The World within the Prodigy

Stop Racism

2012-01-30T14:02:00.001+08:00

A reminder to take a step an contribute towards stopping racism.

Came across something today and it reminded me to promote stopping racism. So, I'm gonna share this today:

This happened on TAM airlines.

A 50-something year old white woman arrived at her seat and saw that the passenger next to her was a black man.

Visibly furious, she called the air hostess.

"What's the problem, ma?" the hostess asked her

"Can't you see?" the lady said - "I was given a seat next to a black man. I can't seat here next to him. You have to change my seat"

- "Please, calm down, ma" - said the hostess
"Unfortunately, all the seats are occupied, but I'm still going to check if we have any."

The hostess left and returned some minutes later.

"Madam, as I told you, there isn't any empty seat in this class- economy class.
But I spoke to the captain and he confirmed that there isn't any empty seats in the economy class. We only have seats in the first class."

And before the woman said anything, the hostess continued

"Look, it is unusual for our company to allow a passenger from the economy class change to the first class.
However, given the circumstances, the commandant thinks that it would be a scandal to make a passenger travel sat next to an unpleasant person."

And turning to the black man, the hostess said:

"Which means, Sir, if you would be so nice to pack your handbag, we have reserved you a seat in the first class..."

And all the passengers nearby, who were shocked to see the scene started applauding, some standing on their feet."

SHARE IF YOU ARE AGAINST RACISM!

True Love - something very little people understood when I explained it

2011-12-28T13:56:00.000+08:00

I was put into the test of True Love numerous times that it had more counts than the number of days in a year probably. Well, not exactly that much but challenges were made and it is hard for one to prove their trustworthiness & honesty; let alone faith, compatibility & much more such as winning the heart to be the Right one.

Often, I had to be tested over and over time after time if it was True Love. Perhaps I've gone thru that and understood what it was while many did not. Today, I saw Fiona & Zoey had read an article which they have a greater picture of what it means when we say "When a man loves a woman". This is what I'm going to share when I actually meant getting through thick and thin with the ones we love.

I don't only mean it. I live, eat & breathe this Principle of Life. That's why I never left the ones whom I love but they leave when the time is considered right.

When a man loves a woman
Doris and Raymond Fernando celebrate their 37-year marriage anniversary. (Photo courtesy of Deborah Choo)
After their first three dates, his girlfriend told him an astonishing piece of news that changed his life forever.
It was a "dark secret", 61-year old Raymond Anthony Fernando remembered of what his then-girlfriend Doris Lau Siew Lang told him almost three decades back.
I am schizophrenic, she had told him.
If that was not surprising enough, she also told him that she was a patient at the Institute of Mental Health, otherwise known as Woodbridge Hospital in the 60s.
Yet, the secret she guarded so carefully — one that scared away all her previous boyfriends upon hearing — finally stood the test of one man's faith and love for her.
Raymond, a Singaporean whose heritage is part Eurasian and part Sri Lankan, listened as Doris poured her heart out about her past and her condition.
Schizophrenia is a group of psychotic disorders characterised by disturbances in thought, perception, affectation, behaviour and communication lasting longer than six months.
At the onset, because there was little public awareness on schizophrenia, Doris' symptoms of headaches, insomnia, a loss of appetite and even being delusional sometimes worried her family.
They believed she was charmed, and brought her to a medium instead. The delay worsened her condition. It had escalated to a point when she harboured suicidal thoughts. Back then in the 60s, a relative who worked in the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) heard of her unexplainable illness and recommended Doris be warded. Her condition finally stabilised.
Instead of breaking up with her after hearing what she said, the freelance television actor and motivational speaker asked her, "Will you marry me?"
"I was deeply moved by her sincerity and her caring nature. I had dated many girls, but Doris was very down to earth… Doris is a very timid person and I decided I wanted to give her a better life, so I asked for her hand in marriage," Raymond told this writer.
The couple tied the knot in 1974.
This year, the couple celebrate their 37-year anniversary.
Doris is still battling with schizophrenia and as of five years ago, arthritis as well. As for Raymond, he too has diabetes, high cholesterol and cataract.
Challenges of caring
Medical costs aside, Raymond revealed that the road is tough to say the least. He used to struggle between juggling work and caring for his wife.
In 1995, under tremendous amount of stress, he attempted suicide.
In retrospect, he said, "I deeply regret taking that route — imagine what would happen to Doris if I had not survived."
"It's still very tough," Raymond admitted. "But I have to stay and remain strong for Doris. She needs me badly."
The couple had unfortunately lost their only two children — one through a miscarriage and the other through an abortion. In the latter case, the couple made that decision as Doris would have to get off the drugs that would affect the foetus.
The devout Catholic relies on his faith to get by. He left his 31-year job as a public relations officer in October and is now working from home as a writer to earn income to pay their bills.
Caring for his wife turned him into an advocate for the mentally ill.
"It's been extremely tough for her as Doris' sole caregiver, especially when the support structure for caregivers of the mentally ill is clearly lacking — something which I have been fighting for, for decades."
But Raymond never regretted taking her as his wife.
"No, I will not ever walk away from taking care of Doris because of one simple reason — I love her deeply," he said
Raymond handles all the household chores and finances while maintaining his writing jobs and caring for his wife. The last job entails taking her to numerous medical appointments at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, IMH and polyclinics monthly, and ensuring she religiously takes her medication — 52 tablets a daily. He visits the same hospital for his eye treatment.
Although her schizophrenia is now stabilised, Raymond reveals that it may relapse anytime. "The symptoms of her arthritis condition caused her to be in tremendous physical pain in all her joints that left her mobility severely impaired. In severe pain, it can trigger a relapse of her mental illness," he said.
Doris had suffered a relapse before so he and the doctors are carefully monitoring her condition.
Symptoms
Raymond reveals how the symptoms first develop. He usually first notices physical tell-tale signs such as the white of her eyes turning slightly blue, and much dandruff appearing on her scalp.
At the beginning, Doris would become uncannily quiet and fearful. "The slightest noise will affect her," Raymond said. Over time, she tends to become increasingly anxious and begins hallucinating. While she is not violent, her husband said, Doris cries when she hears buzzing in her ears and voices telling her to do "strange" things.
"There were occasions when I had to sleep with the house keys under my pillow as she would wake up in the middle of the night and attempt to go downstairs to the void deck. She believed that her mother was waiting for her downstairs. But her mother had already passed away," Raymond said sadly.
Traumatic experiences such as the loss of their children and the loss of her mother haunt her as well.
The breaking point is when Doris begins talking about suicide. That is when Raymond is left with no choice but to admit her into hospital.
"On most occasions, she would have to undergo ECT ( electro convulsive therapy). This is where mild current is applied to the brain every four seconds to stabilise her. Most of the time, she requires at least six shots of ECT. It is an extremely painful period for me," he said.

She may require another knee operation should her medications fail, he adds.
Despite all these, while he acknowledges that it is an uphill task to care for her as her arthritis condition worsens, he is prepared to fight this battle for he and his beloved wife.
"If there's one thing you can say to your wife now, what would you say?" this reporter asked.
"If schizophrenia is part of your life, then it must certainly be part of my life. I don't necessarily like what the illness does to you, but it is you who I love. And that will always be the guiding, motivating force of my life, Doris."
Deborah Choo used to write for an array of websites such as Youth.SG and The Online Citizen. She now blogs in her free time.

Lowe proposes to Shirley in a moment of OMG! / while Oppositions get INTENSE with Parodies

2011-12-12T02:02:00.001+08:00

It was EPIC. It was a suspense. It was a moment that my heart kept beating like a drum roll. Kah Wei had this plan devised so perfectly that the Groom looked more composed & steady than the buddies & maid of honors/besties of the Bride-to-be. I don't know why but I was very excited & happy for Shirley.

Maybe it's because I love the buddies of my dearest and her best friend's wedding is something special to me (all of a sudden!). We were all as excited & happy as the couple themselves. (Yeah, as if we were the ones getting married instead.) I know I was nervous & excited. (If there was a 3rd party, he/she could have mistaken/thought I was the one to do the wedding proposal instead.)

Alas, the moment has passed & everyone is still in the after-effects of that romantic & touching thrill. But one thing is for sure. I am very happy for them both as the fairy tale for them has just begun it's new chapter. The happily ever-after was orchestrated like one that you'd only expect and see in the silver screens. I'm not going to go into details but I'm extremely thankful I got to witness & be part of the process. (Good rehearsal for me, perhaps? hahahahaa. Now I know what to expect. :P)

Congratulations to Lowe & Shirley

That reminds me of a nice gift for them. It's the same gift I thought of giving Joanne when she made a request for Hans & me to perform the "Endless Love" or "Tong Hua in English+Mandarin Version". So, Posi-thieves return to sing with Jack for Wong Wai Keong & Shereen as well in this special version:

If you think that's funny, wait till you see the most intense taekwondo fight ever. It's like dancing to this song. Or maybe not this song. Maybe to "Moves like Jagger?" hahaha.

Parodies lately have taken a twist into a lot of things. Ever watch what the Nasi Lemak 2020 did to attack the Barisan Nasional Faction just to show how "great" the Opposition/Pakatan Regime is? Enjoy the following:

The trailer:

The 1.8 Million Facebook incident

周星驰帮1Malaysia站台！

星爷找Kaki参加BERSIH

Now, for the latest edition of their works... they did the Corrupt Affairs out of Infernal Affairs.

污奸盗-大马超级禁片 (Corrupt Affairs- BM subtitles)

So... how does the BN come back from all these? ONE video is all it is enough... ENJOY the LAUGHS from this:

Last but not least, speaking of parodies... if you've not seen the ALL NEW Volkswagen Passat Commercial, you oughta "FEEL THE FORCE"...

but since you're at it, you should see what goes behind the scenes of making this video and the bloopers to this parody...

May the FORCE be with You. Later DAYz ya'all~!

The inventory & innovation of time pieces

2011-12-08T00:57:00.001+08:00

"the sands of time were collected into a glass in older times to preserve the very seconds. the smarter celtic warriors put time when they pierce their eyes at the sun . they smartly placed the triangle there and called it the sun dial. the chinese had the innovative comfort of using buckets and water droplets. today, we actually just take time for granted and look at a piece of kinetic gear to realize time wasted." ~ D. Brandon C

Why Ghosts Are Spooked by HD Camera

2011-11-13T11:16:00.001+08:00

There's this news that I was reading via Yahoo! News and it does seems to be quite true and makes sense.

Are Ghosts afraid of Hi-Def? Let's check it out in this article:

Why Ghosts Are Spooked by HD Camera

"Paranormal Activity 3," the latest in a series of successful low-budget horror films about amateur ghost hunters, opens on Friday (Oct. 21). The first film, released in 2007, was a surprise indie hit around the world.

The films are shot in a "found footage" style, in which the audience is treated to footage supposedly taken in real life from home videos and security cameras. This technique, often involving handheld cameras and actors talking to the camera operator, has been around for years but was widely popularized in the 1999 film "The Blair Witch Project."

The grainy, low-budget look of the films is no accident; it was done partly because the films actually are low-budget, and partly for added "realism." The fact that the low-quality picture skips and jitters adds to the suspense, and Horror Filmmaking 101 teaches that a dark, partly obscured monster is much scarier than one that's seen clearly in bright light.

It's been an effective technique in the first two films, scaring up hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. And it's also true in real-life ghost hunting: Virtually all of the "evidence" for ghosts appears in the form of brief, ambiguous anomalies recorded with low-quality cameras (or good-quality cameras sabotaged by low-light conditions).

People have long reported weird, ghostly and paranormal activity, but perhaps the biggest mystery is why the evidence — especially the photographic evidence — hasn't improved. Are ghosts afraid of high-definition cameras?

The idea that amateur ghost hunters wandering in the dark with crummy video cameras are going to uncover genuine evidence of a spirit realm unknown to science seems absurd. Nonetheless, the SyFy show "Ghost Hunters" has been wildly popular for years — it was recently picked up for an eighth season — despite the fact that the team has never found scientific evidence for ghosts. The show is, of course, entertainment television instead of real investigation, but what about the hundreds of amateur ghost-hunting groups around the world inspired by the show?

If ghosts exist, you would expect the photographic and video evidence for them should improve dramatically as more and more people look for them with better and better equipment. There are more people actively trying to document paranormal activity than ever. And, thanks to smartphones, at no time in history have so many people had high-quality cameras on hand virtually all the time. Today there's no excuse for anyone to capture grainy photos or video images of anything, whether it's your aunt in a horrid floral hat, Bigfoot in the woods, or paranormal activity in your hallway. And yet that is so often the quality of the footage that makes the rounds on the internet. [Mythical Creatures: Beasts That Don't Really Exist (or Do They?)]

This past weekend, Apple sold 4 million iPhone 4S units, each of them equipped with a built-in high definition 1080p camera featuring state-of-the-art optics, image stabilization, automatic lighting adjustment and other features that rival cameras used by Hollywood videographers only a few years ago. Perhaps one of those iPhone users will finally record some clear evidence of ghosts.

High definition provides more image information, which helps identify things often mistaken for ghosts, such as random shadows, unnoticed reflections and video artifacts. With those ghost impostors more easily dismissed, any real ghostly images should be sharper and clearer than ever before. The age of amateurs posting questionable video evidence of the paranormal should be coming to an end. Professional ghost hunters, however, might well continue using cameras that produce low-quality images. After all, that's where the ghosts appear.

This story was provided by Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site to LiveScience. Follow Life's Little Mysteries on Twitter @llmysteries, then join us on Facebook.

How the Wrestling Ring Collapsed

2011-10-27T21:43:00.000+08:00

Well, some of you may have watched WWE Vengeance and I was shocked to see the ring imploded. Yeah, I actually see stuff like that cause I monitor the media and study about their designs, story lines, plots etc.

Here's an interesting article from the WWE.Com Exclusive which explains the impact of that match.

A phenomenal lesson in ring physics

By: Joey Styles October 27, 2011

Tags: Vengeance 2011, Mark Henry, Big Show

At Vengeance, the gargantuan WorldHeavyweight Championship Match between The World’s Strongest Man, Mark Henry and The World’s Largest Athlete, Big Show ended in a shocking no contest when the ring collapsed as the result of the 412-pound champion superplexing the 485-pound challenger. (PHOTOS )

Exactly how much force does it take to collapse a WWE ring that has contained some of the most colossal collisions in the history of hand-to-hand combat? We don’t have a physics department here at WWE.com so we were forced to seek elsewhere for answers. Luckily, members of the WWE Universe come from all walks of life and we found a physics professor who is also a proud WWE fan.

