Twilight

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Romance

Finally got to watch a movie with Snowylady.

Well, she got to choose the show, and during the trailers, she told me she wants to watch "Ip Man" next.

Twilight the movie, as compared to the novel, is very much more a teenage romance story more than a gothic horror tale, though the term teenage romance is rather one-sided - Edward Cullen is supposed to have been 17-years old ... "for quite a while" ...

For whatever reasons though, the audience were laughing a lot throughout the movie like it's a pure comedy instead.

Most of the show was dominated by close-up shots of expressions from the characters, mainly Bella and Edward.

Rob Pattinson (Edward Cullen) was gorgeously made up as an icy-cold teen with killer looks, and did a marvellous job using his body and face to express his delimna between wanting Bella (look at her as if she's something to be eaten) and fleeing from her.

Kristen Stewart though, did not do so good a job to convey what was it that was driving her character Bella to Edward. I mean, okay, the boy is a great looker and drives a really cool and expensive car, but Bella is supposed not to be a bimbo.

And while Edward revealed that as a vampire, his looks, his voice and his scent are supposed to drive preys into his arms, the movie failed to convincingly show what was it that made Bella feel whatever she was feeling to Edward, and it was not shown whether Bella made up her mind herself or she was under undue & involuntary influence.

Snowylady said Pattinson could have made a great elf in LOTR movie too, but agreed he was physically too rugged.

In all, a great way to spend an afternoon with Snowylady, without the kids!!!

Work rants: project schedules

I fully empathise with Dilbert.

Last month, 1 multi-systems multi-vendor project which came under me by virtue that my system accounted for the lion share of the effort & schedule, was hit by a total screwball.

We had been working out the requirements for weeks, and at end of 3rd week of November, I suddenly got an email from the users that they had commited a delivery date of 20 December to their SVPs.

Apparently, what happened was that they had consulted one of the systems i/c for a date, who forgot to check with the other systems, went on to inform that earliest possible date was 20 December.  And his part of the development accounted for less than a third of my section's development.

Requirements had yet to be finalised (2 revisions came after that) and solution proposal not even out!  But as a result, I am being arm-twisted to meet that deadline by delivering the project in stages.

Fine!  We did our best.  But up to today, solution proposal is still not signed off - despite protracted meeting last week.

 

This month, 1 Dec, I had another prelim meeting on a newly assigned project - a brand new CRM system for one of the company's major subsidiary.  The President & CEO of the sub wanted delivery by September 2009.

According to our processes, it'd take 2-3 months to get the RFP out, and another 2-3 months to award the contract, leaving just a few months for any vendor to deliver the product.

When I asked the BMs how or why Sept 2009 was set, when the previous CRM project took more than a year for vendor to deliver, and 1 year after first phase implementation, the system has yet to get the data clean-up from the migration and not all functions are delivered.

Answer: Prez & CEO set the date, all SVPs are now committed to it.

Great, an arbitrarily defined date, which bears no relevance to processes, or commercial needs, or statutary requirements.

I wish they had asked the PCEO these questions about real significance of Sep 2009:

1. What would it mean for the company if the CRM came in Sep 2009?

2. What would it mean for the company if the CRM came in later?

I was just given requirements on Monday, and they want to rush for Architecture Review on Friday.

No way I'm gonna bust my ass over such.

Did I mention it's my first time as Project Manager?

Until now, my role had primarily been support and PL for smaller scale projects.  I never had to follow the processes for the large scale projects.

Apparently, the project had been ping-pong'ed between the Corporate & the Commercial delivery team.  I don't think anyone wanted to take responsibility for it.

Heck, maybe I'm chosen to be the scapegoat, but I don't care if it is so.

I'll just do my job, and set the project schedule to what is feasible.

Maybe they think that with the job market being super soft, staff should be willing to burn candles at both ends, but not me.

I never demanded my vendors to do overtime as a matter of policy, and I believe fair wages for fair work done.

For an arbitrarily set target, it won't mean much to the client even if everybody busted their ass delivering it on time.

Use DNA to choose a sports for your child? No thanks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/sports/30genetics.html?no_interstitial

BOULDER, Colo. — When Donna Campiglia learned recently that a genetic test might be able to determine which sports suit the talents of her 2 ½-year-old son, Noah, she instantly said, Where can I get it and how much does it cost?

“I could see how some people might think the test would pigeonhole your child into doing fewer sports or being exposed to fewer things, but I still think it’s good to match them with the right activity,” Ms. Campiglia, 36, said as she watched a toddler class at Boulder Indoor Soccer in which Noah struggled to take direction from the coach between juice and potty breaks.

“I think it would prevent a lot of parental frustration,” she said.

In health-conscious, sports-oriented Boulder, Atlas Sports Genetics is playing into the obsessions of parents by offering a $149 test that aims to predict a child’s natural athletic strengths. The process is simple. Swab inside the child’s cheek and along the gums to collect DNA and return it to a lab for analysis of ACTN3, one gene among more than 20,000 in the human genome.

The test’s goal is to determine whether a person would be best at speed and power sports like sprinting or football, or endurance sports like distance running, or a combination of the two. A 2003 study discovered the link between ACTN3 and those athletic abilities.

In this era of genetic testing, DNA is being analyzed to determine predispositions to disease, but experts raise serious questions about marketing it as a first step in finding a child’s sports niche, which some parents consider the road to a college scholarship or a career as a professional athlete.

Atlas executives acknowledge that their test has limitations but say that it could provide guidelines for placing youngsters in sports. The company is focused on testing children from infancy to about 8 years old because physical tests to gauge future sports performance at that age are, at best, unreliable.

Some experts say ACTN3 testing is in its infancy and virtually useless. Dr. Theodore Friedmann, the director of the University of California-San Diego Medical Center’s interdepartmental gene therapy program, called it “an opportunity to sell new versions of snake oil.”

“This may or may not be quite that venal, but I would like to see a lot more research done before it is offered to the general public,” he said. “I don’t deny that these genes have a role in athletic success, but it’s not that black and white.”

Dr. Stephen M. Roth, director of the functional genomics laboratory at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health who has studied ACTN3, said he thought the test would become popular. But he had reservations.

“The idea that it will be one or two genes that are contributing to the Michael Phelpses or the Usain Bolts of the world I think is shortsighted because it’s much more complex than that,” he said, adding that athletic performance has been found to be affected by at least 200 genes.

Dr. Roth called ACTN3 “one of the most exciting and eyebrow-raising genes out there in the sports-performance arena,” but he said that any test for the gene would be best used only on top athletes looking to tailor workouts to their body types.

“It seems to be important at very elite levels of competition,” Dr. Roth said. “But is it going to affect little Johnny when he participates in soccer, or Suzy’s ability to perform sixth grade track and field? There’s very little evidence to suggest that.”

The study that identified the connection between ACTN3 and elite athletic performance was published in 2003 by researchers primarily based in Australia.

Those scientists looked at the gene’s combinations, one copy provided by each parent. The R variant of ACTN3 instructs the body to produce a protein, alpha-actinin-3, found specifically in fast-twitch muscles. Those muscles are capable of the forceful, quick contractions necessary in speed and power sports. The X variant prevents production of the protein.

The ACTN3 study looked at 429 elite white athletes, including 50 Olympians, and found that 50 percent of the 107 sprint athletes had two copies of the R variant. Even more telling, no female elite sprinter had two copies of the X variant. All male Olympians in power sports had at least one copy of the R variant.

No thanks, not for me.  I'd exposed my kids to all kinds of sports, games and activities, and let them choose.  Excelling comes from putting in effort.  They must like it and have fun too.

What parental frustration?  It only comes from unrealistic expectations - not just from performance, but also what doing these sports are supposed to achieve.

On citizenship

Every now and then, someone would write to the press and suggest Singapore allows dual-citizenship in order to attract new talents and retain local talents.

Let me say from the beginning that an individual's concept of citizenship is very much shaped by personal experience, exposure and thinking.

My take is against multi-national citizenship - hey, there is nothing against having more than two if you think two is okay, right?

Ideally, everybody is a citizen of the world, of the planet Earth, of the Solar System.  Well, unfortunately, it is an ideal that many people is not prepared for.  I believe most people are still protective of the notion that certain they have the right over certain territories that others do not.

Back to citizenship - citizenship to me is not about what places or countries you feel a sense of belonging to, or fondness or loyalty.  A guy who has a British father, American mother, born in Australia, grew up in Singapore, studied in Italy, worked in Canada, married a Spanish and retired in France can have strong sense of fondness or loyalty to all or more than one of these countries.

But when it comes to one's duty as a citizen, one country has to take first priority.  It may be to serve military service, or it may be to defend one's country in times of crisis - if the call comes from more than 1 at the same time, one can only be there for 1 country.

It does not matter whether you will, out of sense of fond memories or sense of justice, volunteer to help another country if there is such a need.

As a citizen of my chosen country, I count as fellow citizens only those who can be counted to be with my country during her time of need, not those who opt to be with another country of his dual-citizenship when both are in need at the same time.

If your priority is with the other country, then please by all means be a citizen of that country instead of being a citizen here.

