Little House On The Prairie

Still remember the freckled, red haired Laura in the Little House on the Prairie was nicked half-pint?

What's Your Favourite Pick-Up Line?

HaHa ... I really like this guy DJ on channel 102.3 FM, which is usually the channel I listen to when I am brushing my teeth. I dislike listening to radio at other time, because it would be distracting for me.

Anyway ...

A day after the final match of World Cup 2006, a lady DJ was babbling on how French didn't and shouldn't win, and how Italian should win the World Cup. Absent-mindedly, this guy DJ (supporter of French team) said to her: now you are talking like a human who has spent too much time with the Malaysians-who-claimed-to-be-Italians.

HaHa, so- so-sour grape.

This morning when I tuned in to the same channel, the same DJ was asking listeners to think of creative pick-up lines (which he regretted for including this question in his script because he commented the response was overly corny!). Could you believe what came on top of the range?

Your father is a thief because he stole the beautiful stars in the sky and put them in your eyes.

geez, I got goose pimples the minute I heard the line!

But nothing beat the following pick-up line a guy told me many years ago:

I like it when you laugh - because you laugh like one of the boys!

To date, I'm still unsure if that was a compliment to my dimples or a complaint to me never covering my mouth (like most ladies do) when I laugh???

Anyway, to brighten up the dull mood today, these are two of the many paintings I like from Ken Done: Butterflies from Brazil and Christmas in Summer.

Curiosity Kills The Cat

I understand it was fictitious when Dan Brown wrote in The Da Vinci Code that Leonardo Da Vinci, Isaac Newton and Victor Hugo were once the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion. These men look geeky to me, they are scientists with an artist heart.

All of sudden I thought of Bill Gates and Charlie Eppes (played by David Krumholtz in Numb3rs)?! Hint: no Atash Cipher needed for above question.

Lovers In Paris

My latest idol: Park Shin Yang (the guy in PINK)

For the first time this year, I've finally able to afford time to watch two complete episodes of the Korean drama my Mama is currently watching.

I found the lead actor is really a huge highlight of this drama. He is a really great actor, not to mention he could carry my favourite colour so well and doesn't look a bit sissy!!! I like his straight and yet sincere face. For once in my life, I don't think it's time wasting when I spent 2 hours watchng "Lovers in Paris" yesterday.

Rainy Monday

I remember when I was 18, I always heard my Auntie Agnes sang this nursery rhyme to my cousin Belinda:

Rain Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day

I have the same feeling today. I wish it is not a rainy + Monday. I took these photos from a flickr website. I am thinking all kinds of things today - be a freelance photographer + writer, family, friends, shoes, dry clean, exercise, things I want to do, things I want to buy, etc. etc.

A friend, Shiou Yin, is leaving for Dublin this Wednesday to join her husband who is taking a Masters there. I'll miss her, she's one friend that never pass on 'toxic thoughts' to me. I called a friend casually for coffee, but he never picked up my phone and never returned my call. I recalled I am yet to finish the last 67 pages of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Then, I remember Mr Scorpio's wife should be delivering their first child around this month. Mr Scorpio and I were family friends, but somehow we were never friends till we met at Brunei airport 6 years ago today. Yes it's 10th July 2000, I still remember his words: I chose to study in UQ because I found out you are there. To date, I still don't believe what he said, but those are the nicest words a man has ever shared with me.

Tokyo Tower

With 333 meters, Tokyo Tower is 13 metres taller than its model, the Eiffel Tower of Paris, and it is the world's tallest self-supporting steel tower. It was completed in the year 1958.

I Believe I Can Fly

My sister has written an interesting comment in my blog yesterday discussing on the theme - "Dreams".

