In-sense-abel

Tay-Oh is a drink

2008-07-16T12:07:00.004+08:00

Thanks to everyone who guided our relationship and helped at our wedding. Your friendship and time moulding our lives together when we were still dating was invaluable to this final step. Continue to pray with us for God's love and grace in our marriage.

2008-04-10T18:11:00.002+08:00

This Halloween, Oyster Boy decided to go as a human.
Tim Burton

Anyone who wants to read Tim Burton's book of short stories: The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and other stories, can borrow it from me. But please do not be like some who borrow it and never return for months. Its a short, quirky book full of black humour; making it highly unsuitable for church book review segments and recommendations to primary school students.

You know you are getting old...

2008-04-05T17:23:00.002+08:00

....When your brother has a blog and is posting stuff that only really young people would post. Its rather hilarious really. U almost don't believe that you were that age once. And you definitely don't believe that you were like that before. Everyone wants to think they become mature and cultivate a unique/ different personality. But actually all we do is grow old.

On a separate note, the song of the month is taken from the movie Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and goes like this: Dolphins having tried but failed to alert Earthlings of the impending destruction of our planet & have now left the planet. As a farewell, they sing the song: Farewell, and thanks for all the fish.

So long and thanks for all the fish
So sad that it should come to this
We tried to warn you all but oh dear?

You may not share our intellect
Which might explain your disrespect
For all the natural wonders that
grow around you

So long, so long and thanks
for all the fish

The world's about to be destroyed
There's no point getting all annoyed
Lie back and let the planet dissolve

Despite those nets of tuna fleets
We thought that most of you were sweet
Especially tiny tots and your
pregnant women

So long, so long, so long, so long, so long
So long, so long, so long, so long, so long

So long, so long and thanks
for all the fish

There is a bridge which wasnt included but it goes something like this:
If i could have one last wish, i would want a tasty fish,
If we all could change one thing, we would all have lungs to sing!

Dont ask me to sing the song to you. It would seriously be worse than the dolphins.

Infused into the toilet seat!!??

2008-03-24T13:22:00.003+08:00

I was recently asked to read this particular very disturbing article. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/03/13/woman.in.bathroom.ap/index.html
Basically, its about a woman with a phobia that stayed in the toilet/bathroom for a very long time and in the end her arse kind of combined with the toilet seat. Finally they had to remove the toilet cover with her stuck on it and send her to the hospital! Horrifyingly bizarre.
The incredible thing was that the bf was quoted as saying this "she moved around in the bathroom during that time, bathed and changed into the clothes he brought her. He brought food and water to her. They had conversations and had an otherwise normal relationship -- except it all happened in the bathroom.
Hello?!?! Thats actually normal to you? I guess he just gave up trying to coax her out. And after 16 years, as reported by the article, i guess you must give him some credit for eating out of the toilet bowl for so long. I mean eating in the toilet with her.

Do not have glass eye balls

2008-03-15T08:40:00.006+08:00

Recently when i was waiting for the bus at a bustop, i saw that the glass sign board was smashed. This is not uncommon actually in Perth and i think people throw bottles into the sign when they speed by with their cars. Yes, its incredibly dangerous but i think it takes quite a lot of force to break these screens because i am sure they are not normal fragile glass. Having said that, i thought the shattered look is rather pretty.
Be careful where u place your feet or they might be sliced off. OUCH!
And finally i wonder if this effect makes the advertiser more prominent and get more customers? Maybe they did it themselves to boost sales.

Forward Be Kind Rewind to Everyone

2008-03-14T08:53:00.002+08:00

Jack Black meets director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind = Must See Movie.

I like rotten Oranges

2008-03-11T07:18:00.001+08:00

2008-02-25T17:26:00.003+08:00

The return of demotivation will hopefully be scheduled now on every monday. When people are at their most hopeless and despairing best. But then i cant promise anything because i may be too demotivated to do one every monday.

Last days in Singapore II

2008-02-24T09:03:00.007+08:00

Apologies that the following photos arn't as good as they should be. But anyway while i was going to Central Mall @ Clarke Quay i saw some more lovely signs in the MRT station. The first thing i saw was this sign that had to warn people that there were 90 steps to walk up to the main street.

They really shouldn't have the warning so that people can stay at the top of the stairs and video people coming up cursing or extremely exhausted. Even taking the escalator was quite a lengthy process. There were 2 escalators that brought you out of the MRT into the mall and the first one was incredibly high.

And lastly, i saw a sign that says wet floor/ cleaning in process that seemed to be left there by mistake, cos the floor was obviously not wet. Ok yes, the floor dried up recently but its still amusing to see people stare at the sign and try to be cautious then realise there isnt any wet floor but they have to avoid the sign obstructing the middle of their path anyway. And by the time some others strained their eyes to see the small words on the sign the message of the sign was seriously irrelevant.

My last days in Singapore

2008-02-21T10:29:00.004+08:00

As i return to Perth today (21st), there will be many things that i will miss in Singapore. The Green city never fails to make me giggle at its absurdity at times. And i sincerely hope that as Singaporeans continue to prosper, they will learn to laugh at themselves and at the little things in life. Cash does not equal class. And sometimes being so congested, Singapore can be a very unforgiving and unloving society. Having said that. Heres what i found on the second last day in my hometown.

Sadly i resized my camera too small; so if you squint your eyes a bit, you will notice that the message spells shuttle bus, but the very nice graphic is of a SHUTTER bus. Probably the doors are dangerous and might close on passengers unexpectedly.

V is not for Vitagen

2008-02-16T11:34:00.002+08:00

I think its really strange that people still celebrate V-day. Or more appropriately named Valentines day. I started to think that so many people i know find it a marketing gimmick and a real waste of time. How can it still survive with so many detractors and un-believers?
Then it struck me that maybe my circle of friends are all getting older. Maybe its how the older generation make up excuses that we are wiser and are more prudent with our decisions.
"All the restaurant prices jack up by 200% can eat 5 more meals after V-day better"
"People should be treasured everyday not set aside some special day, so silly"
"Roses normally one bunch only $10 now $99; you think who is the stupid one?"
Well, it does make quite a lot of sense. But thats exactly the problem. Maybe as we grow up we become too sensible and logically motivated. And maybe we are just afraid to mingle with the younger crowd in public places on V-day. Because they remind us of that romanticism we once had but have now lost. That carefree spirit that wants to celebrate and wants to date someone and make him/her feel special.
But then again, as an adult, i just write it off as horny hormones.

Pineapple Tarts -- All gone!!

2008-02-13T09:49:00.000+08:00

An incongruent image from Chinese New Year. But still yummy. I have recently been diagnosed with pineapple tarts addiction; the medical profession thus labels me a 'pine-nut'.

Remember Boggle?

2008-02-11T00:35:00.001+08:00

I suddenly had this epiphany that words with double letters in them are a lot stickier to remember. Unless a person doesnt read then it wont have added significance?
But then how about words like essential or assets? Maybe its just words that sound funny. Like Tottenham; which people can never reach consensus on how to pronounce anyway.
Note that Bookkeeper is spelt thus and is the only word that has 3 double letters. Which proves my theory wrong because bookkeeper is a rather boring word that i dont really want to repeat. Nor does it really strike me every now and again when i least expect it.
I guess its just google and its crazy font colours.

clipped from www.google.com

Catch no ball?

2008-02-11T00:13:00.001+08:00

I recently came across this australian advert that said this: " The Million Ball mission is based on the simple but brilliant observation that if we can get guys to play more sport, then they will sweat more and need to buy more Rexona Men. So our challenge became getting guys to play more sport and this is where the balls come in."
Ricky Ponting (Aust Cricket player) is distributing free balls throughout Australia. Great publicity stunt i must admit. I found the idea/ advert incredibly amusing. Although it didnt really inspire me to perspire and purchase Rexona Men deodorant products.

Facemask Prata

2008-02-08T12:01:00.001+08:00

After clearing the pores on your face; this great new product will provide a sumptuous meal of facial oil: which is 20x healthier than normal prata oil.

A Grown Up Child's Wish

2008-01-22T13:19:00.000+08:00

I recently got forwarded this powerpoint presentation called a Parent's Wish; wonder how many of you have seen it. It is basically a 'poignant' (as quoted by the email given me) reminder of how parents' want to be understood by their children. I thus must quote that the home page states clearly that "Recommended viewing for children whose parents suffer from old age diseases (parkinsons, alzheimers, dementia)"

Having said that, i feel that although i dont have parents that suffer from the above degenerative diseases, i think children my age of any parents deserve to have a powerpoint presentation of our own. In it, i will refute some of the common arguments put forth by parents on how their children do not understand them. I am not saying that all parents are bad and all 20 year olds are filial; i am just saying that the condition where one side is right & the other wrong is outdated and should be reviewed. Both parties should review the goals that they want during this time where children grow into adults and have their own mindsets. The parents want to be understood and know that they are still valued. This latter point is clearly showcased in the powerpoint with the first couple of slides taking a somewhat accusatory position of the parents.

It states that children should have patience and try to understand their parents and children should remember how parents had to keep dressing and feeding their kids. Similarly, just as parents read the same story countless times over and over again to their kids, it is akin to how they keep repeating their same sentences (nagging).

I guess a lot of people will go into the cyclical argument of when our parents were teenagers they probably did the same thing and were impatient with their own parents. That may well be true but again we degenerate into a who is better than the other type of argument that cannot be proven and makes the situation worse. Obviously, if you think carefully about the parallels drawn in the presentation, the argument is no doubt flawed. Parallels often are, thats why they are analogies and should be thought over. Reading a book to a child is infinitely different qualitatively compared to repeating instructions to adults. For one, the child is fascinated every time the repetition is made; thats why he/she wants to be read to again. The adult if nagged at shows obvious distate/ irritation hence the unhappiness expressed in the ppt.

I propose this: The adult does not like the child (possibly grown up) to be unhappy about repetition cos old ppl tend to be forgetful or care about their children and thats why they repeat certain things. Fair enough; but this has to work both ways. The child now obviously understands and in all likelihood would have carried out the instruction already. The compromise would then be for children to explain/speak NICELY that yes, 1. They have done the deed or/and 2. They have been told before.

Parents (obviously this ppt was made for Alz who would more likely forget) should then 1. acknowledge WITHOUT getting upset that their children understand the request and 2. Not be offended to be pointed out that they have indeed repeated this instruction many times. In essence, this is understanding that people do get frustrated when told the same thing many times; this indication of repetition is not an insult to who the parents, their character, or how well they have raised their kids.

Both parties now reach their own separate goals, the parents are valued for their opinion and although it has been repeated the child can state that in a no-anger sort of way allowing the parent to be more aware that this instruction need not be re-directed. Obviously with Alz this is harder but then as a disease, the children should train to be more patient, just like you wont begrudge an Asthmatic his/her inhaler.

I apologise for taking this ppt out of context as it is made for a more medical audience in mind but i would continue tomorrow with some dissection on common misconceptions about grown-up children and their parents attitudes towards one another. Also, some debate on how best to solve such misconceptions as evidenced from other ppl's personal experiences would be helpful.

Singaporean's food

2008-01-21T09:09:00.000+08:00

This shop is creatively named ' Mr Prata' and the shop owner is clearly very confident of serving good food. It wasnt too ex actually cos the plain prata is $1 and its an air con environment. But i wonder how much did making the sign cost.

Demotivation is always in fashion.

2008-01-16T13:30:00.000+08:00

New year: same old demotivational me.

Missionary Styling

2008-01-10T13:27:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone,

Its a new year and a new year of blogging. With the new year comes a new year hair cut. Which is the same style as the previous 5 years but only called a new year haircut because it is cut in January. Maybe next year i will get dreadlocks like the new year show: Alien vs Predator 2. Only that next year it will be an old show.

This year i tried a new hair dressing shop, it was super cheap at only $8. Cheaper than the QB house and wat not $10 for 10 min haircuts. That are supposed to be cheap and good. I think the only thing really good about those 10 min shops are the compartments where all sorts of contraptions come out to aid with your hair cut. I am particularly impressed with the final hair sucking vacuum that extends out of nowhere to give you a non-balding/non-falling hair misconception after your haircut. No, i am not very enamoured with the free comb, which i think is why they dont give them anymore, do they?

