Wednesday, November 30, 2005
What a difference a day made - Jamie Cullum
It's 4:18 am now. I wished I could say that I have been up studying - as I had planned to! No, for the past 4 hours plus, I was watching the last 5 episodes of "24" Season 2!
Last week, in between trying to complete me essay, I finished season 1.
Well, I have to blame Michael for this! He had been recommending "24" to me. But I had always wanted to catch it - and never had the chance. Well, I do now and I can't wait to get me grubby hands on Season 3!!!!
24 is simply brilliant! But altho most people feel that Seasons 1 and 4 are the best, I prefered season 2 over season 1! I just couldn't stop watching season 2! And season 2 - in my view - had more emotional scenes. But I won't go into details in case some of you have not watched it yet. if you are one of those, watch it.
24 has such an original premise - to show a series based on "real-time", to base the entire series on events which just takes place in one single day! If you think about it, it is extremely difficult - and it takes away one of the useful tools in story-telling - flashbacks. You can't have that in this series!
I must hand it to the scriptwriters, on how they keep the pace going. The action and suspense is there thruout all 24 episodes! And altho at times - for me - some things are predictable, and some things are unbelievable, the sheer entertainment value outweighs wat ever trivial shortcomings the critical person in me points out.
But complain I must - why is it that all the female characters in 24 are either extremely stupid or extremely evil? And why is it that when someone talks on the phone, they must turn away from whoever they are watching over/guarding/keeping an eye on?
But the complaints stop there. The acting is excellent, the characters are believable, the plot is tight, the action is never-ending, the twists are plentiful and at times, mind-blowing (so much so that Michael had to watch season 1 all over again!!! I was tempted to do that - it's like after watching "The 6th Sense" and you wanted to watch it all over again to see if you could have spotted the twist or to see if the story was consistent with the end-twist).
Besides the emotional scenes (I'm a sucker for "heroes") in season 2, I liked it also because of the issues it raised in my mind. Note: This is an EXTREMELY minor spoiler which I guarantee wont spoil it at all:-
Here's the scenario - you have the terrorist in your custody. The terrorist had planted a nuclear bomb in town which will go off soon, killing millions of people and in all likelihood, starting a nuclear war which will end the world. Only the terrorist in your custody knows the whereabouts of the bomb. Would you condone carrying out torture on him to reveal where the bomb is?
As a human rights student, I learn - and fully agree - that there are certain basic human rights that are considered as "non-derogable". Some rights are derogable during certain situations - like in times of war, your freedom to move about freely may be taken away on a temporary basis. But we believe that certain rights can never be taken away no matter wat the circumstances are. The right not to be tortured is one of such rights. It would be an extremely dangerous path to go on if we were to even suggest that torture is permitted in certain situations.
Or is it? After all, the torture of the terrorist could potentially yeild a result which will save the lives of millions.
But is simple mathematical equations the right way to deal with it?
What if he is so well-trained, he won't break under torture? Then would it justify that we threaten to kill his wife or his children if he doesn't tell us. Heck, we may have to kill one child just to show that we mean business. Then would the mathematical equation come in again - kill one in order to save millions? But where will it all end? Kill a hundred to save millions? Kill a thousand to save millions?
I have to admit that I was rooting for Jack to make the pretty girl (but evil) suffer to get her to tell where the bomb was. After all, she had... erm... go watch it!
O well... I better get to studying now - around 6 hours left before class. At least I was thinking of human rights issues as I watched the series! :-P
Maybe I should use this for my dissertation topic - "Are non-derogable rights truly absolutely non-derogable?" That's an idea... can i drag it to 20,000 words???
Last week, in between trying to complete me essay, I finished season 1.
Well, I have to blame Michael for this! He had been recommending "24" to me. But I had always wanted to catch it - and never had the chance. Well, I do now and I can't wait to get me grubby hands on Season 3!!!!
24 is simply brilliant! But altho most people feel that Seasons 1 and 4 are the best, I prefered season 2 over season 1! I just couldn't stop watching season 2! And season 2 - in my view - had more emotional scenes. But I won't go into details in case some of you have not watched it yet. if you are one of those, watch it.
24 has such an original premise - to show a series based on "real-time", to base the entire series on events which just takes place in one single day! If you think about it, it is extremely difficult - and it takes away one of the useful tools in story-telling - flashbacks. You can't have that in this series!
I must hand it to the scriptwriters, on how they keep the pace going. The action and suspense is there thruout all 24 episodes! And altho at times - for me - some things are predictable, and some things are unbelievable, the sheer entertainment value outweighs wat ever trivial shortcomings the critical person in me points out.
But complain I must - why is it that all the female characters in 24 are either extremely stupid or extremely evil? And why is it that when someone talks on the phone, they must turn away from whoever they are watching over/guarding/keeping an eye on?
But the complaints stop there. The acting is excellent, the characters are believable, the plot is tight, the action is never-ending, the twists are plentiful and at times, mind-blowing (so much so that Michael had to watch season 1 all over again!!! I was tempted to do that - it's like after watching "The 6th Sense" and you wanted to watch it all over again to see if you could have spotted the twist or to see if the story was consistent with the end-twist).
Besides the emotional scenes (I'm a sucker for "heroes") in season 2, I liked it also because of the issues it raised in my mind. Note: This is an EXTREMELY minor spoiler which I guarantee wont spoil it at all:-
Here's the scenario - you have the terrorist in your custody. The terrorist had planted a nuclear bomb in town which will go off soon, killing millions of people and in all likelihood, starting a nuclear war which will end the world. Only the terrorist in your custody knows the whereabouts of the bomb. Would you condone carrying out torture on him to reveal where the bomb is?
As a human rights student, I learn - and fully agree - that there are certain basic human rights that are considered as "non-derogable". Some rights are derogable during certain situations - like in times of war, your freedom to move about freely may be taken away on a temporary basis. But we believe that certain rights can never be taken away no matter wat the circumstances are. The right not to be tortured is one of such rights. It would be an extremely dangerous path to go on if we were to even suggest that torture is permitted in certain situations.
Or is it? After all, the torture of the terrorist could potentially yeild a result which will save the lives of millions.
But is simple mathematical equations the right way to deal with it?
What if he is so well-trained, he won't break under torture? Then would it justify that we threaten to kill his wife or his children if he doesn't tell us. Heck, we may have to kill one child just to show that we mean business. Then would the mathematical equation come in again - kill one in order to save millions? But where will it all end? Kill a hundred to save millions? Kill a thousand to save millions?
I have to admit that I was rooting for Jack to make the pretty girl (but evil) suffer to get her to tell where the bomb was. After all, she had... erm... go watch it!
O well... I better get to studying now - around 6 hours left before class. At least I was thinking of human rights issues as I watched the series! :-P
Maybe I should use this for my dissertation topic - "Are non-derogable rights truly absolutely non-derogable?" That's an idea... can i drag it to 20,000 words???
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Not sorry - The Cranberries
Poster - £4.00
Fridge magnets - £2.00
T-shirt - £4.99
Wine gums - £0.98
Chocs - £1.25
Postal tube - £1.89
Postage - £10.95!!!!
My family’s reaction when receiving the stuffs – Priceless (I hope!)
Fridge magnets - £2.00
T-shirt - £4.99
Wine gums - £0.98
Chocs - £1.25
Postal tube - £1.89
Postage - £10.95!!!!
My family’s reaction when receiving the stuffs – Priceless (I hope!)
Monday, November 28, 2005
Don't forget to remember - Bee Gees
As per me usual ritual, I turned on me laptop when I woke this morning (ok, ok, not morning since it past 12 noon oredi) to check me mail.
I couldn't believe it!!!!!! Another reminder from the library!!!!!!! Another book overdue!!!!!
What the...???
I've lost count the number of times this has happenned. 3 or 4?
It really gets to me cuz all the times when the book was overdue, it was just sitting on me shelf collecting dust - not that I needed to use it.
I guess the fact that as a post-graduate, I get to take out not one, not 5, not 10 but EIGHTEEN (18) books does not help at all - eventho I was drooling wif joy when I first found out. It meant that I take out books that I dun really need and I forget to keep track on the due dates of the books. Some are 3 days loan books, some 7 days, some til the end of term and some overnight.
It hurts - more for my pocket cuz a day overdue meant that I get fined 30 pence. That's around RM2!!!!!
Aarrgghhhh!!!! I go round town comparing prices before buying things just to save perhaps the odd 10 or 20 p. And I throw away 30 p wif me forgetfulness.
Signs of old age?
Sigh.... the good news (totally unrelated) is that last Sunday, for the first time since I got here, I was not only on time for the Breaking of Bread service, I was early! Let's hope it won't be the first and the last...
I couldn't believe it!!!!!! Another reminder from the library!!!!!!! Another book overdue!!!!!
What the...???
I've lost count the number of times this has happenned. 3 or 4?
It really gets to me cuz all the times when the book was overdue, it was just sitting on me shelf collecting dust - not that I needed to use it.
I guess the fact that as a post-graduate, I get to take out not one, not 5, not 10 but EIGHTEEN (18) books does not help at all - eventho I was drooling wif joy when I first found out. It meant that I take out books that I dun really need and I forget to keep track on the due dates of the books. Some are 3 days loan books, some 7 days, some til the end of term and some overnight.
It hurts - more for my pocket cuz a day overdue meant that I get fined 30 pence. That's around RM2!!!!!
Aarrgghhhh!!!! I go round town comparing prices before buying things just to save perhaps the odd 10 or 20 p. And I throw away 30 p wif me forgetfulness.
Signs of old age?
Sigh.... the good news (totally unrelated) is that last Sunday, for the first time since I got here, I was not only on time for the Breaking of Bread service, I was early! Let's hope it won't be the first and the last...
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Something stupid - Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman
Just a couple of days ago, I posted sumthing about the bad reports the M'sian police force has been getting in the media lately (see here).
Well, that wasn't the end of it. 2 days later, the cops were again in the newspapers:-
Nude woman ordered to ear squat
KUALA LUMPUR: A controversial video footage showing a woman in uniform instructing a Chinese-looking naked woman to do ear squats caused an uproar after it was made public yesterday.
Police have now started investigations and have lodged a report on their own.
Ministers and MPs expressed disgust with the way the naked woman was treated after they were shown the clip by Seputeh MP Teresa Kok at Parliament House yesterday.
The video clearly shows the woman standing naked in a room with some lockers to her right. The woman in uniform can be heard telling the woman in Bahasa Malaysia to pull her ears, squat and stand up. The naked woman did 10 ear squats.
(to read the whole article and see stills of the video footage, click here)
OK. As a legally trained person, I say that first, one must verify the authenticity of the video footage. Simple, right?
