:O speaks

Come home, lil' bro...

2010-12-08T17:36:00.001-08:00

Along with Suryavaman lies four-year-old Midori Kami, buried forever, in the city of Siamese brilliance...

To lift an elephant

2010-11-04T03:48:00.000-07:00

you have to become a squashed ant.

No medal, but...

2010-08-23T18:59:00.001-07:00

I told the guys after the game, if this is the worst thing that ever happens to them, then they are going to be very successful and lead extremely happy lives. -- Eric Flannery, USA Coach, YOG Fiba 33 Boys Team

No other way

2010-08-15T06:36:00.001-07:00

"Service in this business is tough and often dangerous. It extracts a price for participants, and that price can be high. It is tempting to protect yourself from the personal and professional cost of loss by limiting how much you commit, how much you believe and trust in people, and how deeply you care... If I had it to do over again, I'd do some things in my career differently, but not many. I believed in people and I still believe in them. I trusted and I still trust. I cared and I still care. I wouldn't have had it any other way." -- Stanley McChrystal

Go Stan!

2010-06-22T20:24:00.001-07:00

"Strength is leading when you just don't want to lead... You're leading by example. That's what we do. Particularly when it's really, really hard, and it hurts inside." -- Gen. Stanley McChrystal

Patriotism

2010-06-20T23:11:00.001-07:00

... is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. -- Mark Twain

Consumed by Moral Imperatives

2010-06-15T02:47:00.001-07:00

知之者不如好之者

好之者不如乐之者

Solang` Man Träume Noch Leben Kann

2010-06-07T12:08:00.001-07:00

Ein Jahr ist schnell vorüber,
wenn der Regen fällt,
ein Meer voller Fragen.
Ich steh` dir gegenüber
in Erinnerung vergangener Tage.

Das große Ziel war viel zu weit,
für uns`re Träume zu wenig Zeit.
Versuchen wir es wieder,
so lang` man Träume noch leben kann.

Ein Jahr ist schnell vorüber,
wenn der Nebel kommt
mit silbernem Schweigen.
Du stehst mir gegenüber,
und es fällt mir schwer, dir Liebe zu zeigen.

Das große Ziel war viel zu weit,
für uns`re Träume zu wenig Zeit.
Du weißt genau, daß irgendwann
einmal ein Wunder geschehen kann.
Versuchen wir es wieder,
so lang` man Träume noch leben kann.

Ich brauch` dich, das weißt du
versuchen wir es wieder,
so lang` man Träume noch leben kann.

Das große Ziel war viel zu weit,
für uns`re Träume zu wenig Zeit.
Du weißt genau, daß irgendwann
einmal ein Wunder geschehen kann.

Versuchen wir es wieder,
so lang` man Träume noch leben kann.
Versuchen wir es wieder,
so lang` man Träume noch leben kann.

Knowing and Unknowing

2010-05-03T04:12:00.000-07:00

"There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. These are things we do not know we don't know." —United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

Hear, hear!

2010-04-11T12:44:00.001-07:00

"This former head of the Inquisition should be arrested the moment he dares to set foot outside his tinpot fiefdom of the Vatican, and he should be tried in an appropriate civil not ecclesiastical court." -- Richard Dawkins

Why am I not in this picture?

2010-02-02T00:32:00.001-08:00

Spot Xiaoqing, or rather, Miniqing. :S

I'm even better than this...

2009-03-05T10:33:00.000-08:00

????...

2009-03-04T01:18:00.001-08:00

不成功便成仁

Idiots

2009-02-24T05:26:00.001-08:00

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." Albert Einstein

My long lost cousin

2008-02-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

"My purple polar bear is testimony to IKEA's brainwashing power - what do I need a purple polar bear for?? I don't!! But there it is - sat in my bedroom!! Forever reminding me of how weak I was and how easily I was tempted :-(" comment by Marky Mark

Free throws are free

2008-01-24T18:49:00.000-08:00

"Fifty-eight percent; 71 percent from the 3; 100 percent from the foul line. At least the foul line wasn't guarded," Doc Rivers after the Celtics lost 112-114 to the Raptors.

