I really don't care. Really.

I think people complain too much. WAY too much.

And with the rise of social media, these complaints spread farther and wider. Out of 10 people, 8 people have no choice but to have knowledge of a complain which they don't give a shit about.

Here are some simple rules to be a better human being:
1) If you don't like it, FIX IT.
2) If you can't fix it, ADAPT.
3) If you can't adapt, STOP USING IT.

So if you don't like the new Facebook layout, you can either
a) Mess around with the settings/hack/whatev to make it what you want.
b) Get used to it.
c) Stop using it. Go find an alternative if you "can't live without it".

I could be meaner and say these people should just die if they are so dependent on something as inconsequential as this.

Stop spewing hatred. The world has enough negativity as it is, don't make it worse with trivial matters. Also because I and at least 7 other people don't give a shit about you hatin' on the new layout.

It would do everyone a whole lot more good to spend less time on your anti-social gadgets, stalking on the social network (such an irony, really) and spend more time with the REAL people around you. There are more worthwhile things out there to be done, more worthwhile problems to be solved.

Life does not revolve around Facebook. Seriously.

"Sole" mates

♥,

Of being smart(er) and zombies

I haven't been blogging for a very, very, VERY long time. Precisely since I moved back and started working. It's not that there aren't any juicy stuff going on (besides, I've always been random, so it doesn't really matter if I have something interesting to write about or not), just that, there wasn't really any urge to write.

I usually get a lot of ideas of daily stuff to talk about when I'm stuck in traffic jams or traffic lights, but after I got back, everything becomes "meh".

Tonight is different though. I have to fast tonight as I have a health screening tomorrow and since I can't have the munchies, nor is there any point of going out and can't have munchies, I thought I'd ramble a bit to distract my stomach from realising that it's a monster with a bottomless pit.

I've noticed that of late, I am getting weirder by the minute. For instance, today I wrote a note of warning and posted on my Facebook wall. The warning was for my phone. Perhaps tomorrow I shall warn some of my shoes to suck it up and stop being stupid. I know they are all plotting to fall apart at the same time. I also grudgingly have to agree that there is a direct correlation between the price of a pair of shoes and its quality. However things like Quiksilver/Roxy flipflops and my Nike tennis shoes do not abide to this theory. Especially the overpriced flipflops.

There is also this one thing that is kinda going on but THANKFULLY is not (yet?) a full-fledged idiocracy that bugs me. However, I will try to rant about it as nice as possible as there are some people whom I love that did it and so I have to forgive them and not scream insults to the general public.

One of it is that, it would be much appreciated if everyone would just check the facts of stuff before reposting and creating a brouhaha over nothing. End-of-the-world-warnings: Not Cool. If you believe it so much, please proceed to sell off all your assets and head over to China to fight for a place in the arks. Tsunami/earthquake/nuclear fallout warnings: I know you mean well, but please understand that there are a number of sick evil people in this world who have nothing better to do than to create unnecessary panic and chaos. There are also many silly people who would repeat, or worse, blow the evil maniacs' chaos out of proportion. Please don't be either of them.

The other thing is stupid "trends" disguised as awareness campaigns. For instance, how exactly do suggestive statuses promote something (usually breast) cancer related? Birthdates made scandalous into "I like it on the kitchen counter" or "6 inches" ... don't make people more aware and carry out breast self-examination. They make people talk about what a skank someone is. Creating a buzz as if you are pregnant, it only makes people speculate about "shotgun marriage coming soon?" or "so cheap, can't even afford condoms?". Maybe it promotes safe-sex awareness but then the message said something about breast (again) cancer, thus it is utter rubbish. Also there is this theory that all these are tactics cooked up by identity thieves, but I'm not so sure about that. Also, what is this obsession with breasts in particular? Try coming up with a campaign for liver cancer or is that not sexy enough?

So I shall end this with I'm 451 weeks and craving monkey brains.

You see, I am promoting zombie simian awareness.

Beware of zombies that look like monkeys/monkeys that are zombies. Bananas can't help.

This is supposed to be a monkey zombie. I suck at drawing with MSPaint.
I think it looks kinda like a discoloured Hello Kitty with road rage -- and air pollution.

I can't draw with MSPaint like how awesomely Allie Brosh can.

Have a good weekend!

The Airport Entry

It's been ages since I did one of this and most probably this would be one of my last time doing it.

An Airport Entry is borne when I am travelling alone and have to wait for a relatively long period of time for the next league of my journey. For the sake of squandering the free wi-fi provided by the airport, I will post a short entry that I am, at present, waiting at the airport.

Boring. I know :)

Today is kind of like the prologue for the next chapter of my life. Also it could be the epilogue for the previous chapter. A little bit of nostalgia: when I first left West Malaysia for Sabah, I left with one suitcase and a pillow. Today I return with TWO suitcases, and two hand luggage. I've also sent seven boxes of things back the past few weeks. Junk accumulation is a forte.