Well, guess wat is the response of the police? Instead of trying to validate the video footage and taking action against the police personel involved in such a despicable act (if the video is authentic), the cops are now after the blood of the person who shot the video!!!!!!
Police to go after person who filmed naked woman
BY LOURDES CHARLES
KUALA LUMPUR: Who shot the scenes? This is the crux of police investigations into the controversial video clip showing a naked Chinese woman doing ear squats while in police custody.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Musa Hassan said whoever took the video clip - whether from the force or a civilian – would be charged under the Penal Code with insulting the modesty of a person or intruding into the privacy of a woman.
The offender can be fined or jailed up to five years or both.
(read the whole article here)
Hello? Is sumone missing the point? The person who took the video - if authentic - should be applauded for highlighting the violation of human rights committed by the police force of the land!!!! But in any event, what matters now is whether the video is true and accurate or not. If it is, then perhaps the more pressing issue is to stop these kind of things from happening again and take action against those involved - not seek to punish those who highlighted it.
Obviously the person who took the video had no intention whatsoever to insult the modesty of the poor lady nor intrude into her privacy (on the assumption that the video is genuine - something which the cops dun seem to be interested in finding out. But then again, by making such threats against the person who made the video, isn't that indirectly - but clearly - admitting that the video is true?????).
But the actions of the police can cause some people to imply one thing - the cops are feeling guilty and embarrassed and this is prolly an effort to scare the person who filmed the video.
What is even more disturbing is that the police DO NOT THINK THAT WHAT HAPPENNED IN THE VIDEO is anything wrong!!!!!!
In the same report above, this was reported:-
"On the ear squats, (North Seberang Perai OCPD) ACP Mazlan said, in some cases, simple exercise steps and corporal punishment were carried out to ensure the suspects stretched out their arms and legs to ascertain there were no hidden items."
Hello again????? Innocent until proven guilty. How can you humiliate someone who is still considered innocent in the eyes of the law? Malaysia practices (or we should practice) the rule of law!
And come on - make a person do ear squats to ascertain there were no hidden items????????
That's one of the most stupidest thing I've ever heard!!!!
But then again, it came from the Malaysian police (one of the high ranking ones) so I shouldn't be surprsied, should I?
UPDATED: Looks like I'm not the only one who feels the way that I do. Read the latest report here.
Well, that wasn't the end of it. 2 days later, the cops were again in the newspapers:-
Nation
Friday November 25, 2005
Friday November 25, 2005
Nude woman ordered to ear squat
KUALA LUMPUR: A controversial video footage showing a woman in uniform instructing a Chinese-looking naked woman to do ear squats caused an uproar after it was made public yesterday.
Police have now started investigations and have lodged a report on their own.
Ministers and MPs expressed disgust with the way the naked woman was treated after they were shown the clip by Seputeh MP Teresa Kok at Parliament House yesterday.
The video clearly shows the woman standing naked in a room with some lockers to her right. The woman in uniform can be heard telling the woman in Bahasa Malaysia to pull her ears, squat and stand up. The naked woman did 10 ear squats.
(to read the whole article and see stills of the video footage, click here)
OK. As a legally trained person, I say that first, one must verify the authenticity of the video footage. Simple, right?
Well, guess wat is the response of the police? Instead of trying to validate the video footage and taking action against the police personel involved in such a despicable act (if the video is authentic), the cops are now after the blood of the person who shot the video!!!!!!
Nation
Sunday November 27, 2005
Sunday November 27, 2005
Police to go after person who filmed naked woman
BY LOURDES CHARLES
KUALA LUMPUR: Who shot the scenes? This is the crux of police investigations into the controversial video clip showing a naked Chinese woman doing ear squats while in police custody.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Musa Hassan said whoever took the video clip - whether from the force or a civilian – would be charged under the Penal Code with insulting the modesty of a person or intruding into the privacy of a woman.
The offender can be fined or jailed up to five years or both.
(read the whole article here)
Hello? Is sumone missing the point? The person who took the video - if authentic - should be applauded for highlighting the violation of human rights committed by the police force of the land!!!! But in any event, what matters now is whether the video is true and accurate or not. If it is, then perhaps the more pressing issue is to stop these kind of things from happening again and take action against those involved - not seek to punish those who highlighted it.
Obviously the person who took the video had no intention whatsoever to insult the modesty of the poor lady nor intrude into her privacy (on the assumption that the video is genuine - something which the cops dun seem to be interested in finding out. But then again, by making such threats against the person who made the video, isn't that indirectly - but clearly - admitting that the video is true?????).
But the actions of the police can cause some people to imply one thing - the cops are feeling guilty and embarrassed and this is prolly an effort to scare the person who filmed the video.
What is even more disturbing is that the police DO NOT THINK THAT WHAT HAPPENNED IN THE VIDEO is anything wrong!!!!!!
In the same report above, this was reported:-
"On the ear squats, (North Seberang Perai OCPD) ACP Mazlan said, in some cases, simple exercise steps and corporal punishment were carried out to ensure the suspects stretched out their arms and legs to ascertain there were no hidden items."
Hello again????? Innocent until proven guilty. How can you humiliate someone who is still considered innocent in the eyes of the law? Malaysia practices (or we should practice) the rule of law!
And come on - make a person do ear squats to ascertain there were no hidden items????????
That's one of the most stupidest thing I've ever heard!!!!
But then again, it came from the Malaysian police (one of the high ranking ones) so I shouldn't be surprsied, should I?
UPDATED: Looks like I'm not the only one who feels the way that I do. Read the latest report here.
Heaven - Bryan Adams
Jack left us and went home to heaven yesterday (for context, read this).
The local church at Maldon Road Chapel was hurting - but in some strange peculiar way, was rejoicing too.
To me, it felt so weird that it affected me a lot - taking into account Jack was someone whom I talked to on only 2 separate occasions. But that's Jack! The more I hear about him, the more it confirms what I guessed the very first time he turned to me and started chatting wif me - this was someone special. And this was someone who walked close to the Lord.
And the good Lord decided that it was time to bring him home, into his presence - and Jack by now has prolly met me mates like Mei Tze, Evelyn, Don, Ben... maybe they are even exchanging stories about me! :-)
:~)
I only wish - and pray - that someday, I'll leave such a wonderful impression and testimony on the people I come in contact wif - just like how Jack used to do.
Pray for Joyce and the family in this time of bereavement.
The local church at Maldon Road Chapel was hurting - but in some strange peculiar way, was rejoicing too.
To me, it felt so weird that it affected me a lot - taking into account Jack was someone whom I talked to on only 2 separate occasions. But that's Jack! The more I hear about him, the more it confirms what I guessed the very first time he turned to me and started chatting wif me - this was someone special. And this was someone who walked close to the Lord.
And the good Lord decided that it was time to bring him home, into his presence - and Jack by now has prolly met me mates like Mei Tze, Evelyn, Don, Ben... maybe they are even exchanging stories about me! :-)
:~)
I only wish - and pray - that someday, I'll leave such a wonderful impression and testimony on the people I come in contact wif - just like how Jack used to do.
Pray for Joyce and the family in this time of bereavement.
And I know you're shining down on me from heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day
(Mariah Carey, Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman)
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day
(Mariah Carey, Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman)
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Excuses - Alanis Morissette
- I was really busy trying to finish me essay which was due on Friday.
- The essay distracted me from everything else.
- I stayed up til 6 in the morning on Thursday doing the essay.
- I went 36 hours (from 1 pm Thursday til 1 am this morning) with less than 4 hours of sleep.
- After I handed in me essay, I had to do me chores which were kept aside due to the essay - laundry, cleaning up etc.
- I ran out of credit on me mobile phone so I couldn't send a text message.
- She were so busy and had so many plans that she prolly din even realised I forgot her b'day.
OK, OK. I know. These aren't good enuf excuses for me to forget a fren's birthday. :-(
Blessed belated b'day, mate! Glad to hear it was a brilliant one!
Disappointment - The Cranberries
Photos of places around the UK this morning:-
Somerset
Bath
Port Talbot
Cornwall
East Devon
Dorset
Colchester!!!!!! What the...???
Somerset
Bath
Port Talbot
Cornwall
East Devon
Dorset
Colchester!!!!!! What the...???
Save for the last one, all pics are taken from BBC News Online
Ironic - Alanis Morissette
There were 2 of us in the kitchen this afternoon making lunch - one Italian guy and one Malaysian-Chinese (yours truly).
I couldn't help but smiled at the scene:-
The chinese guy was making pasta.
The Italian guy was cooking rice!
Trust me - it actually tastes quite good! (I ran out of bacon so I used minced pork instead)
I couldn't help but smiled at the scene:-
The chinese guy was making pasta.
The Italian guy was cooking rice!
Trust me - it actually tastes quite good! (I ran out of bacon so I used minced pork instead)
Friday, November 25, 2005
Winter wonderland - Jewel
IT'S SNOWING!!!!!!
Well, it was...
It snowed, then it rained, then it snowed, then it rained...
My first "encounter" was in me room after I did me laundry and was sorting out me clothes.Then I saw from me room window the unmistakable sight of snowflakes wafting down from the heavens. It was around 3 pm and I had gone for more than 24 hours without any sleep. But it was no dream! However, as quickly as it came, it left.
Then, I was walking back from the library at bout 10 pm (no, not studying - returning a book and reading the papers), when I looked up and it was snow! It was an exhilarating experience. I had always loved just looking up and see the snow flakes appear like magic out of nowhere and float haphazardly down onto me face, each snowflake evoking a tingling sense of cold and excitement when it makes contact wif me skin.
But again, by the time I reached me flats, it ws rain again.
Then after dinner, there it was! And this time, it was heavy and the snowflakes were huge!!!! I told Michael that this is it - Im going out into the snow! He thought me to be crazy!!! But he nodded understandingly when I said that it has been more than 10 years since I've seen snow fall!
On the way down, I bumped into some chinese girls who were excited bout the the snow. But by the time I got down, again, it was like a mixture of rain and tiny flakes - mainly rain. :-(
Yeah, so no winter wonderland here in Colchester. This morning, there was bright sunshine while it was snowing in other parts of the UK (check out the pics here).
Patience... it's still early winter. Hopefully, I'll wake up to a winter wonderland?
Well, it was...
It snowed, then it rained, then it snowed, then it rained...
My first "encounter" was in me room after I did me laundry and was sorting out me clothes.Then I saw from me room window the unmistakable sight of snowflakes wafting down from the heavens. It was around 3 pm and I had gone for more than 24 hours without any sleep. But it was no dream! However, as quickly as it came, it left.
