State of Mine

So I've recently read that the Chacaltaya glaciers in Bolivia are melting away like ice cubes on hot tarmac. The perpetrator is a current political key phrase, Global you-know-what. The consequence other than the lost of a winter ski getaway for some may result in the lost of a freshwater reserve and hydroelectric power source that is potentially catastrophic to the people living in the valleys below. Bolivia is South America’s poorest nation, landlocked with its people generally surviving with less than USD$1 a day. How then could it be possibly fair for these people to be the unknowing and unfortunate whipping boy for the industrial nations? Its like waking up one morning to the sound of a wrecking ball plough through your apartment because the landlord couldn’t pay his bills, because that amounts to the same thing here. That then brings us nicely to the current state of affairs.

The current world we live in is a much more dynamic place than the one that our fathers and their father’s father inherited. A big bowl of possibilities and consequences consisting of many parallel worlds that would in some magnificent way be made to blend or collide into coherency or obliteration if we so choose. And therein lies the catch 22, as WC pointed out, no matter what we choose to do or not, time marches on. Can we really change the future that is already happening? Can we really put a finger or figure wherein the point of no return lies? Can we in some way make a real difference? All are hard questions with no easy answers. Or are we asking the wrong questions?

So having come full circle and ending up nowhere. I congratulate you for coming thus far.

Update: Wai-Chung

hey fellas..

i know this was probably due waaaaaaaay long ago, but i thought i'd update everyone about the going-ons in land of Wai(kiki).. i just thought it'd be great to hear from everyone again, like what's happening blah blah.. maybe this'll kickstart a few more posts from some of us MIA-ers.. or maybe it won't. Or hey, if those of u in Sg who have been meeting up often wanna post an update of yerself, feel free.. even if it's blatently obvious and last year's news.. stuff that some of us foreign correspondents maybe don't hear about immediately... like jason getting married (?!)...

so, here goes.

ok, first off.. sorry for not being in touch that much these past 4 years.. yep, it's been that long. still remember the circumstances that i left singapore.. and i recall how blatently misguided my perspectives were then. not to say i'm all that wiser now (altho i've just joined the 1/4 century club), but that's another story for another time. point is, when i left for perth back then, i had this really infantile (read: stupid) idea of a life experiment to test assumptions about friendships and relationships i've made in my life. it was quite retarded, and 'damn egotistical' too (thanks Joshua for that verbal punch in the arm, i still have that email). in short, i realised how much of an ass i've been and now i'm going to put aside all attempts to be macho or whatever and say 'sorry'.

sorry.

i guess we all were young, idealistic and clueless at least once in our life. for some like me, more than once. i can't say i'm out of that stage, but i've had time to think. yep, reality is, life moves on and we can't expect things to remain in utopia forever. just gotta take life as it goes and adapt. so here i am.

right, basically, my life in uni these 4 years has been great.. met lots of people from all over the world.. studied stuff that i never imagined i'd sink my teeth into.. travelled to places and saw sights. i actually enjoyed studying back then.. i say 'back then' cos this last honours year for me has been hell.. i'm currently fighting to complete my thesis due end of August.. not that my topic isn't interesting or do-able.. it's just that things often happen in your life that distract you from what you're supposed to be doing and the trick is to be disciplined to keep focussed. stuff like, oh, managing people-to-people ties, relationships or near-relationships etc.. and so, i'm having a hard time now catching up on lost time and getting this last piece of academic writing outta my life.

and yeah, for those of you who didn't know, my mum was diagnosed with 3rd stage breast cancer in february last year. i thank God cos even after going through all the therapy, her health has been remarkably good considering the severity of the cancer. currently, she's still able to go to work and is still very much active in church. but obviously, this episode has changed my family's as well as my own perspective of life and how we treat each other. so i'm looking forward to heading home for good after i complete this final few weeks of studying.. i've been away from family and friends for too long.. so you can look at this as my 'homecoming' rant..

alright, that's all from me right now.. hear from any one of you soon.

Wai-Chung

Heh heh...

Damn I love youtube...

>

Stupid Men

posted by seow.

THE BEST COMEBACK LINE EVER

Marine Corps General Reinwald was interviewed on the radio and you'll love his reply to the lady who interviewed him concerning guns and children. Regardless of how you feel about gun laws you gotta love this!!!! This is one of the best comeback lines of all time.

It is a portion of National Public Radio (NPR) interview between a female broadcaster and US Marine Corps General Reinwald who was about to sponsor a Boy Scout Troop visiting his military installation.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER: So, General Reinwald, what things are you going to teach these young boys when they visit your base?

