Places I want to see before I die

ASIAN REGION

• Borobudur Complex / Prambanan
• Preah Vihear
• Delhi
• Persepolis
• Petra
• Medain Saleh
• Mecca
• Anti-Lebanon Range
• Jerusalem
• Aqaba

AFRICA

• Pyramids of Giza
• Luxor
• Casablanca
• Timbuctoo
• Bamako
• Accra
• Serengeti region / Masaai region
• Kalahari

EUROPE

• Athens
• Skopje
• Warsaw
• Stonehenge
• Cambridge / Oxford
• Catalonia

SOUTH AMERICA

• Buenos Aires
• Rio de Janeiro
• Punta Arenas

CENTRAL AMERICA

• Belize / Guatemala

NORTH AMERICA

• Yucatan region

PACIFIC REGION

• Tonga / Tahiti / Fiji
• Palau
• Rotorua
• Uluru

Let's reduce carbon emissions!

We are living in an era where the Earth has suffered enough. The point is, we have no time to wait till the next generation for some steps to be carried out. I have some suggestions to lower the carbon emissions until scientists actually carry out their plans in future.

• Introduce the Certificate of Entitlement for cars for every country in the world with a HDI higher than 0.50. Each CoE should be worth more than US$ 10,000 for regular cars US$5,000 for hybrid cars and no CoE is needed for electric cars, or public transport. 20% of the money collected from CoE are to go to impoverished nations of HDI under 0.499. The rest are used for carbon offsetting.



• Lower population all over the world. Target: 4 billion by 2050.



• Paper and tobacco should be heavily taxed. The tax is used for carbon offsetting



• Make carbon offsetting compulsory for all travellers travelling by air. The fare should include carbon offsetting.


• Introduce a watchdog run by the UN to make sure that countries observe the above. The watchdog should be made anonymous and the governments should not know who these watchdogs are.


• A tax of 20% of the electric bill if the area runs on coal, oil or natural gas. The tax should be used for carbon offsetting.

These are just my views to lower the dangerously increasing carbon emissions

I've been composing again...

And this time, I had a hand at the rock genre. Since I couldn't find a vocalist, I wrote everything instrumentally. The main instrument is the synthetiser, good fun to input, but super tiring. For the synthetiser player who wants a backing track of it, come and ask me and maybe I'll charge you 10 Singapore cents. Otherwise, you can listen to the music here in my blog by clicking the play button in Music of the Month (which does not update every month contrary to popular belief)

Enjoy!

Is Singlish acceptable?

Singlish is a creole formed by mixing English with the other languages in Singapore, particularly the Hokkien dialect of Chinese and also Malay.

This issue is rather controversial in the sense that the people in the higher levels of Singaporean society is condemning it, whereas Singlish is, and has been, a way of life.

Some view Singlish as a deliberate "attack" which destroys the beauty of English. Honestly speaking, I do believe in preservation of the language, but at the same time, I do think that there is absolutely nothing wrong with Singlish. The deliberate attempt to mutate a language may be frowned upon in society, but consider the following.

Why is there so much discussion over using proper English over Singlish, when so little is done against American English in favour of Standard English?

American English, in my opinion, is a similar deliberate attempt to mutate a language. They

• deliberately change the spelling so as to challenge the orthographic standards of the British, who originally spoke English (such as installments, British spelling: instalments or American: traveler, British: traveller)
• deliberately change the pronunciation of words (such as route, British pron.:ROOT, American pron.: RAUT)
• changing of grammatical law (BrE: New York are the champions, AmE: New York is the champion)
• borrow foreign loanwords not inherent to Standard English (such as chutzpah from Semitic origin)
• adopting new words to distance away from Standard English (such as checkers BrE: draughts, or counterclockwise BrE: anti-clockwise)

I think that it is agreeable to a large extent that Singlish does more or less the same to Standard British English now as what American English has done to English spoken about 300 years ago.

To end off, don't you think that as long as things like American language exist, Singlish has every right to exist as well?

Let's Count My Instruments! (Part 1 -- Wind Instruments)

2 Hulusi (from Yunnan)


A Kazoo...


A Homemade Flute


A Cornet...

