lunedì, gennaio 31, 2005
:: bits and pieces here and there ::I wanna write a birthday blog, but I shall wait till my birthday gets ‘formally’ celebrated on Wednesday. Ho ho ho… such nice friends I have… *-* (xin4 fu2 de lian3)
Erm, on Sunday I went out with Lina and Agnes… we gorged ourselves at Marché. Haha… Nice meeting with them… we just get increasingly outrageous from outing to outing. Miraculously, our close-to-12-years friendship has stood the test of time… in fact, it has gotten stronger. Hehehe… thanks to Lina especially… for standing by me and always there to offer a listening ear to my craps, grumbles and curses. (& vice versa) Then, she showed me where to buy this pair of earrings that I had been dreaming of for ages… at 7bux when it was retailing at 17bux at Isetan. Muahaha… so happy! Oooooh… ooooh… oooooh… luuuu…. luuuu….. luuuu….
sabato, gennaio 29, 2005
:: It’s blasting time! ::First, I just want to blast the brains off the *genius* who thought up the idea of CHP; next I shall blast the heads off two –someones- and –a team- of pple… and next , I shall blast off HS’s head. In fact, I shall do overkill on him… blast time again.^ I never thought HS was that evil… alas, I should have known, he’s totally corrupted by EW. Haiz… ( I really cannot believe it... I think i'm v v high strung now) I'll blast anyone and anything that comes between me and my powerpoint slides. muahahaha...
Someone left anonymous not-so-weird comments on my blog. Apparently someone called JS was caught PINK-handed with in campus at a time JS Was not supposed to? Hmmm… perhaps JS was once caught GREEN-handed outside a hospital after leaving a meeting cos JS had –something on-. Now, I’m totally confused…
CHP is really driving me nuts! U know… ever since Tuesday I think, I’ve been staying up till the wee hours frantically editing and re-editing and it doesn’t help that Microsoft powerpoint or –someone- (I truly dunno who) keeps changing my animation sequences and format!!!!!!! Haiz, and then I’ve got really ‘outstanding’ portions to avoid editing, and end up editing –the rest- (130+) slides so that the outstanding portions becomes outstanding presentation. Yday night, I contemplatd staying up the whole night… I almost did it… slept at 4am, after chopping up the ppt and sending it in bits over to gmail. Then set my alarm at 7am in case D needs to call if something goes wrong… voila, I think the call came ard 9… luckily nothing major. And by 1pm, I was getting the entire chunk back, re-editing and re-decorating.
I’m sorry, I cannot make the presentation to please –the whole world- so I shall just make sure it satisfies the following aims:
1. standardised format and animation (no man is can island)
2. animations run properly
3. content is correct
Monday’s my birthday, I hope COFM dpt gives me a present by saying that our team did a good job!
^first time is for playing that blasted trick
on me, second time is for –really having something to change- right after I’ve sent the finalized (more than less) ppt to D.
venerdì, gennaio 28, 2005
:: AH jiang shi ::It seems like I might have another nick soon... or else it would come into force once I start housemanship? -someone- has started calling me the AH (Alexandra Hospital) jiang 1 shi1 (zombie) after he saw me post-night duty while we were posted there. Funny thing was, I don’t think he mentioned this analogy till yday… while I was piecing together my CHP group’s project till the wee hours of the morning… while he was showing himself at his most perfectionistic! Anyway, between Dopey and AH jiang shi, I think the former is still better… short, sweet and cute eh? *pukes* haha…
That –someone- still owes me a bag of blood… I’m waiting hahaha…
Crap. CHP is driving us all nuts!
giovedì, gennaio 27, 2005
:: erm, think twice the next time you share a lift ::today i was in the lift of a hospital... at a certain level, a patient was wheeled into the lift in his bed, together with two orderlies... he looked like he was asleep, with some blankets... at level 1, i got out... then i realised, oops, the lift is going to basement... ie. mortuary. there's nothing else in b1 except the mortuary and the link way to the staff canteen* i guess, they don't want to cover up the dead, for fear there might be panic in the lift? or maybe then no one would want to share the lift? hmmm... on the other hand, if i had passed away, i'd rather be transported there in peace... and without pple 'ogling' at me... someone remarked, it might actually be 'good' for the dead, cuz pple would wonder whether he was alive/dead. i dunno how to explain that concept, but it made -some- sense. then. next time i share a lift, i should be more observant... someone remarked on the dusky appearance, i thought that was just weathered skin... i probably sound like some cold-hearted, impassionate creep right now... but i think it's important to see death as part and parcel of life... that i could probably blog about death like i blog about my cousin having a new baby... right?
one concern was... what if the patient had passed away from an infectious disease? how would he/she be transported to the morgue? is it safe to use public areas to do so? someone tried hard not to breathe in the lift today, but alas... didn't work.