Ironic to my current situation, time really flies. It didn't feel that long, but I have been away from home for six years. Six years is really a very long time, but it didn't feel like that at all. I have spent thousands (I'm sure) on air and bus tickets. I have also spent a relative amount of time in buses and in planes. It is quite surreal that that is all kind of at an end.

And the people whom I have bonded in those years: PRICELESS.

I really miss you all. But I have to admit, I really love being back too :)

Bittersweet

I dedicate this entry to all who have been there for me in this past two years (and some longer): words can't really justify what I really want to say, so the only thing I could say to you is a big sincere THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

It's that feeling again... when you reach the end of one Life chapter, and will soon embark on a new one. I am looking forward to moving back for good, and that I am soon nearer to all my loved ones back home. I am excited of entering the workforce, and starting my career in the job and company of my choice.

But I also feel sad, of leaving this place and all the wonderful people who are here. Off the top of my head, I am feeling emotional when I think of:
- "I can't do funny dances in the car anymore...there's no one to do it with me."
- "I can't scream songs in the car anymore either."
- "I'm going to miss all the LOL moments...with the most recent amatuer group shuffling-attempt at the sidewalk."

*sigh*

I hate saying goodbyes, so I won't. Better yet, I'll just say, I'LL BE BACK.

I'm really really REALLY going to miss you guys...you know who you are.

A woman degrading women

One of the reasons I shun reading local news is because you get really rubbish-y stuff being reported as "news". For instance, the latest one...which I think is "news" for promotional purposes. I mean, hey, like they say in showbiz, all publicity is good publicity, right? Even the ones that make people want to throw stones at you.

The Star: ‘Wives can curb social ills like prostitution by being obedient and alluring’
and
Free Malaysia Today: Club for obedient wives (you can see how she looks like here, just in case you are curious)

Just to be clear before we start, this is by no means a racist or religious-intolerant entry. Some people might find it racist MAYBE because this particular "club" is predominantly focused on one particular race, hence one religion. And also because of the race and religion of the club's founder. But I shall strive to be as unbiased in my comments and focus on the social point of this whole thing.

I'll start by being nice and say that she has a well-meaning purpose, that is to curb social ills like prostitution and domestic abuse, albeit the fact that she is being rather idealistic. Prostitution IS the oldest occupation in the world and it is still an existing trade. That already says a lot. Forming an Obedient Wives Club isn't going to make any difference whatsoever.

Then everything she said in the news article just goes downhill from there.

“Obey, serve and entertain.”

Club motto, I should think. It's rather sad that beliefs like these are at the top of the third page of the newspaper. After all the rights women all over the world have fought for: the right to vote, the right to work, the right for education, for gender equality, for mutual respect, this woman is advocating a backward mindset that opposes all that women have achieved.

I am not saying that a wife should fight and disobey her husband, or disrespect and ignore him. I mean, two people decide to get married for a reason...and obviously two people did not decide to get married so that they have someone to fight with everyday. That is just preposterous. However, a woman should not also be told that the reason she marries is to become a slave, a servant, a...clown?

If they want entertainment so much, they should just marry a clown.


Any relationship is built on love, understanding, and respect for each other. What she is saying is so backwards, she is placing females as a subservient to males. It is just degrading.

“Domestic abuse happens because wives don't obey their husband's orders."

That is just wrong in so many ways, I don't even know where to start. Whatever happened to all the "Stop Violence at Home", "Stop Violence Against Women" awareness campaigns? This is just like saying "If your husband beats the life out of you, it's your fault." Not only does the victim have to suffer the physical pain, she also has to suffer with the reason that she is in the wrong. With reasons like this, the statistics for domestic violence will increase, because to the weak men who beat their wives "it's not a crime, it's HER fault".

I can't go on. The rest of the things she said just makes me want to say "Sex slave much?".

This lady is also in another controversial club, the Polygamy Club. Initially, I thought it was pretty contradicting and redundant of the two clubs. But then, of course she is in the Polygamy Club, she is the second wife.

I, personally, am against polygynous marriages. Why not? It's unfair to begin with. It's always an allocation for a husband to have more wives, never the other way round. It's a patriarchal allowance. I understand that it is allowed in certain religions, but then again, religious texts that were written centuries ago ought to be adapted to the modern world, should they not?

Polygamy was allowed during that time due to war, famine, a lot of strife was going on. Men had to go to war, sometimes they die. During times of hardship and invasion, married women are deemed safer than the unmarried ones because they have the protection of their husbands, otherwise they get abducted and raped by invaders (although not always so, but that was the general idea). For the sake of the continuation of species, and not enough men to go about, men were allowed to have more than one wife.

However, in the progressive society, that isn't very applicable any more is it?

Besides, how would the first wife feel? I am sure irregardless of what they say (that they are happy, and the other wives are like sisters), deep down inside, she is devastated. People get married so that they can spend the rest of their lives together with the ONE person they love. Not having to share that one person with a bunch of others.

