Lessons an amateur wannabe biker learns in the first 15 minutes of riding his new bike.
1) Never ride on the road without a bloody helmet ( its like painting a bullseye on your ass for motorists)
2) Don't wear any track pants when cycling ( unless you fancy shredded bottoms)
3) Don't touch the brake disc after getting down from your ride. ( ever heard of friction? )
4) Don't keep grinning when an Ang Moh Biker rides up next to you and gives the thumbs up upon seeing your bike. ( Open your bloody mouth and say thank you.)
5) Somethings cannot be changed. Some dogs can always outrun you no matter what you ride.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Identity ? What Identity?
I have been bugged with this issue for a very long time. Even till now i still can't find the exact words to label it or even describe it. But i am just going to go ahead and blog it in the hopes that some reader out there can help me put my thoughts into words. If they at all comprehend what i am blabbering about in the first place.
We all are living in a multi-cultural society. Bear in mind that the key word is "cultural". Though we all exist as one nation, we too have our own identities. Individual practices and traditions that makes us... us. The recent trend however seems rather scary as all i see in kids across the racial spectrum is westernization ( if there is such a word). Not referring to it in terms of clothing and fashion apparels alone but in the mindset as well. Sorry to sound like a granddad but what happened to family values? teenagers whom i talked to want their own "pad" ( the only pad i knew back then was... nevermind)away from their "old man",when they start working. They want maids. A cheap old folks home for their parents. Lets not proceed further as i feel its not a pretty sight.
However the factor that really astonished me was how detached they really are from the family. There is a clear and evident trend in our youths. Self gratification first then only.... more self gratification. What went wrong? Where did it go wrong?
The degeneration of our cultural and traditional beliefs are the symptoms of negative westernization.
The second sensitive issue is the conflict with religious identities. I am an Indian who has very rich traditional background. I am also a Muslim whose beliefs at times conflicts with the very traditions that makes me Indian. Where do i stand? This is a conundrum that is eating away inside many minds. Then again there is another group. One which is so damn ... nevermind... Its a group that kills traditional practices in the excuses of religious obligations. As i said "excuses". While their motives for abandoning certain practices may seem religiously inclined on the exterior, the truth of the matter is that they want a reason solid enough that the older generation cannot veto as it has a religious backing. Deep down its just westernization.
sigh...
We all are living in a multi-cultural society. Bear in mind that the key word is "cultural". Though we all exist as one nation, we too have our own identities. Individual practices and traditions that makes us... us. The recent trend however seems rather scary as all i see in kids across the racial spectrum is westernization ( if there is such a word). Not referring to it in terms of clothing and fashion apparels alone but in the mindset as well. Sorry to sound like a granddad but what happened to family values? teenagers whom i talked to want their own "pad" ( the only pad i knew back then was... nevermind)away from their "old man",when they start working. They want maids. A cheap old folks home for their parents. Lets not proceed further as i feel its not a pretty sight.
However the factor that really astonished me was how detached they really are from the family. There is a clear and evident trend in our youths. Self gratification first then only.... more self gratification. What went wrong? Where did it go wrong?
The degeneration of our cultural and traditional beliefs are the symptoms of negative westernization.
The second sensitive issue is the conflict with religious identities. I am an Indian who has very rich traditional background. I am also a Muslim whose beliefs at times conflicts with the very traditions that makes me Indian. Where do i stand? This is a conundrum that is eating away inside many minds. Then again there is another group. One which is so damn ... nevermind... Its a group that kills traditional practices in the excuses of religious obligations. As i said "excuses". While their motives for abandoning certain practices may seem religiously inclined on the exterior, the truth of the matter is that they want a reason solid enough that the older generation cannot veto as it has a religious backing. Deep down its just westernization.
sigh...
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Success or Significance...
Finally. Got a breather. So much has occurred at such blistering pace. Not everything has sunk in yet. Still in a daze, waiting for the dust to settle. So much time has passed so quickly and i feel very detached from the world. A very surreal feeling it is.
Sitting down and reflecting in the cool breeze helped put back some order into my thoughts. So here it goes, the rhetoric express.
Attending a number of funerals and especially that of a friends father, was a speed breaker in my chaotic life. It ends before you know it. No matter how prepared you are for it, you are simply unprepared.. face it.
What have i done ? Spending all my time chasing the Singapore dream of making it big, attaining Certs, brining in extra income and forever in the pursuit of success. Come to think of it i am not so sure anymore. Do i want my life to be defined by my success? or do i want it to be defined by significance?
Success or Significance, a question similar to the previous conundrums of passion or profession.
What defines significance? To me, its the people in my life and life's precious moments. An infant's waking moments are more precious to me than the closing moments of the best deal in office. Time and tide waits for no man. What's your assurance that you will awake the next dawn? Hold your loved ones close and never let them go.
Just unloading some random ramblings.
Sitting down and reflecting in the cool breeze helped put back some order into my thoughts. So here it goes, the rhetoric express.
Attending a number of funerals and especially that of a friends father, was a speed breaker in my chaotic life. It ends before you know it. No matter how prepared you are for it, you are simply unprepared.. face it.
What have i done ? Spending all my time chasing the Singapore dream of making it big, attaining Certs, brining in extra income and forever in the pursuit of success. Come to think of it i am not so sure anymore. Do i want my life to be defined by my success? or do i want it to be defined by significance?
Success or Significance, a question similar to the previous conundrums of passion or profession.
What defines significance? To me, its the people in my life and life's precious moments. An infant's waking moments are more precious to me than the closing moments of the best deal in office. Time and tide waits for no man. What's your assurance that you will awake the next dawn? Hold your loved ones close and never let them go.
Just unloading some random ramblings.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
The Jungle in Concrete Jungle....