*come to think about it, i cannot imagine one floor serving two such different purposes...
mercoledì, gennaio 26, 2005
:: you know you're a computer geek when... :: (or rather I am the geek here)you know you're a computer geek and hopeless-net-addict when...
1. when your room's in a mess, you feel that itch to press 'Ctrl+F' in order to find the stuff you want*
2. when you have nothing to do, you just wanna switch on your comp.
3. instead of SOS, you would signal a 'F1'
4. when you use your keyboard more than your mouse/pointer
5. when others say mouse: you think of computer, instead of cheese
6. you use the icq/msn/irc to communicate with pple who are within hearing range of yourself eg. in the next table/room/computer terminal
7. all your notes/stick-ons and other paraphernalia are typed-written instead of hand-written
8. you actually LAUGH at your computer or worse laugh WITH the computer
9. you want to hug your notebook when you sleep
10. when you use 'Ctrl+O, Ctrl+P, Ctrl+D, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V' instead of the mouse**
11. when you KNOW that 'Alt f, Alt e, Alt v, Alt i, Alt o, Alt t and Alt a' is the equivalent of clicking 'file, edit, view, insert, format, tools, and table'
12. you can navigate around IE with your eyes closed...
13. you can play and get 'high score' just using the pointer type of mouse (not the actual mouse)
14. when u blog your msn/icq conversations
15. you've received your PR/citizenship status aka netizen status
16. you're blogging this at 1.43am when you have got far better things to do like SLEEP
*for those who dunno what Ctrl+F is for, you're a looong way from being a competent user of your computer
**that explains why i'm fast! heh
martedì, gennaio 25, 2005
:: chp, the lady in green and machiavelli ::darn CHP is getting us all starry-eyed (fr staring at the comp, not BOM)... m all stressed out and starved out... haiz. i'll be real glad when it's over. incidentally, the presentation falls on my birthday, i hope we do well, keke, then can have a double celebration eh. ;) *wink wink*
by fate or chance or watever, i saw the lady-in-green THRICE! HS, u rem the gal we saw eating a huge plate of papaya all by herself? and u said she's going to get diarrhoea? i saw her again at lunch, she was eating a bowl of lychees cum ice shavings... and then... when i was at PS, i saw her again! not eating though. i think she's a medical student, cos i saw '250 clincal cases in medicine' on the seat next to her during lunch.
sometimes i can really sense when i book attracts me... like today, i could FEEL the vibes coming off from 'the prince' as i was in CHP. and all i could do was to keep my hands OFF the book. haiz... it's such an EVIL book... woweee! it's like sun zi bing fa (i've never read it... yet). the synopsis on this bk is: the Bible of realpolitik, read by strategists, businessmen and political animals everywhere as the ultimate guide to gaining and maintaining power in a dangerous world. i really liked the reasonings given, the philosophy behind governance and all that. it can be v well applied into real life... need to spend time to digest and learn how to apply. *evil cackles*
sabato, gennaio 22, 2005
:: maria full of grace - film review ::
Maria, is a 17-year-old Colombian who is on the road to discovering the adult she would be. After her boss at the flower plantation refuses to let her go to the bathroom when she was ill, she quit her job. (much to the chagrin of her family, who depends on her totally for $). At the same time, she realises that she is 2months pregnant, however since she did not feel any love for her boyfriend, she decided against marrying him. Around that same time, she befriended 'Franklin' the man who introduced the idea of becoming a 'mule'. A mule is a person who trafficks heroin by swallowing numerous plastic bags of it and entering the States via plane.
Here's a picture of the pellets, Maria had to swallow 62 of them.
Mules are not allowed to eat 24hrs before the flight (just like before surgery) and takes inhaled anesthesia, and anticholinergics (to slow down gastrointestinal motility). The process of swallowing so many pellets can be really daunting, it's hard to do it, and it's also dangerous. If any of these pellets break open in the mule, he/she will die (fr drug overdose of course). After they arrive, they are given laxatives to purge out all those pellets. And then, they are paid an equivalent of 5000 USD, which is like 7-8million pesos for them. One such trip can buy a big house for the family. It's not difficult to see where the attraction of it lies, for pple as impoverished as them.
In total, 4 'mules' were bound for New York. Maria and another were detained. Xrays showed the pellets in the GIT of the other lady and she was arrested. Lucky for Maria, she could not do x-rays (cuz... if u all dunno, shld go re-d0 GS posting!) plus she lied really convincingly and was let thru. Unfortunately, Lucy, one who had done the trip 2x before, became severely ill (prob one of the pellets came loose). She was gutted (!!!) by the drug dealers so they could get the remaining pellets out of her. Maria and her friend, Blanca panicked and took off with their own pellets, seekng refuge at Lucy's sister's house. Eventually they were thrown out... In the end, Blanca managed to return to Colombia, while Maria changed her mind in the last minute and decided to find job in the States so she could send money back. She stayed mainly coz of her baby, Lucy's sister had told her that the only reason holding her in the States, away from her family, was so her unborn child could live a better life and get more opportunities.