Top to bottom: Qudi, Xiao, Didgeridoo

Top to bottom: Bangdi, Suling (from Indonesia), Ney (from Jordan), Another bangdi

4 recorders

Total Wind instrument count: 16

Let's improve the spelling rules for English!

Courtesy of Mark Twain

For example, in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with "i" and iear 4 might fiks the "g/j" anomali wonse and for all.

Generally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeiniing voist and unvoist konsonants. Bai iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez "c", "y" and "x"— bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez —tu riplais "ch", "sh", and "th" rispektivili.

Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev alojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.

Ai dont no ebaut iu bat ai toteli agri wix his plaen.

Why is English so hard to learn?

Because it has so may words with double meanings. I present you 7 examples.



1. The bandage was wound around the wound.



2. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.



3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.



4. The farm was used to produce produce.



5. A seamstress and a sewer fell into the sewer.



6. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.



7. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

10 things I learnt today.

1. Parenthtical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.

2. Don't bother using a foreign word when there is an English quid pro quo.

3. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

4. Always avoid alliteration.

5. One should never generalise.

6. No sentence fragments. Ever.

7. Be more or less specific.

8. Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.

9. Don't overuse exclamation marks!!

10. Be sure to finish what

Counting my stuff

I have nearly seen 17 years of my life.

I have 1 sister.

I have a mum and dad.

I have 2 living grandparents.

I have used only 5 handphones since I was P5.

I sleep with 2 stuffed toys.

I have 2 fridges at home.

The fridge for drinks is reduced to 4 packets of milk.

We have 4 TV sets at home.

Only 1 has a cable connection.

I have 1 PlayStation.

I don't have any PSP.

I never spent more than 4 years in a single school.

I have a blog.

I have 138 friends on Friendster, but

less than 5 remember my birthdate without friendster reminding them.

I maintain 2 emails.

I have 138 unread email messages in my yahoo account and

I have 1347 unread messgaes in the gmail one.

I have 1648 songs in one computer's song library.

I have a laptop which I have owned since Sec 2

I had over 500 songs in its library until it crashed

about 1 year ago.

Now it has 25 songs.

I have a grand total of 9 playlists.

I have recorded 9 of my musical works.

I have lost over 7 of my works.

I have 45 packets of McDonald's chilli sauce.

We have only one printer that works.

I have over 100 channels on cable.

One of my favourite shows in 1000 places to see before you die.

My internet connection can only reach a max of 54.2 Mbps.

I have tons of ticket booklets.

My books only occupy 5 rows in a bookshelf.

I have seen 6 concerts and 2 musicals.

I spend an average of $60 a month.

I spent a grand total of $312.50 for the month of November already.

That is $252.50 more than usual.

I have 4 pairs of shoes.

I have 6 more days of exams to go.

I have 2 months before I see the results.

I have gone through 10 years of schooling.

I have gone through nearly 17 years of my life.

If condoms had sponsors...

It would look like this...

Why everything comes from India

I am enlightened that everything comes from India after watching Goodness Gracious Me.
Here's some:

• Superman is from India because only there can you run faster than a train, have two jobs at the same time, cannot take a day off from work, have a terrible haircut, and travel around in cheap flights.
• The Queen of England is from India because she is a descendant of Queen Victoria, the empress of India. In fact ,the whole royal family is from India. The family business, the whole family living in the same house, arranged marriages, living with parents until marriage etc.
• The English language is from India. We have words like verandah, bungalow, jungle, shampoo, thug, etc. If you think it's bullshit, that's very Indian too.
• Almost everyone in the Bible is Indian. Feeding of 5 thousand with fish and bread? Sounds like an Indian picnic to me. Moses came down the mountain with two tablets. Reminds me of your Indian pharmacist. Samson lost his strngth because of his loss of hair. He sounds like a Sikh. Indian, right?
• Leonardo da Vinci seems to paint Indian lifestyle. Look at the Last Supper. 13 men on the table. Where are the women? In the kitchen of course.
• Picasso is Indian. His self portrait has an eye here, an ear there... Just like the streets of New Delhi.

The things you learn from GGM... If you take offence I sincerely apologise!