Considering the fact that we are living in a garden city, it's very frustrating to grow my plants in the concrete corridors. But it doesn't matter much since i also get my reprive from these plants.. so its a fair trade i guess...Anyway been waiting to reconstitute my garden to its rightful place in the corridor ever since i moved back to my house.
The only problem is that the plants didn't survive the constant shifting of houses. So i have to start all over again... from scratch. Here it goes.
So 
far managed to germinate green beans, corriander, chilli , Middle Eastern Dates and tomatoes. Also planted Ginger, Onions, Curry leaves.. and for visual aesthetics, African Violet, Money Plant, Roses and one more flowering plant which i can't remember. Then, there is also Heliconia and Hibiscus...
far managed to germinate green beans, corriander, chilli , Middle Eastern Dates and tomatoes. Also planted Ginger, Onions, Curry leaves.. and for visual aesthetics, African Violet, Money Plant, Roses and one more flowering plant which i can't remember. Then, there is also Heliconia and Hibiscus...The starting phase of the garden looked rather pathetic, all i saw was just pots filled with compost and dirt. It feels even more pathetic to water plantless pots. Trust me, the time taken to see the first leaves protrude from the soil can really drive you nuts and at times will make you doubt yourself and even the seeds.. will they ever grow or are they dead?
A good few weeks into the garden and my once barren pots now have small green hair thrusting itself out of the ground. Several weeks later.. things were nicer to look at.. i hope the pics i put up give a better picture.. Any way not planning to type anymore. Too lazy , just gonna line up some pictures of my garden ...
Have fun, have a good holiday, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Monday, December 17, 2007
When gloss precedes content...
It's an age old issue. Just like expectations it is ubiquitous. Unfortunately it is a mindset that is innate in everyone of us. Only difference is that it varies accordingly to the individuals taste. A condition that has been predominant in every aspect of our lives right from infancy.
The shiniest toys..the nicest looking presents..the sexiest babe... the hunkiest dudes.. the movies with the coolest actor/ress(s)... Everything explores the value of the surface packaging and not of the content inside. Judgements based on looks and nothing else.
The most common aspect that unites everyone is about people and their preset notions of what is beautiful and what is not. From how we want our partners/ spouse to look like to freaking racism. We all fall somewhere in between
The schooling days. From first love to first fight... somehow everything tethered on the packaging. Every guy would have had aspirations as to how he wanted his girlfriend to look like. I wanted mine to be fair ( didn't matter to me that i wasn't), pretty, just nicely tall enough to lean on my shoulders, slender with a lovely smile and smooth straight hair. I know fat hope. Fat it was. As i matured, my ridiculous expectations did as well. I realised that i had been in the foolish conception that fair was beautiful? Who has the right to determine that fair was beautiful? It's just a complexion, just like dark. We are all the same beneath our skin.
Through hard learned lessons, i added depth to my superficial notions of what is pretty and what is not. An angelic smile doesn't necessarily constitue an angel's heart. Neither does a foxy chick constitute to an easy going slut... a very valuable lesson that i paid a fortune to learn. I learnt that content matters more than its gloss.
Been labelled everything from "pariah" to "anjing hitam [black dog in malay]", being a minority was never easy. I am an Indian. I have brown skin, not black you bloody idiots. Even if it was black, i still would be equally proud of it. Nope, my skin does not carry any communicable disease nor does my hands exude black dirt when i touch anything. I have hair on my hands not tentacles that inject AIDS when you accidently rub against me. From being the target during soccer practice to being a moving punching bag.. Why? why this uncivilised notion based on my appearence? How does me being brown threaten their existence? I thought all these stupidity ended as of secondary school. But what happened today in the trains proved to be a gruesome reminder of the filth that still exists in our society.
Give up your seats to the eldery and the needy they say. I gave up mine today to an old woman and i felt like slapping myself for being too helpful. I got up and offered my seat in the crowded train. Reluctantly she proceeded to the seat, took out a tissue paper and started wiping the seat and commented on me to the neighbouring passenger. Then she decided not to take the seat and neither allow her grandson[assumingly] to sit on it and instead puts her bags on the seat.
Another crowded train scene. I was standing by the door.. Cabin was brimming with people, compacted like sardines. A woman and her son jammed in just moments before the door closed. I could already sense that the woman was not comfortable but dimissed it thinking that it could be due to the crowd. What i saw in the reflections on the glass panel literally shocked me. I knew that she was tugging the child towards her but i thought that it was due to her consideration of other people and that she didn't want her son to knock into others. On the reflections, she was signalling her son to be careful not to knock into me and followed it up with commenting by rubbing on the skin and then pinching her nose. Should have seen the shocked look on her face when she realised that i was looking at her. I just saw racism being passed on from one generation to another. I felt a surge of emotions but decided not to do anything especially infront of the child. For whatever i retaliate, it will only be conclusive for the child of the impressions stacked on me by the mother.
In this day and age... where Indian with a Chinese couples are a very common sight, where Malays with Caucasians are an upcoming sight...where cute EurASIAN babies are abound everywhere.... why nurture racism? Like Russel Peters once said... " the world is one day going to be Cream .....". Then why the social demarcations based on the skin?
The shiniest toys..the nicest looking presents..the sexiest babe... the hunkiest dudes.. the movies with the coolest actor/ress(s)... Everything explores the value of the surface packaging and not of the content inside. Judgements based on looks and nothing else.
The most common aspect that unites everyone is about people and their preset notions of what is beautiful and what is not. From how we want our partners/ spouse to look like to freaking racism. We all fall somewhere in between
The schooling days. From first love to first fight... somehow everything tethered on the packaging. Every guy would have had aspirations as to how he wanted his girlfriend to look like. I wanted mine to be fair ( didn't matter to me that i wasn't), pretty, just nicely tall enough to lean on my shoulders, slender with a lovely smile and smooth straight hair. I know fat hope. Fat it was. As i matured, my ridiculous expectations did as well. I realised that i had been in the foolish conception that fair was beautiful? Who has the right to determine that fair was beautiful? It's just a complexion, just like dark. We are all the same beneath our skin.