The strange thing about my $8 haircut was that at the end, the hairstylist gave me a calender. Which i mean is not really the most congruent gift with hairdessing like a comb is. But, it was the new year. Having said that, i turned to the other side and it was actually a missionary calender, entitled "Prayer for a New Beginning". It goes something like this: Dear God (with a capital G which allows me to take it seriously),

Thank you for loving me. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son Who came and lived a perfect life among us. I know i have not lived a perfect life. I ask for your forgiveness for my sins and self-willed behaviour. I believe that Jesus died for me... (rather long, sorry for editing), I commit myself to following You the rest of my life. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

I really find it commendable that people are standing up for their faith but i couldnt help but notice that there were many different types of calenders that were used as gifts. I wonder why the hairstylist chose (if he indeed did calculate his decision) to give me this particular one. Maybe he feels God's direction while cutting my hair. Which is absolutely fine, hairdressing could definitely be a calling. Or maybe it was 1pm, i hadnt shaved and was dressed shabbily and looked like a junkie.

Either way, its a new beginning of blogging and maybe some styles need to change.

The final soccer countdown

2007-12-08T11:21:00.000+08:00

With results coming out on monday. Heres a good luck wish to everyone waiting anxiously. One silly grade will determine all that my four years have culminated towards.
But before Monday, at least there is one last soccer to watch before we might all have a very sad Christmas. HAHA. Here is me taking on Today's smart money columnists Kenneth Goh (KG) and Leong Wee Keat (WK).
Reading vs Liverpool -- Yes, reading are not as resilient anymore as the 2nd season syndrome is always hard to shake off. But their problem is the loss of Steve Sidwell which fought hard and linked with attack. Gerrard will pose too much of a problem. AO 1-3 to liverpool, KG 1-2 and WK 1-1. Final score was Reading 3- Pool 1, No one gets points.
Chelsea vs Sunderland -- The first of the one sided affairs this weekend. Just have to pick a scoreline. The last time i picked Chelsea to score 3 they didnt manage it and i cant count on Sunderland to score so 2-0 (3). KG 2-0 (3) and WK 3-0 (1). 2-0 was the correct score. Yipee. Almost went with 3-0 again.
Man U vs Derby -- Ah, Man U should score more than Chelsea and if Spurs win 4-0 at home to Derby and Liverpool win 6-0. I am going for 5-0 to Manure. KG 3-0 and WK 4-0. Final score was 4-1. Everyone gets a point. Derby's goal was really lucky. Otherwise WK might have gotten full 3 points.
Newcastle vs Birmingham -- Birmingham werent good at Spurs but were helped with some really awful defending. They might take heart and confidence from that but Newcastle just drew with Arsenal. I think its going to be a home win as Birmingham just have desperate defending. 2-1. KG 2-1, WK 1-1. Newcastle scrapped a late goal to win it 2-1. AO (3), KG (3) and WK (0).
Finally, sundays early kick off sees Boro vs Arsenal. Middlesborough are really struggling to score at the moment and their defence isnt great either. I am going for Arsenal to win again. Wats new. 0-2. KG 0-1 and WK 0-2. Amazing Arsenal lost this match. Only Tim who i still suspect put the score the wrong way; gets a point.
I dont mind all my predictions to be really off if my results turn out good. But please not the other way around. HAHA.
Timothy's predictions: Reading v Liverpool ==> 0-2 (0) Chel v Sun ==> 2-0 (3) Man Utd v Derby ==> 2-1 (1) Newcastle v Birmingham ==> 1-1 (0) Boro v Arsenal =-> 3-0

Final standings, Tim (5), AO (7), KG (7), WK (2). KG and me share the spoils as WK bites the dust. Tim gets a honourary mention for predicting Boro to beat Arsenal.

No Betting, just beating

2007-11-24T19:00:00.000+08:00

I (AO) always wanted to see if i could beat the soccer pundits at predicting scores. Of course they do it so that others can possibly make a quick buck but heres me having a go against Today Newspapers' Kenneth Goh (KG) and David Ngiau (DN).

For exact score accuracy, lets do it the soccer way with 3 points awarded. A correct prediction of the correct team to win/ lose or draw will be given 1 point.

Saturdays matches.
Birmingham vs Porstmouth -- KG: 1-1, DN: 1-0, AO: 1-2. I just feel that portsmouth have too much in attack. KG and DN look at history but Birmingham are too poor sometimes to rely on history to help them. Final Score 0-2, KG (0), DN (0), AO (1).
Bolton vs Man Utd -- KG: 0-1, DN: 1-1, AO: 1-3. United are scoring freely and just when you think a narrow win is on the cards they usually turn up trumps. Final Score 1-0, KG (0), DN (0), AO (0). This was the weekends surprise.
Arsenal vs Wigan -- KG: 2-1, DN: 2-0, AO: 2-0. Wigan to score? They couldnt do it against Spurs so... Arsenal have some injuries so the scoreline remains slightly modest. Final Score 2-0, KG (1), DN (3), AO (3).
Man City vs Reading -- KG: 0-2, DN: 1-1, AO: 2-1. I think they are giving Reading too much credit. They can score with Doyle and Kitson but they rely too much on hard running and against a technically sounder City its curtains. Final Score 2-1, KG (0), DN (0), AO (3). Got really lucky with this score. 94th min winner by Stephen Ireland.
Derby vs Chelsea -- KG: 0-2, DN: 0-2, AO: 0-3. Dont need to be conservative. I know in betting its a 1.5 goal handicap but Chelsea should win easily. Final Score 0-2, KG(3), DN (3), AO (1). The late kickoff was kind to my opponents but i still won this week's challenge.
Everton vs Sunderland -- KG: 2-0, DN: 1-1, AO: 1-1. I have a feeling Sunderland will tiger their way to a hard fought draw here. But it will be close. Expected this to be the surprise upset. But was SO WRONG. Final Score 7-1, KG (1), DN (0), AO (0).

Final score for this week KG (5), DN (6), AO (8). There were certain matches i abstain from because of bias like Liverpool and Spurs. And the rest i just got tired of typing. But in the final assessment i can hold my own against KG and DN and look forward to challenging them again next week. Any comments on the scoring system? Not sure if its fair.

Demotivation Tuesday delayed.

2007-11-21T12:16:00.000+08:00

Why are 12 year-olds so hyper these days? Shaun keeps asking me "what are you doing now kor?"; my reply now has to be "escaping from you!" HAHA.

No demotivation this tuesday?

2007-11-13T13:33:00.000+08:00

What I Spent -- I Had

What I Kept -- I Lost

What I Gave -- I Have

Bright and Shiny...Book!

2007-11-08T22:36:00.001+08:00

Managed to finish this short and impactful book known as 'Refuting Evolution' by Jonathan Sarfati Ph.D. Basically, the whole book revolves around the debate of evolution vs creation and can be summed up with one quote quite aptly "Evolution [is] a theory universally accepted not because it can be proven by logically coherent evidence to be true, but because the only alternative, special creation, is clearly incredible' D.M.S. Watson.

I thought some of the points made were cogent. I especially liked the chapters on 'Astronomy' and 'Is the Design Explanation Legitimate'. However, many of the other chapters were rather skimpily written. Many paragraphs appeared rushed and like the author had to complete the chapter in a day. The references given were a very good thing though and lends the book much credibility given the very watered-down way the author tried to convey his message across.

An interesting fact to show that genetic design is indeed quite marvellous is that lobster eyes are modelled on a perfect square with precise geometrical relationships. NASA x-ray telescopes have actually copied this design. Many other interesting things can be gleaned from the book but many were only accorded short shrift to enhance readability.

Powerful quote by C.S Lewis who i admit i have a bias towards, " If the solar system was brought about by an accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was also an accident, and the whole evolution of Man was an accident too. If so, then all our thought processes are mere accidents. And this holds for the materialists' and astronomers' and anyone else's. But if their thoughts are merely accidental by-products, why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give a correct account of all the other accidents." This is kind of a hilarious but very perceptive view i think, very akin to Lewis.

In all, i found the book easy to read but given the material, found the author made very little attempt for WHAO factors. I thought that was a disappointing flaw and thus give it 2.5/5 stars. This is my own view, and encourage others to give the book a read. It does claim to have 350,000 copies in print.

Do not forget Demotivational Tuesday!

2007-11-06T15:00:00.000+08:00

This comes appropriately timed for me. I am glad its all over. But then again, when else can you watch 3am soccer unless you are a student? HAHA.

Regeneration of the Rib. Did Adam's Rib Grow Back?

2007-11-02T00:51:00.000+08:00

Dr Carl Wieland, director of Creation Ministries recently gave a talk in church and i found a website that states what he said. I am wondering if anyone can quantify if this is true. I have tried searching surgical journals and i am quite sure that the rib can kind of grow back but its not really on the topic of rib regrowth specifically.

From http://www.s8int.com/adamsrib.html

I had a series of operations to reconstruct various parts of me, particularly the bones of my face.
These operations often required using my own bone for grafting. I noticed that the plastic surgeon would keep going back to the right side of my ribcage, through the same horizontal scar, actually, to get more bone for these procedures.
One day, I asked him why he hadn't 'run out of bone'. He looked at me blankly, and then explained that he and his team took the whole rib out, each time. 'We leave the periosteum intact, so the rib usually just grows right back again.'
Despite having trained and practiced as a family doctor, I was intrigued; I had never realized this before. The periosteum (the literal meaning of this word is 'around the bone') is a membrane that covers every bone—it's the reason you can get things stuck between your teeth while gnawing on a leg of lamb, for instance.
The periosteum contains cells that can manufacture new bone. Particularly in young people, 'rib periosteum has a remarkable ability to regenerate bone, perhaps more so than any other bone'.
Thoracic (chest) surgeons routinely remove ribs, and these often grow back, in whole or in part. A lot depends on the care with which the rib is removed; it needs to be 'peeled' out of its periosteum to leave this membrane as intact as possible.
A major reason why the rib is the ideal situation for such regeneration is that the attached intercostal muscles provide it with a good blood supply. When the surgeon originally told me this, my immediate thought was—'Wow, that's really neat, Adam didn't have to walk around with a defect!' -- this last part kind of sums up the main beauty of this whole idea. That God's design is of such a wonderful nature and still has implications for modern times.

The website compiles 2 other places where he finds mention of people saying that after surgery they were informed that their rib bone can grow back. But he admits that the evidence is surprisingly few.
But i guess God could just have used any part of Adam's body to make Eve and doesnt a lot of other places regenerate? Ok i guess maybe not like the eye or the tongue or something but dont a lot of bones repair themselves? I think the special properties of the rib should be better quantified and i was hoping maybe someone could shed light on this issue.

How subjective is Music?

2007-11-01T11:30:00.000+08:00

Thanks to -d- for going city with me. Managed to cut hair and also buy the new Athlete CD. Unfortunately the new Cake CD was out of stock. But i should really not be spending time on entertainment; and should be concentrating on my exam this sat.

Reviews for Athlete: Beyond the Neighbourhood were that they have improved but have not reached the standard of Coldplay. Actually i always found them slightly better than Coldplay. I think music reviewers are all brooding, moody, melancholic artsy people, thats why they didnt like Athlete's first album which i felt was the most fun. But the new album has nice langorous stuff which i like as well. And much less mainstream than Coldplay. But hey, music has this ethereal quality that just cannot be boxed nicely for everyone.

I belong with your arms wrapped around my neck Your lips glistening in the light Awesome headlights passing by Hold thought, I hold the thought Walking back towards your house Raindrops bouncing off the leaves Down to our September kiss Flying over bus stops and playgrounds
I'm here Soaked right to the core Stay here foreverI'm safe with you
If the words I've ever wroteon the backs of envelopes I could fold to paper planes I would fly them thru your veins Helicopters overhead Wide awake at 3am Now the ink runs to your heart And you know just how I feel
Flying over bus stops and playgrounds I'm hereSoaked right to the core Stay here forever I'm safe with you Flying over bus stops and playgrounds I'm hereSoaked right to the core Stay here forever I'm safe with you. -- Athlete, Flying Over Bus Stops.

Holloween is scary because of the sweets.