It may be that Singapore is small and cannot afford to have citizenry who cannot be relied upon to put the country first over another country.

One of the many things I have against multi-national citizenship is that while a single-national citizen can be expected to vote for the best interests of his country, which country's best interests would a dual-national citizen vote for, especially when the 2 country's interests are in conflict?

Hypothetically, take a UK-US dual citizen : as an eligible voter, he could vote for UK's interests in UK, and as a US citizen, vote for UK's interests rather than US's interests.

Hypothetically, a citizen's vote is assumed to be what he believed to be in his country's best interests, even if his decision differs from a fellow's citizen.  The assumption is based on the fact that he will be there to experience the consequences, for better or worse, and he is ultimately in the same boat as other fellow citizens.

But he is a dual-citizen, he can vote against the interest of one country and enjoy the benefits as a citizen of the other country.

I believe there should only be 1 class of citizens (not 2 classes such as proposing dual-citizens do not have right to vote), and all the citizens must be theoretically be on the same boat.

People of the same boat may disagree, but they will share whatever fate befalls on the boat.

As for attracting or retaining talents, I believe the whole world is open to anyone who wants to travel anywhere.  Having that piece of citizenship paper does not restrict anyone from going anywhere.

If Singapore offers what a talent wants, the talent will be here regardless of whether he is a citizen.

I abhor mixing other incentives such as unemployment benefits for citizens, housing subsidies etc., when it comes to considering whether to give up a particular citizenship or taking up a particular citizenship.

Being a citizen of a country is not like taking up membership of a country club or signing up as a customer of a bank.  There are serious obligations as a citizens as much as benefits.

During my minority years, I lived in several different countries, and when I chose to take up Singapore citizenship as an adult, I did it because I wanted to, and I felt the country of my former nationality had done things wrong, alienating me from it.  I felt no desire to be a citizen of such a country, and while Singapore was not perfect, I felt affection for the country and have a strong sense of belonging here.

During the course of my career, I had seriously considered moving to work in another country, but I had never considered giving up my Singapore citizenship.

Should circumstances in the future made me change my mind to take up another country's citizenship, I will only do it by giving up this one.

Deadline for SZJ translation

Start:	Feb 28, '09 12:00p
Location:	Online

This is the target date to finish the last phase of San Zi Jing translation.
Originally, the publishers wanted it by end December!

If we were communicating in Hokkien, I'd have say "Oi, seow ay."

November 2008 updates

Time to jot down some thoughts and updates in my life ...

At work ...

They reorganised us, again.  2 of the IT's top staff are leaving, 1 retiring, the other quit.  Incidentally, both only joined around 2003 as part of the parent company's move to restructure the way IT services are provided for in the company.

P, who is retiring, had joined after LML left.  LML was also an outsider brought in to revamp the division.  Until that time, all the senior managements and VP level staff were all promoted in-house, so the change in direction, coupled with these new people brought in, saw a lot of conflicts at the top (of the division) with many long time senior staff forced out.  It was not a pretty picture.

But the worst thing P could have done was not that she joined just prior to the first Retrenchment Exercise ever in the company, but that the morning the retrenchment was announced and staff notified, while many long serving staff who remained were still sobbing, P went around chasing them to "get back to work."

The year after, our long-time Union rep took early retirement for health reasons - I took the chance to speak to him about the new ladies at the top.  I found retiring staff are usually most candid and less biased.  As member of the Union, he did participate in negotiations with senior management.  And he did share that P is not very considerate of the staff as people ... a feeling I had then.

Now that she's retiring, I found out from some staff who worked with her that she was quite professional.  I had never worked with her, so I do not know if that was another side I never saw or that she changed.

The other senior staff who is leaving, A, had been described as being more sympathetic by the Union rep.  I wasn't too keen on her because during 1 year, I was supposed to have transferred to her department.  But there was no news for a long, long time, and then I learned from my manager that the transfer was cancelled because A didn't want me due to blemishes in my past performance.

I got really angry, not because of the rejection, but because the matter was kept hanging in the air.  And I was angry at my manager because during the talk with her, she implied the fiasco of the whole thing hanging was my fault.  Bull.  My past performance was

What the current DBS retrenchment makes me think of ...

1. I better find time to do my translations and write up on the history of Qin ... though the "True History of the Three Kingdoms" might garner for attention.

I don't forsee retrenchment in my company, but then again, few entrenched staff ever did.  My company had its 1st and only round so far in 2003.  2008 might not need it, but there is no telling what the future holds.

Fact is, while the company has been constantly restructuring itself, I never really had the passion for my job(s) and I started working here thinking it would only be a temporary thing.  The lack of passion is the thing that kept me from putting myself into it and exploring and asking for transfers here and there to get into the core of the business.

I am the headache of the HR and my bosses 'cos I'm just never quite there.

2. I am very heartened by what Snowylady said about me - she's confident that even if I lose my job, I'll seek and take whatever job I can to keep earning a living and supporting the family, and I won't consider any valid jobs to be beneath me.

More jottings from recent news ...

1. Campaign to end use of tissue packs to reserve tables at food courts & hawker centres

My take: if you can come up with a better idea, please do so.  Otherwise, it's no worse than any other ways.  Visitors to Singapore might find the notion repulsive, but hey, it is a home-grown culture, nothing particularly uncouth about it.  If people in other countries prefer to hunt around for seats after getting their food, that's fine too - trends and customs grew out of what majority of the people adopt.

Not all trends are good - Singapore's custom for starting Chinese wedding dinner late for example - but it is wrong to judge it bad simply because it is foreign to you.

 

2.  Euthanasia legalised?

My take: take personal responsibility for yourself.  In Singapore, AMD is available.  If AMD doesn't cover your circumstances, and you know your decision is to end your life instead of continuing in sufferings, do yourself (& everybody else) a favour by making preparations by yourself while you are still physically able to.  And when the time comes, say your goodbyes, distribute your possessions, and do it yourself - don't implicate/involve others.  Call it suicide if you will.  Your life, your responsibility.

I don't encourage it, but I can't oppose it too much if it's your life.  Just don't get others involved where they have to make decision on your behalf or administer the lethal process for you - it is not fair for other people to bear the burden.

 

3.  Obama wins.

Obama is not Santa Claus, so can the world please stop sending him their christmas wish list?

His new responsibility is to his country, not other countries.  He's got a big job getting fundamentals restored as pillars of the economy.  Displacing big-business influenced Republicans is the easy part - doing the same to big business influenced Democrats is going to be harder.

 

4. Non-Chinese-ethnic PM for Singapore?

My take: Why not?  What bad things could have happened if LKY did go ahead to endorse Dhanabalan as PM as he claimed of having considered?  At the least, it would have brought the issue into the open and allowed students and people to engage in critical thinking about it if there is really an issue about it to begin with.

Unfortunately, recent and past personal experiences do tell me that LKY was at least right that there're many Chinese Singaporeans who are not ready to accept it.

Some VIP from the Establishment told me a couple of months ago that more than 50% of the population do not think for themselves but go along with either parochialistic thoughts they grew up with or are easily persuaded by those who talk loud.

I was rather skeptical, but unfortunately, that view is corresponded by the comments posted on the internet by Singaporeans in various blogs, forums and discussion boards.

One STOMP poster gave an account of how a Coffee Bean staff kept telling him "no studying here" despite the poster saying "I just want to drink coffee."  From the conversation reported in verbatim format, I could guess the staff is an ESN (Educationally Sub-Normal) and gave my comment, yet no one else who commented seemed to sense it or has any interest in how it could be so.

Which reminded me of how some years back TNP reported how jealous and demanding a girl was towards her boyfriend, going into details how she made him write promises of how to treat her.  Again, from the content of the promise letters, there were very strong indications that the couple involved were both ESN or mentally less developed, and it really turned out to be so!

Yet the reporter who must have met the couple first hand, and the editor who approved the story, didn't bother with these pertinent facts but ran the story front page in as juicy a manner possible.

Speaking of juicing up news, "Young & Unfazed" in ST 26 Oct reported of an NTU undergrad making callous responses to economic downturn.  So bizarre were the words attributed to the undergrad that I suspected either the interview subject was unreal, or the report was.  Sure enough, I made online contact with the undergrad who angrily denounced the reporter for misreporting all her words, including "wondering why her friend didn't ask parents for money".

And just last week, a neighbour from a higher floor dropped a towel which got caught in a branch above my balcony.  It was too high for me to help bring it down even standing on a ladder and using laundry pole, so I asked Mgt Office for help, explaining what happened. Eventually, they got a worker to bring it down but did not bother to notify us.  Noting the towel was gone, I checked on Saturday but was told since no one claimed it for 2 days, it was discarded.  I reminded them that I told them the unit it belonged to and I left contact numbers.  What infuriated me was the asst manager saying "we're not very clever people working here for miserable salaries".

Next time, I'll print out in exact details what I need them to do if I ever need them to do anything.  That's what I had to do some years back when the MO was contracted to another company, when some tree branches cracked and fell near the swing at the children's playground.  I had to inform the MO, after informing them the incident, that they cannot afford to wait for the scheduled landscaping in a couple of weeks time to prune the few branches overhanging the children's playarea.