Dr. Matthew Cathey of Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. was kind enough to take time from grading exams to provide WWE.com with these calculations:

Mark Henry and Big Show weigh a combined 897 pounds. Assuming their combined center of gravity fell six feet, their combined mass hit the mat at about 20 feet per second, or a bit over 13 miles per hour. That impact created a release of kinetic energy of 7253 Joules, which is equivalent to:

Rey Mysterio (175 pounds) leaping onto his opponent from the top of steel cage hitting 30 feet, seven inches high, approximately twice as high as his SmackDown debut

The detonation of approx. two grams of the explosive, trinitrotoluene (TNT).

The energy at the muzzle of four rounds fired from an M16 rifle (WWE.com double-checked this fact with our friends at NationalGuard.com).

01:20

I think it took a little (bad) luck to break the ring. Different parts of the ring would handle that stress differently, as the shock waves created by the impact would be propagated differently. Notice how the opposite ring post is the first to collapse; that’s exactly the opposite of what you would expect. It was also not instantaneous. It took a split second to collapse. That’s the really fascinating aspect thing about of this incident. Again, this is speculation, but I think the energy imparted into the ring by the impact bounced around for a second, seeking a way to get dissipated (it usually does this mainly by oscillations in the ring surface doing work by lifting the Superstars and Divas an inch or two; you can see them bounce after a big impact), but the energy was too much for the corner that collapsed.

This was my first thought:Bad luck similar to this caused the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to collapse in 1940. The wind that took it down was well within specifications that bridge was built to withstand but the angle and speed of the wind created a resonance that caused the energy which was trying to dissipate to actually reinforce itself and destroy the structure.
It’s the same phenomenon that causes a crystal glass to shatter when a soprano hits exactly the right note.

After entering Professor Cathey’s studious scientific explanation into my personal proprietary intellectual to extreme language translator, I offer this reaction to the structural subsidence: “OH MY GOD!”

The flooded Bangkok. The amazing facts about Bangkok, Thailand

2011-10-27T21:30:00.000+08:00

The floods in Bangkok has become really serious and info from my counterparts there have alerted me that it's worse than we think. Even with the photos, I can tell it's like venice (more or less).

The better part about this is, Bangkok isn't exactly what it's name is. Or, I should say, some parts of Thailand never even heard of it.

Unless talking to foreigners who don't know any different, Thais will never call their capital city Bangkok - indeed, some Thais in the more remote provinces may never have even heard of it being called that. Instead in Thai it is known as Krung Thep (กรุงเทพ), which roughly translates to 'City of Angels'.

Bangkok (translating as 'village of wild plums') was the original site for the capital city and was located west of the Chao Phraya river (in modern day Thonburi). In 1782, King Rama I decided to move to a more defensible site and moved across the river to found his new capital, Krung Thep. For whatever reason, foreigners have never since caught up with the name change and the old name of Bangkok has stuck. In recent years, Krung Thep/Bangkok has expanded at such a fast rate that it now sprawls over a huge mass of land on both the sides of the Chao Phraya and has engulfed the once independent Thonburi.

Krung Thep is actually an abbreviated version of the ceremonial full name, which is shown below.

กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลก ภพนพรัตน์ ราชธานีบุรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์ มหาสถาน อมรพิมาน อวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะ วิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์

In the official English romanisation, this is certified as the longest place name in the world in the Guinness book of records. It's pronounced something like:

Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit

So given the length of it, it's not hard to see why it's shortened in every day use. The full name itself is never actually used, though it can be seen on a few signs around Bangkok as part of a tourist campaign. Another version, Krung Thep Mahanakhon, is quite common in official documents, car number plates and the like. Despite the length of it, an impressive number of Thai people are still able to recite the entire name off by heart. They wouldn't necessarily understand what it means though, as many of the words are archaic and no longer used in modern Thai. The full name actually translates to a string of superlatives, which give some idea of how fond King Rama I must have been of his new city:

The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.

Times have changed & so does our style of culture

2011-10-27T21:06:00.004+08:00

Everyone has been busy lately, I guess. I've got all sorts of calls and people running around telling me "yeah, busy." or "Year end... busy, busy, busy". Ok, I'll just join into the trend and say, "don't know, I'm busy, I think?"

Most of the time, we get people telling us that they're on the way. It's a normal practice in Malaysia. Guess what's the best part of this culture?

Surprised? Guessed not. Some people will get pissed off from waiting for too long and they'd probably head to a different dimension and try something quirky.

This guy(s) went to the extend to inform the fast-food outlet:

So, the unthinkable happened.

Wonder if anyone would do such a thing here?

Then again, Malaysian fast food outlets make you pay before you even bite. So, die-die also need to wait till the cows come home.

Oh wait, just in case you need to go to the washroom, remember to bring some coins along. This toilet is unique. Here's why:

If you're pissed off by that, you can always try the Grand Slam of Thor.

And finally, if you can't sleep and try to be awake while reading this, maybe this will help:

Ritual held to enable Jobs to be reincarnated

2011-10-19T00:32:00.001+08:00

I don't know if any of you read about this... it's just silly and funny. What's funny about it, you ask? Well, most of the people who attend the ritual has NO idea who the heck, Steve Jobs was. Would ya believe that? Hahahaha...

The Star Online > Nation

Tuesday October 18, 2011

Ritual held to enable Jobs to be reincarnated

OTHER NEWS & VIEWS
Compiled by NG SI HOOI, KAUCELIYA CHANDRASEKAR and A. RAMAN

ABOUT 40 people took part in a ritual in Pulau Jerejak, Penang, so that Apple founder Steve Jobs could be reincarnated.

Sin Chew Daily reported that Sunday's ceremony, which was organised by a medium from Rawang, Selangor, was criticised by the Federation of Taoist Associations Malaysia and several Buddhist associations, calling it “ridiculous and superstitious”.

The daily reported that most of the medium's followers did not know who Jobs was and many took part in the ceremony to enjoy a day trip to Penang and to pray for good fortune.

Iconic figure: Jobs may have died but his memory lives on for many people around the world. — EPA

Followers were asked to take a bite from an apple and observe three minutes of silence before throwing the fruit into the sea but some had finished half of the fruit before doing so as it was very sweet.

According to an earlier report, followers had to pay between RM50 and RM75 to take part in the ceremony.

The Weird World Around Us

2011-10-17T22:23:00.001+08:00

Things have been happening lately like one of those phenomena you'd see on science fiction movies. This is rather true at a very strange period where such occurrence tend to make us think if God is messing around with us.

Here's a starter, people actually pack and run for their lives "neatly". Perhaps there was a steward or something that told them to vacate in an orderly manner.

I wouldn't be surprised at the rate it goes, like some mega sale is in town.

This is currently true with the Indonesians rioting in front of the Malaysian Embassy and having floods in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand too.

But here's something even better.

The DADs around the world would be extremely happy to wear this and make sure their daughters are safe from some teenage or college boys.

Happy Hunting, DADs.

I had the liberty of seeing Disney's UP in 3D when it started and I kinda like that cartoon which reminds us of some moral behind the story.

It's actually quite touching to say the least but its definitely a good production.

Any of you remember the kid from the Wilderness Scouting Program? Oh, that boy really does exist...
Check this out:

Cute, huh? Yeah, I thought so too... Sometimes they try to make something out of someone. Or, at least, there's always a little bit of resemblance in everyone. Maybe that's how the pattern of DNA works in our Genes.

Watched any good movies lately? Jackie Chan did his 100th Movie and it was not what I expected thought the History lesson was good. The synopsis for '1911' tells it all. It's something I gotta respect the production was kinda ambitious.

Another good one is Hugh Jackman doing 'Real Steel'. Damn, that was NICE. Oh, wait, it's SUPER NICE. Great graphics and the storyline is pretty exciting to accept.

Our tourist landmark in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur to be exact) will also be hogging the spotlight soon when the motion picture "Petaling Street Warriors" hit the silver screens. In our Malaysian case, it's Golden Screens as in Golden Screen Cinemas to be precise. GSC will be screening this cool movie that's quite similar to the comedic one from Stephen Chow just like the "Kungfu Hustle".

Desperate Housewives was on TV again and that reminds me... Disney has their own version too. You won't be surprised:

Yup, that's all these WOMEN do... complain, nag & find flaws. Thank our lucky stars that our WOMEN don't do that. Well, not all, at least.

At least they are not as pathetic to the extend that they actually do this on their Facebook page:

Seriously? Really...

Oh yes, remember the beautiful twins I've written about back in 2009? They've gone famous and became a HIT! Janice & Sonia Lee is coming to town...

Rock Corner has this message for the fans instead: "Dear fans, great news! There will be an autograph session with Jayesslee from 8-9pm on Friday, 21st October at the Rock Corner outlet, The Curve, Mutiara Damansara. The twins will only be signing on their exclusive official t-shirt, so, make sure you grab one! Please note that there will be NO meet and greet or autograph session on the concert day itself. So, make sure you make it to Rock Corner for your chance to meet Janice and Sonia personally!"

Last but not least. Remember earlier in this blog I said we had natural disasters happening every so often? I'm referring to the floods.

Animals can sense them too. And in this darkest hour and time of need, the animals help one another too.

I hope after that, the monkey don't try to do the same to this poor cat below.

Later dayz, ya'all

Being large does not equate to being unattractive!

2011-10-07T12:45:00.000+08:00

I saw an article today that really helps to protect those in discrimination and also serves as a reminder to those who fought and achieve to be slim/thin/skinny etc.

Being large does not equate to being unattractive!

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:

"Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness.
They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia.
They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?
They would have no sex life and could not bear children.
Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.
And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.

At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.
We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.
Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

(The girl on the picture is French model Tara Lynn)
Last comment: I'm not putting down thin people, being a thin woman myself (BMI of 22 maybe?) just saying that being large doesn't equate to being unattractive.

By: Delphine Fieberg

End of an Era: R.I.P. Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T18:18:00.002+08:00

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, counted among the greatest American CEOs of his generation, died on Wednesday at the age of 56, after a years-long and highly public battle with cancer and other health issues.

Jobs' death was announced by Apple in a statement late on Wednesday. The Silicon Valley icon who gave the world the iPod and the iPhone had resigned as CEO of the world's largest technology corporation in August, handing the reins to current chief executive Tim Cook.

A survivor of a rare form of pancreatic cancer, he was deemed the heart and soul of a company that rivals Exxon Mobil as the most valuable in America.

''Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve,'' Apple said in a statement announcing Jobs' passing.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs holds up the new iPod Nano after introducing it at an event in San Francisco, California in this September 7, 2005 file photo. - REUTERS/Lou Dematteis

''His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.''

Job's health had been a controversial topic for years. His battle with cancer had been of deep concern to Apple fans, investors and the company's board alike. Over past years, even board members have confided to friends their concern that Jobs, in his quest for privacy, wasn't being forthcoming enough with directors about the true condition of his health.

Now, despite investor confidence in Cook, who has stood in for his boss during three leaves of absence, there remain concerns about whether the company would stay a creative force to be reckoned with beyond the next year or so without its founder and visionary at the helm.

The news triggered an immediate outpouring of sympathy. Among others, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates said he will miss Jobs ''immensely''.

END OF AN ERA

Jobs' death marked the end of an era.

A college dropout, Buddhist and a son of adoptive parents, he started Apple Computer with friend Steve Wozniak in in the late 1970s. The company soon introduced the Apple 1 computer.

Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs stands beneath a photograph of him and Apple-co founder Steve Wozniak from the early days of Apple during the launch of Apple's new "iPad" tablet computing device in San Francisco, California, in this January 27, 2010 file photo. - REUTERS/Kimberly White/Files

But it was the Apple II that became a huge success and gave Apple its position as a critical player in the then-nascent PC industry, culminating in a 1980 IPO that made Jobs a multimillionaire.

Despite the subsequent success of the Mac, Jobs' relationship with top management and the board soured. The company removed most of his powers and then in 1985 he was fired.

Apple's fortunes waned after that. However, its purchase of NeXT - the computer company Jobs founded after leaving Apple - in 1997 brought him back into the fold. Later that year, he became interim CEO and in 2000, the company dropped ''interim'' from his title.

It was the iPhone in 2007 that cemented his legacy in the annals of modern technology history.

Two years before the gadget that forever transformed the way people around the world access and use the Internet, Jobs talked about how a sense of his mortality was a major driver behind that vision.

''Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life,'' Jobs said during a Stanford commencement ceremony in 2005.

''Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.''

''Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.'' - Reuters

Apple's History and Milestones

FACTBOX: Apple's history and milestones

1976 - High-school buddies Steven Wozniak and Steve Jobs start Apple Computer. Their first product, Apple I, built in circuit board form, debuts at "the Homebrew Computer Club" in Palo Alto, California.

1977 - Apple II is unveiled, the first personal computer in a plastic case with color graphics.

1983 - Apple starts selling the "Lisa," a desktop computer for businesses with a graphical user interface, the system most users are familiar with today.

1984 - Apple debuts the Macintosh personal computer.

1985 - Jobs leaves Apple after a power struggle.

September 1997 - Jobs is named Apple's interim CEO after the company records losses of more than $1.8 billion.

November 1997 - Jobs introduces a new line of Macintosh computers called G3, and a website that lets people order directly from Apple.

1998 - Apple unveils the iMac desktop computer.

2001 - Apple introduces the iPod.

2003 - The iTunes Store opens, allowing users to buy and download music, audiobooks, movies and TV shows online.

August 2004 - Jobs announces he underwent successful surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his pancreas.

January 2007 - Apple introduces the iPhone.

2008 - Apple opens its App Store as an update to iTunes.

January 2009 - Jobs takes leave for health reasons. COO Cook leads the company in the interim.

June 2009 - Jobs returns to the company after undergoing a liver transplant.

April 2010 - Apple begins selling the iPad, a 10-inch touchscreen tablet, and has an 84 percent share of the tablet market by year's end.

Jan. 17, 2011 - Jobs announces that he will take another medical leave.

March 2, 2011 - Apple launches the iPad 2.

Aug. 9, 2011 - Apple briefly edges past Exxon Mobil Corp to become the most valuable U.S. company.

Aug. 24, 2011 - Jobs steps down as CEO and is replaced by Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer.

Oct. 5, 2011 - Jobs dies at age of 56 after battle with pancreatic cancer.

Tuesday Humor Remedies...

2011-10-04T13:11:00.002+08:00

Oh it's Tuesday and some people around me are still soaring from the Monday Blues... I will have to share some laughters to recover from those boredom or over-worked stress. So, what's installed for today?

We'll start with a fairy tale. This wall post from Facebook caught me just well. Thanks Sandie:

I guess most of you knew that "wives" in the US tend to give hell to men. Me? I always think they made my life better. But, somehow it's really still a short fairy tale.