2007-10-31T23:35:00.000+08:00

I noticed that teamtalk.com ,a soccer based website; were doing a holloween themed day of posts. I thought it was quite hilarious because at least it showed they were having fun on their job.
Heres the titles that were meant to reflect the day of monsters. What i really dont understand is why kids dress up as werewolves or frankenstein's monster or skeletons on this day. Kids are scarier just the way they are.
1. Black Cats (Soccer Club nickname) failed to cast Bobo (player nickname) spell.
2. Kanoute's (Player name) not bewitched by Spurs (Club short-name).
3. Lee's (player) high spirits (drinking incident actually) could be costly.
4. Lennon's future in the melting pot.
5. O'Neill (manager name) snub still haunts Risdale (Club owner).
6. Takeover just the trick for Town (club nickname).
7. Fergie geared up for Emirates (Club: Arsenal's stadium) treat.
8. Barca (club nickname) bat of Ronaldinho (player) talk.
9. Miller (player) may ghost into Rams (Club Nickname) squad.

Its Demotivation Tuesday!

2007-10-30T12:59:00.000+08:00

Do some yourself here.

I had a problem with 'is' as it could be 'are' but i wasnt sure if 'butterflies in your stomach' is a notion and diarhorroea is definitely singular so i guess it sounds alright.

Maybe we are all Crazy

2007-10-22T20:32:00.000+08:00

I have a BBQ for my Cognitive Psych people this sunday as organised every sem by our Prof. Heres the invitation i got via email today.
"Dear lab folks:
As I am sure none of you has forgotten, the all-important and excessively exciting lab BBQ is being held this coming Sunday, commencing at 5pm.
As usual, we will be providing hamburgers and limited drinks.... hopefully you folks can bring a few more bottles of whatever you wish to drink. Also, nibbles, salads, desserts etc would be welcome. Maybe you can coordinate?
As always, the invitation extends to partners, kids, and any toilet trained pets smaller than sperm whales. For reasons of crowd control, I'd appreciate an RSVP by Thursday.
Here are the directions (the first 2 of which seem exceedingly irrelevant to me):

(1) If you arrive by golf cart, ask Leo (the research assistant and also part-time pro golf player) how to get here, then climb back fence.
(2) If you arrive by bike, it's 34.2 km from the main door Psych Bldg via King's Park and bike path along F'wy into my garage. Aim for an average of 25.2 km/h. If you are faster, don't tell me (Thats because the Prof cycles to work sometimes).
(3) If you arrive by road (and thence gate to left of house):"
Directions omitted for sake of discretion.

I have this theory that all psychologists beyond honours level are nuts. Like they are only studying the subject to cure themselves. HAHA. I guess my pet Walrus,Walter, qualifies to be brought along now. And he is much better on land than a whale.

FOUL!!!

2007-10-21T13:20:00.001+08:00

YOU!! OFF!!

Warning: Do not set on fire.

2007-10-21T13:01:00.000+08:00

Inspired by a post by Marianne, which was on Labels. Since 'labels' has my name in it.. Lets apply one to me.

Abel's Care Instructions.
1. Warm Hand Wash
2. Rinse Well
3. Squeeze Gently
4. Dry Flat in Sunlight
5. Plump Up Regularly
6. Do Not Dry Clean

This was taken from my pillow which to me just doesnt make any sense! Squeeze a pillow gently? What does putting my heavy head on it entail then? Dry Flat? Whats that? Do not dry the pillow in sunlight diagonally?

Bible Trivia Revisited

2007-10-19T13:05:00.000+08:00

During the recent Young Adults Quiz Night, which many people went and enjoyed ourselves, they asked a question on what did God create on the 2nd and 5th days. Sad to say i only got 5th day : sea creatures right (partially). Its amazing how little attention we pay to the chronological order of Creation because we just read it straight through. Its like i remembered Gideon had 300 soldiers in the end but not what is written on the first page, first book of the Bible. So in an attempt to right this wrong, I will try to memorize the 7 days and their respective creations.
Day 1 -- Heavens and the Earth , Light: Night & Day
Day 2 -- Sky
Day 3 -- Land and Seas, Vegetation
Day 4 -- The two great lights to govern the night and day -- Sun and Moon
Day 5 -- Sea creatures and winged animals (whales & birds are what remain today, if you know what i mean)
Day 6 -- Land animals, men and women
Day 7 -- Rest

I know this is a really watered down summary and makes the creation kind of functional instead of beautiful but it should aid memory. Just keep thinking of dinosaurs. And remember they could have been pink with orange swirls because we only have the bones left.

Q. What happens when you cross a comedian with a chess player?

2007-10-19T11:37:00.000+08:00

A. You get Zeus.

Well, i dont know if Kasparov can win at russian politics or is a winner in life but i do know that he always won at chess. All mere chess players want in our lifetimes is to come up with a Kasparov-esque brilliancy and we will die happy. Colbert speaks of Kasparov like he is just another chess Grandmaster. Respect Mr Comedian. Respect! GK can play many flawless games of chess requiring deep visualisation, immense knowledge of strategy and unmeasured years of training; and Colbert had a mechanical boxing game? I thought it was ironic that that portion seemed overly desperate to try to get GK to lose. Better come out of the shadow of Jon Stewart first Colbert, before you tackle the man who defended humanity with his brain. =) HAHA. Colbert seemed stunned that GK was witty for a 'boring' chess player. I do wonder though if some of the jokes were scripted.

The Written Paper

2007-10-17T22:51:00.000+08:00

It seems like only yesterday that i came into UWA. Its been 4 years and i am down to my last 2 assignments both due on the 26th of Oct. Amazing. I am savouring every last moment of, possibly, the last 2 assignments of my life by doing it slowly. Very slowly. Ok, i am procrastinating. And making cool photos. All the best to the rest of you ppl having assignments. Treasure them as one day you might not get to do any assignments anymore and you may feel really sad.

Vehicles & Animals / Tourist

2007-10-17T13:00:00.000+08:00

Sometimes you hope that more people would listen to the bands you like. But then once a group becomes overly mainstream and popular, they kind of lose their soul. I was trying to find a word to describe what kind of music 'Athelete' make. And i read a review use the word 'atmospherics'. Good word. I will use that description now. And hope the soul in their atmosphere never changes.

I would like to think our paths are straight Disconnected from choices we make That there is no reason why it can't be like you said
One day it's gonna happen I dont know when I'll be on your street But I know one day it's gonna happen You're gonna be swept off your feet
I would like someone to make a map Mark my home and draw some lines that match All of the reasons why It can be like you said -- Street Map

And i like the melody to this song (if you could call it a melody) : Athlete - If I found out song lyrics

Heres one for -d-

2007-10-16T21:17:00.000+08:00

The best thing since conscience.

2007-10-16T20:19:00.000+08:00

Ok yes, i admit i am impressed and addicted. Whichever is worse is debatable.

2007-10-16T19:58:00.000+08:00

Wow, this picnik thing that youfay introduced is really quite powerful and user-friendly. You really could spend a whole night just trying effects.

Speaking of Translations

2007-10-15T23:43:00.000+08:00

愛, 很簡單(陶喆)

忘了是怎麼開始也許就是對你有一種感覺忽然間發現自己以深深愛上你真的很簡單愛的地暗天黑都已無所謂是是非非無法決擇沒有後悔為愛日也去跟隨那個瘋狂人是我喔 I LOVE YOU 無法不愛你 BABY 說你也愛我 I LOVE YOU 永遠不願意 BABY 失去你不可能更快樂只要能在一起做什麼都可以雖然世界變個不停用最真誠的心讓愛變得簡單 I LOVE YOU 我一直在這裡一直在愛你 I LOVE YOU, OH YES I DO 永遠都不放棄這愛你的權利如果你還有一些困惑 OH NO 請貼我的心傾聽聽我說着愛你 YES I DO 我愛你

Its only after we are not forced to study Chinese by Ultra-strict Chinese teachers do we appreciate that English is such a watered-down language compared to Mandarin. Just see the coloured parts and their so-called translations. Somehow it just sounds comical instead of romantic. I am not sure if we first took a romantic song in English, whether Mandarin could do a better job, but i suspect it would be easier.
I don't mind love's dark heaven and earth I can't choose between right and wrong . HAHAHA.
Try this yourself and you will know what i mean.
I'll use my most honest heart to let love become easy , Oh dear, this is just bad.
This phrase is just so nice in Chinese, to me.

I guess you can say they were making the English simple. But its still hilarious.

Make your own demotivational stuff!!

2007-10-15T16:33:00.001+08:00

http://diy.despair.com/motivator.php -- Try it yourself here.

2007-10-15T15:06:00.001+08:00

I'd insult you, but you are not bright enough to notice.

Eggs are expensive.

2007-10-11T16:32:00.000+08:00

I just realised that this brand of eggs they have called "Meggles" is named thus because there is the word 'egg' in 'Meggles'. I dont know why it took me so long to realise it. Around 3 years to be exact. But you must admit it was well camouflaged. HAHAHA. Maybe Meggles specialised in eagles' eggs. That would make more sense.

Verify This!

2007-10-08T21:11:00.000+08:00

Do you realise how blogs have this word verification thing before you can leave a comment? I do understand that its useful to prevent computerised-robotic spam. But can they pls make the thing EASY?? Like stop having C with 1 which looks like a d. OR

Like are they purposely trying to trick us so that we have to complete an average of 9 of these things before we can post one line of comment? Like i am 100% sure the correct answer to the above one is 'k-d-B- I and a green chilli'. In that case they might as well come up with English to Chinese translations in these things.

The above one is clearly '2-k-t-X-t-j-v-T-p-1-r'.

Finally, try doing this one. I think they should really incorporate it into these word verification software. At least its meaningful.

Finally Thesis Handed In

2007-10-08T20:46:00.000+08:00

Thanks for everyone who encouraged me when i was struggling in the last few days of my thesis. Cant really believe that its over. Now that its handed in, it seems like a part of me is missing somewhat. Like there is just something i DONT need to think about constantly anymore. HAHA. Special mention to Louise who so kindly waited patiently as i kind of neglected her a bit during the stressful period. But there was one particular incident that made me smile during the painful week. Heres a video.. its on soccer. Its really quite hilarious. I dont know what came over the fan or the player (Dida). Life is always worth living, its just that happiness sometimes requires the turning over of some rocks.

Alternative Food

2007-09-29T00:32:00.000+08:00

Food blogs are really popular these days, and everyone wants the latest ratings, pictures and photos of the funkiest eateries and restaurants. But take a look at this dish.

This is taken courtesy of chessbase.com where they did a write-up on Mexico where the current World championships are ongoing. "Talking about bugs: look what was on the menu that evening: cactus caterpillars in the sea-food ceviche. They were edible (of course we did!), though not particularly delicious or addictive."

This Cartoon was produced by Fred WOLF

2007-09-27T00:14:00.001+08:00

Recently David and I came up with a silly direct English to Chinese translation.

Dont lie, you are humming those words to the tune of the cartoon theme song. Its going to stick with you for the rest of the day. My sincerest apologies. The anchovies made me do it.

Kookaburras wear Kookai

2007-09-19T17:33:00.000+08:00

I recently posted that someone mentioned a brand called Kookai. The fact is, when i posted that some weeks back, i had no idea how Kookai was spelt. I first started out thinking it started with 'C' but my overarching idea was that a brand that sounded like 'CUKYE' should be trying hard to be cool and trendy so decided to go with the double 'K'. I have thus been vindicated. Having seen only a picture of the store, i still think i would not buy anything from there. Even if they do have a male line.

P.S. I do not know who the people in front of the shop are nor what they are doing.

Thesis Weariness

2007-09-17T23:37:00.000+08:00

Because i am doing so many graphs and presentations of thesis results, i have decided to do a more valuable study to mankind than my self-indulgent chess stuff. I hereby present the results.

It was found that guys expressed words of love to their female partners a mean 495 times a week. Such expressions included lines like 'Your hair nice what', 'No dear, you do not need to lose more weight' and 'Yes, of course you need that new pair of shoes.' Similarly, female partners told their boyfriends that the latter do not say enough 'i love you-s' to them an average of 437.5 times a week. Such sentences encompass examples: 'Why you do not care about me!', 'Why you do not care about me!, you think i am fat right?' and ''Why you do not care about me !, i need a new pair of shoes'.