Then, I was walking back from the library at bout 10 pm (no, not studying - returning a book and reading the papers), when I looked up and it was snow! It was an exhilarating experience. I had always loved just looking up and see the snow flakes appear like magic out of nowhere and float haphazardly down onto me face, each snowflake evoking a tingling sense of cold and excitement when it makes contact wif me skin.
But again, by the time I reached me flats, it ws rain again.
Then after dinner, there it was! And this time, it was heavy and the snowflakes were huge!!!! I told Michael that this is it - Im going out into the snow! He thought me to be crazy!!! But he nodded understandingly when I said that it has been more than 10 years since I've seen snow fall!
On the way down, I bumped into some chinese girls who were excited bout the the snow. But by the time I got down, again, it was like a mixture of rain and tiny flakes - mainly rain. :-(
Yeah, so no winter wonderland here in Colchester. This morning, there was bright sunshine while it was snowing in other parts of the UK (check out the pics here).
Patience... it's still early winter. Hopefully, I'll wake up to a winter wonderland?
Take a bow - Madonna
It's done. Me foundation essay is completed!!! I got it printed out at the computer lab with 10 hours left before the dateline! Woohoo! And I kept it just below the 2,500 word limit (of course, some editing and deletion had to be done!).
*thunderous applause*
Thank you, thank you.
It would have been earlier if I din watch the 2 episodes of 24 earlier. Or opted not to walk to Tesco in sub-zero temperature at 1 am wif some equally crazy flat-mates!
Of course, I wouldn't have done it without God's help!
Now, I feel so wide awake that I'm rewarding meself wif more episodes of 24!!!
Feels good to welcome the break of a new day when your essay is completed!
*thunderous applause*
Thank you, thank you.
It would have been earlier if I din watch the 2 episodes of 24 earlier. Or opted not to walk to Tesco in sub-zero temperature at 1 am wif some equally crazy flat-mates!
Of course, I wouldn't have done it without God's help!
Now, I feel so wide awake that I'm rewarding meself wif more episodes of 24!!!
Feels good to welcome the break of a new day when your essay is completed!
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Dirty - Christina Aguilera
This post is dedicted to the police force of Malaysia - the Polis DiRaja Malaysia!
All articles were reported in The Star newspaper, Malaysia (not some cheap tabloid)! Note that these are reports made only in the past 3 WEEKS!!!!
Motorcyclist lodges report, alleging police brutality (Reported on 7/11/05)
Blacksmith lodges report of alleged assault by cop (Reported on 10/11/05)
Police made me strip, says Chinese national (Reported on 12/11/05)
Chinese women to pinpoint ‘errant’ cops (Reported on 15/11/05)
Women identify "bad" cops (Reported on 18/11/05)
Action against cops only after probe over (Reported on 19/11/05)
Transsexual: I was humiliated and forced to strip (by the police) (Reported on 20/11/05)
Cops to probe blanket death of detainee (Reported on 22/11/05)
Cops came at 2am, claim women (Reported on 23/11/05)
Cop's legal action against student will create fear (Reported on 23/11/05)
No, I dun think that the cops are getting worse - but people are getting braver and standing up against these bullies.
It's time for the cops to clean up their act!!!
All articles were reported in The Star newspaper, Malaysia (not some cheap tabloid)! Note that these are reports made only in the past 3 WEEKS!!!!
Motorcyclist lodges report, alleging police brutality (Reported on 7/11/05)
Blacksmith lodges report of alleged assault by cop (Reported on 10/11/05)
Police made me strip, says Chinese national (Reported on 12/11/05)
Chinese women to pinpoint ‘errant’ cops (Reported on 15/11/05)
Women identify "bad" cops (Reported on 18/11/05)
Action against cops only after probe over (Reported on 19/11/05)
Transsexual: I was humiliated and forced to strip (by the police) (Reported on 20/11/05)
Cops to probe blanket death of detainee (Reported on 22/11/05)
Cops came at 2am, claim women (Reported on 23/11/05)
Cop's legal action against student will create fear (Reported on 23/11/05)
No, I dun think that the cops are getting worse - but people are getting braver and standing up against these bullies.
It's time for the cops to clean up their act!!!
Tranlsation: "I'm anti-corruption"
Sorry but I broke out into uncontrollable fits of laughter when I saw this in the M'sian papers recently.
Sorry but I broke out into uncontrollable fits of laughter when I saw this in the M'sian papers recently.
Under pressure - Queen
"Except that when i get to doing what i have to do; i have the tendency to panic, sweat, my heartbeat rate increases..."
That's wat one of me mates posted on her blog recently.
That statement struck me for 2 reasons:-
1. I never knew that about her!!!
2. Hey, she just described me!
Yup, tt's me. I get worked up (i.e. panic attacks!) over very small things. I guess this has to do wif 2 things about me - I'm a born worrier (perhaps bordering on paranoia at times) and I procrastinate (which causes me to worry more!).
Yet, having said all that, I must say oso that I work well under pressure!!!! (Perhaps, it's becuz I only work when I'm under pressure???)
Take for example a couple of weeks ago. I set meself a target that by Sunday that week, I'd come out wif an outline for the foundation essay that I have to do.
The problem was that come Sunday nite, after another one of our "midnite meal" sessions, we (Michael, Yuki, Alberto & me) just sat around chatting away. Before we knew it, it was around 3 am!!!!
By the time I got back to me room, cleaned-up, had me shower, it was pretty late and I was dropping off to sleep. But I made meself sit in front of the laptop and typed out an outline - which I did in less than 10 minutes - and which I must say impressed even meself!!!!!
*beams wif pride*
The problem is that that was the last piece of work til now that I had done regarding me foundation essay. The essay is due this Friday and I haven't started doing it yet. It did not help when I discovered that the length of the essay is "not more than 2,500 words" instead of "not more than 6,000 words" which I thought it was initially!
On top of it all, this foundation essay DOES NOT COUNT AT ALL for my Masters degree. It will not be taken into account - not even 1% of me overall mark!
Now how can one find the motivation to do such an essay?
Still, it is a requirement that I must DO it.
Michael gave me some sort of pressure last nite when he looked genuinely worried and said it was difficult to do a 2,500 word essay in 2 days!
But it din help this morning when I discovered that 2,500 words is only 5 pages on a normal Word document! A mere 5 pages!!!!!!! Look at me posts below - I can blog for 5 pages easily! ;-P
So here I am, wif Wednesday almost half gone. Instead of starting me essay, I'm blogging. Last nite, I was watching a few episodes of 24.
I was telling Michael that if I finish it by Thursday, I'll prolly go watch Harry Potter on Friday. He said he doubts it and that I'll prolly only hand in me essay at 3:55 pm on Friday (5 mins before the dateline at 4 pm!). This is coming from someone who has known me for less than 2 months!
Oh well.... Nope, I dun feel the presssure yet. But I'll start soon. No worries. I work well under pressure (ok, ok that sounds like an excuse for procrastination but lemme live in my fantasy... for another few more minutes, at least!).
That's wat one of me mates posted on her blog recently.
That statement struck me for 2 reasons:-
1. I never knew that about her!!!
2. Hey, she just described me!
Yup, tt's me. I get worked up (i.e. panic attacks!) over very small things. I guess this has to do wif 2 things about me - I'm a born worrier (perhaps bordering on paranoia at times) and I procrastinate (which causes me to worry more!).
Yet, having said all that, I must say oso that I work well under pressure!!!! (Perhaps, it's becuz I only work when I'm under pressure???)
Take for example a couple of weeks ago. I set meself a target that by Sunday that week, I'd come out wif an outline for the foundation essay that I have to do.
The problem was that come Sunday nite, after another one of our "midnite meal" sessions, we (Michael, Yuki, Alberto & me) just sat around chatting away. Before we knew it, it was around 3 am!!!!
By the time I got back to me room, cleaned-up, had me shower, it was pretty late and I was dropping off to sleep. But I made meself sit in front of the laptop and typed out an outline - which I did in less than 10 minutes - and which I must say impressed even meself!!!!!
*beams wif pride*
The problem is that that was the last piece of work til now that I had done regarding me foundation essay. The essay is due this Friday and I haven't started doing it yet. It did not help when I discovered that the length of the essay is "not more than 2,500 words" instead of "not more than 6,000 words" which I thought it was initially!
On top of it all, this foundation essay DOES NOT COUNT AT ALL for my Masters degree. It will not be taken into account - not even 1% of me overall mark!
Now how can one find the motivation to do such an essay?
Still, it is a requirement that I must DO it.
Michael gave me some sort of pressure last nite when he looked genuinely worried and said it was difficult to do a 2,500 word essay in 2 days!
But it din help this morning when I discovered that 2,500 words is only 5 pages on a normal Word document! A mere 5 pages!!!!!!! Look at me posts below - I can blog for 5 pages easily! ;-P
So here I am, wif Wednesday almost half gone. Instead of starting me essay, I'm blogging. Last nite, I was watching a few episodes of 24.
I was telling Michael that if I finish it by Thursday, I'll prolly go watch Harry Potter on Friday. He said he doubts it and that I'll prolly only hand in me essay at 3:55 pm on Friday (5 mins before the dateline at 4 pm!). This is coming from someone who has known me for less than 2 months!
Oh well.... Nope, I dun feel the presssure yet. But I'll start soon. No worries. I work well under pressure (ok, ok that sounds like an excuse for procrastination but lemme live in my fantasy... for another few more minutes, at least!).
Four seasons in one day - Crowded House
I went down to London again last Saturday. Again! Yup, me second trip to London in one week! I had a list of things hich I planned to do when I get down there. One of the things which I plan to always do when in London is to eat the roast duck rice!!!!!!
I can still remember the first time when we were taken to Wong Kei to eat the roast duck rice. Mind you, Wong Kei is renowned for its rude waiters - tourists (non-chinese) actually go there just to see how rude the waiters can get - and they get a kick out of it! Sigh... tourists!
I digress - we fell in love wif the duck rice! It was simply brilliant! It has to do wif the duck they have here in the UK!!! It may sound gross to some of you but according to me mate, Stephan, what makes it special is the layer of fat in between the skin and the meat!!! :-P~
We were so crazy about duck rice that we even tried once to go to the nearby park and catch one of the ducks there to cook!!!!!! But that's another story... (and for you animal activists out there, no, we failed miserably in our mission and returned empty handed!!!).
So it was high on me priority list when I got down to London last Tuesday. But it was a "so close but yet so far" situation! Just when I got to London's Chinatown - and could smell the roast duck, literally - me mate called me up and asked me to wait for him!!!! When he finally came, he was't interested in eating at Chinatown! So I gave it a miss (altho the next day after he left, I had roast duck rice for lunch and for dinner!!!!!).