Tips on how to swear at someone, and get away with it!

Moral of the Story: Be truthful!

A Conversation

I had a conversation with one of my friends. Let's call him A

A: You know what?

Me: Your blog lacks visuals

A: I think you're right

Raise your hands if you agree.

8 Things I learnt today

1. It's fun to make sodium ethanoate

2. Sodium ethanoate stinks

3. Never make sodium ethanoate in your mother's kitchen, she'll smell a rat (more like sodium ethanoate)

4. Never tell your mother you decide to cook something and accidentally poured the ethanoic acid all over the sodium hydogencarbonate -- she'll never fall for it. Seriously.

5. Your mother WILL wonder where all her vinegar (source of ethanoic acid) and bicarbonate of soda (source of sodium hydrogencarbonate) went.

6. She'll wonder why is the a funny white powdery substance in her favourite pot.

7. Your mother will make you wash the pans, but:-

8. You are just in time to rush off for your music lesson and if you don't leave then, you'll be late

Blog Action Day

Today is Blog Action Day, a day where bloggers write about a single topic at the same time each year.

This year's topic is poverty.

In this rapidly developing world, globalisation has become the buzzword for the 21st century. Nations who adopted the policy of globalisation has prospered well into this era, whereas other nations are struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of development.

In its wake, it has left problems, and one of them is poverty. Poverty is defined as deprivation of basic necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, and so on. In 2005, the World Bank has announced that 1.4 billion people were living under $1.25 a day. Although this has decreased from 1.9 billion in 1981, it is still 1.4 billion too many.

There has been action against poverty, but unfortunately it has shown uneven progress. According to the World Bank, poverty rates decreased in East Asia from 80% to 18% of the population. However, in Sub-Saharan nations (West African countries) the figures remain at 50% who live in poverty.

Poverty has several problems, some examples are:-

• Hunger: Hunger is when there is not enough food to go around. However, it is a well known fact that there is actually more than enough food to go around for every body. Yet one person dies of hunger somewhere in the world every 3.5 seconds. Action taken to solve this problem is "Food for work" and "Food for Education" programmes where people are paid with food at their work or education where food is provided rather than bought. This measure has been successful.



• AIDS: This is a increasingly treatable and preventable disease, yet one person dies from it every 15 seconds. AIDS have known to ravage entire communities, often attacking adults and children alike. There has been cases where medical facilities are deserted because doctors themselves have died of AIDS. To resolve this matter lies in education, but in impoverished communities education is costly, and needs lots of time resource. In short, it is a hefty investment.



• Darrhoea: Surprisingly common, yet fatal for communities with lack of medical facilities. Usually cholera and dysentary is caught by consumption of unclean water. However, it is proven that a cure for diarrhoea is cheap, simple and best of all, can be home made. Called Oral Rehydration Therapy, it is an alternative to rehydration tablets. The Therapy is carried out by mixing water with salt and sugar. This is extremely obtainable even in poorer communities. However, lack of awareness has claimed many lives to date, and 1.6 million people die of diarrhoea each year.

To alleviate the problems in poverty, some developed nations have adopted schemes such as donating 0.81% of the country's income to aid (carried out in the Netherlands).

What you can do is support organisations that aim to reduce poverty namely by volunteering, collecting funds, and so on. Another option is voluntourism, a recent idea. This is where you volunteer in a certain country and still get a chance to visit attractions, with lower cost of accommodation and food. Some even volunteer to teach ensure that education is received by everyone.

Whatever the case is, remember that you can make all the difference in the world. To the world, you may be just one person, but to to a person, you may just be the world.

Targets

Here are targets for O Levels that I would like to achieve.

For my o level Subjects, I have split them in 2 categories, Non-Cushion and Cushion Subjects.

NON-CUSHION SUBJECTS (i.e. the ones I concentrate on)

English => A2
Music => A1
Mathematics => A2
Physics => A2
Malay => A2 --that's in the bag
Geography => A2

CUSHION SUBJECTS

Combined Humanities => B3
Higher Malay => B3
Chemistry => B3

(Note how I put Chem last...)