I have been, I supposed, blessed that most of the people I interact with are quite capable of critical thinking.

Yet I do question if LKY or the VIP were actually correct in their assessment of the masses in general.  The scary thing is, I had always held the idea that LKY and VIP & co were the most isolated people who knew the least of what is in the minds of the masses and ordinary man on the street.

Thoughts from recent news ...

No time to blog, so just jotting down some thoughts from recent news ...

1. Financial fiasco, beginning with fall of Lehman.

Being an investment-dummy saved me from any financial loss this round, though there is a definite impact on me financially/economically as it does affect my company's business.

Mis-selling? Yes, I'm sure there're genuine cases.

Read of some who opposed compensation even in misselling 'cos each person must take full responsibility for what he does with his own money.

True only to a certain extent.  It is not realistic/practical for a person to go through all the fine prints.

 

2. Forum debate over what a Singaporean man wants and what a Singaporean woman wants, started by a certain Alvin Tan with his letter "Why I marry a China bride".

Tempted to say it's a total waste of time, but at least it affirms to me that nothing has changed for the last 30 years or so - men and women are still talking in different languages.

 

3. Transport study indicate buses run on time and not overcrowded.

My response: Though I drive to work, I have to say the study's conclusion is nonsense.

 

4. Young Singaporeans unfazed about economic downturn, citing an interview with a certain Agnes Lin.

My take: Interview report is most likely flawed.  The bizarre content made me question its integrity, and suspicion further raised when I read the blog of Agnes Lin.  ST needs more integrity.

 

Ron Howard's endorsement of Obama, with Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler

Man, that brings back memories.

Singapore Flyer Experience

Okay, I never planned to go, but since the company generously allowed free entry to teachers and discounts for family members, we made it an outing together with my brother's family, he being a teacher too.  A last minute decision, I left work earlier to collect laundry and family to get there before the "crowd" ... special offer to teachers end today.

Anticipated foul-ups that traffic flow not fully restored to normal around Suntec/Marina, and I was right, despite LTA's website announcing all would be back to normal today.

Some of the road closures simply does not make sense.  Never mind, I know enough of ivory tower planners in Singapore who brought us what we have today.

During ticket purchase, we learned we had to book a time slot, and had some time before the next available slot.  Good chance to get some food into the kids first, which was how I tasted Popeye Chicken & Biscuit for the very first time today.  I must say from the chunks we had, they used bigger chickens than the Colonel.  The downside of it is though we missed the sunset and seeing the view while there was daylight.

As for the Flyer experience itself, well, it's ... nice ... but nothing that gets me excited.  Singapore had never seemed so ... flat.  Due to darkness, the Maybank building actually seemed transparent with its bluish outline and the taller buildings behind it.

I could see where the F1 racetracks and the thousand dollars seats were located, and I still think the whole venture is, on the balance, a flop.  The one in Singapore that profits the most from it would probably be the social escort agencies & the contractors.  Others like hotels and shops fared badly on the whole.

My children and niece enjoyed themselves of course.  At their age, wonders had only begun.  Thank goodness Snowylad is still cute enough that the other passengers did not mind his singing, not openly anyway.

As we left the venue, I'd say in its present state, the Flyer will bleed financially.  The retail outlets are simply nothing exciting or worth visiting on their own.  Though the Flyer carried an impressive number of passengers so far, many are not commercial customers.  For example, if you're a teacher or an orang-utan, you get a free ride.

Now, if only they would build a gigantic rollercoaster spanning the waterfront from Shenton Way to Kallang River ...

Foreign labourers' dorms in our midst

Proposals to establish dormitories for foreign labourers in the midst of local residential areas have met with strong reactions from the residents. Most concerns were about safety, cleanliness and hygiene issues.

Yes, it does not help that some foreign labourers were responsible for some violent crimes, including those against the females. And some of them sought girlfriends among the foreign domestic maids working and living in the residences of the locals.

Yet as human beings, foreign labourers deserve humane treatment too. And they have normal needs as human beings.

Some Singaporeans accused employers of bringing the foreigners in to cut costs. Truth though is I don't think any of them would be happy to pay more for a 100% Singaporean made housing. Is it really a matter of cost-management to house them in unused buildings in the midst of existing residential enclaves, i.e., save the employers a few bucks who would not necessarily pass on the cost savings to the customers (esp. in view of rising costs of other factors such as building materials)?

Or is it just a matter of perception?

In all fairness, I would not want to be stained by reputation just because some Singaporean employers abused the foreigner workers and foreign maids.

Hence, I am sure neither would the mostly law abiding foreigners want to be stained by the black sheep among their numbers.

I have a family too, and young children. Previous maids employed by my in-laws had secretly befriended foreign workers as their boyfriends.

These issues, IMO, cannot be resolved by instituting rules or segregations.

The best and most effective approach, first and foremost, Singaporeans must take more responsibility over themselves and their households.

Instead of only worrying about the safety of my children, I believe I have to help them become educated and more aware.

Those with maids in their households too must take responsibility and care - discuss and come to mutual understanding with their maids on certain issues.

Maids are human beings. They are not androids who are there to serve our needs when required, and will keep themselves quietly in the closet out of our way when not required.

Whatever problems Singaporeans have with the presence of foreign workers/maids, they have to appreciate that they too play a role - these foreign workers/maids would not be here unless there was a demand for their labour, a demand that ultimately comes from Singaporeans themselves.

When my son's favourite friend in school is his sister ...

It's a gender thing, I'm sure, that my son talks very little about his friends or teachers in school when at a younger age than him, my daughter was already narrating all the things they did or imagined they did in school, and how she was best friends with Emilou & Yukio, and how a boy Luca kissed her.

Asking him directly about who his best friend in school is yielded no answer - he just didn't seem to understand that it is a valid question and it is a question he is supposed to give an answer to.

So the previous week, I happened to run into my neighbour and her daughter who was in the same class as Snowylad.  I took the chance to ask the little girl about it, and the little girl in all innocence said it was his sister, 2.5 years older.

I suppose it comes to no surprise, the siblings had been close since he was both, made closer by the fact that we live in a very small apartment.

But whatever worries me and Snowylady might have of him not mixing with other friends in his own class were dispelled on Saturday at a special school function.

I saw him going to several friends from his own group.  One girl's mum said her daughter and my son "are best friends".  I should suppose that her daughter talks to her mum about him being her best friend, and it just never occurred to Snowylad to tell me about this particular girl whom he was holding hands with in my presence.

As the function progressed, there were a couple of boys here (one even named Luca too) and a couple of girls there that Snowylad demonstrated he liked playing with.

Yet ultimately, I won't be surprised that he still loves his sister best and even look for her over other friends in school.  After all, his sister is probably the person who doted on him most.  When she started joining the school's swimming programme, she told her brother she won't be in school for a couple of hours and won't be able to look after him, and ask him not to miss her.

It might change eventually as they get older, but as of now, it comforts me no end that my two children love each other a lot, even if the older sister complained about his rough behaviour.

The most useless argument from Beijing Olympics 2008 - ranking system

Which ranking system should be used?

By most number of gold, then silver, then bronze?

By most number of total?

By medal per capita?

Jeez, get a grip, whoever thinks it's a worthwhile topic.

IT DOES NOT MATTER AN iota.

It makes absolutely no difference to anything, anything of significance that is.

It's not going to affect the stock market.

It's not going to make it easier or harder for the countries the next round.

It's just numbers.

There was this joke about an exclusive high end upmarket jewellery store - if you have to ask about the price, you can't afford their stuff.

Well, I think if you have to ask or argue which ranking system is better, you're missing the point of the Olympics and you're going into something totally irrelevant as far as the Olympics is concerned, IMO.

When I was in competitive swimming during my schooldays, schools were ranked by points, not medals.  The top 6 finalists gained 8 to 1 point(s) for their school, according to position.  And the top school got a special trophy.

There isn't any such trophy in the Olympics.

So this argument is just a lot of bull and egos.

For me, it's just a matter of tradition that the ranks followed gold, silver then bronze.

There were always differences in the events from one Olympics to another, and different rules for the same events, so comparisons between performances from one Game to another can only go so far.

To someone who'd been into sporting competition before, it's sportsmanship first.

Pet hates : Little loose ends in life ...

Gone ... vanished ... disparated without a trace ...

Just when I was in the mood for a sinful slice of beefsteak, my favourite stall at S-11 near Tampines Regional Library was unblushingly bereft of human presence amidst the bustle and hustle of the lunch hour today.  Everything had been packed away, including the signage, and nary a note to explain the outrage that offended every sense in me of propriety, fairness and justice.

It must have been less than a month ago since my last patronage, wasn't it?  I was feeling rather peckish then and asked for rice instead of fries.

Admittedly, since I resumed my fitness regime, I went out a lot less for lunch, and hence might have unwittingly compromised my status as a regular, but I just couldn't help but feel miffed and let down.

For years now, given the lacklustre offerings at my office canteen, I had the perfect excuse to lunch out by visiting the National Library branches around my office, the term around being somewhat loosely used.  My office is at Upper Changi Rd East, but I could range the libraries from as far west from here as Geylang, as far east as Paris Ris and as far north as Sengkang, taking advantage of both private motor transport and MRT.