Here are my three dreams:
(1) My parents are busy with their own lives, they are happy with their retirement and they are laughing at photos their children have sent to their handphones everyday;

(2) My siblings each have their respective family and they run their family like a kingdom, and I'll drop by every now and then to have dinner with them discussing current affairs and laughing at our childhood memories; and

(3) I work as a freelance writer and own a cafe. Every morning I'll walk into my cafe with a happy & contented smile. I have two adopted children, the girl called Kiera and the boy called Keegan. I will send them to the best school I could afford, and I would take them with me whenever I travel.

That 70s Show

I didn't aware I am "so-70s" until I compared pencil cases I've used when I was in primary school with pencil cases my younger cousins are using now.

Just like handbags I am having now, I used to own more than 30 pencil cases when I was a kid, and between the golden era 1976-1979, most of my pencil cases had Donnie & Marie Osmond on the cover. Most of my cousins' pencil cases are opting for minimalist concept now - monotone with canvas material would be most ideal for them.

How time flies. Do visit http://www.osmond.com / to find out more on the Osmond's 1st and 2nd Generation latest photos.

World Cup Olei Olei Olei

The following lines were played on radio when I was brushing my teeth this morning.

What did people sing when Argentina lost?
Don't Cry For Me, Argentina.

What were the three words people say when Brazil lost?
Ronaldo is fat!

Alright, the DJ was mean. Well, soccer game is a teamwork, we can't blame Ronaldo when others didn't pass the ball to him. Hey he is the 2006's Adidas Golden Shoe award recipient afterall!

Happy Communicating

I like these few paragraphs that I saw on 'Personal Development' website many months ago:

"Husbands and wives separate, friends become estranged, and coworkers refuse to cooperate. What causes these sad developments? More often than not, miscommunication. I have seen good people grow apart because of misunderstanding. They thought they were communicating, but they weren't. They were talking (arguing may be more accurate). What's the difference between talking and communicating? Communicating has two parts: talking and listening. The root of the verb "communicate" means to share. How can we share thoughts and feelings unless all parties in the conversation listen with understanding as well as speak? How do we tell our spouses we love them? Not by words, but by LISTENING to what they have to say.

We hear, but we don't listen. We don't absorb the points being made. What causes this breakdown in communication? It's simply because we have different backgrounds, experiences, and histories. The way we view the world and interpret events differs. These differences easily lead to clashes. Once tempers rise, we say what we choose instead of choosing what we say. These quarrels amplify the misunderstanding and further the separation. True, if we share the same ideas, there would be no disagreements, but what a dull world it would be!

The first step toward eliminating misunderstanding is to realise that we are all both different and the same. Because of our different backgrounds, we have different points of view. Yet, we are the same in that we have a need to be understood and appreciated. Knowledge of these simple facts is necessary to end misunderstanding.

The next time you feel yourself disagreeing with someone, stop and ask yourself how their world view differs from yours. Put yourself in their place. Try to understand where they're coming from. Always start with the assumption that, like you, they are decent people. When you think you understand (but don't necessarily agree with) their view, verify and clarify. That is, tell them, "So what you are saying is . . . and what you mean by that is . . .). The moral is never rush to judgment. Don't jump to conclusions."

I believe the best solution to eliminate misunderstanding is to seek clarifications and don't form your own judgement on others' words. If you knew what I am trying to imply.

Oh! Misunderstanding (誤解) .

Pictures downloaded from http://www.fotosearch.com/illustration/misunderstanding.html

Misunderstanding

Ardila's artistry has been featured on tv and in magazine articles. Ardila's painting titled 'Misunderstanding'

I was (am still) upset when I read this article on the net. No doubt Ardila is cleverer than other elephants that we've seen on Discovery Channel, but I still don't think it's right to have Ardila to work. Animals should do animal things, and human should do human things. I found it extremely intolerable when dog owners dressed up their dogs in baby's clothes or colour their fur. I was fumed about two months ago when I saw on tv that a Taiwanese entertainment show host dressed a monkey in bridal dress and told her to sing. She knew a monkey couldn't sing, even some of us couldn't sing in a karaoke, and yet she told the monkey to sing for her. Absurd! The more you love the animals, the more you shouldn't do what you like on them. Animals can't tell you whether they like their clothes in pink or orange. They can't tell if if they were uncomfortable in the alice band that made them look like they are in circus.

