child's trust. They are observing and mimicking our every action. When we say we love them, they may associate the word 'love' with our every day actions, cuddling them, cooing them, playing with them, caring them (now 'care' is another vague concept), fulfilling our promises. In addition and perhaps most importantly, the intangible emotional connection with the child. I suppose love transmits that way, the accumulation of all our actions and our emotional relationship translate to love.

I may be completely wrong, this is indeed a curious subject to explore...

Happy Sunday.