Life's little snippets

New website

2006-05-19T03:02:00.000+01:00

After the long silence, i've decided to move my blogs to one site.

http://shanglee.com

i'm still tweaking the site a little, but most of all previous posts are there. some are even updated! no prize for those who find it though. ;) please also let me know if there are any broken links!

Remember to update your links!

Can I help you with something else?

2006-05-11T12:17:00.000+01:00

This is a rant (just so you know). My internet connection in Malaysia is not working. The modem seems to be out. A technician was suppose to come round. He arrived on Monday without letting anyone know. Naturally, Murphy's law dictates that no one was at home to "welcome" him and he left a note saying he was there. Does he expect me to be there 24/7 to wait for him?!!...(click here for the rest of the rant)

He left a direct number which I've called several times, nobody answer. Called the customer service centre, and they tried to call him as well. No answer. Told me they'll assign another technician. I asked them when can I expect him/her? They say dunno.

"Just give me a timeframe"

"Sorry, i don't really know"

"Is it going to be days? Weeks? Months?"

"er... just wait for the technician's call" and for the killer statement... "can i help you with something else?"

I was like, you can't even help me with this and you want to help me with something else?!! No !@#$%ing way!! just go !@#$ yourself.. which translated through the phone as "no thanks." and we hung up.

that was since monday. today, i went to a branch they set up near by, and see if I have better luck there. the branch only deal with sales, not servicing. fine. then there's this big poster saying the services they provide. since i'm looking for a web hoster, i thought i ask what's their going rate. i don't actually want them as a hoster given their track record, but i thought i find out the price anyway.

"sorry, we don't do hosting" and what's the big !@#$ing sign behind there for?!!

tm.net or streamyx, if you see this, shame on you! to be fair, the people i spoke to were quite friendly.

Have you seen Water lately?

2006-05-06T01:27:00.000+01:00

The most understated and most valuable... have you seen Water lately?

I was at a fountain similar to this pic (without such a pose!). I sat at a bench right at the bottom of the fountain, facing a wall with waters streaming down it's rough surface. Around me were kids playing with the water - kids climbing up the wall to get to where the fountain was spurting out; a kid trying to force the spurting water down (exercising control over water?); kids kicking and splashing water at each other - kids just generally having fun. Have you had fun with water lately?...(click here for more)

Sitting there was quite a bliss. The sound of the streaming water, although artificial, was still very soothing. And since I was in a low seating area where the surrounding was walled off, all other noise was cut off, except the "music" from the fountain.

I haven't noticed the beauty of water for a while. When I first got back to this part of the world (Singapore being the first stop), I actually ran in the rain! It was out of necessity rather than planned. We didn't have an umbrella with us and we were already very close to home. It felt really good as you crossed the little streams running through the roads. The warm water streaming down your face as you enjoy one of nature's most precious. I fell ill the next day.

Water, as life giving as it is, it's also a common cause of problems. Forget about the Malaysia-Singapore's constant bickering about it, too much of water is bad for you, too little is not good either.

But there's one thing I tend to forget about water - the beauty of it. I'm not talking about the intrinsic beauty of it. It's the beauty it generates in others. Like the joy it brings to kids and the calmness it brings to adults. Just like water's other cousin - snow.

So.. have you notice water lately? Try giving it some of your time the next time you see it. It's all around you if you are struggling to find it! Like the tap you turn on everyday, the glass you drink from everyday, the shower you take everyday (for some people!), the rain you try to avoid everyday. Maybe it'll give you a different perspective on life itself. Just try not to fall sick! But if you do, I recommend a good antidote... drink lots of water!

Categories:

5.30 in the morning...

2006-05-04T02:09:00.000+01:00

It's 5.30am. My watch alarm rang. turned it off. and then my other alarm clock rang, which i have to get up, walk over and switch it off. Time to wake up i guess. Maybe i should try the method of how to get up right away when the alarm clock goes off, as proposed by Steve Pavlina. Or maybe it's just too early. But i've made a "date" with my Tai Ji teacher at 6am.