The difference in mean times men said they loved their girfriends vs the number of times the girlfriends demanded otherwise did not reach statistical significance (t = 0.574, p > 0.05). In conclusion, based on these findings, girlfriends should remember how much their boyfriends love them and stop complaining about non-existent 'facts'.

Acknowledgements to the couples who agreed to take part in this study for free. Your data is invaluable to relationships around the world.

P.S. In no way is this study aimed at my personal life. As a researcher, i must be un-biased and objective. This study is dedicated to all men anywhere in the world who suffer. May you remember to be nice to your other halves. And may they remember to do the same. Or just remember things.

cheeseCAKE

2007-09-17T19:49:00.000+08:00

If you do not know yet, my favourite band is CAKE. When i tell people this, they tend to sing or hum the song "I will survive". This song though was not composed by them, but they resang the cover. And it is far from my favourite song. Having said that, i have been trying desperately to buy their 2007 album, 'B-sides and rarities' (shown in picture). Somehow it just takes very long to come to Singapore or Perth. But Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, now those punks are everywhere. Sigh.

2007-09-16T00:29:00.000+08:00

I recently read this great piece of literary genius, 'david was hurling "siao gina!", i was cursing in my mind and i have a loud horn after that, i had no time to horn her before that.' all rights reserved to this sentence.

On a related topic:

WAGAMAMA sounds vulgar

2007-09-12T18:58:00.000+08:00

Went to Wagamama with David and Eufei for lunch and i must admit i didnt realise it was actually a japanese place until i saw the menu. It was rather nice the whole setting and the food. Price is above 10 below 20 and the ice cream at $2 a scoop for black sesame, green tea, lychee was the most worth it. Chefs are Asian but cant be sure if they are really authentic Jap. Sorry no more vouchers to give but i think the place was worth a try. At subi train station.

Photos courtesy of Eufei. All in groups of 3. But not all phones on 3 network.

I love psychology that doesnt help people.

2007-09-10T11:01:00.000+08:00

Psychologist's Hotline

If you are obsessive-compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly.
If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2.
If you have multiple personalities, please press 3,4,5, and 6.
If you paranoid-delusional, we know who you are and what you want. Just stay on the line so that we can trace the call.
If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.
If you are depressed, it doesnt matter which number you press. No one will answer.

Shadow Writers

2007-09-03T21:08:00.000+08:00

UWA recently had a book fair and i managed to find 2 books by Singapore writer Colin Cheong, who is really not bad. My parents think he is rather good too. Its very Singaporean though the topics he writes about which might not be to everyones taste. However, the cover of one of his books has him posing in the shadows and it kind of threw me off that the picture looked at bit like me. Whether this is a fortunate or unfortunate occurrence i leave you the readers to decide. Well, at least he has published a book or two.

Some comments on church service

2007-09-03T14:58:00.000+08:00

Last week's church service made me think of 2 pointers that i want to share here.

1. During educell, Bijia was sharing that when she was young she wanted to grow up and be a clown. She wanted to run away and join the circus. Well, i am not sure that studying in UWA really counts as being in a circus but its kind of like running away i guess. And you could also make a case for there being freaks and babboons around the campus. But i feelglad for her being one of those lucky ones who managed to fulfil their childhood ambition.

2. For sharing about tithes and offering, Jacyln (?) said that sometimes giving offering is so hard because you feel like doing something else with the money. There is definitely a lot of truth in that. But what in the world is KOOKAI? A sense of aged-ness dawned on me when she gave an example that maybe instead of giving offering she could spend the money unwisely on a Kookai t-shirt. Its sure sounds like a kooky (strange or eccentric) brand! It should adopt a kookaburra symbol as its logo or something. And yes, Kookai is not in the dictionary. But if this episode has taught me anything; its that: Buy Kookai, Sure Pok Kai (Chinese dialect for 'bankrupt').

Abel is stressed -- no i lie.

2007-08-27T22:22:00.000+08:00

I recently saw this on Marianne's blog.
The most dangerous of all men are those that believe their own lies.some say that over time the truth comes out. that depends on the skill and intelligence of the liar.the fortitude it takes to continue a lie is enormously taxing and emotionally draining. it can sap you of all emotional enjoyment. it is consuming to maintain it. lying is the human addiction to self aggrandisement and the paranoia of being exposed as fraudulent.there is the error of omission and the error of commission. the first purposeful and left out with purposeful forethought. beware of the "error" of omission.
Yes she was mad about someone/something but having read it, i couldnt help myself. I had to comment. The following passage would probably make her post something on insensitivity next which will be a thinly veiled attack on me. So i hearby apologise first. As a form of apology i will post the remainder of this in her favourite colour orange.
Thats why its best to never say anything truthful. So that when everything you say is a lie people cannot say you are lying because they cannot compare it with anything that you said before which turned out to be true.
'The most dangerous of all men are those that believe their own lies' --False, The most dangerous of all men are those that believe their own lice.
'some say that over time the truth comes out. that depends on the skill and intelligence of the liar'. False again, The truth only comes out when the person being lied to, finds out. When they suspect something is up, it is then best to change the lie totally.Disguise the new lie with rhyming words for added confusion factor that makes a lie cool and un-vulnerable to being found out. E.g. "I never said i had that book, i said i will take a look!"
'the fortitude it takes to continue a lie is enormously taxing and emotionally draining. it can sap you of all emotional enjoyment. it is consuming to maintain it'. False too, embellishing sentences with highfalutin phrases makes sentences grandoise and charming. This can be extremely enjoyable. Politicians do it all the time, and its not considered lying. Remember what your parents said, practice makes perfect! So lie through your teeth, and in your sleep, and it wont be taxing no more!
'lying is the human addiction to self aggrandisement and the paranoia of being exposed as fraudulent'. Nonsense! Do not believe all this Freudian hearsay; lying is actually the evolutionary adaptation men developed to cope with their wives.
'there is the error of omission and the error of commission. the first purposeful and left out with purposeful forethought. beware of the "error" of omission'. Dont believe this weak argument. Everyone knows the fact about the error of permission: this means that everyone is permitted to err on the safe side, which usually involves lying. Also, the error of remission: this states that lying is pardonable as long as you lie with a truthful face.

Un-jumble the letters

2007-08-17T13:29:00.000+08:00

od uoy wonk taht siht si a etsaw fo emit?
tahw fi enoemos dluoc yllaer klat ekil siht?
sdnuos rehtar ragluv tnod uoy kniht?
era uoy gnitteg a ehcadaeh tey?
I ma.
I epoh uoy teg ti won.
si ereht hcus a dorw sa noitasilanoitutitsin?
evig flesruoy a tap no eht kcab fi uoy tog taht.

7 random green bottles sitting on the wall.

2007-08-13T21:06:00.000+08:00

Unbelievably my gf tagged me.

1. I saw a pink unicorn outside my house when i was young (5 yrs). When i told my parents to come look, they were too snail-paced and it (pinky) ran away. Because no one believed me up till now it has had a profound impact on my life and mental development. This is why i am usually disturbed and frequently deranged.

2. I do not find it hard to be random in thought and speech most of the time. Unless i am asked to write 7 random stuff/things about myself. My whole world is a randomized chaos that putting structure to randomness goes against the very grain of my being.

7. I am listing random facts of myself in non-numerical order. This is because stating random traits of onself in strict chronological order appears too much like an irony to me.

4. Whenever someone says the word "oxymoron", the first thing that pops in my mind is natural makeup. This might or might not be because "oxy" is a brand of pimple cream. The next thing that pops into my head is "this guy (the person i am having the conversation with) is a moron". This has nothing to do with the fact of whether that person is really stupid or not. It might however be related to whether the person has pimples.

6. I like the word "Nincompoop". People that study Freud would think that i like this word because i am fixated in the anal stage of development. They would be completely erroneous. I am fixated in the oral stage.

3. People that think psychology is all about Freud and sex are nincompoops and morons.

5. I know what the world's largest rodent is (George Bush). And i also know how to spell die-ria. And stop thinking of a pink unicorn you nincompoop. People might think you are crazy. Trust me.

Born

2007-08-03T13:44:00.000+08:00

Secret fears, the supernatural
Thank God for this new laughter
Thank God the joke's on me

We've seen the landfill rainbow
We've seen the junkyard of love
Baby it's no place for you and me

I was born to laugh
I learned to laugh through my tears
I was born to love
I'm gonna learn to love without fear

'Born' by Over the Rhine

This is hilarious -- try it for yourself.

2007-08-01T20:49:00.001+08:00

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world Bluebear didn't exist.

Which movie was this quote from?

Guess the word that replaces my name

2007-08-01T18:14:00.000+08:00

Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful Abel Oh.

Which movie was this quote from?

Warning: it takes Spurs fan to understand

2007-08-01T16:53:00.000+08:00

For the upcoming season that is (Thank God) starting in 2 weeks. I have to predict, with a lot of trepidation in my heart that Spurs will finish 5th. Although i still do not agree with our new signings because i seriously feel they will mainly warm the bench, here is my reason why. I saw this post on a forum today.
" Ive sussed Jols tactics to break in to the top 4 next season. To keep the fans & the squad happy The formation is going to be 1:4:10:4 10 midfielders Tainio will do the tackling he will give the ball to Zakora who will run a lot with the ball He looks for the Prince but he's too busy rapping about bel air so he passes the ball to Taraabt on the left he steps over twenty times and then passes the ball with the outside of his foot to Malbranque on the right he cuts inside & passes the ball to Berbatov who jinks it to Keane, Keane turns his marker and shoots, his shot is blocked the ball ricochets to the left corner. Bent picks up the loose ball and goes round a defender & lays back to Taraabt. Taraabat lays off to Defoe. Defoe unleashes a thunderbolt that rebounds off the cross bar to Lennon. He beats two men and crosses the ball. The cross is week is hoofed out. Jenas picks it up but loses it. The ball is deflected to Huddlestone.He splits the defense and picks out Berby who picks out Bent who shoots! there is a deflection and Jenas who has run 30 yards taps in. Spurs play this system we are warned by the Premier League but we ignore the rules because it is reported Richard Scudmore has said the only way Spurs will finish above Arsenal is if we field 25 players. We assume we have licence to do so. We score 411 goals. 50 Each for Bent/ Berby Keane & Defoe 9 from Jenas and 3 own goals We let in 325 we beat Arsenal on goal difference by one goal. The Premier League fine us ¿10 million for fielding inelligible players but we are not docked any points. Arsenal appeal the fine is refunded and Arsenal are fined 20 million for bringing the game into disrepute and ruining grass roots football.

Abel: Ah, now you know why I am nuts. All Spurs fans are. We get tortured too much in our lives. Which make us ideal boyfriend material. Patient and delusional.

Abstract from a Scholarly Article

2007-07-31T17:18:00.000+08:00

Read this for my unit today --

"Depression in Women vs Men. Women have an increased incidence of despression compared with men, by a ratio of 2:1. Moreover, not only clinical depression, but also more subtle dysthymic traits have had a higher prevalence in women after the onset of puberty. In evolutionary terms, if depression is viewed as conducive to staying out of danger in a sheltered place, it may have made sense historically for women to manifest more of that trait than men. Women have traditionally been involved in child-bearing and rearing, whereas men have traditionally been the providers of food, material resources, and protection. Dysthymic traits would have kept a woman sheltered from danger to bear and care for children; whereas a dysthymic man would have been impaired in performing his main role as a provider and protector. As such, traits predisposing to dysthymia may have been selected for in women, and selected against in men over time.

Thus, having read that, my friend sarcastically opined that that is the reason why men are more attracted to depressed women. Because they have been selected for and are evolutionarily more adapt at rearing kids. HAHA. Some of these articles purporting the evolutionary perspectives of things are really weird.