Once or twice, I did the extreme to go as far as Jurong, but only because because of certain hard to get titles.  Fuel prices the way they are today, it probably "pays" to reserve the books instead and exercise a little patience to wait for my turn and have it delivered to a nearer branch.

But I digress.

This is not the first time, nor I suspect will be the last, that a regular store I patronise just shut down without me finding out its fate.  Here yesterday, gone today, and I would never know what happened to it even tomorrow.

My childhood haunt at Serangoon Gardens, the corner bookshop NIB, the cornerstone of my primary school days, which I visited less from secondary school onwards, just closed shop.  My colleague who is a Serangoon Gardens native knew when it happened, but did not know if they moved or were picked up by UFOs.

There's just some chapters in life where the loose ends will never be tied up.  It just isn't fair.  Shouldn't there be some cosmic sense of accountability?

At least when I found the best char kway teow stall in Singapore no more after several years of not visiting it, I was able to find out from the neighbouring sugar cane juice stall operator that the old chef had passed away.

At least I was given a chance to mourn for the loss of grand dame National Library @ Stamford, as well kiss goodbye her sassy god-daughter Library @ Orchard.

Where would the plague of the ephemeral strike next?

Progress report - fitness drive 2008

After breaking my fitness programme sometime end of 2007, I managed to restart mid 2008 in May.

Started with jogs & swims in May/June.

Progressed to jogs, weights/swims in July.

Kicker was the bicyle crunch which helps trim the sides of my abs, but no 6-pack yet.

So far, extended my jogs to the main gate at Napier Road, and then took a longer route back.

Managed to move up to 2 circuit rounds at the Sports Club weights, and 4 pull-ups in a go.

Making history : first person I know to fall into Swan Lake of Singapore Botanic Gardens

Date : July 19, 2008 (Saturday)

Time : around 10 am

Venue : Swan Lake of Singapore Botanic Gardens

On Saturday, Snowylad made history by being the first person (I know) to actually fall into the waters of Swan Lake in SIngapore Botanic Gardens.

It was supposed to be a normal weekend outing for the family, except this time Snowylady and Snowylass decided to take a walk around the pond in a different direction and told us boys to go ahead.

We were armed with fish feed and the children (and mummy) love to feed the fishes, the terrapins and the swans.

After pouring out some feed to a capsule for Snowylad, I settled down to do so for myself when a wild swing caused the 2.5 years old boy to lose balance and splashed into the pond.

While that end of the pond was not so deep, it was deeper than the boy was tall.

Fortunately, he ended up falling backwards and he floated with his face above water ... and he didn't struggle much.  His face registered shock, surprise, not thankfully, no panic.

In my hastiness, I couldn't locate the mobile phone in my pocket, and lowered myself in without removing it.  I got him and a kind man helped take him from me.

It was another good thing that there was a short ledge so the waters were just halfway above my knees.  Neither my mobile nor my electronic car lock got wet.

As I stripped the wet clothings off boy, his mum and sis came back.  And of course he flew into her arms.

Good thing I packed chocolate milk, his favourite, on that outing.  I think it helped calm him down.

By the time I returned from putting away the wet clothings in the car, and changing my shoes, he was already walking barefooted along the pond again with mum and sis.

Snowylady confessed to me later she had a scare when she learned he fell.  She still wonders whether he had a bad fright.  For what it's worth, he was laughing and able to tell others "I fell to the pond." 

Snowylad always liked running around, especially in the park where we lifted most restrictions on him running.  Hopefully he'll remember this lesson positively.

I had always read of kids falling into ponds, creeks and streams in books where people lived closer to nature, but this is the first time I actually saw it happen, and to a 2.5 year old.

Well, Singapore doesn't really have much opportunities for kids to fall into the water and get wet.  I won't have much of a fright if it happened when Snowylad was older.

Best way to do a Bicycle Crunch Exercise for the Abs?

I found through the net this exercise, it's great. But after a couple of times, it felt too easy.

The video demonstrate the standard way to do it.

I made some adaptations :
1. My head is supported by my kids' small beach ball held by my hands - relieves the stress on the neck.
2. Bring the raised knee as close to my chest as possible
3. Cross the alternate elbow beyond the kneecap.

Just wondering if any experts out there got any advice/suggestions.
Am I doing it correctly? Am I risking some injury or overlooking something in my adaptation?

Sad day when a parent realise his child is learning to deal with temptations

Mob mentality, peer pressure, learning to handle it is part of growing up, I know.

It is not fruitful to wistfully wish that my own child will do no wrong because she will always make the right decision.

Having been no angel myself when I was younger (and not even when I'm older now), I do empathise with the process of growing up for children who will be making more and more decisions of their own.

Even with all the love and guidance, all children will be tested in the real world.

Today, Snowylass and her classmates, all of them except one, traumatised a frog at the backyard of their school. Among 15 of them, only 1 girl stood up and insisted it was wrong.  The rest, to varying degrees, bullied the frog until their teacher came.

I was not shocked that Snowylass did such a thing, especially when all her classmates were doing it.

I was not shocked that she was not the girl who stood up against the crowd - I know it is not always an easy thing to do.

I can only convey to her my disappointment, and explain to her why it was wrong.

Snowylady is very sad and wonders if this would not have happened if she was able to be a stay-home mum and have more time for the kids (my fault that she has to work).

But I assured her that even if she was a stay-home mum, our children will still face these trials and not necessarily pass all of them.

I understand fully that for a child to truly learn, she must be free to make her choice.  And failure to make the right choice is part of the learning process.

My only question still unanswered is how can we as parents, equip them as best as possible, to have godly values, to make the better choices.

At the school, when we were told this upon our arrival to pick them up, I took Snowylass to the backyard, and then asked her to throw a stone on me as she did to the frog.

She dared not, for fear of punishment.

So how do I make her really realise that being struck by stone really hurts?

As of now, we had told her she won't be going to her friend's birthday party because of this.

That is just a penalty.

We had talked to her to get her, not to understand what she did was wrong (because inside, she does know it was not right), but to help her to be able to have the resources within her to stop and think instead of being carried away, and to have the courage to do the right thing and not the wrong thing when such trials come again.

My take on organ trading

Recent reports on conviction of 2 Indonesians in Singapore for organ trading got Singaporeans talking, reflecting sharply differing views on whether organ trading should be legalised or regulated.

Letters from those who fear the abuse, those who see it as disregarding human dignity, and letters from those who had personally or who had family members receiving an extended lease of life from the transplants, and letters from those describing the life on the brink.

I had much thoughts, and this entry is a just a brief summary of my take on some of the issues.

Start at the beginning - the patient.

How did the patient end up in such a state?

Very rarely were people born with malfunctioning organs.

Another possible cause, as in the case of Andre De'Cruz, was having organ failure after taking unsafe supplements.

Or from accidents.

Generally, it resulted from the patient's lifestyle, either informed, wilful or actual ignorance.  Generally, each individual has a responsibility over his/her own health.

It might be a case of "closing the barn door after the horse escaped", but it is relevant in understanding that generally, patients need kidney transplants due to their own failure to care for their own bodies, for one reason or another.

This is something to bear in mind for parties demanding organ trading to be legalised, as if it is a right to make a bid for the organ of another human being.

Now let's look at the supplier, not the donor but the seller.

Why do sellers offer to sell their organs? For money of course.

But is their purpose for getting the money relevant?

Poverty - well, poverty is their condition, but it does not indicate whether the money from the trade, which is theirs by all legal rights, will be put to good use to make a long-term difference.

Money do run out.  S$30,000 or even US$30,000 may seem like a lot of Indonesian rupiahs, but it won't mean a lifetime of leisure for the family.

There's many real life anecdotes of "easy come, easy go".  If the government do allow people to sell organs because of pressing needs (not for shopping from LVMH), it also must look into ensuring the sellers gain in the long-term, or they will soon be considering selling another organ or getting another family member to take his/her turn to be the seller.

 

Having looked at buyer, seller, there's the middle-men.  In many illegal trades, or even legal trades when it was allowed in India until 1994, middle-men not only ate up the lion's share of the price, there were reports of outright abuses, such as tricking men into unknowingly having their organs removed.  It is not beyond impossibility to get people into debts to force them to sell their organs.

I do not think I am on a moral high horse to expect that every means must be used to protect the organ suppliers from being abused, exploited or forced into the trade.

 

In an ideal world, there is enough transplants coming only from donors.

But in an ideal world, there would be very much lower demand for transplants as people take better care of their own health.

Rants : drivers ignoring zebra crossings

Date : Friday, July 4, 2008.

Time : 9am.

Place : zebra crossing @ Holland Village next to the shopping centre.

So what if there's enough time for the driver to drive past us safely without speeding up.

We, i.e., me with 2 hands holding onto each of my kid, were already walking on the zebra crossing.

My eyes saw red, my leg lashed out in a ... disappointingly lame ... kick which neither disabled the Honda Airwave nor send it to the moon ...

The driver stopped the car, I crossed the road and then carried Snowylad with one arm and held on to Snowylass with the other.

