Sunday, July 29, 2007
I went for my first road trip yesterday and it was great. A drive to Dandenong...not sure if I spelt that correctly. Now, I don't exactly remember the names of the places we visited...but I definitely went for a road trip. Dandenong was cold, and windy, but I reckon that was because it was raining, and we were in the mountains. The view up there was spectacular. Butt freezing cold, but worth every shiver. We drove two cars up, and though we booked a corolla, we were upgraded to a Camry. The interior was spacious, and the length was about the same as the BMW I drove back in Singapore, long and pretty hard to judge especially without all the sensors around the car. I realised my dependence on the sensors when I was parking the car and waiting for the beep to come to warn me that my boot was reaching the wall, of course that never came, and I had stopped just in time so that the rear bumper touched the wall. And I thought driving in Australia was scary. I realised its the confidence a driver has behind the wheel and in the car that determines if he drives well or not.
But of course, one whole road trip that was just one of the many highlights of the day. I had the best scones ever, sat in the biggest chair I ever saw, and ended the day with a cheap, but filling Chinese meal. I can't wait for the next road trip.
I finished reading the final Potter book today, and it was fantastic. I was so excited, I was reading something like 3 lines at a time, and I could see the whole movie playing in my head. If only I read my texts with such speed and interest.
Dan
11:14 pm
Monday, July 23, 2007
Thanks to everyone wishing me a safe flight, it was indeed a safe flight...not so sure if it was pleasant though. I got the aisle seat as I had prayed for and I thought this is great, because now I can go to the toilet without having to disturb people which I hate to do. Didn't occur to me that others wouldn't think twice about disturbing me to go to the toilet. There were 3 passengers I wana talk about. First is an indian who got the window seat. He was rather quiet, but quite a heavy drinker. I think during the course of the flight he downed at least two cans of beer. Now I'm no drinker, but I think that two cans on a commercial flight is a bit too much. I was afraid he would get drunk and high, and start yelling crazy stuff. Happened before on a flight I took to london. Apparently he wasn't travelling alone either. He had another indian friend somewhere in the back of the plane who decided that he was too bored at the back, so he walked to my row to talk to his indian friend. He stood in the aisle and talked to his friend...over me. To make things worse he leaned forward quite a few times to say stuff, and his short shirt would rise, and guess what would be in my face??? YES!! A bunch of disgusting stomach hair. Indians have an insane amount of body hair.
Next is the other passenger. A very polite and helpful chinese. I was thinking it would be very hard to find such a friendly and helpful chinese guy around. I mean, most chinese guys are quite loner type, and won't offer to help unless they were asked. And I think I am still right because it wasn't a guy who was sitting next to me!!! After the plane landed did I realise he was a she!!
Finally, the third passenger was reading the new Harry Potter book across from me, and I could not help resisting, so I read a few sentences between pages as she read. What did I learn on my flight about the book?? Harry Potter gets captured. Dobby Dies.
So that was a rather safe, and interesting flight.
Dan
2:50 pm
Saturday, July 21, 2007
One of the signs of growing up, I think, is the ability to look back on the past and reminiscence the fun times you had with friends. It is definitely fun to look back, but at the end of it, it just sinks further in how much older you are. Recounting the different stalls at the canteen, the jokes and lessons with teachers and classmates, how time flies. I remember once in school we had a "be-yourself day", and everyone could dress in whatever they wanted. I had a classmate who cross dressed. He wore a lot of red, that much I remember, and his pencil case was a mini handbag with lip gloss, and compact. I guess the fact they he came from Thailand made it a little more comforting. Of course we all had a good laugh, though we were quite freaked out then.
Recently Racial Harmony Day passed, and to tell you the truth, I had absolutely no idea when it was. Makes you really wonder if all the celebrations and hype in schools are worth it. Then the government will justify its money spending by emphasizing the importance of racial harmony, which I agree is important, but perhaps a different approach would be more effective? Anyway, a recent article in Channel News Asia's website said that a certain secondary school punished some of its students who did not come in ethnic costumes. How ridiculous is that? Then again, it doesn't surprise me, but let me post a comment from the principle.
"Only 30 plus students missed the celebrations, out of about 1,200 students. I don't think that's excluding a lot of people; it's only a minority."
How can you make that kind of comment when the article is about racial harmony!!! Discarding the minority to one side like they do not matter. So now it is OK to be prejudice against those who for some reason can't get a costume, but its not to be prejudice against races? Damn you Singaporeans who have to be told everything, the underline meaning behind racial harmony day is not just being in harmony with different races, but more importantly not to be prejudice against anyone. Not the poor, not the old, not the disabled. Should we have a day for each of those as well?