Back to last Saturday - I met up wif some mates who came down to London for a holiday. Some were from M'sia while a family was from Birmingham. We went for dinner at this place in Bayswater called "Four Seasons" (see pic on the right - pic obtained wihtout permission from someone's blog! ;-P But she din place any restrictions...).
Four Seasons is reputed to have the best roast duck in town - and the long queues outside the restaurant all day long is a strong proof of that!
We actually dared to go there without making any reservations - and had to wait outside in the cold winter for quite a long while. But we were entertaining each other and were being entertained by the chef behind the front window wif his skills at cutting up and deboning the many roast ducks!
When we got in, I have to say that the wait was well worth it! The roast duck there was better than any roast duck I have tried in Chinatown! Excellent! Highly recommended!
Oh, it was oso the first time since I got here that I ate toufu, kai lan (whoa... excellent!) and char siew! :-)
Still, while the food was top class, being wif me mates is more important. One of them brought over a big bag of stuffs for me from M'sia (which inter alia includes my trusty reliable Oxford dictionary and me gore-tex Timberland shoes). He oso took the initiative to bring over around 15 packs of instant noodles - Mee Goreng Indomie, Maggi kari, etc. That was nice of him!
And there was me mate from Birmingham. It has been sooooooooo long since I last saw him. It was really good to see him again - this time wif his family, his wife and his 2 kids! The girl is 5 while the boy is 2. I immediately hit it off wif his daughter - she had this heavy English accent which reminded me so much of how Hollie used to speak! And there was the way of how her eyes would sparkle mischieviously that was so like Hollie! We were soon walking hand in hand along Queensway (methinks the parents were just glad to have sumone else keep an eye on her!).
Unfortunately, due to the long wait outside the restaurant, I couldn't spend much time wif them after dinner. The tube lines were a madness that nite too due to the closure of major parts of District Lines and the entire Circle Line.
Well, I do plan to see them again soon. Hopefully, I will.
I can still remember the first time when we were taken to Wong Kei to eat the roast duck rice. Mind you, Wong Kei is renowned for its rude waiters - tourists (non-chinese) actually go there just to see how rude the waiters can get - and they get a kick out of it! Sigh... tourists!
I digress - we fell in love wif the duck rice! It was simply brilliant! It has to do wif the duck they have here in the UK!!! It may sound gross to some of you but according to me mate, Stephan, what makes it special is the layer of fat in between the skin and the meat!!! :-P~
We were so crazy about duck rice that we even tried once to go to the nearby park and catch one of the ducks there to cook!!!!!! But that's another story... (and for you animal activists out there, no, we failed miserably in our mission and returned empty handed!!!).
So it was high on me priority list when I got down to London last Tuesday. But it was a "so close but yet so far" situation! Just when I got to London's Chinatown - and could smell the roast duck, literally - me mate called me up and asked me to wait for him!!!! When he finally came, he was't interested in eating at Chinatown! So I gave it a miss (altho the next day after he left, I had roast duck rice for lunch and for dinner!!!!!).
Back to last Saturday - I met up wif some mates who came down to London for a holiday. Some were from M'sia while a family was from Birmingham. We went for dinner at this place in Bayswater called "Four Seasons" (see pic on the right - pic obtained wihtout permission from someone's blog! ;-P But she din place any restrictions...).Four Seasons is reputed to have the best roast duck in town - and the long queues outside the restaurant all day long is a strong proof of that!
We actually dared to go there without making any reservations - and had to wait outside in the cold winter for quite a long while. But we were entertaining each other and were being entertained by the chef behind the front window wif his skills at cutting up and deboning the many roast ducks!
When we got in, I have to say that the wait was well worth it! The roast duck there was better than any roast duck I have tried in Chinatown! Excellent! Highly recommended!
Oh, it was oso the first time since I got here that I ate toufu, kai lan (whoa... excellent!) and char siew! :-)
Still, while the food was top class, being wif me mates is more important. One of them brought over a big bag of stuffs for me from M'sia (which inter alia includes my trusty reliable Oxford dictionary and me gore-tex Timberland shoes). He oso took the initiative to bring over around 15 packs of instant noodles - Mee Goreng Indomie, Maggi kari, etc. That was nice of him!
And there was me mate from Birmingham. It has been sooooooooo long since I last saw him. It was really good to see him again - this time wif his family, his wife and his 2 kids! The girl is 5 while the boy is 2. I immediately hit it off wif his daughter - she had this heavy English accent which reminded me so much of how Hollie used to speak! And there was the way of how her eyes would sparkle mischieviously that was so like Hollie! We were soon walking hand in hand along Queensway (methinks the parents were just glad to have sumone else keep an eye on her!).
Unfortunately, due to the long wait outside the restaurant, I couldn't spend much time wif them after dinner. The tube lines were a madness that nite too due to the closure of major parts of District Lines and the entire Circle Line.
Well, I do plan to see them again soon. Hopefully, I will.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Let it snow - Diana Krall
It's getting really cold now. Earlier, when I walked to the library, I couldn't help my teeth from not chattering!!!! Me body was alrite but when the icy blast hits me face... man!!!
Me mate, Michael told me that BBC News Online predicts it's gonna get worse later in the week! I checked it out and here's wat it reported:-
Severe wintry weather is being forecast for the UK, with as much as 20cm of snow causing disruption in some parts by the weekend, the Met Office says.
Snow is most likely in Scotland and eastern England but south-east England, north Wales, the Midlands and Northern Ireland may also be hit from Thursday.
Snow, sleet and hail will be coupled with gale force icy winds and wind chill temperatures as low as -10C.
(You can read the article here)
As I was preparing this post, I was reminded of an old post I put up on an old blog. I've reproduced it here:-
I remember the first time we saw snow in London – it was also my first time of seeing, feeling and touching snow!
It was forecasted on the radio one fine Sunday in November 1993 that there was gonna be a snowfall that nite. We got really excited and stayed up for it.
Then it happened. It was snowing. We all ran out to greet the snow! But there really wasn’t much – if snow is considered as rain, then the snow fall was like a small drizzle! Still, that did not dampen our spirits – after all, it was our first time seeing snowflakes fall.
And then, just as suddenly it came, so it went!
I went back to me room and fell asleep.
I dun know how long I was sleeping when I woke up suddenly. Immediately I sensed sumthing different. It was quiet – eerily and beautifully quiet. I pulled meself to me window – the sight took my breath away – the ground was covered thickly with snow and snowflakes dotted the dark nite sky! It was like a dream-like fantasy place – dead silence, everything covered in white and little white dots floating down from the heavens. :-)
I grabbed me winter jacket and me gloves, put on me boots and ran out – the silence was shattered by the sounds of shrieks and squeals of laughter! Me mates were all out – making snowballs, reaching out to catch the snowflakes, laughing with glee, taking pics! I joined them and twirled dizzily looking up – I loved the way the snowflakes fall haphazardly from the pitch dark sky, appearing mysteriously and float gently down onto my smiling face!
We had the time of our lives. We had snowball fights, we built a little snowman and then destroyed it and then made a bigger one (with the orange and white cone as its hat), we ran around in the snow, I made snow angels (one of my must-do things in my life) on the ground, and we basically just enjoyed ourselves, savouring the moment, going round like drunk people who were high on their experience of their first snowfall!
Our snowman!
Making a snow angel!
We hung out til first light, grabbed our cameras and went all over the place, snapping pictures – the road outside our halls, the shops across the road, the park behind our halls – it was absolutely beautiful – everything covered with a blanket of fresh brilliant white snow!
We ran out of film in our cameras and we decided the go back to our hall, change into dryer clothes, get new roll of film and go out again!
When we got back into the warmth of Marley Hall, suddenly, we realised how exhausted we were – we were up for almost the whole nite, we are soaked wet and cold, and we were totally wasted! Our plans were shelved as the draw of our nice soft warm duvets was irresistible!
Still, it took us a while to shake off the excitement and fall asleep. I actually sat at me 1st floor room window, grabbed my guitar and started singing Christmas carols with my fren who sat at his 4th floor window across the courtyard!!!!
By the time we fell asleep, the snow had long stopped falling. I remember hearing the noises of the other people in the halls waking up, discovering it snowed during the nite and started playing in the snow.
When the time came to go for classes in the morning, the snow had turned into muddy puddles, while some of the melted snow froze in the cool wind and made the sidewalk icy slippery – it really wasn’t very nice and we understood why the locals din really like snow.
The next time we experienced snow was in February the following year (I was so disappointed that we did not have a white Christmas despite temperatures dropping to below 6 degrees) but nothing beats the first experience.
That fateful magical November nite, we had the time of our life – it was indeed a wonderful memory which we’ll take with us for the rest of our lives.
The view from room 121, Marley Hall, University of East London (Barking campus) taken in February 1994
Me mate, Michael told me that BBC News Online predicts it's gonna get worse later in the week! I checked it out and here's wat it reported:-
Severe wintry weather is being forecast for the UK, with as much as 20cm of snow causing disruption in some parts by the weekend, the Met Office says.
Snow is most likely in Scotland and eastern England but south-east England, north Wales, the Midlands and Northern Ireland may also be hit from Thursday.
Snow, sleet and hail will be coupled with gale force icy winds and wind chill temperatures as low as -10C.
(You can read the article here)
As I was preparing this post, I was reminded of an old post I put up on an old blog. I've reproduced it here:-
I remember the first time we saw snow in London – it was also my first time of seeing, feeling and touching snow!
It was forecasted on the radio one fine Sunday in November 1993 that there was gonna be a snowfall that nite. We got really excited and stayed up for it.
Then it happened. It was snowing. We all ran out to greet the snow! But there really wasn’t much – if snow is considered as rain, then the snow fall was like a small drizzle! Still, that did not dampen our spirits – after all, it was our first time seeing snowflakes fall.
And then, just as suddenly it came, so it went!
I went back to me room and fell asleep.
I dun know how long I was sleeping when I woke up suddenly. Immediately I sensed sumthing different. It was quiet – eerily and beautifully quiet. I pulled meself to me window – the sight took my breath away – the ground was covered thickly with snow and snowflakes dotted the dark nite sky! It was like a dream-like fantasy place – dead silence, everything covered in white and little white dots floating down from the heavens. :-)
I grabbed me winter jacket and me gloves, put on me boots and ran out – the silence was shattered by the sounds of shrieks and squeals of laughter! Me mates were all out – making snowballs, reaching out to catch the snowflakes, laughing with glee, taking pics! I joined them and twirled dizzily looking up – I loved the way the snowflakes fall haphazardly from the pitch dark sky, appearing mysteriously and float gently down onto my smiling face!
My "Shawshank Redemption" pose! (note: taken before the release of the movie!!!)