Continuing on

2007-07-31T11:02:00.000+08:00

Here's my prediction for 3rd /4th placing for the new EPL season. I am going to give another surprise by saying that Arsenal will finish 3rd and Liverpool 4th. Sorry Pool fans, know that you all have waited very long to challenge for the title but i still do not see consistency in the team. And i feel Benitez' tactics are sometimes too dour to beat weaker teams convincingly week in week out.
Arsenal on the other hand, although Henry has left, always play fluent football that is extremely hard to contain. I think many of their other strikers have been living under Henry's shadow and Van Persie for one had a good scoring record last season. Walcott and Adebayor as well can be quite deadly. Liverpool on the other hand have their new 20m signing but i suspect he needs a season to settle into a new league. Voronin looks like an astute signing but i have suspicions about his finishing. I think Crouch sometimes can be a real handful but with Torres, i do not think he will play quite as often.
Liverpool's midfield is very strong with Gerrard and Alonso/Mascherano. However, Arsenal play around Fabregas which makes all the pivotal moves and Wenger deploys him as a lynchpin. This plan is simple but effective and the team plays as a united force with fabulous Fabregas in the middle of the park. Definitely Arsenal will play much worse and drop many points if Fabregas is injured. Liverpool fans, although cruel, must hope he has a bad season.
In defence, i just feel Arsenal's Gallas and Toure if fully fit can outshine Liverpool's Carragher and Agger. Liverpool do have better strength in depth especially with their numerous fringe signings like Benayoun and Babel this season. But i am still going to say Wenger's flowing football will stand them in better state for the league campaign.

Is 7 a Holy number?

2007-07-30T23:04:00.000+08:00

Taken from 13.5 Lives of Captain Bluebear a novel -- written by Walter Moers.

" What does the Septimal Theory state?"
The Septimal Theory states that the universe is comprehensible only in terms of the number seven, and only by those possessing seven brains. There are seven elements: fire, water, earth, air, Perponium, Zamonium, and Domesticated Darkness. The universe consists of seven regions: north, south, east, west, before, after, and home. These regions are divisible, in their turn, by the seven elements. If one takes the astral weight of the individual elements and divides them by the septimal mass of the planets and stars present in the seven regions, one arrives at a figure in which sevens alone occur. The Norturnomathic brain recognizes seven sensations: inquisitiveness, love of darkness, scientific curiosity, the urge to communicate, intrepidity, hunger, and thirst. If one adds together the emanative frequency values recorded by those together with the emanative values recorded by those sensations on the Nightingalian auracardiogram and divides the total by the figure containing all the sevens, the result will be seven.
You will either find the whole book is very creative or full of gibberish like the passage above. I found it thoroughly enjoyable and humourous. And yes, it is really about a big blue bear.

Bridesmaids are important.

2007-07-30T18:40:00.000+08:00

Continuing on my boring thread of EPL placings, i am going to be rather predictable and say Man Utd will finish 2nd. They are always up there. And i guess not saying that they will retain their title is all i am going to bank on. They are definitely a really good team with Sir Ferguson with tonnes of experience and expertise.
Player to step up: Wayne Rooney. Clearly overshadowed by Ronaldo last season. The bull-wonder boy needs to punish defences more and use the attention paid to Ronaldo to improve his goal tally from last season.
New signing to watch: Most would say Hargreaves who is definitely a great midfield enforcer but i feel Nani should get some attention. Definitely bought to replace the aging Giggs sooner rather than later and if Ferguson can cultivate him like Ronaldo; Man Utd could be devastating.
United are definitely a very fluid team that beats opposition with style and even their central defence is stylish. Vidic and Ferdinand command the backline well and Utd need this backbone to keep their title. However i feel they will just be pipped by Chelsea who will have slightly more desire. And United have mainly signed younger players to make sure they will always be in the top 3 for many years to come. Next season though i feel Chelsea's effeciency will prove vital.

Life is boring without soccer.

2007-07-28T11:27:00.000+08:00

Here is my prediction for who will win the English Premiere League next season. Its a real stab in the dark as 38 games is a long time and many things can happen from now till then. To name a few would be stuff like injuries to key players and the January transfer window could be telling.
Anyway, i have to think that Chelsea will claim the league next season. Despite all the spendings by the ManUre and Pool, i feel Chelsea really want to win it back. There isnt much of a difference in squad level frankly. Utd have bought young players to replace Scholes and Giggs in the future and Liverpool have addressed their lack of goals, but Chelsea have already spent 100s of millions building this side.
New signing to watch: Florent Malouda. I think he is an un-typical type of winger. Very suited to Chelsea's style of play. Not exceptionally fast but superb technically and Mourinho will use him properly. Chelsea are an effective side and Malouda i feel, is an ideal signing for them.
Player they missed last season: Joe Cole. Out for most of the season, they need his sneakiness once again and clever movement and passing.
Dont count out: Pizzaro and Shevcenko. I think its not totally wise to come to the English game at the wrong side of 30 but Pizzaro is a different sort of striker from Drogba and Shev, and should prove useful. Shev probably cant do any worse than last season so i think he will reach double figures in league goals this season.
My prediction may fail if: Chelsea start selling fringe players like Wright-Phillips, Robben, Ballack and Diarra. Many players linked with moves but i think Chelsea need to keep them to rotate the squad for the 60+ games in their season and provide good competition within the squad. They have the money anyway.
I will probably get creamed next May. HAHA.

The Land Under the Bed

2007-07-26T10:22:00.000+08:00

So i have returned to Aust. For my final semester. Somehow, it feels sad but rewarding too that its finally coming to an end. All the studying will sooner make my brain explode.
When i turned on the TV today, however, i smiled. I will miss those really stupid Australian love adverts. You know those you call in to meet some sexy chick? I know there are really lonely people who do it. But everyone knows its cheating money. The people on the other side are probably not young girls anyway. It might even be me faking a female voice. Beware! Dont say i didnt warn you.
But this one really takes the prize. Sms you and your partner's name and they will give you a compatability rating. ARE YOU SERIOUS? Do people actually fall for this? What do they actually do? Cross out the vowels and if the remaining consonants are of an odd number, you two make an odd couple? Apparently on the advert the rating is upon 100, i bet its random. If you really feel the urge to do this test, call me instead. I charge half of what they advertise. And i have a magic crystal ball from a 8th dimension known as esnes nommoc.

Marketing Gimmick

2007-07-25T10:13:00.000+08:00

I sincerely do not care about birthdays. After 21, you are just old anyway and honestly i have a nagging feeling birthdays are basically an economic boosting ploy. They dont seem to serve any other purpose but to make people spend money buying presents. And eating expensive dinners at posh restaurants that might make you dress in uncomfortable clothes. Ironically, you were naked when you were born and much more comfortable in merely your own skin.
However, i did find it interesting that i shared the same birthdate with other footballers. Although none of them terribly famous. Unless you are a fan.
1966: Former Arsenal and England defender Martin Keown is born. (Celebrates 41st birthday).
1971: Former Italian international midfielder Dino Baggio is born. (Celebrates 36th birthday). I now vaguely recall when i was younger i knew he was born on 24th July. I think it was from playing Championship Manager. Not as illustrious as Roberto, but he was frequently excellent if you did watch soccer as long as i have.
1973: Bordeaux midfielder Johan Micoud is born. (Celebrates 34th birthday).
1977: Bayer Leverkusen defender Vratislav Gresko, who spent three seasons with Blackburn, is born. (Celebrates 30th birthday).
1983: Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi (pictured) is born. (Celebrates 24th bday)
Courtesy of Skysports.

Fake Plastic Trees

2007-07-23T14:48:00.000+08:00

A rather less alternative song by Radiohead, but definitely a great one.

A green plastic watering can For a fake chinese rubber plant In the fake plastic earth That she bought from a rubber manIn a town full of rubber plans To get rid of itself
It wears her out, it wears her out It wears her out, it wears her out
She lives with a broken man A cracked polystyrene manWho just crumbles and burns He used to do surgery On girls in the eighties But gravity always wins
And it wears him out, it wears him out It wears him out, it wears him out
She looks like the real thing She tastes like the real thing My fake plastic love But I can't help the feeling I could blow through the ceiling If I just turn and run
And it wears me out, it wears me out It wears me out, it wears me out
And if I could be who you wanted If I could be who you wanted
All the time, all the time

(Weird) Arrangement of words by Abel.

What not to wear.

2007-07-20T09:58:00.000+08:00

Now then, i do not proclaim to be an expert on clothing unlike those queer guys or the 2 women, i only can remember one name cos Trini sounds like a cereal. However, as i was making my way back on the MRT today i read this on a girl's t-shirt. In big silver font: I am what i wear. Which the cynical me immediately without hesitation thought: then you arnt much. I am sure the rest of you can come up with other snide remarks. Yes i am an evil person, it took you so long to realise? Frankly i dont really mind if anyone has poor fashion sense, cos i do myself. But if you are going to put words on your clothing, it better not be something like "I am the son of the Devil".
Colour and patterns are generally relative. Most of the time people who thinks a certain look is ugly will probably be wearing something that others might not agree with as well. Lets call this neutral relative. I bet fashion designers disagree all the time on such things. Who sets new fashion anyway? Someone with an repulsive idea comes out and a bunch of people like it, thus influencing what once may be considered ugly to become palatable?
Words however, are usually provocative. And thats when we get to comment on anything we like. Stuff like "I am with stupid -----> " (pointing to the person beside) or "Bomb technician, if you see me run, keep up!" I guess you could say those are lame but acceptable? But "I am what i wear?" Whats that silly arrogance supposed to mean? You mean you are a rag?

Boring part II

2007-07-16T17:29:00.000+08:00

I continue my survey on the EPL with which transfers i deem to be too expensive for the player bought. I think this is rather insulting to be honest but i guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion. You probably wont read this on official websites, due to its overly critical nature but most forums have such arguments anyway and could prove interesting as games come and go.
1. Nigel Reo-Coker (8.5m, West Ham to Villa) -- Frankly i feel Reo-Coker is better than most ppl make him out to be. He tackles well and has reasonable pace and positioning. Has stamina to help out in most attacks as well. However, for 8.5m, its just too costly. There is this crazy idea now that clubs must pay more for young players because they have potential, but i just dont feel Reo-Coker will justify his price tag playing as a defensive midfielder. Having said that, i think he is better than Villa's current captain George Boateng and in that sense is maybe just a tad overpriced.
2. Craig Bellamy (Liverpool to West Ham 7.5m) -- Liverpool bought him from Blackburn last season for 6m. And after only 7 goals in 27 starts, Bellamy is actually sold for a profit?! I just find this unbelievable. Has bags of pace but is getting older and has never really been a prolific goal scorer. West Ham just seem to be involved with crazy amounts of cash changing hands this summer. If they do lose Tevez they must hope that Bellamy can score a lot more than his record 13 league goals to repay their 7.5m.
3. Darren Bent (Charlton to Tottenham 16.5m) -- It pains me to know that my beloved club are throwing money away but i guess honesty is a virtue. HAHA. I dont think Bent is a classy enough striker to be worth in excess of 10m. He has good scoring instincts, but is too straightforward sometimes as a striker to trouble more accomplished defences. Furthermore, with other good strikers at Spurs, he wont play enough games to be able to show that he wasnt a waste of money.
With 4 more weeks till the transfer window closes, i think there will be a lot more signings of interest and i will see if i can come up with a top 10. For now, i hope this has bored you enough to warrant me stopping here.

Boring?

2007-07-13T17:53:00.000+08:00

I was thinking of doing an English Premiere League collection of posts, but not sure if anyone would really be interested. But who cares, it makes me happy.
Here are my takes for the best and worst signings (to follow) so far.
Signings that are most value for money.
1. Maceo Rigters (Breda to Blackburn) : For less than a Million i think this signing is quality wise as good as Babel only that the latter cost 11.5m. Maybe slightly less flair, but I feel Rigters is rather quick and deadly.
2. Mark Viduka (Boro to Newcastle) : An excellent free transfer. Although slightly old at 31, i think Viduka is one of the best technical strikers in the EPL. And can also hold up the ball well which is sorely lacking in the modern game. They just dont have strikers like Shearer anymore.
3. Tyrone Mears (West Ham to Derby) : I am going to stick my head out and plump for Mears. His team is still arguably the weakest for the new season and i might have to tip them for relegation but having watched Championship games in Australia, i think Mears, who was on loan to Derby last season, is a snip at 1m. Very quick and determined as right-back. Definitely Derby's star man in the playoff finals. Got into dangerous attacking positions too.