Fumbling about to get dressed and bring water, I slowly made my way to the MRT station (which is Singapore's equivalent of the London tube, only much better!). I've only got 2 stops to go, so I didn't mind standing, but I was surprised that the MRT is fully seated at this hour, it's not even 6am!

Another culture shock for me I guess. I wonder if i shocked them with me wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts while most of them are in office clothings or school uniforms. I know I didn't (shock them) because most of them had their eyes closed and head drooping. Only those standing were mildly awake. Guess the body needs to do what it needs to do, no matter how strong the mind is!

Categories:

A strange conversation

2006-05-02T02:57:00.000+01:00

We arrived at a Japanese restaurant serving one of those conveyor belt type food (yuck! but the wife likes it, sigh...). Someone came over and the conversation went like this...

waitress: Alakar or buffet?

us: er... we want to sit there..

waitress: A la carte or buffet?

us: oh.. what's the difference? ...(click here for the rest of the conversation)

waitress: (handing us the menus for the different options) here you go. Alacar you can choose this this and this. Buffet is anything on the belt.

wife: can we sit there? (the table has four chairs near the converyor belt)

waitress: Only if you have 4 people during peak hours.

me: is now peak hour? (it's 12pm on saturday, i thought i ask)

waitress: yes

me: ok, we'll sit by the conveyor belt. (and after sitting down...) we'll have a la carte.

waitress: i'll take the menu from you. (after a few seconds...) actually if you're going a la carte you can sit at the 2 person table and we can bring your food to you.

us: (looking at each other in perplex, we stood up) ok.

That was (almost) the exact conversation that took place. After sitting down, I did think why the process for sitting down was SOooo difficult. I just want to sit down and eat! I don't want to understand your whole business process and requirements - like designated sitting area, how you price your food, what are the differences between a la carte and buffet, your peak and non-peak hours etc. Of course I could have answered her first question and probably that might be easier. I was thinking more of "let me sit down and decide", which i think is a perfectly sensible strategy. After all, it's lunch time, i would rather grab a seat first!

If any of you own your own business, or if you have the power to influence or change a business design or decision, please... KEEP THINGS SIMPLE! Remember what you're trying to do. Remember what product and service you're trying to provide. Remember what's the main purpose of the product or service. For example, the purpose of a restaurant is to sit down and eat. Not stand, wait, understand, decide, sit, realise wrong "business" decision, understand, rant, stand, move, sit.

And don't get me started on the food... oh, did i mention i don't like sushi?! ;) just the raw stuff. always doesn't sit well with my tummy. I'll need more of those to build up the immune system.

Categories:

Just park further

2006-04-29T15:32:00.000+01:00

I've recently been quite wary of buffet style food offerings (it's about food again!). With the "eat only what you need" mantra in my mind, buffet style seems to go against the very grain of that mantra. It encourages eating a lot, and you don't care what you eat, just so you eat a lot, or try the lot. If you need further reasons not to go for buffet, it encourages waste because you're paying for excesses which most likely you don't need.

Not convinced? How much of the food does it come out the other end? Certainly not the same amount as that went in! much much less. Now.. the food don't just disappear, they appear elsewhere. My tale of indigestion in Bak Kut Teh has said enough about this.

If you need inspiration to start exercising, maybe this post might help you. Still too difficult? Take the public transport! It'll force you to walk a longer distance to get to where you want. Plus, you're helping the environment by having less cars on the road. You don't even have to contend with the traffic. No more cursing in the car.

If you really need to take your car, just park further. At a grocery store today (a place more affordable than Orchard Road in Singapore!), there were plenty of cars contending with the parking space nearest to the store! Those cars were causing a lot of fumes both inside the car and outside the car, not to mention the congested traffic. Just one row down, there are much more car parking spaces, less cars to contend with, no traffic jam. And it's only one row down! So please, just park further, it'll help walk off the extra food if you did go for a buffet lunch/dinner.