What this woman says and advocates is just degrading to women as a whole. It promotes lowered self-esteem, it is screaming "we are the weaker sex, you can do anything you want to us!" Think about it, if you are a man (or you ARE a man), would you want to see your mother, your sisters, your DAUGHTERS be treated this way by her husband?

We may be the fairer sex, we may at times be physically weaker, but we are never a second-class gender.

This woman should have more respect for herself.

Online Money Making Scams

Previously I took to debunking the "nuclear acid rain" hoax which was just a terrible irresponsible thing circulating the net as an aftermath of the Japan Earthquake.

This morning a friend of mine discussed the validity of a website. Which turned out to be SCAM site. Which if one is greedy (and lazy) and could only think of easy ways to make money, then one would fall for this. Me however, am forever doubtful of anything on the internet, so I decided to look at it closer and point out all the "I'm a fake site" signs.

By the way, I don't really advocate this, so I am not going to put up the link. Besides, most probably you've seen  it, or stumbled across something similar, or could figure out what this is from my screenshots.

Magnifying glasses ready? Let's begin, Nancy Drews and Hardy Boys!

The first thing that caught my eye were actually these (click on pictures to enlarge):

If this is really a news site, they wouldn't put SO MANY repetitive links as if promoting the scheme. There are a few more further down the page. That already made this whole 'article' dodgy.

Next, note the 'expiry date:

The date is "correct" where I am in, however since this claims to be a U.S. site, it is still Cinco de Mayo at the moment thus "tomorrow" would be the 6th of May.

I pointed out the Google picture because the scam claims that it's from Google and stuff, but in the other scam site (which I will tell you about later), the bottom of the page has a disclaimer and it says "This site and the products and services offered on this site are not associated, affiliated, endorsed, or sponsored by Google...".

Also, if you click on ANY links on the site, it leads you straight to the Scam Site. No homepage, no other news, no sports, health, etc. The little red arrow pointing to the line below "Consumer Career Trends" says "Last updated Friday, May 6, 2011" which brings us back to the 'expiry date' point, and current date in the U.S. point. I bet the date changes in accordance to the date set in your computer.

This is the Scam Site which you are led to by clicking on ANY links.

Last but not least, right at the top of the site, there is a "Sign In/Sign Up" thing. I've just realised that printscreen doesn't show your mouse cursors. But when I was at the site, placing the mouse cursor there doesn't change it into a 'link' cursor (like how it usually does with any email accounts etc.). It's just part of the site's design to make it look "legitimate".

Great work sleuths! Bet you can find more clues that this thing is a hoax, but for the mean time, I think I've said enough. Remember, it's always better to be sceptical than to be cheated. Don't get scammed!

Have a great weekend :)

That Egg Thing

I'm not really sure what it's called actually. Some call it egg custard, some creme caramel, some flan, some pudding. I have a bastardised name for it: "dan dan" (rhymes with 'fun'), which in actual cantonese is "steamed egg" (炖蛋).

It looks good, just that I'm not liking the pores at the sides...

I absolutely love this thing. It brings back memories of my mom bringing me to this corner coffee shop some where in the old town, after school, and I'll be enjoying this in my school uniform. And it always comes with a glass of cold water.

Of late, The Fuzzball has been itching to attempt dessert making (for some unknown reason) and we've been volleying all sorts of ideas like bread pudding with rum. And then this sudden childhood treat came to mind and I have been stuck ever since. So I thought I'd experiment with it today (the last I attempted this was several years ago).

I sort of got the recipe from HERE. I knew the ingredients, I just didnt dare to wing it when it comes to volume. (By the way, I halfed the recipe, skiffed off the vanilla, and put in a little not enough sugar.)

Ingredients:


1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 cups milk, scalded
4 beaten eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:


Butter 6 custard cups. (I didn't do this. Butter in this thing seems wrong, and I didn't have custard cups so I used a tin cup instead...you know, those they make teh tarik with.)

Melt 1/4 cup of sugar in a small heavy skillet, stirring constantly, until a caramel syrup forms; pour immediately into prepared custard cups. 

Add a small amount of the hot milk to beaten eggs, stirring briskly. Add remaining milk; add 1/4 cup sugar and the vanilla; blend well. Pour mixture into custard cups. 


Set cups in a large, shallow baking pan in a 325° oven. Pour hot water into the large baking pan to a depth of about 1 inch. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Unmold into shallow dessert dishes to serve. 

Caramel custard recipe serves 6.

I made some massive changes after the egg-milk mixture. I didn't bake, instead I steamed it. Remember to cover your cup/bowl/container/whatever when it's steaming. It took roughly about 10-15 minutes, then I took it off the heat, left it to cool for a while, and then popped it into the fridge.