Besieged

2007-12-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

九里山前摆战场；乌江岸上困霸王

Tradition

2007-12-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

Just because you've always done it that way doesn't mean it's not incredibly stupid. -- from the 2008 Depair, Inc. calendar

Mama where?

2007-12-06T10:19:00.001-08:00

I haven't seen my mother in months. :(

What about women?

2007-11-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - Lord Acton in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887

Exposing a schizo

2007-11-19T04:26:00.000-08:00

"It is now quite firmly established that the voice the schizophrenic 'hears' is his own; he is talking to himself silently without realising it. As simple an obstacle as having the patient hold his mouth wide open is sufficient to stop the voices (Rich and Kinsbourne, 1987)."

For those who think I'm fat

2007-11-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

Check out George the Hedgehog"target=new. Some of Mama's friends think the damn critter is cuter than me. I guess people are entitled to their wrong opinions. This somehow reminds me of voting. Making decisions based on the choices of the majority seems like an inherently bad idea to me. Since when was the majority ever well-informed and intelligent? Of course, the other alternative of dictatorship is not very good as well. Obviously, nothing works. Which is why the human world is so f***ed up. Its members are so screwed they want to interfere with what George eats and how much. :(

The golden rule

2007-11-01T22:10:00.001-07:00

is not in eliminating misery, it's to keep misery to a minimum. -- Dr House, Mirror Mirror

What would Crick think?

2007-10-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

"There is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. Our wanting to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so." Dr James Watson

Hill says

2007-09-09T09:05:00.001-07:00

"You bring change by working within the system, you can't pretend the system doesn't exist." Mrs Clinton

Why a fifth of Americans can't locate the United States on a world map

2007-09-03T01:05:00.000-07:00

"I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uhmmm, some people out there in our nation don't have maps and uh, I believe that our, I, education like such as, uh, South Africa, and uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uhhh, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, should help South Africa, it should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future, for us." Miss South Carolina Teen USA

On Mother Theresa

2007-08-29T22:55:00.001-07:00

"When even the doubts of experts are thought to confirm a doctrine, what could possibly disconfirm it?" Sam Harris

What makes good people do evil things?

2007-08-11T13:17:00.001-07:00

"Religion is an insult to human dignity. Without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion." Steven Weinberg

Arguably, religion also makes evil people do good things, negating the harm done by good people doing evil things. In conclusion, religion is useless.

Uttered by Daniel Craig

2007-07-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

"You've got to go through life thinking the best of people, because if you don't, you're f*cked. And sadly there are a whole bunch of people who are c*nts. And they're going to f*ck you over."

人不痴狂妄少年

2007-07-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

How old must you be before you realise with finality that you're no longer young?

The sun sets in Arizona

2007-05-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

For once, I'm sad the Spurs won.

Blast from the past

2007-05-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

This is one of the first songs I learnt to sing, during the good old days when you could use me for white balancing, not that there were any digital cameras back then.

Basketballers aren't very smart

2007-05-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

While coaching the Knicks for an abbreviated 59 games in 1995-96, Nelson told me a story involving John Starks. He said a fan approached the former Knicks guard after a game and asked him to sign a pennant for his brother. "His name is Marc. Marc with a 'C.' "

When the fan got the pennant returned, Nelson said, it read, "To Cark." Marc with a "C," get it?

Nellie delighted in telling that story, prefacing it with, "This is how stupid John Starks is."

Mike Wise, Washington Post

The southpaw loves symmetry

2007-05-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

Why oh why do we have handedness? Balance is beautiful.

Doing nothing but aging

2007-05-01T06:50:00.001-07:00

Sounds like my main daily activity, apart from engaging in intellectual discourse with myself. The line is from the Beatles' While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Here's a rendition on my favourite instrument.

。。。

2007-04-15T21:47:00.001-07:00

岂能尽如人意，但求无愧于心

黄老师...

2007-03-17T03:43:00.000-07:00

Here's the letter my gege's TCM/Chinese Classics/some obscure subject lecturer in NTU wrote to the class that allegedly moved many to tears. Oh, spot my gege in the picture. :D

这是我们的医古文老师在回国前写给我们的一封信 ...