We had the time of our lives. We had snowball fights, we built a little snowman and then destroyed it and then made a bigger one (with the orange and white cone as its hat), we ran around in the snow, I made snow angels (one of my must-do things in my life) on the ground, and we basically just enjoyed ourselves, savouring the moment, going round like drunk people who were high on their experience of their first snowfall!
Our snowman!
Making a snow angel!
We hung out til first light, grabbed our cameras and went all over the place, snapping pictures – the road outside our halls, the shops across the road, the park behind our halls – it was absolutely beautiful – everything covered with a blanket of fresh brilliant white snow!
We ran out of film in our cameras and we decided the go back to our hall, change into dryer clothes, get new roll of film and go out again!
When we got back into the warmth of Marley Hall, suddenly, we realised how exhausted we were – we were up for almost the whole nite, we are soaked wet and cold, and we were totally wasted! Our plans were shelved as the draw of our nice soft warm duvets was irresistible!
Still, it took us a while to shake off the excitement and fall asleep. I actually sat at me 1st floor room window, grabbed my guitar and started singing Christmas carols with my fren who sat at his 4th floor window across the courtyard!!!!
By the time we fell asleep, the snow had long stopped falling. I remember hearing the noises of the other people in the halls waking up, discovering it snowed during the nite and started playing in the snow.
When the time came to go for classes in the morning, the snow had turned into muddy puddles, while some of the melted snow froze in the cool wind and made the sidewalk icy slippery – it really wasn’t very nice and we understood why the locals din really like snow.
The next time we experienced snow was in February the following year (I was so disappointed that we did not have a white Christmas despite temperatures dropping to below 6 degrees) but nothing beats the first experience.
That fateful magical November nite, we had the time of our life – it was indeed a wonderful memory which we’ll take with us for the rest of our lives.
The view from room 121, Marley Hall, University of East London (Barking campus) taken in February 1994
Monday, November 21, 2005
Forever young - Alphaville
This post is specially dedicated to Augustine, Stephan, Ling, Chris, Caryn, Ramani, Martin, Hong and Joanna, me fellow Marley Hall mates from the autumn of 1993 til the summer of 1994.
Hey guys,
I went back to our Uni last week. It felt so weird, taking the District line tube - I believe it was the very same tube we used to take back then! Really!!! The only differnce is that the seat cushions have been changed. Other than that, it was the same old - even more run-down - tube. (Last week-end, I noticed that they had new District line trains).
When I got off the tube at Barking station, it was truly like traveling back in time. It was the same. WH Smith is still at the station and the corner shop selling coffee still welcomes you wif the smell of freshly brewed coffee.
I decided to walk down Longbridge Road ( haven't heard that name for a while-eh?) as I always used to do last time. Other than the new additions like Nandos and Dominos and a few internet cafes, it was still the same. Somersfield has been taken over by Asda. "Simons" is still operating!!
I walked past Barclays - not the one in town but where we opened our account - and stepped into the Post Office near Co-op. The butcher is still there!
And then I saw it - UEL!!!! It looks quite good, actually. There is one major change - the security is heightened. You cannot enter the compound without swiping your student card at the door. But I sneaked in thru the gate for the car. Oh, Pizza Town opposite our halls is still operating but the sports shop has now been replaced by a DVD shop!!!
The I found out that you had to swipe your card again to enter any building!!! Fortunately, someone inside saw me struggling wif the door and nicely opened it from inside for me. Students helping fellow-students! Cheers, mate!
You know wat? I almost can't remember the interior at all!!! Can u remember your classes? And oh, do you remember the name of the bar next to the sports centre - where we reather go instead of the noisy SU bar?
Yup, it's Crammers!
Marley Hall is still the same. The main difference is that they planted some trees and bushes on the courtyard - no more footie there!!!! And I dun think they replaced the lights on the courtyard ever since that drunk girl kicked down all of it!!!! Stupid girl.
Marley Hall 2005
Hey guys,
I went back to our Uni last week. It felt so weird, taking the District line tube - I believe it was the very same tube we used to take back then! Really!!! The only differnce is that the seat cushions have been changed. Other than that, it was the same old - even more run-down - tube. (Last week-end, I noticed that they had new District line trains).
When I got off the tube at Barking station, it was truly like traveling back in time. It was the same. WH Smith is still at the station and the corner shop selling coffee still welcomes you wif the smell of freshly brewed coffee.
I decided to walk down Longbridge Road ( haven't heard that name for a while-eh?) as I always used to do last time. Other than the new additions like Nandos and Dominos and a few internet cafes, it was still the same. Somersfield has been taken over by Asda. "Simons" is still operating!!
I walked past Barclays - not the one in town but where we opened our account - and stepped into the Post Office near Co-op. The butcher is still there!
And then I saw it - UEL!!!! It looks quite good, actually. There is one major change - the security is heightened. You cannot enter the compound without swiping your student card at the door. But I sneaked in thru the gate for the car. Oh, Pizza Town opposite our halls is still operating but the sports shop has now been replaced by a DVD shop!!!
The I found out that you had to swipe your card again to enter any building!!! Fortunately, someone inside saw me struggling wif the door and nicely opened it from inside for me. Students helping fellow-students! Cheers, mate!
You know wat? I almost can't remember the interior at all!!! Can u remember your classes? And oh, do you remember the name of the bar next to the sports centre - where we reather go instead of the noisy SU bar?
Yup, it's Crammers!
Marley Hall is still the same. The main difference is that they planted some trees and bushes on the courtyard - no more footie there!!!! And I dun think they replaced the lights on the courtyard ever since that drunk girl kicked down all of it!!!! Stupid girl.
Marley Hall 2005
After that, I went back to Ilford Lane! You know wat? i couldn't remember the house number - until I reached there. It was unmistakable - the "sarm char low" was a giveaway, tho! :-P There was a "sold" sign in front of the house and some workers were digging in the front yard. And yes, you remember the fallen wall at the front? It's still not replaced (unless it was torn down for the digging!!!!)
I must say that some points of time, I got choked up wif emotions. The memories just came flooding back - right from the tube station all the way to the Uni. I remember who I was wif and wat we did at any particular place, the crazy things, the fun things!
And at one point, I just felt so sad that it is all in the past. Why can't everyday be like it was back then? Why couldn't we stay forever young and lived life to the full like we did back then? We had the time of our life there, din we?
As I left Barking, I felt very thankful for you guys - no, not the place. Some things are the same and some have changed. I dun think I'd ever wanna go back there to live there again. But the place will always be special - but only because it was you guys that made it special!
I must say that some points of time, I got choked up wif emotions. The memories just came flooding back - right from the tube station all the way to the Uni. I remember who I was wif and wat we did at any particular place, the crazy things, the fun things!
And at one point, I just felt so sad that it is all in the past. Why can't everyday be like it was back then? Why couldn't we stay forever young and lived life to the full like we did back then? We had the time of our life there, din we?
As I left Barking, I felt very thankful for you guys - no, not the place. Some things are the same and some have changed. I dun think I'd ever wanna go back there to live there again. But the place will always be special - but only because it was you guys that made it special!
Lie to me - Bon Jovi
The etiquette of unwanted presents
By Emma Griffiths
From porcelain dogs and novelty teapots to musical socks and beaded car seats, the chances are most households will be receiving a few unwanted gifts this Christmas.
The cost of this year's unwanted novelty Christmas items and other presents will reach a massive £1.3bn, says the Abbey bank.
Debrett's, publishers of the Guide to Etiquette and Modern Manners, recommends you should accept them with good grace.
But if Auntie Sue says: "If you don't like it, I've kept the receipt", is it polite to take her up on the offer?
To find the answer, read the entire article here.
I met up wif a mate last Tuesday. He gave me a watch as a farewell gift before I came over here.
To be honest, I was more impressed wif the casing that the watch came in than the watch itself!!!!
I mean, there's really nuthing bad wif the watch. But it's just not one that I would wear. For one thing, it has no date. I'm so used to having watches wif dates that it'll feel weird and incomplete if I wear one which deos not tell me the date! Perhaps, more importantly, it had a leather strap. I NEVER wear watches wif a metal strap.
You see, I wear me watch ALL THE TIME. I wear it to sleep, I wear it to cook, I wear it to classes, I wear it to the toilet, ... and I wear it when I take me shower. I used to have a leather strap watch - and the leather began to smell cuz I never take it off.
Even if I take it off during shower, I sweat a lot and the strap will get wet!
So, a couple of years ago, I bought 2 watches - for good! Until it dies! They die! One was for active use - a Casio G-Shock and the other was a formal matt silver metal strapped watch.
The only time I take off me watch is when I want to change to the other watch!
So how was I to tell me mate? He was so excited about the watch ("It's made in the USA, man!"). I smiled and feign happiness when I unwrapped the watch.
And I brought it over here - cuz he told me that I better bring it over. And I dun wanna lie to him.
So when I went to meet up wif him, I wore the watch for the first time!
He saw it. He was prolly checking and see if I wore it - and he was so so pleased to see that I did.
I'm such a hypocrite, aren't I? But wat could I have done????
p/s - after wearing it for more than one day (and yes, I did get it wet when I took me shower that day!!!!), I must admit, that it looked quite good on me!
By Emma Griffiths
From porcelain dogs and novelty teapots to musical socks and beaded car seats, the chances are most households will be receiving a few unwanted gifts this Christmas.
The cost of this year's unwanted novelty Christmas items and other presents will reach a massive £1.3bn, says the Abbey bank.
Debrett's, publishers of the Guide to Etiquette and Modern Manners, recommends you should accept them with good grace.
But if Auntie Sue says: "If you don't like it, I've kept the receipt", is it polite to take her up on the offer?
To find the answer, read the entire article here.
I met up wif a mate last Tuesday. He gave me a watch as a farewell gift before I came over here.
To be honest, I was more impressed wif the casing that the watch came in than the watch itself!!!!
I mean, there's really nuthing bad wif the watch. But it's just not one that I would wear. For one thing, it has no date. I'm so used to having watches wif dates that it'll feel weird and incomplete if I wear one which deos not tell me the date! Perhaps, more importantly, it had a leather strap. I NEVER wear watches wif a metal strap.
You see, I wear me watch ALL THE TIME. I wear it to sleep, I wear it to cook, I wear it to classes, I wear it to the toilet, ... and I wear it when I take me shower. I used to have a leather strap watch - and the leather began to smell cuz I never take it off.
Even if I take it off during shower, I sweat a lot and the strap will get wet!
So, a couple of years ago, I bought 2 watches - for good! Until it dies! They die! One was for active use - a Casio G-Shock and the other was a formal matt silver metal strapped watch.
The only time I take off me watch is when I want to change to the other watch!