I also think you should ready the egg-milk mixture first, then only caramelise the sugar so that the syrup is still liquid when you pour the egg-milk mixture in (mine kinda hardened a little at the bottom of the cup). Make sure you pour slowly down the container's side so as to not create bubbles and mix up the syrup with the egg-milk mixture.

The inside looks awesome though. I iz happy.

Chill it, and enjoy! Good luck :)

Storms

I love storms. I know that when it rains, it means I can't go out to do things, outdoor sport plans have to be cancelled, my car would be dirty...but there is something very magnificent about storms. Kind of like watching a fire: beautiful from far, but dangerous when you are too close.

I also love the words that are associated with storms: Raging. Violent. Unexpected.

Lightning. Rolling thunder.

I also like how they make storms as a simile to tea:

"A storm in the teacup."

"A storm is brewing."

Storms are awesome right from the beginning when the thunderheads roll in. You see the waves getting choppier, the leaves rustling more aggresively in the trees, and the wind whips up. I love the wind because at times when you feel down, stand outside on a windy day and it almost feels like the wind blows away all your problems, even only for that moment. Also it messes up everyone's hair so you don't really have to worry about how you look like. Seeing heavy dark clouds in the horizon is also one of nature's magnificent pieces of artwork.

I love the storm because when it is over, the world seems like a cleaner place. In a poetic sense, the storm comes and flushes all the dirt away, cleaning the slate anew.

I am sure a whole lot of people would be cursing me for this. I know storms suck when it strikes when you are leaving for work, or leaving for home. Storms cause massive traffic jams, flash floods. It sucks to be outside when the sudden storm strikes up.

But in a moment out of time, when you are safely indoors, look out the windows, and just watch the beauty of a storm.

Storms are awesome ♥

Tuesday

Because sappy happiness between two people should only be shared by themselves, I shall keep those expressions in my paper-and-pen-journal, and express my other self on this not-so-private-rant-space.

I think it's natural that when you read/write/cite you will reach a point where deja vu kicks in and then sentences (in different sources) start sounding familiar, and you see the same names being cited in different papers.

Leopold, Langbein, Petts, Brookes, Church.

Must be channel morphology gods or something.

Deja vu causes me slight confusion. I start questioning whether I've actually written something, or only read it and intend to write, or I might be facing plagiarism charges later.

Damn.

There's only so many permutations one can do with the words and grammar.

I like this though:
When you are actually writing, and working as hard as you should be if you want to succeed, you will feel inadequate, stupid, and tired. If you don't feel like that, then you aren't working hard enough.
--Michael C. Munger

Makes me feel less like killing myself because I feel like I suck. I was told this too: "Deep down inside, you know you don't suck as much as you think you do now." ♥

Three more days :)

Sunday

I came across this quote from somewhere (and because I'm being me on a Sunday, I'm not too bothered to google for it): Life is not easy, but it is great to have a Life.

Tell me about it.

Part of the time I just feel like killing myself with my lack of progress. It's so wtfish...I know I can do this, and I know I MUST finish this crummy thing up but it drives me absolutely bonkers. And the chair sucks and my back blardy aches (and I'm now just bitchin' about anything I can).

Doodling my Man as a goofy fuzzball (on my thesis drafts)

So to overcome the pathetic suicidal feelings, I decided to procrastinate (yes, that is the smartest thing I could come up with) by folding paper flowers. Come to think of it, being Chinese and all, "paper flowers" and "suicidal" shouldn't be in the same sentence. Oh well.

I completely suck in colouring.

I attempted four types of flowers: a daisy, a lily, a kusudama flower, and a kawasaki rose. The rose ended up in the trash can, even after two sincere attempts. The others are proudly laid on my laptop for the world to see (and with the horrid reminder of me procrastinating for a background).

Bitchin' about stupid work aside (I really really should stop calling it stupid 'cos that's just bad attitude), it really is great to be alive. I mean, if you're dead, there's plenty of things you couldn't be doing. For instance, folding origami flowers. And discovering that your colouring skills have been left behind in kindergarten. And also the occasional feeling of complete sappiness. Sappy corny happiness. That sometimes can help to forget the aching back you have. But the promise of a great back massage would, of course, be better.

Also I met Sigourney Weaver last Friday. That was kind of my highlight of the week (despite the fact that I have pictures of paper flowers instead of her). Being on a job and having to be all professional, I can't take any photos of her or ask her for an autograph...which kinda sucked. I mean, she is the Queen of sci-fi! She's a very beautiful, classy woman, who is not only down-to-earth but oh-so-intelligent as well. I am so very impressed. Also starstruck.

She hinted on a prequel of Aliens (which she is not in) and also a sequel of Avatar (and she added that James Cameron told her that "nobody actually dies in science-fiction"). She said something which inspired me to deal with my writing crisis: to approach the same idea from another direction/perspective. I liked that...but was too tired to act on it on Friday (and Saturday. And Sunday).

