A Singaporean in Melbourne

Obama's State of the Union address 2012

2012-01-25T14:30:00.001+11:00

listening to Obama's State of the Union speech. Wow! What an orator! "Each time I look at the flag, I remember that our destiny is stitched together like that 50 stars and 13 stripes. No one built this country on their own. This country is great because we built it together. This nation is great because we worked as a team. This nation is great because we get each other's backs. And if we hold fast to that truth in this moment of trial there is no challenge too great, no mission too hard. As long as we are joined in common purpose as long as we maintain our common resolve our journey moves forward, we have hope and our Union holds strong...

Six Fast Ways to Kill Weeds

2012-01-24T14:41:00.001+11:00

I like to read about non-chemical (organic ways) to deal with weeds. This seems quite useful.

http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/6_fast_and_natural_ways_to_kill_weeds/

By Janelle Sorensen

Sunday, June 21, 2009

It’s summer time and the weeds are growing like, um, weeds. Instead of reaching for a toxic chemical that could be harmful to your family or pets, try one of these easy natural ways to kill weeds quick.

1. Use mulch to smother weeds. Covering garden soil with a mulch blocks weeds. Use two or three inches of shredded bark, wood chips, straw, cocoa bean hulls, gravel or rocks. The mulches will also keep moisture in the soil so you'll have to water less frequently.

2. Douse weeds with boiling water. Weeds, like humans, will burn if exposed to boiling water. This method also kills weed seeds.

3. Soap weeds to death. Mix 5 tablespoons of liquid soap (such as dishwashing liquid) in one quart (4 cups) of water in a spray bottle. Coat the weeds with the soapy water. Works best on hot days.

4. Pickle weeds with vinegar. Pour household vinegar into a spray bottle and evenly coat weeds with it. U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists recently confirmed this in tests. Vinegar is really five percent acetic acid in water, and it burns the plant, especially on sunny days. For extra strength weed killer, look for pickling vinegar, which is nine percent acetic acid. Don't get the vinegar on your garden plants, as it can kill them too.

5. Give weeds a stiff drink of alcohol. Mix one to five tablespoons of alcohol – depending on how stubborn the weeds are – with one quart (4 cups) of water in a spray bottle. Shower weeds with the spray. Don't let the alcohol get on garden plants as it may damage their leaves.

6. Don't let 'em sprout! Use corn meal gluten as a pre-emergent herbicide and fertilizer. Corn meal gluten prevents weeds from growing, then breaks down to provide nitrogen to your plants or lawn. Use it on lawns or established perennial beds, as it won't kill already growing plants. That does mean, of course, that it won't work on already existing weeds.

Ranunculus Flowers

2012-01-18T23:34:00.001+11:00

My order from Garden Express arrived today. I purchased 1250 ranunculi corms (bulbs) for $193.

http://www.gardenexpress.com.au/ranunculi-mixed-planting-stock/

I love raunculie flowers. Absolutely love them. They come in a rainbow spectrum of colors and shades and because they are relatively cheap- you can plant them en masse.

The effect is stunning to behold.

The problem is that if I plant them straight into the ground now (in January to March) here in my Melbourne garden, most of them will only spring up after Winter - in September, October and flower in November- which in effect means that they will only get one month before they start wilting in our hot Spring sun.

The raunculies need a cold start - 4 to 8 weeks of cold weather - to shake them out of their slumber. That's why they will only spring up after June.

But there is way to trick them.

What you have to do is to place them in the fridge (not freezer) for 4 to 8 weeks before planting them in mid-February. The NZ website advises 4 weeks. The US site recommends 6 - 8 weeks.

If I can recall correctly, we left our batch in the fridge for one month
The plants will be fooled into thinking that winter has come and gone and that Spring is now in season. They will start growing and in 10 - 12 weeks- flower in May, June.

The ranunculus being a Mediterranean spring flowering plants will tolerate our Winters easily - so long as they don't get frost. They tend to die back in our warm Spring when the weather gets hot and will not tolerate temperatures of 26C+.

I'm going to try and jump the gun and start planting them in mid-Feb so that I can have a longer flowering period. I have done this before successfully - but iirc I planted them in March.

Place them in an area which receives full sun and has good drainage - like a slope or a raised garden bed. Like most bulbs, they do not tolerate soggy ground.

They require to be planted about 4cm into the ground about a thumb length size down.

Fertilized them to help them flower. Add all purpose fertilizer when you plant and supplement it with half strength fertilizer every two weeks thereafter. I like to use a spray on liquid seaweed fertilizer. Its easier.

The reward is that while everyone else's garden is gloomy and grey, my garden will be bursting with color. How fantastic would that be???!!!

You should also cut the flowers for display indoors. Apparently they seem to like it and will produce more flowers.

If you don't wish to place them in the fridge you can still plant them in March to May - the problem is that the plants will start flowering in late Spring, early Summer October/Nov. And the plant will start wilting in November when the Australian weather starts warming up (if not earlier).

This is a photo taken back in 2002. The ranunculus flowers make an exceptional mass display.

If you intend to keep the ranunculus bulbs, stop watering them in mid-Summer. For best results, pull them out of the ground and store them in a dry and cool place.

They can be delicate to grow outside: a wet, windy spring will damage flowers badly, while hot, dry conditions will cause foliage to yellow prematurely and restrict flowering.

You might like to read through some of the literature regarding ranunculi but you have to remember that their tips are more applicable for people in America and England.

http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/g-21-ranunculus.aspx

http://www.aorangi.co.nz/FactSheets/FactSheet6.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_6381824_plant-ranunculus-spring.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ranunculus-flowers-season.html

You can also save the seeds of the ranunculus for planting. I did that once but unfortunately I made the mistake of covering them with a top layer of topsoil. Apparently its best to place them on top of the sawdust mulch and water them in.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5114455_grow-ranunculus-seeds.html

Abalone Diving

2012-01-17T01:15:00.001+11:00

Every Summer when the weather gets a warmer in Victoria we go diving for abalone. And spear fishing too. Our favorite spot is Back Beach 16 in Rye. Its near the entrance in the Port Philip Bay area - plenty of rock pools, mini bays, and kelp forests - and the water is pretty clean here. This part of the coast faces the Bass Strait. Swim out and if you don't bump into Tasmania you'll end up in the South Pole not long after. The water temp is still pretty chilly 13C - 18C because of this.

We found this beach - Dimmicks Beach - off Pearse Road, not far from our usual hangout. Its got sandstone reef flats that extend 50m out to the open sea like a big submerged tabletop. As the tide is receding you can see the sandstone reef flats being exposed by the riptide. The conjunction of tidal surf in the dropoff causes whirlpools and massive swells.

But Rye Beach 16 is still a very nice beach.

The Park Rangers and Marine Park Inspectors are very enthusiastic about their job. Each time that we go, morning, noon and night, we've been checked out by the inspectors each time we come back to the carpark. I suspect that a neighborhood coastal watchdog service monitors all the ~~Asian men~~ divers who go to the area. The fine for illegal catches is $10,000 and confiscation of your means of transportation.

Gardening early Summer November - December 2011

2011-12-30T13:56:00.003+11:00

So far the garden has had a good start to Summer. Plenty of Rain (for Melbourne) and plenty of sunshine.

Unfortunately plenty of weeds - but 100 hours of weeding and spraying work + 2 cubic metres of mulch will help cure that. Did I tell you I generally loathe weeding? But its a bit like doing your tax. You hate it but you still have to do it, unless you're like me - which reminds me to send a card to my accountant who has practically given up hope on me.

Anyway, screw all the bad vibes. I'll show you some of the gardening photos I've taken this month- the roses, agapanthus are doing very well this season. The rose flowers are getting mildew, blackspot, and a possible botyeris infection. I blame the hot humid wet conditions.

I've only got one rosemary bush in my garden. I decided to propagate it. Stick the cuttings in a glass bottle with water and wait til the roots appear before transplanting it. Its that easy! I did the same for my Lavender except they all went into the potting mix pot instead of the glass bottle and now I have about 20+ plants. I did not use any root chemicals. Although they say that dipping the end bits into honey is suppose to help produce roots faster.

I make no apologies for liking beautiful things. Even the humble box art cover of a box of sea salt. I like it!
We're surrounded by so many vile things - so to compensate, you should have beautiful objects and things.

I collect Noritake porcelain. Its beautiful, inexpensive and very good quality.

Spare time reading

2011-12-28T13:38:00.000+11:00

For kicks I like to read academic articles. Now, I don't claim to have read them fully, sometimes skimming through them or cherry-picking parts I like. One of the subjects that interests me is the interpretations and re-interpretations of the absolutely appalling history of Kampuchea (Cambodia) and how other readers see the whole affair too.

I was very bemused when Noam Chomsky, who was a great defender of Pol Pot's regime, was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize of 2011. I mean, what has he done to deserve it? And can someone who is living in a free liberal democratic nation be called "courageous" for criticizing the government? Its ridiculous. They should have given the prize to someone whose very life was endangered by speaking out against corruption and crimes against humanity.

When I look at lefties, they seem stuck in a protest mindset at the height of the Vietnam War. ie. US Govt evil. Lefty Govt good. But that's just me, because I'm a liberal conservative.

And so Noam comes up with this line- written in 1977 when the world, even the Reader's Digest, was well aware of the atrocities going on in Cambodia.

The "slaughter" by the Khmer Rouge is a Moss-New York Times creation. Noam Chomsky
http://www.chomsky.info/articles/19770625.htm

He says this because - the evidence is coming from Western Media and the US Govt - so by default, such claims are "a completely worthless source".

The whole thing becomes rather infantile. Instead of meaningful dialogue - it becomes a case of us and them. A sort of "(insert Country name) bomb" game.

"India bomb, India bomb, India bomb to Pakistan bomb"
"Pakistan bomb, Pakistan bomb, Pakistan bomb to England bomb"
"England bomb, England bomb, England bomb to..."

What I find perplexing... and paradoxically enlightening in my understanding of how humans behave, is the way Noam Chomsky chooses to deny he ever supported Pol Pot's evil regime and instead chooses to do some serious mental yoga moves to rewrite history. It would have gained him the respect of many people if he had simply come out, admitted he made an error in judgement instead of trying to rewrite or re-interpret his earlier stance on Pol Pot's regime.

I guess the moral of the whole story is that very smart people can be incredibly petty, proud, and incapable of seeing their own flaw even if it bit them in their ass. And sometimes, when you hate something long enough, you end up becoming like it. You become what you hate.

Anyway, here are some articles which I've been reading on the whole subject.

I see it as an education in rhectoric - ways of arguing etc.. and you get gems like this by Bruce Sharp:

Bruce Sharp, "Curiously, he never gets around to explaining precisely what he thinks is "dishonest." (Generally, I believe it is customary to cite something that is actually false when you accuse someone of lying.)"

Bruce Sharp: "I find myself rather underwhelmed by the accuracy of Professor Chomsky, a man who is surely one of the world's most renowned scholars. There is something vaguely amusing about being called "dishonest" by a man of the Professor's stature... particularly when he admits that he didn't actually read what I wrote, and neglects to explain exactly what I said that he finds dishonest."

http://www.chomsky.info/articles/19770625.htm

http://www.travelbrochuregraphics.com/extra/hypocrisy_of_noam_chomsky.htm

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/2779086.html

http://www.mekong.net/cambodia/chomsky.htm

http://slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=12441

http://www.chomsky.info/onchomsky/1985----.htm

http://shirazsocialist.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/noam-chomsky-and-pol-pot-my-enemys-enemy/

http://www.mekong.net/cambodia/reply_to_chomsky.htm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/10/malcolm-caldwell-pol-pot-murder

http://www.city-journal.org/html/12_3_urbanities-americas_dumbe.html

Weeding

2011-12-21T17:33:00.000+11:00

Just spent a good hours weeding away in my garden - I'm totally buggered. I got have 2 cubic metres of mulch I need to pour onto the flower beds to prevent the weeds from coming up.

Of course it won't prevent ALL of them from coming up. Some will still manage to break through. But the impact of the mulch will kill a lot of the weeds and also make it easier for me to pull the shoots when they poke their heads out of the ground.

To do it right you also need to place wet soggy newspaper underneath the mulch - on top of the weeds, top soil. But I don't buy newspapers and the local library is being run by an old bitch who refuses to pass me any of the old newspapers - which is all placed into their secured paper waste bin. Argh, I'm not going to sell the papers you stupid woman. I'd make more money pulling the tyres off your car and flogging them off. Geez.

Anyway, I buy my mulch from Col Smith. 1 cubic metre cost about $65. I buy a mix of two types. Eucy and something called Finebark - so 2 cubic metres, roughly one truck load. Its a good combo. The birds have a problem trying to dig at it. Total cost is $140 including delivery. Its a do-able amount for me.

What's a cubic metre? Well, pile it up and its roughly the size or volume of an office desk.

Placing it on the garden bed gives me a bit of respite. The weeds will eventually poke through in 3 weeks time or so and generally they are easier to remove due to their need to push through the mulch to get to the sun.

Reading about gardening is much more easier. I find a few good links on gardening I'd thought I'd share you you.

A good way to turn your compost pile without resorting to back breaking shovelling. As you know, we're suppose to turn over the compost pile to help it disintegrate. But its tough trying to turn the bloody pile over. This guy has come up with an easier way to do that.

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/more-compost-less-work.aspx

Compost tea
http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/jury-still-out-on-compost-tea.aspx
http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/brewing-compost-tea.aspx

In my next post, I'll share more thoughts on making compost tea.

Weed Tea Problem

2011-11-21T13:00:00.000+11:00

Two posts back I mentioned using the wheelie bins to make weed tea.

After about 2 months or so they didn't stink and so I thought the whole mix had become matured.

However when I scooped out some of the water- I found that was totally incorrect - IT STANK LIKE RAW SEWAGE. It stank so bad that my hands stank of the filth for days afterwards despite repeated washing using all manner of soaps and anti-bacterial agents - I didn't use rubber gloves.

I think what happened was that the top layer of water did in effect mature and stopped stinking - but the oxygen was not able to penetrate to the lower levels - but once I gave it a stir - the O2 got into the composting material and ripen the whole mix.

I emptied the dead weeds into the council green waste bins. And after a week, they still stink.

I've been slowly and very carefully removing the waste weed tea water and emptying into the compost bins to hasten the rotting process in those containers.

But the stink is so bad I wish I had a full haz-med suit.

I think a solution might be to use smaller bins - and keep them well away from the house and washing drying clothes area.

However the whole idea seems OK. The weeds looked totally dead and consumed, not sure about their seeds of course (only time can tell).

The compost bins are also rich with plenty of worms. Not sure how they take the weed tea but I suspect that it will help to hasten the rotting process of the contents of the static compost bins.

Weeds weeds weeds

2011-11-07T23:01:00.001+11:00

There are just so much awful weeds in my garden.

I've filled up the two wheelie bins with weeds and have soaked them in grey water. They stank for awhile but now they don't stink so much. Actually, they don't seem to stink at all. I think the weeds are dead though. Not sure whether the seeds survived the process.

What I plan to do is to pitchfork the weeds into the council bin - on a week when its hardly used - and empty the nutrient-rich water onto the lawn. But the problem is my council rubbish green bin is perpetually full at present.

Yeah, I've got weeds all over the damn place. What is especially irritating are the grass runners that have weaved into the flower beds and gotten amongst the lavender and rose plants.Trying to put them all is sheer torture.

Its easy to get discouraged- so I'm just concentrating on one section of the garden at present. Get that cleaned up. Mulch it. Then proceed to the next area.

Compost bins

2011-08-31T10:49:00.008+10:00

I just received two Black wheelie bins from Australian Waste Management. They are selling them for about $44 each brand new - you have to add $35 for delivery which I thought was reasonable. If you buy them brand new, you can choose the color and I wanted black. Because Black is Beautiful - and also the right color for compost bins.

Its cheaper if you buy the seconds or the used bins -but you don't get a choice of colors, just what is available on stock.

My local hardware store is selling them for $90 each - not including delivery.

My plan is to use them to make "compost tea", a weed and seed killer. :D

My garden has tons of weeds now. Throwing them into the traditional compost bins helps to kill some of the seeds - but enough of them survive the composting process and will germinate when I use the compost in my garden.

The end result - more weeds.

I really hate weeds. And because of their hardy nature - we end up throwing them away in the council garden trash bins. Which is a pity because we're throwing away a lot of good nutrients and also soil trapped in the weeds. Sometimes we get so many weeds that we run out of space in the compost bins and council bins to dispose of them. The feeling of being overwhelmed by weeds is pretty horrible - probably much the same as that sinking feeling the British colonial troops had when they were being overrun by Zulu imps. haha.

Enter the "compost tea" bin. What you do is to throw the weeds, seeds and all into the bin - then fill it with grey water, rain water etc... After 3 months, everything in the bins rots and turns into putrid waste, hopefully including the blasted clover seeds.

Because of the foul smell, you had better place the bins in a corner of the garden which is secluded. If the smell does really bother you I guess you could gladwrap the opening.

I'm placing them near my traditional compost bins for easy access.

Some people have recommended using a plastic bag to hold the weeds and water - that might be good for small gardens but for bigger gardens like mine I think I'd prefer something more robust.

Size matters!! I chose a smaller size 140litres instead of the 240litres for easy handling. The 240 litre bins once full or even partially full would be very hard to move around. Trying to scoop out the waste of the larger bin would also be problematic; I don't wish to risk falling inside the darn thing!!!

I actually wanted the larger bin because size for size, it was cheaper. But if it may prove to be a hassle to use, what's the point? The tool has to fit the job.