So this would be my aggregates: (after deductions...notify me if i calculated wrongly)

L1R2B2: 7 pts

L1R5 : 7 pts (see how good planning adds up?)

And thus, Ramadan is here...

Wishing all 1.5 billion Muslims in the world a blessed Ramadan! Some Middle Eastern Countries actually have holiday for 2 days, I think, topped with teacher's day! (Jealous)

Anyways, here are tips for travellers who are travelling into Muslim -prevalent countries during Ramadan

1. Bear in mind --- DON'T eat or drink out in the streets. If you are really famished, go to a hotel restaurant instead, they will cater for tourists (and their money)

2. Saudi Arabia is especially strict on the no-eating-or-drinking-rule. I'm sure you don't want trouble with the religious police.

3. If you're taking a taxi, BE ESPECIALLY PATIENT. Hey, a hungry worker isn't a happy worker. You will see men with mood swings for the first time (I haven't had one yet...I guess I'm used to it). truthfully, during Ramadan, muslims also cannot get angry, not just abstain from food and drink

4. Opening and closing times are really hard to tell because it changes everyday. Staff usually go home about an hour or two before sundown. To be sure, check an imsakiah obtainable at your hotel front desk.

5. Visiting a Muslim-prevalent country during this time is best experienced in the last 3 days. Be sure to stay another 3 days for the Eid festivities. You will see a huge change in general attitude.

6. Roam the streets on Ramadan night. There are bazaars galore with cheap eats and goods. Best visited one hour after sundown when all the Muslims have gone for tarawih prayers. Tarawih takes about 2 hours, so try to beat the crowds beforehand.

To quote Esso, how do we know the best tips? We're Muslims too...

(Ramadan fact: On this day, 2 Ramadan/2 September, the Torah was bestowed to Moses)

What do you look for when seeking a companion of the opposite sex? (Version for Guys)

Enough with exams stuff already. I was faced with this question by a friend of mine, and here are the answers.

1. Wants you to do everything for her/Independant-minded

VERDICT: Definitely independant minded. So as such you won't see me carrying my partner's handbag/shopping/polishing her shoes/helping her deciding what to wear, etc. Hey, we are endowed with brains, you know.

2. Brains / Beauty

VERDICT: This is really difficult. But brains first, beauty a bonus.

3. Family-oriented / Career-oriented

VERDICT: I find that at some point in life, a woman's biological clock will make her want to have kids. As for me, 1 or 2 is enough. So, I don't mind either.

4. Inter-religious / Same religion

VERDICT: Same religion definitely a plus. There is better understanding, and raising children in future won't be so difficult as it's easier to agree on the child's upbringing

5. Inter-racial / Same race

VERDICT: I sit on the fence for this. I just happen to open to fate here.

6. Same interests / Don't mind differing interests

VERDICT: I would like to befriend a person of similar interest, of course. That way, there will be no boring monologues, etc. etc.

7. Wealthy / Not so well off

VERDICT: Imagine having a wealthy companion. Sharing the load will be so much easier. Of course I will have to be independant on my part

8. University Graduate / Not a university graduate

VERDICT: In my opinion, knowledge is not justified on a piece of paper (or what some call a 'degree'). I look for sensibility, so I really don't mind if she isn't a graduate.

9. Superior / Inferior

VERDICT: I sit on the fence for this. As always, all I want is someone sensible with a principle (not principal, like a Sophie i know) in life.

How I would Tackle the essays in Our Prelims

PAPER 1

1c) With reference to examples(s) evaluate the effectiveness of the possible measures that can help cope with the destructive effects caused by plate movements

I would write this in the two sets method. The first set would have the criteria of BEFORE and the second set would have the criteria of AFTER.

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2c) With reference to example(s), assess the effectiveness of measures in managing floods

Use the three point method here. You may choose any three points given in the answer key to our specimen paper.

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3d) With reference to example(s), assess the effectiveness of the methods used to manage deforestation

Again, use the three point method here. Materials in Specimen Paper answer key is generally effective and you need some pre-exam research for this one.