2007-07-10T10:26:00.000+08:00

Nokia is not Japanese.
Following the Transformers movie i think more people will know what the title is talking about. There is a scene in the movie where it addresses this common misconception that Nokia is from Japan. In fact it is from Finland. It is strange though that people feel that the brand sounds Japanese. Maybe the company did it on purpose and thats why its so popular. HAHA.
Having said that, i always wondered why the dictionary function in my phone is so weird. Everytime i type sms-es and use this function there seem to be irrelevant words appearing. Anyone knows why this is the case? Like i recently had to save the acronym BBQ (2-2-1 on the number pad). But as i was scrolling through the dictionary options there was acceptable ones first like 'car', 'bar', & 'cap' but then followed strange alien language like 'bas', 'cas','acq', 'abs' (this could be ok if you are a car salesman but somehow its doubtful), 'acr', 'abr', 'bap', & last but not least, 'aar'!! Which summed up my feelings at that time. ARGH!! Does the phone just come up with its dictionary words randomly? Its rather frustrating that after all that scrolling there wasnt a 'bbq'.
I am sure other people have had their fair share of nonsense words. And thats why people upgrade their phones. HAHA. Wonder if newer phones still have the alien dictionary. The worst part is i cant blame the poor English of the Japanese.

2007-07-07T10:01:00.000+08:00

WINDOW (GRILLE) SHOPPING.

Was in a shopping mall with Louise because in Singapore everywhere we turn are shopping centres anyway. We decided to come up with 3 things that are the worse to buy as window shopping items. This means if you just walk around without having anything to buy in particular but come home with certain purchases i.e. wasting time & money.
Number 3 of the worse thing to buy while window shopping -- A Penguin-shaped water dispenser from Mini Toons. Its kind of cute but only plays on recent animated movies and lets face it who really needs a water dispenser to take up any more space? Its not even as convenient as a water bottle or a water cooler.
Number 2 is an I Gallop! from Osim. Not only does its function look dodgy, its health benefits are mainly related to Laughter as the best medicine. Its probably terrible for your back if you ask me.
And the Winner #1 is A HAHA Crab. A pet Hermit Crab that cost $25 and lives for a reported 25 years!! Thats only $1 for a year. WOW. What a great pet that will greet you everytime you come home and is so nice to touch. Not to mention its cute hand-painted shell. Probably male crabs can have a soccer themed shell while females have pinkish red patterns. Now thats a great way to determine their gender dont you think? As a special offer you can get a whole habitat with 2 crabs for $65. This includes a COCO-hut which is made of coconut husk for them to stay. And a sea shell to act as a feeding tray. Need i say more? A crab that stays in a shell staying in a coconut. A great buy as long as you are into tarantulas, which kind of look the same.

2007-07-07T09:53:00.000+08:00

Rant and Rave

2007-06-29T14:24:00.000+08:00

I just wanted to comment on some things since i am now free with some time to write nonsense.
1. Ever realise how tetra paks of drinks are actually worse of with that pouring hole? You know the white plastic cover that acts as a pouring device on one side of the packet? Quite a long time ago you had to cut the packet on both sides by lifting up the flaps so that air can travel in and the water inside would not come out in "chunks". Now, with this new invention, you can pour the thing without having to cut any of the sides but the water always comes out in fists of splatter and blobs. I just think maybe we can be less lazy sometimes and just cut the sides to pour it in the first place. Although i guess you can argue that you cant drink from the packet unless you also had a pair of scissors, which makes it that much more convenient with the plastic hole.
2. The way people review movies is a load of rubbish. Everyone says movies are subjective; and no doubt they are. But shouldnt we all be trying to read less biased reviews then. Instead of having one silly, universal, final rating based on thousands of valid reasons; why not encompass different scales for different aspects of the movie? I mean Singaporeans are the foremost consumers of cinema screenings, isnt it about time the reviewers got slightly more intelligent? For instance, recent reviews of Transformers ranged from 4.5 stars to 2. The former found the nostalgia warm and fuzzy but the latter thought the plot weak and script lacking. Couldnt we split it up then? Heres my very summarised take on Transformers.
Overall i found it very entertaining and edge of your seat kind of thing. For CGI and action-packed sequences i give it 5/5. However, certain characters were terribly developed and some even seemed irrelevant. There were many loopholes in the plot as well. A lot of the lines were somewhat cheesy and catered mainly to audiences that loved Transformers cartoons when they were younger. If you are going to Transformers to be intellectually stimulated i would not recommend the movie at all.
I think Straits Times is on the right track by having a open ended category for their reviews: 'The one part in the movie that will justify the ticket price and another that will eject you from your seat' -- something to that effect. But seriously, everyone else is just changing the pictures of their scores/5. From normal stars to popcorn and guy yawning in a chair. I think its about time less superficial features were varied and more objectivity instilled.

Why didnt i think of this earlier.

2007-06-21T14:17:00.000+08:00

Since everyone seems to think that i have strange music taste, i finally realised i should post some songs that i like from my favourite band: "Cake". This is their second greatest song (to yours truly only) called "Frank Sinatra". They have more fans then you think, and yes i never know what their lyrics mean most of the time. Thats the point. Its irrelevant. To me their best song is "Shadow Stabbing", its on youtube too but with no original MTV. They are more famous for their cover of "I will survive" which is online too but with rather old vids. Maybe i should post my favourite female artiste soonz too.

Patriotic Jumpsuits

2007-06-21T14:16:00.000+08:00

This is for Louise who is so kind as to sing "Wheels" with me. HAHA.

We should just use clones.

2007-06-05T20:30:00.000+08:00

As a die hard soccer fan, the transfer speculation regarding which players are off to which clubs and all the REAL big money transfers are actually very intriguing to me. I know that i am not really weird and that many fans spend time to comment on the transfer rumours and which potential signings they really want and which they would rather just be fake.

I recently realised that skysports has this column where fans can put in their own transfer speculation. This is rather interesting to me because a lot of the people commenting here claim they have seen this or heard that. Whats really funny is that many say they know the groundsmen or the father of a player or they saw directors talking to other players. Its truly hilarious. I thought i would pick the first 7 that have "concrete evidence" and contrast them with the top 7 stories coming from the tabloids. At the end of the transfer months, lets see which of the mediums were actually more accurate.

From the people on the streets:
1.have heard from a very reliable source that John O'Sea is weighing up a move to Celtic.
2. David Healy will sign for Everton and not Fulham because the dad told me.
3. My cousin is a groundsman at Spurs and has seen Morten Gamst Pedersen on the ground with the deal that he will sign in the next 7 days.
4. Talking with my many sources, Jose Antonio Reyes will sign for Athletico Madrid and Arsenal will top up 6million for Torres.
5. Been told by an agent friend of mine that Giles Barnes will sign for West Ham for 3m + matty Etherington.
6. I have seen Phil Jagielka and Jason Koumas outside Bellefield training ground and they are going to sign for Everton in the next couple of days.
7. This is a winner -- i was on a flight back to spain from newcastle and i spoke with Roberto Carlos who said he has a desire to work with Big Sam in the premiereship at Newcastle.

The Tabloids say (Chose those that are not entirely confirmed):
1. Viduka has agreed in principle to join Newcastle.(likely according to them)
2. Djbrill Cisse is a loan target for Bolton.
3. Chelsea are to highjack the transfer of Daniel Alves.
4. West Ham are going to buy Tim Cahill from Everton.
5. Arsenal are to sign Auxerre's Bakari Sagna.
6. Sunderland have been given the green light to sign Celtic's Thomas Gravesen.
7. Bayern Munich are about to wrap up the deal to sign Franck Ribery.(likely too-- apparently!?!)

Abel's hypothesis is that both sides will do badly. Basically because although certain news may be true,this is just at the initial stage. The player may not be interested in moving to a particular club or the club he is currently at may not want to sell. It is only if the buying and selling party are both amicable that something will happen, and by then it would more and less be confirmed when we read about it anyway.
Conclusion: We soccer fans are wasting our times reading such news. But we already knew that anyway. Come on YOU SPURS!! Sign Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry!! =)

Setting the Mouth on Fire

2007-05-29T14:53:00.000+08:00

I went to the supermarket this afternoon and the guy behind me bought only 2 items. They were:
1. A packet of Wrigleys strong mint chewing gum
2. A packet of Dunhill cigarettes

I kept thinking that this was such an interesting combination. If he needs the gum to kill the smell of the cigarettes after he smokes, which one is actually more essential? But if you really think about it, cigarettes and chewing gum arnt really the most essential of items anyway.

Punctuation 'R' Easy

2007-05-25T10:31:00.000+08:00

Re-read a Dave Barry book i had, and thats the title of this particular column. Also edited the thing to save space. Dedicated to people who need some humour to forget the stress of exams and assignments.

Q. What are the rules regarding capital letters?
A. Capital letters are used in 3 grammatical situations.
1. At the beginning of proper and formal nouns. Examples: Capitalise "Queen", "Tea Party," and "Rental Tuxedo". DO NOT capitalise "dude", "cha-cha," or "boogerhead".
2. To indicate a situation of great military importance. Example: "Get on the TELSAT and tell STAFCON that COMWIMP wants some BBQ ASAP".
3. To indicate that the subject of the sentence has been bitten by a badger. Example: "I'll just stick my hand in here and OUCH!".

Q. Please explain the expression: "This does not bode well."
A. It means that something is not boding the way it should. It could be boding better.

Q. Please explain the correct usage of "exact same".
A. "Exact same" is a corpusular phrase that should be used only when something is exactly the same as something It is the opposite (or "antibody") of "a whole nother". Example: "This is the exact same restaurant where Alma found weevils in her pie. They gave her a whole nother slice".

Q. Where should punctuation go?
A. It depends on the content.
Example: Hi Mr Johnson exclaimed Bob Where do you want me to put these punctuation marks Oh just stick them there at the end of the following sentence answered Mr Johnson OK said Bob ".!"."?"",,".."!".
The exception is teenagers, who should place a question mark after every few words to make sure people are still listening.
Example: "So there's this kid at school? Named Derrick? And he's like kind of weird? Like he has a picture of Newt Grinch carved in his hair? So one day he had to blow his nose? Like really bad? But he didnt have a tissue? So he was like sitting next to Tracy Steakle? And she had this sweater? By like Ralph Lauren? So Derrick takes the sleeve? And he like..."

Repeat Champions League Final

2007-05-20T14:49:00.000+08:00

Its Sunday. I feel like playing soccer. I remember when Chiat was my housemate we would play every sunday without fail. Even during exams. As a strange form of relaxation. HAHA. Even when no one else played we would go to the field and juggle the ball (i tried and usually failed) or do drills. Yes, we were mad. Are mad. Everyone coming out of studying from the various libraries thought us mad too. I miss that stupid bugger. He probably wont read this, so i am safe. Or he will so kill me for acting faggoty.
So for all the times he let me practice my wayward first-time cross-field pass and had to run all over the place to collect the ball, heres hoping Milan beats liverpool on wed. Someone once said i look like Inzaghi. He might be blind, but i am not. Chiat looks like a thai construction worker. But he plays like Gattuso. And we all know Gattuso is going to win the game by scoring a goal. =)

THEREBY BEING EQUIVALENT TO LUDICROUS

2007-05-19T10:46:00.000+08:00

They are so alike, she thought to herself. Not just in their serious, probing and earnest way of looking at people and the little- to- nil hand gesturing that many people were prone to do whilst talking. Those can be mutually adopted. They even share the same small eyes, aquiline nose, strawberry blond hair, medium tanned skin and raspy voice. The only difference was in the dressing. But of course, the rest of it was unbelievable. They could be siblings, even twins.

“They tested before getting married.” Monique the secretary had sidled up to her, and with the equivalent of a blink, had slinked off. There must be a reason that secretaries have the word “secret” in them. They have a way of knowing things first. Or maybe it’s because of their corresponding capacity to read minds. And their way of managing secrets- both inborn and exquisite. The whole world gets told in good fashion and no one or everyone gets hurt. There’s no in-between there or there is no point to telling it out.