You can use the waste water, diluted of course, and pour it on your garden. Don't use it indoors because of the odor. I think I'll probably just add it to my aerobic bins and open compost bins.

In case you are wondering I have a fairly large garden, roughly about 1,000 sq feet.

I have two council garden waste bins. (330litres),

two aerobic "darlek" type of bins (800litres),

one open compost bins (probably 2000 litres if filled to capacity),

and now two 140litre black wheelie bins which I intend to use as compost tea bins.

Somehow it feels like Christmas!!!

(Edition. 21 Nov. I removed the dead weeds in the container - and it stank like raw sewage - see explanation in the following post)

Change of focus

2011-08-30T14:59:00.003+10:00

I'm changing the focus of my blog - devoting it to my garden here in Melbourne. Its fairly large - roughly 1800 sq feet.

When we first got here over 20 years ago it had gum trees, ivy, and ferns. We removed the lot.

We have since planted the roses, crocus, bluestone walls and steps, ornamental trees, bulbs like tulips and ranunculus.

Ah yes, my ranunculus flowers. They are a stunning sight.

I plan to grow them back next year in 2012.

Gardening is a love hate relationship with me. There is often so much to do. The combination of sunny winter weather and wet rain cause the weeds to multiply in the millions. Its a hard slog to remove them all.

In my respects, the garden is also a spiritual metaphor. Is it no surprise that God gave Adam a garden as his first care of duty? Gardening was man's first job.

It gives me great pleasure to see the final product but the journey there is hard and arduous.

The King's Speech (Collin Firth) 2010

2011-01-14T12:03:00.001+11:00

Lionel Logue: [as King George "Berty" is lighting up a cigarette] "Don't do that in here".

Prince Albert (later King George VI): Why not?

Logue: Sucking smoke into your lungs will kill you.

Albert: My physicians tell me it helps to relax the throat.

Logue: They're idiots.

Albert: They've been knighted.

Logue: Makes it official then.

*****

With such witty and wonderful dialogue, how could I not like this film?

The story is about the then Prince Albert (or rather His Highness Prince Albert of York, "Albert Frederick Arthur George" , otherwise known as Bertie to family) second in line to the throne of Great Britain (when it was Great) and his painful stammer which is a source of acute embarrassment to himself (as well as his family and nation).

Medical knowledge and their treatment of stammering was not so good back then. The doctors even advised him that smoking cigarettes would help ease his stammering. The other treatments prescribed by the medical establishment prove equally as ineffectual and embarrassing.

Enter Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), the enigmatic speech therapist. The Prince's snobby but practical wife, played by the now matronly Helen Bonham-Carter, tracked him down and hired him to treat her husband.

The story then revolves around the developing relationship between Bertie and Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). We see them as the odd couple at the start. The proud Prince who is conscious of his social status and Logue, kind but abrasive and irreverent in that typical smartass Aussie manner.

Eventually, they did develop a warm and affectionate friendship. I guess in part because Logue realized that stammering was due in part to social and psychological pressures - and helped to address those issues in the Prince/ King's life. The other doctors treated the problem as purely a bio-mechanical problem which could be fixed by stuffing marbles down his throat or just yelling at the patient "to improve".

Both actors give great performances. Firth is brilliant as the aloof, initially reluctant, and distrustful aristocrat, while Rush plays the witty, flippant specialist who deeply admires his difficult client despite his arrogance.

I also absolutely adored the beautiful 1920 style architecture and the other marvelous set pieces. I was mesmerized by Logue's spartan art deco office, that imposing large fire place, the criss cross stained glass, the ornate bronze lights... the simple elegance of that room made me want to rush home and redo it. Bloody hell my room is a mess.

I felt that the film could have been improved on three parts.
. The film really needed to stress the unsuitability of Prince Edward to be King. Edward, Albert's older brother, was 1st in line to the throne. Albert became King George VI due to his brother, Edward, infamously abdicating to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorcee, which was prohibited at the time.

Of course, modern scruples would wish to paint Edward as the real hero - giving up his kingship for LOVE - that's the REAL STORY in today's society.

But in actual fact he was a playboy, a dilettante. He didn't give a damn about his role as king instead he just wanted to live the high life, and sleep with as many married women as he could grab. Even after he abdicated he was constantly badgering his brother for cash to fund his extravagant lifestyle. This was despite the fact that he was already considerably wealthy owning plenty of properties inherited from his father. In short he would have made a terrible king and its a very good thing that he stepped down.

It also wasn't just the Royal Family that was against the marriage. The Dominions - the representatives from Australia, New Zealand, for example, were scornful of the marriage and said they wouldn't approve of having an "adulterer" as their Head of State. Edward's response was (in effect) "So what? There weren't that many people in Australia anyhow."

Edward's lover - Wallis Simpson - also made a very poor candidate as Queen. She was the ultimate gold digger, swinging from husband to husband, lover to lover in search of a bigger purse. She was also a Nazi sympathizer; she was even reputed to have been sleeping with Ribbentrop, Nazi Germany's Foreign Affairs Minister. At a time of war, she traitorously leaked sensitive information about the Allied defenses to Nazi sympathizers and was practically happy when England was bombed by Germany. She was a pretentious upstart who sought the status and priviledge given to royalty without any of the responsibility. Wallis demanded that her staff refer to "Her Royal Highness", which she was not entitled to.

In short, she was a very unpleasant woman totally undeserving of the public affection then and now.

The couple also visited Nazi Germany several times and met with Hitler (without the approval of their Government). During the first year of WW2, Edward and Simpson stayed on in occupied France, apparently in the hope that England would collapse and that he would be appointed King by the Nazis.

The film made the mistake of telling this negative aspect of the couple in a small conversational scene- rather than showing it. For the sake of drama they could have had a scene where Albert finds the couple talking with the Ribbentrop - cumulating with Edward trying to persuade Albert to take a more pro-Nazi stance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallis,_Duchess_of_Windsor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII_of_the_United_Kingdom

Instead we are left with the negative (and false) impression (in the film) that Albert's wife, Elizabeth, was a snooty arrogant snob who despised Wallis for being a divorcee and an American. In reality Elizabeth never said a nasty word to Wallis as shown in the film.

2. The Handling of WW2 and the King's role in it. Whilst the film is about Albert's stammering problems, it is also about the importance of the King as a symbolic leader of Great Britain - hence the vital importance of the King's need to conquer his problem. The scene at the end when Edward, now King George VI, gives an impressive speech felt a bit too triumphant - the way he swaggers back like a rock star was so wrong. I felt that detracted from the seriousness of the situation. Their country was at war - and although the King had given a great war speech - it should have been tied in with the gravity of the event. They were at war. Millions of people were going to get maimed and killed.

I felt they should have had a cautionary moment at the end. Logue (et al) could have heartily congratulated the King, the King is happy, but then he pauses and says, "But its going to be a long war... I'm giving speeches while sending young men to their deaths." They both look very solemnly at each other. Then Logue says something about the importance of the King's speech to the nation and the people - and the fact that although Hitler was a powerful orator, the King represented something morally superior... and needed to articulate that.

3. Stylewise - this is just my personal opinion - I felt the handling of Prince Albert's stammering problems in public could have been done better. What was the point in the opening scene which spent 5+ minutes showing the BBC presenter, an incidental character in the story, preparing himself? They should have done more with the scenes where Albert is consciously stammering and there's total silence - just Albert and his acute embarrassment.

Similans: The Barren Sea

2010-03-09T17:29:00.001+11:00

Just came back from a dive in the Similan Islands, Anderman Sea.

The first day diving was very promising - East of Eden was truly spectacular in terms of beautiful coral life. There were avenues of brilliant yellow colored soft coral - overhanging from the massive boulder rocks that cover the area.

The visibility at times was also pretty good - 20m+

Then we ventured to West of Eden, Deep Six, Elephant Head, North Point, etc.. the currents got a bit more stronger and tougher and the thermocline - waves of current of different temperatures - cold and sometimes hot - got more frequent.

At North Point - a massive brown thermocline wall, filled with coral sea debris, billowed towards us. I initially thought it was the wall face. It was an experience.

Sadly, the fish life is somewhat lacking in the Similans. And I think I know why. At Island 8 - the Ko Similan Island, I witnessed scores of fishing trawlers moored in the sanctuary area, then fishing within a 1 - 2 km radius. Whats the point in having a sanctuary if poachers go unchecked? I can imagine their large nets would have caught sharks, manta rays, whales sharks - minced them up and sold them off as cat meat.

I didn't have time to go to Richelieu Rock - but apparently the fish life is more abundant there.

It didn't help that the toilets - all public - on Siam Divers malfunctioned because people kept on dropping paper etc.. into the septic tank. And to make matters worse, some fucker had dysentery and kept on repainting the toilets with a muddy shade of shit. Unfortunately for me I had a bit of a close encounter whilst brushing my teeth. I got myself all nice and clean, flossed and brushed my teeth. Someone left a "present" in the toilet bowl but the flushing mechanism wasn't working - again. So I couldn't flush it away. Just as I was about to leave - the toilet bowl erupted in an unholy geyser.

I shit you not. A volcano eruption was spewing from the toilet bowl. Shock and disbelief came to horror as I tried to open the rusty twisted toilet door bolt to make my escape. It took me awhile to open the damn door. Enough time for me to be covered with gallons of waste water. And no, the piece of excrement wasn't there anymore.

It turns out the Thai boat plumber was trying to pump the sewage at the same time from one of the other toilets. They had a good laugh when I told them what happened.

I didn't get sick but the whole thought of that disgusting incident still leaves me slightly nauseated.

I now have a very fond affection to private ensuite toilets.

Siam divers was also rather crowded as they took in day trip divers who arrived by speed boat. No, not a good idea to share the crew space with day trippers - in this case, it was a bunch of Japanese and old Asians.

I had to bunk with one chap who had left his alarm on Tokyo time - which gave an almighty wakeup at 4am.

Yes, its probably cheap. But no, I don't think I'd dive there again and not with SD.

Maldives February 2010

2010-02-20T20:31:00.000+11:00

I'm waiting in the Hulhule hotel whilst my dive buddies are getting
drunk at the bar. Flight back to Singapore is in 5 hours time - so I'd
thot I'd kill some time and write a quick note. The internet
connection here is patchy so I gotta make it fast.

I just spent 6 dives of diving on a live on board scuba diving boat in
the Maldives, 18 dives (3 a day). Its a bit of a deja vu as I did
Maldives 2 years ago at the start of the monsoon season - and the
diving was rough.

I was expecting calm seas, great visibility and plenty of marine life.

But you can't have marine life without current. We did a lot of channel dives - some exceeding 30m - a few of us hit 40m. You would expect to see more doing the deeper dives - but this time most of the good stuff - the sharks and the manta rays (giant graceful bat like ocean creatures) were found at 15 - 20m.

We were very fortunate to encounter the larger marine life at the start of the trip. On the 2nd day, we got into a "shark alley" where there were over a dozen or more sharks prowling around.

I forgot my camera for that dive. Pity, the visibility was excellent - 20 - 30m.

On the 3rd and 4th days we ran into a group of mantas. They are extremely graceful and beautiful creatures. To see them soaring and flying in the ocean current is a spiritual experience. They are also not shy and seem to enjoy the company of humans. They soared and played over our heads - there were moments when I stopped filming them and just gazed at the creatures - there is this special moment of affinity as they glide pass you, your eyes lock for a brief moment - and then they soar away.

To my Christian friends, if you see one you cannot help but be awestruck at God's handiwork. Deep in the ocean depth, or trillions of light years in the heavens, "He hath made all things beautiful in its time".

This time I remembered to bring my dive camera (and my dive com) so I got a number of good video shots.

Not all the dives were easy, the deep dives were particularly hard -the current was super strong. I like to be on the edge of the group soI can get good photo shots but on one of the dives I was separated and swept into a coral reef - the current was so strong that at times I
was pinned against the coral, unable to move. Fortunately, I had my orange safety marker, (which looks like a giant long sausage balloon) deployed it, did my safety stop, and ascended.

The Ocean is a very big place - if it wasn't for that cheap $18 safety marker I don't think the boat would have seen me. I think I'll buy another one. :)

I will post up videos of the diving scenes on youtube when I get back. The internet connection here is not good.

This time round I dived with a group of people I totally didn't know. But hey, I didn't want to spend my Chinese New Year eve visiting relatives and getting the old crappy snide jokes about being single. Scrw that man.

The group was half Singaporean - half Cosmopolitan - French, Spanish, US/Chinese, Kiwi, and an Indian cancer surgeon working in Shanghai as a consultant. Fascinating bunch of people. What amazing lives they lived. My life is dead boring in comparison. I couldn't think of any of my usual witty comments. I think I said a few dumb things too. ah well. I get a bit tense when I'm with new people. So I don't usually say much if anything at all.

The boat that we were on - the Princess Lara seems to be a copy of the MV Eagle Ray - same sort of arrangement but just a bit more bigger and spacious. Nice boat, some of the crew were younger and maybe less experienced than the Eagle Ray tho.

This time tomorrow by the Kinks

2010-02-11T22:01:00.000+11:00

This time tomorrow where will we be?
On a spaceship somewhere sailing across an empty sea
This time tomorrow what will we know
Well we still be here watching an in-flight movie show

I'll leave the sun behind me and watch the clouds as they sadly pass me by
Seven miles below me I can see the world and it ain't so big at all

This time tomorrow what will we see?
Fields full of houses, endless rows of crowded streets
I don't where I'm going, I don't want to see
I feel the world below me looking up at me!

Leave the sun behind me, and watch the clouds as they sadly pass me by
And I'm in perpetual motion and the world below doesn't matter much to me

This time tomorrow where will we be
On a spaceship somewhere sailing across any empty sea
This time tomorrow, this time tomorrow...

Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh - Singapore food

2010-02-02T20:09:00.000+11:00

I had dinner at the food court at Raffles Hospital - near Golden Landmark. The food there is pretty good, cheap, and hygienic (important if you're just recovering from a flu).

With about a pound of Nasi Briyani and Roti Prata in me, I confess to being a little hesistant when my friend asked me out for Bak Kut Teh (Pork Rib Soup).

But ah well, what the heck, I'm only in Singapore for a month so I said yes.

Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh, 321 Beach Road, is located near the junction of Sultan Gate road.

The service was great and the food was really good. The pork ribs were well cooked, ok lah quality. Best part - the soup. It wasn't filled with pepper. And it had a nice Chinese herbal taste about it. I think I would have liked it more if I wasn't so full.

I give it a B+ grade.

The place is also near Kampong Glam which had a few popular Malay restaurants that looked quite happening. Pretty nice crowd there.

My friend mentioned we should make a visit there. I agreed.

How to Bake an Orange Cake

2010-02-01T19:43:00.000+11:00

Ingredients

125g Butter
1/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup Orange Juice
2 eggs
3/4 cup Caster Sugar
1.5 cups Self Raising Flour
1+ Tablespoon Orange Rind
Pinch of Salt
Droplet of Vanilla Essence

Preliminary
Put the Waxing/Baking Paper into the tin. Lightly butter the insides of paper/tin by using the wrapping paper of the butter.

Step 1.
Cream the Butter and the Sugar ONLY. Stir them around til the Sugar is fully mixed in with the butter and you get that lovely yellow texture look. Don't stir for too long to avoid the butter changing back to oil. Throw in a pinch of salt too.

Step 2.
Add Eggs and Stir that in well. Turn on and Preheat the Oven to 180C.

Step 3.
Add Orange Juice. Stir well. You can also add in a small teardrop of vanilla essence.

Step 4
Sift the SR Flour and add it in. Once you have added the flour don't stir it around too much. I recommend you do this by hand now. As you stir it - add in the *milk* and the *orange rind* - you can add in 1 tablespoon or 2. I like to add in a sliced mandarin skin on top of that.

(Note on Orange Rind - do yourself a favor and get a nice hand held Orange Zester that can really scrub away at the orange skin. I also like to throw in 1 Mandarin skin as well but I make sure I remove as much of the white part as possible. Remove all seeds - they make it bitter.)

Pour the mix into the tin lined with paper. Make sure its flattens out a bit by jiggling it. And put it into the centre of the oven - if most of the heat is coming from the bottom - you can put the cake at a higher spot to avoid the bottom getting burnt.

Take it out when ready - this is about 30 - 40 minutes depending on your oven.

You can tell it is ready by poking a skewer into the cake and seeing if any of the mix sticks onto the stick. But do this only at the 30 minute mark.

Serve with Hot Earl Grey Tea and decorate it with fresh lavender!

PS. I find it easier to double the amounts and bake two cakes because in my supermarket, the butter is sold in 250g blocks.

Similan Dive Trip in 1st week of March

2010-02-01T19:23:00.000+11:00

My friend Spencer is organizing a dive trip to Similan which he considers the next best thing to Eden.

If you're interested - read on.

Similan Islands!

Read more about Similans here and see pictures here. It is consistently rated as one of the top 10 dive spots in the world according to the Guardian newspaper. March is considered primetime for diving in the Similans and that's the time we are going.

Non divers FYI - Spencer is coordinating open water for a friend at Pulau Hantu to go on this trip, let him know if you are keen to join. But it will be a murky sort of dive yeah as its Monsoon season and all.