Through hard learned lessons, i added depth to my superficial notions of what is pretty and what is not. An angelic smile doesn't necessarily constitue an angel's heart. Neither does a foxy chick constitute to an easy going slut... a very valuable lesson that i paid a fortune to learn. I learnt that content matters more than its gloss.
Been labelled everything from "pariah" to "anjing hitam [black dog in malay]", being a minority was never easy. I am an Indian. I have brown skin, not black you bloody idiots. Even if it was black, i still would be equally proud of it. Nope, my skin does not carry any communicable disease nor does my hands exude black dirt when i touch anything. I have hair on my hands not tentacles that inject AIDS when you accidently rub against me. From being the target during soccer practice to being a moving punching bag.. Why? why this uncivilised notion based on my appearence? How does me being brown threaten their existence? I thought all these stupidity ended as of secondary school. But what happened today in the trains proved to be a gruesome reminder of the filth that still exists in our society.
Give up your seats to the eldery and the needy they say. I gave up mine today to an old woman and i felt like slapping myself for being too helpful. I got up and offered my seat in the crowded train. Reluctantly she proceeded to the seat, took out a tissue paper and started wiping the seat and commented on me to the neighbouring passenger. Then she decided not to take the seat and neither allow her grandson[assumingly] to sit on it and instead puts her bags on the seat.
Another crowded train scene. I was standing by the door.. Cabin was brimming with people, compacted like sardines. A woman and her son jammed in just moments before the door closed. I could already sense that the woman was not comfortable but dimissed it thinking that it could be due to the crowd. What i saw in the reflections on the glass panel literally shocked me. I knew that she was tugging the child towards her but i thought that it was due to her consideration of other people and that she didn't want her son to knock into others. On the reflections, she was signalling her son to be careful not to knock into me and followed it up with commenting by rubbing on the skin and then pinching her nose. Should have seen the shocked look on her face when she realised that i was looking at her. I just saw racism being passed on from one generation to another. I felt a surge of emotions but decided not to do anything especially infront of the child. For whatever i retaliate, it will only be conclusive for the child of the impressions stacked on me by the mother.
In this day and age... where Indian with a Chinese couples are a very common sight, where Malays with Caucasians are an upcoming sight...where cute EurASIAN babies are abound everywhere.... why nurture racism? Like Russel Peters once said... " the world is one day going to be Cream .....". Then why the social demarcations based on the skin?
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Of expectations...[ from a socially dependent perspective]
Expectations... it's ubiquitous and exists in myriad forms. It's infused in everyone's lives. Its difficult to acknowledge and impossible to avoid..
I have always encountered a fork in my road to individuality. Often times facing dilemma between being the perfect son /brother/ friend/ colleague and being simply me. I am just exhausted giving so much thought to making decisions from the mundane to the monumental. It is difficult to just be myself when i feel as if every decision i make paves my expressway to perdition.
Just be yourself. Live for yourself. You only have one life. Live happy and die happy[ sounds like a corny Chinese movie] . It's your life. I have had heard enough of these and people's every other twisted rendition of Bon Jovi. To you all out there, cut the crap with me.
I have to a certain extent, managed to live by my own terms and be ignorant of societies expectations. Sadly, you can only paddle so much when you are in choppy waters before simply succumbing to the currents. Funny thing is i tend to rebel again after catching a breather in the name of surrender.
I wanted to play computer games, instead i was expected to build websites. I wanted to pursue College, instead i was expected to pursue Polytechnic. I wanted to parachute off from a plane with my friends, instead i am expected to head on down to the coffeeshop by the rubbishchute with my friends. I wanted to scuba dive, instead i am expected to buy a bath tub and a rubber duckie. The list will go on forever. The irritating thing however is that i will not be denied in my face.. its always a subtle and diplomatic procedure.. Often times the situation is such that i would be the non understanding and selfish party in the negotiations.
" I will not forbid you from jumping off the plane if thats what that matters more to you than us"... How la like this...
Imagine you got an opportunity to do something that you always wanted, and your partner/loved ones is/are like " i dun like it.... if you really want to go then its really up to you". How is one to achieve what he/she sets out to do when he/she does not have the encouragement and blessings of his/her loved ones... Even if i decide to go solo on my mission, the guilt of hurting my loved ones to achieve something that i like, doesn't go easy on me.
I am not saying that my achievements and aspirations are dictated by others around me totally. In fact i can post a longer entry when i view these issues from an individualistic perspective. Neither am i saying that all that i am is what society has made out of me...i am merely saying that expectation is like the wind that acts as the resistance when we are trying to break the land speed record..
I have always encountered a fork in my road to individuality. Often times facing dilemma between being the perfect son /brother/ friend/ colleague and being simply me. I am just exhausted giving so much thought to making decisions from the mundane to the monumental. It is difficult to just be myself when i feel as if every decision i make paves my expressway to perdition.
Just be yourself. Live for yourself. You only have one life. Live happy and die happy[ sounds like a corny Chinese movie] . It's your life. I have had heard enough of these and people's every other twisted rendition of Bon Jovi. To you all out there, cut the crap with me.
I have to a certain extent, managed to live by my own terms and be ignorant of societies expectations. Sadly, you can only paddle so much when you are in choppy waters before simply succumbing to the currents. Funny thing is i tend to rebel again after catching a breather in the name of surrender.