It’s usual when couples laugh it off when people tell them how much they are growing to look like each other. And with a secret side-glance and an “Oh my goodness. Do I really…? I mean, have I really…?” This couple has taken a step towards commitment with a little more intensity, it seems.

People had laughed at them when they disclosed the idea. "Ludicrous" they had called it. They did'nt think so. It paid well for a start. And they needed to take their relationship to the next level.
"What so ridiculous about swapping faces" was their favourite one-liner in conversations now. "We already looked the same to begin with". It cracked them up. But the joke was lost on others. Somehow people did not understand. It was a farcical new idea you had to admit. But new-fangled technology needed a face; mind the pun.
"INTERCHAGABLE FACES"! Science fiction at its very best. They loved the idea. They could be the first truly androgynous couple in the whole of history. Who cared about being absurd if you could be famous at the same time? People thought the real sheep-dog was a travesty then, but now? It was a best seller. Everybody wanted one. That wasn't palatable to them though, they felt the cross between sheep and dog was just plain ugly. How about that virtual food thing? People said it wouldnt work hey? Apparently its now proven that you can trick your mind to fool your tastebuds.
Preposterous excuses? Maybe, but they were excited. Everyday they could take off their faces like masks and exchange them. Imagine all the pranks you could do on your colleagues and relatives. Not to mention how romantic it was. "Hey Jane, you are so pretty, i just have to look like you today." "Sure Tarzan, can i just kiss you as myself first?"

Sorry for taking so long. But essay writing is not conducive to creative writing.

LFJ57L906KALF28650HOLALQRO3487590 -- this is a password, copy it down.

2007-05-09T20:09:00.000+08:00

Sorry for taking so long with the story continuation but been kind of tied up with medical issues lately. No need for everyone to know. If you really want to, pls memorise the password in the title and then recite it to me when you see me. With that you will get the full longwinded story. Some parts of which may be embellished and many others made up.

Anyway, i was just thinking about the truth that everyone knows about me. I love soccer. And soccer-watching. In fact, i am very certain i will rather go 40 days without food then without soccer. I think i should study this disorder. I need to treat myself. Every season before the new English Premiere League season starts, millions of fans will update themselves everyday on who is going to which club and for how much money. My mum always said that if i could remember my textbooks like i could all the useless soccer facts, i would do really well in studies. She is wrong. If i could do that i would be a geek. And i am a soccer fan. But nowadays modern football sites have areas where you can speak your own views, and there are scores of people fantazising about who their club should buy, and which useless player the club shouldnt play in the new season. Its called addiction? Now i know why i feel compelled to study psychology.

Oh by the way, Nani and Etoo is scary, please dont let Man Utd buy both of them. Erikkson is a terrible manager, give Allardyce a chance. Manuel Fernandes is good, Everton would be foolish not to splash the cash on him. And Owen is so injury prone, no one should even consider wasting money on him. Who in the world is Caricciollo? No one can spell his name anyway. West Ham should relegate then the whole world can scramble for Tevez again. And be deducted points in the process. What was this paragraph supposed to be about again?

Disclaimer

2007-05-04T10:31:00.000+08:00

My modem fried itself. Actually it was more of froze. Thats what the technician with a heavy Indian accent said. " Sometimes this model has a tendency to lock up, and you can only unlock it with multiple factory resets". Define 'multiple'. 8? 29? 73,000?
Thus, after 8500 resets, i gave up and decided to order a new modem online with Charles. Thanks to Marianne for lending us her internet. Not that we like her very much. Just that her house is the nearest.
However, this online shop also has a problem with numbers. '1 day to arrive', they said. Its been 3. Maybe we have to wait 73,000 years.
In the meantime, me and Louise have decided to write another joint essay. Flip the dictionary for a word, check the thesaurus and use the word 4 times with the same meaning. She got "equivalent" and i got "ludicrous". Fortunately she went first this time. If i had to start i would probably write this: "The Modern Day concept of time & numbers is becoming ludicrous, ridiculous, absurd, comical, farcical, laughable, preposterous, risible, dumb, idiotic and silly. Only supposed to use it 4 times?Sorry, can't you count?

More combination writing...

2007-05-04T10:27:00.000+08:00

Introduction: I start a story of “equivalence” or if you choose to be pedantic, “equivalent”. What is equivalent to equivalent? What is equivalent to “ludicrous”. A laughable word play or can we manage to spin a yarn? This is our aim in the short tale:

THEREBY BEING EQUIVALENT TO LUDICROUS

They are so alike, she thought to herself. Not just in their serious, probing and earnest way of looking at people and the little- to- nil hand gesturing that many people were prone to do whilst talking. Those can be mutually adopted. They even share the same small eyes, aquiline nose, strawberry blond hair, medium tanned skin and raspy voice. The only difference was in the dressing. But of course, the rest of it was unbelievable. They could be siblings, even twins.

“They tested before getting married.” Monique the secretary had sidled up to her, and with the equivalent of a blink, had slinked off. There must be a reason that secretaries have the word “secret” in them. They have a way of knowing things first. Or maybe it’s because of their corresponding capacity to read minds. And their way of managing secrets- both inborn and exquisite. The whole world gets told in good fashion and no one or everyone gets hurt. There’s no in-between there or there is no point to telling it out.

It’s usual when couples laugh it off when people tell them how much they are growing to look like each other. And with a secret side-glance and an “Oh my goodness. Do I really…? I mean, have I really…?” This couple has taken a step towards commitment with a little more intensity, it seems.

To be Continued by Abel…

The continuation..

2007-04-28T15:25:00.001+08:00

" So defend yourself, you back-stabbing, cheating, money-hungry animal", Mephistopheles bellowed.
" I rest my case", replied Mr. Onuyama calmly.
"What?!! What are you talking about?!! You havn't even said anything!"
"Well, I just did. I said 'I rest my case'"
"But.. but that doesn't make any sense! Defend yourself against the charges!" yelled the furious devil.
Mr Onuyama walked out of the underworld with his arms crossed defiantly. He looked confident enough. He had a right to be. His meteoric rise to fame and fortune were unprecedented. Never before was there a more acclaimed assessment book writer in history. Not that much of history had assessment book writers. But this writer had re-written the storyline of history. And possibly even the future. He had sold the devil the second worst book ever written besides "The Hassle-Free Divorce Proceeding".
Mephistopheles stared blankly at his array of newly printed "Finding love in Algebra: a loving guidebook to elementary mathematics". All 777 million of them.
----

He felt like a defeated protagonist in one of Jeffery Archer’s loosely written fiction. Or is he the antagonist? Oh, what does it matter now? He’d make an easy character for any genre- the stupid kind too. But it doesn’t seem fair at all, to always be given the losing role. What irony it is, when being the voice of the most eloquent doomsayer, brainwave of the conniver; the slightest discontentment of the soul and precipitator of Self’s downfall, when his ultimate goal in life is to set the trap right, it is for others to foil it and gain the glory. His most faithful subordinate, the ghost of regret, comes back to haunt him after doing his rounds.

“What made you think you could trick him, when you have failed in the past?”
“Oh, will you just shut up.”
“You are my maker. Perhaps you now regret creating me.”

Maybe he should just remain passive. Which seems to be the way his copies of “Finding love in Algebra: a loving guidebook to elementary mathematics” is going to be. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Mephistopheles got out his “New King James” version from behind the stacks of useless books. It’s no myth that the evil one knows the Word.

There. So it’s written.

The next day when Mr Onuyama went to the bank, he got news that his cheque had bounced. For in the same way that God owns the cattle of a thousand hills, the devil is quite poor indeed. And “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.” -1 John 3: 8

And words are all i have, to cut your heart out.

2007-04-26T21:07:00.000+08:00

Louise and I are writing a short essay using random words chosen from the dictionary. So she flipped the big book and got the words "rest" and "meteoric". I must now use these words to write a para or 2 and she will continue with the words i randomly chose: "trap" & "doomsayer".

" So defend yourself, you back-stabbing, cheating, money-hungry animal", Mephistopheles bellowed.
" I rest my case", replied Mr. Onuyama calmly.
"What?!! What are you talking about?!! You havn't even said anything!"
"Well, i did. I said 'I rest my case'"
"But.. but that doesn't make any sense! Defend yourself against the charges!" yelled the furious devil.
Mr Onuyama walked out of the underworld with his arms crossed defiantly. He looked confident enough. He had a right to be. His meteoric rise to fame and fortune were unprecedented. Never before was there a more acclaimed assessment book writer in history. Not that much of history had assesment book writers. But this writer had re-written the storyline of history. And possbly even the future. He had sold the devil the second worst book ever written besides "The Hassle-Free Divorce Proceeding".
Mephistopheles stared blankly at his array of newly printed "Finding love in Algebra: a loving guidebook to elementary mathematics". All 777 million of them.

Sorry, but you know that i can only write utter nonsense. All the best dear. Its always easier to start first. HEHEHE.

Point of Information

2007-04-26T19:54:00.001+08:00

"Wouldnt it be nice if the world was cadbury" -- No, it wouldn't. Everything will be all gooey and sticky and no one would be able to walk properly to get to anywhere. Anything you touch will melt and stick to every single part of your body. Anyone that remotely likes chocolate will get really sick of it and there wouldn't be any water to drink because all there will be are chocolate fountains. So everyone is dying of the most horrible drying thirst. If people do survive the short term, everyone has diabetes and can only eat more chocolate that will only make the disease worse and increase the suffering. Bleah. What a terrible existence. Wouldn't it be nice if the world were Brussel sprouts!

Just tried Kit Kat's caramel fudge temptations and i must say it still doesn't change my opinion that all these "chocolate hybrids" are just never as good as the original.

Not for the faint hearted

2007-04-24T10:53:00.000+08:00

Hey peeps,
To those i promised about the post on female mediocrity. http://thegreatsze.blogspot.com/2007/04/on-female-mediocrity.html
Some excerpts i will paste here. But i think the whole long thing is really worth a read cos quotes always take the writer out of context. In some sense i have always held these kind of views. I said kind of, but not endorse entirely what the writer says. So, pls clarify with me b4 you slag me. Maybe cos we both from Chinese High. MCPs we all are. AHAHA. But read it with an open mind and tell me what you think. The rest of his posts are not really too light-hearted as well if you wondering.

"This is not an exercise in misogyny. Rather, it is a general diatribe against modern society. We - and by this, I mean both men and women - have unconsciously conspired to allow mediocre women to stagnate happily in their mediocrity. I do believe that we are all born mediocre, save for the talented, God-gifted few. All is hard work. Society exerts a positive pressure on men to get good at things, to "deal with it", to yaru (to do with a view to improving). Conversely, however, there is no such expectation on the female in society; the damsel in distress is a stereotype precisely because art imitates life. The woman, the lady, the princess, she is admired for little that she does; she only has to suru (to do, period).

This is not just the fault of the female, though it is arguable that she has let herself down by falling so comfortably into the unchallenging role that society has carved out for her. It is the fault of us all; we prize female beauty to such an extent that all else that she does has no real effect on our judgment of her. It is of course our loss; when an entire gender expects little from its collective self, it is the entire species that suffers."
..."A friend pointed out, during our discussion on this topic, that men and women just perform different roles. Men fix the inanimate (arimasu - non-living things), while women nurture the animated (imasu - living things). But increasingly women have to fulfill neither role. Women are fully entitled to have careers now, in modern society; no one will begrudge a woman who chooses not to have kids. Men, on the other hand, have it thrust upon them to communicate well, to get in touch with their feelings, and yet at the same time fix everything that is mildly technological, to be strong, a bulwark, a pillar of support for the entire family unit. It is no surprise that most men fail in this demanding role.

It is not enough to just say that "Oh, girls are no good with the technical stuff", and "We girls are good at some things, you boys are good at others." What are you good at? Really. What is your demonstration of value? My father, not my mother, used to sew my name into my handkerchiefs when I was a boy. I can cook, poorly, but it is edible and it satisfies me. But what are these mediocre girls good at? And would they do what they are good at on a regular basis, without grumbling? And voluntarily? If I ask a girl to cook for me, will she? If I fix her computer for her, will she bring me a nice steaming bowl of lasagna to me? Or will I simply be laughed away at just having that expectation?"

TAG TEAM IS ONLY FOR WRESTLERS!