Date:

Depart SG: 3rd March 2010 @8.35pm

Return SG:7th March 2010 @12:00 midnite

Airline: JetStar - flight details to be confirmed as numbers firm up

Schedule

3rd March. Day 0: Stay overnight at Tony's lodge at Khao Lak upon arriving at Phuket Intl airport

4th March. Day 1: Transfer to Live on Board at 8am and start diving

5th March. Day 2: Diving

6th March. Day 3: Diving. EOD transfer to Little Buddha Inn at Phuket to chill (i.e alcohol)

7th March. Day 4: Chilling at Phuket and transfer to Phuket Intl airport

Estimated Cost

Liveonboard inclu diving and accomodation and food: SGD$722+. Click here for pricing

Tony Lodge stay 1 nite about SGD$30+. Click here for pricing

Little Buddha stay 1 nite about SGD$10+. Click here for pricing

Airfare: Currently airfares are at SGD$100 round trip exclu surcharges and taxes

Total Estimated Cost: SGD$862++

Notes on cost

-Pay your own way, No 3rd party operator fee involved

-Air ticket pricing may change the closer we get to March

-Inclu airfare, diving, food and accomodation on the live on board, 2 nites accomodation at Phuket and Khaolak

-Exclu land transfers, diving equipment rental, food and drinks outside of the live on board

-USD$1 = SGD$1.4

Please let Spencer know about your interest as soon as possible. And be prepared to make payment shortly after. Remember February is the shortest month in the year so make your decision quickly.

Call Spencer on 98260165 - Singapore.

Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich (1973)

2010-01-04T17:44:00.000+11:00

Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich

First having read the book of myths,
and loaded the camera,
and checked the edge of the knife-blade,
I put on
the body-armor of black rubber
the absurd flippers
the grave and awkward mask.
I am having to do this
not like Cousteau with his
assiduous team
aboard the sun-flooded schooner
but here alone.

There is a ladder.
The ladder is always there
hanging innocently
close to the side of the schooner.
We know what it is for,
we who have used it.
Otherwise
it is a piece of maritime floss
some sundry equipment.

I go down.
Rung after rung and still
the oxygen immerses me
the blue light
the clear atoms
of our human air.
I go down.
My flippers cripple me,
I crawl like an insect down the ladder
and there is no one
to tell me when the ocean
will begin.

First the air is blue and then
it is bluer and then green and then
black I am blacking out and yet
my mask is powerful
it pumps my blood with power
the sea is another story
the sea is not a question of power
I have to learn alone
to turn my body without force
in the deep element.

And now: it is easy to forget
what I came for
among so many who have always
lived here
swaying their crenellated fans
between the reefs
and besides
you breathe differently down here.

I came to explore the wreck.
The words are purposes.
The words are maps.
I came to see the damage that was done
and the treasures that prevail.
I stroke the beam of my lamp
slowly along the flank
of something more permanent
than fish or weed

the thing I came for:
the wreck and not the story of the wreck
the thing itself and not the myth
the drowned face always staring
toward the sun
the evidence of damage
worn by salt and away into this threadbare beauty
the ribs of the disaster
curving their assertion
among the tentative haunters.

This is the place.
And I am here, the mermaid whose dark hair
streams black, the merman in his armored body.
We circle silently
about the wreck
we dive into the hold.
I am she: I am he

whose drowned face sleeps with open eyes
whose breasts still bear the stress
whose silver, copper, vermeil cargo lies
obscurely inside barrels
half-wedged and left to rot
we are the half-destroyed instruments
that once held to a course
the water-eaten log
the fouled compass

We are, I am, you are
by cowardice or courage
the one who find our way
back to this scene
carrying a knife, a camera
a book of myths
in which
our names do not appear.

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15228

(Commentary: I don't think this is a great poem about diving. But it does contain evocative images and descriptions which are pretty good; they ring true. And I'll try and use them in my scuba poems.

Answer to "What should I do to marry a rich guy"

2009-11-15T04:22:00.000+11:00

I found this looking for Brrr Blobs icecream. A classic Magnolia icecream popular in the 1980s.

A young and pretty lady posted this on a popular forum:

Title: What should I do to marry a rich guy?

I'm going to be honest of what I'm going to say here. I'm 25 this year. I'm very pretty, have style and good taste. I wish to marry a guy with $500k annual salary or above. You might say that I'm greedy, but an annual salary of $1M is considered only as middle class in New York . My requirement is not high. Is there anyone in this forum who has an income of $500k annual salary? Are you all married? I wanted to ask: what should I do to marry rich persons like you? Among those I've dated, the richest is $250k annual income, and it seems that this is my upper limit. If someone is going to move into high cost residential area on the west of New York City Garden ( ? ) , $250k annual income is not enough.

I'm here humbly to ask a few questions:

1) Where do most rich bachelors hang out? (Please list down the names and addresses of bars, restaurant, gym)

2) Which age group should I target?

3) Why most wives of the riches is only average-looking? I've met a few girls who doesn't have looks and are not interesting, but they are able to marry rich guys.

4) How do you decide who can be your wife, and who can only be your girlfriend? (my target now is to get married)

Ms. Pretty

And this was the amazing reply:

Dear Ms. Pretty,

I have read your post with great interest. Guess there are lots of girls out there who have similar questions like yours. Please allow me to analyse your situation as a professional investor. My annual income is more than $500k, which meets your requirement, so I hope everyone believes that I'm not wasting time here. From the standpoint of a business person, it is a bad decision to marry you.. The answer is very simple, so let me explain.

Put the details aside, what you're trying to do is an exchange of 'beauty' and 'money': Person A provides beauty, and Person B pays for it, fair and square. However, there's a deadly problem here, your beauty will fade, but my money will not be gone without any good reason. The fact is, my income might increase from year to year, but you can't be prettier year after year. Hence from the viewpoint of economics, I am an appreciation asset, and you are a depreciation asset. It's not just normal depreciation, but exponential depreciation. If that is your only asset, your value will be greatly diminished 10 years from now.

By the terms we use in Wall Street, every trading has a position, dating with you is also a 'trading position'. If the trade value dropped we will sell it and it is not a good idea to keep it for long term - same goes with the marriage that you wanted. It might be cruel to say this, but in order to make a wiser decision any assets with great depreciation value will be sold or 'leased'. Anyone with over $500k annual income is not a fool; we would only date you, but will not marry you. I would advice that you forget looking for any clues to marry a rich guy. And by the way, you could make yourself to become a rich person with $500k annual income.

This has better chance than finding a rich fool.

Hope this reply helps.. If you are interested in 'leasing' services, do contact me...

signed,
xxx
CEO
######

And an update report on this
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/relationships/article2652946.ece

Politics in the church

2009-11-02T11:01:00.000+11:00

"Politics" within the circle of believers has been around since Adam met Eve.

Think about it - when the Fall occurred - Adam was quick to blame Eve who in turn blamed someone else.

If any pastor of a rebellious church ever feels alone. He should re-read the life of the ancients again - like Moses for example.

Imagine abandoning a life of prestige and wealth to go rescue a group of people only to find them - time and time and time again - threatening to kill you or deliberately disobeying you. Even God Himself lost patience with them.

And it took poor Moses to persuade God Himself to reconsider. Exodus 32.

⁹ "I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation." ¹¹ But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. "O LORD," he said, "why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? ¹² ... ¹⁴ Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Even within the Early Church there were causes of discontent. There were two distinct groups in the church - one who wanted to reach out to Jews; the other who wanted to preach the Good News to the Gentiles. The first group led by James wanted the Gentiles to incorporate Jewish laws and tradition. This caused a great deal of conflict.

The Apostle Peter also seemed to have lost the plot at one stage. Even though God revealed to Him the Vision at Joppa. Acts 10:9 - 38; Acts 11:1. Later, he changed his mind. Galatians 2:11-13.

¹¹When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. ¹²Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. ¹³The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

I find it amazing that even after the miraculous conversion of Cornelius which occurred with the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit, some of the Jewish believers, ie. James, still clung strongly to the Jewish Law.

Reading through Acts, Galatians, etc.. you get the feeling that the Apostle Paul was a forthright person - a straight talker and this tended to irritate fellow believers.

Paul eventually separated from Barnabas. Acts 15:39. But perhaps came to regret it. 2 Timothy 4:11. And in Colossians 4:10.

Disagreements. Conflict. All this from people who experienced the power of The Divine first hand.

Worth remembering whenever we ourselves face similar problems.

I love this music!!!

2009-10-24T13:15:00.000+11:00

This has got to be the most cutest "innocent" music group ever.

I love how they use everyday objects - even children's pianos like Snoppy's Schroder - to make their music.

You can check out their music on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSkBTMr-SXY&feature=rec-fav-watch-cur_emp-exp_stronger_r2

Their main page is here

http://www.youtube.com/user/PomplamooseMusic#p/u

I joined back to my old gym

2009-10-06T17:45:00.000+11:00

I've signed up for AquaArena, my old gym. Its just 10 minutes drive from my place. 5 minutes really but there's a few traffic lights along the way.

Its run by the YMCA (heh heh) I should have asked for a discount. And its well run. There are no dodgy sneaky contracts they get you to sign up for unlike the smaller independent gyms like Equi1ibrium. Those gyms are really shonky operators - typically they try and lock you into a 12 month auto-renewable contract which is hard to escape from. (Meaning - the contract auto-renews itself for another 12 month unless you jump thru several hoops to cancel).

I've been geared towards a mainly aerobic and flexibility program for the next two months. Looking forward to going for the pilate classes and limbering up.

Inherent stiffness in the body runs through my family bloodline. I also never seriously stretched much after exercising. So I've got a bit of a biological uphill climb to do.

Prayer meeting friday

2009-09-27T08:34:00.000+10:00

Rowville had a combined church prayer meeting on Friday. I showed up late - my bad. I missed out on a really powerful praise and worship session. You could even sense God's presence in the carpark.Or maybe its just anticipation.

It wasn't a big turn out at the prayer service. But to be with your fellow believers in holy prayer and communion with God, what more can you ask for? Everyone was united in prayer and purpose. It was really beautiful.

This state of being in God's presence lingered with me throughout the whole weekend. Even now as I close my eyes I am drawn back to that holy place.
.

Running

2009-09-14T10:34:00.000+10:00

I did 6km this morning... or rather walked half of the way. My lower back spine or muscles were shooting the hell out of me halfway thru the run.

I don't think its a spinal problem - more likely tight muscles - my hamstrings and lower back muscles are tight. I've seen chiros and physios in the past - but neither of them have discovered anything serious like a slipped disc.

The pain does go away after the run. So its quite likely just tight muscles.

This site has got good tips for that problem.

http://www.runnersrescue.com/Running_lower_back_Pain_Strain_Injury.htm

Maybe I'll go for a swim tomorrow or do a shorter run.

10 things I want to do

2009-09-10T12:52:00.000+10:00

1. Learn Mandarin
I couldn't learn Mandarin when I was a kid. No one in my family spoke it. We all conversed in English which is as similar to Mandarin as I am to Godzilla. And I seriously couldn't get over the fact that Mandarin has no alphabet. And I thought Chinese people were smart - why didn't they come up with an alphabet?? For god sake they're still using a form of hieroglyphics similar to the ancient Eqyptians. Anyway, I think I'm over the anarchistic

2. Learn French.
I didn't like it until I heard it spoken by the (actors) Huron Indians in the film "Last of the Mohicans" - then I thought "Wow, real men speaking French - it sounds so manly, chic, and cool."

3. Build an outdoor military chin-up (pull-up bar) at my home. Its a great exercise as well as providing a great means of stretching your back muscles. It feels wonderful doing it. Today, I went to Bunnings and found that the 2m Cedar Pillars cost about $50. If I can buy two then build in a metal bar between them and secure the 2 wooden posts into the ground in my courtyard - there its that simple. But I don't have the tools to do this... need help!!

4. Finish the taxes.... yeah I said that like about 10,000 times.

5. Run 10km at least twice a week. I used to be very fit in the army then I slacked off. Then I hired a personal trainer in 2004 and got uber fit again in 3 months.

6. Build a pathway from the front garden to the back topside garden. At the moment, the topside garden can only be accessed via a steep uneven path - I plan to knock down the wooden fence, build a gate in place, and construct a gravel pathway to that sector of the garden.

7. Get uber fit. "300 Spartans" fit. Damn, what am I doing about it??

8. Grow a million red poppies in my garden in the Summer of 2014 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War One. Its not too far away.

9. Scuba dive in the Bikini Atoll, site of the biggest naval nuclear bomb test. Dozens of warships are sunk here in diveable depths.

10. Join a undersea treasure hunting expedition. There are plenty of sea wrecks in our sea waiting to be discovered, esp. in Indonesian waters.

My map route run

2009-09-09T15:27:00.000+10:00

I found this useful tool on Geronimo Geraldine website. You can use it to map out your running route and measure how long it is.I always thought my run was about 10km. But apparently it falls short by 500m. Here it is.

A race to honor the memory of the dead

2009-09-09T08:26:00.000+10:00

I completed a 30 minute run again! Ran down the road towards Ruffey Park lake.

I really hope I can keep this up. Once I slack off I really slack off. Its not easy running on a regular basis. My dad had great discipline and kept on running exercising even when he was in the depths of his cancer. He was an avid runner and regularly took part in IPPT runs to prove his fitness. It also pleased him immensely to beat men half his age in the runs.

I probably have some of his physical endurance spirit in me. It seems to be getting easier going for the run... maybe in part because of the Spring weather. Every morning seems that much brighter (unlike Winter). Heehee, maybe my body is solar powered. But I think its just the natural inclination to do things when the sun is up and bright. I wake up better this way with my room bathed in natural sunlight.

Anyways, I really need to keep this up. I hate myself fat. And when I'm fit and healthier, everything seems so much better - my mind seems to be able to think clearer too. Being overweight however is like a downward spiral.

Its not easy though - it takes a lot of mental energy to psyche myself for these runs - its so much more easier to avoid it. I need to push myself aggressively for the run.

My dad's funeral anniversary is coming up on October 10th. I plan to run to Ruffey Park's lake and back - a total of 10km from my doorstep in honor of his memory. The ancient Greeks did a run race to commemorate and honor the dead. I think dad would be pleased about that.

I like Bach, Beethoven but Britney well...

2009-09-07T17:57:00.000+10:00

There's something quite magical about her.

Father's Day September 6th

2009-09-05T17:17:00.000+10:00

Happy Father's Day to all the dads. In this day and age of single parenting, it seems the idea of fatherhood has taken a back step.

I believe fathers hold a vital and important role in the family. The father is the spiritual head of the household. He has a great influence on his children that transcends material providence. He holds the family together. He is the leader of the family.

But too often fathers don't live up to that role. Post-modern Society has come to expect fathers to fail in this task. Too many families are run by single mothers. Fathers, in the feminist mindset, just provide the seed - nothing more. Fatherhood is irrelevant today says the fat ugly hairy armpit woman.

This is partly due to the rise of feminism in modern society - women have been accorded the same rights like men. Women are allowed to vote, attend schools, universities, even join the Army. At all levels, women are competing against men for the same positions. This has good points because in the past, men would often abuse their dominant position as fathers and husbands, treating women like their own personal property to be bought, sold, traded or killed.

And its true. Father's are often abusive, intolerant, arrogant, unkind, petty, unforgiving, manipulative, control freaks, cruel, etc.. and in some cases, monstrous to the point of becoming pure Evil. But the sins of many do not negate the ideal set by God. However, they do cause people to be disheartened.

Fathers, usually disappoint. I guess its because they are human and thus fallible. I wish my dad was different. Somehow I got the feeling that he didn't like me. I was different from him. It took me a long time to figure things out and I wasn't so independent. I also wasn't as driven as he was. He finished his PHD in 3 years. It took me twice as long to complete my masters.

I guessed I rubbed him the wrong way. He seemed like a stranger to me. A distant figure, now even more distant due to his demise over a decade ago.

I wish he had been a bit more encouraging, more fatherly. He was aloof. A man stuck in his office too busy or too bored to help me with my math work. When I was in my mid-teens I had to go overseas to study in a boarding school (yeah, like Harry Potter). Like one of Wes Anderson's characters - I was after a father figure. I never found "him".

How does a boy become a man? He does it mainly by watching his own father. A father is more than just a bread winner - he imparts his wisdom, experience, even his spirit, to his children. Perhaps my father was the way he was because his own father was much worse. I wonder what unpleasant traits I picked up from my dad - or developed new ones on my own?

I think I found "my father" through observing older people. My older cousins, Uncles, school seniors, my teachers, my army officers, even my pastors - mostly disappointments I'm afraid. And sometimes it takes a long time to erase their influences from my mind.

That's why I find movies about failed fathers, like Life Aquatic and Royal Tenenbaums, quite cathartic to watch.

But you learn, I guess, what works and what doesn't.

I wish my father was alive to encourage me, offer wise counsel. (He had a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from a prestigious university). When he was alive, he would gladly offer it to strangers. But to me - he sort of expected me to figure it out by myself.

"Go figure it out yourself." Dad shouted.

How strange. Maybe his own father was like that. I certainly hope I don't carry forward this trait.

On this day 70 years ago, War.

2009-09-02T21:20:00.000+10:00

On this day 70 years ago, Britain and France declared war on Germany for attacking their ally Poland. Germany had broken promise after promise in the preceding years. The attack on Poland was the last straw. Two years earlier, France and Britain had the choice of supporting Czechoslovakia when Germany threatened it. But the people in the Democracies feared war and believed it was possible to negotiate with Hitler to avoid war. How ironic.

I find this photo very poignant. It shows a son breaking free from his mother's hands and reaching out for his father. It would be 6 years before the son would see his father again, if he survived.

The troops are Canadian btw. And the photo taken from iconic photos blog.

Woman bashes Man's privates

2009-09-01T20:21:00.000+10:00

Link

Click onto the link... its a video of a lovers' quarrel. Don't know what the quarrel is about but the dude is getting a real scolding.

One word - Ouch!

I love Paris

2009-09-01T00:30:00.000+10:00

Everyone loves Paris.