Dan
1:24 pm
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Down to my final week of winter break, and what have I achieved? I managed to catch up with friends, had some of my favorite food, planned a surprise for my mum, watched loads of DVD, and read a few books. I guess in a sense, I did all that I planned to do before the holidays began. But it was not enough. I had days spent wasting time, sleeping for long hours. So lesson learnt, next holiday I'm going to plan out a better plan for the holidays.
For those of you who have heard of the famous national blogger Xiao Xue, you should read her latest post. A rather long, and insulting post to several individuals. What has this world come to, for fame, for fortune, people stoop to levels so low, just to eliminate their competition. It's agreed that competition is good, because it improves efficiency, it changes the attitudes and mindsets people have, to want them to strive for more, but at what cost? Does competition make us better people?
Dan
8:43 pm
Friday, July 13, 2007
I had my hair cut yesterday. A bit shorter than what I had in mind, but it still looks the same I guess. At the end of the hair cutting session, the barberess (it was a female barber), gave me the comb she used to cut my hair with, wrapped in a nice plastic bag, like some memento for cutting my hair there. But of all things why the comb? Was she hoping I'd come back, "Hey, remember this comb, can you use it to cut my hair again?" What if other professionals started doing the same thing? Tailors give their customers the needle they used to sow their clothes, chefs give their patrons the wok they used to cook their food, surgeons give their patients the knife that cut them open!!
Speaking of surgery, a woman died in Raffles Hospital a few days ago, apparently due to a lack of blood? Her placenta was stuck to her womb...doesn't that sound like something Dr. House would be interested in? Anyhow, the husband is unhappy with the hospital, and I guess he has every right to be, who else can he blame? Doctors lead a harsh life, their patients are either very happy because they're cured, or sad because of their loss. I don't think there is a middle ground?
Dan
1:19 pm
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
After watching a particular episode of 'House', where a kid almost dies (as they all do), from ticks infection from his pet cat, I've started researching on the kind of ticks that Pugsly (my dog) has. Apparently ticks are vectors for diseases, which means they give a helping hand in spreading them. Much like mosquitoes spread dengue. So to cut a long story short, after much research, I've concluded that Pugsly has the Brown Dog Tick. It can live its entire life cycle indoors, unlike other ticks, which is bad, and considering that the females can lay thousands of eggs at one shot, I'm guessing that infection is as good as immediate. They can cause tick paralysis in dogs and perhaps also in humans.
We have a tick epidemic on our hands, and the government is worried about dengue. God bless us all.
Dan
3:46 pm
Monday, July 09, 2007
I recalled one night when I was walking back from the library with Marcus. We had completed a couple hours of study at the library, and we were rushing home to watch some TV. I was rushing to watch "Heroes" and "Prison Break", and Marcus was rushing to watch "House". I told him, I'd choose my "Heroes" over his "House" anytime. Recently, due to much boredom, I've started to watch "House", and now, I think it's safe to say that I'm hooked onto it.
I just subjected myself to a good 4 to 5 hours of "House", and all those needles, the bone marrow extracts, the surgeries, all the BLOOD!!! Reminds me just how much I hate the hospital. Yet, I still watch "House". If only medicine was that interesting.
Dan
3:50 am
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
I'm not a big fan of politics, but I do like to tune once in awhile to hear what the ministers have to say, and listen to some of the interesting arguments put up by opposition parties. Of course I refer to Australian politics, because let's face it, Singapore will never reach that level of politics. In Australia the politicians fight for their people by standing up for them, but I think the term is taken too literally in some countries such a Taiwan, where fighting with fists, and riots inside parliament house are common sights. But here's something I bet you never knew.
In early May, "scores" of Taiwan lawmakers brawled on the floor of parliament, wrestling, throwing punches and spraying water at each other over an election reform bill, according to a Reuters dispatch. However, a week later, one legislator, and also a U.S. political scientist who follows the Taiwan legislature, told a Reuters reporter that most of the legendary brawls on the floor are staged in order to impress constituents that their members "fight" for them. One legislator said a leader may call in advance for his allies to wear soft shoes, in anticipation of a shoe-throwing fight, to limit injuries. [MSNBC-Reuters, 5-8-07; Reuters, 5-17-07]
Dan
11:51 pm
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Dengue has reached epidemic levels in Singapore. Some how, it just doesn't sound like something I would panic about. I think I'd be more concerned if the headlines read Great Singapore Sale, Not Happening this Year. I attribute my lack of concern to the Singapore mentality.
"Dengue ah? Ok lor...what to do?"
"NO MORE SALE!! How can!!"
On a different note. Gal 5:25 "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." After I read this verse, it hit me that living and walking the spirit are two different things. I mean I already knew that before, but in different terms, and using these adjectives, to describe it just made it so much clearer.
Dan
12:37 pm