Categories:

A little indulgence

2006-04-28T02:37:00.000+01:00

Nintendo revolution. The new Nintendo console. It's going to change the way games are played. Just as how Brain Age is getting popular because of its unique gaming experience, to test the age of your brain! The trick is to have games that everyone can play, not just the regular gamers, but your aunt, your uncle, your nanny, your grandpa, your grandson... And not just play, but play together.

Hopefully I'll have a job to afford one when it comes out. If only i am as "pretty" as xiaxue to merit an invite to a gadget launch and a free gadget!! (she got a free Creative Zen Vision M as a blogger! envious... )

The new console is going to be called Wii pronounced as We. Check out the website.

Categories:

tech

Another food blog

2006-04-27T04:57:00.000+01:00

Why the obsession over food these days? Choosing the "food" category from the drop down list at the right, i've got 3 food related articles in the past 10 days alone! Must be the sudden drop in food intake that's making me crave for more! Since I can't get enough of it through the mouth, I might as well let it out of the mouth, as words of course!

A very unlikely source of food related article came from a book i'm currently reading, Education and Peace by Maria Montessori. She drew an analogy using food with why we don't recognise peace as it is but need to refer peace as the victory after war. She started off saying it's surprising to see the science of war so advanced, and yet there's no such thing as the science of peace (i've read that sentence so many times, it strike me with such resonance...).

Without digressing too much into the war and peace argument (this is about food after all!) it took mankind a very high death toll to realise that the cause of epidemics is not another man (someone to blame, just like in a war), but a disease, caused by none other than mankind's greed - eating too much. That's why the focus has shifted from over indulgence to eating only what's necessary. From eating anything under the sun, to eating hygenically. From racing to the death to racing for life!

So in a way, I carry with me mankind's greed from ancient times. I find myself very grateful to have also carried along the lessons learnt from ancient times, that eating too much will kill you! Please eat sensibly, and remember to exercise.

Categories:

food
society

The good food guide

2006-04-26T12:22:00.000+01:00

After writing how to find good teachers in my Tai Ji blog, I thought i can extend the same logic in looking for good food. So here goes... signs of good food:

A. lots of people eating it
Power of numbers. Lots of people eating it must be good right? Or the chef's marketing technique must be superb!

B. lots of regulars eating it
If people come back for more, it must say something about the food!

C. a diverse lot of people eating them
Different people has different taste. If one particular food can cater to all the different palette out there, it must be really good!

D. it tastes good to you regardless of what others say
The ultimate test, you must like the food. If you don't, what others say don't matter!

E. it sits well with your tummy
This goes without saying...

Categories:

food
guide

Everyone is a changemaker

2006-04-25T01:33:00.000+01:00

I heard a story yesterday which I would like to share with you. I met a principal of a school and chatted with him for a while. I asked him what made him choose to start his school when his first choice was becoming a priest!. His story went like this...

"I was crossing the road at the traffic lights and saw a blind man. I thought of leading the blind man across the road but I said to myself, maybe someone else will do it. The next day, I met the same man wanting to cross the road. So I said to myself, maybe he will feel insulted if I help him. And the same blind man appeared again the next day. Right, (I said to myself), if you're going to help him, help him now. Just because you're there. You don't need to come up with any more excuses.

So he helped him cross the road, and founded a school for the disabled. It was not done immediately, but over the past 5 years, his school has been growing. His school now is training teachers to help and identify students with special needs. Go on to say that everyone of us has a choice to change the society for the better. Inspired by an article in Innovations, I've adapted a title from an article in there... Everyone is a Changemaker.

Categories:

inspire

Search, don't learn

2006-04-24T10:56:00.000+01:00

You may have noticed that my blog page has changed a little bit. I've added another column to show off some of the books I read and also an advertisement column to see if there's actually money to be made here!