On another note, I bet Hitler was thinking, "Well, I've won the war now. What else could go wrong?"

Top Ten Quotes that make me Wary

2009-08-30T21:03:00.000+10:00

(note: most of these notes are written in sarcasm and thus not to be taken literally.)

1. Trust me I know what I'm doing.
(Actions speak louder than words. And unfortunately when defensive phrases get used, invariably its done as part of a scam. This phrase is deeply burnt into my sub-conscious after it was repeated to me in a series of fucking unmitigated disasters by a confident person.

2. You're doing this for God.
(When I hear this phrase, I think of the Children's Crusades)

3. This time its different.
(I heard this phrase during the dot.com boom. I believed in it at the time)

4. The leaders know what they are doing.
(Leaders who are especially confident and hate criticism... somehow they remind me of Hitler, a real success story in 1940.)

5. Don't worry, it should go OK.
(I'm worried because you've just jinxed us.)

6. What else could go wrong?
(After successfully completing a big sale a few years back, I was overawed by the success, I smiled, "Perfect, what else could go wrong?" A lot, apparently.

7. Thus saith the Lord...
(This makes me flinch. Its used too often in church history for dubious purposes. Read the Crusades.)

8. Trust your gut feeling.
(Its magical when it works, like astrology and fortune telling.)

9. You're not trying hard enough.
(Or perhaps the plan sucks? No, really. I think of Hitler exhorting his men to fight harder.)

10. Its a good learning experience.
(Like the Battle of Passchendaele. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that enthusiasm probably won't stop machine gun bullets, but I guess its worth giving it a shot.)

Beware of joining Equillibrium Gym or small gyms

2009-08-28T09:42:00.000+10:00

I just got an SMS from the Equilibrium gym asking me to join and get free useless crap. And so I thought its worth mentioning my past experience with them...

I'd caution anyone thinking of joining these small boutique gyms like Equilibrium etc.. They frequently offer 1 month free gym fees - but slug you into a 12 month or 24 month contract which you can't get out of even if you get eaten by Godzilla. Payment is usually deducted from your credit card account directly. Meaning, even if you lost or change your credit card - the deduction will continue irregardless.

The payments are also deducted using a 3rd party broker - meaning, you won't see "GYM X is deducting xxx amount" from your account. In this case of Equillibrium they used a company that was similar to my phone company details - which lead to a lot of confusion.

These small gyms also do not issue out warning letters to its clients who have stopped coming - in fact, once the contract is set in - they really don't care whether you come or not. You could be dead or stuck on a remote island- but so long as the credit card is stocked with cash - the deductions will carry on. They don't care.

Even after the contract has ended, canceling the membership is harder than getting out of the Hotel California. Two years ago when I left for a long overseas trip I sent a letter to the gym to cancel the contract. Apparently, that's an invalid method. According to the fine print in the contract. you have to personally show up at the bloody gym and speak to the manager to "discuss your reasons for quiting".

You can imagine my surprise when I found deductions were still carrying on 1 year later. Why? Because I had to personally see the manager and please explain.

Anyways, its a good point to study the contract carefully and read your credit card statements just as carefully. Its not always good to assume things - esp. over contracts.

The driver who killed Mary Jo Kopechne is dead

2009-08-27T06:22:00.000+10:00

Edward "Ted" M. Kennedy a US politician is dead. To some on the left - he was a great politician, a gifted orator, a great American.

To me he was the driver who ended the life of beautiful girl Mary Jo Kopechne in a car accident off the Massachusetts island of Chappaquiddick.

Kennedy had attended an all girl party on July 18, 1969 and left with the pretty Mary Jo.

He drove off the side of a bridge doing 20MPH. The car came to rest in under 6 - 8 feet of water (roughly 2 metres). He swam out leaving her behind. Kennedy claims he made several attempts at rescuing her.

Mary Jo apparently survived the crash but was trapped inside the car.

Failing that, he walked back to the party to get his friends to help.

For some reason, as Kennedy left the accident scene, he didn't bother knocking on nearby houses and calling for help or the police. Neither did his friends apparently.

Kennedy and friends claimed they couldn't swim into the low submerged car lying under about 2m of water. They gave up after a few tries. Curiously Kennedy did find the strength to swim across the channel back to his hotel. Exhausted, he fell into a deep sleep but he did find the time to make a complaint a noisy party next door.

Next morning, he woke up - chatted with people about a sailing race and had a good breakfast. And he's still not called the police or told anyone else about the crash.

Meanwhile, local residents discovered the submerged car and a diver found Mary Jo Kopechne's body still trapped inside. He said she could have been alive for 2 hours.

The judge gave him a suspended 2 month sentence. Strangely, no autopsy was performed on Mary Jo's body despite blood being found on her skirt.

Kennedy asked his electorate, the people of Massachusetts, whether he should resign. He went on to win the re-election with 62% of the vote which only goes to show that democracy is over rated.

Mary Jo Kopechne's parents used the money they had been saving for her wedding day for her funeral. She was their only child.

This is so fubar.

Sungha Jung plays California Dreaming

2009-08-26T20:33:00.000+10:00

This kid is amazing

www.fmylife.com

2009-08-25T07:16:00.000+10:00

Today, I made a very pretty sunflower cake that I woke up incredibly early to make. It took me hours and alot of money. It was for my grandparents anniversary and my whole family was invited. We only got to see the remains because the waiter gave it to the wrong family, and they ate it. FML

A really very funny website. This is my favorite of the day.

Facebook Fail - things not to do on facebook

2009-08-24T18:59:00.000+10:00

see more Fail BlogThis serves as a good warning to people about sending messages via the internet...

All my possessions for a moment of time

2009-08-22T21:04:00.000+10:00

"All my possessions for a moment of time" - apparently the last words spoken by Queen Elizabeth 1st of England as she lay dying.

(Meaning - she wished she could exchange all her worldly possessions for a brief moment of time.)

Studying her life, I think she said it with a hint of irony, and not in desperation. Like King Canute - she was playing around with words. Perhaps trying to find a Shakespearean ending to her life?

Windy Cindy

2009-08-21T09:04:00.000+10:00

Its terribly windy now. The wind is simply howling!!!! The roof is rattling. House and car alarms are going off.

Feels like a hurricane a little bit.

Girl Friday

2009-08-21T06:17:00.000+10:00

I really hate bad tempered people

2009-08-20T18:13:00.000+10:00

The man ought to be canned with a long rotan until his spirit breaks and he dies. He should be shown no mercy by the courts.

And who the hell taught the woman to submit to her husband when he turns violent? Damn the @#$% @#$%%@%@$@ idiot who taught this lesson.

*******

THE father of three siblings found murdered in their home was a violent man who repeatedly bashed his wife and daughters, a court has been told.

Giving evidence in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today, Shirley Singh said her husband Vijay was a quick-tempered man who used his fists when he was angry.

Mrs Singh told the court her husband had physically assaulted her by punching her in the face on about 50 occasions during their 25-year marriage.

However, she said she believed it was the duty of an obedient wife to accept this violence.

"If you have 50 incidents during your marriage it's not a big deal," she said.

Mrs Singh gave her testimony on the sixth day of the committal hearing for Max Sica, who is accused of killing her three children.

Neelma Singh, 24, and her siblings Kunal Singh, 18, and Sidhi Singh, 12, were found dead in their home in the outer Brisbane suburb of Bridgeman Downs in April 2003.

Sica, 39, has been charged with their murder.

Ten things about Yau-ming

2009-08-20T08:44:00.000+10:00

1. I don't like reality tv generally speaking. I dislike the endless navel grazing and the faux psychologist analyzing behavior. I can't stand shows like Big Brother or the American Idol shows... unless... it involves a bevy of very pretty young charming women like Brooke Burke. I'd watch that for a while. I also don't mind watching reality tv shows where men or women are doing extremely hard or strenous activties like the Tough Guy Race. But not freak shows. I've got time to watch a military recruit training program but watching a bunch of fat obese people trying to do an obstacle course, that's just plain pathetic.

2. I'm partially deaf. When I was a child, my Chinese language teacher at ACS twisted my ears so hard that my ear bone snapped. Now I have trouble hearing low frequency sounds. If a person with a low voice is trying to talk to me and there's background noise, I find it painfully hard to hear.

3. I wish I could speak more than one language fluently. I'd like to speak French like how the French Foreign Legion soldiers speak French.

4. I had few friends in my childhood and high school was pure hell. I couldn't get along with people. I blame my wacky upbringing and the crazy logic my mildly sadistic parents instilled in me. And it didn't help that I was surrounded by a bunch of really arrogant screwed up classmates whose sole pleasure in life was to make my day miserable.

5. My sister and I share the same sense of humor. When we were kids we attended a modern gallery art exhibit and laughed so hard we started to cry. They kicked us out 3 times. I rarely have any disagreements with her.

6. I intensely distrust people who can't control their temper. People who fly into a rage of fury - especially for very trivial reasons - really upsets me. They remind me of my parents. If you're reading this, and wondering why our friendship has grown cold, this may be the reason.

7. I deal with a lot of my problems through sarcasm. I like clever quirky humor. Example, Wes Anderson's films - Royal Tenenbuams, Life Aquatic, Darjeeling Limited and most of South Park episodes.

8. I'd like to get buried at sea in the deepest part of the ocean. Read Psalm 139:9. The land is for the living. I think of cemetries, esp. Chinese cemetries, as a waste of space.

9. I despise obsessive gamblers. Gambling is like flushing money down the drain. Why can't they use the money productively and constructive like insulating the house, education, etc.. It serves no purpose except fueling the person's greed and pride. Its obviously a mental affliction and they should be incarcerated.

10. I believe in capital punishment and longer sentences for criminals. Society and the lives of innocent people should be protected from criminals, not the other way around. I despise the Australian and British criminal justice system. But you probably knew that. So...

10a. I think that too many Christians are hypocrites. You probably knew that already...

10b. I think it would be really cool to reverse the flow of rivers in Australia and build a massive inland sea in the heart of Australia. But that's a thot, it shouldn't count.

10c. I would not be surprised if I was the reincarnation of a Japanese fighter pilot who died in WW2 even though I don't subscribe to that brand of theology.
http://ymchiam.multiply.com/photos/album/76/Black_and_Whites#1

Impusiveness in Children leads to Gambling Addiction

2009-08-17T09:22:00.000+10:00

Children who are impulsive have a higher chance of becoming gambling addicts in the future. If the children are allowed to adopt or carry on with poor behavior - there will be a tendency for them to repeat the same mindset as they become adults. I'd definitely say that people who were spoilt as kids invariably turn into nasty people as they reach adulthood. They are not considerate - they've been breed to think only about themselves and their needs.

Read on...

Kids who were inattentive, impulsive and hyperactive in kindergarten, are more likely to develop symptoms of risky gambling behavior by the time they reach middle school, reports a new Canadian study in the latest issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Impulsiveness has always been associated with many problems, such as delinquency, expulsion from school, substance abuse, anti-social behavior, unemployment, addiction problems in adulthood and now there is another issue that has been added to the list, the researchers said. There is something that connects both the impulsivity and the gambling, said main author Dr. Linda S. Pagani, a professor at Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center and the University of Montreal. "In adulthood, problem gambling is considered an impulse disorder," she added.

Read the full article here

http://www.enotalone.com/article/19437.html

Eating Chocolate is good for your heart!!!

2009-08-13T19:01:00.000+10:00

Amazing!

Eating chocolate is good for your heart!!

http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-world/chocolate-cuts-death-rate-in-heart-attack-survivors-20090813-ejtn.html

When you refer to someone as being yellow... Fail.org

2009-08-13T09:01:00.000+10:00

http://failblog.org/2009/08/11/answer-fail/

Til Tuesday - Skiing@Falls

2009-08-12T08:45:00.000+10:00

Went up to Falls on Saturday August 8th 2009 til Tuesday 11th Aug. The weather was brilliant for the weekend - unlike the previous. We had clear skies, no wind, and it wasn't that cold. It looked positively FANTASTIC!!!!

But we had reached Falls at 4.30pm too late to ski. In the past we would have journeyed to Falls in the wee hours of early morning and reached there at least in time for the afternoon session, alas, those crazy days are behind us.

My friend Joy got us superb accommodations at Gabis right next to the main ski lifts!!! We were literally right on the door step of the skiing slopes!!! She's amazing that girl, she always gets excellent places to stay where we travel.

Anyways!!!! I was so excited I woke up super early on Sunday. 5.30am. It was like - Boiiing!!! All systems go!!!

With nothing to do at 5.30am, I decided to bake date scones. Unfortunately, all the chopping and pitting of the scones woke up my sleepy friends who did not share my enthusiasm.

Baking stuff - I used 2.5 cups of self raising flour and .5 cup of ordinary flour. The ratio was right on - not too fluffy. However, this time around I added the dates during the mixing process which led to some of the flour sticking to the dried fruit and not dissolving. So memo to self - add dates after the dough process.

I didn't wait for my friends to get ready. I left as soon as I could. It was a sin not to ski when the weather was this perfect; memories of the previous trip when poor weather ruined the skiing still burnt bright in me.

The snow was solidly packed, in some areas it was like concrete. I had some trouble getting my rented skis to bite into the hard snow. I was sliding down the mountain like a snowboarder instead of gliding down. But it was my technique at fault, which I worked out, during a discussion on a chair lift with a friendly expert skier.

Thats one of the nice things about skiing - you make pleasant short conversations on that slow chair ride up the mountain. No cute snow bunnies to chat up though. :)

My parallel skiing improved that day. I mean really skiing, not snow plowing or doing some stupid out of control crap skiing.

We had great weather. No wind. Clear visibility. I skiied like a pony on a carousel. Up and down. I often didn't stop but skied straight into the lift area - and rode the lift up to repeat.

Listening to music on my MP3 player relaxed me, esp. Amii Mann's slow enchanting voice and helped me2 focus on my skiing techniques.

But if it wasn't the weather, it had to be something else to spoil the day's fun. The mountain lost total power on Sunday right after lunch. Apparently a falling tree took out the power lines. Electricity wasn't restored until late in the evening, which ended all hope of skiing that day. I wish I hadn't stopped for lunch but whose to know?

The next day I woke up early again. This time I took pains to avoid doing anything noisy. I was sleeping in the lounge room as I snore rather loudly. A sofa bed was provided but I preferred sleeping with my legs up on a small couch - I think I got better lower back support that way.

My friends were still having breakfast when I made my way to "Ruin Castle" - the western ski slope at Falls. Wide open runs, relatively soft fresh snow and a fast steep lower descent makes this place excellent for intermediates.

A few stupid parents brought their 8 year old kids up here to practice. I made good use of my vocal cords to tell one foolish mommy off. They should be on the green slopes - not here! They make it dangerous for everyone. A few years back I got struck in the back by one out of control kid skier - cost me $900 in physio.

Anyways, I was out on my own again. All my friends were doing the lower slopes. I skied non-stop, only halting when a blizzard hit the mountain at 11. Even if you're well covered, water finds its way inside. Ice covers your face, then it melts and trickles down inside. When you're wet, you freeze. I munched on cakes and drank tea at the sheltered hut whilst watching the folks on the lifts being pelted by the snow.

I chose not to eat anything substantial. No chips, no hamburgers, not even a sandwich, just hot tea and my sister's rock cakes. That way I could just keep on skiing without stopping for too long. A small thin sandwich would have been nice though.

I drank a whole flask of hot tea that day. About 2 litres. Peeing on the snow in sub-zero temperatures and drawing your name in the fresh snow is a refreshing experience. :)

When the blizzard stopped at about 12 pm I went skiing. By this time mostly everyone had gone inside for lunch or to get the ice off their faces. Fresh lovely snow and no one around, excellent! I skied round and round - doing "sundown", "ruin castle", "scottys" and corkscrew. I must have clocked the most number of ski runs ever. My newly modified ski boots, moded 3 times so far, performed superbly. No pain.

At 4.05pm, the top lift operator told me three times "Last run mate" but I kept on going as the lower lift operators kept the lifts operating. Maybe I'm skiing too fast or something but I did three runs. I caught the last lift to "Scottys" then headed to Village skiing all the way. It was tricky doing "Final Muster" carrying my lunch grab bag. The strap was broken so I had to carry it in my arms like a baby. But I made it to the apartment in one piece without falling.

I cooked spaghetti bolognesse for dinner with a variation - frying red padi chilli and jalpeno peppers together with the mince. I didn't like it - the chilli blended in with the meat blunting its distinct sharpness whilst giving the sauce a vague spicy flavor. I also forgot to put in the garlic... Luckily everyone liked it and it tasted much better the next morning after allowing the cold spagetti to soak in the sauce overnight.

Tuesday the last day. Rain had swept the snow off the roofs - not a good sign. It looked wet and soggy. The snow report predicted thunderstorms. I threw in the towel and returned my skis at 8am. Unfortunately, no refund. But better than spending an extra $90 for the lift pass which I wouldn't fully use anyway.

After taking nice long hot showers and finishing off the bacon supplies with the left over spagetti, we ambled to the cars to store our gear, and spent the morning at the bar - the slacker party. I drank some lager and ale which tasted very nice in the cold winter mountain air.

One of our group decided to try her luck and went skiing that day despite the rain. She might have braved the cold wet but the lifts halted operations when the thunderstorm rolled in. Drove down the mountains after lunch. Stopped at Laksa King at Flemington. It was packed! But the food quality wasn't great. I wouldn't bother going there again.

OMG the temperature is Zero C outside my home

2009-08-08T04:24:00.000+10:00

A very cold start to the day!!! The outside thermometers are registering 0'C at 7.30am.Thank God for my heater. I kept it going all night to warm up my drying ski clothes.