'Nuff said. I can't wait for Friday (although I don't like that time is going by too fast and I'm not working fast enough).

I still can't wait for Friday :)

A ♥ For Japan

Dear all generous kind-hearted individuals out there,

It's never too late to help.

If you are still interested in donating to Japan, you can do so by buying a really awesomely cutesy t-shirt from the Japanese Anime and Drama Club (JADC) Japan Earthquake Charity Drive. There are two designs to choose from and each shirt is only RM25.

Picture courtesy from JADC

All profits will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society. You also have the option to leave messages of encouragement which will be compiled for The Japanese Red Cross Society and uploaded to JADC’s website. If you are interested, click HERE for more information. The website provides a detailed step-by-step procedure of becoming a proud owner of these fabulous tees.

Thanks in advance!

Spread the word! ('cos these really are very awesome tees)

Conspiracy Theories #1

I shall name it #1 because I foresee a whole lot more. And each time I come across a baseless one, I shall refute it. Maybe I should call it "Stupid Theories", but then I want to be a teensy bit nice.

So maybe most of you haven't realised it yet, from my previous posts, but I seriously SERIOUSLY have problems with people who are spewing all sorts of baseless statements regarding the apocalyptic 2012.

Firstly, I think all these people are selfish.
If just for a moment they stop thinking that the world only revolves around them, and realise that there are many people who are separated from their loved ones in different parts of the country and the world, working hard to make a better future for themselves, they should really shut up about the world ending soon.

Secondly, I think these people are ignorant.
I mean like seriously, they are harping about the world ending because some movie with super duper effects said so? In that case Los Angeles should probably be a wasteland by now with the amount of extraterrestrial attacks, extreme natural disasters, and I don't know, zombies? piled on that city in so many movies.

So. The winner for today is this stupid line circulating the Net:

"USA lost many lives on 9-11-01. Now, Japan lost more lives on 3-10-11. Add the 2 dates together to get 12-21-12."

I just cannot help it but to ridicule people who put this up. There are just so many things to put down:

1) There are roughly 196 countries in the world, not only two: the USA and Japan.
2) Please know that 9/11 was a terrorist attack. A terrorist attack is NOT a natural disaster.
3) What about 12-26-04 (Phuket tsunami), 5-18-08 (Sichuan earthquake), 1-12-10 (Haiti earthquake), 2-27-10 (Chile earthquake)? Just to name a few. If you add all the dates together, you get a bunch of numbers for your lottery. Winning the lottery is not guaranteed.

So come on, people. Stop it already with all these nonsense. You do know that when you put things like this up, it doesn't make you seem smart. Not at all.

If somehow at the end of it, the whole thing turned out to be true, and everyone died, no one's going to be left alive to reprimand me about this.

But in the meantime, stop panicking over really stupid things.

Knowledge is Power

You know how the old saying goes.

In these current times of panic and grief, and with the borderless global community, know that not everything you read on the Internet is true. Just because somebody claims that the information is from a certain 'reliable' source also does not make it true.

For instance, CNN: Hot chick is now ruler of new island community, formed from this chunk of land breaking off from this piece of peninsula due to active tectonic plate activity.
Fact: CNN does not have a report on this.
Fact: The "Hot chick" in the headline refers to yours truly.
Fact: Everything else after "CNN: Hot chick" is utter rubbish.

Therefore if you received text messages that are something like this:

"4:30 in the afternoon, a nuclear power plant exploded in Fukumi. Do not go out if it rains later today and tomorrow. If you are going out, wear a raincoat or use an umbrella because if you get rained on it’s said to be dangerous. There is tendency that your skin will be burned, you will go bald or will get cancer. Please pass."

or this:

"BBC FLASHNEWS: Japan government confirms radiation leak at Fukushima nuclear plants. Asia countries should take necessary precautions. If rain comes, remain indoors first 24hrs. Close doors & windows. Swab nec(k)skin with betadine where thyroid area is, radiation hits thyroid first. Take extra precautions. Radiation may hit Phil at starting 4pm today. Pls send to your loved ones."

remember that just because it says "BBC FLASHNEWS" doesn't make it true either. And instead of panicking and passing them on blindly (and perhaps heading straight to the pharmacy and clear out every bottle of Betadine they have in stock), find out how true these things are.

Looking at the first "warning", let's just say, if the rain is so dangerous as to cause chemical burns, baldness, and cancer, I am pretty sure a flimsy piece of synthetic material (umbrellas and raincoats) isn't going to provide you with much protection. And notice that the message has no explanation as to why exactly the nuclear power plant explosion has anything to do with the rain (and we shall discuss that later).

By the way, it's Fukushima, not FUKUMI. And it's Newsflash, not FLASHNEWS. Little mistakes like these also indicate the lack of reliability of these rumours.