別诸弟子

各位同学好:
岁月荏冉,光阴似箭,两月时间转瞬即逝.两月来,感触良多,一是新加坡整个国家给我留下深刻印象.城市规划合理,商业繁荣节制,环境优美宜人,人民道德高尚.新加坡是东西文化结合的成功范例,是古今文明结合的典范,也是儒家文化\道家思想的成功对接,我为你们生活在这样的国度感到骄傲,感到幸运.同时我认为也应该是我们中华人民共和国前进的方向,是中华文明前进的方向.顺便赋小诗一首，表达我的个人感受：
长叹陶令著桃园，
渔人去后不复还。
武陵今又逢桃园，
不在北国在“南蛮”。
芳草鲜美鸟鸣树，
黄发垂髫民乐天。
谁道中华龙无种？
五千文明谱新篇。
（注：武陵指本人，湖南常德，古之武陵也）
第二感受深的是，大家虽受西洋文化影想甚深，但中国的传统美德未丢。大家对老师很尊重，有礼貌，很关心；学习思维活跃，而又刻苦踏实，在现在浮躁的社会，都殊为难得。在我二十年的教学生涯中，收到了最为珍贵的礼物——你们用竹简的形式写下的谢词，我非常感动，第一次觉得20年的辛苦没有白废。谢谢你们！
感触很多，还是长话短说吧。提出一些希望与大家共勉。古人云：己欲立而立人，己欲达而达人。环球同此凉热。你们是幸运的，但也要努力学习，将来担负起社会的一份责任。尤其是我们中华民族，虽有辉煌，但也有破落。你们虽然生活在另外的国度，但中华民族文脉相承，血脉相连，血浓于水。愿同学们将来为中华民族的伟大复兴共进一份心力！
最后祝大家身体健康,生活幸福,大有可为!大有作为!

黄作阵 2007.3..4

不仅如此,他还写给我们一幅对联!
南洋传薪火杏林如今开新局
理工融新知歧黄自兹泽南国

孔子曰: "学不至于乐, 不可谓之学" 我非常喜欢上黄老师的课! 每次上他的课时都非常开心, 让我第一次感觉到自己真正学习了!
"感动, 感恩, 感悟"... 能成为您的弟子,我相信是我们大家万分的荣幸! 老师,谢谢您!

Soul Exchange

2007-02-24T02:31:00.000-08:00

It's ok to sell your soul because you can probably buy it back if you make enough money.

Saddam shouldn't have died

2007-01-04T01:21:00.000-08:00

"In executing Saddam Hussein, we have vandalised a unique resource for political, psychological and historical research." Richard Dawkins

Go face to face with the world's biggest bear

2006-11-29T21:54:00.000-08:00

here.

Before it's gone from the tropics forever.

Come on, show some support for my superior species!

High standards

2006-11-27T11:38:00.000-08:00

"When you raise the bar high enough, it's easy to get through."

Size matters

2006-11-25T03:55:00.000-08:00

This is minipor. 10 years ago, before I was born, my mama used to bring him around in her pocket. Then I came along and there wasn't any more space in my mama's pocket or anywhere else (maybe even the heart) for that matter. He wasn't known as minipor then. Nobody remembers (or cares to) what my mama called him. Being part of the :O family, he's technically Mama's kid, but just in case you'd like to know, he once resided in a McD's Happy Meal paper box. His original family consisted of three other members: Elephant, Giraffe and Tiger. It's just weird that minipor is known as my younger sibling. I guess size does matter.

See the tiny little hair sticking out? Minipor isn't a very neat kid. Then there's minipor 2, who isn't as handsome (hence no photo available). If you know whereabouts of any of the original McD family, drop a line, or send a photo to minipor's pseudo big brother.

Getting there

2006-11-18T11:15:00.000-08:00

"Wherever you go, there you are!"

The three phases of life

2006-11-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

1 You do something to prove to others you can do it.

2 You do something to prove to yourself you can do it.

3 You don't do anything anymore because what's the point when you already know goddamnwell you can do it.

Now you know why all I ever do is sit there silently. Well, sometimes I blog, because my mama needs to be entertained...