Off to Falls Creek again

2009-08-07T20:44:00.000+10:00

I'm off to Falls for 4 days... Weather looks ok. Let's pray that we get some nice fluffy snow and not sleet or rain.

Anyway, even if the weather is crap - at least I won't lose money on the lift passes as I'll be buying them on the day.

And it'll be fun, drinking a bottle of red wine and looking at the blizzard raging outside.

I can't think of a better way to spend a Winter weekend, breathing fresh alpine air, and enjoying meals with my friends as the temperature outside drops to sub-zero. How many other people can experience this?

http://ski.com.au/reports/australia/vic/fallscreek/forecast.html

http://ski.com.au/reports/australia/vic/fallscreek/dh.html

Cutest food blog!!!!

2009-08-04T22:17:00.000+10:00

OMGSOCUTE!!!!! You gotta check out this site. Its got some amazing photos of cute sugary food. Literally good enough to eat.

More here:

http://epicute.com/

One possible reason why India didn't progress in the last 700 years

2009-08-04T21:02:00.000+10:00

India's made impressive feats of human progress in the past. They built exquisite palaces and shrines like the Taj Mahal, Amber Fort Jaipur... the Buddhist philosophy came from India - Buddha was actually an Indian (which would probably shock a lot of asian aunties), etc... but admittedly they also came up with a lot of crazy stuff - like wife burning, the bride dowry system, the Caste/ untouchable system, fatalism, and dropping babies from roofs in the belief that it would "ensure good health and prosperity for their families. Woohoo!!!

Anyways here the news item...

NEW DELHI -- Rights activists lashed out at local officials who allowed hundreds of infants to be dropped from the roof of a mosque in western India in the belief that the fall -- which ends when the babies are caught in a bedsheet -- would ensure good health and prosperity for their families.

The ritual at the Baba Umer Durga, a Muslim shrine, is believed to have been followed for nearly 700 years, and each year hundreds of people, both Hindus and Muslims, take part in the ritual.

The ritual at the Baba Umer Durga, a Muslim shrine, is believed to have been followed for nearly 700 years, and each year hundreds of people, both Hindus and Muslims, take part in the ritual.

The infants, mostly under two years old, were dangled Thursday from the roof of the shrine near Sholapur, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of Mumbai, before being dropped about 50 feet (15 meters) onto a bedsheet held aloft by parents and other believers.

Television channels showed the babies screaming as they were shaken in the air before being dropped.

****
Wow, Shaken, hurled, but not stirred?

Falls Creek Sking Report

2009-08-02T22:41:00.000+10:00

Conditions were rather patchy - meaning you can see grass patches coming through the snow and watery holes in the snow fields, esp the run Final Muster near the bottom.

There was an awful lot of rain, wind, sleet hitting the snow fields this morning.

A total whiteout. You could hardly see where you were going.

Which to me - made it a bit more fun and challenging.

Its fun until you start feeling the cold tho. After an hour's skiing - I was soaked through. Water has a way of finding its way to your warm body.

I took a break to get out of the wet cold in one of the summit huts but it didn't work. I needed to go someplace warm.

What I should have done was to have held back until the weather cleared up before going skiing.

The irony is that when I took refuge - the weather cleared up. But by then I was busy trying to get my jacket and my body dry and warm!!!

Memo to self:

1. Bring ski mask.
2. Bring a security device to secure the skis/poles when shopping. A lot of stuff goes missing because some idiot carelessly took it.
3. Wait for weather to clear up BEFORE purchasing lift pass.

More to come... I'm so tired now....

Flaws in Sun Tze's thinking? The Battle of Midway 1942.

2009-07-30T11:24:00.000+10:00

The ancient military historian, Sun Tze, is often quoted and his philosophical maxims used by many military/business leaders.

Its seems however, that perhaps they take his quotes a little too literally and apply his principles without careful and deep thought.

I'm currently reading a book about the great Battle of Midway 1942 - where the Japanese Navy suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of the American forces. The writer points out that
Admiral Yamamoto, the Japanese commander in charge, applied Sun Tze's principles:

18. All warfare is based on deception.
19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.
20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.

I disagree with that universal maxim. Not all warfare is based upon deception. And what happens if the enemy sees through your deception???

Sometimes war is based upon a simple test of strengths. You find an objective and strike at it with all your might. Your enemy fights you for it. Simple Brutal Strength. This is called the direct method - the old Western way of war.

It may surprise many people but in May 1942 the Japanese Navy was actually stronger than the US forces. It had more carriers, more battleships and better trained sailors and airmen.

Everyone knew this.

However Yamamoto felt he should lure the US Navy into attacking him so that he could destroy them in one big battle.

But to do this - he designed a complicated battle plan with his forces spread widely over the huge Pacific ocean. His main objective was the capture of Midway Island. But there was also a seperate plan to capture the faraway Aleutian Islands way up near the North Pole.

So instead of thinking like a logical soldier he devised a ballet plan. Very pretty but very complicated.

Now if he had sent his entire force of aircraft carriers to capture the objective. He would have succeeded totally. One force could have smashed the Island's defences. The other could be held in reserve to defend the fleet and attack any lurking enemy ships. He may even had the numbers to use one carrier for pure scouting duties.

However he didn't. He wanted to be clever and employed deceptive tactics. He also left behind one of his key ships because he felt it needed some rest. The attacking Japanese carriers also carried about 70% of their air crew strength. Total Four carriers.

Unfortunately for him, the USN had broken Japanese navy codes and knew about his plan.

But Knowledge however is one thing. Action is another.

The US Navy was in a pretty bad shape. One of its carriers had been badly damaged in an earlier battle. However it repaired it almost overnight in time for the battle. The US also packed the small island with every fighter plane it could send.

When the Japanese Navy attacked the island - it found its defenses were extremely strong. But that should not have surprised them. An earlier attack on the small remote island of Wake resulted in tremendous casualties for the Japanese.

Midway Island, however, was closer to the American main bases and by that time, could have been expected to be strongly defended.

Worse, the Japanese didn't bother with a careful search plan. Reconaissance isn't a very heroic job for samurai warriors. They relied on a few scout and float planes - one of them even flew over the American ambush forces and missed it.

So the Japanese attacked the island but found it strongly defended. Meanwhile the ambushing US carriers launched their own attack force.

The Japanese foolishly thought the plan would go according to script.
1. Deceive the enemy.
2. Then defeat him.

But what if Point 1 failed? The Japanese had no idea and still stuck with the rigid plan.

I wonder whether Sun Tze ever taught - "Few Battle Plan usually work or the enemy may not be expected to follow your orders."

In fact this scenario came out during the prepratory wargames. However the Japanese commanders chose to restart the game like noob gamers. I wonder whether Sun Tze encountered this sort of problem? "If the plan doesn't work, you better learn to improvise."

Luckily for the Japanese, one of their search planes (on the Tone cruiser) was delayed and by the time it flew off it found the US carriers in its search sector. It dutifully advised the Japanese fleet of its find.

But by now the Japanese attacking fleet was caught in a dilemma - it was trying to destroy the American forces on the Island and wasn't prepared to fully ready to attack an enemy carrier force.

The solution really should have been to break off the attack and head away from the area - capitalizing on the fact that US planes had a shorter range liability. Meanwhile, the Japanese should have launched every available plane to attack the lurking American carrier force.

Instead, the Japanese commander still stuck to the plan and doctrine. Destroy the enemy - in force!!! So he moved closer to the enemy carriers. In doing so he needlessly exposed himself to the twin dangers of being attacked on two sides - from the Island and from the enemy ships.

To make matters worse, he decided to wait until all his planes which had attacked Midway had returned back before attacking the new threat with a full force.

Here's an adage Sun Tze might not have taught - Good is the enemy of best.

Sometimes you need to go with what you have. An ideal solution might not be the most appropriate one at the time.

Anyways, by the time the Japanese fleet had recovered the 1st group of planes sent to attack Midway, and were preparing to launch the force to attack the enemy carriers - a couple of US divebombers appeared and bombed the Japanese carriers.

It was serious but it shouldn't have been fatal. Unfortunately, the Japanese carriers were full of planes loaded up with bombs, aviation fuel. Result - Kaboom!!!!

The main Japanese carrier, the Akagi, received just one bomb hit. But that bomb blew up all the Japanese bombers waiting in the hangers. Everything went off with a bang.

In the end, the Japanese lost all its attacking carriers against Midway and the Americans lost just one carrier. Most of the Americans, importantly the captain and admiral saved themselves to fight another day. The Japanese on the other hand- chose to go down with their ships - and their navy suffered the twin blow of losing highly trained officers whose experience had been earned over decades. Like big warships, you can't produce warriors like that overnight.

Worse, the Japanese chose to save face and hush up the disaster. The survivors were scattered away. Japanese News reported a great victory. Even the Japanese Army did not learn of it until a year later.

Perhaps that's the another adage Sun Tze didn't teach - "Those who don't learn from history are condemned to repeat it."

or "Good warriors own up to their mistakes."

Petition for Lecturer whose cruel killers got 2 years in jail

2009-07-30T07:51:00.000+10:00

You may have seen in the news, a report about Dr Cao Zhongjun, a 41 year old lecturer in Victoria University who was bashed and killed for fun as he was walking home from work.

The killers, a gang of bored youths, wanted a mobile phone. They didn't even threaten Dr Cao, they just bashed him without any provocation or warning. When he fell down, the ringleader kicked him in the head so hard he injured his own foot.

The killers weren't hungry or trying to get food for their family or even desperate. They brutally murdered an innocent man, who was walking home from work, for the sheer pleasure of it. I can't think of anything more evil than that.

Two of the gang who participated in the attack received light sentences - 2 years. Their jail sentence is also reduced due to the amount of time they spent in remand. They were very happy about it.

Read it here.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24833691-661,00.html

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25855192-2862,00.html

Yesterday, the same judge sentenced the ringleader to 10 or 15 years in jail for killing Dr Cao. Frankly, I don't understand why the whole lot of them aren't canned, then hung, or preferably fed live to sharks.

The judge made a lot of noise about the racial motivation behind the act - as if murdering a man for fun was a lesser offense. The judge ought to be beaten too. The light sentencing these murderers got are immoral. I just don't understand why Australians aren't more outraged by this.

Sometime back, when a drug smuggler was hanged overseas, Australian politicians held a minute's silence in Parliament for him, the biggest church in Melbourne held High mass for him (normally reserved for heroes), top lawyers wept for him and held vigils in his honor, and all the Aussie news stations played his story for weeks. They've got pretty bizarre notions of justice.

A petition has been set up to complain about the light sentences received by the murderers. You can sign it here (which is the point of this email)

http://www.caozhongjun.org/en/

The Chinese edition is here
http://www.caozhongjun.org/

Dr Cao's mother, a devout Christian, apparently took her own life after his murder. Dr Cao leaves behind a grieving wife and child. How sad to have survived the China Revolution persecutions only to come to a foreign land to lose your own son and die in despair. Reminds me of Naomi in the Bible...

Feel free to forward this to your friends.

Cheers,

YM

Computer update Vista Installation restored - All is well!!

2009-07-29T07:10:00.000+10:00

Alright!!!!

OK some good news. I called the Asus call centre and they informed me that the Recovery disc would be able to reinstall Vista and get the computer back to factory standard.

Huh? Wow! I thought deleting the hidden partition containing the backup data would render the Recovery Disc useless. Apparently not.

So I guess I wasted the last 24 hours crying like a little schoolgirl over nothing.

Well, that's a relief.

It seems Asus (as well as other notebook makers) builds their machines are special way - so the normal Vista software doesn't install properly- as I discovered.

I inserted the disk and he told him to go for option 3. Partition both drives. Thankfully, I at least had the brains to recall my Data was still stuck on "D" drive so I installed Vista on the 1st partition.

Now, in the past, Microsoft OS had a disgruntled gangster bikie librarian attitude and could be to expected shove its data and kill everything else on the hard drive, including your precious collection of photos and videos.

It will do this even though you had the data stored onto a separate hard drive.

Be very careful about this. One small push of the button and you just deleted forever your PhD thesis on how to bake the perfect scone.

To cut a long story short - I installed Vista on the 1st partition and it didn't fubar on me.

Then I realized I didn't turn the HD to enhanced mode. I turned it on and it didn't seem to cause a problem. But I couldn't get the ethernet driver to work - meaning no internet connection. A couple of driver installations later and no magic. I also installed some of the drivers in the wrong sequence.

Paraonia set in. Its a bit like baking a cake and then wondering where your pet hamster disappeared to.

So I put in the recovery disc and redid it again. This time round I got a few more options. I installed the drivers in the right sequence, starting with the Intel inf.

And I got internet!!! Hooray

Deleting the hidden partition turns out to be a blessing in disguise cos otherwise Asus would have preloaded all its bloatware onto the system and screwed it up again.

I wish I could design a "Gauntlet of Pain" and get MS staff and the various computer manufacturers to do various tasks whilst being shot at by paintball guns.

Losers also get canned by Chinese language school teachers if their computers are inexplicably slow, their software fails etc..

You can sue doctors if they are negligant in their work. But for some reason you can't seem to do a damn thing to the computer programmers.

Anyways, I spend the last 12 hours reinstalling the software and updating Vista.

At least I didn't have to courier the machine to the computer repair shop.

ARGGGHHH!!!!! VISTA ate my computer

2009-07-27T10:23:00.000+10:00

You would have thought that a company worth billions of dollars and having the means to employ the best and brightest programmers/testers/computers the world has ever seen could have designed a system which would work properly.

I just decided to reformat my Lamborghini VX2S notebook and re-install Vista onto the machine.

Actually it was working ok - but not great for a $4k computer. I thot a clean format and reinstallation would sweep off all the bugs and get the machine tip top.

Unfortunately Vista hangs during the installation process.

Surprisingly XP Pro can be successfully installed in the machine.

God smite Bill Gates and Microsoft!!!!!

8 year old rape victim disowned by African parents

2009-07-25T20:51:00.000+10:00

This is really messed up. An 8 year old girl was raped by 4 boys - all from Africa. Police caught them in the act of rape. Her parents, instead of comforting their daughter - has disowned her.

No wonder Liberia is so screwed up - its not the fault of anyone else except their own fubar culture.

I'm all for respecting other people's cultures and all- but this is really indicative of its systemic failure.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/24/national/main5185433.shtml
Officers responding to a report of hysterical screams found an 8-year-old girl partially clothed and four boys, barely in their teens, running from an empty shed.

The boys, ages 9 to 14, face charges ranging from sexual assault to kidnapping, police said Thursday. Authorities in Phoenix say it's one of the most horrific cases they've ever seen.

Investigators said the boys lured the girl to an empty shed on July 16 under the pretense of offering her gum. The boys then held the girl down while they took turns raping her, police said.

"She was brutally sexually assaulted for a period of about 10 to 15 minutes," police Sgt. Andy Hill said.

The 14-year-old boy was charged Wednesday as an adult with two counts of sexual assault and kidnapping, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said. He appeared in court Thursday and was being held without bond. He does not yet have a defense lawyer.

The other boys - ages 9, 10, and 13 - were charged as juveniles with sexual assault. The 10- and 13-year-old boys also were charged with kidnapping, the office said Thursday.

"This is a deeply disturbing case that has gripped our community," Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said. "Our office will seek justice for the young victim in this heartrending situation."

The outrage over the allegations has intensified when police said the girl's parents criticized her after the attack and blamed her for bringing shame on the family.

"The father told the case worker and an officer in her presence that he didn't want her back. He said 'Take her, I don't want her,"' Hill said.

Hill cited the family's background as the reason the family shunned the girl. All five children are refugees from the West African nation of Liberia.

In some parts of Africa, women often are blamed for being raped for enticing men or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Girls who are raped often are shunned by their families.

"It's a shame-based culture, so the crime is not as important as protecting the family name and the name of the community," said Tony Weedor, a Liberian refugee in Littleton, Colo., and co-founder of the CenterPoint International Foundation, which helps Liberians resettle in the United States.

"I just feel so sorry for this little girl," he said. "Some of these people will not care about the trauma she's going through - they're more concerned about the shame she brought on the family."

In recent years, Liberia has made efforts to combat rape under the leadership of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who has sought to dispel the stigma associated with sexual assault by publicly acknowledging that she was herself the victim of attempted rape during the country's civil war.

The girl's healing process will be particularly difficult, said Paul Penzone of Childhelp, which aids young victims of crime. Authorities said the victim was in the care of Child Protective Services.

"These four boys used what was a ploy to entice her to a place where they could take advantage of her almost like a pack of wolves," he said.

"And what's so disturbing beyond the initial crime is the fact that a child needs to have somewhere to feel safe, and you would think that would be in a home with her own family," not in state custody, Penzone said.

Total Solar Eclipse in China 2009

2009-07-21T11:18:00.000+10:00

Total solar eclipse in China 2009

It will be the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century.

Nobody alive today will ever see such an event again. Most people have never even observed a total eclipse of the Sun.

Total eclipses of the Sun produce one of nature's most awe-inspiring spectacles. The sight and feelings of such an eclipse cannot be adequately described in words, pictures or video, an event that often brings chills and tears once seen and felt.

The total solar eclipse of 22 July 2009 will be visible across south-east Asia and the western Pacific. This will be a spectacular total eclipse, lasting over a stunning6� minutes at maximum and visible to millions of people over a path up to 258 km wide.

This will be the longest of the 21st century. The next eclipse to exceed this duration will not be until 2132.

How to bake scones in Winter time

2009-07-09T16:40:00.000+10:00

One of the great pleasures in life is to wakeup to the fragrance of freshly baked scones. And then to eat them with raspberry or strawberry jam.