I wanted to play computer games, instead i was expected to build websites. I wanted to pursue College, instead i was expected to pursue Polytechnic. I wanted to parachute off from a plane with my friends, instead i am expected to head on down to the coffeeshop by the rubbishchute with my friends. I wanted to scuba dive, instead i am expected to buy a bath tub and a rubber duckie. The list will go on forever. The irritating thing however is that i will not be denied in my face.. its always a subtle and diplomatic procedure.. Often times the situation is such that i would be the non understanding and selfish party in the negotiations.
" I will not forbid you from jumping off the plane if thats what that matters more to you than us"... How la like this...
Imagine you got an opportunity to do something that you always wanted, and your partner/loved ones is/are like " i dun like it.... if you really want to go then its really up to you". How is one to achieve what he/she sets out to do when he/she does not have the encouragement and blessings of his/her loved ones... Even if i decide to go solo on my mission, the guilt of hurting my loved ones to achieve something that i like, doesn't go easy on me.
I am not saying that my achievements and aspirations are dictated by others around me totally. In fact i can post a longer entry when i view these issues from an individualistic perspective. Neither am i saying that all that i am is what society has made out of me...i am merely saying that expectation is like the wind that acts as the resistance when we are trying to break the land speed record..
Friday, December 14, 2007
Forgive, maybe.. Forget, sorry...
Went to bed with high hopes that i might finally surrender to fatigue and the soporific outcomes of a hearty dinner. Guess i was wrong. Throbbing behind my eyeballs and the relentless tossing and turnings wouldn't let me.. Imprecating my conditions didn't do me any good either. So i did what i always do best...
Decmeber 14.. Memories were flooding back uncontrollably, as vivid as yesterday even a year later..
Forgive and forget they say... when its just easier to hate her..
I will forgive for its only human for him/her to err ... but i will not forget for putting these issues behind me will not protect me from recurrences in the future.
I will forgive to let him/her know that i hold no grudges... but i will not forget for i will make references to this event if the argument calls for it.
Iwill forgive for it is divine .... but i will not forget for i am just a human....
Selfish? Immature? Really? I merely mentioned out what everyone does... even the most noble will practice what i mentioned to a certain degree. I will say that its impossible to forget for we are all experiential learners
How can one forget the day the partner called for a break off... Even if he or she was to come back in all promises and potentials... Whats the guarantee that, that which happened once would not happen again?
How does one forget the day that he or she found out that the spouse was cheating? You may be able to forgive... but will you ever forget?
How does the abused child forget the thrashing he/she got from his/her parents?
How does a rape victim forget the torment she endured? she may be able to forgive but forget? I doubt so.
How does one forget being burned by love for the first time?
Get my drift? So how is it possible to forget? Does simply not mentioning the incident constitute to forgetting? If thats the case, then we are all hypocrites who intend one thing and say something else. Simply put, just think of all the times you got hurt and almost instantaneously you will be able to remember every detail of what happened to you. Now, does the phrase forgive and forget hold any relevance ?
Decmeber 14.. Memories were flooding back uncontrollably, as vivid as yesterday even a year later..
Forgive and forget they say... when its just easier to hate her..
I will forgive for its only human for him/her to err ... but i will not forget for putting these issues behind me will not protect me from recurrences in the future.
I will forgive to let him/her know that i hold no grudges... but i will not forget for i will make references to this event if the argument calls for it.
Iwill forgive for it is divine .... but i will not forget for i am just a human....
Selfish? Immature? Really? I merely mentioned out what everyone does... even the most noble will practice what i mentioned to a certain degree. I will say that its impossible to forget for we are all experiential learners
How can one forget the day the partner called for a break off... Even if he or she was to come back in all promises and potentials... Whats the guarantee that, that which happened once would not happen again?
How does one forget the day that he or she found out that the spouse was cheating? You may be able to forgive... but will you ever forget?
How does the abused child forget the thrashing he/she got from his/her parents?
How does a rape victim forget the torment she endured? she may be able to forgive but forget? I doubt so.
How does one forget being burned by love for the first time?
Get my drift? So how is it possible to forget? Does simply not mentioning the incident constitute to forgetting? If thats the case, then we are all hypocrites who intend one thing and say something else. Simply put, just think of all the times you got hurt and almost instantaneously you will be able to remember every detail of what happened to you. Now, does the phrase forgive and forget hold any relevance ?
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Playlist's Top 6
Found myself relating to these songs, not sure why though. Its a strange and humbling feeling when some weird tune unlocks memories stored away in the deep crevices of your brain. Memories that you never wanted to face again. From nostalgia to nightmares. Whats in the note?
Thursday, December 06, 2007
MY Friend(MF) and Me.. [Part 1]
[The following entry comprises of snippets from various conversations with various friends. Conversations that makes me think about the kind of friends i have accumulated over the course of my life.. haha]
[In the bus ]
MF: Din, i just had an enlightenment.
Me: What is it?
MF: (with so much conviction) If pre-marital sex is evil, and evil is sin. Since sin is forgiven , so sex is in....
Me: How did you end up as my friend?
[30 mins after my friend arrived at Earls Swensen]
MF: Shaniz, i have been wanting to tell you something for quite some time now...
Me: What?
MF: Not sure if you noticed it but ever since i met you, i am unable to eat or even drink da......
Me: Why?
MF: I am broke.. so be a darling and foot what i am going to order.
[Near Ngee Ann cafeteria]
MF: ( while taking a puff) It feels so good to drag a puff.. makes me warm inside.
Me: Just get it done quickly , you're not to be smoking here...
MF: Relax will you... I don't even have to run if the warden chases me...
Me: Let's see.
MF: Dei. hold the stick for me while i tie my laces...
(at this point of time, the warden catches me and my friend is no where to be found.)
[while driving my friend to labrador park at 1 am]
Me: Aren't you even a bit scared that i might molest or rape you?
MF: Nah you won't. I trust you.
Me: Are you sure that you know me that well?
MF: It is a feeling..
Me : What feeling?