The second message is also similar, but this one has one extra precautionary step which is to swab Betadine on your neck. First things first: Please know that Betadine is basically an antiseptic solution for cleaning wounds and used for disinfecting surfaces. ANTISEPTICS do NOT protect you from radiation sickness.

That in itself already made the whole "warning" very questionable. To add to it, these rumours start getting out of hand by claiming the occurences of ACID RAIN (which kind of explain all the warnings regarding staying out of the rain etc.) due to the nuclear power plant explosion.

Please know that a nuclear fallout and acid rain are two completely different phenomena.

Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids. Nitrogen oxides can also be produced naturally when lightning strikes and sulfur dioxide is produced by volcanic eruptions.

The burning of fossil fuel also releases sulfur dioxide. Thus COAL power plants is a cause of acid rain. Not nuclear power plants.

A nuclear fallout is the residual radiation hazard from a nuclear explosion, so called because it "falls out" of the atmosphere after the explosion. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust created when a nuclear weapon explodes.

Note that a nuclear power plant explosion and a nuclear explosion are also two different things, just like a nuclear reactor and a nuclear bomb are two different things.

Here are some links, just in case some people still believe that a chunk of uranium from the core reactor is going to land on them tomorrow when it rains:
- Science officials: No threat of nuclear clouds, acid rain in PH
- Philippines hit by 'nuclear cloud' hoax
- Meltdown alert at Japan reactor

Irresponsible people start hoaxes like this by preying on people's fears. Ignorant people spread them out because they are, well, ignorant. You only fear the unknown.

Don't be ignorant, do yourself a favour and find things out for yourself.

Humanity

I always ponder about this when I get too sick with work (I mean, there is only so much about rivers and hydrology that I can handle in a moment's worth). Like in one of my old posts, I was talking about how Junior Masterchef Australia gave me a spark of hope for the next generation.

However, the recent events which provoked these thoughts are of a sadder ("sadder"...is there such a word?) nature. JAPAN -- the one country which is on everyone's mind right now (and I hope, in prayers too). Devastating news. But in the midst of all that, you see inspiring articles up on the social media boards and across the internet.

One that caught my attention was this one: Japan Quake as Seen from Twitter (Translated by me so quality questionable) by Jun Shiomitsu on Facebook. This, along with the CNN article regarding the absence of human turmoil in post-disaster Japan.

The Facebook post is really touching. How many of you out there could attest to that? I highly doubt many nations could do that. I highly doubt mine can. Just for comparison on a tiny scale: the case where the four-wheel-drive that overturned on the North-South Expressway in Rembau which scattered a bunch of loose change on the road -- which then led to motorists risking their own lives, to frantically pick up as many coins as they can, not to return to the accident victims mind you, bur for themselves. COINS. As in, disregard of their own lives and the accident victims', for that.

An excerpt: "Some were also seen sitting along the roadside and picking the coins, oblivious of the crash victim..."

That just goes to show what kind of mentality the nation has.

As opposed to in Japan: "At a supermarket where everything was scattered everywhere over the floors, shoppers were helping pick them up and putting them back neatly on the shelves before quietly moving into line to wait to pay for them."

I have the most sincere RESPECT to these people and their wonderful country.

So here comes my rants.

I know of a lot of people who seem to have some kind of identity crisis and want to be all Japanese, peppering their conversations with snippets of broken Jap, claims to only watch Japanese dramas and animes, read only Japanese mangas...you know, that sort of thing, and it got me thinking: If you want to be so Jap, why don't you also embrace that respectable attitude the real Japanese people have? You know, just saying.

Then there are just those insensitive morons who are making jokes about Ultraman and Doraemon running away from the mega-natural disasters. Tasteless. The nerve of some people saying "Where is your sense of humour?" to people who are protesting that stupidity. There is a time and place for a sense of humour, and making fun of a nation's dire situation post-disaster is not one of them. If you want so much humour, go make fun of your politicians, since most of them are half-ass anyway.

Oh, and to those people who keep going on about how 2012 is true, just because of some mega-hyped movie and conspiracy theories: SHUT UP. It's people like you that the world doesn't need. We don't need your negativity during times like these. We don't need you to whine about your half-baked, no-basis speculations about the end of the world. If you think the world is going to end, shouldn't you be brushing up on being good and chalking up on your good deeds?

Do this one good deed: Stop being selfish and shut the hell up.

Also, if you want to be deemed 'awesome' and 'up-to-date' about what's going on, please brush up on your knowledge, and confirm that your information is true. False reporting is a felony, you know. Don't make hyped up reports, especially when you don't live on the coast.

Be strong, Japan. Our hopes, wishes and, prayers are with you.

Security, security

Recently I took a trip to Hong Kong, departing from KLIA's Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), and returned to the country from Macau International Airport. Apparently, while we were at the Macau airport, a personnel told us that they had complaints of being lax and thus have upped their level of security. In other words, they were pretty strict about stuff.