My sister taught me this cool and easy way to bakes scones.

You need

Self-raising flour
Thicken Cream
Clear bottled Lemonade
Fresh Dates/ or dried ones
Flour

and

1 big bowl
1 sieve
1 measuring cup
2 trays wrapped in aluminum foil
1 cookie cutter

****

First: Measure and sieve 3 cups of self raising flour into the bowl.

2 : Measure and pour 1 cup of Lemonade

3. Measure and pour 1 cup of thickened cream (if you swap 2 and 3 around it doesn't matter)

4. Stir until the contents turns into dough like blu-tac.

5. Chop up the dates then take the dough out and mix in the fruit. I prefer fresh dates. But you can buy the packet ones; but you might need to re-moisturize the packet dates by microwaving them in water for 5 seconds. Seconds!

6. Make sure your benchtop table is cleared. Rub the table and your hands with a handful of ordinary flour (not self-raising flour) to prevent the dough from sticking. Rubbing the flour onto the cutter helps too.

Now dump the dough onto the table and flatten it.

Flatten it to about an inch high and start cutting the scones out with the cutter and placing them into the baking tray.

7. Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

8. Once the tray is filled you place it into the Oven. Make sure to leave ample spacing for the scones to expand on the tray otherwise they'll end up growing into each other.

9. Count 20 minutes. And pull the scone/tray out of the oven.

If you like the browner and less moist, you can leave them in the oven for another 10 more minutes.

10. Serve with hot tea and coffee. And eat with plenty of strawberry jam!!!

I dream of the Deep Blue

2009-07-06T07:49:00.000+10:00

One of my diving friends took this amazingly awesome photo.

Its a school of Jackfish in Barracuda Point, Sipadan.

I just love the light and sun beams streaming down.

What a photo!!!

Praise and worship at Rowville and some other thoughts on the Christian divide

2009-07-05T15:46:00.000+10:00

One of the main things that draws me to Rowville church is the praise and worship during the service. It is heartfelt, meaningful, exuberant, joyful, and holy. Most importantly, I personally feel that I am transported into the presence of God or that God makes his presence manifest in the worship.

My soul is uplifted and the Holy Spirit within me rejoices.

In these moments - I feel like I am in Heaven - worshiping with the multitude of believers - countless like the sands of the sea. And it is beautiful.

Christianity - faith - encompasses both mind and spirit. Intellect and Emotion. God wants us to give our all to Him. And that's one reason why He loved King David so much. David loved God passionately with all his heart and soul - he was fearless in his devotion as exhibited in his fight with Goliath. Was not God amazed by David's audaciousness?

Of course, this does not mean that we abandon biblical standards or theological principles. I would depart from a church if the leadership was fatally flawed in their theological beliefs and their teaching was doctrinally unsound. I'd have pretty good reasons mind you.

On a funnier side, I personally won't be comfortable worshiping in a church with someone dancing enthusiastically like King David. But neither will I condemn it. I'll probably try very hard to avert my eyes if I saw such an exhibition and say a silent prayer for myself. :)

I think Christian churches should be balanced in both theological teaching and worship. Its seems many churches are very Janus-faced about it. Its like the right sided minded Christians go to one church - and the left-side minded Christians attend another. I guess its easier that way. But that doesn't make it correct.

As its written, Iron sharpens Iron so one man sharpens another. There's a lot of compromise that can be reached between the Evangelical conservative churches and the charismatic ones. Yes, on some issues, like the speaking of tongues - thats cause for disagreement. But I don't regard that as a major stumbling block. Surely, there is a way to work around it.

Unity has its benefits. On both sides, clutching to the extremes causes serious problems. A bit like people rushing to one side of the boat. Some evangalical churches are too dry, hate singing or any exhibit of emotions in service and don't believe that in the power of prayer to heal which to my mind detracts from the Word of God. Some charismatic churches - being a bit too left-brained - condemn rational thought and mistake human emotion for the the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They forget that God is a God of order. The study of the Bible is best done in deep thought and not in a superficial manner. God gave us a brain - like he gave us legs. Surely we have to use our brain to think through the scriptures clearly like we use our legs to get to Church safely.

Compromise, and especially real dialogue, healthy debate and rational argument not to mention a lot of grace and prayer and consideration for the other side's point of view - would help bring both sides of the Christian spectrum together. Afterall, we are brothers and sisters in Christ cleansed by the same blood of the Lamb.

But too often we are too preoccuiped with our own personal point of view and end up waiting for our turn to talk rather than listening and considering the other side's point of view.

1st July dream

2009-07-01T20:56:00.000+10:00

I had a dream that my dad was alive - come back from the dead.

It was like he had come back from a long journey feeling...

we were somewhere in the mountains... I think it was Cameron Highlands.

And we bumped into my shocked 3rd Uncle and then my father greeted him with a smile and laugh.

The 3rd Uncle was babbling about. And my father responded as you would respond to an ADD child - smiling and nodding away.

Some daydream thots during church service

2009-06-29T21:08:00.000+10:00

Just a thought but have you ever considered that most of the people in the Bible have a 1. Dream or Promise/ 2. Death / 3. resurrection theme? I'm not just talking about physical death, although this was the case for Jesus.

So you have

Job - Was Rich / Ended up poor and miserable / got happy and rich again.

Jonah - God told him to preach to Nineveh/ he ended up in a fish / and got washed up on Nineveh...

Joseph - Had a dream that his brothers would bow to him / he ended up a slave sold away by his brothers/ finally ended up as head overseer of Egypt etc..

Moses. He had a dream of freeing his people / He then spent 40 years a broken man prior to the Burning Bush / step 3- He saw the Promise Land.

David. He was Promised kingship/ he saw it die when he was hunted by Saul / and then saw the promise come to pass when he became King.

Peter - Jesus told him he would be a pillar of the church / he denied Jesus 3 times / he led the first mass altar call ...

A dangerous myth: the victorious Christian life

2009-06-23T22:23:00.000+10:00

Fail - thats the four letter word that modern society has a hard time grasping.

Christians in particular have a tough time getting over the issue of unanswered prayer.

Unfortunately, God is not slot machine. When we say the right prayer, we do not automatically get the right answer and often we don't get it right away. Darn it.

When people pray for the sick, it does not automatically follow that God will heal.

When my father died for cancer, not only was it devastating for me personally that my prayers were not answered but I got a profound sense of indifference from God. (We even prayed for healing on day of the funeral at the chapel).

"Yes, he is dead ... hmmm... hang in there."

No sense of peace, joy, love etc..

Fail.

I guess thats a very very small bit of how Job must have felt when he lost everything - including his health. How awful it must have been to face total ruin... and not only that - but the absence of the presence of God. No sense of commiseration. No Pillar of Cloud. No joy. No burning bush. No meaning. Just pain and suffering.

The same must be said for many of the ancient believers in God.

Hebrews 11:32 .. the writer recounts how some believers were killed, tortured and had to wander around in rags, destitute, persecuted and mistreated for their faith.

and then he adds... ³⁹These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.

The apostle Paul was also afflicted and though he prayed three times for healing and release... It was not granted. Instead, God said.

"My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

And its worth considering that virtually all of the apostles did not die in a rich, well catered nursing home.

Of course, I'm not saying that the way of Christian living is a litany of failures. Neither should we adopt an expectant attitude of failure and doom otherwise we'd end up pretty miserable Christians wouldn't we?

Besides Jesus did tell us not to worry about our food/drink/clothes etc.. and that God is a God of love who cares for us as His Children. As Jesus said:

⁷"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:7.

So when we pray - we pray with expectant hearts filled with faith and hope. We do not pray and expect failure. That's not faith. And that's not what God wants.

However perpetual success is not something that Christians should count on.

Even Jesus in his moment of greatest need, when he was bloody and crucified on the cross, writhing in agony, even there God seemed to abandon His only Son.

Thus Jesus cried out, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?"

Frightening isn't it? It certainly scares the hell out of me. A modern day Christian might have preferred Jesus to say something awesome and heroic like. example: "Yea though My body suffers yet my spirit within is triumphant. I will be back!"

But Jesus' pain was real and unbearable. And his sacrifice on the cross is made all too clear in that statement. God died on the cross. And He did it for us.

Perhaps the apparent fickleness of God's will is why we put our faith or sense of security in our money in the bank, the love of our spouses/relations, our material possessions, our home, our shares in blue chip companies (often known ironically as Securities), our educational qualifications/ trade skills etc.. Its tangible and "real". We can hold it in our hands. It doesn't need faith.

But when that is taken away - it is clearly a time of testing. What do we do? Do we turn with a sincere heart to God or do we turn to alcohol, drugs, porn, bitterness, rage or other means to cope?

I do not look forward towards my faith being tested. I don't think anyone with any sense of maturity does. Even Jesus was horrified by his fate. Luke 21: 41-43. Ultimately, the only solution is to accept it and endure.

Fortunately, it always seems the darkest just before the first rays of dawn.

So in the end - God met Job and assured him that He was real and that Job's suffering was not random or a big snafu.

In the end, Jesus was resurrected on the 3rd day.

And I guess, in the end, we will all face a glorious victorious entry in Heaven in the end. And for those that suffered greatly and did not receive relief in this life - a better resurrection. And that's what counts isn't it?

This is only a short musing. If you are disturbed by it - relax - and say a prayer. God does answer prayer. It just takes time- sometimes immediate - like the parting of the Red Sea. And sometimes excruciatingly long - like yearning of Abraham and Sarah for a child for example.

Horny Harvest: Bambi lovers look away

2009-06-21T18:51:00.000+10:00

Guess whats happening next.

Click on photo to find out.

Don't click if you get sick at the sight of blood.

No deer was killed...

Team Zissou rip-off

2009-06-21T18:18:00.000+10:00

Life Aquatic/Team Zissou rip-off. But still rather droll.

Aussie Share Trader refuses $315,000,000 job offer

2009-06-20T20:55:00.000+10:00

GREG Coffey has been a big name in London's secretive hedge fund business for several years, but it was a single career decision he made last year that gave the 38-year-old from Sydney an international profile.

Mr Coffey announced last April that he was leaving his job at GLG, one of Europe's biggest hedge funds, despite the firm offering him share options, cash and other inducements worth a total of $US250 million ($314.5 million) to stay for another five years, The Australian reports.

"It never occurred to me that a few hundred million dollars would be an insufficient sum to retain someone," an exasperated GLG chief Noam Gottesman said after Mr Coffey refused to change his mind.

His confidence bolstered by the $US300 million he had earned the previous year, Mr Coffey hoped to set up his own hedge fund but eventually joined a rival hedge fund manager, Moore Capital.

Mr Coffey and his former employers have insisted it was an amicable parting driven by his desire to set up his own business, but insiders say there had long been tensions and frustrations over his role at GLG.

Those who have worked with Mr Coffey, who wears his hair long and chooses leather jackets over suits, say his success is based on a remarkable grasp of market psychology.

"He is incredible at the whole game of working out when a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil what it might mean for Russian equities or US treasuries," one says.

"He senses the next three iterations and acts on it really fast. Another trader might call in the economists to see what they think about some new figures -- but forget it, Greg has already done the trade."

Mr Coffey, whose success has allowed him to amass a property portfolio worth more than $40m that includes a house in London, two waterfront mansions in Sydney, a chalet in Switzerland and a farm outside London, is not the only 30-something Australian to reach the upper echelons of the lucrative alternative management industry in London.

Two 39-year-olds, Wollongong born Lee Robinson and Hilton Nathanson of Perth, have made fortunes by setting up their own hedge funds without attracting the sort of attention generated by Mr Coffey's eye-catching defection from GLG.

An extensive report in The Deal, published today with The Australian, examines the careers of the three Australians who have quietly formed a new generation of leadership in a business with strong Australian roots.

Although the three have spent years working within a few kilometres of each other in central London, they have never met.

Each is married with two children and they share 12-hour-plus working days, but clients, employees, friends and business associates paint pictures of three very different personalities and investment techniques.

Mr Coffey believes it is "too soon to predict an imminent recovery".

In a recent closed-doors briefing to other fund managers organised by the Eurohedge magazine, Mr Coffey said the outcome of the worldwide slowdown and the massive government response was impossible to predict because it was a case of "an immovable object facing an unstoppable force", joking that it was like an all-star wrestling bout between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant.

Possible outcomes ranged from continued recession to stagflation or a repeat of Japan's lost decade of the 1990s.

Mega Shark b

2009-06-20T10:43:00.000+10:00

Naked Stranger found in Bath

2009-06-19T12:50:00.000+10:00

A woman got the shock of her life when she found a naked man in her bath.

Read the rest of the silly story here.

Yes, the place is called Weribee.

Best Star Wars fight sequence

2009-06-17T20:16:00.000+10:00

Aid workers murdered

2009-06-15T22:25:00.000+10:00

@#$%. Some people groups are a bunch of savages. You go to their country and try and help them, heal their f@#$ing sick, bring western medicine to them. And the ignorant morons murder you. You hear horror stories of how backward in mind and spirit these people are. This is one of them.

On another topic... I wonder whether giving western aid to these sorts of places is counter productive. It takes a lot of effort for a society to produce good doctors and for that matter, a good stable govt, road and transport infrastructure, hospital buildings, a medical pharmaceutical logistics network etc.. A civilized society does not just happen. Its takes centuries to evolve. Not just that- but it takes a good culture to produce a civic society.

But in some parts of the world - honestly - their cultures are totally fubar. And the results are obvious - their country is in total distress. They can't care for their young so they produce more kids in the hope that a percentage of them will survive - apparently. The truth is probably more like the men just want to bonk the females whatever chance they can get and don't understand birth control. Whats that?

But we give them aid, medical aid, food etc.. which come from our surplus. In some respects - its a bit like giving cash to a drug addict. Its not going to change him. And the problem gets worse. Perhaps you save a million people. But in ten years time, you have to feed another 10 million in a land controlled by anarchy and moronic destructive cultures. So we try and teach them about AIDs, STDs, and then the idiots think we are trying to poison them.

The current thinking is to respect other people's cultures - and not condemn the ridiculous and barbaric practices of other cultures. Like Albino killing or how Saudi Arabia executes homosexuals or women caught in the company of another man. But you've got to ask - why are we supporting barbaric cultures?

Seven out of nine foreign hostages including a child were found murdered in northern Yemen on Monday, security officials said.

"We have found the corpses of seven people who were kidnapped," a local security official said. "They were killed."

Two of the three children captured with the group were reportedly found alive.

The bodies were found by the son of a tribal leader in Noshour, east of the volatile Saada mountainous area of northern Yemen where the nine were abducted, the official said.

The authorities had accused Shi'ite Zaidi rebels in Saada of seizing seven Germans, a British engineer and a South Korean woman teacher. The rebels denied the charge.

The nine - among them three German children and two women nurses - belong to an international relief group that has been working at a hospital in Saada province bordering Saudi Arabia for 35 years, a local official said on Sunday.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the kidnapping - the latest in a string of abductions of foreigners in one of the poorest countries in the world.

Seoul confirmed that a South Korean, identified by her family name Eom, 34, had been missing since Thursday evening in Yemen when she joined members of the relief group for a walk.

Local sources said the group was a Christian Baptist organisation that also has a medical team in the hospital at Jebla, south of Sanaa, where an Islamist militant killed three American doctors in December 2002.

In Berlin, a foreign ministry spokesman had declined to confirm that Germans had been seized, saying only that the German embassy in Sanaa was in "close contact" with the Yemeni authorities.

Best snow season in over 10 years!!

2009-06-13T23:29:00.000+10:00

VICTORIA'S snow resorts are enjoying the best ski and snowboarding conditions for a decade.

Ski Report

Resorts are all reporting good condtions. Here are the details:

MT BULLER: Very good dry packed snow cover for skiing and boarding in open areas. Roads open and clear. Nine lifts operating. Snow depth: 56cm. Overnight temp: -5.4C.

MT HOTHAM: Skiing and boarding on a good cover of packed groomed snow in open areas. Road open, chains for two-wheel-drives, six lifts operating. Snow depth: 33cm. Overnight temp: -4.8C.

FALLS CREEK: Good dry packed snow cover for skiing and boarding. Road open and clear. Six lifts open. Snow depth: 39cm. Overnight Temp: -2.7C.

MT BAW BAW: Very good cover of firm packed, groomed snow in open areas. Excellent sight seeing and snow play. Five lifts operating. Snow depth: 35cm. Overnight temp: -2.7C.

LAKE MOUNTAIN: Excellent firm packed snow cover for cross country, tobogganing, sight seeing and snow play. Snow depth: 35cm. Overnight temp: -1C.

MT BUFFALO: Good packed snow cover for sight seeing and snow play. Snow depth: 10cm. Road open, watch out for icy patches.

DINNER PLAIN: Cross country is fair on a fresh dry ungroomed snow cover.
Snow depth: 14cm. Roads open, icy patches.

MT STIRLING: Cross country good on lower, excellent on upper trails. Snow depth: 23cm.

MT ST GWINEAR: Very good groomed snow cover for cross country on the main trails, good on ungroomed elsewhere. Snow depth: 37cm. Roads open and clear.

MT DONNA BUANG: Excellent snow cover for sight seeing, snow play and tobogganing. Snow depth: 22cm.

Rossini's Petite Messe Sollennelle

2009-06-13T12:04:00.000+10:00


Location:	St Marks Church, Fitzroy

To celebrate our 15th anniversary, Gloriana presents a special performance of Rossini's Petite Messe Sollennelle. Scored for choir, soloists, piano and harmonium, it is one of Rossini's most important and fascinating works.