As the credits rolled, I was really touched by the show. It was beautifully done, almost choreographed like a dance. The music was cool, they had songs by 'Los Bacilos', 'Juanes' and 'Jarabe de Palo'. Happening! Most of all, the actresses (i won't say much abt the actors) were very 'real'. The entire movie was done such that a sad, cruel fact of life was portrayed in a more subtle but just as provocative biography.
venerdì, gennaio 21, 2005
:: elektra - film review ::heh i zoomed to watch 'elektra' the day it was released. em... got to say i didn't enjoy it a lot, i think daredevil's much better. other movies based on comics, such as van helsing, were also better than this production. sadly, it really doesn't have any redeeming qualities, not any worthy cgi effects, no plot, no romance, no feelings... well only one hot bod (garner's)... perhaps guys will be more appreciative of this film. teehee...
maybe it's cuz i just watched 'the sea inside' that was just so fantastic that 'elektra' paled in comparison.
hmmm... but i really like jennifer garner, she's got a really toned body, and nice hair... it's so not fair that SO MANY GALS out there have got silky smooth hair (even if it's like bleached and dyed to death) yet my hair, even when it's in its 'virgin' state ie. black. it still looks like someone dragged me through the bushes backwards. haiz... which is why i like to wear my hair in a bun so much, oh well not that i LIKE it, but i HAVE to do it unless i don't mind looking like a siao chabor...
*disgruntled hrrumph*
giovedì, gennaio 20, 2005
:: is it a... ::
in my previous post... what is that thing?
a) an exploded owl (v. lovely contribution from dear wenky)
b) owl run over by car (another wonderful contribution fr wenky)
c) something being stomped over by an owl or some other bird
d) a furry ball
e) a ball of wool
f) shit
g) i-dunno-why-i-am-reading-this-bohliao-post
h) if-it's-so-bohliao-how-come-i'm-still-reading-it?!?!
i) others
more importantly, i should consider extending an invitation to wenky to join the E.O. club... hmmm now we mainly got to find out his gong1li4, ie. how evil he is...
mercoledì, gennaio 19, 2005
:: what's this? ::
:: evil owl's mi4jue2 ::
i've realised that it pays to observe and listen more than to speak, especially at events with a grp of pple. eh he... it's obvious that when people keep probbing others for 'secrets' with many pple around listening, no one's going to pour out their sorrows/secrets/juicy but sensitive gossips... heh... it's far better to 'confide' or tell the person who's not extremely inquisitive. heh that's what i call the 'psychology of gossip'. hmmm the more u want pple tell you sth, the more they won't... heh... but rather subtle probbing at intervals interspersed with periods where you have to rein in your curiosity and just act 'cool'. eh heh... but of course, one has to use this method with a conscience. if pple do tell me their troubles/secrets/private stuff i WON'T tell anyone else, cuz well... if this person had wanted other pple to know, he/she would just tell when others probe and not just tell 'the evil owl' alone. therefore, the owl, albeit evil, has a conscience. *crap*
anyway, i feel strongly about keeping secrets/gossip no matter how juicy it might be, if the person who told me desires it so. i sure value our friendship more than just a piece of news! thus, if anyone finds out that i've revealed their secret, there can only be ONE reason - i do not like u.
hootz hootz!
:: CHP ::
these days my life is dominated by CHP... i get calls from unrecognised numbers on my mobile which turns out to be from project mates' houses... eh he... actually i mistook derrick's home no. to be the medsoc room's no. until one day he called at a pretty odd time, then i realised, he couldn't possibly be staying in the medsoc room rite? *shudders*
nice stan has agreed to do the presentation! yeh!!! three cheers for stan!!! i was v pleasantly surprised :) he hasn't been blogging these few days, perhaps, he's feeling better, can talk more so dun need to blog it out! ;) got to work on the powerpoint asap so he'll have time to prepare his 'speech' lolz... also got to prepare one case study. (haha... yah rite... time to show how powerful my IM is!)
martedì, gennaio 18, 2005
:: mar adentro - the sea inside ::In this poignant film, we see the real-life story of Ramon Sampedro, a Galician who spent 26 years of his life as a quadriplegic. At 20 he suffered a diving accident which left him unable to move all his limbs, and unable to feel anything except for his face. It left him, as he said: 'no puedo vivir con dignidad' (cannot live with dignity). In every waking moment of the next 26 years, Ramon wished to die with dignity. He engaged the help of a lawyer, Julia to help him campaign for euthanasia. Julia, as it turned out, suffers from Cadasil, a degenerative disease where she would be struck with sudden and multiple strokes, causing her to eventually go blind/become para/quadriplegic or suffer from sth like Alzheimer's. Unfortunately, the campaign failed and euthanasia wasn't legalised. Ramon and Julia made a pact to die together... however, over the next half year, Julia changed her mind. At that time, one of Ramon's friends (or rather, a girl, Rosa, who loved him), decided to help him die. Thus, together with all his friends, they gave him a dose of potassium cyanide and videotaped the entire episode of his 'passing'.