MF: Gutt feeling...
Me: Can't believe your stomach trusts me more than you do.
Me: Do you find me too pushy...
MF: nope. you are just a washy washy ( or is it wishy wishy? wushy wushy? wishy whushy? swishy sushi? can't remember what she said but apparently it is an accepted term in english.)
[During lunch in Ngee ann poly]
MF: i want to start up a internet porn site.
Me: there are already so much, how are you going to be noticed...
MF: Simple, use an established brand as endoresement.
Me: Which brand.....
MF: Aiyah... StarBucks la....
Me: Huh?
MF: StarBucks already has a seductive female in its logo.. all i have to do i is just change the "B" in starbucks to "F"...
Me:..........
[In the bus ]
MF: Din, i just had an enlightenment.
Me: What is it?
MF: (with so much conviction) If pre-marital sex is evil, and evil is sin. Since sin is forgiven , so sex is in....
Me: How did you end up as my friend?
[30 mins after my friend arrived at Earls Swensen]
MF: Shaniz, i have been wanting to tell you something for quite some time now...
Me: What?
MF: Not sure if you noticed it but ever since i met you, i am unable to eat or even drink da......
Me: Why?
MF: I am broke.. so be a darling and foot what i am going to order.
[Near Ngee Ann cafeteria]
MF: ( while taking a puff) It feels so good to drag a puff.. makes me warm inside.
Me: Just get it done quickly , you're not to be smoking here...
MF: Relax will you... I don't even have to run if the warden chases me...
Me: Let's see.
MF: Dei. hold the stick for me while i tie my laces...
(at this point of time, the warden catches me and my friend is no where to be found.)
[while driving my friend to labrador park at 1 am]
Me: Aren't you even a bit scared that i might molest or rape you?
MF: Nah you won't. I trust you.
Me: Are you sure that you know me that well?
MF: It is a feeling..
Me : What feeling?
MF: Gutt feeling...
Me: Can't believe your stomach trusts me more than you do.
Me: Do you find me too pushy...
MF: nope. you are just a washy washy ( or is it wishy wishy? wushy wushy? wishy whushy? swishy sushi? can't remember what she said but apparently it is an accepted term in english.)
[During lunch in Ngee ann poly]
MF: i want to start up a internet porn site.
Me: there are already so much, how are you going to be noticed...
MF: Simple, use an established brand as endoresement.
Me: Which brand.....
MF: Aiyah... StarBucks la....
Me: Huh?
MF: StarBucks already has a seductive female in its logo.. all i have to do i is just change the "B" in starbucks to "F"...
Me:..........
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Finisher of 42.195Km
What drives thousands of people to wake up at ungodly hours of the night and scramble down to the Esplanande just to subject themselves to hours of gruelling torture just to cover 42.195km?
A distance at this day and age, too ridiculous to even contemplate and furthermore to cover on foot. Then why? What is the need to pay them 55 dollars to for a placing in this torture? I can't answer that question for there were 40,000 reasons behind the 40,000 participants.. Some ran for the love of running, some for friendship, some to accompany their loved ones and some, just to kill boredom.
I had my own. I have covered half marathons... I needed to know my physiological capabilities and limits. I needed to know that my heart and will is much stronger than my body. I needed to know that i won't quit unnecessarily. I needed to know that i won't be supressed that easily. ... I needed to know that who i am is not confined to being flesh and blood.
Valuable lessons were learnt.
Wheather was merciful, I thank HIM for that. Had a good start and a smooth run till the 27th km. I was happy about running non stop till 27... the longest i ever ran nonstop was 20km. That is when my knee started to cave in. Wanted to continue running but pain was getting sharper. I decided to stop and walk. Contemplated throwing the race but i couldnt. I started something and i wanted to finish it. Badly. Never had so many bad cramps on my muscles before.. I never had a cramp on my toes, i do not even know how to stretch my toes.Can it even be stretched?
The run taught me more than what i had expected. I ran with pride, with my head held high.. Exhaustion taught me to be humble when i could no longer keep upright and i walked with my head towards the ground. I wanted to finish the race in the shortest time possible but the daunting distance taught me patience and perseverance. I learnt the value of sharing for hadn't the stranger shared his power gel with me, i would have struggled on with more pain. I learnt the value of helping when another stranger helped me to stretch my calves. I was taught that a kind word can go a long way ( thanks Anthony for spurring me on). I learnt the value of bond when strangers were encouraging one another to keep at it. The run taught me to focus on the task at hand and not be distracted. Preparing for this run taught me the value of dedication .I learnt that pain is temporary but achievement is forever.
Most importantly i learnt that nothing is possible without HIS blessings.... perfect wheather in the month of December, cool breeze , miraculous sustenance of knees , to put it short and sweet, EVERYTHING.....
Now tell me, wasn't all these worth the meagre 55 that i paid?
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Exercise in frustration...
The 70 km/h speed limit on KPE , the ridiculous waiting period for a doctors appointment, the ridiculous paperwork in the name of administration. What do they all have in common?
They are all, as the title suggests, an exercise in frustration. More like a heavy work out i would say. Being patient is one thing, but getting transferred around and referred to countless unrelated workstations seems to do just the otherwise.
The recent addition to this growing list would be the automated telephone answering systems in govt. agencies and some major private companies.
Thank you for calling the (e.g) property tax hot line.[ followed by a re-run of it in Chinese] .Press 1 for english, Press 2 for Chinese. [After pressing 1] For inquiries on property tax press 1, for application for tax exemption, press 2, for updates on revision of taxes press 3, this contiues till 9 i guess. By the time i spent 3 to 4 minutes listening to all the options, i would have forgotten what the first option. After choosing the option that i wanted, i had to enter my IC number before having to choose further sub choices presented to me again by the same computer generated voice. After goin through so many sub levels just to find out that there is no choice that best describes my needs, there comes the final option. To talk with operator , press 0.... Why can't they just give this option earlier? The best part, i have to spend another 5 to 10 minutes listening to horrible MIDI renditions of Tchaikovsky before the operator answers... and all my inquiries gets settled in a min.