Paradoxically being neither little, solemn nor especially liturgical in spirit, the miracle of the Petite Messe Sollennelle is that in the end it is also deeply moving. Gloriana is joined by soprano Danielle Calder, mezzo Caroline Vercoe, tenor Jacob Caine, bass-baritone Sam Dundas, Elyane Laussade on piano and Christopher Cook on harmonium.

Sunday 14 June 2009 at 2:30pm
St Mark's Anglican Church 250 George Street Fitzroy Mel 2CC9
Tickets $25 pre-purchased or $30 at the door

Danielle Calder completed her Bachelor of Music Performance (Honours) at the Victorian College of the Arts, where she was the winner of the Sleath Lowrey Rotary Scholarship and the Armstead Singing Scholarship. She also won the 2005 Dame Joan Hammond Greenroom Award. Danielle is currently a member of the Victorian Opera Developing Artists' Program and appeared as Giannetta in their recent production of The Elixir of Love.

Caroline Vercoe began her operatic training at the Victorian College of the Arts under the tuition of Dame Joan Hammond. After completing a Bachelor of Music at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Caroline began her professional operatic career with the VSO Schools Company. She has since performed in principal roles with Opera Australia, Melbourne Opera, TSO and most recently sang the mezzo solo in Verdi's Requiem in the Sydney Opera House for the Sydney Philarmonia.

Jacob Caine studied at the Victorian College of the Arts and has appeared in principal and featured roles as a chorister and soloist for Opera Australia, OzOpera, Melbourne Opera and Victorian Opera. In 2009 Jacob will perform the roles of Alfredo (La Traviata), and Scaramuccio (Ariadne auf Naxos). Jacob is currently a Developing Artist with Victorian Opera.

Sam Dundas is a graduate of the Melba Conservatorium of Music. His performance experience encompasses opera, musical theatre and concerts and he has performed throughout Australia and also New Zealand. His concert repertoire includes Pilatus (St John Passion), Bass Soloist (Mozart Requiem) and concerts with the TSO, MSO, SASO, WASO, Auckland Philharmonic, Opera Queensland and Victorian Opera.

Elyane Laussade's orchestral debut at age thirteen brought immediate recognition of her sensitivity and interpretative flair. A graduate of the Juilliard School in New York, Dr Laussade's concerts have led her across the United States from New York City's Lincoln Center and Carnegie Recital Hall to South Africa, Australia and Europe. She now teaches at the Melba Conservatorium, Monash University and the Victorian College of the Arts.

Christopher Cook has been Director of Music at St Peter's Church Eastern Hill (1994-2002) and an organ lecturer for the Australian Catholic University, Melbourne and Monash Universities. Currently a Director of the Organ Historical Trust of Australia, Christopher recently returned to Melbourne after five years in Brisbane, where he was Director of Music at St John's Cathedral.

Singapore Cinema at Mt. Sophia

2009-06-11T20:26:00.000+10:00

Japan tries to restore its coral reefs

2009-06-08T20:50:00.000+10:00

Scientists have undertaken an innovative project to try and restore Japan's largest coral reef by planting thousands of baby corals on tiny ceramic beds.

Corals in Sekisei Lagoon stretching between the Okinawan islands of Ishigaki and Iriomote have plunged by 80 percent over the past two decades due to rising water temperatures and damage by coral-eating starfish.

"No projects in the world have ever restored a coral reef artificially...but we aim to restore the lagoon in some 10 years," said Mineo Okamoto, associate professor at the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.

In a joint project with Japan's environment ministry, scientists will plant some 6,000 baby corals in the seabed in December over a 600 square-metre (6,450 square-foot) district.

The corals are 18 months old and grow on round ceramic beds that measure four centimetres (1.6 inches) in diameter and have single legs for planting.

It follows the implantation of 5,300 baby corals in 2006. Only one-third of them have survived, with many dying off or damaged by dead and collapsed corals stirred up in the sea by typhoons, Okamoto said.

"We have learned lessons from the previous planting regarding what are the best places to plant and other conditions for survival. We'll make a fresh try," he said.

Model experiment

The attempt is the world's only large-scale project to restore a coral reef artificially, rather than trying to clean the environment for corals or nipping off branches of living corals for transplanting elsewhere, Okamoto said.

If experiments are successful, the Japanese team wants to try the method in other countries, Okamoto said, adding preparations in Indonesia have already being made.

"Corals are marine creatures but are functioning like seaweed in southern seas as they engage in photosynthesis to disperse oxygen," Okamoto noted.

"They invite plankton and then plankton-feeding fish, creating an ecosystem and fishing ground," he said.

Holy War: A Battle between two churches

2009-06-07T08:20:00.000+10:00

Holy War: A Battle between two churches

2009-06-06T22:36:00.000+10:00

Disclosure : I'm a Presbyterian.

Somewhere over the rainbow

2009-04-07T20:24:00.000+10:00

I took this amazing rainbow over my home. We get pretty gigantic rainbows here in Australia that stretch from one end of the horizon to the other. I still remember the first of such rainbows I saw over 20+ years ago - it also had a twin - albeit of a lighter shade - above it.

I stitched this photo together using AUTOSTITCH - (3 photos combined) pretty cool huh??

You can just make out the lighter twin in the right hand corner. This isn't the first time such a rainbow has appeared over my home (or should I say - in this area). But even so - its an amazing sight.

I'm impressed with the program - it looks totally seamless.

Classical Music FM Melbourne

2009-04-05T19:24:00.000+10:00

One of the best things about living in Melbourne is the quality of the FM classical radio station(s). There's only two - one government and one commercial. But both of them - ABC Classic FM and 3MBS - have really beautiful programs - we don't get repeats like we do in Singapore.

God knows why Singapore can't produce a decent classic FM station. But considering how the govt wants to have a user pay system for everything - they'd just fill it with 2nd rate music and tons of annoying advertisements.

They don't know what they are missing. Whenever I hear a truly exceptional classical music - my soul is quieten - I listen and am uplifted in my spirit. I try and stop whatever I'm doing and just enjoy this slice of heaven.

On Sunday nights on ABC FM - they regularly play classical "holy" or church music. Listen to it when you have the time.

I just listened to Guerrero Vexilla Regis - The Choir of Westminster Cathedral/James O'Donnell (Helios CDH55313) - and its calmed me down like an angel's voice.

For overseas listeners - you can tune in at:

http://www.abc.net.au/classic/audio/streaming.htm

Back in Melbourne - Home Sweet Home

2009-04-05T10:42:00.000+10:00

Its about 20C now - the air is dry, fresh, crisp and clean. So unlike the hot humid air we have in CBD Singapore.

Everything is as it was since I left it last. It feels like I've been away for over a year - even though its only been about a month and a half.

There's a bit of house repair chores thats already lined up. I've got to fix the loose mortar on the roof. It shouldn't be too hard actually.

The garden could do with a mow.

The roses need pruning.

A wild tomato plant thats sprung up in our garden needs to be staked. Amazing, its produced about 20+ tomatoes. Thank God for small blessings.

Unfortunately, none of the ranunculus flowers seem to have come up. (See photo).

And of course our paperwork and taxes need to be attended to.

Now mum has finished feeding (my nephew) Euen his lunch - its taken her a good hour to accomplish the task. He's shouting "I'm free" with all the joy of a redeemed slave.

Its good to be back home.

Melbourne Sydney

2009-04-03T09:54:00.000+11:00

I think this may be the first time (in the long while) I've ever flown to Australia during the early day time. The plane took off at around 9.40am Singapore time.

When we got to Australia in the afternoon I had a nice view of the landscape. Look at it. Its like Mars. Vast tracts of reddish desert and red earth inhabited by no one. Its surreal. In a way, its also pretty horrifying in a human-centric way. It would be very difficult for any human being in live out here. Quite a few tourists, out on a ill planned road trip, have died out here.

The plane ride was not that bad. Got to ride the A380 into Sydney. The inflight entertainment was superb. The film players had individual memory slots for all the programs watched - so you could switch between stations and still return back to your lasting viewing point.

Sydney immigration was very 1970ish - quite likely because they haven't upgraded the services. Some of the immigration officers looked like they could belong in a bikie gang. I could let through quite quickly - with no hassles - probably due to the fact that I'm transiting to Melbourne.

No custom checks with the Melbourne domestic side - but I'm surprised that the public can just walk into the main baggage pick up area. I mean, a thief could just walk in - pick a luggage - and walk straight out like its a shopping mall.

Its raining now. Pouring actually - like a tropical thunder storm. We've never had anything like this for months. The last time was when I returned in December.

Looks like I've brought back some of the Singapore rain to Melbourne :)

Your Flight was 12 hours ago, jackass

2009-04-02T06:38:00.000+11:00

I packed my bags all night long - and did various house cleaning chores like covering up furniture with cloth to protect them from dust and storing away my scuba gear and hi-fi equipment. I got a huge inspiration from the end part of Gattaca (the movie).

Had a huge scare yesterday when I couldn't find my passport. The problem with me is that I'm a scatterbrain and horribly forgetful esp. when I'm tired. I was packing my stuff and walking around and I placed my passport together with a pile of correspondence I was carrying. I put the correspondence away and the passport got placed in between. I had NO recollection of this. I tore my place upside down. Then I prayed real hard. Took a deep breathe. And ignition!!!! God my brain is worse than my VW Beetle on a hot day. Walked over to the counter and there it was. Thank God I didn't throw the stuff away.

Amazing what a hot shower in 5 in the morning can do to your spirit. I scrubbed and cleaned myself like Ethan Hawke in Gattaca - it felt almost spiritual.

The taxi came early. I made sure I switched off all the electrical appliances, closed all the windows, bloody hell I find an invasion of ants crawling from the window - had to deal with that. Pulled my clothes from the laundry line.

Couldn't eat breakfast - so I took my breakfast of Chinese cinnamon flatcakes with me. Drank plenty of fresh brew coffee tho. I think I burst an eye bubble or something. My right eye is blood red.

The cab driver was friendly and a good driver. Only cost $20 including the booking fee and surcharge.

Showed up at the Qantas counter at 7am and no one else was there. Surprise. No, my flight didn't leave yesterday. But I was early.

The air ticket said my flight was leaving at 9.40am - but boarding would only be at 9am. Frankly considering how Qantas planes are having so many technical problems - I wouldn't be surprised if my plane got delayed.

FHM Party March 2009

2009-03-31T22:56:00.000+11:00

FHM Magazine held a party at Zircon in the old MoS (Ministry of Sound). I got tickets for free. The drinks were also free. Afterwards we went to eat bah-ku teh at midnight. God, I love Singapore.

Finding a life partner. And for God sake don't marry for love

2009-03-29T15:34:00.000+11:00

This is one of the most hardest choices that people have to make today, esp. in today's modern society.

Its a hard choice. And not many people get it right (the first time) - as seen by the rising number of divorces and single people around.

The problem to a certain extent is ironically - "choice". In the past, people's spouses were determined by outsides forces - ie parents or clan and custom. (In certain parts of the world, esp. in Middle Eastern societies - women have no choice in the matter - and have to marry their cousins or distant kinsman).

The whole idea of divorce was anathema. Women were forced to stick with their men by law and custom. King David, for example, had many wives - but his wives couldn't have sexual relations with other men. Tainted men still used by a Holy God but that's another essay.

In the Bible its written that God took from Adam's ribs and formed Woman. God didn't take from the feet so that she would be under him. God didn't take from Adam's seed so that she would be a sexual plaything for him. God didn't take from Adam's head so that Eve would be over him.

God took from Adam's ribs - so that Eve would be close to his heart.

In some respects, life for women - in modern society - has vastly improved. No longer are they the property of their fathers, husbands, tribe or clan. No longer are Japanese peasants selling their daughters to brothels to pay for their debts to rice merchants. No longer are European princess beheaded or imprisoned because their Prince wants another wife to bear a son. No longer do women have to put up (and remain silent) with a husband who is unfaithful, abusive, a drunkard, a wife-beater or just an obnoxious vile arsehole. Abuse takes various forms.

For modern men - they face a problem. The divorce courts (in western societies) usually favor the female - even if she is the one at fault. The other problem is the feminist movement. Too often men marry women and end up finding they've married another guy - ie someone who wants to wear the pants in the house. I seen it before - guys who get bossed around by their wives - being treated like a dog. Its ugly from both sides of the fence.

So what's it all about?

Question: who the hell are you getting married to? That's an important question. Do you know the person well? Are you overlooking their faults, ie. pride, anger, jealousy, envy, lust, selfishness, bitterness? Honestly, if the person has serious problems in any of those prime areas, throw a grenade his/her way and run away. Its a real "fire in the hold" scenario and its probably going to get worse.

Marriage is like taking a very long long distance car ride. You want a car and fellow passengers that are OK (well, more than OK) and can stand the distance. If not, you could very well be stranded on a desert road and facing a long walk to the end alone.

I like the silence test. Do you enjoy being in the presence of the girl? Can you enjoy the moments of silences with her. Are you comfortable being in each other company? That's not easy. Some people can't even stand being alone by themselves.

Yeah, whatever you do - don't marry purely for love. Love meaning - the modern sense - an emotion, a feeling - not St. Paul's definition of love. Humans are fickle. Emotions change. Beauty fades. And please stop listening to the love songs that are regularly played on the radio. They'll just brainwash you into marrying someone without thinking it through carefully. The other thing about love songs is that they usually idolize the lover - placing them in the same place as God. "I love you. I want to be close to you. I can't live without you....blah blah." Its true, think about it. Your lover is not God. Its just another fallible human being. Don't put them on a pedestal.

Direction issues. Where is the person heading and can you deal with it? There are some very silly people who buy a sports car - then complain every bloody second about the relatively high fuel consumption and maintainace costs. There are also some people who marry and then expect their partner to be different, very different. If you're going to marry a high flying executive - it should cross your mind that the person would probably be spending more time at the job than with you. If you're going to marry a bimbo who is a Paris Hilton wannabe - you should be prepared to pay for her high spending ways.

If you're going to marry a whale hunting, ocean going sailor, you should realize that the bugger would be spending a considerable part of his life out at sea - hunting whales. It doesn't matter whether the bugger is hotter than Brad Pitt - but if you can't reconcile that part of his life with yours - then surely why the hell are you in that relationship?

Let's cut to the chase. Marry someone who respects you - someone who will help you - someone who you enjoy doing things with - someone who truly loves you - and fits the description in Paul's letter to the Corinthians - love is patient, kind etc.. Love is a partnership. Its about giving and taking. You're got to see whether the other person has what it takes to deal with your own character. Example - if you're a girl and hate cleaning - marry a man who loves to clean. (There are actually people who enjoy doing that.haha)

And for God sake don't marry someone who is a nutjob who has major anger, bitterness, pride, selfish issues. Strike them off your dating list. Its like buying a car that has a serious engine and brake defect for a long road trip. You're gonna live to regret it.

Chai Tow Kwai Conversations (Carrot Cake Conversations)

2009-03-25T17:00:00.000+11:00

Chai Tow Kwai conversation (Carrot cake) is about 2 men and 2 women lost in (different ways) in Singapore and eat carrot cake.

I liked Andrea Fonseka - but whats there not to like? The film could be all about her taking a shower and complaining that the conditioner is too rough on her skin - and I would still watch it... droool.

Basically its about two rich losers and two pretty chicks with no visible means of support. The men are screwed up inside, despite being super rich, and are conversationally challenged. The women are pretty... oh yah, when Andrea got into the shower... uh, wait, wrong movie. V.V

Anyways, they meet up - have deep and meaningful conversations about life over a plate of carrot cake. And at the end - find resolution.

Actually, I like my shower story better...

Why I didn't like the show: its a monotone. Same drone. Same beat. The only time there was a registered heart beat was when the two old people talk about their kids in dialect. The old chai tow kway seller was probably the best actor in this show. Sorry Andrea.

And the conversations - aiyah, try hard man. Nail board scratching time. Way too pretentious. Its like that time I tried to build a complex model tank that had like one million parts and botched it up with too much glue.

(Nesxt movie - Olive Depression 6:30pm)

50 for oral, 80 for sex, $100 for both: A Child Sex Worker's life

2009-03-22T23:49:00.000+11:00

A very sad and disturbing story of a child who once had a normal life - had a pet fish, pet dog, went to school. Her parents divorced, she was sexually abused and got sent to government care. It proved so flawed and inadequate that she found herself on the streets giving head jobs to strangers in dark alleys - and being horribly hooked on drugs.

A 2004 study by child protection group found that more than half of the young sex workers interviewed were introduced to under-age sex work while in state care. Interviews with 30 young people found that 18 of them had started sex work by 14. Four were on the streets from age 12. All had drug addictions.

Its not Bangkok. Its Australia.

Click here for the whole sad story.

Kids, don't smoke pot. Seriously

2009-03-22T21:40:00.000+11:00

A heavy marijuana user was unable to get married because he couldn't find the old marriage papers to his previous marriage to his flat mate.

However, in a bizarre twist, it turns out he was never married to her. The document he signed 10 years ago was the apartment lease.

In other FAUX News, we learn the man is also a regular contributor to the UANUS, the UFO Alien News United Service.

The Solution to the Financial Meltdown

2009-03-19T11:23:00.000+11:00

One reason why the financial system has melted down is the lack of long term accountability for the management.

Its all very well to say - yeah, we'll let Lehman Brothers, AIG, Citibank go bankrupt.

But the main culprit is NOT the organization. It is the management, esp. the upper management who are running the show.

You can close down the organization - which will devastate the lives of thousands of people including customers who had no part whatsoever in the financial mischief. But the organization itself - is not the problem.