What about an iPhone conversation that deserves an award? Some guys can be a real sweet-talker. But they did say, Love IS Blind. So, don't feel offended but I do have to give credit to the guy for being creative in his answer.

Here's another good lesson to learn. Don't get f***ed if you can't take the procedure.

Speaking of thinking straight, here's one article for the mileage:

And a worthy advise from some woman to another:

They say we look from a different view, but I say, it's all up to the eyes of the beholder:

And lastly, they say, if you live by the rule and play by the rules; you can just get what you want when you twist the rules without breaking them.

and just for the record:

Have a good time and nice laugh. LATER DAYz

September to remember

2011-10-01T04:02:00.000+08:00

I've been sick for quite awhile now. Well, just a few days short of a week but I'm fine. Had fever, throat infections with swelling on the side and all... but on top of that, I had head pounding pain (both physically and mentally - from pressure and stress).

Anyway, I've had weird things going through my throat. From paracetamol to antibiotics and now... ORAL AID LOTIONS... eeekkk... this stuff actually makes my mouth numb. I could barely swallow anything the first few days but after that, I could at least talk and close my mouth. Yeah, a lot of people were actually happy to see my trap shut tight.

Ok, gone with the illness thingy. Life has been pretty packed with tonnes of things lined up for me for months. Projects at hand were still manageable. Didn't really have much private trips for 'relaxation' since the last outing my besties had with me. But back to reality - things are pretty much uptight with constant changes.

Back home, I miss grandma quite a bit as I skipped going back this year to celebrate her birthday. Namely because it coincides with the long Raya Holidays and the Independence Day Celebrations here in Malaysia and that means: Traffic Jams, Packed Schedules, FULL FLIGHTS (if not, super expensive - I think you get the point). and blah, blah, blah... ok, details aside... My 3 lovely Cousins are finally getting their first experience at the outside world for their life achievement stage now.

Suok Leng a.k.a. Jeslyn is enjoying her tour of Canterbury as she studies in University of Kent while her sister Siew Ping goes to Leeds and actually is fitting in pretty well there. She even went around sniffing at the castles! Maybe she's trying to identify which ones were used for the Harry Potter movies. There's also Ying Yueh a.k.a. Music Lee, who managed to put through into her dream University in Manchester. Ah yes, the City of the Red Devils... Old Trafford itself... She's getting even more attention now then any others in the family. Well, at least more than her sister: Ying Shi a.k.a. Jenebelle Lee, a.k.a. SuperStar, a.k.a. The Mop Lady... ok, I made the last one up. My dad always makes fun of Xiao Shi by calling her those 2 nicknames from her Wushu training with the stick (literally looking like a broom stick!). Well, it looks like a broomstick to me; from my screen & no offense, she does wipe the hell out of you if you provoke her. Seriously... as a wushu exponent for the country. No doubt at all she'll be that ferocious... Anyway, she's still training in China right now, as I write this. All the best to you and hope to see you win that GOLD in SEA Games later.

Ah, speaking of SEA Games, it's the 26th Edition this year and it's gonna be held in Jakarta & Palembang of Indonesia between the 11th-22nd Nov. Looks exciting as I've to be there for another 2 months to go. But the best thing that motivates me most is waiting to see my awesome cousin in action and bringing home that VICTORY.

Weather these days have been strange. Hot and cold in the mix. That's what been screwing up my body so much lately. Heaty, heaty, heaty... Oh well. Made a few new friends along the way and I must say, sometimes, you'll be surprised with what International Culture can teach you. I'm glad I had a good Raya here.

Good movies are around and being released at this time of the year. There's movies like Killer Elite & Real Steel to wait for. Hugh Jackman is playing in the latter. And I just love his Accent. Shows already shown such as Johnny English Reborned will give you a blast of laughters. Spy Kids is just... erm... OK I guess.

FOOD: Hmmmm.... I've had so many new types of food and visited so many new outlets lately in the past few months that I've forgotten what to review and write. But I do remember that there's an article on the newspaper that a guy is being paid to sleep & eat in China. He does reviews for hotels & food outlets and is earning 10,000 Renmingbi a month. Cool job... But I still think Captain Ikin's job is much more cooler. She's the first female captain in Malaysia and is now flying on Air Asia. A true role model and inspiration of mine. I put her as one of my Fav 5 Idols - Career Category.

Oh, that reminds me. I recently went on a scary roller-coaster ride and re-lived those old days in a theme park. Mind you, I've not had such thrilling rides for a LONG time. Damn those inventors... it's really heart-stopping and excitement frilled. I almost lost my heart beats back in some of those spins. If I had to re-describe the sights and sounds; I'd have to say, darkness all around. No anticipation at all. Sudden drops and falls. Front thrust-Back thrust-Side thrust & revolve like there's no G-Force. I was almost thrown out of the seat if it wasn't for the safety harnesses. TIP: the one sitting next to me prayed hard it stops and asked God for forgiveness (don't know for what but... who cares). The cries were genuinely for 'a walkaway' chance. Then, there was another RIDE that I took moments later. It's an outdoor one; so I can actually see my surroundings. Only problem is... I was seated backwards and I have no FREAKING clue what lies ahead. So I was tossed and turned a-dozen degrees here and there in all directions and my feet was dangling in the air like a dance with the hands waving. Only thing is, upside down. Oh... that was anxiety crunching too. Got my fine hairs standing on ends too...

SO~... no one is getting me on any roller-coaster rides or anywhere near them for a long while to go. Unless they intend to finish up my 9-lives that I borrowed from Puss-in-boots. I actually like that story; and they'll be releasing the cartoon in 3D soon. WOOHOO~! Just as I look forward to Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol.

Lastly... this morning, I got an email from a reader of my blog: Ms Christine Chu. I big shootout to you and thanks for your email. I hope you succeed in your diet/health app designing. Appreciate your email request for my opinions as well & hope I get to be the first to play your new GAME. Cool~!

Geez, look at the time (and length!)... I've not written my heart out for a long time to keep in my online diary for so long, that I forgotten how to stop. WOKAY... till next time then. Meanwhile, 'Chapter 26 of the Romance Guide: The Brad Way' has just came out. A friend was asking for it since I've not written for such a long time. So, here it is...

Stay healthy ya'all... LATER DAYz

Chapter 26: How to Form a Strong Bond in Your Relationship

2011-10-01T02:44:00.001+08:00

Relationships are a tricky thing. They have their ups and downs. It is something that like anything else in this world needs work. If we let ourselves be loved and let things be we have much higher chance to maintain a good relationship.

Steps:

Be sensitive to the need of each other. When you notice any differences in your partner's behaviour, ask how is she/he is; is he/she tired or happy? A lot of times we fail to ask how our partner is because we often times so wrapped up in ourselves that we neglect each other.
Don't mix up the house environment with work environment. If there is any problem that is frustrating at work don't bring it at home.
Once in awhile give something to each other to cheer each other up. It can be a kiss, hug, candle, or a simple thank you. Remember that celebrating your loved one is not just for Valentine day.
Be grateful for the things each other has.
Look at the big picture. Don't waste each other's energy on the things that don't matter. Those things are people's affairs or non-constructive arguments.

Tips:

Don't try to be perfect, just be you.

Look for positive things in each other.

Trust each other.

Forgive each other if you have an argument.

Don't rush into anything.

Have patience with each other.

The color of Yellow and its many meanings/uses

2011-07-07T13:48:00.000+08:00

There's this interesting article that talks about the color of Yellow from The Star News today and I thought it'll be interesting to share that. But I'll only quote the un-sensitive part and leave out the political things as I do not endorse or want to be involved in the chaos and end up being questioned later for any National Security Threat.

The extract comes about like this... "And I Quote:"

In psychology, the colour is associated with optimism and cheerfulness.

Yellow, the colour of the sun, is linked with laughter, happiness and good times.

People surrounded by yellow feel optimistic because the brain actually releases more serotonin, the happy hormone that influences mood and sense of well-being.

But yellow can also be quickly overpowering if over-used. When intense, it can inflame and also evoke fear.

Studies show that babies cry more in bright yellow rooms and adults are more likely to lose their tempers in such places.

Apparently, energy levels can be taken up by the intensity of the colour to the point of it becoming an irritant.

Primarily, yellow is used to attract attention.

That is why most danger signs come in yellow and black.

Spiritually, the hue is said to provide clarity of thought and enlightenment of mood.

Yellow has a very colourful use in language. The terms “yellow belly” or “yellow streak” connote it with cowardice, deceit or betrayal.

During the Middle Ages, paintings by Christian artists depicted Judas by dressing him in yellow.

In China, a pornographic film is called “yellow movie”, unlike the “blue movie” used in the west and elsewhere.

In Arab culture, people can recognise a “yellow smile” – a fake expression.

Such smiles are put on when people want to hide their lack of interest, or any other emotion.

It is similar to the French expression of rire jaune (yellow laughter), which means to laugh from the wrong side of the mouth or feigned mirth.

Politically, yellow characterises freedom and moderation in many countries.

In the US, where yellow traditionally has a negative nuance, the Gadsden Flag, a symbol of American independence, has become popular again, especially with “Tea Party” activists.

The yellow flag, with a fierce-looking rattlesnake, coiled and ready to strike, bears the motto: “Don’t Tread on Me”.

The US is also the origin of “yellow journalism” – the phrase to describe irresponsible, exaggerated, lurid and slanderous reporting that can be traced to the late 1800s when two newspaper owners tried to outdo each other with their front-page stories to get the highest circulation.

Joseph Pulitzer (yes, of the Pulitzer Prize fame) who owned the New York World was the first to make use of sensational journalism to impress readers.

For example, his headline for a story on a heat wave that killed many people was: “How Babies are Baked”.

His rival, William Randolph Hearst, who owned the San Francisco Examiner, bought the New York Journal and also bought over Pulitzer’s top writers to outdo the World.

The rivalry was most intense before the Spanish-American War, when both papers churned out outrageous headlines to whip up support for the US, much to the dismay of other publishers and editors.

Both papers were denounced as “yellow journals”, inferring that Pulitzer and Hearst were cowards who chose the easy way to gain readers through sensationalisation and false news rather than responsible reporting.

Unquote.

So, let's not think anything "Yellow" beyond this and push further. On the contrary, I now have an interest in colors under the segment of Psychology instead. Interesting, huh? Yellow can actually have so much mental and physical effects on human. What about other colors? What should I paint my bedroom with? What's soothing and relaxing to choose from? What will make babies sleep better at night/day without waking the Dads & Moms in the middle of the night so we have less "sleepless" occasions? Ironically, Colors DO in fact, associate with Feng Shui... and it's no surprise, the right colors will bring you the right elements such as health, harmony, longevity etc etc etc... especially Prosperity.

Right, have a Yellow Weekend, readers. (Psst: Those of you at Yellowstone Park, don' blow your top, aye? Savvy?)

the F.U.C.K. word well explained [Courtesy of Julian Tan]

2011-06-20T14:23:00.000+08:00

An abstract came onto Facebook awhile ago which should be shared for the knowledge of the General Public. The favorite word of Julian is well displayed and explained in such context and pretext with the proper intention and not to be misunderstood. I disclaim that this isn't anything offensive but just for the sole purpose of comedy, fun & unrelated. Other disclaimers apply.

So, before I share that with you, may I just say happy "FUCKing" before you get to hear the words "FUCK you".

>:)

And I Quote:

WELL EXPLAINED:

In ancient England people couldn't have sex prior to marriage without the King's permission. So if they wished to fornicate, they had to apply to the King, pay the necessary charges and fees and get a Card stating that they were permitted to have sex. That card was hung outside the door as a warning to others not to invade the privacy of a room.

The Card read " Fornication Under Consent of King" (in short , F.U.C.K )!!

Thus a new word was born and it went on to become probably the most used, abused and understood word in the whole world.

Perhaps one of the most interesting and colorful words in the English language today is the word "fuck". It is the one magical word, which just by its sound, can describe pain, pleasure, love, and hate.

In language, "fuck" falls into many grammatical categories.

It can be used as a verb, both transitive (Mary fucked John) and intransitive (John was fucked by Mary).

It can be an action verb (John really gives

a fuck), a passive verb (Mary really doesn't give a fuck), an adverb (Mary is fucking interested in John), or as a noun (Mary is a terrific fuck).

It can also be used as an adjective (Mary is fucking beautiful) or an interjection (Fuck! I'm late for my date with Mary).

It can even be used as a conjunction (John is ugly, fuck, he's also stupid).

As you can see, there are very few words with the overall versatility of the word "fuck."

Aside from its sexual connotations, this incredible word can be used to describe many situations:

1) Surprise -- "What the fuck are you doing here?"

2) Fraud -- "I got fucked by the car dealer."

3) Resignation -- "Oh, fuck it!"

4) Trouble -- "I guess I'm fucked now."

5) Aggression -- "FUCK YOU!"

6) Disgust -- "Fuck me."

7) Confusion -- "What the fuck...?"

8) Difficulty -- "I don't understand this fucking business!"

9) Despair -- "Fucked again...."

10) Pleasure -- "I fucking couldn't be happier."

11) Displeasure -- "What the fuck is going on here?"

12) Lost -- "Where the fuck are we?"

13) Disbelief -- "UN-FUCKING- BELIEVABLE! "

14) Retaliation -- "Up your fucking ass!"

15) Denial -- "I didn't fucking do it."

16) Perplexity -- "I know fuck-all about it."

17) Apathy -- "Who really gives a fuck, anyhow?"

18) Greetings -- "How the fuck are ya?"

19) Suspicion -- "Who the fuck are you?"

20) Panic -- "Let's get the fuck out of here."

21) Directions -- "Fuck off."

22) Awe -- "How the fuck did you do that?"

It can be used in an anatomical description -- "He's a fucking asshole."

It can be used to tell time -- "It's five fucking thirty."

It can be used in business -- "How did I wind up with this fucking job?"

It can be maternal -- "Motherfucker."

It can be political -- "Fuck Clinton!"

It may also have been used by many notable people throughout history at crucial times:

"What the fuck was that?" -- Mayor of Hiroshima

"Where did all these fucking Indians come from?" -- General Custer

"That's not a real fucking gun, is it?" -- John Lennon

"Who's gonna fucking find out?" -- Richard Nixon

"Why the fuck did that apple hit me?" -- Issac Newton

"Heads are going to fucking roll." -- Marie Antoinette

"I could have used a fucking map." -- Ulysses

"Where the fuck is all this water coming from?" -- Captain of the Titanic

"Any fucking idiot could understand that." -- Albert Einstein

"It DOES SO fucking look like her!" -- Picasso

"Okay, I know... we'll build this BIG fucking wall to keep them out."