So how was I to tell me mate? He was so excited about the watch ("It's made in the USA, man!"). I smiled and feign happiness when I unwrapped the watch.
And I brought it over here - cuz he told me that I better bring it over. And I dun wanna lie to him.
So when I went to meet up wif him, I wore the watch for the first time!
He saw it. He was prolly checking and see if I wore it - and he was so so pleased to see that I did.
I'm such a hypocrite, aren't I? But wat could I have done????
p/s - after wearing it for more than one day (and yes, I did get it wet when I took me shower that day!!!!), I must admit, that it looked quite good on me!
Sunday, November 20, 2005
A whole new world - Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle
It's all J's fault. She got back from London all excited. She told me all about the musicals, showed me the pics and the souvenir programme books, played the music for me to listen and loaned me the cassettes (yeah, audio cassettes. This was long, long ago).
I still remember that nite when I first listened to my first musical. It was in my old house in section 14. It was late and I sat in the darkened hall and placed the cassette into me walkman. It was Miss Saigon.
I sat in the hall for the next hour or so - but while my body sat there, my soul was trasported into a whole new world! I was transported to Vietnam, then to the US. But more than that, I was transported into the world of musicals!!!! And I fell madly in love!
I went crazy over musicals. In fact, I must confess that part of the reason why I chose to do my bachelor's degree in London was so that I can go watch musicals!!!! Only part...
And watched musicals, I did! Les Mis, Grease (wif Debbie Gibson in Sandy's role), Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Aspects of Love, Starlight Express, Buddy, Crazy for you, Miss Saigon, Sunset Boulevard...
I loved every aspect of it. The music, the singing and the acting, the dancing, the live orchestra in the pit below, the emotions it can evoke - it can cause you to cry, to laugh, to scream in fear, to gasp in amazement, to dance along the aisle!
I've had so many wonderful memories of going to watch the musicals too - either wif frens or alone (and eventually making frens wif people around me), of queueing up in the cold winter for hours to get the tickets, of going home on the tube after the performances, still humming the tune of the songs wif a silly satisfied smile on me face!
Unfortunately, my love affair ended when I got back home. Sure, they did have some musicals in M'sia once in a while (a long, long while) but somehow it was just not the same.
So it's no wonder that now I'm back here, I've rekindled the affair! :-)
It was last Sturday when I caught my first musical in London this year.
I guess it was only right that my first musical this time round was the one showing at the Palace theatre - since my very first musical ever was also at this very same venue. It was for Les Miserables. the main difference is that this time round, instead of being right up on the balcony having an "aerial" view, I was down at the stalls where I could even see the colours of the actor's eyes!
For a review of the musical, read the following post entitled "As if we never said goodbye".
I still remember that nite when I first listened to my first musical. It was in my old house in section 14. It was late and I sat in the darkened hall and placed the cassette into me walkman. It was Miss Saigon.
I sat in the hall for the next hour or so - but while my body sat there, my soul was trasported into a whole new world! I was transported to Vietnam, then to the US. But more than that, I was transported into the world of musicals!!!! And I fell madly in love!
I went crazy over musicals. In fact, I must confess that part of the reason why I chose to do my bachelor's degree in London was so that I can go watch musicals!!!! Only part...
And watched musicals, I did! Les Mis, Grease (wif Debbie Gibson in Sandy's role), Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Aspects of Love, Starlight Express, Buddy, Crazy for you, Miss Saigon, Sunset Boulevard...
I loved every aspect of it. The music, the singing and the acting, the dancing, the live orchestra in the pit below, the emotions it can evoke - it can cause you to cry, to laugh, to scream in fear, to gasp in amazement, to dance along the aisle!
I've had so many wonderful memories of going to watch the musicals too - either wif frens or alone (and eventually making frens wif people around me), of queueing up in the cold winter for hours to get the tickets, of going home on the tube after the performances, still humming the tune of the songs wif a silly satisfied smile on me face!
Unfortunately, my love affair ended when I got back home. Sure, they did have some musicals in M'sia once in a while (a long, long while) but somehow it was just not the same.
So it's no wonder that now I'm back here, I've rekindled the affair! :-)
It was last Sturday when I caught my first musical in London this year.
I guess it was only right that my first musical this time round was the one showing at the Palace theatre - since my very first musical ever was also at this very same venue. It was for Les Miserables. the main difference is that this time round, instead of being right up on the balcony having an "aerial" view, I was down at the stalls where I could even see the colours of the actor's eyes!
For a review of the musical, read the following post entitled "As if we never said goodbye".
As if we never said goodbye - Barbra Streisand
Last Saturday, when I went to London to meet up wif some mates there, I decided to use the opportunity to catch a matinee show. I went to the official ticketing booth at Leicester Square - and was shocked to find how long the lines were!!!
The line just went around the square right up to Odeon cinema!!! And there was another line almost as long heading the other direction of the Square!!!
In the end, I just went straight to the Palace theatre and check at the box office. There was no one there. I went to the counter and asked for a ticket - there still were available!!!! Tickets in the stalls!!!!! And going for 50% off since I was a student!!!! But the tickets still cost 25 quid after the discount!!!! I struggled (for a full 10 seconds or so) before finally agreeing to buy it! :-) (Doris, dun tell parents, yah! But RM175 for a musical is not too bad, rite?)
I watched "The Woman in White" - Andrew Lloyd Webber's newest musical. I was almost late for the performance!!!! And it din help that there was this really unhelpful man who sat at the end of the row where I was. I asked politely to be allowed to go to my seat from the aisle. He refused. He told me to go round the other way. It made no sense for me to do that cuz me seat was right in the middle. But since it was oredi late and I din wanna hold up the play so I rush down to to the front - to find that there was no way I could get round to the other side. I rushed back up and asked if I be allowed to go thru cuz I cant go round from the front - they just needed to stand up. But he refused and told me to go round from the back!!!! (It was row F - 6th row from the front!).
I took a deep breath and rushed to the back of the hall, go round and came down back to the front on the other side. I was full of apologies - "Sorry", "I'm so sorry", "excuse me", "my apologies..." - as I tried to get to me seat but the people on the this side were all very nice. "That's alright", "No worries", "it's OK". I fell on my seat in relief and the lady next to me sympathetically told me that the people on the other side shud have allowed me in. It was alrite cuz I got really good seats! :-)
My verdict? Well, I must admit that I tried hard to stay awake during the first half!!!!! I was physically very tired and din have enuf sleep! It felt pretty slow going and very predicatable. Guy comes, falls in love wif girl, girl's sister falls in love wif him...
But in the second half it really picked up the pace! It was simply brilliant! (Perhaps the fact that the frenly lady next to me left during the intermission - she smiled sheepishly and told me before she left that she had actually seen the musical before and forgot all about it!!!!! She was really nice - but after she left, I had so much leg room!!!!). The songs were excellent and moved me to tears. Altho the storyline was still predictable to me in most parts, there were still some moments of excitement and suspense.
So based on the strength of the 2nd half performance, it was simply brilliant!!!!
The lead actress, Ruthie Henshall was wonderful! No, she's not the woman in white - but the moment she appeared on stage singing "I hope you like it here", I was enthralled by her presence. And her character was ... well, sumthing which I would like - the tragic self-sacrificing heroine!
And Simon Callow's performance of the comic relief Fosco was really good. He stole the show each time he got on the stage! the audience loved him.
They used the same revolving stage a'la Les Miserables. But the big difference was the backdrop - it was a computer generated background which was projected onto blank walls. It looked a little weird initially but after a while, not only did I get used to it but was quite impressed wif it! Trust me - there'll be one scene when it'll just blow you away!!!!
The songs - well, nowhere as good as the songs in Phantom or in Sunset. Still, some were pretty noteworthy like the aforementioned "I hope you like it here", "If I could only dream this world away", "You can get away with anything" and of course, my favourite, "Evermore without you". The lyrics of some songs pretty amusing too.
Overall? Not close to my all-time fav, Sunset Boulevard (but then, credit for Sunset must oso go to the fact that the best lines were taken from the movie which itself was simply brilliant!). Songs not as good nor memorable like "The music of the night" or "Think of me" or "As if we never said goodbye" or "With one look".
Still, it was well worth the 25 quid for me! And I left humming some tune wif a silly smile of satisfaction on me face as I rode the tube. :-)
The line just went around the square right up to Odeon cinema!!! And there was another line almost as long heading the other direction of the Square!!!
In the end, I just went straight to the Palace theatre and check at the box office. There was no one there. I went to the counter and asked for a ticket - there still were available!!!! Tickets in the stalls!!!!! And going for 50% off since I was a student!!!! But the tickets still cost 25 quid after the discount!!!! I struggled (for a full 10 seconds or so) before finally agreeing to buy it! :-) (Doris, dun tell parents, yah! But RM175 for a musical is not too bad, rite?)
I watched "The Woman in White" - Andrew Lloyd Webber's newest musical. I was almost late for the performance!!!! And it din help that there was this really unhelpful man who sat at the end of the row where I was. I asked politely to be allowed to go to my seat from the aisle. He refused. He told me to go round the other way. It made no sense for me to do that cuz me seat was right in the middle. But since it was oredi late and I din wanna hold up the play so I rush down to to the front - to find that there was no way I could get round to the other side. I rushed back up and asked if I be allowed to go thru cuz I cant go round from the front - they just needed to stand up. But he refused and told me to go round from the back!!!! (It was row F - 6th row from the front!).I took a deep breath and rushed to the back of the hall, go round and came down back to the front on the other side. I was full of apologies - "Sorry", "I'm so sorry", "excuse me", "my apologies..." - as I tried to get to me seat but the people on the this side were all very nice. "That's alright", "No worries", "it's OK". I fell on my seat in relief and the lady next to me sympathetically told me that the people on the other side shud have allowed me in. It was alrite cuz I got really good seats! :-)
My verdict? Well, I must admit that I tried hard to stay awake during the first half!!!!! I was physically very tired and din have enuf sleep! It felt pretty slow going and very predicatable. Guy comes, falls in love wif girl, girl's sister falls in love wif him...
But in the second half it really picked up the pace! It was simply brilliant! (Perhaps the fact that the frenly lady next to me left during the intermission - she smiled sheepishly and told me before she left that she had actually seen the musical before and forgot all about it!!!!! She was really nice - but after she left, I had so much leg room!!!!). The songs were excellent and moved me to tears. Altho the storyline was still predictable to me in most parts, there were still some moments of excitement and suspense.
So based on the strength of the 2nd half performance, it was simply brilliant!!!!
The lead actress, Ruthie Henshall was wonderful! No, she's not the woman in white - but the moment she appeared on stage singing "I hope you like it here", I was enthralled by her presence. And her character was ... well, sumthing which I would like - the tragic self-sacrificing heroine!