Which made me think about how EXTREMELY over-the-top lax the airport security is in Malaysia. No wonder people could smuggle bag loads of living snakes without anyone the wiser. You see, on the day we were leaving, we decided not to queue up at the check-in counter so we checked-in at the kiosk. We could check all four people in, without the presence of everyone. With our printed boarding passes, we headed over to the luggage check-in counter to drop our luggages. The oddest thing was, the counter personnel did not ask us for any identification documents. No I.C., no passport. Nada. That was really odd.

On the contrary, in Macau, the check-in counter required our passports AND the presence of its bearer. And they require you to get your check-in luggage security-scanned all over again if you happen to tamper with/open your bag prior to checking-in and after it has been scanned.

I have to admit, tight security adds to the hassle whereas the lack of it makes your travelling experience downright a breeze. However, on the whole, it is quite worrisome as to how easy it is to get pass security, what more on an international flight.

It's something to think about, no?

Answering Questions

I am going Home today! And the festive season is coming, time with loved ones, family and friends. It's going to be awesome.

One last post before I go off on my partial break :) Came across this post by the Monyet King and couldn't resist answering the questions. For a change, they're not a bunch of questions asking me about myself.

1. If we (Malaysia) had an extra RM 100 million to spend on scientific research – on which of the following areas should we spend it on ? (a) space (b) biodiversity (c) history (d) robotics (e) medicine
Either (b), (d), or (e). I'm weighing in on (b) -- improve on the wonders you readily have. Stop copying what others are doing and end up wasting a bunch of money on half-hearted, hangat-hangat tahi ayam attempts.

2. Is there intelligent life outside our solar system ? We already know that there is no intelligent life on our planet.
There very well might be seeing as the universe doesn't only revolve around us.


3. Before Parameswara came to Melaka, what were the people there (Melaka) doing ? Who were they ? What’s their story ? Surely, there is so much history prior to Parameswara but not highlighted in our history books.
The indigenous people were most probably going on their own business before this dude turned up, fell asleep under some tree, saw a mousedeer kick a dog, and decided to proclaim himself King (or so the story goes). But if that didn't happen, we wouldn't have what we have now. Perhaps something better. Or worse. Will never know.

4. If the tiger goes extinct (which it may), what animal should take its place on the national coat-of-arms ? Kambing?
The Sea Turtle. Oh wait, that may also go extinct. 
The Orang Utan. Wait...also high risked. 
Burung merpati.

5. Ibrahim Ali is a moron. True or Correct ?
Erm. *lalala*

6. To improve national unity, we should get rid of all educational institutions that cater for just one race - Tamil schools, Chinese schools, MCKK, Universiti Teknologi Mara, etc. Agree ?
Yes, especially when they prohibit/limit people of other races to enroll although academically and co-curricularly qualified.

7. Most (not all) of the world now accepts the Darwinian theory of evolution as the basis for origin of mankind. Even Vatican subscribes to this. The Earth was not created in 6 days neither did Adam and Eve appear suddenly in the Garden of Eden. How do you convince those who do not believe in evolution (most of them also believe that the earth is flat) ?
By setting all of them adrift on a boat. When they finally realise that they are not going to sail off the edge of the earth, they might be a little bit more smarter by then. If not, most probably they wouldn't survive the journey and they'll just die ignorant.

8. The history syllabus in our national school focuses too much on Malaysian history and not enough on world history. When I was in school, I learnt a lot of world history and I think I am better off because of that. Is it time to change the syllabus ?
Yes. And not only that, they really have to look into how the subject is being taught. Sejarah is one of the worst, most torturous subject ever to study for and forced on for exams.

9. Pisang goreng tastes best when eaten at 5 pm with a big glass of teh tarik. True or false ?
4.15pm with a mug of green tea. To each their own :) (5pm is time to get stuck in traffic jams)

10. Public transport (bus and train) should be free. By providing good and free public transport, the nation can save so much money that would have to be used to build roads and subside fuel as well as gain from the increase in productivity. Setuju tak ?
Hampir setuju. Not only free but the whole system should be improved upon: punctuality, safety, etc. If the public transportation system is flawless, fuel doesn't really need to be subsidised and this will reduce selfish consumption, leading to *fingers crossed* a cleaner country. However with fuel price hikes, every single blardy thing has an excuse to be more expensive. Including milo ping.

11. The primary sector (agriculture, logging, mining, etc) has the greatest impact on the environment per ringgit generated to the economy. The secondary sector (manufacturing, etc) has lesser impact per ringgit generated while the services sector has the least environemntal impact per ringgit generated. Thus, pushing the country's economy towards the tertiary sector (services) is the best way to improve the quality of our environment and protect our forests and wildlife. What do you think ?
Would agree although not entirely based on the reasons stated. The lack of the primary sector would mean an increase of import of raw materials which may set a whole different turn of events into motion. However with how things are being carried out at present, that concern might not be viable.