-- Emperor of the Ch'in Dynasty

"I can't believe I just fucking said that." -- Patrick Henry

"Fucking backstabbers! " -- Julius Caesar

"You want what on the fucking ceiling?" -- Michelangelo

"Fellatio is not fucking!" -- Bill Clinton

"Where is that fucking pizza guy?" -- Elvis

"Why? Because its fucking there!" -- Sir Edmund Hilary

"I don't suppose its gonna fucking rain?" -- Joan of Arc

"Scattered fucking showers my ass." -- Noah

"I need this parade like I need a fucking hole in my head." -- John F. Kennedy

"What are the fucking chances I'm going to heaven?" -- Adolf Hitler

"Hey, where the fuck are your turbans?" -- Christopher Columbus when he discovered the 'Indians'.

Re-energized for the moment

2011-06-13T00:14:00.003+08:00

Using 33 hours to turn a very run-down me into a refreshed, rejuvenated and recharged person was almost a tough thing but a quick, short, simple and spontaneous getaway re-energized me.

Started an early journey to Penang about 6am but managed to get pass a smooth traffic to land in Queensbay Mall just before 10am. Shockingly, no shops are opened yet. Ok, take note: They only open after 11am!

Being hungry without breakfast, I left the mall and head on to New World Park for some Bak Chang, Char Kuey Tiaw & Popiah... then, tried to find my way over to Bukit Bendera. OMG, the queue was horrendous and it was disappointing cos I really wanted to go back up there to sense that special kind of feeling I last left back there. Well, it was already tough for me to get a parking there and to do that incredibly hard parking some more. (The parking space is just exactly enough to allow a cat to squeeze thru between 2 cars which I parallel parked.)

Gave up on that and decided to check-in first. Ok, Golden Sands Resort, here we go~! The room is so expensive during the school holidays peak periods and it's like so "normal". Doesn't even come with a tub after paying for RM754 per night! Geez... and I was also rather disappointed to see that my so-called "sea-view" deluxe was actually just facing the pool and the surroundings because I was on the 1st floor! =_='"...

Oh yes, talk about the check-in... I saw that there was this "drinking station" and took a glass to have my thirst being crunched... Suddenly, this woman from the lounge area came to tell me that the drink was a welcome drink for the "check-in" guests. I said, "I know... I'm a Guest". Then she replied to me that it was for those guests that had just checked-in. Well, mind her, when I told her I am a "Guest", I even took out my key card to prove that. I suddenly went like... (HELLO???, I'm not a non-paying customer!). So I hysterically and sarcastically answered that, "I just checked-in. Any different from 'Just Checked-in Guests'?" It made me sound like there's a time frame for you to check-in and drink a small glass of LIME JUICE:CORDIAL. GEEZ~! DAMN kiam~siap... Cheapskate Shangri-La wanted to spoil my repair-mode mood. FYI, you took RM1,000 CASH from me just for your stinking deposit. 1 Glass of thingy will KILL you ah?

Anyway, back to my relaxation... Had a light nap in the comfy bed. Then hopped out to the nearby Zen Wellness SPA. A 90 minute Full Body works cost RM110++. The fellow wanted to charge RM200++ if they come to my room. WHAT a difference! It's only across the road some more. So, I asked for the 'Free Shuttle Service' and was asked to wait in the lobby in 5mins. Surprisingly, it was just a circle turn away. To be exact, a stone's throw away. Literally... I could pick up a pebble and toss it across the street. Hehehehehe.

The delicate hands did a great job. I was very well "repaired". Heck, I was even stepped on. And psychologically, if you get a belly rub, you'll always think your tummy had shrunken "slightly". Again, I said psychologically. Hahahah... Compare to the hotel's offer, it cost RM495++ for something like that. And I even read about it somewhere on the trip advisor's site that a patron from Dublin claims that some package that the couple had cost them RM300 (for both. not each!) to do a 2.5hr package including nails, body, foot reflexo... spa, candle waxing and many other works. The Dublin pair said it cost them 5x back home to do that. Imagine RM1,500 for 2 pax in Dublin. WOW~!

After that, went on the beach for a walk and see those families enjoying themselves and the water sports. The para-glyding looks so fun. I was offered RM50 per pax or RM100 for 2 pax to fly together. Duration: 1 spin around the beach. Well, sounds kinda reasonable. Normally cost more for tourist. That was a discount for being a local/malaysian. There's also others like banana boat ride, scuba racing and many other fun stuff.

After walking to one end, I saw an old uncle doing a good massage in a hut by the sea side. Wah, he looks like those "Ip Man/Wong Fei Hong" doing some traditional massage/tai chi healing. COST? RM60nett for 60 mins full body. ARGHHHHHHHH... that was what I wanted la! Darn... ok, back to the room to bathe and get ready for dinner in town.

Alice (Wai Yi) was late to arrive cos the traffic on the bridge was slow-moving for her. She came from Bukit Mertajam side. She went to pick up Wen Ting and arrived about 9pm. Luckily, while waiting for them, I bumped into Karen (Kah Ean). Wow... she grew up and changed so much. So happy to see her after so many years. Maybe married life has differed a person. She was with her hubby and parents and then had to run off shortly. Zoey was suppose to try and join but last I checked, she was still at the beach. (Oh, not same hotel as me. She was at Paradise Sandy Beach. That's Tanjung Bungah, I'm at Batu Feringgi.) Finally she had dinner with her mum around 10ish. Good girl celebrating her grandma's bday over the weekend. The fellas and I had hawker food instead. So commercialized already nowadays. Geez~ Gurney, Gurney... (Sotong Kangkong+Century Eggs+Fried Oysters with Coconut Juice)

Oh yeah, Emily Gan was suppose to also reach Penang at night and call me. Wonder whatever happened to that?

Head over to Winter Warmers for some English Tea and cakes+sandwiches with Alice while Wen Ting went to do her eye brows for awhile. Apparently, the two of them was planning their Korea trip the entire nite! Guess how hard it was for them to build an itinerary? Planning for a 7days trip was like planning for some National Economic Summit for them both... Apa~lah. It's just a shopping Free N'Ez trip la! The both of them were exchanging debates while I was meddling with my Earl Grey TEA. Well, excuse me. The lemon slices were so thin, it looked like they took a microscale to measure it exactly before slicing it to 0.00001 milli-micron in thickness. After hearing my appeal, they gave me 4 thin slices of the same milli-micron lemon and a little "pinch" of honey. (Yeah, if I could pinch it, that's the size it would be).

Back to the room, I had a good rest till morning and I head on to breakfast with pancakes, sausages, hash browns, meat & bacons, toast, scramble eggs and stuff like that. This is so back to nature with the little birds flying in and out of the garden settees and some even landed on my table to welcome me. The chirping kinda makes me so "in love with spring nature". There's this young teenage girl that even wore the exact same t-shirt as mine. (The white Universal Studios Singapore Tee) What are the odds? Hehe..

Slept some more... re-energized myself with some zen meditation some more and then... back on the road heading home. Was planning to drop by to visit Michelle but the Hew family had other agendas instead. Uncle bday celeb wor.... ok, nevermind... went straight back to KL and makan dinner with Jack & Kay Wong a.k.a. Sunday Wong. Then, took a 35km journey home to clean myself and rest and pen down this blog.

Overall? I was very well recharged from the relaxing music, sounds of nature, body rejuvenation works, and plenty of sleep (Slept so well and so much that I kena complain I snore so loud in the first history of my life. Resulted from Super tired for months, I guess. And I was just too comfortable + relaxed there.) In fact, I am managed to pen down 2 songs at the beach. Then, play aside, work was done and I say, it's worth it. The trip was one of my best rejuvenation and happiness in MONTHS. Magical, very satisfied and memorable.

I guess sometimes, we should just do nothing but sleep and rest at a good resort. It's good for the body, mind and soul. The serene peace and time to allow your body+mind to heal is an essential part of life that we need once in awhile. A great place to have your meditation, tai chi and yoga. (Psst... they even had dive-in movies after 7.30pm and a great live band by the beach bar. :P~)

Would I want to re-live that again? Definitely wanna do that again. (Retired life? hahaha)

Tired from the past 2 weeks

2011-04-04T11:43:00.002+08:00

Yes, it has been long since I wrote about anything. So, gonna update slightly.

Hong Kong and Macau was lovely. The weather was cooling and I love it. There's also a new special record been broken for being in a same place for over 50 hours (with the special ruling of: allowed to go back to Hotel to bath and eat.) So, in total, there's a 60 hours of NO SLEEP. I knocked out after that.

HK was hazy. But the view from the top will always be that kewl.

Sandie was there to work for a day, enjoy the Asian Film Awards at that very night and she was off to places like Disneyland, Fishing village, Ngong Ping 360 and so forth. Oh yeah, the awards... we saw a lot of people. Aaron Kwok to be specific. He arrived with Zhang ZiYi too. There's Sammy & Sammo Hung, Richie Ren, Carina Lau, Tony Leung and much more.

The night of HK is usually very busky. Guess what? It is. Everyone shopped till their legs couldn't carry them and we ended up having foot reflexology.

Moving on and out of HK. Caught up with Adam just before he went to Cannes and will be enjoying a very luscious honeymoon. Then there's moving house for Mich yesterday.

Oh, Keong, Sandie and I visited Amanda's Studio place. Nice... After that, joined June & Siew Chin for Dim Sum. Pretty much that... rest of it was like WORK, WORK, WORK... Of cos, I did chill a bit with a quick show along with Sandie and gang. Poor Keong didn't join but I was told he got hit pretty bad at Paintball.

Oh, Chin's in Cannes and everything is back to the way it is. Chat a bit with Vien Choi, Rachel & Winnie, who are having their good times (busy studies) in HK as I write.

Till then, let's wait for the next trip back there. Joanne is excited about it already. I think...

Japan's Nuclear problem explained

2011-03-17T01:15:00.000+08:00

We've heard about the Devastating situation of Japan recently and it's a hot topic. Little do we know about what the heck happens and how technically an earthquake caused so much chaos. Well, the radiating thingy is explained by Richard Black of the Environment Correspondent in BBC News.

The building housing reactor 4 (left) appears severely damaged -
despite the reactor itself being shut down

Over the days of the Fukushima crisis, attention has switched from reactor 1 to reactor 3, to 2, back to 3 - and now, to 4.

This is a surprise.

Reactors 4, 5 and 6 were shut down at the time of Friday's earthquake, with some or all of their fuel rods extracted and left in cooling ponds that each reactor building has under its roof.

Once a reactor is turned off, radioactivity and heat generation in the rods die away quickly; down to 7% of the original power within a second of switch-off, 5% within a minute, 0.5% within a day.

Transferred to the cooling pond, allowing technicians to do routine maintenance on the reactor, the rods are supposed to sit quietly until the time comes for their re-insertion or their journey towards disposal.

The tops of the rods are supposed to be about 5m (16ft) below the water surface.

The water keeps them cool and also blocks the release of gamma rays that would harm people in the vicinity.

So why is it that the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has warned: "The possibility of re-criticality is not zero"?

If you are in any doubt as to what this means, it is that in the company's view, it is possible that enough fissile uranium is present in enough density to form a critical mass in the cooling pond - meaning that a nuclear fission reaction could start in the building, outside the containment shield that surrounds the actual reactor.

If it happened, this would lead to the enhanced and sustained release of radioactive materials - though not a nuclear explosion.

Chain reaction

Fuel rods in rapidly-drying pools may be the source
of increased radiation levels

The first event in this chain appears to be that the level of water in the pond fell.

Why that should happen is not entirely clear.

Was the fuel so hot that it caused an unanticipated amount of evaporation? Did the earthquake somehow crack the building's structure, allowing water to leak out?

Did the two fires in the building have an impact? Visually, the building housing reactor 4 is the most damaged on the site - suggesting that reports of the two fires being relatively minor were wide of the mark.

Or, did technicians at some point take water from the pond for use in reactor 4's cooling system?

There is nothing to say they did; but during the chaos of the weekend, with power systems and options disappearing before their eyes, it might have seemed like a good idea.

Whatever the reason, the company admitted on Tuesday that water was below its normal level - and Japanese news sources reported that it was boiling.

This is consistent with the idea that as in buildings 1, 2 and 3, hydrogen was released from a reaction between the zirconium fuel-rod cladding and steam, resulting in an explosion.

Except that in reactor 4 building, the rods were in the fuel pond, not in a reactor.

The government then ordered Tepco to put water back in the pool.

But either because of high radiation levels or broken pumps or some other reason, they could not - hence the decision to drop water in from a helicopter, a technique that is used to fight forest fires.

On Wednesday, this plan was scrapped because of concerns about radiation affecting the pilots. Presumably, there is no water going into the cooling pond.

'Rock and a hard place'

Still, in principle this should not raise any possibility of resumed criticality.

According to Laurence Williams, professor of nuclear safety at the University of Central Lancashire, it could depend on how the rods are arranged in the water.

"In some fuel ponds, they dose the water with boric acid at low levels," he told BBC News.

"In some systems they've re-racked the fuel assembly making it possible to put more rods in the pond than it was originally designed for, and then you might put extra sheets of boron in between."

The incident has sparked fears of radioactivity in
other Asian countries

Boron and boric acid mop up neutrons, the particles that sustain the chain reaction.

In this sort of reactor, water is a crucial component of the fission process.

It acts as a moderator - it reduces the speed of the neutrons, meaning they can be captured by uranium nuclei in the fuel rods, inducing them to split.

Without water, the neutrons travel too fast, and are not captured.

Professor Williams raised a scenario that may be unfolding in the cooling pond in building 4. It is just a possibility, because information is scanty; but here it is.

If the fuel rods are dry and hot, there could be damage to the cladding and the release of light radioactive nuclei.

To prevent that, you would want to inject water.

But water on its own is a neutron moderator and would enhance the chances, however small, of criticality.

"You're caught between a rock and a hard place," he observed.

Now, Tepco is also talking about putting boric acid into the cooling pond of number 4 building.

How closely the rods were packed, whether any boron sheets were in place and if so whether they were damaged by one of the two fires in the building; these are among the many unanswered questions.

Core task

Meanwhile, the most important task remains to get enough water flowing into reactors 1, 2 and 3 to cool the cores.

Following Tuesday's apparent cracking of the suppression chamber in reactor 2 - a likely cause of the radioactivity spike then seen - there were concerns that the same thing might have occured on Wednesday in reactor 3.

However, the latest reports from Japanese news sources suggest reactor 3's containment system is intact.

If that proves to be the case, the source of Wednesday's radiation spike remains a mystery.

It was big enough to force technicians to leave the plant.

Clearly, their presence is crucial to stabilising the reactors. If they were forced away for long periods, the chances of containing the crisis would fall.

"If water is continuously pumped, they could stabilise the position, because the moment when fuel rods are covered with water, the situation is basically stabilised," observed Jasmina Vujic, professor of nuclear engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.