This film is a must-catch. Those who like 'Hable Con Ella' will probably love this just as much, and perhaps more... since Pedro Almodovar is known to be a bit perverse in all his films. This one isn't. When i first saw the trailers, i thought it would be a depressing film... but it wasn't. It was beautifully filmed... all the music, and scenery, the people and the words. Yes, i was most struck by the beauty of the language. By that i don't mean how spanish sounds, but rather, how poetic the words were. ah.... i think i want to get a copy of the dvd. he he... time to go nudge MT towards that direction... heck, he might ALREADY have it! Anyway, the word EUTHANASIA, i believe, wasn't even said/seen in the film. The idea isn't thrown right into your face, but very very subtly introduced. Bardem (Ramon) is one GREAT actor, imagine, he only had his face to express himself! And of course, he had such beautiful, expressive eyes... GO CATCH THE FILM BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE! It's also spiritually uplifting!
:: something interesting ::
one of my cousin's client told her the story of how and why she got my cousin's namecard and approached her for help.
my cousin is a fengshui master; she doesn't advertise, customers are normally recommended from others.
this client had attended a party at a friend's house. at the party, there was a man who read tarot cards. he was doing free readings at the party, for the host. so this client got a reading, her question was: should i change jobs? the man's reply was: yes, job's fine. but your home is not. someone at this party will recommend you a person to see your house and you must not reject. *silence* everyone looked at everyone else wondering who had such a contact.... then, one frd at the party admitted that she had approached a fengshui master recently, and gave the card to the 'client'. haha... so this lady called up my cousin. and is now her current customer.
weird isn't it? no one knew that anyone had consulted my cousin, yet tt tarot card reader was dot on the point!
lunedì, gennaio 17, 2005
:: dinner at vil'age ::vil'age (pronounced as vee-lah-zhay) at china square is a replica of marche. it's a wonder the owner of marche didn't sue this guy's pants off! what's more, he 'pulled' along quite a few of the chefs when he left. perhaps that's why the food there is finer than that in marche...
it was great seeing the same ole folks again, namely yowkhan, khaitou, sehleng (so cute!) and selina. unfortunately, michael couldn't go cuz he had an audition for the PCK musical! (oh yeah! i'm so proud of him, and i hope he gets in) cuz then we might get to see him with -yellow boots-, -big mole with curly hair- and -signature curly hair-. teehee... dinner was a riotous affair, we probably would have brought the ceiling down if michael was there... somehow, the subject changed from all-things-spanish to all-things-gay/lesbian/bi... oops... kt and yk were fighting nail and tooth over these issues. somehow, despite being such good friends, they are almost poles apart when it comes to certain issues. hehe... SL on the other hand, was a 'thoroughbred conservative'... anyway, this meeting has rekindled the desire to learn spanish... with kt seemingly pestering or at least v keen to get someone to take classes with, i can almost feel my resolve melting away... and perhaps my birthday and angpow money dwindling away too!
sabato, gennaio 15, 2005
:: the state of my chat conversations... ::first excerpt:
rach: these days the sun set v late
°o.O L i Q i O.o° :ya
rach : days are v long
°o.O L i Q i O.o° : not good for owls like us ha
rach :indeed
°o.O L i Q i O.o° : yeah lor
°o.O L i Q i O.o° : haiz
next excerpt:
miserable owl says: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: lululululuuuuuuuuuuuu...: this looks nicer
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: lululululuuuuuuuuuuuu...: hehe
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt!: keke
miserable owl :keke sound evil but also sounds like u got stuck with furballs in ur throat
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt!:(emoticon with sarcastic look)
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt!: heimlich!
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt!:(emoticon tt looks sick)
miserable owl : LOL
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt!:(emoticon with red face)
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt!: quick turning purple la
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt!:(wilting flower)
miserable owl : haaaai YaH!!!
miserable owl : i kicked u with my owl claw feet
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt! : wey
miserable owl : the furball is out liao
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt!: coff hack hack
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt!: eh hem
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt!: ***
miserable owl : wey!! owls how to use filmsy wings to do heimlich?