I found out that it was quite difficult to do a 3 column page, without learning the programming language required. And guess how I eventually did it? Relentless search!! It's not so much what you know these days, it's whether you know how to look for your answer. I've managed to find a site with the code readily available, just copy and paste. Then there was some bug which I can't quite seem to get rid off. I was scrolling through the code to find the bug, and guess where the solution came from? Searching for it! I wished I would have searched for it earlier, as others already knew about the bug and a solution was already in place.

I've blogged about not requiring the dictionary anymore (see The A to Z song). We don't even need to know the phonetics in the dictionary to find out how to pronounce that particular word. Just search the word and an audio clip will let you know how to pronounce it!

I've known an IT friend who's first call when faced with a PC problem, is to Google it. And an IT specialist might do the same and charge you for it! So the next time you have a problem with your PC, google it first before you call the engineer. You might find the solution quicker than going through the merry-go-round that is the call centre... "Please press 1 if the answer is not here, press 2 if you're not paying for your answer, press 3 to speak to another answering machine..."

Categories:

learn
tech

Money money money

2006-04-22T07:21:00.000+01:00

Reason for me wanting money: to tell me that I can make it. Reason for most people wanting money: to tell others that they can make it. Which camp are you in?

Categories:

money
think

Being idle

2006-04-21T02:08:00.000+01:00

So you want to be idle? To escape from doing the daily grind of what is more commonly known as "work"? Work takes up half of our lives (if not more) and yet it has such negative subtone to it. I normally hear "Oh.. i've got to go to work" and very seldom hear an upbeat version of "Yay! I'm working on Monday!". If work carries such disgust with it, why are we still doing it? Why are we dedicating the best part of our lives to it when we could be doing something else more meaningful?... (think of your answer before you click here for more)

Is money your main reason for working?

I've not been at work for 4 weeks now, and the temptation to look for any job is very big. It's getting bigger everyday because when you're not working, you're spending! I could stay at home all day but staying at home everyday will just drive me nuts. The telly can only keep me occupied for so long before I feel dumber and dumber everyday. Same goes for the internet, you can only surf for so long...

So, all the technology cannot keep me indoors. What about outdoors? Ignoring food, you need money to book courts, to meet people at cafes, to get from A to B, to go to the cinemas. Of course, I can start jogging, which gets me from A to B and I do not need to book a jogging track, but that's besides the point (can you jog all day?!!).

With all these activities, and the bills that's going to come, work is a very serious contender for my time because with work, i'll be able to buy the things I want and pay for the bills. That'll leave me with less time with the indoor and outdoor activities that I really like. Is there really no compromise to this?

The reason I'm resisting temptation to get a job, any job, is that I feel this might be the only time in my life I can get to reassess my work life. In that sense, I consider myself very lucky to have this opportunity to look for something I really want to do, to be able to say "Yay! I'm working now!".

Back to the question of why we're doing work.. is it really for the money? During these weeks when I'm not working, I feel it's actually more of the security of the money that's coming in rather than for the money itself. I feel sad and disappointed to use money as my driver for work, yet money problems are very real. You need work to actually tell you that your life is sorted. Does this feel wrong to you? Work so that you can live?

I want to live and make work work for me, let work be part of my life and not that which drives my life. I'm still on the path of discovery. I hope you'll get your chance to discover your own path as well, the true path. Sometimes, it's just a case of creating your own chances... ;) Good luck to both of us!

Categories:

Eat slowly!

2006-04-20T06:42:00.000+01:00

I've been in Malaysia/Singapore almost 3 weeks having moved from Scotland. Spent most of the first 2 weeks recovering from fever and indigestion. It's like the climate here is rejecting me! Trying to flush me out of the system... Of course, I fought back, using a method inspired by Mahatma Ghandi - abstaining from food. Ok, not that extreme, but I did cut down on my diet.