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4c) Using examples such as the coastal management measures utilized in Photograph A and B, assess the effectiveness of such coastal management measures in protecting coastlines from erosion

This is rather lengthy, so let's break it down: You can actually use OTHER measures than reflected in Photograph A (Seawall) or B (Planting vegetation) because the question reads "Using exaples SUCH AS..." rather than phrased "Using the coastal management measures utilized..." As such, you can use other stuff as well.

However, this is a bonus. You can use two sets (SEAWALL and VEGETATION) or three points.

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PAPER 2

1d) "Food can be engineered to prevent disease" To what extent, is "engineered food" the cure for disease?

This is rather straightforward, clear cut and upfront (hem hem). Two sets rule (YES or NO) will do the trick. Oh, and having good general knowledge and common sense is a bonus. This is similar to history essays as well.

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2d) Listed below are testimonials from clients at the Bangalore Tech Park.

"ITPB is a Tech Park of international standards yet distinctly unique. It has created and more importantly maintains an environment which comprehensively caters to the high standards, both professional and personal, demanded by its clients." -Mr. Ramesh Kumar S.

"Excellent office space, well-run with responsive management and quick remedy to problems and issues." -Ms. Shobhua Nikam

Using the information from the quotations above and your own knowledge, evaluate the factors which have led to the growth of Bangalore as a Tech Park in India

(This took me forever to copy...) Two sets rule is best for this application. the 2 criterias would be WHAT IS GIVEN and WHAT I ALREADY KNOW. After all, the question did say "...from the quotations above AND your own knowledge" (stress inserted)

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3d) Assess the impacts of tourism on the economy and the environment with reference to exaples you have studied.

Again, two sets rule, labelled ON ECONOMY and ON ENVIRONMENT

4c) With reference to example(s), state and explain why some developing countries in Asia experience difficulties in improving the quality of life for their people?

Best use 3 point rule, and have some common sense and good knowledge armed for this one.

======================================================

Geography Essay Tips for Students Taking the New O-Level Syallabus

I have looked at various answer keys and have finally come up with a way to write your answers in recognisable order that will please the examiners. However, you must also carry out your pre-exam research.

Pre-exam research stage

• Decide what you're going to concentrate or write on. (This is easy for Physical Geography because questions rarely change completely).
• Familiarise with pros and cons regarding the very subject itself. For example, you can say seawalls are effective at deflecting and absorbing energy from incoming waves but are expensive and require regular maintainance.
• Find examples of pros and cons on the Internet or by reading up travel guides. Travel guides are full of examples or everyday stuff. For example, from reading a travel guide alone, I know that Pondicherry was spared by the 2004 tsunami thanks to a well-built seawall. From the internet, I discover that seawall failures in the Bahamas was caused by rapid erosion of the base leading to collapse, an epitome of poor construction.

Now that you have gathered facts and examples, time to look at the essay writing stage.

Writing the essay

There are two ways to tackle the essay writing part. There is the three point method and the two sets method.

The three point method is where you come up with three points and a conclusion, similar to a History essay. There is a systematic way of writing a three point essay. I will outline the steps below.

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Write an introduction describing your three points.

1st Paragraph: Write your Point followed by its purpose and benefits (ie why is it a significant point) [P]. Write an Example of the point acheiving its purpose [E]. Next write some Limitations on your point [L]. Then write an Example of such a limitation happening [E].

(To remember this is actually easy for fans of FC Internazionale-Milan or Portugusese footballers. Just remember PELE)

2nd and 3rd paragraphs: Similar to first paragraph.

Statement to link every thing here.

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The two sets method is used for comparison. For example, to get maximum marks for an essay regarding measures taken during an earthquake, you need to write BEFORE (such as structural engineering) and AFTER (such as rescue) measures. Below is a walkthrough on this.

=================================================================

Write an introduction stating your two sets of points here.

1st paragraph: Write your CRITERIA for the first set of points here. Thene PELE various points under the first set criteria.

2nd paragraph: Similar to first set.

Statement to link here

============================================================

I have a sample of PELE at work here (the method, not the footballer).