The lady driver came out and said "干么撞了我的车？"

Wonderful, a non-local, or at least not born in Singapore, from her accent.

She reasoned she was neither speeding and there was ample time for her to pass us.

Around us, English speaking Singaporean women were scolding her, as she protests that she does not understand English.

One Japanese man came up to me and give me his number, said he witnessed the whole thing and is willing to be a witness.  Thank you Mr. Kyoji, or Kyoji-San.

I lashed out because this type of incident happened to often, to others I witnessed and to myself too.  Being a driver, I too am too well aware of how careless I was before and how it led to accidents.

I told the driver if she disputes she was in the wrong, let's get the police to settle it, and she took it as a dare.  I called 999.

While waiting, I slowly cooled. Me and the kids are all right.  The driver offered some sort of apology.  What really mattered to me was she acknowledged she should not do it and would not do it.

Not really wanting to wait, I called 999 again and asked if we could leave if the dispute is resolved.

Okay, said the dispatcher.

I took a photo of her car, and then she told me how shocked she was when I lashed at her car.  Even offered to let me feel her "shaking hand".  Whatever her intentions were, I'm really not foolish enough to get so close to her.

When she asked to exchange phone numbers, I said let's just take down her driver's license.  She said she didn't bring it out, she was still in PJs after sending her daughter to school and didn't being her bag out.

Forget it, I don't want to get further involved - it might get messy, with her not bringing a driver's license when she's driving.

Jonah Man Jazz, performed by Beverly St. Mary's C of E Primary School

This is a song I heard *once* from a pal who was in a choir. Quite unforgettable, but unfortunately, I could find no record or full lyrics.

It was only recently I learned it was from "Jonah Man Jazz" by Michael Hurd.
I'll see if I can get hold of a copy of the music sheet somewhere. So far, this is the only recording I found on the internet.
"Now Ninevah city was a city of sin
The jazzin' and the jivin' made a terrible din
Beat groups playin' a rock an' roll
And the Lord when he heard it said
"Bless my soul"

Now the people wouldn't listen
danced night and day,
No time to work, no time to pray.
They went on dancin' by day and night
Til the Lord he said;
"Now this ain't right"

The Lord he pondered a subtle plan,
He looked around for a righteous man.
Saw Jonah sittin' neath the pineapple tree
And the Lord he said
"That's the man for me"

A righteous man that I can trust
to raise this city out of the dust
The man that's sittin' neath the pineapple tree
I'm certain sure, sure, sure Is the man for me."


http://www.stmarysbeverley.eril.net/updates/updates.shtml
http://www.stmarysbeverley.eril.net/special_events/choir.wmv
1st March, The choir sang Jonah-Man Jazz for the school before performing
at Hull City Hall.

A moment's sleepiness, a hole in the pocket, and lessons hopefully learned

I learned (hopefully, and never to repeat) that

1. Taking a shower after a tiring time is no protection against sleepiness when driving to work at noon.  The tiredness come from taking care of the kids in the morning this week during their term-break, and general fatique from having 2 children in general.

2. A moment of dozing off can cause an accident.  Just because I've been driving the same route for donkey years don't mean my body can drive in autocruise mode without the mind/brain being alert.

3. Despite all the thorns in life, I am still thankful to be alive, to get relatively minor damage in the form of scraping the car to the metal barrier without injuring any person or getting into an accident with other vehicles.

4. Replacement car from insurance plan have terrible smell.  It is not the smell like other cars of my friends, or even a taxi.  Just can't explain how it could have gotten it.  I had a couple of replacement cars years back when my car was knocked from behind by a taxi, and then less than 3 months later, a motorbike.  All had the same funny smell.

5. Subaru Imprezza - I'm not impressed.

6. This is about a lesson learned from previous accidents: whatever happened - always call Snowylady the soonest to tell her in person what happened.

Tree pruning requires consistent effort, but it's worth it.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,166717,00.html The New Paper, June 6, 2008 Bedok shopkeeper to estate management: Why cut down a healthy 17-year-old-tree? By Tan May Ping FOR 17 years, the mango tree grew undisturbed. The mango tree in Simpang Bedok that shopowner Gabriel Tan believes should not be chopped down. But now, it is at the centre of a conflict between a shopowner and the Management Corporation (MC) of an estate in Simpang Bedok. Mr Gabriel Tan, 52, is trying to prevent the MC of Bedok Shopping Complex from cutting down the tree. He feels they have not given a good reason to do so. The MC's lawyers recently sent a letter to Mr Tan demanding that he 'immediately cease and desist from hindering or otherwise obstructing' the contractor from felling the tree. The MC is made up of owners - elected at the annual general meeting (AGM) - who run the estate, while Kenwood Property Consultants is the estate's managing agent. On 17 May, Mr Tan said a worker approached him in his shop and asked him to remove his pickup, which was parked under the tree. He said he saw some workers with a chainsaw, and it then dawned on him that they wanted to cut down the tree. 'When I realised what they were going to do, I refused to move my vehicle,' said Mr Tan, who is authorised to speak and act on behalf of his father, who is the owner. Mr Tan has run his audio equipment business there for 12 years. He said he was told by the MC that the owner of the private house next to the tree had complained that the leaves were falling into his backyard. TNP Pictures: JONATHAN CHOO The police were called in, and it was decided that the tree should not be cut down until clarification was sought from the National Parks Board (NParks). The contractors left after an hour, said Mr Tan. He then went on the Internet and found Mr Joseph Lai, who is actively involved in the conservation of trees. He contacted Mr Lai to ask for advice on how to handle the issue. Mr Lai, a trained botanist, told The New Paper he inspected the tree and found that it was 'perfectly healthy' and posed no danger. Mr Tan sent faxes to the managing agent appealing to them not to cut down the tree. Then, on 31 May, he got a shock when he received a lawyer's letter threatening legal action if he continued to hinder the removal of the tree. The letter said the MC had approved the felling of the tree by a majority vote, and had obtained the necessary clearance from NParks. But when contacted, an NParks spokesman said its approval is not required as the tree is in a private compound, and not within a tree conservation area or on vacant land. When contacted by The New Paper, the MC chairman declined comment. The estate, which is also known as Bedok Market Place, consists of shophouses and a central marketplace. The owner of the private house next to the tree said he was surprised that the management had decided to remove the tree. The retiree, who declined to be named, said the tree had not been pruned for three years and was getting 'heavy on top'. He said he had not asked for the tree to be cut down, adding: 'Last October, I asked the MC to prune the tree. That's not the same as felling the tree. 'We have overhead electricity cables and if the branches fall on the cables, we would have no electricity until they are repaired.' Mr Tan said several businesses do not want to get involved, but gave him their support. One of them, a restaurant owner in his 40s who did not want to give his name, said it would be a waste to cut the tree down. He said: 'It gives joy to many people. During our breaks, we like to sit outside under the shade of the tree. 'The tree also bears so much fruit and you can see the smile on people's faces when they pluck the fruits.' Mr Tan said he would bring the matter up at an upcoming AGM.

Where can I order and get a nice 2kg cake by Friday morning ...

Forgot I was supposed to order it for my daughter's b'day celebration with her childcare ...

Print-To-Screen: The Chronicles of Narnia

Have yet to seen any of the movies, but I do seriously wonder how far could they stick to the original stories.

I read an article recently from Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine about the thoughts from mystery writers on their works transformed from print-to-screen.  Basically, one of them summed it up when he said to the effect of, "The novel is what belongs to you, your vision.  The film does not, it is the vision and creative work of someone else."

I guess that really settles the issue of "faithfulness" of print-to-screen.

Back to Narnia, its dramatization by major producers has no shortage of criticism, not least by Philip Pullman who himself received a lot of criticism from "Christian extremists".

I read the original Narnian novels and I have no doubt that I do not agree with some of his views.  What is more pertinent though was I recognise that some of the passages in the novels targetted the symptoms rather than the underlying causes.

As Mike Myers put it in his first movie as Austin Powers, "if we had known ... we'd have done it differently but the spirit remains the same."

So what to make of the Narnian series?

First of all, I have no apologies about it, I don't see myself as an apologist in the first place.  It is Lewis' story, not mine.  He's not around to defend himself, and I don't presume to speak for him.

But certain criticisms, like what Philip Pullman said of Susan, were simply untrue representation of the novel.  I had nothing against Pullman or his Golden Compass, but what he did here was disappointing and a lack of integrity.

What is a more significant issue though is the portrayal of the Calormen, with the original novels indicating descriptions with unmistakable inspirations from the Near/Middle East.

The moviemakers of LOTR basically glossed through this challenge when they portrayed the Easterlings and Southrons.

As human beings, nobody likes their culture or society to be stereotyped, though descriptions of smelly masses in marketplaces by portcities could well be factual (and applicable to just about any bustling port/trading city around the world).

Of course, in the first place, the Calormens were fictional, and just as fictional as Ming the Merciless who had traditionally been portrayed like a sinister Mandarin, a la Fu Manchu.

Well, I don't see the point of avoiding portrayals just for the sake of not offending people, but again, the first question is to ask what is the original message saying.