The key culprits are the CEOs, the traders who took risky trades, the accountants who fudged the books, the bankers who gambled the company's money, and their staff who DON'T GIVE A DAMN.

Do you honestly think they really give a rat's arse if they get fired/ or the company goes bust ? Why the hell would they care?

They are getting paid in cold hard cash - and therefore, it is of little relevance to them at all about the long term viability of the company... or even in the case of AIG - its short term viability. There is no serious impact on their lives if the organization fails.

Bankrupt AIG awarded $165,000,000.00 in bonuses to the same bunch of bastards who ruined the company. And they are being paid using the Govt Aid Package. The company claims it was part of their contract - written before the crash.

Do you think they care?

The problem is systemic. Its all over the civilized world.

10 years ago, in Australia - the CEO of the biggest bank - involved the company in a risky derivatives scheme. He had just stepped into the company and wanted to make a name for himself. His scheme failed and the bank lost over a hundred million dollars. The CEO resigned - and was awarded with $17 million dollars as severance pay.

That's just plain immoral. No one is going to complain if the man has a good plan and it succeeds. But if he screws up, why reward him?

However, that was the system.

The problem is with the reward. If you are going to pay them cash. Hard cash - preset amounts - contractually binding, there is virtually no incentive for them to do the right thing. Even if you pay them out in share scripts - the shares would still be worth something (in most cases).

Do you think someone who is getting paid one million dollars a year is actually going to really care if after (say) five years, his company goes bust. He's got 5 million dollars in cash - enough to last him a comfortable lifetime - and he'll probably land himself another cushy job somewhere else. He may be unemployed for a period of time - but his massive cash payment cushions him very comfortably.

The solution to this - is to not pay them in cash but in stock options or preference shares which are non-tradable and will be worthless if the company suffers from major reversals. Its that simple.

Of course they should receive a modest cash wage - but nothing approaching the million dollar payouts these people are receiving.

90% of their wage should be tied to those stock options or preference shares. They should get a good dividend if the company continues making profit. But should the company become insolvent or becomes unprofitable - then their stock options are worthless.

You have to find some way to tie the future of the top employees to the future of the organization. Right now - there is none - they come in, do their 3 - 5 years of work - then move off. The issue of ethics, sound business practices are irrelevant. They can cook the books, make up figures, sell off profitable sections of the company - then claim credit for this short term success. The shareholders - none the wiser - reward them with their fat cash bonuses. And the bastards ride off into the sunset leaving behind a company with hidden problems. Whether the company succeeds or fails in the future is totally immaterial to them.

But by giving the employees - from middle management to upper - the bulk of their pay in stock options or preference shares - you force them to care. They aren't going to turn a blind eye if their CEO is pulling some shit with the accounting books. They would want to "get involved" if they hear of traders doing unusual deals to hide their losses. And they will definitely want to be careful over who they select for promotion. In this case - they would want to choose someone who is competent and skilled as opposed to someone who is a great friend.

I had a friend who was in the Royal Navy in WW2. He said he loved the navy as opposed to the army. In the army, he said, you had fat cat generals sitting in the comfort of their bunker miles away from the battle directing men to their deaths. However, in the navy, everyone was in the same boat, from the admiral right down to the ship cook. Everyone cared about the boat.

Its got to be the same way with corporations. If it sinks, everyone's fortunes goes down with the bloody ship - including the CEOs.

Singaporeans aren't the only complainers

2009-03-18T23:04:00.000+11:00

Singaporeans love to complain when traveling (like most people). They travel to Europe or Australia during Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter and complain that its too cold and they can't find Cha-Kway Teow.

Well, the British love to complain too. Here are some classic complaints:

• “We bought ‘Ray-Ban’ sunglasses for five euros (£3.50) from a street trader, only to find out they were fake.”

• “No-one told us there would be fish in the sea. The children were startled.”

• “On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don’t like spicy food at all.”

Thanks to Tim Blair.

More complaints here: click here.

Who Watches the Lawmakers?

2009-03-18T15:51:00.000+11:00

I had a conversation sometime ago regarding a man who beat and threatened his wife. He was placed in jail here in Singapore. After serving his time - he was released and went back and beat up his wife again and was of course sent to jail.

My friend opinionated that the wife-beater should have received counselling and should not have been sent to prison. I can see his point of view. Perhaps he should have received more counselling or getting psy treatment. But at the end of the day - the law should protect the weak and defend their rights. For example - in Australia - there's a serial child rapist - known as Mr Baldly. He's committed a number of henious crimes. Occasionally he gets caught - put in jail - sent for counselling - then he is released and reoffends again and again. IIRC, he claims to be totally innocent and has done no wrong.

If I was king of the land- I'd have tar and feathered the fucker before impaling him in public after his 1st or 2nd offense. My friend is very glad I am not king.

We are living in a fallen world. There are evil men out there. If society, if the govt does not punish them - then who else will? In the Bible - it is written :

Romans 13:3-4 (New International Version)
3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

The Govt is supposed to be there to protect us. It is not there to turn the other cheek. It is not there to show compassion to a child rapist or murderer. It is not there to hold hands or negotiate with terrorist or rioters.

But in today's crazy world - esp. in the Western World - the Govts are weak on crime. Instead of carrying a sword to punish the evil doers - they carry "Hug Me" badges. And it seems to be a society where there is no sense of personal responsibility, sense of shame, or honor.

Today, bankers who bankrupt their company and ruin the lives of their shareholders - walk away with multi-million dollar handshakes. In the past, they would gone into a room and hung themselves. In today's society the same bankers can later start a new life and begin afresh - with no restitution to the pensioners they ruined.

And I read about this - in Austria - a father imprisoned his daughter for 24 years and raped her - fathering 7 children.

The mayor of the town, instead of cowering in his office in shame - is out on the street - beaming like a fuckwit and boasting that

"Sankt Poelten (the rapist's town) has never been in the spotlight like this before, and I hope to use this opportunity to make good contacts with the media for the future."

@#$%!!!!! WTF??? WTF????!!!!!! Goddamn it. Who the hell elected the idiot - the reincarnated citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah???

The rapist defended himself - "I had a very difficult childhood," Fritzl told the court. "My mother didn't want me. I was beaten." His attorney, Rudolf Mayer, added that a "man who put so much effort into keeping two families cannot be called a monster," urging the jurors to "keep emotion out of this.

His shrink wants us to believe that his difficult childhood made him the person that he is. He's just as much a victim as the victim.

The shrink is a person in need of a good beating.

Mayor Stadler's efforts to use the occasion to promote tourism in Sankt Poelten may be emblematic of Austria's inclination to evade the uncomfortable questions raised by the Fritzl case. It came to light just two years after Austrians learned of a surprisingly similar case: that of Natascha Kampusch, kidnapped at age 10 by another engineer and kept in a purpose-built cellar prison for eight years before she escaped in 2006. The form of incarceration wasn't the only thing the two cases had in common: not a single social worker, police officer or government official has taken any responsibility for the failures that enabled either crime.

Prior to his alleged crimes, Fritzl had been arrested three times in connection with sex offenses — he was never charged in the cases of attempted rape and public exposure, but he served a sentence for a rape conviction in the late 1960s. (He was also acquitted for lack of evidence on a charge of arson related to insurance fraud in the 1980s.) Yet when Fritzl told police that his daughter had joined a cult, they apparently believed him, despite the fact that he was a convicted sex offender and that there was no evidence that such a cult was operating in Austria. Fritzl also claimed that the three children he and his wife were raising in the house above the basement prison had been dumped on his doorstep by his runaway daughter — an unlikely account that also went unquestioned.

Elisabeth Fritzl had been abused by her father as a child, and at 16 she ran away but was returned home by police. When social workers came to the house, they spoke only to her father. Later, when she was kidnapped, the police launched only a limited investigation, and no official suspicions were raised when, three times in two years, Fritzl approached courts seeking to adopt or be recognized as the foster parent of the three children he claimed had been left on his doorstep in cardboard boxes.

Many officials, all the way up to the Chancellor, have insisted that the Fritzl case is an isolated affair, although one of the chief investigators in the case has expressed a belief that there may be other cellars in Austria where captives are being held.

Fritzl is expected to be sentenced to at least 15 years in prison, but he will most likely be sent to an institution for the criminally insane, where he will probably spend the rest of his life receiving therapy and counseling, in circumstances far more comfortable than those of high-security prisons normally reserved for repeat sex offenders. And then, as Stadler hopes, the press pack will remember Sankt Poelten for its pear brandy and its wine, and its new nightclubs and gourmet restaurants.

That's all folks! No one is to blame here. Look away now.

We're living in a world that wants to divorce cause and effect, a world with no consequences, a world of false tolerance and compassion. It won't work.

Modern Society is a fragile thing. A lot of it depends upon trust. The Trust and Kindness of Strangers. In the past, we used to depend upon the help of the Village, the Clan, the Family etc.. In today's modern society, that support is gone.

The Guardian that holds the society together is the Government whom we the citizens elect. If the Govt., the Judiciary, the Police do not fulfill that vital function - what else is there except a call for anarchy?

Its interesting that the Govt seeks to remove weapons and other means of defense that law abiding citizens can draw upon. But if the law does not serve the public, if it does not protect even women and children - who does it serve? And whats there to stop normally law abidding citizens from taking the law into their own hands?

A solution to the AIG bailout bonus scandal

2009-03-18T15:11:00.001+11:00

(For those who are unaware: AIG the Insurance Giant which went bankupt recently and received billions of dollars in Federal bailout cash - awarded bonuses of 165 million to the same traders who were partly to blame for its financial demise.)

The solution - pass a law retrospective - which stipulates that such awards/golden handshakes/ payouts to all traders/bankers - have to meet the approval of a Federal inspector. They can't be given for no reason either. Obviously they have had to do something profitable to have earned it. If all else fails - subject such bonuses to a 99.99% tax. Yeah, go ahead - make my day.

I think the only way forward for the AIG and the rest of the corporate world - is to issue licenses and score cards to all financial operatives - bankers, accountants, traders, dealers etc.. These licenses and report cards have to show their track record. And it should be listed in a public data base which anyone can access. The Federal Govt should also have the ability to refuse the license of the financial operative if he screws up big time or has committed some crime - like insider trading etc..

Dr Allan Ooi's suicide note

2009-03-16T12:28:00.000+11:00

Click here for the full transcript

http://wayangparty.com/?p=6244

He reminds me a bit of the character Jude Law played in Gattaca. Jerome Morrow had everything going for him. But a setback had him spiraling into depression.

Good times.

2009-03-13T15:50:00.000+11:00

I miss my father. I wish we had learnt to respect each other more.

Should Children go hunting?

2009-03-11T15:47:00.000+11:00

Or as the newspaper put it - "Should Children torture Animals" ?

Click here to vote:

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/poll/1,,661-5038547,00.html

Solving Reflux Indigestion Woes

2009-03-10T23:25:00.000+11:00

12.28am, should be asleep. Feel the urge to write so here we go.

A long time ago, I suffered from reflux. My stomach would cough up acid and bile. Eventually part of my esophagus, the part leading to the stomach, grew an extra lining. The valve didn't close properly. I thought I was doomed.

My dear sister however pointed out that the conditions leading to reflux - Bad diet, improper sleeping habits, lack of exercise etc.. - was all me.

I was drinking way too much coffee (ten to twenty cups a day). I love my filtered coffee. I was eating tons of junk food: people ate biscuits, I ate packets.

And of course the usual suspects - too much sugar, too much fried food, not enough vegetables, not enough fruits, waaaay too much processed stuff.

I think I must have nuked all the good bacteria in my stomach with the amount of caffeine I had been taking. And I was suffering badly from constipation. Yeah, I was full of it. :(

Now, I had been subsisting on this diet for quite a long while. It took me a long time to stop it. I took it a day at a time. I started eating more healthy stuff. I started cooking more meals where I could incorporate more fresh vegetables and make it all tasty, casserole dishes are great for that. I stopped buying the chips, packets of cookies etc.. I found that if I didn't have them in my larder, I couldn't eat them.

I stopped buying cheap crappy fruits that I did not eat. I only bought fruits that tasted good and I could finish within the week. I may have paid a bit extra but I could really feel where the money was spent.

Of course occasional I would indulge... but the memories of my reflux made me think twice before I made Pringles, Danish Butter Cookies and Columbian Coffee my staple food.

I think the exercising helped. I got into the habit of going to the gym, running, etc. Tread Mill Running with a good running CD/mp3 track is very very addictive. For some reason, exercising seems to have helped me cut down on my fat intake. I think my brain woke up to the fact that it took so much energy to burn off the fat.

I also found that my stomach doesn't digest fried oil very well. It'd take me a good 4 - 5 hours to digest the crap - otherwise if I did some hard exercising before the duration (admittedly with a kickass physical trainer) - I'd hurl.

I went to the gym for a whole year. I looked good. I felt good. Then...

The good news for all you lazy farts is I've stopped exercising and dieting, but my weight is stabilized and my reflux problem is gone.

Right now, I don't think I have a very optimal diet. I still drink too much coffee and tea. Probably eat too much biscuits. And I guess if I don't watch out - I'll be back at Square 1.

But I'm definitely more conscious over what I eat. It seems a very sub-conscious decision. Its like a light has been turned on in my brain and I'm very aware that eating certain foods too much or at certain times of the day is totally taboo.

And surprisingly its not a torture to avoid eating chips. I do get cravings but I've learnt to not give into temptation. Maybe I'm just lazy and can't be buggered driving down and buying the stuff. But there you go.

Stretching and maintaining a good posture also does help. No time to talk about that. But if you slouch, you are putting pressure on your stomach - and preventing it from operating effectively. Its like squeezing a toothpaste in the middle. Stuff gets stuck at the back; same principle.

Lastly, try and not worry so much. Worrying doesn't help you solve any problem. Try and be logical about it. Do what you can. And when you go to sleep at night, tell the problem to bugger off. You'll need a good night's sleep to do your work properly.

Sipadan Dive Trip Deferred

2009-03-10T22:58:00.000+11:00

I was toying with the idea of going diving at Sipadan. I had very happy memories there.

Mabul Water Village is having a 5 Days / 4 Nights package ( 4 Diving Days ) at a cost of SGD $895 - roughly the same in Aussie dollars.

1. Travel period is from 13 March 2009 until 13 March 2010, except for the following blocked-out dates :
a. 15 March 2009 – 25 March 2009
b. 20 April 2009 – 09 May 2009
c. 19 May 2009 – 24 May 2009
d. 15 July 2009 - 23 July 2009
etc..

The last time I went there I was rather shocked by the level of coral damage. It looked like Dayang. A bit disappointing.

I think I'll give this a miss for the time being. Besides I can't find anyone to go with me.

I hate traveling by myself. It feels terrible being in a room or boat filled with strangers who have no wish to talk to you. It think I'd rather be at the deepest depth of the sea.

Tonsilitis Infection

2009-03-10T06:08:00.000+11:00

@#$%!!!!! I've got a tonsillitis re-infection. Shit, I've got to go see the doctor again!!!

This isn't the first time either. Over two weeks ago, I caught it; I tried to fight it by sleeping, gargling salt water - didn't help. It got so bad I couldn't swallow and was starting to lose my voice. And my throat felt like it had been cut with a thousand razorblades.

The doctor gave me a 7 day course of anti-biotics - CEMAX. And it cleared up on the 1st day like a miracle. I took the whole course nonetheless.

Then the damn thing has come back again. I may have caught it from a taxi driver over the weekend.

This really pisses me off.

Female Warriors - Girls with Guns - Conscript Chicks

2009-03-09T14:29:00.000+11:00

A film about female soldiers in the best armed forces in the world, the IDF. May they never need to shoot in anger.

Your Council Rates, parking fines are well spent

2009-03-09T10:34:00.000+11:00

About 10 years back, the Councils in Melbourne, Sydney etc.. came up with a brilliant idea of making money - reduce the number of available parking spaces - increase the parking fines and the number of ticket inspectors.

(The councils are the politicians who run the municipal side of things - stuff like your garbage, fixing the road faults, putting speed bumps, legislating for speed limits, setting house height limits, approving local building construction, etc.. Unfortunately, they are usually run by 3rd rate politicians from the loony left. People who prefer to the lives of humans endangered than to cut a tree down.)

Recently, it was reported that a number of councils went on a spending spree on themselves. Read on...

SYDNEY councils splashed thousands of dollars on Christmas celebrations, with City of Sydney spending $100,000 on a staff party and barbie, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

As Australia was spiralling towards recession, Ashfield council held a $10,000 Harbour cruise, Waverley spent almost $4000 on a single boozy dinner while Warringah spent $17,480 on gift hampers alone.

The biggest spender was City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, whose council spent $55 a head for 1750 staff and councillors - or $96,250 - for a Christmas party at Paddington Town Hall on December 19, and a separate barbecue.

City of Sydney staff celebrations were on top of the $1.7 million spent on community Christmas celebrations in Martin Place and Hyde Park and receptions for local charities and residents groups at Customs House.

A City of Sydney spokesman said it would review the costs of the Christmas parties, which were held to "recognise their work . . . and encourage all to continue to work hard for the community".

"Under current global economic conditions council is reviewing all aspects of its 09/10 budget including reducing the amount spent on Christmas celebrations for staff," the spokesman said yesterday.

Randwick was the second biggest spender, dropping $29,082 on a party at Centennial Park on December 12 plus $12,778 on a Christmas Eve barbecue for its 600 staff - a total of $41,860.

Of $25,250.40 spent by Warringah, $17,480.40 went to hampers for 840 staff, with the rest on a dinner for councillors and senior staff, and two staff barbecues.