Am I over-reacting? Is this purely just a Misunderstanding???

A Letter For Superman

Dear Superman,

Since I knew you are a reporter, I believe you won't be plagued by my few questions.

(1) Has it ever crossed your mind that Lois & a few of your colleagues are rather thick - I mean they couldn't recognise you as Superman when you exactly look like Superman minus the geeky glasses?

(2) Spiderman's uncle told him "with Great Power comes Great Responsibility". Is this the same concern for you and that's why you'd rather let Lois Lane, the woman who has reciprocal love for you, to be with Richard?

(3) In order not to waste the mileage, have you ever thought about to get an airline company to issue you a frequent flyer card?

(4) How do you determine the urgency of people you need to save? I mean, you can't be in 5 places simultaneously, and how do you choose who to save first?

(5) Do you get upset when you can't save some of the victims who are crying out for your help? Does the man of steel has a good matrix to share with re: overcome your guilt?

(6) What made you decide to wear your Superman's underwear on the outside? Just in case if you haven't followed any of the Hollywood fashion reviews, this has been the fashion faux pas for two decades.

(7) Have you ever thought about your retirement age? I mean, it is dangerous to fly at the age of 80.

(8) Have you seriously thought about your succession plan? Who'll be your best choice - Spiderman, Batman & Robin, The Incredibles or the Fantastic Four?

Thanks in advance for answering.

Faithfully your fan,
pancake Queen

First Generation of Globalisation?

Has Globalisation of Labour (from West to East) started as early as 246 BC?

I was slightly suprised to hear from today's CCTV news that a number of European genes were detected when archeologists sent samples of some Terracotta Warriors at Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum for DNA testing.

I believe in Science and strongly believe the discovery of DNA has facilitated our lives in many ways. However, I am not convinced and it simply does not make sense that these European labourers travelled all the way to China to be soldiers for a foreign ruler (implication: there was no report ever been documented that Emperor Qin was a generous ruler that paid all his soldiers well in order to attract foreign soldiers to the Land of the Dragon. If he did, then there won't be Terracotta Warriors in the first place) and this all happened around 246 BC.

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. It was listed by UNESCO in 1987 as one of the world cultural heritages.

Kimchi, Samsung and Winter Sonata

In Autumn 2004, Mama and Papa joined me to South Korea, Daejon, when I attended a conference on Knowledge Management (which I preferred to call Knowledge Enhancement).

Mama insisted we should stay in a hotel with traditional Korean rooms. Thanks God Mama is a dedicated Korean soap fan, otherwise I might sleep on the blanket and use the thin mattress as blanket. Don't call me silly. You would have similar experience if you had never seen one before.

12 Things I Hate About

My personal peeves (for today) are:

(1) People spit when I eat

(2) Wishy-washy and can't even decide what to eat after half an hour!

(3) Take food from my plate w/o my permission, or put things on my plate when I am eating w/o my consent - they are disrupting my science of eating

(4) Adult men/women who dirty talk in public

(5) Over-arrogance men/women who can't even spare a minute to listen to others' views, and interrupted every 5 seconds: listen, listen to me first ...

(6) Men who gawk at women's chest

(7) Women who cry unnecessarily

(8) Those who borrow my things especially books and never bother to return them

(9) People who don't reply to my text messages, and when I called to ask, s/he told me: sorry I didn't receive your message. I believe they've forgotten there is something called: DST 151 Customer Helpline

(10) People who don't answer my call/s and don't reply my missed calls

(11) People purposely say words that they knew those words would hurt me

(12) Cowards.

Love Is All Around

One of my good friends has recently found her love. I feel so happy for her. She is a good woman. She is a friend who would cook for you, listen patiently to you, volunteer to drive you around when you are without a car.