Stage and films are just interpretations of the original story, and each adaptation is almost a different story on its own from the original - that's why there's endless remakes of Shakespeare and all.

First translation published

Saturday, 31 May 2008 - Met up with two high school pals & families for dinner.  Found out that the Chinese book fair is on @ Suntec.  That reminded me that my translation was supposed to debut at the fair.

Sunday, 1 June 2008 - Visited the fair just to confirm it.  Sure enough, it was.

http://www.asiapacbooks.com/product.asp?pid=783

I also drafted the blurb on the website which was found at the backcover.

The final decision on the title to be translated from Di Zi Gui to "The Student's Code of Conduct" though was not my idea, nor was I part of the decision making.

Snowylady asked me if I felt proud of the book.

Well, proud isn't the word.  After all, I'm not the original author, nor illustrator nor extrapolator.

But it does feel good that I felt I contributed something towards setting a standard towards translating ancient Chinese teachings that might be difficult to understand or appreciate in English in today's society.  And also towards putting in references in such publications, something which was not a strong point in many Chinese publications, not just Asiapac's.

I do hope they will offer me another assignment, though Snowylady does not.

I also hope to be able to come up with my own work for publication, starting with something similar along the lines of their current product range (mainly introducing Chinese culture and history to the general public).

Anyway, I was given a few complimentary copies, so Moon, I'll keep one for you in you're still interested.  I really won't want you to buy it just because of my involvement in it, and after you're done with it, feel free to pass it off to someone else or donate it.

I do of course, welcome any feedback, comments and criticism if anyone has any to make.  It's the only way to help me improve.

Hey Indy, that doesn't happen in our country

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/printfriendly/0,4139,166184,00.html? The Electric New Paper :

Hey Indy, that doesn't happen in our country

Peruvians upset by film's glaring & insulting mistakes

MOST of Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull takes place in Peru, but many Peruvians are seeing red over the movie's many clumsy - and often insulting - mistakes about their country.

31 May 2008

MOST of Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull takes place in Peru, but many Peruvians are seeing red over the movie's many clumsy - and often insulting - mistakes about their country. Viewers in Peru cringed when the famous fictional archaeologist arrives there and announces that he learned to speak Quechua, the language of indigenous people across the Andes, when he was captured by Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. But Villa and his revolutionaries, who raided the US town of Columbus, New Mexico, in 1916, spoke Spanish, not Quechua, which is spoken by some 10million people in places like Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. 'This is outrageous,' said Mr Hugo Neyra, who heads Peru's National Library. Mr Neyra and others are also angry at seeing Mayan warriors from Central America speaking Quechua in the Peruvian jungle, where hundreds of native languages, but not Quechua, are spoken. The movie also shows quicksand, man-eating ants and enormous Hawaiian waterfalls, all of which do not exist in the Peruvian Amazonia. In what is perhaps the biggest insult, director Steven Spielberg and writer George Lucas place the Mayan pyramid of Chichen Itza, located in Mexico, in the Peruvian jungle. Another mistake: the location of the Nazca lines - which give Jones clues in the movie. Visible only from aircraft, the lines representing stylised animals are etched on a patch of coastal desert some 370km south of Lima - and not next to the Incan capital of Cuzco, smack in the southern Peruvian Andes. The Mayan civilisation thrived in southern Mexico and northern Central America between 250 and 900, while the Quechua-speaking Incas thrived across the Andes from 1200 to 1533. Historian Manuel Burga said that Spielberg and Lucas had been given bad advice. 'Even if it is fiction, there are many incorrect facts,' he said. 'This is going to be damaging to many people who do not know our country because it shows a Peruvian landscape that is not real. 'It is not possible to mistake the Amazon region with the Yucatan jungle in Mexico.' Mr Neyra said that many informed Americans and Europeans will realise that it is 'an aberration' to mix Mayan and Incan archaeology. 'They know that Machu Picchu is in Cuzco and that Chichen Itza is in Mexico,' he said. Historian Teodoro Hampe is scathing in his view of they way Americans view the geography of Latin America: 'For them, Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia or Peru are all the same.' AFP

A boy gave Snowylass flowers yesterday ...

Thanks to my wife's constant reminder, I am still the first guy to give Snowylass flowers.

But yesterday, a boy named Dillon the Gorilla (that's his nick, he likes gorillas and said he'd like to be one, and tries to imitate one) from her school got his dad to buy some flowers and gave it to MY daughter.  And said he likes her.

And Yana and Emma, 2 girlfriends (sometimes opponents) of Snowylass in her class, said Dillon wants to marry her, something he apparently didn't deny.

Well, such things aren't exactly new in her school, but it's actually the first time apparently a guy gave a girl flowers.

To other readers of my blog, know that Snowylass is only turning 5, and this is like pre-school we're talking about.

Snowylady, my wife, was with me yesterday when we fetched the kids and saw the flowers, and the boy.  And Snowylady had to point out how I am actively ignoring the whole business.

After that, Snowylass mentioned she'd like to make something nice, like a card, for Dillon.

This is too much.  I gave her countless presents and she never thought of making a card for the presents I gave her.

Snowylady said I'm jealous.

Am I?  Or am I just playing the expected role in this whole business?

They're just kids.  Little kids.

*sigh* I felt like I was served an advance warning of how things are going to be, and I just don't know how I'll behave myself when Snowylass is older.

The bright spot for me was when we asked Snowylad who attends the same pre-school whether he likes Dillon.  The answer was no.  For some reason or other, yesterday, he knocked the bigger boy down, though I couldn't get details out of when and where and why or how it happened.

Snowylad is turning 2.5 years old and has never actually hurt anyone wilfully or intentionally.

I may just have to depend on the little brother to protect his sister.

Men are no good things when it comes to girls.  I know.  I am one.

Sometimes, I think just having a daughter is payback for a man, for being a man.

A Scene from 我爱夜来香 All the Wrong Spies(1983)

It's one of those scenes from a show watched before, stuck in your mind but never in clear focus.

They used to make really funny movies in those days.

In the later segment of this clip is a scene right out of Casablanca. For years, I found myself wondering what was the song the cast in the scene were singing, and now I finally found it.

It's 《歌八百壮士》, composed during 2nd Sino-Japanese War, inspired by the events of Defense of Sihang Warehouse (四行仓库保卫战), 1937, from Oct 26 to Nov 1. The 谢团长 in the song referred to 谢晋元.

Homes in Hong Kong

From one of my favourite columnist - the budget tai-tai Tabitha Wang.

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/254147.asp

Home, sweet home 
In Hong Kong, you are where you live 
 

Topping my list of things to do the moment I touched down at Chek Lap Kok airport was to find a place to live.

Despite the dire warnings I had been given about how rents in Hong Kong are the highest in Asia, if not the world, I wasn't too worried.

Unlike in Singapore, property agents have brick-and-mortar shops here.

There is no need to wade through the classifieds to find them — they are everywhere. If an area is very popular — such as the Mid-Levels — there are rows of such shops, all displaying enticing photos in their windows. All you have to do is pick one and pop in.

But I had reckoned without a few things. One was that owners don't tie up exclusively with an agent here, which means there could be up to a dozen trying to rent you the same flat.

It may sound convenient — one agent can show you every flat available in the area if you wish — but it also means you don't get a chance to bargain prices down.

With so many agents competing, the owner is likely to choose the one who comes up with the best offer. So, most agents try to get prospective tenants to go for the flat with the highest rent.

Having dealt with nightmarishrealtors in Singapore, aggressive sales tactics were the least of my worries. The real headache was trying to decide which area to live in. It was no use asking the locals.

Don't get me wrong. It's not that they don't care. Hong Kongers are as obsessed about land as Singaporeans — perhaps more so, given how much of Hong Kong Island (the most desired piece of real estate in the Special Administrative Region) is made up of mountains so that the only build-able areas are along the coastline.

The problem is, if you ask a local where the good areas are, you never get a straight answer. Instead, he is more likely to profile you: “Hmm, you strike me as someone who likes to shop, has no children, so you don't need to be close to schools ... try Causeway Bay.”

Even strangers you have spoken to for about one second at a party will try their hand at this amateur personality profiling.

It was only after I arrived that I realised why the Hong Kong-based friends I had emailed before the move refused to commit themselves to which would be a good area to live in.

“It depends,” they had said. If pressed, they would reluctantly tell you where they are living but added quickly: “It suits me, but I don't know about you.”

Eventually, someone spelt it out for me: “Where you live says something about who you are. If you pick The Peak or Repulse Bay, you are old money. If you plumb for the Mid-Levels, you are either a new expat or an upper-middle class local. If you live in the Outlying Islands, you are either a farmer or a hippie expat.”

It finally made sense. It wasn't how much you could pay, but what sort of image you wanted to project.

I was shown flats in North Point — an area that had no recommendable qualities other than being an interchange station for even more ulu areas with flats costing as much as those in the Mid-Levels.

We have the same thing in Singapore too, don't we? Katong for old money, Marine Parade for beach-loving family types, Toa Payoh for heartlanders, Orchard Road and Tanglin for the expats — every area has a personality.