There were plenty of times that I wanted to eat more than what I've been eating. And to eat the things I want to eat. Doctor said I should stay away from dairy products, spicy food and sour food - which just about remove all the most "interesting" food! It does make me wonder how much do we actually need to eat?...(click here to read more)

I'm lucky that I'm not struggling to get my 3 meals a day. In fact, I can afford to eat more than 3 meals a day, and plenty of sides with them! Being forced to maintain a simpler diet does make me question how much do I actually need to eat everyday?

I don't expend plenty of energy during the day. Now that I'm not working, my brain activity has reduced (which I was told is a significant energy drainer!). As for physical activities, apart from my daily Tai Ji in the morning, I've got the occasional badminton and table tennis in the evenings. Nothing back breaking. So, how much do I really need to eat?

I've been experimenting with less food everyday, just to see how long I can last before hunger hits. I'm actually surprised that I can do with much much less than I used to eat! Almost half as much. Maybe it's the change in climate where a warmer climate does not need that much food to keep the core temperature up.

However, I have to say that most of the reason I eat more than I need is psychological! I don't need the chocolate fudge cake at the end of the meal, that's just too much. I don't need to eat at 11 o'clock at night, just go to bed! And sometimes when I do eat, I choose to eat more than what I intended because of all the temptations placed on the table!

So, I guess I can actually choose to eat less, but my toungue tells me otherwise. I can remove all the temptations on the table, but that'll be just rude to the others around the table. So, torn between heart and logic, is there no solution to this?

Inspired by a book i've read called "Slow", maybe we can slow down our food intake. This will let the tongue savour the taste longer and will also allow the food taken to be fully digested before more is taken in. We are actually allowing the stomach a chance to put up the sign saying "FULL" when it's full, not when it's almost full but a lot more is coming down the throat but got stuck in the digestive traffic.

If you do try this, let me know if it does work. Just don't eat when you're really hungry. Eat at the same time you ate yesterday, the same time as everyday.

Categories:

Starting something new

2006-04-17T14:09:00.000+01:00

Starting something new has its own challenges. My post on Starting to learn Tai Ji might give you some idea on how to go about it. Although it stemmed from my tai ji practice, I think it's probably helpful in anything you're thinking of starting. Do check it out and let me know. :)

Categories:

Bak kut teh

2006-04-16T12:20:00.000+01:00

Food is a BIG thing in Malaysia. Ask anyone about a particular food say "bak kut teh" or "roti canai", and they'll be able to tell you where's the best place for it. Lost for an inspiration? They'll recommend something they like best, or a new place, or food they haven't had for a long time so that they can go join you as well!...(click here for more)

Coming back to food heaven, you just can't resist stuffing yourself. The temptation is everywhere, the taste palette is being expanded, so is the waist line. The exercise I'm trying to do is just insufficient to keep up with the calories intake. No wonder obesity is a problem.

Ok, obesity is not the problem, I am the problem. Obesity is just the side effect. Stage 1 - acceptance of problem. I give in to the temptations of food. But my mum always say, don't waste food. Of course, I selectively not waste specific food over others, like chocolate over bitter melon.

Ok, mum's words of wisdom is not wise when applied selectively. Back to Stage 1, acceptance of problem. I can't seem to escape Stage 1, how shall I proceed on to Stage 2 - solving the problem? Incidentally, with one stroke of luck/curse, a solution presented itself which bypassed both Stage 1 and Stage 2 - i'm having food indigestion. Great, just what I need to resist temptations.

Sometimes, we just need something to kick start breaking a particular habit, like eating too much, or exercising too little. We know the signs - expanding waist line, trouble walking up the stairs, trousers not fitting, bragging about how active I once was etc... We see these signs coming as well, yet we choose to ignore them, or procastinate as long as we can, hoping the problem will just go away.

I guess the problems will not go away as what's referred to as problems are actually side effects of the main problem - me. I need to change first before tackling the "problems". The "lucky" ones, like me, will have indigestion, something mild that can't kill you, yet. The unlucky ones will have something they couldn't recover from, e.g. lung cancer from smoking, a stroke, or a fatal heart attack.

So, choose life, and make your own kick-start before something else make it for you!