15 mins of hanging on the phone for a 1 minute long conversation.
They are all, as the title suggests, an exercise in frustration. More like a heavy work out i would say. Being patient is one thing, but getting transferred around and referred to countless unrelated workstations seems to do just the otherwise.
The recent addition to this growing list would be the automated telephone answering systems in govt. agencies and some major private companies.
Thank you for calling the (e.g) property tax hot line.[ followed by a re-run of it in Chinese] .Press 1 for english, Press 2 for Chinese. [After pressing 1] For inquiries on property tax press 1, for application for tax exemption, press 2, for updates on revision of taxes press 3, this contiues till 9 i guess. By the time i spent 3 to 4 minutes listening to all the options, i would have forgotten what the first option. After choosing the option that i wanted, i had to enter my IC number before having to choose further sub choices presented to me again by the same computer generated voice. After goin through so many sub levels just to find out that there is no choice that best describes my needs, there comes the final option. To talk with operator , press 0.... Why can't they just give this option earlier? The best part, i have to spend another 5 to 10 minutes listening to horrible MIDI renditions of Tchaikovsky before the operator answers... and all my inquiries gets settled in a min.
15 mins of hanging on the phone for a 1 minute long conversation.
Monday, November 26, 2007
True Drama Mama(s)
I just realised that we Singaporeans severly lack imagination and creativity ... and a bit of culture too..
Not going to talk about anything serious, just that i was watching Sun TV (channel 29) on cable. I was seriously impressed by the amount of research, scriptwriting, casting, graphics effects and editing that goes into their advertisements. It's so damn creative. The ads are actually more entertaining then Captain Vijayakanth's movies. I am just going to tune in to that channel just for its ads. Our local ads are nowhere near in comparison. I dun understand why our local ads could not be of this calibre.. have we become so boring and unimaginative in the process of saving cost and airtime? Even then the duration of airtime of the indian ads isn't that much longer compared to local ads.hmmmmm... i hope we dun lose it in the name of progress, productivity and efficiency.
have fun watchin the followin clips.
Not going to talk about anything serious, just that i was watching Sun TV (channel 29) on cable. I was seriously impressed by the amount of research, scriptwriting, casting, graphics effects and editing that goes into their advertisements. It's so damn creative. The ads are actually more entertaining then Captain Vijayakanth's movies. I am just going to tune in to that channel just for its ads. Our local ads are nowhere near in comparison. I dun understand why our local ads could not be of this calibre.. have we become so boring and unimaginative in the process of saving cost and airtime? Even then the duration of airtime of the indian ads isn't that much longer compared to local ads.hmmmmm... i hope we dun lose it in the name of progress, productivity and efficiency.
have fun watchin the followin clips.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Why guys like slimmer girls..... a logical explanation..
Its been long time since i laughed like this.. i found myself rooting for the woman..
WHY MEN PREFER SLIM WIFE??????? - The best bloopers are a click away
WHY MEN PREFER SLIM WIFE??????? - The best bloopers are a click away
Saturday, October 13, 2007
The VISA Conundrum
First it was Richard Gere using his VISA to swipe the ass crack of a Rajastani bird seller when trying to impress a girl simply wanting to buy 5 birds for her brothers journey.Now it's the Beijing Olympics.
The VISA ads seem to be sarcasticly ambiguous. Especially when Asian countries are involved. India was portrayed like a third world country desperately in need of the MNC's economic rescue.
In the latest ads by VISA... the one thats being aired with Jackie Chan trying to win a pair of tickets to the Beijing Olympics..there is also some subtle message... i shall point out some key scenes from the ad.. and you try to figure out the meaning.
Jackie purchases a Ping Pong bat.... the bat breaks while a training session and he resorts to using his hand. Next, he purchases a soccer ball... but during training, the ball bursts when he kicks it... Then , he leaps of a spring board during gym training only to be overcast into the window... the list goes on..
Still don't get the moral of the story? Simple! Don't buy things that says.... MADE IN CHINA... Hahaha... In case if VISA, Jackie or any Chinese govt agencies are reading this.. don't sue me... it's just a tongue in cheek humour and i seriously can't afford a legal tussle.
The VISA ads seem to be sarcasticly ambiguous. Especially when Asian countries are involved. India was portrayed like a third world country desperately in need of the MNC's economic rescue.
In the latest ads by VISA... the one thats being aired with Jackie Chan trying to win a pair of tickets to the Beijing Olympics..there is also some subtle message... i shall point out some key scenes from the ad.. and you try to figure out the meaning.
Jackie purchases a Ping Pong bat.... the bat breaks while a training session and he resorts to using his hand. Next, he purchases a soccer ball... but during training, the ball bursts when he kicks it... Then , he leaps of a spring board during gym training only to be overcast into the window... the list goes on..
Still don't get the moral of the story? Simple! Don't buy things that says.... MADE IN CHINA... Hahaha... In case if VISA, Jackie or any Chinese govt agencies are reading this.. don't sue me... it's just a tongue in cheek humour and i seriously can't afford a legal tussle.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Rhetoric's Wish List
1) Complete the long overdue Documentary on Indian Muslims
2) Complete the Documentary on Special Ed.
2) Complete the Documentary on Special Ed.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
doctors on the other side.
Made my occasional visit to my work place last week. As a tour of duty, i started from my class and ended with the OT Rooms. Crapping with the OTs always tends to seize the apprehensions about my job and my seemingly bleak prospects.They give me the "Dun worry, all will be alrite" feel.Anyway, one of them informed me of the contemplations to seek medical treatment in a foreign country ( which by the way is a growing trend now days) and as usual this set me off thinking.