GENERAL REINWALD: We're going to teach them climbing, canoeing, archery, and shooting.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER: Shooting! That's a bit irresponsible, isn't it?

GENERAL REINWALD: I don't see why, they'll be properly supervised on the rifle range.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER: Don't you admit that this is a terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children?

GENERAL REINWALD: I don't see how. We will be teaching them proper rifle discipline before they even touch a firearm.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER: But you're equipping them to become violent killers.

GENERAL REINWALD: Well, Ma'am, you're equipped to be a prostitute, but you're not one, are you?

The radio went silent and the interview ended. You gotta love the Marines!

Decisions Decisions...

hey all!

this is a notice to all those who *might* be able to join us on a mini holiday from the 10th - 13th of July (Tues - Sat). Since it's really such a short trip, Samui has been voted out of the picture. Jason can tell us more about that when he gets back from his honeymoon! These are the places which we're now planning to go.

First up, BALI!

"The word paradise is used a lot in Bali, and not without reason. The combination of friendly, hospitable people, a magnificently visual culture infused with spirituality and (not least) spectacular beaches with great surfing and diving have made Bali Indonesia's unparalleled number one tourist attraction. Eighty percent of international visitors to Indonesia visit Bali and Bali alone."


Now, the main aim of the bali trip would be to SURF! But of course, the things you can do there are comparable to Samui... So, it's definately worth considering. Cost: Hotel might working up to $25/person/night. (assuming 4 of us make it) Airfare: ~$300.




Secondly, we have Mount Kinabalu!

"Mount Kinabalu is South-East Asia's tallest mountain. You can climb to the top of Low's Peak (4,095.2m above sea level) but the height of the mountain is often given as 4,101m. Mount Kinabalu is known to be one of the most accessible in the world. No specialized mountain climbing skills are required to ascend it. However, how much one enjoys the climb depends strongly on how fit you are and how well you acclimatise to the thin air at the higher levels. Nevertheless, the mountain can be a dangerous place, especially during the rain or when there is mist. On average, every year one person gets into severe difficulty out of the estimated 20,000 people who attempt the climb. The higher slopes can be very slippery when it rains and dense fog reduces visibility to a few feet."

Trekking up to the peak of Mt Kinabalu should be fun! Camping style, out in the wild, yah da yah da.. You get the picture. Think army times in Mt Biang, and you should be itching to go! Cost: Airfare ~$400. Climbing permit: RM$100. Hotels: No fu**ing idea. But you get the picture. It would be more expensive than bali, but potentially more fulfilling.

So then, let me know SOON please!

Letter of the Day

Leon's kinda thing

Do you have this comic Leon? Seems pretty your kind of thing. And Garth Ennis wrote Constantine, so the storyline should be pretty good!

Singapore bands getting more recognition overseas and at home

Monday June 18, 9:17 PM

SINGAPORE: Singapore bands have been getting more recognition overseas and at home in the past decade.

Some have even been selected to perform at major international music festivals. But generally, more are venturing from the garage to recording studios to put out an album for sale.

Nonetheless, many still find it challenging to break into the mainstream, dominated by American and British bands.

Sixteen homegrown bands rocked over a 12-hour concert – the first-ever held as part of the Singapore Arts Festival. Such gigs have increased over the years and helped raised the profiles of many Singapore bands and musicians.

Saiful Idris, Musician, The Great Spy Experiment, said: "Avenues like the internet portals 'MySpace' has helped a lot. Radio stations are definitely more willing to play local music now. Even MTV has come on board. So the support is there."

Edward Neubronner, CEO, Recording Industry Association of Singapore, said: "It's not unheard of for local bands to have a fan base of 2,000 people. 2,000 may be small but it’s very good for Singapore. These youths actually see the music they play as niche music that is not only fun, but it also gives them a sort of identity. We have more and more young people who feel that way."
Unlike many of the Southeast Asian countries where local bands are very much part of local mainstream music, Singapore bands are usually part of the indie scene.

A majority of musicians here are playing music part-time, managing their bands on their own and doing everything from producing music to marketing. It is mainly through gigs that they are able to reach out to an audience. The bands earn their keep from ad-hoc performances, getting between S$500 and S$3,000.

Bands like The Great Spy Experiment put their earnings into producing an album, which costs about S$40,000. Much of it is spent on making sure the album sounds as good as those that are released internationally.