Seawalls are structures built parallel to the coast attached on the coast itself to deflect and absorb energy from incoming waves [P]. This measure is seen especially effective at places like Pondicherry where it reduced damage done to the town when the 2004 tsunami struck. There was minimal erosion of the banks as compared to other neighbouring towns [E]. However, seawalls are expensive to build and require regular maintainance as erosion actually occurs at the base of the seawall. As such, they are particularly prone to poor engineering. This can be seen when the seawll along Caves Point in the Bahamas collapsed when the base eroded so badly due to poor engineering and maintainance, and the seawall collapsed.

(Please do not memorise or copy this. I have no guarantee that this will fetch full marks, but it should according to the Answer Key. Anyway, I will be on the lookout for those copying this so beware)

I hope this clears your essay writing doubts. Good luck for the students taking the new syllabus for Geography for 'O'-Levels!

{DISCLAIMER: Please attempt this steps at your own risk. I do not hold any responsibilities if anything undesirable happens. I have tried to match the steps as closely to requirements of the Answer Key as far as I can. If anyone wants to raise an issue, please reply via the ChatBox}

A Word on Handwriting, Spelling and Grammar

I have recently read the article on the Straits Times on bad handwritng among students. Here is an online adaptation of the article:

http://digital.asiaone.com/Digital/News/Story/A1Story20080811-81645.html

Handwriting is extremely important. It makes sure our thoughts and ideas are well conveyed. In the world of spell- and grammar-checks, more and more teenagers are prone to bad handwriting, spelling and grammar. The absence of penmanship lessons in school, coupled with no penalties on errors in spelling or grammar in non-language related examinations has led to poor language usage and perpetually illegible handwriting.

Here are some examples of poor spelling (obviously, getting samples of bad handwriting would be humiliating)

1. I had a friend who doesn't see anything wrong with the words "vechile", "freind", and "speeling"

2. I had teachers (I assure you they are no Americans) that habitually spells words like "color", "traveler" and "gray"

3. I bet very few teenagers (and some adults alike) see the mistakes in words like "curb" (the roadside object), "licorice", "percent" and "skeptic".

For number 3, it would seem alright in the eyes of an American, but let's face it, British English is much more accepted and people always use the "American" excuse for bad spelling. Let's face it people, ENGlish is from ENGland, for crying out loud!

Returning to the topic of handwriting. Are doctors actually the olny ones excused for the behaviour of bad writing?

The answer: NO

Statistics show that the doctor's spidery scrawl has cost 7000 lives each year, and in America alone, 1.5 million people actually developed complications due to wrong dosages. Of course, it is also part of the phamacists fault not to ring the doctor and double-check, but the root of the problem still lies in bad handwriting.

Personally, I have been through doctors that do have atrocious handwritings. I was thinking, 'do medical schools have an adverse effect on handwriting, or is it doctors mentality of "I am a doctor and people should respect me, why would I care if they can't read my writing?"'

I certainly hope it's not my second thought that is the reality.

سلام ۲

السلام عليكم

غدا عندي الفصل الموسيقى. لا أمكن إخر! نحن درسنا موسيقى حايدن، مؤلف من المانية. أحيب استمع إلى سيمفونية ١.٤ ذلك، تلك الجميلة.

الامتحاني يجيء، لو سمحت دعا إلى الله إكراما لي! شكرا

سلام

أحيب أكتب إلى العربية

NOTICE

A new law has been passed.

Visitors to the closed territories (i.e. Savarnadvipa and the environs) who have visited Shelford Road within the past 6 months need a Letter of Invitation. To apply for it, simply register at Cardo Maxima, Avenidas Cardo Maxima (Humanities Room 1). The Letter will be processed in 1 week. This letter is valid for 3 visits.

Long term visa holders who visits Shelford Road will have their visas disqualified and need to apply for a new one. Study permit holders will have no effect visiting Shelford Road.

This new ruling is due to opening of diplomatic ties with the neighbouring kingdom. Please note that this is vulnerable to change. Visitors will still be checked thoroughly if they have any evidence of visiting the abovementioned place.

The Road Map of Life

They say if you have passion in something, you do that thing really well and can even excel.

So, how do we get around life doing something we really like? Here are some questions that you can ask yourself.