Categories:

Plugging in

2006-04-10T12:48:00.000+01:00

Things I've taken for granted...

having an internet connection
having a bank account
having a mobile phone
knowing how to get from point A to point B
able to borrow a book from the local library

As I plug into the system one by one, it's only then I realise how important these things are. No internet connection - no email, no blog, no checking how much i've strained the credit card (!). No bank account - might be a good thing. No mobile phone - maybe not that essential (although i've got plenty of people telling me otherwise!). Not knowing how to get from point A to point B... i guess i'll just stay at home then, which is easy on the bank account and the credit card, but no help if i'm just a bummer at home, a bummer with no internet connection! Not able to borrow a book from the local library - BAD!

At least i'm plugging in to an existing household system. Some existing essentials are already plugged in for me, like electricity, gas, water, fridge, pots and pans etc. But i had a hard time finding that Panadol in the middle of the night when you really need it! (still getting use to the weather here...)

Categories:

Missing monday morning blues

2006-03-27T16:53:00.000+01:00

No alarm to give you a fright after the weekend has ended - in fact, the weekend hasn't ended! The usual Monday morning blues are missing. No more thinking "just a few more minutes in bed" to find out that i'm more than an hour late for work! No more staggering to the toilet with the eyes closed. No more rushing about to hunt for that shirt, the same shirt that I should have ironed the night before! No more skipping breakfast, or gobbling down that toast just to make up for lost time. No more burnt tongue trying to swallow that cup of tea. No more speeding past old ladies who are doing 20 miles an hour and hasn't got a care in the world. After all that rushing, the computer at the office seemed to take an eternity to boot up - of course, that's gone as well.

All i had this morning was making breakfast with the wife. Read a few pages of a book, made my way to the bus stop and sat at the top of the double decker bus, enjoying the views as the bus driver took us into Edinburgh city centre.

Shopping on a weekday is great! There are no one there to battle through just to look at the book or CD. The clothes are nicely laid out, still unmolested by the daily patrons. The fitting rooms are empty. No queue for the fitting room or the pay counter. Plus, i don't have to feel that i'm always in the way, like me being in a kitchen.

The weekend may not end for a while, but the feeling is good so far! just hope i don't deplete my semi-retirement funds too soon!

Categories:

life
change

Where opportunity lies

2006-03-25T23:30:00.000+00:00

Out of clutter, find simplicity.
From discord, find harmony.
In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.

- Albert Einstein

Categories:

Catching up

2006-03-22T11:08:00.000+00:00

Have you got a mentor? A guide in life that you want to aspire to? Have you got an eye on that manager's position for some time now but you are still unable to fit into that position? Do you feel like you're trying to catch up with that someone just so you can actually BE more like that someone, be it a mentor, a position, a competitor, a friend, someone you love, or even someone you hate? Do you feel tired playing catch up? (click her for more)

A sportsman trains hard so that he can beat that champion who was just faster or stronger the last time. An employee works harder than the next person so that she can reach the next rung on the corporate ladder. A boyfriend spends more time and effort with that someone special so that he can fend off all competition and be the ultimate winner. A friend tries to catch up with another friend with what's going on with her life and find out if they're still on the same wavelength. A parent tries to find out what his son is up to so that he still recognises his son. Does any of these apply to you?

We all find ourselves catching up with someone at some point in life, whether we do it consciously or not. This is sometimes a good thing, as only by trying to catch up will we actually improve ourselves. The flip side of catching up is summed up by a common Chinese proverb - there will always be a higher mountain. Put it differently, will you ever know that you have caught up? by following the exact same path as a predecessor, will you end up at the same point on the mountain? or worse, when you think you've caught up, what if you find yourself climbing the wrong mountain?

I was working late one night when a very senior manager came over and asked about my work. He went on to ask if it was really necessary that i worked late that night (he is a really nice boss!). What I remembered from the conversation with him was an advice he gave me - always choose your battle.