While this work continues, so do the questions over the building 4 fuel pond.

Re-criticality seems an extraordinary thing to contemplate; but if it is not a real possibility, why was such an idea floated by the company itself?

The bigger picture, though, is still one of a serious local incident, with minor impacts outside the plant.

At a news briefing with experts in London on Tuesday, the question was raised as to whether the incident should be upgraded from a four on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES).

INES four is defined as "accident with local consequences", five as "accident with wider consequences".

All the experts said that so far, four was the most apt category.

Japan nuclear alert at Fukushima - Q&A

There have been a number of explosions and fires at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, following Friday's earthquake and tsunami.

Four of the plant's six reactors have been in trouble. How great a danger do these problems pose for people in Japan and further afield?

Has there been a leakage of radioactive material?

Yes. Harmful levels of radiation have caused at least one temporary evacuation of staff at the power plant. Higher than normal, but harmless, levels of radiation have been registered in Tokyo, 140 miles (220km) away.

How much radioactive material has been released?

The World Health Organisation's representative in China says there is no evidence of any significant international spread of radiation.

What type of radioactive material has escaped?

There are reports of radioactive isotopes of caesium and iodine in the vicinity of the plant. Experts say it would be natural for radioactive isotopes of nitrogen and argon to have escaped as well. There is no evidence that any uranium or plutonium has escaped.

What harm do these radioactive materials cause?

Radioactive iodine could be harmful to young people living near the plant. After the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster there were some cases of thyroid cancer as a result. However, people who are promptly issued with iodine tablets ought to be safe. Radioactive caesium accumulates in soft tissue, while plutonium accumulates in the bone and liver. Radioactive nitrogen decays within seconds of its release, and argon poses no threat to health.

Q&A: Health effects of radiation

How did the radioactive materials escape?

In at least two ways. Some is known to have escaped as a result of steam and gas released from overheating reactors. There has also been a release from the fourth reactor's fuel storage pond, which was damaged in an explosion, and caught fire.

Reactor breach worsens prospects

Could radioactive materials have escaped by any other means?

The authorities have pumped sea water into three reactors. This water is likely to have been contaminated by its passage through the reactor, but it is currently unclear whether any of it has been released into the environment.

How long will any contamination last?

Radioactive iodine decays quite quickly. Most will have disappeared within a month. Radioactive caesium does not last long in the body - most has gone within a year. However, it lingers in the environment and can continue to present a problem for many years.

Has there been a meltdown?

The term "meltdown" is used in a variety of ways. Some of the metal encasing fuel rods has been damaged by heat, and may have partially melted (a "fuel-rod meltdown"). However, there is as yet no indication that the uranium fuel itself has melted. Still less is there any indication of a "China Syndrome" where the fuel melts, gathers below the reactor and resumes a chain reaction, that enables it to melt everything in its way, and bore a path deep into the earth. If there were to be a serious meltdown, the Japanese reactor is supposed to be able to handle it, preventing the China Syndrome from taking place.

Could there be a Chernobyl-like disaster?

Experts say this is highly unlikely. The chain reaction at all Fukushima reactors has ceased. The explosions that have occurred have mostly taken place outside the steel and concrete containment vessels enclosing the reactors. At Chernobyl an explosion exposed the core of the reactor to the air, and a fire raged for days sending its contents in a plume up into the atmosphere. At Fukushima the explosions have damaged mainly the roof and walls erected around the containment vessels - though it is feared the steel and concrete containment vessel of reactor number two has been damaged. Even if a reactor at Fukushima were to explode - according to the UK government's chief scientific adviser - it would send radioactive material only 500m into the air (rather than 30,000 feet) and the fallout would be concentrated within 20km or 30km of the site.

Could there be a nuclear explosion?

The explosions so far have been caused by hydrogen released from the reactors. At Chernobyl there may have been a nuclear explosion in the reactor, but this has not been confirmed.

What caused the hydrogen release from the reactor?

At high temperatures, steam can separate into hydrogen and oxygen in the presence of zirconium, the metal used for encasing the reactor fuel. This mixture is highly explosive.

How do iodine tablets work?

If the body has all the iodine it needs, it will not absorb further iodine from the atmosphere. The tablets fill the body up with non-radioactive iodine, which prevent it absorbing the radioactive iodine.

What kind of radiation levels have been recorded at Fukushima?

Levels as high as 400 millisieverts per hour have been registered at the plant, itself. A few hours of this kind of dose-level would cause radiation sickness. However, the level has generally been lower than one millisievert per hour. (A spinal X-ray delivers roughly one millisievert of radiation.) On Monday morning the level was as low as 20 microsieverts per hour - only a few times more intense than the level of radiation experienced on a passenger jet flying at 40,000 feet. Also, intensity of radiation falls off quickly as one moves away from the source, like light from a candle.

Is any level of exposure to radiation safe?

In some parts of the world, natural background radiation is significantly higher than others - for example in Cornwall, in south-west England. And yet people live in Cornwall, and many others gladly visit the area. Similarly, every international air flight exposes passengers to higher than normal levels of radiation - and yet people still fly, and cabin crews spend large amounts of time exposed to this radiation. Patients in hospitals regularly undergo X-rays. Scientists dispute whether any level of exposure to radiation is entirely safe, but exposure to some level of radiation - whether at normal background levels or higher - is a fact of life.

Source by BBC News

Motorists go the extra mile for the number plate of their choice [The Star]

2011-03-03T12:53:00.002+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian motorists may be reluctant to pay their summonses but they will splurge a mind-boggling RM150mil every year for the number plate of their choice.

Records from the Road Transport Department showed that the highest bid was RM300,100 – for the number plate MCA 1 two months ago. The same bidder, Asset Nusa Sdn Bhd, also spent RM101,000 to acquire MCA 2.

The bid overtook the RM242,000 for TAY 1 last year. Prior to that, the record was held by a businessman who reportedly paid RM200,900 for TAN 1.

The JPJ website has listed out the bidders and amounts paid for the MCA 1 to MCA 9999 plates for vehicles registered in Malacca.

Among them were Noraini Abdul Ghapor, who spent more than RM19,000 on two numbers (RM14,444 for MCA 4 and RM4,888 for MCA 7777), and Tan Lay Kang, who forked out RM42,000 for three numbers (RM15,400 for MCA 8888, and RM13,300 each for MCA 3333 and MCA 9999).

Another is MCA 1949, purchased by the MCA for RM2,200 to symbolise the year the party was founded.

Duyong state assemblyman Gan Tian Loo from Malacca spent RM28,600 on MCA 5.

But it isn’t just the auspicious numbers that get the people’s attention.

A news report in 2004 noted that the plate TAH1 was bought for RM14,300 by someone who must have had a sense of humour.

Also, someone posted on a web forum several years ago that the most beautiful number plate he had seen was BBB 888 as it was designed like a piece of art.

Former Penang DAP strongman Gooi Hock Seng went around with MR 6001 to reflect his surname.

Some motorists are willing to hold off the purchase of their vehicles until they get the right number plate.

T. Manuel, who bid for 1988, said: “I waited a while and finally got it for only RM300.”

Another motorist, M. Phylis Mann, said she paid RM200 for the number 1798, which she said signified long-term prosperity.

In the past, JPJ had also released special licence plates for major events such as the 1998 Commonwealth Games and meetings of Asean and the Organisation of Islamic Conference.

“I will not be surprised if we get huge bids for plates starting with WWW – the acronym for the World Wide Web,” Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said.

Another possible popular choice would be the Selangor plate carrying the letters BMW.

The JPJ has earned significant revenue from tenders of special numbers, which is its third highest source of revenue after the renewal of road tax and driving licences.

Currently there are 21,250,145 registered vehicles on the road.

iPhone & the damn Auto Corrects

2011-03-02T14:57:00.000+08:00

It's the early start of March and looks like a good day for Just For Laughs. Thus, I went searching around for good laugh materials to share again.

Ever had those moments where you hate your iPhone for the silly auto-corrections that they make? I've had numerous occasions and I'm sure many out there has theirs too.

Here's some good ones that might just light-up your day:

You've heard it, so now... here's the video of STAND

2011-02-22T01:23:00.001+08:00

Ok, everyone has recently heard the heavy air plays of STAND and some has even came to ask on how to legally download the song. Contributors have came together to donate their rights and their photographs to help piece together this great song's video.

It was initially already made available via Facebook on February 3rd but due to the CNY busy schedule and my internet connection sucks back at my hometown, so, there was a delay to post this and share it.

Quote from Juwita Suwito "This heartfelt 'video' is dedicated to all you wonderful people. Many thanks to Ricky Seong Hee Liew & Sharon for putting this together, and to Olivia Oon Photography, Richard Chan, World YWCA, Anthony See, Peter Chong, Steve Leong, Dan Fiel, Wagner Daniel & Alena Tan for allowing us to use your lovely photos! "Stand" artwork by Chaiyen Wong | Crossline Studio."

To purchase the song in MP3, go to:
http://pul.ly/b/13400.

Touching lives, healing hearts... making a difference [True Story]

2011-02-06T23:13:00.000+08:00

I was giving a talk to a cousin of mine which had doubt in her future and her career even way before she could decide which course to take prior to her entry into the under-graduate stage... the steps she chose was so confusing with everyone influencing her from different angles at home. She finally broke down and cried worrying she had no future.

I took her to the kitchen and shared the story of how I knew a special person named Ai Tieng and later told this special person that nothing should be influencing her choice because what she believes in and destined to take is what will put her in her place in society and make a difference. Such a difference is where all the experts of their own field working like clock-work and harmonious in order for nature to move on.

Imagine a world whereby everyone did not want to be a sewage cleaner. Then we'd have clogged drainage and stinko nations. Imagine if the garbage disposal people weren't your sanitation engineers, the streets would be filthy and we'd have too much pilots and doctors around. These unsung heroes live in our world because they make our world, a better place. An ex of mine who had a PhD in Entomology and Insect Toxicology is now an environmentalist in an Oil & Gas company working on ways to save the environment and help eradicate problems by things like oil spills in the oceans etc... These are the real unsung heroes. How about a Research Assistant taking on the No. 2 killer in Women today? Yes, thanks to Cyto-pathologists that work hard in finding ways to battle the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and make Women around the world free from Cervical Cancer.

Such unsung heroes are much to the known fact. But the real ones should touch the lives and heal the hearts of those who gave up or almost did. These are the leaders and visionaries who had faith in them and taught them. We thank those Teachers for bringing them back to society.

Here's a look at a nice TV Commercial by the Ministry of Education in Singapore that brought a true story of how a kid became something. You don't forget a good teacher. Because they "Teach... You'll be amazed at the difference you can make."

A Walk Down Memory Lane

2011-02-05T23:49:00.001+08:00

Today was a day I chose to be away from all the buzzing and noise. So, I read a good book, wrote a good column, also managed to ring a tune or so with a help of 2 nice tones that I heard by the pool side. I went back to the very place the dolphins made a chapter.

It was a walk back down on memory lane. I had a close thought of what was special to me. As I lay down on the seats of the beach and look up to the sky. I finally found a hymn that made me put a smile on my face for today and started to give a tear which softly rolled down my cheeks.

A kid was playing his sand castle and his sister and him ran up to me. They handed me their spade and smiled at me as the little sister asked why there was a drop on me. That moment, the crystalized drop had sparkled and I replied, because the winds have carried my heart to a very far, far away place. Where the love that I had is now in mid sea that she sees out there.

Then, came another couple along the same stretch that I walked months ago. I look at them once again, like I looked at the same moment in time. It felt like it was just yesterday. It felt like... deja' vu. The two then stood there as the same horizon kept it's source of love away. It was the very same clockwork routine... the sun set with the glow by their background.

At that very moment, I learnt a new phrase from the book I read.

‎"Life is not measured by how many breaths you take; but by how many moments your breaths are taken away"

"I just need to spend one moment with You

Somehow it’s a brand new world I’m passing through

You lift me higher, You let me see

Over the walls that surrounded me

Don’t need to prove myself, just need to show and tell

It’s You in me"

Chapter 25: How to Make a Long Distance Relationship Work

2011-02-05T01:00:00.002+08:00

I was just thinking for awhile ago that Ai Tieng said she was out of a LDR and is now back in one again. It's sometimes rather painful for one to be in and it's more painful to be either out or being kicked out of one. My cousin Ying Yueh then told me about this guy in her life that has a LDR with another person in Singapore and seeing that the girl is kinda attach-y and clingy, I reminded her that it's not always easy to be with such people. But, for the sake of those experiencing it and being in one before, here's some idea that may help you work better. Today, we look at how to make a LDR work or at least, last:

If you are willing to work it out, here's how to give it every chance to survive and thrive.

Remember that it can work out, statistics show that an estimated 2.9% of US marriages were considered long distance, with 1 in 10 marriages reported to have included a period at long distance within the first 3 years.

Steps:

Ask the important questions at the onset, to make sure you are both clear on the parameters of the relationship. Setting parameters such as naming your relationship (dating, seeing each other, boyfriend-girlfriend, engaged) as well as defining exclusive (limited to one person,) or non-exclusive. These can be difficult and awkward questions to ask, but will save you great heartache and misunderstanding down the line. Example: "Are you open to the possibility of relocating if the relationship should become more serious?" or "What are you looking to get out of the relationship?" Stating your end goal or ideas will allow each person to maintain what they need.
Consider using Skype video chat calls every day, and focus on breathing together to share intimacy
Do things together. Defy the distance. As a long distance couple, it's important to do other things together besides the usual phone call. In a long distance relationship, interaction over the phone can become dull in the long run. Incorporating other forms of interaction are important. Just think... People in short-distance relationships do not spend the majority of their time talking, but rather doing things with each other. Try to replicate this by finding things to do together such as watching a TV show or movie simultaneously.
Communicate in some way every day, more than once if possible. Since you won't be seeing each other, it's important to establish and maintain an emotional connection. These don't always have to be long, in-depth conversations. Tell each other about your little triumphs and tragedies. Ask for advice. Use an instant messenger program or VoIP for real-time chat, or web cams for that visual connection. E-mail is great so make sure you use it, especially if long-distance phone calls put a strain on your budget. Remember that e-mail and even instant messengers can increase the possibility of misunderstandings. Write love letters. Send small gifts, cards, or men send flowers for no reason. In this case, quantity is as important as quality. You may discover an advantage over others whose partner is close at hand—you don't take communication for granted!
You can set up reminders, including automatically-recurring reminders, for this purpose in calendaring software on your computer or online. This is especially important when you don't have much contact with the other's friends to remember important events such as birthdays. Try not to keep too predictable a schedule; for instance, don't send flowers the same day of each month.