The band is also in the midst of discussing a distribution deal with a record label. Saiful Idris said: "We all grew up listening to all these foreign bands. Now there's more interest in local bands, which is good. But in terms of finding the definitive Singaporean sound, it's still quite a challenge. For me, the way we try to do this is through the lyrics and the subject."
Neubronner said: "A lot of local artists and bands get pretty good recognition from local establishments. Not enough, but I think a lot more than 10 or 20 years ago."

And that is reason enough for many Singapore bands to play on.

There is hope for KD...

Monday June 18, 8:46 AM

SingTel unit gets funding for Australian broadband plan

SINGAPORE/MELBOURNE, June 18 (Reuters) - Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. said on Monday its Optus unit has secured A$958 million ($807 million) in funding from the Australian government for its broadband joint-venture.

The joint venture with Futuris Corp Ltd. unit Elders will build new networks to extend broadband coverage to rural and regional areas. The government funding comprises A$600 million from the previously announced Broadband Connect Infrastructure Programme and an additional A$358 million in funding to further extend high-speed affordable broadband services to rural areas, a joint statement from Optus and Elders said.

The government funding is a blow to larger rival Telstra Corp. Ltd. , which also hoped to win some of the infrastructure grants to extend rural broadband coverage.

Under pressure in an election year, the Australian government is expected to set up a review panel soon to examine building a separate, high-speed fibre optic broadband network, which will be put to an open tender.

Australia's existing broadband network is slow compared with other nations, but a stalemate between Telstra and the industry regulator over pricing has delayed plans to build a fibre network. ($1=1.187 Australian Dollar)

New Zealand, bloody beautiful!

This is where i went for my grad trip. The place is gorgeous! But it's not for the faint hearted. If you like mountains / scenary / sheep / hiking / camping / physical activities / adventure / more sheep / lots and lots of sheep / lots and lots of mountains too, then NZ is puuurfect.


One of the mountains that we climbed to the top! Bloody took 2 hours!

We could have taken a helicopter to the top of the snow-capped mountains to ski! bloody ex though...

Best bloody steak in the world. Imagine melting in your mouth! In fact, best bloody fish&chips, lamb chops, calamari, salads, pizzas etc etc.

Haha, this is my picture of the trip. Nuff said. =)

Amazing that places like these exist sia.

Michael Schwartz, The Prize of Iraqi Oil

http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=192709

Best fight scene ever

Oldman in dublin

Oldman here is the pic you wanted

This one's for the bird...

Penguin in warhammer 40,000 space marine armour?...

Penal Code Amendment

Honestly, what do you think of this topic? From your point of view, christian or otherwise.

Straits Times, April 5, 2007
PROPOSED CHANGES TO PENAL CODE
By K.C. Vijayan

Turning to sexual offences - in particular, Section 377 of the Penal Code, which deals with sexual acts ‘against the order of nature’ - the society said the MHA’s proposal to retain homosexuality as an offence in Section 377A ‘cannot be justified’.

It described the retention as ‘out of step with legal norms in the modern law’.

The society stressed that it was not arguing that homosexuality is morally acceptable, and said a ’significant minority’ wanted the provision to remain, but the majority view prevailed.
The MHA’s approach is that homosexuality is not widely accepted here. Having said that, the ministry has said it will not be ‘proactive’ in enforcing this law against consensual acts that take place in private.

But the society sees this as an admission that the section is ‘out-of-step’ and ‘runs the risk of bringing the law into disrepute’. It suggests a complete review, and a new chapter in the Penal Code on sexual offences.

The society, expressing its gratitude that the MHA consulted both the public and it, also urged that a commission be set up to review the reforms.

Contacted yesterday, an MHA spokesman said all views received were being studied

After much diggin' away

IKEA's our home, we live there.














Ding's in our home, bad ding! Now put the precious valuables down slowly and there will be no trouble..










Dingy lingy's beautyful fridge.













Let go of your anger young markwalker...

When we were getting high on 'when we were getting high'

Memories part 1

Unbelieveable photos... Were we ever that young?

More to come soon! If you're laughing at jason... wait til you see yours! =)

Hal Higdon's MARATHON GUIDE!

Read on the weep guys... This is the training schedule that we should be following... Don't follow this, and i GUARANTEE you that the marathon day will be very very painful....... (like all my marathons, cos i don't follow it, heh...)

PEOPLE DIFFER GREATLY IN ABILITY, but ideally before starting a marathon program, you should have been running about a year. You should be able to comfortably run distances between 3 and 6 miles. You should be training 3-5 days a week, averaging 15-25 miles a week. You should have run an occasional 5-K or 10-K race. It is possible to run a marathon with less of a training base (particularly if you come from another sport), but the higher your fitness level, the easier this 18-week program will be.

Read the whole training program!