And Simon Callow's performance of the comic relief Fosco was really good. He stole the show each time he got on the stage! the audience loved him.
They used the same revolving stage a'la Les Miserables. But the big difference was the backdrop - it was a computer generated background which was projected onto blank walls. It looked a little weird initially but after a while, not only did I get used to it but was quite impressed wif it! Trust me - there'll be one scene when it'll just blow you away!!!!
The songs - well, nowhere as good as the songs in Phantom or in Sunset. Still, some were pretty noteworthy like the aforementioned "I hope you like it here", "If I could only dream this world away", "You can get away with anything" and of course, my favourite, "Evermore without you". The lyrics of some songs pretty amusing too.
Overall? Not close to my all-time fav, Sunset Boulevard (but then, credit for Sunset must oso go to the fact that the best lines were taken from the movie which itself was simply brilliant!). Songs not as good nor memorable like "The music of the night" or "Think of me" or "As if we never said goodbye" or "With one look".
Still, it was well worth the 25 quid for me! And I left humming some tune wif a silly smile of satisfaction on me face as I rode the tube. :-)
Close to you - The Carpenters
I was late for service this morning. Again!!!!! :-(
During the service, Ken, one of the elders (I think of him as Colonel Sanders cuz the first time I saw him, he was dressed in a beige coloured suit and pants - and along wif his greying hair and beard, he bore a striking resemblence to him!!!!), stood up and started talking about our attitude when we come to the Breaking of Bread service.
"Oh no!", I thought. "That's it. The leaders at MRC have had enuf of this chinese fella who can't seem to get here on time!" I squirmed lower into my second row seat (back seats taken due to me being late) but to no avail cuz there was no one on the first row in front of me.
He refered us to Psalms 132:-
"Hhmm...", I thought. "Where is the part that goes 'Thou shalt not be late for meetings!!'?"
Of course Colonel Sanders was not trying to take a swipe at me. His focus was on verse 2. While not trying to be unreverant, he said that coming into God's presence is like a little child going up to his mom for a cuddle. And that should be our attitude when we go into his presence!
Wow, wat a picture!
And at that point of time, God spoke to me (it had to be him!) - and he asked if ever a mother would be angry at her child who was "late" in coming to her to be cuddled?
Almost every Sunday, I'd feel like not going for service. After all, who's gonna check on me (come to think of it, who did check on me in TLC when I missed services? Ok, ok, there were some mates but definately no leaders would bother)? Physically, I'd be tired since I usually study til 4 or 5 am on the week days and wake up close to 11. I wouldn't wanna get out of bed on a Sunday morning at 8 am. Especially so on a cold wintry morning.
As I walk - more like trudge - to town heading for MRC, my ears and nose will be numb from the cold and my feet would hurt. Yet, I have to strain to walk even faster so that I'd be not later than I oredi am. Without fail, there'll be a voice in the background telling to just forget about going.
But yet, each time I go, I am truly blessed! I really am. At the end of the service, I'd be glad that I was there. I go wif the intention of wanting to give to God the worship and glory that is due to him - but in the end, I usually end up on the receiving end (hhmmm.... 3 "end"s in one sentence...).
And it's truly lovely to just go into his presence and be close to him.
p/s - Ken (Colonel Sanders) did approach me after the service and offered to pick me up for the services if I want him to!!! Hhhmmm... to ensure I wont be late? Nah. He was saying that the weather is gonna get worse in the coming weeks.
During the service, Ken, one of the elders (I think of him as Colonel Sanders cuz the first time I saw him, he was dressed in a beige coloured suit and pants - and along wif his greying hair and beard, he bore a striking resemblence to him!!!!), stood up and started talking about our attitude when we come to the Breaking of Bread service.
"Oh no!", I thought. "That's it. The leaders at MRC have had enuf of this chinese fella who can't seem to get here on time!" I squirmed lower into my second row seat (back seats taken due to me being late) but to no avail cuz there was no one on the first row in front of me.
He refered us to Psalms 132:-
1 My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.
"Hhmm...", I thought. "Where is the part that goes 'Thou shalt not be late for meetings!!'?"
Of course Colonel Sanders was not trying to take a swipe at me. His focus was on verse 2. While not trying to be unreverant, he said that coming into God's presence is like a little child going up to his mom for a cuddle. And that should be our attitude when we go into his presence!
Wow, wat a picture!
And at that point of time, God spoke to me (it had to be him!) - and he asked if ever a mother would be angry at her child who was "late" in coming to her to be cuddled?
Almost every Sunday, I'd feel like not going for service. After all, who's gonna check on me (come to think of it, who did check on me in TLC when I missed services? Ok, ok, there were some mates but definately no leaders would bother)? Physically, I'd be tired since I usually study til 4 or 5 am on the week days and wake up close to 11. I wouldn't wanna get out of bed on a Sunday morning at 8 am. Especially so on a cold wintry morning.
As I walk - more like trudge - to town heading for MRC, my ears and nose will be numb from the cold and my feet would hurt. Yet, I have to strain to walk even faster so that I'd be not later than I oredi am. Without fail, there'll be a voice in the background telling to just forget about going.
But yet, each time I go, I am truly blessed! I really am. At the end of the service, I'd be glad that I was there. I go wif the intention of wanting to give to God the worship and glory that is due to him - but in the end, I usually end up on the receiving end (hhmmm.... 3 "end"s in one sentence...).
And it's truly lovely to just go into his presence and be close to him.
p/s - Ken (Colonel Sanders) did approach me after the service and offered to pick me up for the services if I want him to!!! Hhhmmm... to ensure I wont be late? Nah. He was saying that the weather is gonna get worse in the coming weeks.
Knocking on heaven's door - Guns N' Roses
I'll always remember Jack. He was the first person in Maldon Road Chapel who spoke to me. I was sitting behind him during the service and immediately after the service, he turned around and introduced himself. He started chatting wif me along wif his wife, Joyce.
I found out later that he was one of the elders of the church.
The thing about it is that I found such warmth and friendliness in him. I have spoken to other leaders from other churches - all of whom are nice and friendly - but there was sumthing extra in Jack.
I must admit that that incident played a main role in me wanting to return again to MRC. And I did.
Unfortunately, in this month itself, I have attended more Breaking of Bread services than Jack. 2 Sundays ago, we learnt that Jack was not feeling too well - which was alarming as Jack never gets sick.
I found out today that Jack is in the late stages of cancer - no one knew until last Wednesday. His condition is deteriorating and he is on an oxygen mask now.
Even Joyce din come today, staying at home to take care of Jack.
But the brothers who went to visit him could only talk of how strong spiritually Jack is - in fact, they are talking like he is going to die for sure soon. Yet, there was nothing morbid about it as the focus was on the hope and joy Jack will have, on the thankfulness of having had him in our midst, of the encouragement he still brings to us even at this point of time.
Depending on his condition, they'll have a breaking of bread service at his home on Tuesday nite - at his request, of course.
This reminds me of the verse etched on the tombstone of a dear fren's mom:-
p/s - pray for Jack and Joyce
I found out later that he was one of the elders of the church.
The thing about it is that I found such warmth and friendliness in him. I have spoken to other leaders from other churches - all of whom are nice and friendly - but there was sumthing extra in Jack.
I must admit that that incident played a main role in me wanting to return again to MRC. And I did.
Unfortunately, in this month itself, I have attended more Breaking of Bread services than Jack. 2 Sundays ago, we learnt that Jack was not feeling too well - which was alarming as Jack never gets sick.
I found out today that Jack is in the late stages of cancer - no one knew until last Wednesday. His condition is deteriorating and he is on an oxygen mask now.
Even Joyce din come today, staying at home to take care of Jack.
But the brothers who went to visit him could only talk of how strong spiritually Jack is - in fact, they are talking like he is going to die for sure soon. Yet, there was nothing morbid about it as the focus was on the hope and joy Jack will have, on the thankfulness of having had him in our midst, of the encouragement he still brings to us even at this point of time.
Depending on his condition, they'll have a breaking of bread service at his home on Tuesday nite - at his request, of course.
This reminds me of the verse etched on the tombstone of a dear fren's mom:-
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith
p/s - pray for Jack and Joyce
Sunday, November 13, 2005
I will remember you - Amy Grant
Today is Rememberance Day - something that is never celebrated back home in Malaysia. It is a day when folk go round wearing a poppy pinned to their shirts!
Well, more than that - of course! It is the day when the nation here remembers its war veterans, especially those who gave their lives to defend their country and to defend the world from evil and tyranny.
In fact on Friday, there was a special moment when the whole nation kept silent to remember its war heroes - the moment of silence was observed nationwide on that day - which was the 11th day of the 11th month - at 11 o'clock in the morning.
When I was thinking about it today, my mind was drawn back to a trip I made a couple of years ago wif KC to Taiping. We stopped by a war memorial there - it was the place where many British soldiers were buried.
This monument thingy declares that "Their Name Liveth For Evermore"
Unfortunately, we do not have all their names to remember.
It always struck me how these lads travelled so many hundreds of miles to come to my small little country so many years ago. How they fought - and eventually laid down their lives to ensure that Malaysia - and the rest of the world - would enjoy peace today.
Do we ever spend time to remember these people?
During the church service this morning, a very interesting parallel - and contrast - was made. On Rememberence Day, we remember those who gave their lives for us. We oso are thankful for the peace that we now enjoy as a result of their sacrifice.
In the same way, we remember Jesus every Sunday - how he gave his life for us. And how we can now have peace as a result of that sacrifice.
The difference is that we do not remember a dead person - we remember a resurrected Saviour! And the peace that he gives us is a peace not among nations but peace wif God and a peace that passes all understanding.
Let us always remember.
Well, more than that - of course! It is the day when the nation here remembers its war veterans, especially those who gave their lives to defend their country and to defend the world from evil and tyranny.
In fact on Friday, there was a special moment when the whole nation kept silent to remember its war heroes - the moment of silence was observed nationwide on that day - which was the 11th day of the 11th month - at 11 o'clock in the morning.
When I was thinking about it today, my mind was drawn back to a trip I made a couple of years ago wif KC to Taiping. We stopped by a war memorial there - it was the place where many British soldiers were buried.
This monument thingy declares that "Their Name Liveth For Evermore"
Unfortunately, we do not have all their names to remember.
It always struck me how these lads travelled so many hundreds of miles to come to my small little country so many years ago. How they fought - and eventually laid down their lives to ensure that Malaysia - and the rest of the world - would enjoy peace today.
Do we ever spend time to remember these people?