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt!: lolx
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt!: shit we're doomed
°o.O L i Q i O.o°: hOOOOoooOOooOOOttt!: high mortality fr choking fr furballs
miserable owl : hmm mei ban fa...
miserable owl : eat small amts frequently
miserable owl : then got smaller furballs
:: hahaha... so happy! ::
hahahahahahaha... ok cannot stop laffing despite the darkness of cofm and pharmaco looming right above me. (fyi, pharmaco paper is 7th, cofm is 9th!) pls don't shoot the messenger! where is my AGAG? haiyo...
ah... got the book for sanz... this yr buying presents for pple is so much easier coz all these nice pple (me inclusive) tell us what they want. ho ho ho...
this yr i'm probably getting a bunch of cds and perhaps books. sanz getting me the shuai guy one... (hehe... u can open and see all those nice pics inside, just don't drool on them can le), i think my cd's getting the tomatoey one. it's cute. and val gang perhaps getting me closer by groban. onz ah... hehe...
today while shopping for sanz present, i almost drowned in my own drool at the philosohpy section... now i know where my cousin gets ALL her COOL books. hmmm... shucks i'm so tempted to go empty her shelves again. but the pros are so near leh. how la... patricia cornwell's got a new book: tracce, i shall look out for it in the library a few months down the road. ha... dan brown has got 3 other books tt look really interesting, think i shld try to read them sometime soon. after much deliberation, i got 'atlas struggle' by ayn rand. wooyeah! it's REALLY hua2suan4 coz it's like 1065 pages at font size 6! i MUST not start this book till after exams. also, i MUST not start one hundred years of solitude by GGM until hmm... haha i force myself to read the original version tt's in spanish first.
i wish i had a one month hols to just READ READ READ stuff that's NOT medically-related, unless it's scientific american ;)
venerdì, gennaio 14, 2005
:: a bimbotic entry ::i was feeling quite 'eng' and decided to put a face to those few singers whose albums i play over and over again every night. heh... i CANNOT sleep without music. as it turned out, i was rewarded with teehee... a great time, splitting sides and drooled a bit here and there...
so here goes...
ALEJANDRO FERNANDEZ (mexican): his voice is really soothing and nice music with those guitars and flamencos and stuff, my favourite song being 'hablame' (talk to me)...
this is how the man looks:
comment: VERY latino... reminds me of 'days of my life' as well...
ALEJANDRO SANZ (spanish): not one of my favourites coz of his rather husky voice... yet he is hugely popular, perhaps some pple think the huskiness is SeXy... ho ho ho however, i do like the wry kind of smile, crooked hehe... cute leh.
but now this SECOND picture, kind of reminds me of an anti-BO ad! gross lor...
JOSH GROBAN (english): think he's english... hmmm anyway, doesn't he make you think -> hobbit? hahahaaa.... anyway his voice is fantastic... u wouldn't think he looks like this... yet again, does it matter how he looks? anyway... josh groban! hehehe... and yeah i'm hankering for a particular cd of his! *hint hint*
ZUCCHERO (italian): ok i dunno his real name, sth fornichiari (i think but he's italiano, and zucchero actually means sugar. hmmm... i tot he should have tt kind of 'cool' look... but i shld have guessed he looks so 'rock'. hmmm his coolest song is 'baila morena' (um, kind of reminds me of the sexy baby thingy...) and the other is 'ahum'... i have heard these songs for ard twice a day for almost a year. plus u know why he's called 'zucchero'? cuz he was so shy in elementary school! AWWWW!!!
and u got to see THIS pic... (don't think it bears any resemblance to a shy guy):
ENRIQUE IGLESIAS (spanish): ok, i don't listen him when i go to bed... but a few of his songs in the other parts of the day... heehee... he's got a really weird mole.. anyway here's the most o-biang picture i could get of him! haha... i think gaspar would have liked it. ha!
ANDREA BOCELL (italian)I: i love this picture. it seems to show a man who is humble yet proud... and i think it's very daunting to stand in front of a huge audience that u cannot even see! he must have nerves of steel!
ps: it's also interesting to note that his eyes are kept closed in every photo. i wonder whether he has pupils? or not? anyhow, i still admire this man.
EROS RAMAZZOTTI (italian): oh manz.... i lurve his song 'un'emozione per sempre'!!!! ahhhh! hehe... his voice is v distinctive, seems a bit nasal... which is more like an acquired taste rather than natural love for his fans ( i guess). similarly, cannot listen to his singing at night, cannot sleep ah! over here, his pic, ah, i lurve the laugh!
ALEX UBAGO (spanish): only like one or two songs... nothing really latino about them except that they are in spanish, but i cannot resist not putting his pic here for u all to enjoy! he sings mainly spanish pop. so-so la...
:: mario frangoulis ::
what eva happened to his image stylist!?!? from this:
to:
my heart's shattered manz... did he change his stylist? or was his stylist formerly a member of the mafia? he looks soooo italian-ish now... hmmm and a bit like marc antony.. but at least frangoulis looks better than antony. (phew!)
haiyo... so hard to accept this drastic change, in fact, i took such a great double-take when i saw the album today that the shop's assistant came scurrying over asking if he could be of 'any assistance'. i should go check out the album properly to make sure the style and his voice hasn't gone wonky as well! *shakes head*
giovedì, gennaio 13, 2005
:: shameless me ::aHA! i know what i want for my birthday! ask me ask me!