1. What is my purpose in life?
This is really intriguing. If you'd realise, some people have really different answers than yours, and your reaction to such answers can be, well, like, What? Seriously though, this is a catalyst for knowing what you really want. Think through this question. It doesn't really matter if you have multiple purposes.



2. What can /must I do for myself?
This question aims for you to realise what you are willing and unwilling to do to achieve whatever you have answered in the first question. If you don't have an answer for this one, maybe your answer in the first question isn't really for you. Try digging deeper into yourself, look for passions and talents you have.



3. What can others do for me?
It is impossible for you to do everything yourself. Get help from someone close to you: friends, family, etc.



4. What do I do from now?
Do some research. Match what you want to do with something that appeals you. Remember, the keyword is NOW.


And, once you've done asking yourself the above, it's time to get cracking! Do what you like, and don't care what others say, who cares about 'em anyway.


P.S. I learned an interesting Chinese phrase: 旮旮旯旯儿

Has materialism poisoned our minds?

Our society is now progressive and modern technology has allowed life to be much easier, laid-backable and comfortabler than ever before. Ever wondered how they made butter in the Middle Ages? A huge churn of milk has to be used and all you get is actually enough butter to spread on one side of bread. And churning is hard work. Now we can have pre-packed butter easily.

As above, my topic for today is materialism. Is it a good thing? Sure, it feels good to be more affluent than others and have more to show off.

But what does the conscience say?

Are we as content as we should be?

Nowadays, having a degree is everything. It lets us have a comfortable life with a comfortable wage and have a comfortable safety net as we retire. When we get a degree, we have more job options, such as lawyers, architects or teachers. That being said, you are bound to be paid a lot as you have made good contribution to the society.

Now let's take a look at who I feel also contribute to society worth mentioning.

1. Farmers and food cultivators
What? you may say. But this is really true. Food is a necessity in life. Let's reflect. When was the last time you ever thought of that poor man or woman who has to toil for hours in the back-breaking work to ensure YOUR rice is there? When was the last time you thought of the fisherman risking his life in the sea to ensure YOUR constant supply of seafood when they themselves don't have the luxury of the time or money of having good seafood themselves? And the dairy farmer, who has to work EVERY DAY to make sure he has enough to eat himself.

Let's think about it. The food industry can never rest. Nor are there sick leaves or job raise or something like that. Only the rising inflation and cost of basic necessities face them.

2. Cleaners
This may be a degrading job for people of "higher standards". however, let's reflect and appreciate them for a while. I mean, when was the last time you cleaned the vomit off the floor in a shopping centre/public place out of your own accord? Nope, we just wait for that foreign worker or the old uncle/aunty to clean that up.

In England, the wage of the cleaner is 7 pounds an hour. Would you do that?

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My basic implication is here is that we are being dreadfully unfair to ourselves and fellow human beings. We think we are so important, so deserving of what we have done, when others like who I mentioned above actually should deserve more (The list above is non-exhaustive btw). They don't have degrees, or money to have something like that. Yet their job is so essential, and yet they are treated unfairly.

Some (not all, though) who earn a lot can be undeserving of the money sometimes. We have people who constantly injure Mother Earth for their personal needs. I don't think my time is worth even talking about this people. But good for you if you are not, and have contributed to society (and not to Global Warming I hope...).

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Next, I am discussing the matter on how selfish a lot of rich people can be. Take a certain country I shall refer to as Country A. It is well known for its financial power. But look in the country itself. People are denied of basic healthcare (try not getting an insurance), and the infant mortality is horrendouly high for a developed state.

The country mentioned has spent a lot of money sending people to space, providing aid (with strings attached, without a doubt) etc. Let's discuss on the aid part.

When DCs send aid, they expect returns from the helped country, such as agreeing to the country's plans, buying their products, etc. What are they trying to do, make the whole world worship the leaders? Why not have goodwill since they already have surplus money spending on projects like "wars against terror", sending people to space, having "nuclear talks" (which is weird as the country in question is the only country in the world who has used a nuclear weapon before, and it makes more noise on others)and what not?
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Let's look in our own society. Money seems to be everything now. We just have to have that latest gadget, fashion and what have you. Let's take a moment to get rid of the materialism mentality and appreciate what we already have, and be thankful to all those who made living possible.