Take advantage of the benefits a long distance relationship offers: more time with friends and/or family, no arguments over toothpaste caps, the pleasure of seeing your sweetheart again after a long absence, time to mull your options (rather than snapping at your partner impulsively) before you respond to that email s/he wrote that seemed so rude the first time you read it, etc. Most important, being far apart gives you a chance to maintain your individuality—something that can get lost in the shuffle when couples spend all their free time together.
Pursue common interests, even if it means pursuing them apart. If there's a movie you're both interested in seeing, watch it individually and then call each other afterward and talk about it. Read a certain book at the same time. Stargaze while you're on the phone. Set your watches to go off at the same time every day, and synchronize your alarm with that of your partner. Make it a point to think of each other when your watch goes off, and revel in the fact that he or she is thinking about you, too. Find creative ways to bond.
Avoid the temptation to be controlling. People have free will and no one can or should control another person. As long as you are both interested in being in the relationship, you will stick with it and distance will not make a difference. As soon as one of you decides the other is not a good match—or someone else is a better match—your relationship ends, whether you live 3000 miles apart, two streets over, or share the same bed with your wedding picture on the wall. You are going to have to trust each other completely if this relationship is going to work.
Try challenging each other. This is not the same as being controlling. You may find that you can do things for each other that you couldn't quite find the motivation to do on your own. Perhaps you could motivate yourselves to get some exercise or to cook better or more often. It will give you something to do while you wait to see your partner again, and it will give you both something to strive for and talk about until then.
Talk about your future together. Assuming that ultimately you'd want to live together, discussing how you're going to get to that point will help you prove to each other that the relationship is going somewhere and that your efforts and frustrations are not in vain.
Remember: Things will get better with time, and even the relationship will become better. Have hope.
Visit often. Try to make the time to visit each other as often as possible or as often as your budget permits you to. A relationship cannot thrive if the only thing you have is the phone call. You need to see each other up close and personal every chance you get. The key here is to set up some "rules" about frequency of communication and visits and stick to them. Consistency can help a long-distance relationship survive.
Avoid jealousy and be trusting. One of the easiest ways to destroy a perfectly healthy relationship is to poison it with jealousy and drama. When you start a long distance relationship, you must be realistic of the difficulties ahead. It always helps if you go in a relationship with the idea that everyone is innocent and worthy of trust until proven otherwise. Don't fall in the trap of interrogating your partner every time he/she decides to go out for a drink with people you haven't met or he/she didn't get back to you right away when you called and left a message. Just because you are in a long-distance relationship doesn't mean your lives will pause. Your partner will naturally have a social life where he/she lives and so should you. Sure, it helps to have your eyes open and not be totally naive, but being overly suspicious is unhealthy for you and your relationship too. You should both maintain your social activity and be happy with yourselves.
Be positive. Staying positive and not focusing on the negative aspects of a long-distance relationship is essential to keeping your relationship blooming and your partner content. Being away from your sweetie is not all bad news. Use the opportunity of personal time to pursue your interests and hobbies as well as your career objectives. Another positive point is that long distance dating pushes both of you to be more creative, to communicate better since you don't have "face-to-face" time and to test (and express) your feelings. As long as you see the long-distance relationship as a temporary state, you will keep your chin up and transmit that feeling of security and happiness to your partner too.
Give them a personal object of yours so in a time of need, when they miss you, they are able to hold on to something that once belonged to you. This will provide comfort, happiness, and the thought of being with you.
Work towards a balanced relationship between partners. A relationship must be built on strong foundations of trust, understanding and determination to make it work. The two partners should be reasonable about their expectations and willing to cooperate so that the relationship can lead to a happy ending. If these parameters are taken care of, you have nothing to worry about. But don't forget to ask some questions because if you don't, your partner may start to think that you're losing interest.
Create your own set of relationship standards that both of you have mutually agreed upon. That creates a common goal for you to work towards, developing a strong relationship whether you are together or apart. For example, agree to disagree, accept each other as you are, practice trust and honesty, strive towards compromise and self-sacrifice, seek spiritual unity, and maintain open communication.
Remember that you're still in a relationship. You HAVE to be there for your partner. If your partner is ever in trouble, or hurt, or whatever, you have to be there for them. And sometimes, distance permitting of course, that means being actually, physically there for them. You aren't having a cyber-relationship.

Tips:

Remember "Always toward absent lovers love's tide stronger flows."
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Express yourself to free up emotional weight. A poet who's written poetry as a result of a long-distance relationship is Tony Berndtsson - look him up.
A long-distance relationship is no different from a proximal relationship in that they both require a great deal of work, excellent communication, patience, sacrifice and understanding. But you will have to work extra hard to maintain the communication and to stay focused enough to not let your daily life interfere with your desire to be with the other person. Don't forget them or you can forget the relationship and it will all be over.
Sometimes phone/email/IM communication can get bland. Don't forget there are other ways to interact! Use the internet and find things you both can do together. It takes the pressure off, it gives you a break from constant talking, and it can be fun.
One of the hardest parts of a long distance relationship is connecting when one person gets busier than the other. If this happens in a relationship, it is important to maintain communication. If you are the busy person, try to warn your partner ahead of time that you will be working many hours and may have limited time. If you are the not-as-busy person, take advantage of the time by picking up a new hobby, getting in shape, reading a new book, etc. Flexibility is very important.
It helps to have a solid time in the future for when the long distance part of the relationship will end, no matter the time length. Without it, the relationship can begin to mold into something that is always distant—even with great communication. With it, each person can see the point at which the distance will end and work harder to keep emotions readily available.
When talking to your partner, take note of things they enjoy the most (hobbies, day-to-day activities, etc.), and do a little research on it so you have more to do when you see them next. For example: If your partner likes to dance, find the location of different clubs where you will see them next. If you don't know how to dance, take lessons and you will impress them by your willingness to make an effort on their behalf.
Choose a game that you can play together over the internet, whether it is a MMORPG (massively multi-player online role playing game) or something more traditional, such as chess or Scrabble. You will be able to chat while playing and it will give a greater feeling of togetherness.
Mail each other scented clothes (or even clothes smelling of your sweat—pheromones are a great way to establish intimate contact). If you can see each other once a week, leave a t-shirt splashed with cologne for your lover before you leave.
Send each other spontaneous ecards.
Make a creative countdown and mail it to your partner to enjoy until you see each other next. For example, create a photo calendar, with something you add for each day to describe what you love about them.
Do not set unreasonable expectations for your visit and/or future plans. Fantasizing about the visit is fine, but not out loud verbally or by email to your partner. Instead, enjoy the excitement of the surprises to come. By stating that a surprise is coming can allow to much thought time for the receiver and leaves both of you open to disappointments.
The Long Distance Relationship Guidebook is a well-balanced, practical book for couples in long distance relationships who need some guidance.
Buy a webcam so you can chat "face-to-face" and see each other, so when you meet you will remember how your partner looks.
Living far apart gives you both a chance to grow as individuals. Some couples break up to "find themselves", but in a long distance relationship you both have enough space to do your own things and still have a connection.
Don't be afraid to talk about the "boring" parts of your day. The trickier, almost subconscious part is maintaining the feeling of being intermingled in your partner's life, a state the experts often refer to as "interrelatedness."
It's important to talk about the future. If you're not sure how long you will be apart, try to make goals for when you can move near one another again.
Spice things up by meeting halfway (if it's within a reasonable distance) to grab a bite to eat or get some coffee. This is a great alternative if you're not able to dedicate an entire weekend with your significant other.
Don't talk on the phone TOO often. Since most of your relationship is based off of phone calls, you don't want to run out of things to talk about for the whole day. Calling one to two times daily will allow you to talk to each other without having repetitive conversations.

Warnings:

Remember, every kind of relationship takes hard work and dedication to your loved one or partner, whether it's long distance or proximal. If you and your partner are willing to take these steps, then expect bumps and turns in the road. These bumps and turns will only help contribute towards a relationship.
Long distance relationships are not for the faint of heart. They can be very trying (but so can proximal relationships).
Long distance relationships can and will test you and your partner; you need to trust him/her entirely, lest paranoia play a major part in the demise of your relationship. Also, these kinds of relationships can bring a lot of disappointment and heartache, depending on the time you spend away from each other. It is very important that if you want this relationship to work, you must make a great effort not to drift apart.
Long distance relationships are difficult, as you are emotionally attached to a person you cannot touch or comfort and this can hurt your heart and wreak havoc with your emotions. The only way to make these relationships work is if you and your partner honestly believe you will be able to survive without each other for a considerable amount of time. In a relationship, you may have negative thoughts or feelings that are not true, you may doubt your love feelings, or, because of some fights over the phone, you may feel that you don't feel the way you did before for your partner. But these feelings are like demons that will eat up the charm of your beautiful relationship.
Remember, fights are a part of any relationship, and it's up to you to deal with it or to succumb to it. You may end up your life in making and breaking relations and finally landing nowhere or in such a relation that is just socially accepted without your full involvement. If you do, you just spoil your and your partner's life.
When you are alone, take out time to see the photos of your love or any gift that he/she has given or any romantic card from them. At night, before sleeping, try to recollect those wonderful moments that you spent with your love. Try to get cozy with him/her in your dreams. Try to imagine yourself in his/her arms being intimately close to him/her. Remember those times when he/she cared for you.
In a relationship, try to make every possible effort from your side, or you may complicate your life with heartbreaks because when you got into a relationship, it was Love, and also now, it's love but more than love: it's commitment that is most important as love may fade away with time, but it's your positive attitude that will keep it alive.
A long distance relationship is a lot like having a pen pal. Keep that in mind.
It's easier to get into arguments in a long-distance relationship, because you can't always discern what someone's actual tone is through text. It's also a lot easier to say hurtful things when you're not face-to-face, but the words can hurt just the same. Take special care to watch how you interpret their words (for it might not be what they meant), and what you say when you're angry.

How to get the song "Stand" (again) / Air Travel Today

2011-02-02T02:15:00.001+08:00

I must say, there are still some that still requested for the song "Stand" and isn't aware (maybe they didn't search the entire blog or website or Facebook hard enough) on, HOW TO GET the song.

Ok, I'm gonna give the links to the Wonderful song again. Folks, you can hear it on heavy air play by Lite FM etc but you can buy and download it. Read the post here to get to know how:Where to get the Song "Stand"?

To credit another great fan, I've to say thank you to Caevis L** Seok E**. I'm proud to hear that there are listeners out there that appreciate it.

Well, speaking of people who managed to find strangers from no where with nothing... I've to also credit Air Travel. Just to share a bit about the topic, I'd share an extraction of my column for tomorrow's paper which I wrote while I was still on the plane just now.

And I Quote:

"Air travel has made a difference in our modern life nowadays. With modern technology, airlines have enhanced air security and improved the streamlined risk of any forms. From airport check-ins and parkings to the very fine details of even the inflight food. The duty free shopping made careful packing and the cabin crew ensuring stringent quality control.

I've flown a lot in my life. The privilege of being a son of one who is employed to the airline companies has already gotten me started on the flying as early as my first month on the planet.

Later, after the age of 21 has slowed down slightly but not even the suffering economy stopped me from visiting parts of the world. I've gone to lots of places but some locations have given me more memories that is so treasurable than what we face daily in our lives. I've had the privilege to go near and far. I've flown on a rotter plane, fokkers, boeings, airbus industries and much to my delight, I can thank my stars that I even flew on private/corporate jets. Today, I've had the chance to see so many places. But to name a few favorites, it's gotta be Hong Kong, Melbourne, Singapore, Cannes, Paris, Zurich, London, Milan and much more. Actually, even the closest of our eyes can lay on, can be nice too. I won't forget my travels on the road and even with the team even to places like Bandung/Jakarta.

These marvelous marvels have made some of my days easy. From meetings around the region is now possible. I even had the luxury of trying many resorts and relax because of the flights all around the world are getting more and more frequent.

For example, a quick flight to pangkor or Langkawi for a nice sunset and later head down to singapore for a quick night's game at sentosa's casino. The next morning's quick getaway can be easily tabbed with flying back for the brunch meetings and pushed forth after the late lunch discussions and head off maybe to Penang or some where else for a sharp contract signing.

I remembered juggling with the times when we had to fly privately to hong kong for the quick corrective response needed to resolve the mainland china's crisis and later heads off to singapore for the world report on the situation. The case was later relayed and needed to be handed over to the governing authorities in Dubai for immediate despatch and the orders were to be sent down to India for a rough take down. The new job brief was later sent to Thailand to initiate practice worldwide after the tests in India were confirmed. It was great to end of the task back in Kl for a good rest after a hectic 1 week on the skies. Thank my lucky stars again that I don'thave to run to holland or Germany or somewhere so far I lost count of my life."

"That's air travel now. I am enjoying this modern thing since I can kill time on the plane as we go with life. Moving towards my home for Chinese New Year. In this, I bid every reader Gong Xi Fa Cai."

While I was writing this. 2 nice ladies were chatting away next to me. Getting acquainted was the usual. From the moment our meals were served, anything under the sun became a topic. I was glad they enjoyed their trip but nonetheless, alas, the plane must land. I was inserted into the conversation late. A poor tired girl just on my right was struggling to have her rest but the flight was too bumpy for her to enjoy a good snooze. I probably also woke her up when I had to ask if she needed her meal served.

Again, Technology played a huge role to how friendships were made and borne. The forgery of a closer bond came when the product "Apple" took center stage. Well, I had a small spot light when my embarrassing set of Apple(s) came as a topic. I think the common thing we all had was an iPhone. Amy Chua had a bigger size Macbook Pro and she doesn't seems to enjoy lugging it around whereas I had a 13" Macbook Pro that just served me fine. With the addition of the iPad, it worked it's purpose for me. Let's put the Samsung Galaxy Tab aside and out of the conversation for this one. Poor 爱婷 (Ai Chua) a.k.a. Ai Tieng, the student, doesn't have neither the iPad or Macbook. So, she now craves for one.

As I mentioned before, we had less than 20mins to spare as we only went to the hot topic during "approach" (in aviation, that means, usually, the 20mins prior to landing, tells us to put away our toys and buckle up our seat belts, put away our tray tables and so forth). So, the ladies got my card just in time for them to drop me emails/calls later to further collaborate on our businesses that we discussed. At the same time, I had a simple short interview which I normally gets.

Here's the creme de la creme... shocking enough, 爱婷 (Ai Chua) a.k.a. Ai Tieng, manages to find my Facebook out of nothing but my name. Ok, lately, people have been able to find me via FB and its no surprise what Juwita said was true. Short fame for awhile due to the hit song "Stand".