2007-04-20T16:45:00.000+08:00

Part 1: on the outside
name : Abel
date of birth : The day the world mourned
current status : healthy but irritated
eye color : The eye consists of many colours, pls make your question less ambiguous
hair color : pink with orange swirls
right of left handed : You think you were born right?
zodiac : The king of the beasts is the crab

Part 2: on the inside
my heritage : long
my fear : fear itself
my weakness : shoulders
my perfect pizza : a cheap one

Part 3: yesterday, today & tomorrow
your first thought waking up : why do i have to?
tomorrow : is the 21st of April
your bedtime : is none of anyones business
most missed memory : How can a memory be missed? Its called nostalgic moment or most relived memory. Who came up with this questionnaire anyway, a Martian? Trying to probe us human beings eh??!?!

Part 4: your pick
pepsi or coke : soya bean
mcD or burger king : Burger King, cos Macs makes me lethargic for a day
adidas or nike : Adidas cos i buy soccer boots. And nike's ones just look flashy but is mainly SQWADOOSH!
lipton tea or nestea : teh ping
chocolate or vanila : A dsylexik Martion are we now?
cappuccino or coffee : Cappuccino is classified under coffee DUH!?!?!?

Part 5: do you..
smoke : Smoke out!!
curse : Doing it right now at this utter waste of my time questions.

Part 6: in the past month -- HELLO? LAZY DYSLEXIC MARTIAN! wheres the "have you"?
drank alcohol : Not in its pure form
gone to the mall? : Mall flanders
been on stage : Life is just a stage
eaten sushi : sushi belushi

Part 7: what were you doing
1 minute ago : writing "sushi belushi" DUH!!!!
1 hour ago : doing something more useful with my life
4 1/2 hours ago : doing something more useful with my life
1 month ago : doing something more useful with my life
1 year ago : Having a useful life

Part 8: finish the sentence
i love : finishing this sentence
i feel : feelings
i hate : this
i hide : under The Lord's wings
i miss : Louise
i need : to stop doing this crap

Part 9: Tag 5 people!
1. C.S Lewis
2. David Beckham
3. Rocky the Alsatian Dog
4. My Fairy Godmother
5. Stewie from the Family Guy

Just so you know..

2007-04-20T16:19:00.000+08:00

I thought we should maybe try clearing up a few misconceptions we have about what jobs entail.
Most people know what teachers or bus drivers do, but sometimes they have terrible misconceptions about other professions.
For instance, civil engineers dont just build bridges. And their counterparts the chemical engineers dont all design bombs.
Thus i stress! And i am getting rather irritated by this. Not because of people's ignorance but how they can abandon thinking for moments and blurt out this common phrase.
" Oh.. you studying psychology ah? You can read peoples' minds right? Dont read my mind ah!" Do you really think this is likely? If psychologists could read minds wouldnt the world be a really unsafe place? WE are NOT FORTUNE TELLERS!! The only future we can tell is that someone else is going to come and tell us we read minds.

In addition, my gf is a social worker. She gets paid to be one. They do not clean people's backsides as part of the job. Do people actually think this is likely too? Dont any of you have grandparents?

Everyone knows not all lawyers are those that prosecute incredibly interesting criminals ala LAW & ORDER. Next time if you encounter people like these, ask them to ask. "What does that entail?/ Can you please elaborate?" People in professions that are a bit rarer really dont mind shedding some light. Its better than beating around the bush about telepathy.

"Huh? You studying Geography ah? You like rocks so much ah?"

One day

2007-04-14T21:40:00.000+08:00

One day when i feel tired and weary of life, feeling hopelessley bored. One day when i cannot remember why i love my wife or why i am working so hard. When i find the kids a chore and the bills are a pain. Remind me. Remind me of this post on Sat 14 April 07. It isn't about me. It's about God.
10% of life is circumstances, 90% of life is how we respond. Life is a struggle that i want to live with discipline and sacrifice. The grass always seems greener on the other side. Good quote. Let me add something. The grass always seems greener on the other side. But when you get there, you realise that the grass on the other side was where you were at in the first place.
One day when i am depressed, down and out, just remind me of this day. And this question. "Why wasn't God pleased with Cain's sacrifice?" Its not stated explicitly in Genesis. But i will know what you mean. And i will understand.

'At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: "Naked i came from my mother's womb, and naked will i depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised."' Job 1:20-21.

Whiny the Pooh Voice.

2007-04-13T12:09:00.000+08:00

Was having a discussion with my gf the other night on why in the world is Winnie the Pooh called Pooh? As every inquisitive mind of the 21st century knows, you just have to wikipaedia it. To our astonishment, Winnie is not even the bear's name. Its Edward. I sincerely hope you didnt know that.
Also, why he (I took a long time to reconcile with this fact when i was young) is called "Pooh" is actually revealed in the first ever book of the Bear's appearance, which was in 1926.
The history goes "Milne named the character Winnie-the-Pooh after a toy bear owned by his son, Christopher Robin Milne, who was the basis for the character Christopher Robin...Christopher Milne had named his toy after Winnipeg, a bear which he and his father often saw at London Zoo, and "Pooh," a swan they had met while on holiday. The bear, called "Winnie," was known as a gentle bear who never attacked anyone, and she was much loved for her playfulness. This is exactly what inspired Milne to write about Pooh Bear. Pooh the swan appears as a character in its own right in When We Were Very Young.

In the first chapter of Winnie-the-Pooh, Milne offers this explanation of why Winnie-the-Pooh is often called simply 'Pooh' : "But his arms were so stiff ... they stayed up straight in the air for more than a week, and whenever a fly came and settled on his nose he had to blow it off. And I think - but I am not sure - that that is why he is always called Pooh."

Are you confused already? Before that they claim the bear is called Edward 'Winnie-the-Pooh' Bear. I guess they just had too many favourite names and decided to lump it all into one character. Never really understood why all the characters in the show were so dysfunctional but also un-interesting. Although i know tonnes of girls liked them. I bet you might not also know this -- "Pooh's obsession with honey is based on a completely false premise about bear behavior. While bears are major predators of beehives, they are seeking the brood (larva and pupa). "

Whats Cold and Spiky?

2007-04-11T22:55:00.000+08:00

After you cut your hair you can feel 2 kinds of cool-ness.
1. The good looking, confident kind of cool
2. The no hair, i look like a hedgehog kind of cool

Read this very critical paragraph in a book comparing the theories of C.S Lewis and Freud.
"When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good; a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right... Good people know both about good and evil: bad people do not know about either" (C.S Lewis). Lewis says that the more we struggle with our bad impulses, the better we know them. The more we give in to them, the less we understand them. He writes, "Virtue -- even attempted virtue-- brings light, indulgence brings fog". "

After another 3 years my favourite artiste finally has another album. This is usually their norm. During the waiting period, fans like me forget what music is really about. =)We also spend the years trying to figure out what in the world their lyrics mean. Unfortunately, i couldnt find it in the city today. Knowing that Perth is so isolated i think i can wait till i get back to Singapore to buy it. HAHA. http://www.cakemusic.com/ "To me, coming from you; friend is a four-letter word, 'n' is the only part of the word that i heard".

Resurrect the former post

2007-04-08T14:38:00.000+08:00

Anyway, for you who are still curious to the T/F questions about myself. Here are the answers. 1-10 are all False and 11-20 are all True. If you disagree, just remember that God loves you. I dont claim to know myself all that well. =).
Q1. My favourite chess player is Vladimir Kramnik. (Wrong- its Morozevich)
Q2. I never owned a dog but would like one.( I owned a dog once)
Q3. My favourite colour is blue. (No fav colour, wearing a lot of jeans doesnt count)
Q4. My favourite animal is the meerkat.(Its the cow)
Q5. When i was young,I was deciding between supporting Spurs or Everton.(It was Spurs or Liverpool; and yes i have heard all the wisecracks about this)
Q6. I own 4 Spurs replica jerseys.(Its only 3)
Q7. I sometimes read the dictionary.(No, i dont, i read the thesaurus, its more interesting)
Q8. My favourite music artiste is Rob Thomas.(Its Cake, female artiste is Aimee Mann)
Q9. I have 2 broken toes due to soccer.(its 3)
Q10. I prefer the cold to the heat. (No real preference, but heat is sometimes enjoyed more)
Q11. My favourite soccer player used to be Stephen Carr. (Yes, he used to play for Spurs)
Q12. My favourite chess set was bought by my gf.(The magnetic one on my table)
Q13. My gf can run a better long distance timing than me.(Sadly, i lose)
Q14. My brother is beginning to support Spurs.(OH YEAH!!Now i have someone to be sad with me)
Q15. I used to travel from Bukit Timah to Yishun just to play soccer.(My friends stayed there)
Q16. I dislike mechanical pencils. (Wood ones anyday)
Q17. I like digestive biscuits.(Yumz. esp with yoghurt)
Q18. My favourite author is Paul Auster.(Read him if you like modern fiction)
Q19. I owned the whole series of the comic strip Citizen Dog.(Super funny! I own a lot of Far Side too)
Q20. I dislocated one of my shoulders from swimming. (Ouch the right one, the left side from BMT low wall)

BullaBunga

2007-04-05T02:00:00.000+08:00

Now that script writers have run out of ideas, it appears that some people are taking another stab at making a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. The last one was rather bad i must sadly admit. It was really long ago though and i have thankfully erased the dark sewer shots from my memory. Yes, terribly dark and the turtles looked cumbersome. The new one though is an animated graphics one with no real actors bouncing around in hard shells.
Just wondering if anyone can still remember the tune? I guess the cartoon was so ingrained in me that i still remember quite clearly. I usually cant hold any sort of tune but somehow cartoon tunes stick ya? Most of my generation remembers the tunes of the cartoons Captain Planet and Gummy Bears, just that few admit it.

Back to Turtle POWER!! So you remember the Rat's name?
Splinter! ok that wasnt too hard.. How about the brain in the machine bad guy?

Oh so you did know its Crank... Then how about the rhino and boar bad guys that are really stupid henchmen?

Wow.. you sure you dont own all the toys? You actually knew they are called BeeBop and Rocksteady?

Ok then.. who is the producer of TMNT? MUAHAHAHA... sad to say i really do know the answer.. He happens to be Fred Wolf.

I guess when we were young we really could remember all this useless stuff. But we thought we were cool. Except Raphael's weapon. We primary school kids never undestood what was up with that.

Abel has strange humour

2007-04-03T23:47:00.000+08:00

I know close to 15 million other ppl have already watched this video, but i just saw it and it really cracked me up man! hahaha. Pls indulge me if you have already seen it, i dont really bother watching videos on youtube.

STOP HAVING THESE!! ITS TOO HARD

2007-04-03T23:04:00.000+08:00

As a conformist, i shall have a T/F guess things about me lame post. Everyones is really hard and i shall be kind and make mine easy. Dont you dare say you are my friend if you fail ok!?!?! MUAHAHAHAH. STRESSED OUT ARE YOU!!?!??!

Q1. My favourite chess player is Vladimir Kramnik.
Q2. I never owned a dog but would like one.
Q3. My favourite colour is blue.
Q4. My favourite animal is the meerkat.
Q5. When i was young,I was deciding between supporting Spurs or Everton.
Q6. I own 4 Spurs replica jerseys.
Q7. I sometimes read the dictionary.
Q8. My favourite music artiste is Rob Thomas.
Q9. I have 2 broken toes due to soccer.
Q10. I prefer the cold to the heat.
Q11. My favourite soccer player used to be Stephen Carr.
Q12. My favourite chess set was bought by my gf.
Q13. My gf can run a better long distance timing than me.
Q14. My brother is beginning to support Spurs.
Q15. I used to travel from Bukit Timah to Yishun just to play soccer.
Q16. I dislike mechanical pencils.
Q17. I like digestive biscuits.
Q18. My favourite author is Paul Auster.
Q19. I owned the whole series of the comic strip Citizen Dog.
Q20. I dislocated one of my shoulders from swimming.

Answers will be out on easter sunday! And i think Louise shouldnt answer first. K dear? I think you sure pass with flying colours la. HAHA. For the rest.. lets see who is really my friend ah.. HAHAHAHAHA.