:: my first puff ::
forgot to blog about this milestone in my life - my first ever puff (on a cigarette la... what else, but if i were in amsterdam... hia hia hia...) hmm i didn't know lighting a ciggie was THAT hard... had to suck in and flip the lighter at the same time... not easy... i didn't inhale deeply cuz i knew i would have choked on all that irritant... just held the inhaled air in my mouth so i could blow it all out at irritating people around me... anyway, apart from the fun of blowing smoke into pple's faces, there's nothing else nice or fun about it. cuz it leaves a tobaccoey or herbie... or nicotiny (definitely unpleasant) taste in the mouth. plus weird smell on yr fingers. i guess it's an acquired taste.
anyway i don't advise ppl to take up cigarette 101. heh.
i could teach u guys how to make fake cigarettes though! hehe...
mercoledì, gennaio 12, 2005
:: getting my notebook back ::finally, after 1 month 10 days, i am getting my notebook back. this time round, at least the technician admitted that something WAS (i sure hope i can say 'was' with conviction now) wrong with my notebook. but not after my father had harangued him dunno how many times and i had also voiced my opinions about their very 'good' service attitude (and techniques). apparently it was a 'complex' problem aka they probably dunno what the heck happened... it's a bit like fibromyalgia syndrome, such a long word, with a connotation of 'cheemness' when actually docs dunno what causes it. mph. in the end, the lower motherboard was changed, the CDRW, memory chip and RAM were replaced.
it had BETTER work.
i shall be re-installing my other programmes in bits over the next few days. hope all goes right!
martedì, gennaio 11, 2005
:: a field day at work! ::armed with sheafs of brightly colored yellow and green questionnaires, huge water bottles and a thousand and one other paraphernalia, we descended into toa payoh central to conduct our house-to-house surveys!!! previously, D, EW, SM, R, Wenky, hypoC and i were involved in the assembly line in school, frantically stapling the questionnnaires and organising all the papers into neat envelopes for our fellow grp mates... while we were progressing at a good rate, i suppose HS was dreaming of W&G... or maybe dreaming that he was either Will/Grace and lulu was worrying about me getting stapled wings... : / !!!
later on we all squashed into the back of Wenky's van... it's so much nicer now, with carpets and huge pillows, gives it a very roomy feel... anyway, SM was fiddling with something hanging fr the back door and EW was dearly worried that the back doors would be flung wide open and 'eject' them both! D was trying to take candid photos of pple, so as to 'blackmail' them. he got one of me looking v blur and shocked, but i guess that's my very normal look, so he won't be able to extort any $ out of me! HA! meanwhile i was hanging to the boxes of questionnaires that threatened to topple over me. ha... v fun ride...
finally, we got down to work ard 2pm or so... i got the 4rm flats, and quite a few households weren't in, so quite hard to do much... but in the end i got abt 5/16... not that bad... met some really interesting people... even had a person with suicidal thoughts, i'm glad she's got some social workers vising her! there was this really interesting teacher with hehe... swollen mouth! lolz... but still very very chatty... and u know what Wenky n mr ye, she actually RANG UP NUS medfac to ask them about this project! and thankfully, the not-so-clueless medfac told her we're going about doing surveys today... later on HS and i met her again, and she asked for our names... oops.. haha... so boh liao anyway... she must be so free, she has nothing else better to do!
surveys are better done in the evening or at night where most people are at home and have had dinner... most are quite inclined to help. generally, i found the malay and indian households quite nice, rejection rates are normally low... and in two instances, i was even invited into their homes! as for chinese, bu4yong4duo1shuo1 le... rejection rates are higher and some seem really incapable of trusting people. hmmm generally, i feel that those in 4rms were more likely to do surveys rather than those in 3rms... not that sure why though... anyway, sometimes when i give out that freebie thingy, i wonder... do they listen to classical music? and more importantly, do they have a cd player?
HS kept kana-ing long winded women... ho ho ho... i think he looks like the type that women can confide to or chat with eh? teehee...
lunedì, gennaio 10, 2005
:: religion and Wicca ::i've been made aware that the CHC (city harvest church) and NCC (new creation church) are making mission trips to indonesia? claiming that this tsunami was GOD's assertion that he is the creator of the world... that since he created it, he could claim any part of it back anytime? it's really quite ridiculous, does it mean that i can assume that IF everyone's christian, then GOD wouldn't need to make known his presence as world creator known and thus, it would be a paradise on earth? in that case, then what's the point of heaven? I think that what the victims need right now is food, water, shelter, medicine and well, faith is important, but it should be faith in their OWN religion (Islam) rather than in a NEW religion coming to claim that their GOD will save ALL from suffering and that when they die they can all go into heaven... on a different note, i wonder how come people all say 'hell is all fire and burning?'... i wonder what historical context gave rise to this idea... virtually all the hells in all religions are searing hot! also... i don't know why these people choose such a time to go 'convert' others, issit cause it's such an opportune time, perhaps they hope that these victims have lost faith in their own religion and are ready to throw their heart and soul into another? what a shallow thought! anyway, i've never felt much animosity from people of other religions except towards some (i emphasize) SOME christians, lest i get flamed for rash readers who think i'm damning the entire christian population. i've had a 'friend' who only remained one for as long as she felt that i could be convinced to attend church/related activities, until one day i smsed her that 'no, i am not interested in any religion currently.' and she's never made any further appearances in my life. (boy was i relieved!) on the other hand, i have lots of christian friends who are always willing to share their views when i'm keen on them, yet never pressurised me to do anything i didn't feel like i wanted to, and i'm grateful for their understanding and respect for my freedom of choice.