"Love Is All Around" is one of my most favourite songs! It's good to listen to when you curl up with a cup of latte, sitting by your window looking at busy people and busy cars outside in a cold winter afternoon. This song is for you ... my friend:

To J & S:

I feel it in my fingers
I feel it in my toes
Love is all around me
And so the feeling grows
It’s written on the wind
It’s everywhere I go
oh yes it is
So if you really love me Come on and let it show
You know I love you I always will
My mind’s made up by the way that I feel
There’s no beginning
There’ll be no end
‘Cause on my love You can depend

I see your face before me as I lay on my bed
I kinda get to thinking of all the things you said
oh yes I did You gave your promise to me And I gave mine to you
I need someone beside me in everything I do
oh yes I do
You know I love you I always will
My mind’s made up by the way that I feel
There’s no beginning
There’ll be no end
‘Cause on my love You can depend
Ooh, it’s written in the wind everywhere I go
So if you really love me Come on and let it show
Come on and let it show...

"Doctor Who"

Remember how you wished you had a TARDIS like Dr Who when you were a kid so you could be in Brunei this minute and in London the next minute!

Those who have watched Dr Who would not forget his TARDIS. The TARDIS is the time machine used by the title character of the BBC television programme Doctor Who. The name TARDIS is in fact the acronym for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. As well as being able to travel to any point in time and space, the TARDIS has a chameleon circuit, which enables it to alter its external shape so as to blend in inconspicuously with its surroundings. When the Doctor visited Earth in late 1963, his TARDIS materalised in the shape of a police box. The chameleon circuit then promptly failed, leaving the TARDIS stuck as a police box.

One of the more fascinating aspects of the TARDIS is that its exterior and interior do not exist in the same dimension. The practical upshot of this is that its interior is dimensionally transcendental; in other words, it's bigger on the inside than on the outside. The decision by the production team for the TARDIS to be permanently in the shape of a police box was probably made for budgetary reasons, as otherwise a new exterior would have been required for each story.

The remake of Doctor Who was launched on 26th March 2005 to the small screen, with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor. A new TARDIS prop was constructed for the new show. One interesting fact I found out recently: although the first episode of Doctor Who was broadcast on 23rd November 1963, it wasn't until the mid-1970's that the first police box marketed as official Dr Who merchandise became available.

When I was 6 or 7 years old, a girl classmate in school had a TARDIS money box - she told the class it was a gift from his uncle who was studying in London at that time. I could still recall how upset I was seeing that she had something that I could never ever had - something that I really liked at that time. London was too far from me when I was a kid. I was upset for almost a month, and one afternoon when I came home from school I saw on our dining table stood a red money box that replicated the British phone booth.

The word TARDIS now is an official word in the English language with an entry in the 2002 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Good Morning, Ho Chi Minh City!

I took this picture as soon as I woke up during the first day of the meeting - love the sunshine.

Must Have Dogs

Proud Pickles showing off after his grooming visit to the vet.

Ally waiting for her breakfast ie. four slices of buttered-wholemeal bread.

Happy Fathers' Day!

Happy Fathers' Day!

This year's Fathers' Day, We bought Papa a Tiramisu cake instead of the usual bluberry fresh cream cake. My father introduced the family to blueberry cake in the 80s when blueberry concept was first introduced in Brunei's bakery.

Blogging opened my eyes to many things which I didn't know in the past. For example, I didn't know much about my father's work life till I read my sister Woofham's blog this afternoon.

My sister's blog has awoken me:

It was Papa who told me that not only men should pursue further education, women have equal rights to everything that men have. If you think that you are born a girl therefore you would be denied similar opportunities as the boys, then you should work triple hard than the boys to prove that you are as capable as them, if possible strive for even more capable than them. Always remember you cannot be weak. You have to set a good, positive example for your younger sister and brother.

Papa, Happy Fathers' Day!