12. Although human beings are numerous, have advanced technology and weaponry, it is the monyets that rule the Planet. True or Correct ?
The best of leaders can control the world without their subjects know that they are being controlled :)

p/s: do I get at least a few pisang rastali? can they be substituted with pisang berangan?

Morning brain juice :) Cheers all, have an awesome week!

Teeth

Do you know the names of your teeth? The permanent set.

Let's begin:

First, we have the central incisors. For some, the top central incisors are the 'rabbit teeth'.
Next, we have the lateral incisors.
Followed by the canines -- the 'vampire teeth'. I chipped my top left one right after I had the permanent set...so it doesn't draw blood anymore.
After that we have the first and second premolars. I broke my bottom left second premolar the same time I chipped the canine. (Such a walking disaster.)
Then comes the 'big teeth': the molars -- first, second, and the occasional third "wisdom teeth". The teeth that wrecks havoc to so many people. Me for instance, my bottom jaw is not that big to accommodate all of them but they're forcing themselves out partially, which is so tiresome. And make my bottom central incisors to look like Christina Perri's:

Christina Perri in Jar of Hearts

Well, you know. At least I'm not the only one with teeth problems :)

Kids these days...

I quite like that phrase. Although it sometimes makes me feel old saying it, I like that the "..." part is filled with endless possibilities. Good stuff, bad stuff, head-shaking stuff.

I love working with kids. Not only are they adorable, but I like that they are full of surprises. Sometimes they just come up with things that you'll never think of. However, of late (i.e. the last time I worked with kids) I find that there are times that I am disappointed with how kids are now and I tend to compare them with how my childhood was like.

Back then, my friends and I never had mobile phones, many of us didn't have handheld videogames, we didn't have "tuitions" (unless those extra-curricular stuff like art and music classes, or some kind of sport), we spent most of our evenings running around the neigbourhood or playing in the front/back yards. I used to catch bugs in small plastic bottles and collect tadpoles from drains.

When I worked with 8-11 year olds two years back, sometimes it just gets exasperating. They don't know stuff, they don't want to learn new stuff, the easiest way to keep them in place is to leave them with their handheld games. They're rude, to each other, to people who are older than them. It makes you wonder: what is the new generation coming to? (I sometimes also wonder "What are their parents teaching them?")

And sometimes I pity them. They spend half their day in school, and then in addition to that they are made to attend after-school classes, and on top of that they have tuition classes to go to. I know it is a lot more competitive in the academic world today, but still, isn't that robbing them of their childhood? It makes me sad.

If you watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, it makes you think even more about what kids know about stuff these days. Like, they don't even know how potatoes or tomatoes look like. They know burgers and fries though. Sad, really.

But then comes another reality show which has minimal drama and a whole lot of inspiration and hope: Junior MasterChef Australia. 8 to 12 year olds COOKING. With honest-to-goodness skills. Awesome talent. SO ADORABLE. OMG. Making things like souffle, duxelle, meringue...it's just amazing. Such a must-watch.

Like I said, kids...always full of surprises :) It really gives one Hope.

The Tale of Abandonment: Finale

There's no Part 2. The poor thing went to kitty heaven last night :(

I was pretty devastated, of course. The many guides on the Internet actually gave me hope that I could keep the baby cat alive.

Oh well. Like someone told me (while I was crying on the phone, goodness..), at least it didn't die a painful and agonising death -- bitten/eaten alive by carnivorous ants, or drowning, etc. It had warm milk three times, a nice box with rags, so I hope when it died it felt pretty comfortable.

This is just so sad.

The Tale of Abandonment: Part 1

Meet the poor thing, which spent almost half the night in the wet cold drain, abandoned by its mother right after it was born. It was mewing so pitifully, calling out "Mommy...mommy...don't leave me here." Gah. It was such a heartbreaking sound. But we didn't dare touch it, for fear if once our scents get onto it, its mother will abandon it for real.

I finally picked it up with some rags and put it in an empty tissue box. So that at least it's not that cold and wet.

Its mother didn't come. It's been more than twelve hours. A definite case of abandonment. The ants came. Those evil carnivorous ones. When I found it this morning there were a few of the ants biting the poor thing. They were attracted by the bloody thing which was attached to the poor thing by its umbilical cord.

I got rid of the ants, tied the cord and cut it; and decided to try giving it a chance to live. It's still called the poor thing because naming it would just make me more attached to it. If it survives, I'll name it Thing.

Now the poor thing is (I hope) warm and clean. I got it to consume a little bit of warm milk and got it to pee. Later when we have obtained syringes, I could feed it again.

*sigh* The poor thing.

*fingers crossed*

Happy 2011

It's a new year! So good wishes and all that.

Health.
Happiness.

Joy.

Jubilation.
Love.
Luck.
New hope.
New excitement.

The older one gets, the less public rants should be up. I apologise for the previous post. No resolutions this year, just an overall determination to make this year even better than the last.

Happy New Year!