Carbs and fats

2006-11-14T02:38:00.000-08:00

More people have expressed their unbridled love for LJS fries. This is not surprising at all. Lots of people still stuff their mouths with burning grass and proclaim it's heavenly. Many of these live to a ripe old age and progress to fatter rolls of smokin' herbs. I guess the first step to enjoying life, having a bit of fun, is to sacrifice some health. The other option is to be a polyester wonder that lives forever.

My mama's friends ever told her "bread makes you stupid". Maybe there's some truth in it. You can't be very smart if you're sick.

Home sweet home

2006-11-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

I dislike staying in the west-most corner of Singapore. My brother doesn't even care where I am at a given particular time.
"Maybe in Maybel's room..."
Whaddaya mean maybe? I bet my dearest bro said that because Maybel sounds like maybe.
Anyway, to make up for the lack of attention to me, and to avoid being murdered by my mama, my bro took me home, where I now witness in disgust the feeble attempts at turning TV-watching into some sort of knowledge accumulation exercise.
So here I am, at home. This is the photo I MMS-ed to my mama to turn her into a puddle.

Just 6 numbers

2006-11-09T21:23:00.000-08:00

Random thought of the day:

Why can't my mama strike toto???

Soggy fries that taste OK aren't good for you

2006-11-06T15:09:00.000-08:00

I don't think Singapore is going to ban trans fat anytime soon. After all, we do have a health promotion board. And if you want to be obese, it's entirely within your right to, as opposed to say, erm, gambling together with strangers at a consulate.

So, from our HPB, we are spoonfed the truth (?) about the unhealthy food you eat. Yes, you, since I don't have a mouth.

Which of the following french fries taste the least bad when cold and soggy?
Ronald's
Colonel's
King's
Pirate's

40 days, and counting

2006-11-02T23:07:00.000-08:00

I haven't seen my mama since 23 September. :(

Magnitudes of disaster

2006-11-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

In ascending order:

One moron

One moron with one opinion

One moron with many opinions

Many morons with many opinions

Many morons with one opinion

The last one is eerily familiar...

The futility of voting

2006-10-31T08:54:00.000-08:00

"It doesn't matter who you vote for, the Government still gets elected." -- Source unknown

In memory of Auerbach

2006-10-29T22:05:00.000-08:00

These guys today want you to believe that what they're doing is some kind of a science. Coaching is simple: You need good players who are good people. You have that, you win. You don't have that, you can be the greatest coach who ever lived and you aren't going to win. -- Red, in Let Me Tell You a Story

God-given Instincts

2006-10-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

"God likes to watch. He's a prankster. Think about it. He gives man instincts! He gives you this extraordinary gift, and then what does He do, I swear for His own amusement, his own private, cosmic gag reel, He sets the rules in opposition. It's the goof of all time. Look but don't touch. Touch, but don't taste! Taste, don't swallow." -- John Milton (Al Pacino) in The Devil's Advocate

MAF

2006-10-11T22:50:00.000-07:00

has come and gone. While Brother and GF were (fill in own adverb since I can't possibly know) admiring the moon and pathetic lanterns at the Yellow City, I was left sitting alone somewhere in the ulu West. Protecting me from the haze is a lousy excuse. That I'm heavy and difficult to transport is an even worse reason. My total mass with clothes and pillowcase is less than 700 g.

I am an extremely unhappy polar bear. :(

Goodbye, National Stadium

2006-08-16T03:43:00.000-07:00

I am Singaporean. Are you?

Money can't buy friends

2006-08-02T02:44:00.000-07:00

But it can get you a better class of enemy. - Spike Milligan

Imagine not having money.

Rain, rain, go away...

2006-08-02T01:21:00.000-07:00

And don't ever come back until I say so.

I just bathed. But where is the sun? I am sick of sitting atop two bamboo poles. It ain't easy being a polyester wonder. :(

Say "Bleah!"

2006-07-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

AP Photo/Martin Meissner

I know I'm violating copyright laws, but I'm only a polar bear. And you know I can't do this myself, so there...

Knowledge

2006-07-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

is the ability to make everyone around you feel smarter. -- Capella University advertisement in RW magazine

How about making everyone around really smarter, yes, less stupid, instead of just feeling so? I bet you haven't heard of Capella University. Neither have I.