Anyway, 爱婷 (Ai Chua) a.k.a. Ai Tieng, showed me that exceptionally, people do produce amazing, wait... it's Simply Amazing results from the unexpected ways. Maybe that's how Destiny works. Via weird and surprising methods. But I do thank Fate for bringing interesting people into my life. So, does that mean Social Networking plays a part of Fate? Go figure, we've both had a short chat after she reached home. (Mind you, she lives approximately another 100km away from me. Gotta be a long tiring journey for her.) What also impresses me is that she reached home, took out her iPhone and that mini gadget managed to find ME! Oh well, quote of the day: Thanks to Technology, People are Connected... will be rephrased: "Technology, Connecting People."

Malay history: What’s missing from the textbooks (2)

2011-02-01T23:55:00.002+08:00

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Continuation from the previous post and article of:

http://brandonching.blogspot.com/2011/01/malay-history-whats-missing-from.html

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Malay history: What’s missing from the textbooks (2)

Written by John DoeThursday, 20 January 2011 17:10

Contributors

Also interesting to note is the following:

In Late Yuan Dynasty, China became chaotic, people who lived along the coastal area of Fujian, under the leadership of Ong Sum Ping's siblings, escaped to eastern Kalimantan — they landed at the river mouth. When they were exhausted, facing a shipping crisis, someone lost their arms. After that, the Kadazans named it as Sungai Kinabatangan — the place where the Chinese lost their arms.

Ong Sum Ping and his sister, and the Chinese people developed the area of Sungai Kinabatangan, and they increased their influence there. With the increase of his prosperity, the natives named him Raja, or King. The Chinese named him as ‘Chung Ping’ — meaning the General. We can clearly see that Ong Sum Ping controlled Eastern Kalimantan.

This is Ong Sum Ping Road in Brunei.

“Located the north-western part was the Sultanate Brunei; its southern area was controlled by local Malays (from Palembang) and they were in a state of decline. In the eastern part, they suffered from the invasion of the Muslim Sultan of Sulu. When the new (first) ruler — Sultan Muhammad Shah — ascended to the throne, he asked for the help of Ong Sum Ping. Sultan Muhammad Shah married his daughter to Ong Sum Ping, and titled him as Maharaja Lela. Muhammad Shah also asked his brother to marry the sister of Ong Sum Ping, and titled her as Puteri Kinabatangan. Via these marriages, these two regional powers built a close relationship. Under the cooperation of Ong Sum Ping and the Chinese armies, they fought against the Sulu Muslim invasion, and Brunei was saved from utter collapse...???

Without Chinese help, Brunei and Sabah would have collapsed and fallen to the Muslim pirate Suluks. And the year is the early 1400s. And for the record, ‘Kina’ (kee-na) is used by Kadazan Dusun which similar to ‘Cina’ (chee-na) used by Malay which refer the Chinese. So, the correct way to say it in today’s context, is to call it CheenaBatangan, and Mount CheenaBalu, or Mount CheenaBaru (had they mispronounced it), and Kota CheenaBalu (to replace the British given name of Jesselton).

This is all in line with how the Kadazan pronounces Kina, to mean Cheena. Ask your Kadazans friends, if you want to find out more. (‘Sino’-anything, means Chinese)

Mt Kinabalu, is known a Mt CheenaBalu in the Kadazan Language

This is the first clear record of the ‘Social Contract’. Both pendatangs would fight side by side to ward off other vicious attackers. Both pendatangs would help each other in times of need. And both pendatangs would intermarry, regardless of religion.

The second is that Maharaja Lela is a Chinese, and his name is General Ong Sum Ping. Now I ask you this: What is the significance of the title ‘Maharaja’? It contains the word ‘Maha’ followed by ‘Raja’. It is a title to mean ‘Most High King’. A title befitting a God and put together, it means “The God King, Lela???. The king of Thailand (Rama V, aka Chulalongkorn) also changed his name, from Dharma Raja to Dewa Raja)

Using one’s brains, one would easily deduce the following:

Firstly, the Sultan of Brunei was extremely so grateful that he elevated his Chinese brother-in-law to ‘God’ status.

Secondly, no Muslim is going to do that. ‘Maha’ anything is reserved for Allah. And to title his Chinese brother-in-law in this manner, whether Ong Sum Ping was a Muslim or not, is simply unthinkable had the Sultan really been a Muslim. Which again reinforces that Sultan Muhammad Shah was no Muslim.

Thirdly, Malaysia still has the title ‘Duli Yang Maha Mulia’ so I could be wrong about Muslims being able to call a human ‘Maha-something’ instead of the word reserved only for the divine.

And the best of course, is reserved for last:

“In fact according to Chinese records of the Liang Dynasty, Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty, Brunei had been sending her envoys to China and had also been receiving envoys from China. The earliest records stated that in the years 517AD, 521AD and 631AD, Brunei had sent her envoys to China. In 977AD, China sent her envoys to Brunei.??? (see The Brunei Times)

The above sends a clear message that someone else was already King in Brunei circa 876 years before Sultan Muhammad Shah declared himself as Sultan. It is also very clear that the Chinese were already in Brunei 53 years before the Prophet Muhammad was born.

Also important to note, that the Chinese arrived at least 876 years before Parameswara reached Malacca. Could the Chinese have been the original royal lineage of Brunei? Remember that by the Year 53-Before-Prophet Muhammad, Chinese had already been living in Borneo. And never forget that the earliest Arabic maps label Malaya as ‘Barr Chin’ to mean Land of the Chinese.

And even earlier is this:

Second half of the 5^th century: The Buddhist monk Hui-Shen and his Afghan companions travelled from China to Fu-Sang. Yes, the Afghans were Buddhists and carved the Bamiyan Buddhas that were destroyed by the Taliban.

Hui Sen visits Holotan (Java), on his way back to China. And the King of Java then sends seven missions to China begging them to recognize his kingdom, because no one else recognized them. This brings up strange questions. The Javanese kings did it, the Sultan of Brunei did it, and even Parameswars did it. Why were all these kings sucking up to the Chinese over the centuries? Is this what Ketuanan really means? Sucking up to China? All the Austronesians have certainly done it for the past 1,600 years, or more...

Final parting thoughts… Why are the oldest mosques in Malacca shaped all like Pagodas (in Trengkera)?

Why is there no ‘local’-shaped mosque architecture in Malacca? Why is there Bukit Cheena in Malacca, but no Bukit Melayu or more importantly, no Bukit Sultan? Why is there zero trace of any grave belonging to the Sultan of Malacca? Before anyone gives his lame excuse, there are at least 15 royal graves here in Brunei. All intact, all complete, and no missing links.

There are all records ranging from the Chinese (the later ones were Muslims) being in Borneo right from the fifth century right up till the 15th century. So the next time someone tells you that the Chinese only arrived in the 19th century …

Postscript: If I wrote a book on collective Southeast Asian History (complete with actual location photographs), I wonder how many of you people will buy it?

RELATED: MALAY HISTORY: WHAT’S MISSING FROM THE TEXTBOOKS (1)

Bibligraphy

Kenneth Hall, Maritime trade and state development in early Southeast Asia, citing Wang Gungwu, 'The Nanhai trade: a study of the early history of Chinese trade in the South China Sea', JMBRAS 31, 2 (1958): 33, citing Paul Wheatley, The Golden Khersonese, studies in the historical geography of the Malay peninsula before 1500, Kuala Lumpur, 1961, and other secondary sources;

Yoshiaki Ishizawa, 'Chinese chronicles of C1st-5th century AD Funan',

Yoshiaki Ishizawa, 'Chinese chronicles of C1st-5th century AD Funan', citing Wan Zhen, Nanzhou yuwuzhi.

Louise Levathes, When China Ruled the seas, citing the Liang Shu (History of the Liang dynasty) and (i) Paul Shao, Asiatic Influence in Precolumbian art, Ames, Iowa State Univ 1976, and (ii) David H.Kelley, 'Nine lords of the night', Studies in the Archaeology of Mexico and Guatemala, 16, Berkeley, Univ of California Dept of Anthropology, Oct 1972 & 'Calendar animals and deities', Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, 16, Albuqerque, Univ of New Mexico, 1960.
Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (Eleventh ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Ongkili, James P. "Ancient Chinese Trading Links." East Malaysia and Brunei. Ed. Wendy Hutton. Tuttle Publishing, 2001.
Saunders, Graham. A History of Brunei. London and New York: RoutledgeCurzon, 2002.
Wright, Leigh. "Brunei: An Historical Relic." Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Vol. 17 (1977).
"Background Note: Brunei Darussalam". U.S. State Department. Retrieved 2008-12-16.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/m/v/mvp111/karin.htm, citing vol.231 of The Great Chinese Encyclopedia, compiled by court historians of the Wang emperors from 502 to 556 AD (other refs give the editor's name as Ma Tuan-Lin);

Prof V.G.Nair, Buddhist mission visits America before Columbus,

http://www.saigon.com/~hoasen/mission.htm;

http://www.1s.com/hkmission/history/chinese.htm, citing hearsay of an 1100 page diary in the Chinese imperial archives of which only 75 pages of partial excerpts seen;

http://users.wi.net/~maracon/;http://www.ventanawild.org/news/se01/fusang.html;

Kenneth L. Feder, Frauds, Myths and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology, p113-4, citing Frost, F, 1982,

The Palos Verdes Chinese anchor mystery, Archaeology, Jan/Feb 23-27,

quoted onwww.kenspy.com/Menzies/Ships.html regarding irrelevance of these anchors.

J.V.G.Mills, introduction, to Ma Huan, Ying-yai Sheng Lan; John Carswell, Blue & White, p.87; Louise Levathes, When China ruled the seas; Ma Huan, Ying-yai Sheng Lan. Inscription in Galle

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Continuation from the previous post and article of:
http://brandonching.blogspot.com/2011/01/malay-history-whats-missing-from.html

Loss of a Great Friend. A bad start into a New Year

2011-02-01T13:08:00.001+08:00

People who really knows me, would know the distrauted form I am in currently. I lived by a principle of trying to keep and maintain friendships among everyone I know that came into my life and also those that had to depart mainly by the calling of our Maker, the Creator. But rarely, do I have to face one that does not require an unformed reason.

This is the tale of someone greatly that I once knew. I had the pleasure of sharing laughters and many informative things from someone bright and funny. We had never-ending conversations. Or rather, I got to hear a lot of things that is interesting and get to know the inside of another different world. One that I had never been in and the look from the window entices you to discover more about this other realm.

But the dimension took more than a twist recently. It was like a whirlpool that altered everything totally in a 360 degree manner. The same views that we shared, the fate that we had was insignificantly re-destined for an utter sadness.

I remember the sleepless nights that we shared; giving each other so much of contagious laughters and excitement. Each day that I wake up, I look forward to hearing more of the stories and hope to learn more about this person and everything around it. As a person who has to be driven by creativity and excitement, I was so glad that this friend was a fresh well of ideas, inspiration and motivation. Just by listening to this person's positive aura helped me a lot. From starting the day to having everything going my way and it was like a struck of luck. As everything I touch, turns to Gold. The sales pitch that I do, sells well. The ideas that I brainstormed; inspired by this magnificent friend, more creative than ever. The Music that I compose, more harmonious and symphonic than before. The motivation from such a friend, is like a new found Angel.

But all good things must come to an end. The only problem is, it's sooner than I expected. I like the individual for the great change that I felt and helped me a lot. But the friend has different thoughts and perspective otherwise. It has led us, with no other choices, but to part ways due to a simple misunderstanding.

Yes, even the slightest of disagreement can destroy a perfect balance of goodness. And it all came because of who I naturally am. I remember this friend once advised me to be good to myself and learn to love myself more than how I usually treat others. I took the advise and started learning to care for myself more and lately gave a bit of pampering rather than doing everything for the sake of others.

It was also because of this goodness that I gave too much of, eventually became the core problem. I was mistaken to have treated this friend for more than it felt and led to think that the friendship was leading to some Hope and will be misunderstood for a further step into things. I guess when I gave out things like a Christmas present and a souvenir from oversea would construed towards showing affection instead. But neither did my friend knew that Christmas is a season of giving and love; something that I practice and do for everyone I care for. Friend or stranger, everyone is given some warmth from me. The same applies to when I travel. Buying something symbolic is something I'd do, if I had the time and if the item is right.

It wasn't the case. I was also allegedly condone to have cared too much; which by the way, for everyone who knows me, I would as it doesn't cost me anything to care and show concern and regards. Be it long lost friend, close friend, distant friend, new friend, long-time-no-contact friend. I even drop a word or two to the "long-time-no-contact" type once in awhile. Just to let them know I'm still breathing.

Other friends and colleagues of ours, have tried to show care and concern by asking a bit about how things are, or rather could be repaired. I know they weren't intervening, as they were just hoping we could resolve this silly misunderstanding. Being honest with nothing to hide, I'll tell them that I enjoyed the days we had which brighten my life. It was short, it was memorable, it was a dream. I'd like to live in that dream forever but the other party thought we're (or maybe we will, if I mistaken there is such hope, as quoted) living in a real life attachment.

I wasn't looking for that attachment. I was looking for that companionship. That laughter, joy and happiness. That clinging bond. The one that gave a lot of ideas and creates lots of topic. Yes, I know I'm nice to everyone. I grew up in a place where, everyone - yes everyone, is someone I cherish and care about.

I live on a principle in life of being Good to people and believe that good deeds will come to me, if I do. It could be as simple as a conversation period that ends with a subject like the following practice: I talk to every girl that I know or don't know nicely with salutations of "dear, darling, sweetie, madam" and address every guy I know or not with "sir, bro, me lad, dearest of heart." This is because politeness and compliments bring positiveness to everyone.

I also have the habit of getting things for people when I see something nice or suitable for them. Regardless of what relation or whom it is. I also have the bad habit of taking concern of everyone's problem, health and anything at all that I can help with.

Thus my friend has been always asking me to buy things for myself rather than others. Well, I'm a very simple person who is easily satisfied and contended with what I already have.

Coming back to losing such a great friend. I guess there's nothing much I can do when my friend thinks it would evolve into something else or mistakenly taken for hope in the future, in which I did not intend to pursue or take such risk. If I have to admit, I would... I do like the person for being a nice, funny, caring, witty-cunning-tricky attitude. Also possesses a bright intelligence with good maturity, understanding & generous heart. Importantly, this person has a decent heart. Trust me, I've seen horrible people before.

Sigh, saying so much is useless. The time has come. The moment has passed. The friend is gone and I could not salvage what goodness is left between us. A public message was left to ensure that I get the message loud and clear and that I will be embarrassed enough to face it. This friend had assumed that I made lots of "complaint" because of the care and concern others had shown but again misunderstood that I could only tell the truth, when asked, that the current situation is just as per: a 1 way communication dead-end.

I hope it will not become a habit for friend(s) to come and go. I've tried to clear the misunderstanding but to no avail and guess I'll be starting this New Year with a Loss of a Great Friend.