My problem now was to pick a place that would suit a laidback Katong Girl who loves bargain shopping and a city-lover who wants to be within walking distance of Central, the equivalent of our CBD.

I wanted Wan Chai, the world of Suzie Wong, with its wet markets and dark alleys selling counterfeit goods. My husband wanted somewhere in the city, as close to his office as possible.

We settled for the Mid-Levels, wheremost first-time expats end up, because it's only 10 minutes' walk to Central. So, what does it say about us?

I don't know and I don't care because the flat has a roof terrace with a view of The Peak and that's good enough for me.

Tabitha Wang loves her roof terrace, never mind that it’s grubby, hot and good only for hanging the laundry out to dry.

ST Online 2008-05-07 S'pore to be 'City of Millionaires': Barclays survey

http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_235048.html

S'pore to be 'City of Millionaires': Barclays survey

SINGAPORE will have the highest concentration of wealthy households in the world within a decade as economic expansion and the growth of its financial services industry draw investors, said Barclays Plc.
Almost 41 per cent, or 436,000, of Singapore's households will have assets of at least $1 million by 2017, compared with 39 per cent in Hong Kong and 28 per cent in Switzerland, according to a survey by Barclays Wealth, the bank's wealth management unit.

Singapore was second in 2007 with 23 per cent, while Hong Kong had 26 per cent, the report said.

Singapore's US$132 billion economy grew last quarter at the fastest pace since 2003 as tax breaks and efforts to draw banks and manufacturers to expand or set up new businesses in the city offset slowing demand for electronics. Growth is expected to moderate this year because of a US slowdown, Bloomberg news reported on Wednesday.

'It's a little premature to assume that growth will continue in a straight line, but the underlying trend remains one where Asian countries are generating plenty of economic activity and employment opportunities,' said Song Seng-Wun, an economist at CIMB-GK Securities Pte. in Singapore.

Economic growth elsewhere in Asia is also boosting wealth creation. China, the world?s fastest-growing major economy, is estimated to become the third-wealthiest nation in the world by 2017 by total net worth, lagging behind only the US and Japan, while India will be ranked eighth, according to Barclays Wealth.

'Unprecedented Wealth Creation'
'Not only are we seeing unprecedented wealth creation in Asia, but the structure of the region's economies have fundamentally changed,' Didier von Daeniken, chief executive officer of Barclays Wealth in Asia, said in a press release.

'Education, technology and globalization are driving wealth creation, resulting in a shift of economic power to the East.'

Singapore households with more than $1 million held about $672 billion in assets last year, and will grow to US$1.6 trillion by 2017, according to Barclays Wealth.

The survey takes into account assets such as cash, shares, bonds and property.

ST Online 2008-05-07 8-year-old boy robbed of handphone

http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Courts%2Band%2BCrime/STIStory_235052.html

8-year-old boy robbed of handphone
An eight-year-old boy was robbed of his $200 handphone last Sunday at 10pm.
He was returning from a trip to the provision store at Block 230 Tampines St 23, when a man accosted him and demanded to see his handphone.

The man then grabbed his handphone and ran off.

The suspect is described to be of fair complexion, 1.7m in height, and having a mole under the right side of his lip. He was wearing a cream shirt and long black pants.

Anyone with information can contact the Police at 1800-255-0000.

Reviewing my edited translation of Di Zi Gui

Got a call from AsiaPac Books today - my translation had gone through two rounds of editting, and they want me to review the current proof.

Quite excited actually, like getting back my essay or college paper and see the "marks".

Not too bad - the editors shortened several passages which I would have done too, except I was bound as a translator to render as faithful a translation to the original Chinese texts.

Wasn't given much time, I was asked to rewrite a couple of passages to shorten further to accomodate more pictures.  Meanwhile, spotted some errors which I wonder how the editor missed it.

Sometimes, looking at it though, it's like having finished a sculpture, and then being asked to go back to refine it.  Spent so much time on it the first time round, I'm actually a bit reluctant to even look at it again.

Meanwhile, the subject of actual fee hasn't been brought up.  I have in mind to use it to buy a small laptop to do more translation assignments, if any were to come my way, or submit some of my own work for publication.

Then again, Snowylady wasn't too pleased with the late nights spent of my first translation assignment, and isn't keen for me to do more.

Last week, out of the blue, a colleague dropped in while I was lunching in the pantry.  She began talking about getting more out of life, and since I'm always reading something or other during office breaks, she asked me if I considered writing professionally.

Frankly, I had many ideas about being a writer and what I could write - almost all related to history, China, and, some detective stuff.  Another thing at the back of my mind is I would do well to nurture a sideline, an alternative career, something I do not need to worry about retirement.

But it is a daunting thought - doing something "original".

Perhaps I should get better learning experience first, and stick to translations.

Zhan Guo Ce might be possible - the only English translation published seems to be by Rev Bramwell S. Bonsall, and that was almost a century ago in the 1920s.  It was a rather straight forward translation though, without annotations or commentaries to the backgrounds of the events or the entities.

Why haven't they learned gifted is ... not always gifted ...

Came across this video from Yahoo! feed on a playschool in Issaquah (Washington State, US) requiring IQ tests for its "gifted" preschool class. http://www.yahoo.com/s/874463

Watched it and saw the school's official website http://www.bkplay.com

Point made in their favour - some kids are gifted, and should receive special attention, just as kids with learning difficulty should receive a different kind of special attention.

Well, it's all up to the parents, I say.

Having kids of my own made me wish I could start and run my own school to provide a healthy and holistic environment for their learning.

And one of the things I'm not going to do is segregate kids by the measured learning abilities.

Yes, for certain classes, it would be helpful.

But classes in general, what is more important is for children to learn to interact with and accept other children of diverse abilities, temperaments, and backgrounds.

To learn to communicate and express themselves effectively and humanely to those who think alike and to those who think different.

To learn to recognise strengths and weakness in themselves and in different people, and to work together to strengthen each other, complement each other, and bring out the best in each other.

I believe in the process of helping each other, they learn more important life skills than being able to master thousands of vocabulary words at a young age or other specific technical skills.

Not only should they learn to learn, learn discipline and tenacity, but they also learn to work with all kinds of people, those who are similar and those who are different.  It's EQ, and it's more than EQ.

I'm not against going to elite universities - I just feel that there're more important lessons and skills to learn when one is younger, or rather, especially when one is younger.

Aoi Usagi (碧いうさぎ), opening theme of Hoshi no Kinka (星の金貨), aka Heaven's Coins

Aoi Usagi (碧いうさぎ), literally "Blue Rabbit", performed by Noriko Sakai (酒井法子), and used as opening theme of the J-Drama Hoshi no Kinka (星の金貨), better known in Singapore in the mid 1990s as Heaven's Coins.

The show about a love triangle between a deaf nurse and two handsome doctor brothers (actually, only the younger brother acted by Takenouchi Yutaka is handsome), spawned a craze in Japan to learn sign language.

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/index.php?title=Aoi_Usagi&redirect=no
Lyrics
あとどれくらい 切なくなれば
ato dore kurai setsunaku nareba
あなたの声が聴こえるかしら
anata no koe ga kikoeru kashira
なにげない言葉を瞳合わせて ただ静かに
nani ge nai kotoba wo hitomi awasete tada shizukani
交わせるだけでいい
kawaseru dake de ii
他にはなんにもいらない
hoka ni wa nanni mo iranai

碧いうさぎ ずっと待ってる
aoi usagi zutto matteru
独りきりで震えながら
hitorikiri de furuenagara
淋しすぎて 死んでしまうわ
samishisugite shindeshimau wa
早く暖めて欲しい
hayaku atatamete hoshii

あとどれくらい 傷ついたなら
ato dore kurai kizu tsuita nara
あなたに辿りつけるのかしら
anata ni tadori tsukeru no kashira
洗いたてのシャツの匂いに抱きすくめられたら
araitate no shatsu no nioi ni daki sukumeraretara
痛みも悲しみも
itami mo kanashimi mo
すべてが流れて消えるわ
subete ga nagarete kieru wa

碧いうさぎ 鳴いているのよ
aoi usagi naiteiru no yo
そう あなたに聴こえるように
sou anata ni kikoeru you ni
たとえ ずっと届かなくても
tatoe zutto todokanakute mo
永遠に愛しているわ
eien ni aishiteiru wa

碧いうさぎ
aoi usagi
宇宙を翔けてく
sora wo kaketeku
心照らす光放ち
kokoro terasu hikari hanachi
愛の花に夢をふりまき 明日へと Ah
ai no hana ni yume wo furimaki ashita he to Ah

碧いうさぎ 祈り続ける
aoi usagi inori tsuzukeru
どこかに居るあなたのため
doko ka ni iru anata no tame
今の二人 救えるものは
ima no futari sukueru mono wa
きっと真実だけだから
kitto shinjitsu dake dakara


[edit]Translation
Blue Rabbit*



How much longer until my suffering is over?
Perhaps, Darling, I can hear your voice?
I turn my eyes toward your casually spoken words
If we were only to exchange our thoughts in silence
That would be fine—that would be all that I need



Blue rabbit, I’ve been waiting for you all this time
All alone and shivering in the cold
So lonely I feel I could die
Hurry, please warm me up with your love



How much longer must I endure this pain?
Perhaps, Darling, I can follow after you?
The smell of your freshly washed shirt could envelop and rescue me
My pain and sorrow—everything will be washed away



Blue rabbit, I’m screaming so loud!
I want you, Darling, to be able to hear me
Even if I never get to tell you directly
I love you, Darling, forever and ever!