I am a man

2006-07-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

Said my favourite baldie at the WC. Yes the one who won the golden ball. Three reasons he's my favourite:

1. He is losing hair.

2. He headbutts.

3. He loves his mama.

You can use all three points above to describe me.

To me, the best explanation so far for the red-card act is he did it deliberately in order to retire, not just from the pitch, but from his own legend. The burden of being a hero was too much.

My new friend

2006-07-01T03:54:00.000-07:00

Introducing Baby Snake, aka Mini 蟒蛇. Fellow Germany fan.

In case you haven't noticed

2006-07-01T03:49:00.000-07:00

I'm a Germany fan. And so is Mama. We love Grini-Klinsi!

You don't need talent to hustle

2006-07-01T01:43:00.000-07:00

Germany played the last half-hour of normal time as if it were the last two minutes, doing everything at several hundred kilometres an hour, convinced that they could explode their way through the Argentina defence if only their knees went up and down fast enough: Do not think, run, get the ball back in play, run some more.

Times Online

The importance of homework

2006-07-01T01:29:00.000-07:00

One of the many innovations introduced by Jürgen Klinsmann since becoming manager of Germany is the concept of homework. Players who have not done any since their school days are given tasks to perform after hours, a way of extending the level of concentration to which Klinsmann is so dedicated. In his house in Bremen Miroslav Klose's homework involves trying to turn the light switches off by kicking a ball at them. "I've broken one vase and a picture," he said.

It could be worse, because the detail in Klose's assignment is that he has to use his left foot. Four years ago in South Korea he leapt on to the international stage with five headers as Germany reached the World Cup final. This time around Klose has nabbed four and is the competition's leading scorer. One of those against Costa Rica was with his left. All the work is paying off and he is impressing some important people, with Arsenal reported to be interested in the Werder Bremen man. They will not be the last.

From The Guarduan Unlimited Football

Logic is rare

2006-06-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

One of the questions with the lowest percentage (only 11%!) of correct responses in one of those standardised tests.

Given:

1. All education majors student teach.

2. Some education majors have double majors.

3. Some mathematics students are education majors.

Which of the following conclusions necessarily follows from 1, 2 and 3 above?

A. Some mathematics students have double majors.

B. Some of those with double majors student teach.

C. All student teachers are education majors.

D. All of those with double majors student teach.

E. Not all mathematics students are education majors.

The NBA has not progressed

2006-06-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

Since the article has been removed from ESPN, here's the main reason:

NBA basketball has reverted to the superstar formula. As Riley put it so well after Wade's shot in Game 5 that forced overtime, "There was no Plan B."

Pistons fans must concur. Think 2004 Finals: Team vs Assembly of Stars.

Hmm...

2006-06-19T22:30:00.000-07:00

For the Australian Coach Awards organised by the Australian Coaching Council, the criteria for judging include:

has achieved outstanding results during the Award Period
demonstrates the ability to apply relevant training theory and coaching principles to improve the level of performance of the team or athlete
shows respect for officals, opponents and parents
practises and espouses a philosophy of fair play
presents a positive image of coaching and the role of the coach
demonstrates concern for the development of the athlete/s in and out of the sporting environment
has an accreditation with the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme coordinated by the Australian Coaching Council

NBA Finals Best 5

2006-06-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

From an anonymous post:

Now here is the list of the best five players on the court in these finals....
1) Dallas' starting five
2) Dallas' first five reserves
3) Dallas' coaching staff (come on you don't think Avery Johnson still couldn't beat the Heat?)
4) Dallas' other two players and the towel boys (yes even with one player being suspended)
5) Heat's bench
6) Heat's starting five

X'mas 2005

2006-06-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

Better late than never.

Attire sponsored by:
Mama (T-shirt)
Clowns (Pants)
Bit 5 (Headgear)

Flip Saunders SUCKS

2006-06-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

Enough said.