Singapore, a nation with accreditations in medical breakthroughs and R&D. Young, vibrant and on par with first world countries. Yet why do i see more and more people seeking medical attention for their ailments in other countries.... what's lacking here?
A pseudo survey with friends and two coffee(s) later at the coffee shop, i managed to collate their enthusiastic replies.
1) It's too expensive to seek treatment for major illnesses in Singapore. The middle class people seem to be the most affected. Not rich enough to afford the expensive treatments and not poor enough to qualify for any subsidies. This predicament acts as a push factor to fly to developing nations where treatments can be sought for much lower fees thanks to difference in currency.
2) Quite weirdly, some felt that the medical services here are over-rated. Some of my conspiracy theorists buddies felt that for every high-profile medical breakthrough published on national newspapers, there are many screw-ups that are swept under the rugg and kept out of mention.
3) This seems the most logical to me... Red Tape. Our doctors have become intuitive when treating the common colds and knee injuries but they tend to lack confidence and knowledge when they are dealing with potentially fatal illnesses. They want to play safe and follow protocols when diagnosing these illnesses. Though i welcome this move, i just feel that our doctors have become too caught up with procedures and playing safe that they sometimes over look the fact that certain illnesses are time critical.
Classic example would be Cancer. When detected in its earliest stages, can be treated to full recovery. But somehow i just do not understand why the doctors schedule the scans months away... Don't they realize that the waiting period itself is sufficient to mature the cancer? Why does one have to go through so many check ups ( and these are ordinary check ups where the patient is told to wait a few weeks before returning for another check up) before being sent for a scan. Just to be told that he/she has cancer.
But who is really to blame for this ridiculous practice. The doctors? or us, the Singaporeans? Have we become so accustomed to complaining and being picky about even the slightet mistakes that we left the doctors no choice but to follow all these ridiculous procedures.They are human too. They are not born doctors or specialists. If we do not provide the room for them to learn, how are they going to improve?
I feel its a vicious cycle actually but i will elaborate on it in the next entry.. now too tired to continue.
Singapore, a nation with accreditations in medical breakthroughs and R&D. Young, vibrant and on par with first world countries. Yet why do i see more and more people seeking medical attention for their ailments in other countries.... what's lacking here?
A pseudo survey with friends and two coffee(s) later at the coffee shop, i managed to collate their enthusiastic replies.
1) It's too expensive to seek treatment for major illnesses in Singapore. The middle class people seem to be the most affected. Not rich enough to afford the expensive treatments and not poor enough to qualify for any subsidies. This predicament acts as a push factor to fly to developing nations where treatments can be sought for much lower fees thanks to difference in currency.
2) Quite weirdly, some felt that the medical services here are over-rated. Some of my conspiracy theorists buddies felt that for every high-profile medical breakthrough published on national newspapers, there are many screw-ups that are swept under the rugg and kept out of mention.
3) This seems the most logical to me... Red Tape. Our doctors have become intuitive when treating the common colds and knee injuries but they tend to lack confidence and knowledge when they are dealing with potentially fatal illnesses. They want to play safe and follow protocols when diagnosing these illnesses. Though i welcome this move, i just feel that our doctors have become too caught up with procedures and playing safe that they sometimes over look the fact that certain illnesses are time critical.
Classic example would be Cancer. When detected in its earliest stages, can be treated to full recovery. But somehow i just do not understand why the doctors schedule the scans months away... Don't they realize that the waiting period itself is sufficient to mature the cancer? Why does one have to go through so many check ups ( and these are ordinary check ups where the patient is told to wait a few weeks before returning for another check up) before being sent for a scan. Just to be told that he/she has cancer.
But who is really to blame for this ridiculous practice. The doctors? or us, the Singaporeans? Have we become so accustomed to complaining and being picky about even the slightet mistakes that we left the doctors no choice but to follow all these ridiculous procedures.They are human too. They are not born doctors or specialists. If we do not provide the room for them to learn, how are they going to improve?
I feel its a vicious cycle actually but i will elaborate on it in the next entry.. now too tired to continue.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Multimedia Computing... Whats that?
Meetings with Hong Bin always bring unwarrented enlightenment. This time, he chose to shed light on the redundancy of the Diploma that we had slogged to attain in Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
Diploma in Multi-Media Computing...a lodestone to tech savvy teenagers of 1999. A cash cow in the eyes of parents who want their children to hitch a ride on the IT wave at the end of the 20th Century. It's a course that promised a good foundation in multimedia skills and computer programming. Basically I should have been a master of anything that starts with e- .
However, thanks to Ah Bin's wisdom of the second, I just realised how far off target i fell thanks to Multimedia Computing (MMC). Instead of becoming Masters of the trade, we became the Jack of NOT too many trades. Simply put its Chapalang Course. They took a bit of everything and cramped it in. We got quantity but where the hell was the quality?
The irony was that i was getting outdated even as i was progressing to my second year in the course. I studied Flash 3, six months later ALI ( my junior of 1 year) was studying Flash 4. I can't believe that i enrolled into this course to keep up with the times.
Anyway coming back to the point, a pseudo reality check in the hallways of SIM, confirmed that neither Ali, Hong Bin nor myself had pursued a job or further studies in relation to our field of study. Further information came from the Guru of the second (Hong Bin), that more of my classmates were dropping this field as they were squeezed dry but paid peanuts...
It just makes me wonder at times, how many of us really pursue what we had studied. From the housewives with PhD to the Post-Grad Prata Man. Have we hit a saturation point that the degree doesn't count anymore? Are the tongue in cheek jokes of the coffee shop ah pek about requiring a PhD to sweep the roads going to become reality?