"And the raindrops keep falling into my heart,
and i just can't deny what feels so right.
Do i let myself go and feel the rain,
or should i play with caution and refrain?
Whatever i do, when it comes to you,
i know sometimes love plays the part of a fool."

The extraction from the Song "Part of a Fool" dedicated in loving memory of this lost friendship.

Creativity from different aspects - The PEN Story

2011-01-31T19:21:00.000+08:00

Creativity can come from many different ways and sometimes, it just pops into your head even from the slightest thing that relates to it. Many think that by sitting in front of a computer other than doing work, it's called "Curi Ular" or "lazing else where." Maybe for those typical office administrative or clerical work people.

Those that require creative elements in their work, like Advertising Firms, Branding, Public Relations, Media, Broadcasting, Design, Multimedia, Marketing Communications and much much more, will have to disagree that watching things like YouTube or some other thing is "playing". Even an inventor requires playing to get the job done. Some fun will instill and inspire while other activities bring the slightest of a touch to sensitivity and magic.

The PEN Story comes about from how Stop Motion can bring out a story into an actual Motion Picture. A short story play was developed with such motivation and the inspired work gave me more and more ideas.

An example is seen below using 60,000 pictures; developed 9,600 prints and shot over 1,800 more pictures again. With NO POST PRODUCTION, the wonders was brought to reality.

Thanks to all the stop motion artists who inspired the producers. I hope you enjoy :-)

Some of the comments we (the online community from the forum) have read from the original link suggest that we should mention the creator of "A wolf loves pork", Mr Taijin Takeuchi.

While we were looking for a way to realise a story describing "a journey through time" based on printed images, we were inspired by Mr Takeuchi's brilliant work. For this reason we intentionally quoted his work in our little movie while showing full respect to his original idea. We didnt mention his name because we did not want to do so without his prior agreement.

However after considering some of the comments posted here we have decided to add credits to him and his work, which we obviously absolutely love.

The Lonely Island - weird song called: I just had ***

2011-01-27T03:05:00.003+08:00

I went laughing when Krystal Chong Suk yee shared and introduced a song to me and we went: "oit? ape da lagu nie?

Guess what? Apparently, the Group - The Lonely Island sang with Akon.

Now the wonders has risen. In 2005, Akon felt "Lonely". Then he started telling everyone in 2007-2008 that "I wanna f*ck you" and "I wanna make love, right na na na... etc". So, in 2010, he started with "I just had s*x". NEXT? Well, I'll tell you what's next. In 2011, "That's not mine" may become a number 1 hit on the billboards but... in 2012, Akon's latest hit storms the air waves with: "I Just got AIDS"

Anyway, here's the stupid lyrics [UNCENSORED ], LOLz:

I Just Had Sex

(Andy Samberg)

Sometimes (Oh-oh-ohhh)
Something beautiful happens in this world (Akon!)
You don't know how to express yourself, so (And Lonely Island!)
You just gotta sing

(Akon)

I just had sex (Ay)
And it felt so good (Felt so good)
A woman let me put my penis inside of her (Her)
I just had se-ay-ee-ex
And I'll never go back (Never go back)
To the not-havin'-sex ways of the past

(Samberg)

Have you ever had sex? I have, it felt great (Yeah)
It felt so good when I did it with my penis (Yeah)
A girl let me do it, it literally just happened
Having sex should make a nice man out the meanest

(Jorma Taccone)

Never guess where I just came from, I had sex
If I had to describe the feelin', it was the best
When I had the sex, man, my penis felt great
And I called my parents right after I was done

(Samberg)

Oh, hey, didn't see you there, guess what I just did?
Had sex, undressed, saw her boobies and the rest
(Was sure nice of her to let you do that thing)
Nice of any girl ever (Now sing)

I just had sex (Ay)
And it felt so good (Felt so good)
A woman let me put my penis inside of her (Her)
I wanna tell the world

To be honest, I'm surprised she even wanted me to do it
(Doesn't really make sense) But man, screw it
(I ain't one to argue with a good thing) She could be my wife!
(That good?) The best thirty seconds of my life

I'm so humbled by a girl's ability to let me do her
'Cause honestly, I'd have sex with a pile of manure
With that in mind, a soft, nice-smellin' girl's better
Plus she let me wear my chain and my turtleneck sweaters

So this one's dedicated to them girls
That let us flop around on top of them
If you're near or far, whether short or tall
We wanna thank you all for lettin' us fuck you

She kept lookin' at her watch (Doesn't matter, had sex!)
But I cried the whole time (Doesn't matter, had sex!)
I think she might've been a racist (Doesn't matter, had sex!)
She put a bag on my head (Still counts!)

I just had sex (Ay)
And my dreams came true (Dreams came true)
So if you had sex in the last thirty minutes
Then you qualified to sing with me

I just had se-e-ex (Everybody sing!)
And it felt so good (We all had sex!)
A woman let me put my penis inside of her
I just had se-ay-ee-ex (I just had sex)
And I'll never go back (Never go back)
To the not-havin'-sex ways of the past

Not your traditional Lion Dances

2011-01-26T03:04:00.002+08:00

Ever wonder what will the Tiger do just to win the hearts of those leaving the Year behind soon just before the Year of the Rabbit takes over?

Well, Lions, the more 'senior jungle creatures' will come together to help their less predominant subjects out-do the Rabbits.

The Kings of the Jungle made a fusion of their dance and decided to woo their audience with this!

And the result? Not your typical traditional Lion Dance. Check out this modern Hip Hop Lion Dance at Raffles Place in Singapore. It's even got Ballet (LOLz, cute tut-sie for the Lions.) and something like Michael Jackson's Pop dance moves too.

Interview 1: Interview with a Vampire? The Series of recent interviews

2011-01-26T02:49:00.000+08:00

Bee Chin was just talking to me about reading a recent interview of me in Jus Box. A magazine in Philippines (I think it's available somewhere in Makati City etc). I've not actually gone back there for about 2-3years already but the tabloid did interview me, if I'm not mistaken, 5 weeks ago?

So, speaking of interviews, she asked how was my interview tonight with Roy. A friend of hers from Singapore that's actually the Chief Journalist for the column 8-Gua Qings & Kueens. I noticed it was actually deliberately spelled this way. So, the 8-Gua column is for a magazine as well called The KeyPoh Chees. (no wonder the column sounded so busy body).

Anyway, Bee Chin brought up the topic because there had been series of interviews and she just wanted to know what was asked and how it was like. Another fan who emailed me in October did ask about what interviews were liked and what were asked etc. Stacy even requested to have some of the interview Q&As just for her curiosity and knowledge.

So, today, for Queenie Wong, Carmen Liaw & Bee Chin, I'll post Roy's interview here.

Roy: Evening Mr Ching, is this how I'll address you?
BC: Well, you can call me Brandon. Friends do call me Brad too. Close ones like sisters tease me with Bran Bran. *smiles*

Roy: Oh Brad it is. So, Brad.. The Qings & Kueens @ 8-Gua, and some netizens too, recently heard a gasp of news about you. You've became a hot topic for about weeks now and thus we called for this interview.
BC: Really? I'm flattered. Thank you anyway, for the interview.

Roy: We were told that Magix Productions & NJB House has just finished the shooting of 'Island in the Sky'. Is it a fictional movie?
BC: Yes, it's fictional and I play a small part as the character of an Assistant Manager for a Restaurant.

Roy: The movie is now at it's post-production stage, am I right? We heard the music is very unique. And I was shared a small snippet that sounded like holistic type of score. Is that true?
BC: Wow, it has leaked that far down South already? Yes, the movie intended for Taiwanese market is centered around beautiful scores to the hymn like Enya's music. The Music Director said she was inspired by Enya, in fact.

Roy: Our sources told us that you are part of that too?
BC: *Giggles* not exactly. I gave my 2 cent's worth only. I like to hum some tunes that helped her make the actual pieces.

Roy: What's the challenging part of your role?
BC: I guess it's the part where I've to run after the Jewelry store's snatch thief. Which turns out to be the store owner's daughter! We had so much exchange of words, I can't run and remember my lines so much.

Roy: You're not an actor by nature. But what made you decided to do a small part of this play?
BC: Play? It's a movie! Everyone hopes to be in one. Well, it's not a big time movie but, it's definitely for FUN. I just think it's a wonderful experience.

Roy: OK, then what do you actually do for a living?
BC: I'm actually assisting and consulting certain entrepreneurs and corporations.

Roy: Really? And they are in the movie line too?
BC: No, they range from Broadcasting to Oil & Gas, Aviation, IT and even Sports too.

Roy: I see. And music & acting is a hobby?
BC: Music is my passion. I love MUSIC. Making them, singing them. But acting is just for the fun and the little money I make over the few months. I'm just a small supporting character. It's not like I'm the STAR.

Roy: Recently, there's a re-run of an old drama that you had a small part in too. "Third Eye Blind" - you played a Vampire, wow!
BC: Ya. That's a very old drama. I think in 2001 or so. I was in 5 or 6 episodes only.

I was suppose to be a crawling half bodied zombie but the casting director felt I should do the vampire because she always got surprised when I suddenly "popped" in front of her every time I walk around the hostel. She said I had no sound at all. No foot steps and all of a sudden, I'm always like a ghost that haunts her.

Thus, she wanted me to play the role of the vampire which seeks the blood of the one his former mother.

Roy: I agree. I was actually scared for a moment when you look green with your fangs as You Yu and Hui Xing opened the wok.
BC: *smiles* Naturally.

Roy: Ok, that aside. You played in other tele-dramas too. Don't you?
BC: Yes I did.

2 Seasons of The Eric Factor, also aired in Taiwan by GTv, as Dr. Eric Tsang and here's a spoiler: Season 3 is already been scripted and 2 episodes has already been shot so far.

Roy: I liked that show. Any new comers?
BC: Yes, 3 new supporting characters and 1 new actress.

Roy: Is that your new lover for Season 3?
BC: Good guess. She is an ideal partner, both on screen and real life.

Roy: Interesting, so what's your ideal partner in real life?
BC: Ah~ I was analyzed by a close friend before and he laughed when he concluded that I actually prefer Long Haired, Decent Feminine Ladies. His girlfriend and himself would not believe each time I retaliated to say I've no demands and criteria; just as long as she loves me back.

Eventually, I will just admit it; if those around me saw it in me. Honestly, I just like mature, caring, independent, bright ladies. Those things like being sweet, gentle, smart, thin etc are bonus extras that I could ever ask for. As I always say, I'm not fresh radish skin. Who am I to choose?

Roy: *laughs with his other team mates* Well, *giggles* let's wrap things up with some other simple questions. If you have a Million Dollars, what would you do?
BC: Why does it always have to be this question... *roll eyes* ok, my manners. Sorry, expected something else. I'll say, invest it properly with a small portion. Help the children in need. I'm a strong supporter and endorser of the World Vision. And probably take some for simple things that I need or like to buy. Oh, and travel a bit too.

Roy: Travel? Where to.. perhaps?
BC: Erm... I've always like cold places. So, somewhere with snow for awhile. I'll probably go eating a lot in Japan & Hong Kong. And if I'm there, it means I'll probably shop a lot too. Then I'd like my family and loved ones to rest and relax at the beach resorts with me.

Come to think of it, my cousins and I have always been trying to plan a water sport vacation but to no avail due to their class schedules colliding with my busy routine and all. Oh, and I'll want to snooze in Melbourne for a moment again. Just to recharge myself with their friendly and nice Hospitality.

Roy: Any advise to the young wanna-bes?
BC: Take your dream a small step at a time. It's not like everyday you get to be where you're going. Listen to the seniors around you and they can get you to greater heights with their respect and knowledge. I'll have to say, most importantly, believe in yourself.

Roy: Oh, and Happy Beloved Birthday in advance. Could you share with your fans and our readers, what would you likely be wishing for? Please give us an answer from the heart and not those, save the world sorta crap. If you could. (Whispers to my ear: Just Kidding!)
BC: Awww... so thoughtful of all of you. Well, before the wish on the day itself, I have been having 1 wish lately. And it's to hear from someone I've not spoken to for quite some time already. This Friend is important to me and ALWAYS makes me inspired and in a happy mood. The positive aura and good luck charm makes each day, a bright one with hopes and dreams. I hope before that day is over, I could have that tiny moment. It's more valuable than any gift in the world. It's all that I want and ask for this year.

Roy: Thank you very much for this evening. We'll pray for your wish too.
BC: I'm grateful for your time and thoughts too.

More former & future interviews will be included next time.

The World within the Prodigy

Stop Racism

True Love - something very little people understood when I explained it

When a man loves a woman

Lowe proposes to Shirley in a moment of OMG! / while Oppositions get INTENSE with Parodies

周星驰帮1Malaysia站台！

星爷找Kaki参加BERSIH

污奸盗-大马超级禁片 (Corrupt Affairs- BM subtitles)

The inventory & innovation of time pieces

Why Ghosts Are Spooked by HD Camera

Why Ghosts Are Spooked by HD Camera

How the Wrestling Ring Collapsed

A phenomenal lesson in ring physics

The flooded Bangkok. The amazing facts about Bangkok, Thailand

Times have changed & so does our style of culture

Ritual held to enable Jobs to be reincarnated

The Weird World Around Us

Being large does not equate to being unattractive!

End of an Era: R.I.P. Steve Jobs

Tuesday Humor Remedies...

September to remember

Chapter 26: How to Form a Strong Bond in Your Relationship

The color of Yellow and its many meanings/uses

the F.U.C.K. word well explained [Courtesy of Julian Tan]

Re-energized for the moment

Tired from the past 2 weeks

Japan's Nuclear problem explained

Japan nuclear alert at Fukushima - Q&A

There have been a number of explosions and fires at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, following Friday's earthquake and tsunami.

Motorists go the extra mile for the number plate of their choice [The Star]

iPhone & the damn Auto Corrects

You've heard it, so now... here's the video of STAND

To purchase the song in MP3, go to:http://pul.ly/b/13400.

Touching lives, healing hearts... making a difference [True Story]

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Chapter 25: How to Make a Long Distance Relationship Work

How to get the song "Stand" (again) / Air Travel Today

Malay history: What’s missing from the textbooks (2)

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Malay history: What’s missing from the textbooks (2)

RELATED: MALAY HISTORY: WHAT’S MISSING FROM THE TEXTBOOKS (1)

Loss of a Great Friend. A bad start into a New Year

Creativity from different aspects - The PEN Story

The Lonely Island - weird song called: I just had ***

Not your traditional Lion Dances

Interview 1: Interview with a Vampire? The Series of recent interviews

To purchase the song in MP3, go to:
http://pul.ly/b/13400.