recently i've been reading about a religion called 'Wicca'. previously, i thought it was more of witchcraft, rather than a religion... but i guess i was wrong, and so are all you people out there. Wicca is a really old religion that came about in hmmm (i cannot rem many details coz this book was in spanish and as i racked my brains to understand it all, some fine details leaked out of my already over-taxed brains) anyway, i found that i like it, cuz it relates to nature. it recognises the natural 'powers' (i would call it life force) in all living things.. and in the land and all that comes from the soil. i like the thought that i am intrinsically connected to all living things around me. that i have the ability to channel this lifeforce in me and in other things to improve my life. what i like even more is the 'rule' that whatever i do, it comes back to me three-fold, or even seven-fold. it's like 'do unto others what you wish others to do unto you'. PS: with rgds to this point, i would like to ask the missionaries going to indonesia, if someone were to come to you and ask you to convert to Islam, would you welcome that?
domenica, gennaio 09, 2005
:: arrogance ::someone asked me over the net, 'are you quite an arrogant gal'? my first thought was... hmmm... is it a feasible question to ask? i mean, well i dunno how many pple would admit honestly that yes, they are arrogant. plus, i think there are many arrogant pple around who don't know/think that they are arrogant at all? hmm... i think there's a problem with me, i like to question other's questions rather than answer them. i think pple don't like me because of this. and i do admit, i AM arrogant. face it, i am. but do i/ should i change? i dunno. i dunno how one can differentiate arrogance from self-confidence. how to judge? and how can one have self-confidence and yet not be branded as arrogant? i've noted many peers who are extremely confident while at the same time i thought them to be unbearingly arrogant. do these two qualities come hand-in-hand?
so do you guys feel i am arrogant?
PS: i would like a response, preferably if the answer is 'yes, you are arrogant'. it's nice when yr friends act as your mirror and i promise i won't bear u a grudge, so fire away!
sabato, gennaio 08, 2005
:: the blog of many things and yet nothing ::today i read that out of the aid pledged by countries to the UN (as int'l aid), only 60% reached those who needed the aid... there's just so much corruption and broken promises and conditional aid... that i wonder, if there's any use if at all, for the money we've all donated to the victims of the latest disaster. out there, perhaps someone's pockets are being lined, someone's bank vault is increasing in size... or someone's buying himself a new car...
in view of recent events, i think i've held up pretty well... or maybe there ARE already gossips about me floating around just that i wasn't aware of them... as HS has brought up in his blog. well, if there ARE indeed gossips about me, please do verify them with me. *nudge nudge* i do so hate to be in the dark about things that are happening to myself... anyway, i DO gossip, but it makes me feel so wretched after that i'd rather gossip less. plus, i always feel that 'whatever goes round, comes round'...
oh yes, back to recent events... hmm i've coped better then i expected to, unless it's just me being in denial? and perhaps the same thing will happen as it did when i was in sec 4 to J1? i hate to see myself pitied by others and i hate it when people try to be nice to be and say 'are you alright' and things like that... hmmm maybe it's cuz i'm so 'closed' to others haha... perhaps AG, you feel like that as well, and appear bright n cheerful or heck-care to things around you, so well that pple around u don't know that there're undercurrents of *other feelings*...
AG, i hope you're feeling better these days. if you want to talk, u know where to get me right. i'm always available.
venerdì, gennaio 07, 2005
:: blog hiatus ::these few days, the blogging scene in here has been rather quiet. that's cuz i've been spending my time perfecting the questionnaire for the CHP over and over and over and over and over again. not that i mind, i want only the BEST to be given out for survey! hehe i still recall our thursday meeting with glee! it was like 10 or so people launching missiles and a whole other choice selection of firearms... loads of 'eye-rolling' going on as well... haiz... it's so sad, this state of affairs. can't be bothered about him anymore, he's given all kinds of incompetent answers that shows his 'understanding' of the project. it's just like the blind leading the blind... we're all gonna fall into the drain...
i'm so darn tired now... was attempting to translate the questionnaire into hokkien with my mother's help. by the time we reached the BDI, we both probably could score full marks for it... and were so exhausted we gave up!