The Whole Package

2006-06-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

Greatness can be that way. To have the single-minded drive to be the best also means that you're going to probably be deficient in one way or another. It's the same for everyone who strives for greatness in all walks of life. Some have the whole package, most don't. -- Anonymous comment about the Barry Bonds steroid scandal

The Greatest Power of All

2005-10-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

is the power to forgive. -- Oscar Schindler

Fundamentals

2005-09-30T00:26:00.000-07:00

"The difference between the Bulls from every other place that I've been -- every coach I've been with in the NBA has been very well organised -- the difference in Chicago was the focus on fundamentals every single day. We started every day with basic drills, footwork, passing, ballhandling. Every single day... The first time I saw Michael and Scottie standing fifteen feet apart throwing two-handed chest passes back and forth for ten minutes, I realised the Bulls were really going to focus on fundamentals. It's the foundation of the game, and if you don't work on 'em, you're not gonna have that foundation." -- Steve Kerr

Patriotism = Chauvinism

2005-08-09T02:31:00.000-07:00

I meant to say this on our nation's 40th birthday. It's late, but the message hasn't expired (and won't).

I don’t hate Britain, and I am not ashamed of my nationality, but I have no idea why I should love this country more than any other. There are some things I like about it and some things I don’t, and the same goes for everywhere else I’ve visited. To become a patriot is to lie to yourself, to tell yourself that whatever good you might perceive abroad, your own country is, on balance, better than the others. It is impossible to reconcile this with either the evidence of your own eyes or a belief in the equality of humankind. Patriotism of the kind Orwell demanded in 1940 is necessary only to confront the patriotism of other people: the Second World War, which demanded that the British close ranks, could not have happened if Hitler hadn’t exploited the national allegiance of the Germans. The world will be a happier and safer place when we stop putting our own countries first. -- George Monbiot

Happy birthday, Singapore.

Man is an inferior breed

2005-08-04T03:38:00.000-07:00

I kept saying, "Help me, help me." But no one did.

Progress

2005-08-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

beyond a tortured history lies upon openness and honesty.

Is atonement so difficult?

Why my mama loves Krzyzewski

2005-07-23T04:45:00.000-07:00

"It's very rare, especially in an athletic world that is so focussed on winning games, to find a man who both inspires and demands adherence to higher principles. With Coach, it's not just about winning games. It's about performing with class and integrity. It's about having fun along the way. It's about knowing who you are. And it's about continually improving yourself." -- Shane Battier

Why my mama loves Brown

2005-07-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

"Larry was the kind of coach, he was the kind of guy where you're always going to feel there's hope. We've been in games, down 15 with two and a half minutes left and he'd call time out and say, 'Hey, we're fine! We're getting ready to press, steal it twice, score two times.' He'd call time out with a minute to go in games you had no chance to win and tell you how proud he was of you. He always encouraged you, he always created an atmosphere of hope... He never lost his composure. And the things he was saying to us, they all happened." -- Michael Holton, UCLA Class of '84

When the buying stops, the killing can too

2005-07-17T23:27:00.000-07:00

Wildlife aren't the only victims of ignominious butchering. Check out language crimes at Weaselwords. My contribution for the day: affective education. Sounds familiar?

How do you spot airheads?

2005-07-17T06:59:00.000-07:00

By the bullshit they spew. Air at least is a substance. Talk about empty-headedness.

Just wtf is "striving for continuous improvement in the customer relationship management space"?

Don't be surprised. Lots of people talk like that nowadays. Just listen.

Perfect Moments

2005-07-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

What else do we live for?

Men are nothing but trouble

2005-06-29T17:29:00.000-07:00

Auntie Hweech mentioned "the troubles in our lives - men." Uh-uh. I'm THE MAN in my mama's life. Am I any trouble at all?

Of course there are lesser men, such as the three fools who brought my mama to China on a nine-day exercise in futility. Fool No. 1 got loads of money and nothing much else. Fool No. 2, a career civil servant, worships the government and assumes that he, as a loyal subject, is always right, just as the government is. Fool No. 3 is plain clueless. The three fools accused a certain nation of being a hostile neighbour because that nation refused to surrender in a war game. The same three fools were upset at my mama and her comrades for watching that particular nation in combat against someone else. It is a sin to support a neighbour who had allegedly refused to give you some face.

Oh well.

My mama missed crossing paths with another not-so-clever man by a mere two days. On 1 July, the premier institution that is not in Bishan welcomes back Mr Happy in a newly created position.