During the church service this morning, a very interesting parallel - and contrast - was made. On Rememberence Day, we remember those who gave their lives for us. We oso are thankful for the peace that we now enjoy as a result of their sacrifice.
In the same way, we remember Jesus every Sunday - how he gave his life for us. And how we can now have peace as a result of that sacrifice.
The difference is that we do not remember a dead person - we remember a resurrected Saviour! And the peace that he gives us is a peace not among nations but peace wif God and a peace that passes all understanding.
Let us always remember.
Lest I forget Gethsemane
Lest I forget thine agony
Lest I forget thy love for me
Lead me to Calvary
(Jennie E. Hussey)
Lest I forget thine agony
Lest I forget thy love for me
Lead me to Calvary
(Jennie E. Hussey)
Saturday, November 12, 2005
You were meant for me - Jewel
Well, well, well! Do you know that on-line quizzes can actually be quite accurate?
This post is connected to me previous post about Desperate Housewives (read it here).
I was saying in that post that "I can't stand Bree, Susan does things which drives me up the wall, Gabrielle is shallow and a slut, and Lynette - well, she's prolly the best among them all, to me."
Well, I was at DH's website and saw this online quiz - for women, it was "Which Housewife Are You". But dun worry guys, there is a quiz which you can take too. In the end, it will reveal which character you'd most likely to date or to marry.
No surprise that my result was:-
"CGinC is likely to date or marry Lynette of Desperate Housewives"!
Take the quiz here!
This post is connected to me previous post about Desperate Housewives (read it here).
I was saying in that post that "I can't stand Bree, Susan does things which drives me up the wall, Gabrielle is shallow and a slut, and Lynette - well, she's prolly the best among them all, to me."
Well, I was at DH's website and saw this online quiz - for women, it was "Which Housewife Are You". But dun worry guys, there is a quiz which you can take too. In the end, it will reveal which character you'd most likely to date or to marry.
No surprise that my result was:-
"CGinC is likely to date or marry Lynette of Desperate Housewives"!
Take the quiz here!
Friday, November 11, 2005
La la means I love you - Swing Out Sisters
I never realised it til I got over here. I use the "lah"s a lot!!!!
When I got here, I had to consciously stop myself from doing it - the fact that it sounds so weird when I say it to me European flatmates (plus the look of bewilderment on their faces)!
For you non-M'sians (and non-S'poreans), the "la" and it's variations ("lah", "lar", "ah") is a very Malaysian thing. We use it usually at the end of sentences. Depending on how it is said (the tone, the speed, the volumme), it can be taken to mean a lot of different things - and it gives added emphasis on the intention of the speaker.
It can be used to signify frustration when spoken loudly, emphasising the "a":-
It can be used as a persuasive factor when spoken in a sweet way, dragging the "a":-
It can used to signify reluctance or unsatisfaction when spoken in a "breathy" manner:-
There are many more examples - but the beauty of it is that you can use for any purpose at any time! You can even use it without any meaning - just for the sake of it lah!
I remember reading an article when the Singaporeans laid claim on the "la" saying that it was sumthing to do with the Hokkien they speak. Come on lah - it has to do with the Malay language! In the Malay language, they have extensions at the end like "kah", "kan" and "lah"! It is Malaysian!
Anyways, we Malaysians had our Malaysian Society meeting tonite! Finally!
Me mate Markus said he'd meet me at 10 mins to 6 to go. The meeting was to start at 6. I wanted to tell him that it was after all a "Malaysian" Society meeting - so do we really expect it to start at 6 sharp?
Well, I hate to say it but I was right! When we reached there, there was only one other person - the eventual President for 2005-2006 and the organiser for tonite's meeting. At least she was punctual!
Still, I had a great time cuz it was sooooo Malaysian! We started late. Everyone was pretty laid back. And we all spoke in our Malaysian accent wif all the "la"s freely, interspersed wif the Malay language. In the back ground, we had songs in the Malay and Indian language. We had food like curry chicken and "nasi bryani" (a M'sian rice dish cooked wif spices and vege) - and altho it was cooked by Turks, it tasted quite close to Malaysian! We talked of a lot of Malaysian stuffs too! And at the end of the meeting, we all "tar pow"ed the food and brought it back to our flats!
I was telling Markus initially that I din wanna stay on for dinner - but in the end I did and I have to say that I enjoyed meself. As much as I am unhappy about a lot of things wif the country I am from, it is after all still home. And there's no place like home lah!
ok, ok the final "lah" din really quite work out but it was nice to end off the post wif a "lah", rite? Give me a break-lah! ;-P
When I got here, I had to consciously stop myself from doing it - the fact that it sounds so weird when I say it to me European flatmates (plus the look of bewilderment on their faces)!
For you non-M'sians (and non-S'poreans), the "la" and it's variations ("lah", "lar", "ah") is a very Malaysian thing. We use it usually at the end of sentences. Depending on how it is said (the tone, the speed, the volumme), it can be taken to mean a lot of different things - and it gives added emphasis on the intention of the speaker.
It can be used to signify frustration when spoken loudly, emphasising the "a":-
Enough-lah! Stop pestering me-lah! Don't-lah!
It can be used as a persuasive factor when spoken in a sweet way, dragging the "a":-
Please-lah. Buy for me lah. Pick me up lah.
It can used to signify reluctance or unsatisfaction when spoken in a "breathy" manner:-
Alright-lah. If you say so lah. Anything you want lah.
There are many more examples - but the beauty of it is that you can use for any purpose at any time! You can even use it without any meaning - just for the sake of it lah!
I remember reading an article when the Singaporeans laid claim on the "la" saying that it was sumthing to do with the Hokkien they speak. Come on lah - it has to do with the Malay language! In the Malay language, they have extensions at the end like "kah", "kan" and "lah"! It is Malaysian!
Anyways, we Malaysians had our Malaysian Society meeting tonite! Finally!
Me mate Markus said he'd meet me at 10 mins to 6 to go. The meeting was to start at 6. I wanted to tell him that it was after all a "Malaysian" Society meeting - so do we really expect it to start at 6 sharp?
Well, I hate to say it but I was right! When we reached there, there was only one other person - the eventual President for 2005-2006 and the organiser for tonite's meeting. At least she was punctual!
Still, I had a great time cuz it was sooooo Malaysian! We started late. Everyone was pretty laid back. And we all spoke in our Malaysian accent wif all the "la"s freely, interspersed wif the Malay language. In the back ground, we had songs in the Malay and Indian language. We had food like curry chicken and "nasi bryani" (a M'sian rice dish cooked wif spices and vege) - and altho it was cooked by Turks, it tasted quite close to Malaysian! We talked of a lot of Malaysian stuffs too! And at the end of the meeting, we all "tar pow"ed the food and brought it back to our flats!
I was telling Markus initially that I din wanna stay on for dinner - but in the end I did and I have to say that I enjoyed meself. As much as I am unhappy about a lot of things wif the country I am from, it is after all still home. And there's no place like home lah!
ok, ok the final "lah" din really quite work out but it was nice to end off the post wif a "lah", rite? Give me a break-lah! ;-P
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Drive my car - The Beatles
Jon asked me at happened to me car. Well, for those who dun know, I've sold off me car just before I left for Essex. :-(
So if you see me car driving in a dangerous fashion or double parked illegally or running the red light, dun jump to conclusions and curse me. It isn't me!
It was a tough decision but WGM 510 is paying for my meals and accomodation (as well as extras like me guitar!!!).
I've had so much memories of that car! ...and wif that car! :-) It had been a wonderful relatinship. And it all started one evening in July 1998 when I collected her from the showroom. I was told the registration number would be WGL followed by 4 numbers (and I specifically told them any number will do save for 5354 or 9394!!!). When I collected the car, Doris (the salesperson - not me sister) told me that I got a very nice number. It was WGM 510.
I drove back me dark green Proton Wira Aeroback 1.3 (fuel injection) back home that nite wif great pride.
Since then, I drove it practically all around the country - all the way to the south and across the causeway into S'pore (not once but twice), up north to the Thai border, to the east (where I drove it right onto the beach at Kota Bharu) and to the west, across the Penang bridge into the Pearl of the Orient!
I've driven it for mission trips, leisure trips and business trips - and while it had its fair share of little knocks here and there (most of it not my fault - naturally), I was never involved in any major accident in it - thank God.
In me car, I've cried, laughed til I nearly died, sang at the top of me voice (alone or wif me crazy mates), played cards, interrogated people, shared dreams and secrets, spent quality time wif me family and me mates, ate, slept, changed clothes,... heck, I even tried to pee in it once but din manage to!!!
I've done so many things and been to so many places wif so many wonderful people in me car - so much so that it is a wonder that when I tried to look for pics of it, I can't find any!
It has been wif me, me faithful mate, thru the good times and the bad. It indeed was a difficult decision to sell her off.
But sell her I did.
Still, altho she is legally no longer mine, there'll always be a special part in my heart for her (wah, so drama-eh?)!!!!
Check out her pics here, here and here.
So if you see me car driving in a dangerous fashion or double parked illegally or running the red light, dun jump to conclusions and curse me. It isn't me!
It was a tough decision but WGM 510 is paying for my meals and accomodation (as well as extras like me guitar!!!).
I've had so much memories of that car! ...and wif that car! :-) It had been a wonderful relatinship. And it all started one evening in July 1998 when I collected her from the showroom. I was told the registration number would be WGL followed by 4 numbers (and I specifically told them any number will do save for 5354 or 9394!!!). When I collected the car, Doris (the salesperson - not me sister) told me that I got a very nice number. It was WGM 510.
I drove back me dark green Proton Wira Aeroback 1.3 (fuel injection) back home that nite wif great pride.
Since then, I drove it practically all around the country - all the way to the south and across the causeway into S'pore (not once but twice), up north to the Thai border, to the east (where I drove it right onto the beach at Kota Bharu) and to the west, across the Penang bridge into the Pearl of the Orient!
I've driven it for mission trips, leisure trips and business trips - and while it had its fair share of little knocks here and there (most of it not my fault - naturally), I was never involved in any major accident in it - thank God.
In me car, I've cried, laughed til I nearly died, sang at the top of me voice (alone or wif me crazy mates), played cards, interrogated people, shared dreams and secrets, spent quality time wif me family and me mates, ate, slept, changed clothes,... heck, I even tried to pee in it once but din manage to!!!
I've done so many things and been to so many places wif so many wonderful people in me car - so much so that it is a wonder that when I tried to look for pics of it, I can't find any!
It has been wif me, me faithful mate, thru the good times and the bad. It indeed was a difficult decision to sell her off.
But sell her I did.
Still, altho she is legally no longer mine, there'll always be a special part in my heart for her (wah, so drama-eh?)!!!!
Check out her pics here, here and here.