Where are we really heading? There is an E-Theory. That the ever growing internet would one day grow so big that everything will crash. I know that my analogy does not make much sense but i just needed to justify my diploma in MMC... anyway yeah, have we pusued the degree so much that we even require it do a physically skilled job?
When the courses provided doesn't meet the market expectations, it becomes a disillusionment to the students who fork out ridiculous amounts of cash to study it.
I fear that education has become too commercialised and true knowledge has become buried deep beneath wads of cash and cheques. How ah, like that?
Diploma in Multi-Media Computing...a lodestone to tech savvy teenagers of 1999. A cash cow in the eyes of parents who want their children to hitch a ride on the IT wave at the end of the 20th Century. It's a course that promised a good foundation in multimedia skills and computer programming. Basically I should have been a master of anything that starts with e- .
However, thanks to Ah Bin's wisdom of the second, I just realised how far off target i fell thanks to Multimedia Computing (MMC). Instead of becoming Masters of the trade, we became the Jack of NOT too many trades. Simply put its Chapalang Course. They took a bit of everything and cramped it in. We got quantity but where the hell was the quality?
The irony was that i was getting outdated even as i was progressing to my second year in the course. I studied Flash 3, six months later ALI ( my junior of 1 year) was studying Flash 4. I can't believe that i enrolled into this course to keep up with the times.
Anyway coming back to the point, a pseudo reality check in the hallways of SIM, confirmed that neither Ali, Hong Bin nor myself had pursued a job or further studies in relation to our field of study. Further information came from the Guru of the second (Hong Bin), that more of my classmates were dropping this field as they were squeezed dry but paid peanuts...
It just makes me wonder at times, how many of us really pursue what we had studied. From the housewives with PhD to the Post-Grad Prata Man. Have we hit a saturation point that the degree doesn't count anymore? Are the tongue in cheek jokes of the coffee shop ah pek about requiring a PhD to sweep the roads going to become reality?
Where are we really heading? There is an E-Theory. That the ever growing internet would one day grow so big that everything will crash. I know that my analogy does not make much sense but i just needed to justify my diploma in MMC... anyway yeah, have we pusued the degree so much that we even require it do a physically skilled job?
When the courses provided doesn't meet the market expectations, it becomes a disillusionment to the students who fork out ridiculous amounts of cash to study it.
I fear that education has become too commercialised and true knowledge has become buried deep beneath wads of cash and cheques. How ah, like that?
Thursday, September 27, 2007
when the dot matters.... really!
Fasting for some reason hasn't been easy on me this time round. I feel alot more tired and lethargic compared to the previous years. Maybe its due to my extra active life style of the past few months.
Anyway, recently, just returned home after breaking fast at a fast food restaurant. Realizing that there was no one at home ( all went terawih prayers), i decided to sit back and relax. I quickly freshened up, poured myself a cup of tea and heated up some left over samosas. Thought of watching tv but a cd labelled " AR Rahman" caught my attention. It's been quite a long while since i last listened to AR Rahman music. (AR Rahman is a genius composer who created most of my fav songs). So i loaded the disc into the high fi system then, i set the ambience. I dimmed the lights, set the fan on me and tiredly slouched back into my couch. My player has this tendency to play all songs very softly, so to counter it i would normally crank up the volume really high. Placed my feet on the coffee table with my tea in one hand, a plate of samosa on my tummy ( i am slouching you see) and the hi fi remote in the other hand.
I pressed play. threw the remote onto the other couch adjacent to me and picked up a samosa.
A good few seconds passed and i was beginning to wonder why the song hasn't begun... and then the speakers screamed/blasted out " BISMILLAHIRRAHMANIRRAHEEEEEM!!!".
I was drenched in tea, the sofa was stained with the oil from the samosa, the plate was in pieces. I was clambering over the couch to get the remote and shut my damn hi fi off. Once the hi fi was off, i just had to sit down and catch my thoughts..and my breath. I took out the disc to see what went wrong, and there it was. It wasn't a comiplation of A.R. Rahman but its a compilation of the Surrah AR RAHMAN ( a chapter of the Qur'an). I didn't know a small dot can cause me a heart attack.
I spent a good 45 min cleaning up after that... by then the entire gang had returned. hmmmmm.
Anyway, recently, just returned home after breaking fast at a fast food restaurant. Realizing that there was no one at home ( all went terawih prayers), i decided to sit back and relax. I quickly freshened up, poured myself a cup of tea and heated up some left over samosas. Thought of watching tv but a cd labelled " AR Rahman" caught my attention. It's been quite a long while since i last listened to AR Rahman music. (AR Rahman is a genius composer who created most of my fav songs). So i loaded the disc into the high fi system then, i set the ambience. I dimmed the lights, set the fan on me and tiredly slouched back into my couch. My player has this tendency to play all songs very softly, so to counter it i would normally crank up the volume really high. Placed my feet on the coffee table with my tea in one hand, a plate of samosa on my tummy ( i am slouching you see) and the hi fi remote in the other hand.
I pressed play. threw the remote onto the other couch adjacent to me and picked up a samosa.
A good few seconds passed and i was beginning to wonder why the song hasn't begun... and then the speakers screamed/blasted out " BISMILLAHIRRAHMANIRRAHEEEEEM!!!".
I was drenched in tea, the sofa was stained with the oil from the samosa, the plate was in pieces. I was clambering over the couch to get the remote and shut my damn hi fi off. Once the hi fi was off, i just had to sit down and catch my thoughts..and my breath. I took out the disc to see what went wrong, and there it was. It wasn't a comiplation of A.R. Rahman but its a compilation of the Surrah AR RAHMAN ( a chapter of the Qur'an). I didn't know a small dot can cause me a heart attack.
I spent a good 45 min cleaning up after that... by then the entire gang had returned. hmmmmm.
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