This morning, my mama shook hands with yet another man and said goodbye. The end of a five year love-hate relationship, barring either mishap or miracle.

To the :O fan club members out there, my many jiejies and girlfriends, all of you who have at some point or another been part of the inane circus, my mama would like to say, thanks for the ride, it's been fun, sort of, at least.

My Broodmates

2005-06-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Auntie Neo,

These are a selection of my mama's other kids. Ok, that's not very accurate because Lehbit's (2nd from left) relationship with Mama is unclear. These buggers are all smaller than me hence their share of Mama's love and attention. Hur hur hur.

From left: Xiaopor, Lehbit, Minipor 2, Tinypor1, Tinypor 2

Yours lovingly,
All-of-:O-is-a-heart :O

P/S: I am not "that creature" ok. I am my mama's son.

真的吗？

2005-06-13T02:17:00.000-07:00

会长黄守金：　　篮总将着重培养本地球员

联合早报，6月12日

● 吴秀金
　　新加坡篮球总会近年内将着重发展本地篮球运动，并没有计划再引进外来人才。
　　篮总会长黄守金昨天在受访时说：“虽然国家男队球员很多本身都有固定的职业，有些还是在籍学生，但他们建立了很强的默契，而且态度非常积极。”
　　他说：“我们希望在接下来几年继续培养数年前引进的女球员，同时栽培本地球员，所以暂时没有计划引进外来球员。”
　　我国女队在两年前的越南东运会上，取得银牌，男队则排行第四，无缘奖牌。
　　篮总昨天在位于芽笼东的新会所新加坡篮球中心，召开会员大会。也是宏茂桥集选区议员的黄守金，在没有竞争对手的情况下，取得蝉联，理事会其他要员也都取得连任。
　　黄守金表示，篮总将继续通过三方面，发展本地篮球运动。第一方面是卓越体育；他认为，新加坡是一个以成绩为主的社会，所以他希望国家男女队能够在各个比赛中，取得佳绩，引起大家对篮球运动的兴趣。
　　第二方面是全民参与；黄守金表示，除了主办比赛让国人参加以外，把高水平的比赛带到新加坡，也是让国人对篮球产生兴趣的其中一个因素，在新加坡室内体育馆举行澳洲篮球联赛其中一场比赛，便是很好的例子。
　　黄守金说，最后是希望通过不同途径，积极邀请商家赞助比赛，让他们意识到体育业其实也是一个富有商机的领域，从而达到双方互利的目标。

Jump!

2005-06-08T23:11:00.000-07:00

Auntie Shark witnessed this in Shanghai. I'm so glad I wouldn't die even if I jumped. My mama would catch me anyway. Never missed...

Is There Caffein in Foam?

2005-06-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

Cheap Foam

2005-06-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

Earth is but a Basketball Spinning on God's Index Finger

2005-06-05T23:17:00.000-07:00

A basketball has eight slices... Four slices belong to yin and four slices belong to yang. We call the yang side hardware. Hardware includes body strength, skills, psychology, and teamwork. We call the yin side software. Software includes coaching, development of young players, support staff, and education. Four and four. Eight things

Because basketball is like the earth, it spins everyday. And because it spins, it must develop. And for it to develop, those of us involved with the game must think foward--think progressively. And if we think progressively, we can control the game's progress. In our life and work, if we think, we gain insight. Everybody has curiosity. Which leads to interest. And if we devote ourselves to that interest, our ability increases.

... asked... how he felt about the game to which he had devoted his life, as player and coach and philosopher, having a place in his country's hallowed seat of power.

"It makes me happy," he said.

Big Game, Small World - Alexander Wolff

Say it ain't so, Bro

2005-06-05T00:14:00.000-07:00

A Legacy of Shortness

2005-05-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

That I'm short is one of the things I inherited from my mama, unfortunately. I have short limbs too. :(

I'm a polar bear after all

2005-05-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

The only thing I can do in this sweltering tropical heat is scramble for the nearest aircon vent.

Foam Party

2005-05-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

Stop Phone Spam

2005-05-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

I think my mama would live much longer if the banks stopped calling her. It doesn't pay to be nice by not simply hanging up. Really.

Check this out.