:: YT's first few days at school! ::
YT, as i heard from my mother, has been branded 'the most hyper kid in the nursery'! he's at the apple tree now... everyday scaring other kids out of their wits by pointing at their 'thomas the train' or 'elmo' shirts and shouting excitedly! he's also the kid with the most initiative in the class, since he's always the FIRST and ONLY kid who dares to go try out all the 'games' organised by the teacher. the assistant probably will loose a few pounds running after him all the 1.5hours long... he he he... today he terrified three GIRLS when he grabbed their hand and wanted to pull them over to the aquarium to 'see fish'! hmmm... i've noticed that this YT is especially friendly to GIRLS and especially loves to play with GIRLS! haha... i think we have a lady's man in the making, ;) eh?
martedì, gennaio 04, 2005
:: 'The Making of the Führer by David Lewis - A Review (Part II) ::I was quite saddened by the untimely and unfortunate ending of Edmund Forster. He was found one morning, after having breakfast, sending his two sons to school and then retiring to his own study to mull over his recent dismissal from the university. He was found... by his wife, Mila, dead with a close-range shot in his head. Funny... no one had noticed him being depressed, suicidal or in any way unbalanced. Granted, he had attempted suicide two attempts before, once by hanging and once by overdosing on nicotine. Both times, he had been saved due to his wife...
However, the literature suggests that had he taken nicotine, he would have known the sufficient dose to administer to ensure death, and if he had a pistol, then why did he choose to end his life in the two other longer-drawn out ways? In addition, it is unlikely that Mila would have saved him even if she had intervened. She had no knowledge of drugs and therefore could not have administered the antidote in time, and if she had called for assistance from the clinic, her husband would have already passed away. Therefore, there's some doubt about his two previous attempts at suicide. The most likely cause of death, was that he was shot by one of the Nazis. It wasn't uncommon then for people believed to be anti-Nazi to be disposed off quietly in this manner.
I mourn for the loss of such a great man, albeit some of his techniques at treating his patients would have caused the present COFM department to tear their hair out in terror... Such a waste of talent... in fact, the Nazis, in their extermination of the Jews and other perceived threats, probably narrowed our gene pool a lot... left all the stupid pple now.. haha...
domenica, gennaio 02, 2005
:: 'The Making of the Führer by David Lewis - A Review (Part I) ::This is a rather interesting book which reveals that Hitler (or Heitler) ‘…lacked the personality ever to become a leader!’ until he was temporarily blinded and possibly suffering from hysteria during a gas attack in WWI. He was treated by one Edmund Forster, who whether consciously or unconsciously, unleashed such power in the man, a man, who would destroy his own life eventually. This book talks about Hitler’s and Forster’s origins and early days, as well as Hitler’s soujourn at Pasewalk, where he became Forster’s patient and was eventually cured of the hysteria that had caused him to become blind. It also illustrates the development of psychology, neurology and psychiatry in the 1910s.
I was quite surprised that neurology/psychology/psychiatry were viewed as one of the most worthless of medical sciences. Physicians shunned the topic, and thought that it contained no room for research. Then, mental diseases were believed to be caused by either malingering (faking ill) or a weakness of willpower. Thus, the treatment focused on instilling willpower in such patients by forceful talking-tos, bullying and rather painful measures. These included applying electric shocks (to those who have paralysed limbs), hydrotherapy (immersing the patient into hot / cold water for days), isolation, forcing a metal ball-bearing into their larynx (for those who were dumb), exposure to sudden loud ringing of a bell (for those who were deaf)… Here’s something interesting to share about why the Babinki’s test is so painful! (just a joke)… Felix Babinski was known to use electrotherapy as well as ‘bullying’ in order to treat his patients. In addition, he would request that all male patients be presented to him naked and all female patients to be dressed only in their underclothes. This helped to establish the doctor as the master/controller/domineering figure. In short, the doctor-patient encounter was essentially a battle of wills.
There was an interesting chapter about various poisonous gases used in WWI. They had such nice names like Red Star (chlorine), Yellow Star (70% chlorine 30% chloropicrin), White Star (50% chlorine 50% phosgene) and Yellow Cross (mustard gas). That chapter was solely to discuss which type of gas Hitler had suffered from because there was a discrepancy in his records as well as that of another officer serving in the same regiment. Basically, I think Hitler was hit by the White Star, which explains the immediate onset of symptoms from which he recovered within days of leaving the battlefield yet was beset by hysteria, causing him to lose his eyesight for about a month. However, Hitler probably didn’t want others to view him as ‘weak-minded’, thus changing his account to being hit by mustard gas (which should not have such an immediate onset of symptoms, yet has a longer lasting effect). Interestingly, Haber, a Jew, was the man in charge of developing such toxic gases for use in the world. I wonder how he felt when these same gases were used to exterminate his race in WWII.
More to come… when I finish the book! ;)
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