The most cursed of a man is one who clings to his belongings --Book of Philosophies

A Traveller Down the Road

A traveller down the road
Traversing down the signboardless way
He walks into the unknown
He cares not,
Though he knows not,
What lies ahead

A traveller down the road,
capturing pictures along the way
It resides in memory
He cares not,
Though he knows not
What lies ahead

A traveller down the road,
Journeys by the day,
learns something at the end of it
He cares not,
Though he knows not,
What lies ahead

A traveller dow the road,
is a thinker
He understands what is there
He cares not,
Though he knows not
What lies ahead

A traveller down the road,
Knows what he is to know,
But more importantly appreciates what there is to know
He cares not,
Though he knows not
What lies ahead

A traveller down the road
Is already much wiser
He cares not,
Though he knows not
What lies ahead,
In this road called Life

-The Book of Philosophies

Another bucket of photos

Here are some more pictures from my trip!



Downtown Amman


This is actually appetizer for our lunch...


A donation box


Dome of the Rock


Inside the Site of the Last Supper


Where the last supper took place


In the Dead Sea


We will...


Morning in Amman


A friend and I had the privelege of taking a photo with the King of Jordan


His highness King Abdullah II of Jordan


Israeli water


Israeli youths

Jordan's Queen Rania speaks...

Her Majesty Queen Rania of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

I was watching Her Highness Queen Rania of Jordan's YouTube video on stereotyping and how to break it down. Essentially, the stereotyping she touches on are women's rights, misconceptions on Arabs and the Muslim religion.

One of her point intrigues me. Everywhere in the world, people must have heard of unequal rights given to women in the Arab world. She is right about one thing: Is it just the Arab world or is it a world wide issue? One of her point includes 1 every 3 women in the world are abused. Not exclusively to the Arab world then?

Anyways, today's topic of the day is interaction between leaders and the lead. Some like H.H Queen Rania chooses to VideoBlog (or Vlog as it is "properly" called) and others like Dr. Mahatir of Malaysia writes his own blog.

Whatever the case, direct interaction between leaders and the lead is very important. It creates trust between them (as in H.H Queen Rania's case where individuals post a question and she responses to them personally on YouTube) or may express what the leaders feel and deem necessary for the country (as in Dr. Mahathir's case). With direct and no middle management interaction, the trust the commoners put in their leaders can progress a country, this is where both sides benefit.

To see HH Queen Rania's videos, visit her YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/QueenRania

or visit her very own website at
http://www.queenrania.jo/

Visit Dr. Mahathir's blog at
http://test.chedet.com/che_det/

Nations special

1. Largest Country: Russia (I'm sure you know that)

2. Smallest Country: Vatican City (Size:0.44 sq km, perfect for cross-country races)

3. Shortest National Anthem: Uganda (only 9 bars)

4. Longest National Anthem: Greece (158 stanzas, Singapore has only 2)

5. Longest Name for a Country: Libya (Full name: Al-Jamāhīriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah al-Lībiyyah aš-Šaʿbiyyah al-Ištirākiyyah al-ʿUẓmā)

The Bucket of Photos...

Abraham's Tomb, Israel


A very nice rock, Jordan


On the way to the Dead Sea, Jordan


The ugliest rose in the world (if you ask me), Jericho, Israel


Nice camel, Jericho, Israel


People come to David's tomb to be solemn and serious...until they saw this sign, Israel


A sight Malaysians will never see-a sign completely in Hebrew, Wailing Wall, Israel


Cool sundial, Israel


The journey to Bethlehem, Israel


Tomb of Jonah, Israel


Everywhere in the world people avoid parking tickets...but not Jerusalem


The street where the crucifixion took place, Via Dolorosa, Israel


Dome of the Rock (there's a floating rock inside I swear...), Israel


People used to climb Mount Zion by foot...now they have the cable car, Mount Zion, Israel


The Dead Sea beach, Israel


Ruins of Petra, Jordan


As-Siq, the desert canyon, Jordan


Desert Highway, Jordan


Herculean temple, Jordan