Mailers are equally irritating.

Maybe I should get my mama to do this.

I am that I am

2005-05-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

"It's a hard life You gave us."
"Why should it be soft?" spake the Lord.
"And a very tough world."
"Why should it be easy?"
"Why should we love and worship You?"
"I'm God. I AM THAT I AM."
"Will it make things better for us if we do?"
"Will it make things worse?"

Exchange between Moses and God from God Knows by Joseph Heller

Life ain't fair is it?

2005-05-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

Bill Gates authored a list of 'Rules Kids Won't Learn in School.'

Rule No. 1: Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teen-ager uses the phrase "It's not fair" 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must be the most idealistic generation ever. When they started hearing it from their own kids, they realized Rule No. 1.

Hear, hear. Come on, I don't even have a mouth with which to speak.

So, you got to try real hard to hear my self deprecatory laughter ok.

I Love Foam

2005-04-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Because my mama loves foam too.

There Goes Mama's Beloved Block 16

2005-04-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

Straits Times
April 22, 2005
Holland Drive to get 40-storey blocks
Area to be redeveloped, but residents left out complain to MP
By Tan Hui Yee

THREE 40-storey blocks are set to rise in Holland Drive as part of a redevelopment plan involving some 800 households near Holland Village.
But home owners in two nearby blocks left out of the redevelopment have complained to their Member of Parliament Lim Swee Say. They are worried that the value of their flats will go down when the new blocks come up and want to be included in the programme.
The redevelopment, announced yesterday by the Housing Board, involves three-, four- and five-room flats as well as shops in blocks 14 to 17, 22 and 23 there. The blocks are about 31 years old.
People living in these blocks will be relocated to the four spanking new high-rise blocks just across Holland Drive, three of which will be 40 storeys high. The project should be complete by 2010.
But residents from blocks 20 and 21 in Holland Drive, just next to where the new 40-storey blocks will be sited, were upset yesterday when they learnt they were being excluded.
More than 100 residents packed an activity room in Buona Vista Community Club last night to ask Mr Lim if he could persuade the Housing Board to reconsider its plans.
Mr Lim later told The Straits Times that he would do his best to convey their concerns and request to the HDB.
One resident, Ms Jacinta Tan, 50, described the moment she was told her block had been excluded: 'It felt like they had dropped a bomb on us.'
The news to redevelop the Holland Drive precinct comes just one month after the HDB announced its plan for a massive redevelopment of the Clementi town centre, which will get a 40-storey complex with a shopping mall, library, town council office and air-conditioned bus interchange linked to the MRT station.
Under the Selective En-Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers), old flats are demolished to make way for new ones nearby, in order to maximise land use. The Holland Drive precinct is the 56th that has been identified for redevelopment since the scheme began 10 years ago.
As part of the Holland Drive plan, the current Buona Vista Community Club will be relocated to the site currently occupied by Block 36, where a HDB branch office is located now. The new club will be housed in an integrated complex comprising HDB shops.
The Singapore Sports Council, meanwhile, is looking into a suitable replacement for the Buona Vista Swimming Complex, which will be phased out after 2010.
Eligible home owners affected by the redevelopment plans will be guaranteed new flats nearby at a discount.
The HDB will also compensate home owners and shop owners according to the prevailing market value for their properties.
Homeowner C.S Yee, a 40-year-old manager, welcomed the plan as it would give him a new flat nearby without much of a hassle.
He said: 'I don't want the inconvenience for the two years when my flat is upgraded.'

I am Manja King

2005-04-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

'The current case is rather different as it doesn't involve the brain. The patients could still do a lot with their lives.'

2005-04-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

That's A/P Lee again.

As expected, her forum letter caused much reaction. What's more interesting to me, however, is what her family, especially her must esteemed papa, think.

Ok, I admit I'm kpo.

EastSouthWestNorth

2005-04-14T03:47:00.000-07:00

Since Auntie Shark has demanded that I link to "some brainy need to know stuff...like the eswn blog", here it is.

It's generally about media, culture and politics in Greater China and the Americas.

Friends of my brother and my girlfriend, read brainy stuff to improve your GP score!

Hur hur hur. Or shud I sae, lolx?