Some battles are worth fighting for. Some are not. Not all battles are meant to be won. Victory for a battle may not mean victory for you.

By playing catch up with someone, you're setting yourself a goal, and that goal post is fixed in your mind. The person may have moved on, but you still cling on to that imaginary goal post. You will battle your way through so that you eventually (and hopefully) end up in a place you want to be.

I think setting up a goal post is important. You have to know where you want to shoot the ball. But we can only use that goal post as a guide, and not as an end. We've heard of the saying "the journey is more important than the goal". I believe the choice of journey is more important than being in any journey. It's not just about enjoying the journey or keeping calm in the journey while battling hard. The journey itself is an important choice. The path will always need to be reassessed according to yourself. Your level of maturity may have changed, your thought process may have changed, your perception of life and the world may have changed, the environment may have changed. You will have to look at your current path and see whether this is still the path you want to walk on.

Remember, you have a choice. You always have a choice. So choose your battle, and don't just play catch up.

Categories:

inspire
life

Little green man

2006-03-20T20:13:00.000+00:00

Would you wait for the little green man to show before you cross the road? Or would you cross the road regardless of whether the green man is there to take you across?

I witnessed an incident when I was heading back today. 3 girls were crossing the road. 1 of them was already on the other side, and she was frantically screaming her head off asking the other 2 to cross. There were no cars, but the 2 just refused to cross until the green man appeared. There was another round of sounding when they eventually got to the other side. She must be really frustrated. (click here for more)

The 2 that refused to cross sound like sensible people. It is your upbringing that provides you with the patience to actually wait for the green man to appear. I applaud the patience that they have because I would have crossed the road already if I were in their position. I won't be screaming my head off at others who hasn't crossed though. I'm not one of those (or so I hope!) that cars hate because they're crossing at the wrong moment and waited too late. However, how much do you rely on the little green man to cross the road?

If you are one of those who wait for the green man to appear before you cross the road, do you look left and right after the green man appears? Or do you just cross as the green man appears? Not looking both ways before you cross is definitely a dangerous thing to do, even if the light is green. So, why not just judge yourself whether it is safe or not to cross rather than relying on the green man?

The traffic light system exists to protect both drivers and pedestrians, on top of providing a more manageable flow of traffic. The system must work since it is used throughout the world. So why do we still use judgement when crossing the road? Do we not trust the system? Or do we trust ourselves more?

I like to believe that we (some of us anyway) still exercise common sense when crossing the road. The traffic light system is there to guide, but ultimately we are the one walking across. To plagiarise the Matrix, it can only show you the path, you have to walk through it.

Categories:

Hate mail

2006-03-19T19:16:00.000+00:00

I received a hate mail today, judging my action, or rather inaction of picking up a coke can in my annoying coke can post. I think the reader misunderstood the whole idea of the post, but it wasn't a pleasant feeling receiving such mail, especially when i'm being accused as one of the statistic causing the dirtiness/rubbish everywhere in Malaysia. See the person's comment.

Maybe this is just one of many to come. At least the person is passionate about the environment. Just hope he/she will pick up everything on the street the next time u see him/her!

Categories:

rant
mail

The sundial, the screwdriver and the ipod

2006-03-19T09:20:00.000+00:00

I've always wondered what makes the ipod so intuitive to use. It's down to the click-wheel thing isn't it? Where you can turn the volume up by motioning your thumb in a clockwise fashion and volume down in the counter-clockwise direction. Use it to scroll through your list of songs, files, videos etc. Use it to tune your radio, just like you would in one of the older radios where you physically have to turn a dial just that milimeter more to get the station you want. But why clockwise (and not anti-clockwise) for higher volume? Why clockwise for "down" motion? (Click here for more)

The term "clockwise" seems to suggest that it was the measure of time that gave birth to the rotational direction of "clockwise". Suddenly, the toilet bowl flush test came to mind. It's quite commonly known (especially if you've watched THAT episode of The Simpsons) that northern hemisphere toilet bowls will flush in the clockwise direction and the southern hemisphere will flush in anti-clockwise. Could the clockwise direction then be a legacy of the northern hemisphere?