Blue rabbit, gliding across the sky
You release the light of my heart to shine
As love’s flower blossoms into my dream of tomorrow and beyond!



Blue rabbit, I continue to pray
Wherever you are, for your sake, Darling
Because the two of us, who once were lost but now are saved
Absolutely saved by true love



The blue rabbit comes from Japanese folk mythology, handed down to children from their parents.

The rabbit lives on the moon—and at night, if you look closely, you can see the rabbit, blue in
the moonlight, making mochi (traditional Japanese rice cake).

My pet wikipedia causes

Wikipedia?  Among some circles, the very mention of it elicit a raised brow in the least, if not utter contempt and denial of its existence.

Well, for me though, it is a great opportunity to recapture some nostalgic memories of childhood - creating and updating information about some of the best series of books I read: Three Investigators, Race Against Time, Agent 13™, A Wizard in Rhyme and more. 

And it’s not just childhood nostalgia.  Since I've taken to updating info about the detective series Case Closed, better known in Singapore as Detective Conan, I've been picking up some Japanese language in the process too, at least where names of people are concerned.

I could have captured on these on my own webpage too, but it's just too much trouble compared to using wiki.  Besides, using wiki is a good way of 抛砖引玉 to entice other fans around the world on-line to contribute what I might not have.  Though wiki requires me to refrain from inputting personal thoughts about it, I could always do it on my own blogs.

I don't work too hard for some series, like Three Investigators, Hardy Boys and Biggles, which already got strong presence online.

To date, I must say I did a fairly good job for A Wizard in Rhyme, Race Against Time and Agent 13™, though I really wish I have more info.

These are series which have not been reprinted since their initial publications, and IMO, would be a pity if lost to time.

I stopped work on A Wizard in Rhyme series after book 5 - the series jumped the shark then and I couldn't muster enough interest to continue.

Only 2 volumes from Race Against Time is missing, and that's because I can't get hold of the books.

I got all 3 novels of Agent 13™, but I do wish to get hold too of its SSI accessories as well as graphic novels.  I skimmed through the graphic novels when it was published, but couldn't afford to buy.  Great artwork.  Not Alan Moore stuff, just a lot of fun with pulp era.

And Chinese history ... oh yes, did some of those too, but didn't want to get sucked into another biggy.

How to copy a clip from DVD?

Got my hands on the DVD of Some Kind of Wonderful but found the record function in Real Player disabled when running it.

I really wanted to copy the clip of "Can't Help Falling In Love" at the closing scene.

Anyone got any ideas?

Oppose extremism and mindlessness

http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2008/04/nationalists-paris-torch-relay-hero-now-a-traitor/

Hero to Traitor: The Difference a Day Makes

After excoriating a respected news editor for advocating greater freedom of speech and venting their anger on a Chinese student at Duke University for trying to promote dialogue between pro-China and pro-Tibet protestors, Chinese nationalists have turned their sights on a new, and frankly shocking, target: Jin Jing, the wheelchair-bound fencer declared a national hero last week after using her frail body to protect the Olympic flame from protesters in Paris. Jin’s crime? Expressing doubts over plans for a boycott of French retailer Carrefour–a boycott motivated in large part by the treatment she received in Paris.

Lanzhou-based blogger Liang Fafu wrote a post examining the nationalists’ demonization of Jin. Liang’s commentary is no longer available on his blog but has been re-posted by someone at 6571.net. Translated by CDT:

Below is a news item:

2008-04-16 14:24:00 Source: Xinmin.cn. Netizen Comments: 480. Summary: Olympic torch bearer Jin Jing has publicly said she hopes netizens will be prudent in handling calls to boycott Carrefour as the first victims of such a boycott are likely to be the many Chinese who work for Carrefour.

Below is some of the commentary from netizens:

Netizen from Jinan, Shandong: “Jin Jing is bullshit! Speaking on behalf of Carrefour. I think she’s a traitor.”

Netizen from Beijing: “Torch bearer Jin Jing, I earnestly request you to shut your mouth. You’ve done your duty already. Don’t go around making irresponsible remarks. First she’s missing a leg, now she’s missing a brain.”

Netizen from Dalian: “This c*nt’s attitude is the same one the Qing rulers had after the Eight Allied Forces came. What was the result then? Are you capable of representing the Great Han Race? Do you what you’re supposed to do!”

Netizen from Chengdu: “Someone goes to France once and it’s like she thinks she’s French. Jin Jing speaks with the voice of an utterly brainless evil-eyed wolf traitor. No wonder her original work unit wanted to get rid of her.”

Netizen from Jiangmen, Guangdong: “Jin Jing??? A cultureless, brainless stupid c*nt!!! And she’s a torch bearer…I demand we rip the torch from her hands!!!”

Look at the face of these nationalists. A few days ago, Jin Jing was a hero because of her courage in the face of attacks from [splittists], but today she becomes a traitor because her conscience led her to point out reality: a boycott of Carrefour will harm the Chinese people who work there. Even if she’s wrong, it’s her right to freely express what she thinks. Why curse her so crudely?

In my opinion, the harm done to her here is worse by far than the harm done her by the [splittists]. These nationalists are attacking her for her handicap, launching inhumane personal assaults on her.

In the eyes of the nationalists, Chinese workers losing their jobs—losing the money they need to support their families—is a matter of no consequence. For love of country, everybody should be willing to starve to death before going to work for a foreign company. This leaves me speechless.

To use such cutting rhetoric to attack a handicapped girl, to assault her on the basis of her handicap—－where has these nationalists’ humanity gone? As long as you love your country, it’s OK to dispense with humanity, dispense with basic respect for other people, dispense with basic respect for the dignity and spirit of a handicapped girl?

From this you can see just what kind of thing a nationalist is.

Ironically, the New York Times has just run a long piece on China’s love for Jin Jing: “Sympathy on the Streets, But Not for the Tibetans“

Breaking the rules for the casinos - a real story of the Camel's Nose

For the fable of the Camel's Nose, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel%27s_nose

http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_231054.html

April 26, 2008

Smoking to be allowed at S'pore's casino gaming halls

Separate areas to be required for smokers and non-smokers

By Jermyn Chow

CASINOS here will be one of the last holdouts for smokers who want to light up indoors, when they start operating from the end of next year.

The Government has decided to leave gaming halls out of a nationwide ban on smoking in indoor public spaces, which is being rolled out in the next few years.

But the two integrated resorts (IR) will be required to draw up 'house rules' to protect non-smokers.

This is likely to mean providing separate smoking and non-smoking gaming areas, as is the case in Australia.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) will give its input in the making of the house rules, its spokesman told The Straits Times.

NEA would not say if there would be a cap on the amount of space to be set aside for smokers. The no-smoking rule will, however, apply in all other parts of the IRs, including restaurants and bars.

The reprieve is good news for casino operators - as many as 85 per cent of gamblers tend to be smokers as well, according to some industry estimates.

Gambling havens like Macau do not have rules regarding smoking, though some casinos provide non-smoking gaming floors.

Others are stricter. Just three days ago in the United States, Atlantic City finally pushed through legislation to ban smoking in its 11 casinos from October, though some casino operators are fighting back.

The industry claims such a move could cost it 20 per cent of revenue and put up to 3,400 people out of jobs.

The decision to exclude casinos here from the indoor smoking ban comes after almost a year of talks between NEA and the IRs, The Straits Times understands.

But the IR operators are keeping their cards close to their chests with regard to their plans on house rules.

A spokesman for Resorts World at Sentosa would say only that it has made plans to separate its smoking and non-smoking gaming areas.

'Our casino would be designed in a way that guests could access smoking areas that are both comfortable and convenient,' he added.

Its competitor, Marina Bay Sands, also declined to elaborate on its plans.

But one industry veteran, Mr Ramachandar Siva, who ran the casino in Genting Highlands in Malaysia for 10 years, said one option would be to create a 'buffer zone'.

In 1995, when Genting hived off a third of its gaming area for non-smokers, a restaurant separated the two zones, he said.

Glass walls or partitions could also be used, said Mr Ramachandar, now the head of vocational casino school International Club Games Training Centre.

Smoking restrictions here have been extended gradually since 1970. Lighting up is now banned in all air-conditioned buildings, including offices and malls. Nightspots have stubbed it out too, except in specially ventilated smoking rooms, and al-fresco outlets restrict smoking to 20 per cent of the floor space.

Non-air-conditioned workplaces and public areas, including playgrounds, markets and multi-storey carparks, go smoke-free in January.

The exception being granted to casinos has prompted some to question the double standards.

Mr Dennis Foo, chief executive officer of St James Power Station, said that it gave casinos an 'upper hand', especially if gaming floors had lounges or bars serving food and alcohol.

jermync@sph.com.sg