After digging around, I seem to be right. According to Wikipedia, clocks were first built in the northern hemisphere, and they were made to work like sundials. That is why clockwise is as you know it. Why didn't the anti-clockwise direction prevailed as THE standard way clocks tick? Is this just another example of the north-south divide where northern standards are THE standard? Or is it just something which just came stuck just because it's out in the market first, like the QWERTY keyboard.

Well, turned out I was just partially right. The toilet bowl flush direction is a myth! Check this out.

Categories:

tech
ipod

A gift with a difference

2006-03-17T22:23:00.000+00:00

Do you think mother's day is a scam? It might have started off with good intentions, but now high street shops are loading up with gift ideas to entice you and persuade you that the item they're selling are THE gift for your mum. Plenty of money is spent just to make you walk through their door. Big neon signs are a thing of the past, but the message is still the same - please buy something from us, your mother will love you for it. Do sons and daughters out there actually fall for this? Do the mums out there actually appreciate these trendy gifts, only to see them find their way into a bin within a week? (click here for more)

I certainly didn't dare to say these things as I only thought of my mum and felt like I should get something for her, until a girl told me how much she hated mother's day. She's going to be a mother someday, and yet she actually loath mother's day! If she's got the guts to say it, why not me?! of course, i will never be a mother, but i'm sure this is equally applicable to father's day, valentine's day, christmas day, birthday... in fact, a teacher once told me that birthdays should be a celebration for the mother because it was the pain the mother went through by giving birth to you! Maybe birthday should be mother's day, rather than some random day chosen some time ago.

Maybe, we could put a positive spin to this. Donate to charity and put it in your mother's name. There are so many ways you can do this now. Have you thought of donating a cow? Where someone out there can use it for milk and manure for fertilizer? What about a herd of goats? Where the goats can be "recycled" because they can breed and the offsprings can then be used to help more than one family! Or sponsor a business as suggested by moongster.

So, how about that? make a gift with a difference this time. For mother's day, birthdays, christmas days, valentine days, anniversaries etc. Hopefully the recipient will receive it. If not, well, you've donated. Just remember to not give such a gift to that person again!

Categories:

Why didn't I wear boots?

2006-03-15T08:09:00.000+00:00

Went to work in my work shoes, shuffling carefully through the snow but still trying to get some speed into it so that I can catch my bus! It wasn't the best experience as the snow was quite thick and my sole is not made for the weather.

I was quite sensible the day before when I went out for a walk in the snow. Had my hiking boots on and they were a joy to walk in, kept my feet nice and warm. Somehow, it just felt wrong to put on my hiking boots for work this morning.

Had the same problem coming back from work. By that time, the snow had turned slushy and it was horrible to walk in. My trousers were soaked from mid-shins down. It's only at this time that I begin to really ask myself, why didn't I wear my boots? (click here for more)

There was so much unconscious resistance that I didn't even consider putting my boots on on a work day. On any other day, I would have put on something sensible just to be prepared for the unpredictable Scottish weather. Has the social conditioning become so strong that it's so difficult to break it, even in the face of common sense?!!

I wonder how much of these excess fat are we carrying due to social conditioning. Similar to body excess fat, social conditioning adds no value at all to our well being but is a burden nevertheless because we're lugging it around, so to speak, by conforming to it. And just like body excess fat, it affects our health!

Can we do away with all the excess fat? Do away with the need to put on a shirt and tie unless you want to? Wear sandals to work just because you feel like it? Better still, can we convert the excess fat into muscle and actually do something that adds value? Like accepting guys who carry handbags? Or accepting girls who choose not to wear a bra?

DECLARATION: I don't personally own a handbag, but I do have a lot of stuff that don't fit in a wallet now, like a mobile phone. It annoys me having it in the pocket because I'm always afraid I might break it. My other pet hate on things in pockets are coins.

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